cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suspecting non‐cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: What the busy primary care clinician needs to know

SummaryAims Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is a chronic, progressive respiratory disorder characterised by irreversibly and abnormally dilated airways, persistent cough, excessive sputum production and recurrent pulmonary infections. In the last several decades, its prevalence has increased, making it likely to be encountered in the primary care setting. The aim was to review the clinical presentation and diagnosis of NCFB, with an emphasis on the role of computed tomography (CT). Methods For this review, trials and reports were identified from PubMed/Medline and ClinicalTrials.gov from the US NIH and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. The search used keywords: bronchiectasis, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, chronic pulmonary infection and computed tomography. No date/language restrictions were used. Results Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis often coexists with other respiratory conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The prevalence of NCFB is increasing, particularly in women and older individuals, possibly as a result of increased physician awareness and widespread use of CT, which is the gold standard for the diagnosis of NCFB. CT can assist in identifying an underlying cause of NCFB and determining the extent and severity of the disease. Discussion Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis should be suspected in the primary care setting in patients with chronic cough, purulent sputum and frequent respiratory infections that tend to resolve slowly or partially. Early diagnosis and determination of the extent and severity of the disease by CT and other tests are critical to establish therapy to improve quality of life and potentially slow progressive decline of lung function in patients with NCFB.
Understanding the Cost of Driving Trips

Driving is the second highest expense for the average American household. Yet few people know the total cost of owning and operating their vehicles, and most cannot estimate accurately how much a common driving trip (like a daily commute) costs. There are an increasing number of viable alternatives for personal transportation, such as car services (e.g. Uber, Lyft), in addition to ridesharing, transit, biking, and walking. Cost is one factor in transportation mode choice, and awareness of the cost of driving is useful in making better informed decisions. To bridge this awareness gap, we built and deployed a system that makes the total cost of each driving trip (including depreciation, maintenance, insurance, and fuel) visible to the user. After this intervention, participants were able to more accurately and confidently estimate costs of their driving commutes, and transfer this knowledge to other trips for which they had not seen a cost.
Active Listening Delays Attentional Disengagement and Saccadic Eye Movements

Successful goal-directed visual behavior depends on efficient disengagement of attention. Attention must be withdrawn from its current focus before being redeployed to a new object or internal process. Previous research has demonstrated that occupying cognitive processes with a secondary cellular phone conversation impairs attentional functioning and driving behavior. For example, attentional processing is significantly impacted by concurrent cell phone use, resulting in decreased explicit memory for on-road information. Here, we examined the impact of a critical component of cell-phone use-active listening-on the effectiveness of attentional disengagement. In the gap task-a saccadic manipulation of attentional disengagement-we measured saccade latencies while participants performed a secondary active listening task. Saccadic latencies significantly increased under an active listening load only when attention needed to be disengaged, indicating that active listening delays a disengagement operation. Simple dual-task interference did not account for the observed results. Rather, active cognitive engagement is required for measurable disengagement slowing to be observed. These results have implications for investigations of attention, gaze behavior, and distracted driving. Secondary tasks such as active listening or cell-phone conversations can have wide-ranging impacts on cognitive functioning, potentially impairing relatively elementary operations of attentional function, including disengagement.
Modeling the interference of pulsed radar signals in OFDM-based communications systems

Spectrum coexistence between radar and communications systems has received considerable attention recently as it has presented itself as one solution to the increasing demand for higher data rates in communications systems. This paper aims to model the interfering radar signal at the receiver of a communications system that uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). As an example, a rectangular-shaped pulsed radar signal is considered, for which the probability mass functions (PMFs) are derived for the amplitude and phase of the radar interference. The derived PMFs are shown to accurately model the radar interference generated via Monte Carlo simulations.
nanos-Driven expression of piggyBac transposase induces mobilization of a synthetic autonomous transposon in the malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles stephensi

Transposons are a class of selfish DNA elements that can mobilize within a genome. If mobilization is accompanied by an increase in copy number (replicative transposition), the transposon may sweep through a population until it is fixed in all of its interbreeding members. This introgression has been proposed as the basis for drive systems to move genes with desirable phenotypes into target species. One such application would be to use them to move a gene conferring resistance to malaria parasites throughout a population of vector mosquitos. We assessed the feasibility of using the piggyBac transposon as a gene-drive mechanism to distribute anti-malarial transgenes in populations of the malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi. We designed synthetic gene constructs that express the piggyBac transposase in the female germline using the control DNA of the An. stephensi nanos orthologous gene linked to marker genes to monitor inheritance. Two remobilization events were observed with a frequency of one every 23 generations, a rate far below what would be useful to drive anti-pathogen transgenes into wild mosquito populations. We discuss the possibility of optimizing this system and the impetus to do so.
A Cognitive Model of Episodic Memory Integrated with a General Cognitive Architecture.

Episodic memory provides a mechanism for accessing past experiences and has been relatively ignored in computational models of cognition. In this paper, we present a framework for describing the functional stages for computational models of episodic memory: encoding, storage, retrieval and use of the retrieved memories. We present two implementations of a computational model of episodic memory in Soar. We demonstrate all four stages of the model for a simple interactive task.
A Cerebello-Thalamo-Cortical Pathway Controlling Fusimotor Activity

The mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of lesions in ventrolateral nucleus of thalamus (VLN) in humans with disorders of posture and movement have not been clarified with certainty. In experimental animals, lesions in VLN produced with a cooling probe decrease significantly the responses of medial gastrocnemius (MG) spindle primary afferents to extension of the gastrocnemius muscle. Lesions in a nearby thalamic nucleus, pulvinar, do not depress the responses of MG spindle primary afferents. Earlier studies have shown that the technique of sampling spindle afferent responses used in these experiments provides a reliable indication of the level of tonic activity of fusimotor neurones innervating the MG muscle spindle primaries. It is concluded that (1) the VLN has a net excitatory effect on fusimotor neurones projecting to hindlimb extensor muscles; (2) the VLN is part of a specific pathway for facilitation of fusimotor neurone activity; (3) lesions of VLN have a beneficial effect on limb rigidity in humans through a decrease of spindle afferent responses resulting from the depression of fusimotor activity.
Loperamide abuse and cardiotoxicity.

To the Editor:With increasing restrictions and safety protocols implemented in prescribing opioids, there has been an increased incidence of recreational abuse of over-the-counter medications, incl...
Emotions and Pan-Asian Organizing in the U.S. Southwest: Analyzing Interview Discourses via Sentiment Analysis

Emotion is recognized as essential in human service work. Despite a recent surge of research on emotions in organizations in the past 20 years, communication scholars, however, have paid inadequate attention to workplace emotions. Yet, one key to promoting sustainable identity-based organizing lies in crafting alignments among identity, emotion, and action. This gap motivates the current study to examine emotions across organizational positions within a pan-Asian nonprofit organization serving underserved Asians and Asian Americans. Specifically, this study mapped via sentiment analysis eight primary emotions identified by the National Research Council of Canada across three organizational positions (i.e., staff, volunteering members, and clients). The statistical analysis identified trust as the most prevalent emotion. Moreover, fear and sadness were identified as affected by organizational positions. These results demonstrate the usefulness, importance, and necessity of examining emotions in the context of identity-based organizing.
Comparison of ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% and loteprednol etabonate 0.5% for inflammation after phacoemulsification: prospective randomized double-masked study.

Abstract Purpose: To compare the efficacy of a topical nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent (ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution 0.5%) and a topical steroid (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.5%) in controlling inflammation after cataract surgery. Setting: Magill Research Center for Vision Correction, Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Methods: Sixty patients were prospectively and randomly assigned to receive topical treatment with ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution 0.5% or loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.5% starting the day after routine phacoemulsification for cataract extraction. Both patient and investigator were masked to treatment. All patients had uneventful small-incision phacoemulsification with placement of a foldable posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL). Patients used 1 of the 2 antiinflammatory agents 4 times a day starting 24 hours after surgery. Signs and symptoms of inflammation as documented by external slitlamp examination, intraocular pressure (IOP), and Kowa cell and flare measurements were evaluated on postoperative days 1, 4, 7, and 30. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in any measurement of postoperative inflammation between the 2 groups. There was no difference in objective or subjective cell and flare measurements or in IOP between groups. No patient in either group was removed from the study for lack of treatment efficiency. Conclusions: Ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution 0.5% was as effective as loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.5% in reducing inflammation after routine phacoemulsification and IOL implantation. These results suggest that ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% is a safe and effective antiinflammatory alternative to steroids after cataract extraction.
Urosymphyseal Fistulas Resulting From Endoscopic Treatment of Radiation-induced Posterior Urethral Strictures

Objective To describe the inciting events leading to urosymphyseal fistulas (UFs) and pubic osteomyelitis (PO) in patients who had radiation-induced urethral strictures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent simultaneous pubic debridement, simple cystectomy, and urinary diversion for refractory UF and PO from 2014 to 2016. We investigated inciting events leading to UF, as well as patient presenting symptoms, diagnosis, management, and outcomes. Results Five patients were identified over a 2-year period. All patients had a previous history of radiation for prostate cancer. The median age was 67 years. All patients developed UF and PO after endoscopic intervention for urethral stricture. The number of endoscopic interventions per patient for stricture ranged from 1 to 7, including serial dilation, balloon dilation, and urethrotomy. Sterile urine cultures were obtained before all endoscopic interventions. All patients had pelvic pain with ambulation and recurrent urinary tract infections at presentation. Patients were diagnosed using a combination of retrograde urethrography and magnetic resonance imaging. Simultaneous pubic debridement with simple cystectomy and diversion was used for management in all cases. One patient died postoperatively with the remainder recovering well without PO or fistula recurrence, with a median follow-up of 16 months. Conclusion UF can occur as a complication of endoscopic treatment of posterior urethral stricture in patients with a history of radiation therapy for prostate cancer. This study demonstrates that UF and PO may develop even with minimally traumatic procedures and sterile urine. All patients treated for posterior stricture must be considered at risk of development of fistulas and osteomyelitis.
The role of mass spectrometry in the characterization of biologic protein products.

Introduction: Mass spectrometry (MS) is widely used in the characterization of biomolecules including peptide and protein therapeutics. These biotechnology products have seen rapid growth over the ...
Is brain response to food rewards related to overeating? A test of the reward surfeit model of overeating in children.

Abstract The reward surfeit model of overeating suggests that heightened brain response to rewards contributes to overeating and subsequent weight gain. However, previous studies have not tested whether brain response to reward is associated with food intake, particularly during childhood, a period of dynamic development in reward and inhibitory control neurocircuitry. We conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with 7–11-year-old children (n = 59; healthy weight, n = 31; overweight, n = 28; 54% female) while they played a modified card-guessing paradigm to examine blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response to anticipating and winning rewards (food, money, neutral). Food intake was assessed at three separate meals that measured different facets of eating behavior: 1) typical consumption (baseline), 2) overindulgence (palatable buffet), and 3) eating in the absence of hunger (EAH). A priori regions of interest included regions implicated in both reward processing and inhibitory control. Multiple stepwise regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between intake and BOLD response to rewards. Corrected results showed that a greater BOLD response in the medial prefrontal cortex for anticipating food compared to money positively correlated with how much children ate at the baseline and palatable buffet meals. BOLD response in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for winning food compared to money was positively correlated with intake at the palatable buffet meal and EAH. All aforementioned relationships were independent of child weight status. Findings support the reward surfeit model by showing that increased brain response to food compared to money rewards positively correlates with laboratory measures of food intake in children.
Patent Law is, at Best, Not Worth Keeping

Does patent law really promote progress and innovation? More importantly, does it benefit society in general? Does it cause a major injustice? This Essay looks at the purported benefits of patent law, examines whether they are really benefits, and then compares them with the harm that it does. Progress and innovation are not the same thing, and innovation facilitated by the patent system limits our freedoms. This Essay rebuts the arguments in favor of keeping the patent system, and ultimately concludes that patent law should be abolished. To think clearly about patent law, we must first reject the misguided tendency to lump it together with many other disparate laws under the term “intellectual property.” Those who fancy that term apply it to ten or more laws, most of which are unrelated and have little in common. U.S. copyright law does have one very general point in common with U.S. patent law—one sentence in the Constitution1—but that doesn’t apply to the rest of these laws. Notwithstanding those facts, use of the term “intellectual property” leads many to suppose that all of these laws are similar. Even law professors are led to disregard facts they know when they make generalizations using that term. For instance it is quite common to say that “intellectual property laws are meant to promote innovation,” even though copyright law and trademark law are not concerned with innovation at all.2 Patent law is concerned with innovation, but the
The Place of Kinship in the Social System: A Formal-and-Functional Consideration With an Appendix on Descent and Alliance

This papers examines the recent controversy as to whether there is any universally defined domain of kinship in sociocultural systems from the point of view of the philosophy of science, in particular, the classical positivism (e.g., of Radcliffe-Brown and of Murdock) that I show to have motivated the question. It also examines the American version of the controversy, as with Schneider, and shows that, again, the question arises because of essentially the radical empiricism of cultural particularism and its methodological focus. It then proceeds to evaluate the question from a cognitive-cum-formalist perspective, and goes on the argue that Lounsbury’s approach is not only also positivist-behaviorist in its foundations but also unwilling or unable to consider kinship as a domain having regard to its function within the whole social system and therewith in fact inadequately formalist, having regard to genealogical organization. I proceed to take especial not of the fact that, uniquely, kinship is a system of social relations that is what I cal pure-relational, that being the functional basis of its universal definition. Finally, as an appendix, I generalize the idea of alliance to the structural organization of all kinship systems.
Using Computational Thinking to Transform Elementary Mathematics Instruction

Computer science (CS) education advocates argue that integration of computational thinking (CT) into instruction in other subjects has promise for providing a strong foundation in computer science ideas for elementary school students. Less attention has been given to the role that CT may play in improving learning in subjects other than computer science. This document summarizes my plans to study how teaching elementary level mathematics through computational thinking practices can improve mathematics learning.
Addressing financial concerns of cancer clinical trial participants: Longitudinal outcomes of an equity intervention.

6566Background: Cancer patients’ (pts) financial concerns (FCs) represent a barrier to clinical trial (CT) participation and interventions targeting pts’ FCs are needed. We sought to assess the imp...
Coordinated Rational Choice

When acting in social contexts, we are often able to voluntarily coordinate our choices with one another. It has been suggested that this ability relies on the adoption of preferences that transcend those of the individuals involved in the social interaction. Conditional game theory provides a formal framework that facilitates the study of coordinated rational choice in a way that disentangles the concepts of individual preference and group agency. We argue that these concepts are complementary: individual preferences are formed in a social context and groups coordinate as socially influenced preferences interact. In particular, we show that if agents can engage in conditional reasoning and can define their preferences in the form of hypothetical propositions, group-level coordination can be grounded only on the preference of individuals.
Salicylic acid-primed defence response in octoploid strawberry 'Benihoppe' leaves induces resistance against Podosphaera aphanis through enhanced accumulation of proanthocyanidins and upregulation of pathogenesis-related genes.

Podosphaera aphanis, a predominately biotrophic fungal pathogen, causes significant yield losses of strawberry. China is the largest strawberry producer in the world, and selecting for powdery mildew-resistant cultivars is desirable. However, the resistance mechanism against P. aphanis in the octoploid strawberry remains unclear. To understand possible mechanisms of disease resistance, we inoculated strawberry leaves with P. aphanis, and examined the expression profiles of candidate genes and the biochemical phenotypes in strawberry leaves of two groups. The unigenes obtained from ddH2O- and SA-pretreated leaves resulted in a total of 48,020 and 45,896 genes, respectively. KEGG enrichment showed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and plant hormone signal transduction pathways were enriched to a noticeable extent. DEG analysis showed that key TFs genes associated with the SA signaling pathway could play important role in the strawberry–P. aphanis interaction. In particular, FaWRKY70, FaJAZ1 and FaMYC2-like, involved in regulating the antagonistic effect of SA and JA signaling pathway, leading to increased expression of SA-responsive genes (in particular PR1, PR2, PR3, and PR5) compared to a decline in expression of JA-responsive genes (FaJAR1, FaAOS, and FaLOX2). Furthermore, SA pretreatment induced accumulation of PAs by activating the MBW complex and inhibit powdery mildew growth. This study describes the role of the proanthocyanidins (PAs), pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, SA, and transcription factors in regulatory model against P. aphanis, which coincided with an early activation of defense, leading to the accumulation of PAs and the PR proteins.
Breeding Phenology and Reproductive Success of Little Blue Herons (Egretta caerulea) in an Urban Mixed-Species Colony

As human populations continue to expand into suburban and rural areas, conflicts with wildlife are likely to increase. Many populations of long-legged wading birds (Family Ardeidae) face the challenge of human disturbance both at feeding sites and breeding colonies. Little Blue Herons (Egretta caerulea) are medium-sized wading birds that often join egrets and other herons in mixed-species breeding colonies. In June and July 2018, a random sample of Little Blue Heron nests located in an urban colony were monitored from incubation to fledging. The goals of this study were to (1) characterize adult nest-activity patterns over the course of the breeding cycle, and (2) document Little Blue Heron reproductive success in an urban colony and identify sources of human disturbance. Instantaneous samples with 5-min intervals were used to record adult activity during 50 h of observation at 24 nests. An additional 77 h of continuous observation at two different nests documented fine-scale activities and changes in nesting status. Observations made at random times during morning, midday, and evening periods yielded 636 nest-hours across all breeding stages. During incubation, attending parents mostly sat (63 %) or stood (23 %) in or near their nests, spent less time in nest maintenance (5 %) and self-maintenance (scratching, preening; 5 %), and seldom (< 1 %) left the nest unprotected. By the end of the breeding cycle, nests were unattended 69 % of the time. The 26 monitored nests fledged a total 39 chicks (1.4 ± 0.3 chicks/nest attempt). The 16 successful nests (61 % of all nests) fledged 2.4 ± 0.2 chicks. Known causes of nest failure included destruction or usurpation by Cattle Egrets (Bubulbus ibis) and predation by Black-crowned Night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax). Sources of disturbance included dogs allowed in the colony, intentional loud noises, and human presence. We compare reproductive success at this urban colony to that in less disturbed colonies reported in the literature.
Ferumoxytol-enhanced MR Venography of the Central Veins of the Thorax for the Evaluation of Stenosis and Occlusion in Patients with Renal Impairment.

Ferumoxytol-enhanced MR venography demonstrated a very high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of thoracic central vein stenoses and occlusions.
Evidence for X(3872) in PbPb collisions and studies of its prompt production at sNN=5.02TeV

Abstract The first evidence for X(3872) in heavy ion collisions is reported. Prompt X(3872) production is studied with the CMS detector in PbPb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of s NN = 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair, using the decay chain X(3872)→ J/ψπ+π− → μ+μ−π+π−. The measurement is performed in a kinematic range in which the X(3872) candidates have a transverse momentum 15 s = 7 and 8 TeV .
Single Cell RNAseq Uncovers a Robust Transcriptional Response to Morphine by Oligodendrocytes

Molecular and behavioral responses to opioids are thought to be primarily mediated by neurons, although there is accumulating evidence that other cell types also play a role in drug addiction. To investigate cell-type-specific opioid responses, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of the nucleus accumbens of mice following acute morphine treatment. Differential expression analysis uncovered a surprisingly robust morphine-dependent transcriptional response by oligodendrocytes. We examined the expression of selected genes, including Cdkn1a and Sgk1, by FISH, confirming their induction by morphine in oligodendrocytes. Further analysis using RNAseq of FACS purified oligodendrocytes revealed a large cohort of morphine-regulated genes. Importantly, the affected genes are enriched for roles in cellular pathways intimately linked to oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination, including the unfolded protein response. Altogether, our data shed light on a morphine-dependent transcriptional response by oligodendrocytes that may contribute to the myelination defects observed in human opioid addicts.
Paradoxes and limitations in enacting Jewish-Muslim dialogue in contemporary France: case studies of interreligious and intercultural dialogue initiatives

This article examines the extent to which Jewish-Muslim inter-religious/cultural dialogue initiatives in France are negatively affected by the dominant paradigm of republican universalism and state...
Vision-Based Road Rage Detection Framework in Automotive Safety Applications

Drivers’ road rage is among the main causes of road accidents. Each year, it contributes to more deaths and injuries globally. In this context, it is important to implement systems that can supervise drivers by monitoring their level of concentration during the entire driving process. In this paper, a module for Advanced Driver Assistance System is used to minimise the accidents caused by road rage, alerting the driver when a predetermined level of rage is reached, thus increasing the transportation safety. To create a system that is independent of both the orientation of the driver’s face and the lighting conditions of the cabin, the proposed algorithmic pipeline integrates face detection and facial expression classification algorithms capable of handling such non-ideal situations. Moreover, road rage of the driver is estimated through a decision-making strategy based on the temporal consistency of facial expressions classified as “anger” and “disgust”. Several experiments were executed to assess the performance on both a real context and three standard benchmark datasets, two of which containing non-frontal-view facial expression and one which includes facial expression recorded from participants during driving. Results obtained show that the proposed module is competent for road rage estimation through facial expression recognition on the condition of multi-pose and changing in lighting conditions, with the recognition rates that achieve state-of-art results on the selected datasets.
The Short and the Long of it: Timing of Mortality for Older Adults in a State Trauma System.

Abstract Background The impact of injury extends beyond the hospital stay, but trauma center performance metrics typically focus on in-hospital mortality. We compared risk adjusted rates of in-hospital and long-term mortality among Pennsylvania trauma centers. We hypothesized that centers with low rates of in-hospital mortality would also have low rates of long-term mortality. Methods We identified injured patients (age ≥ 65) admitted to Pennsylvania trauma centers in 2013 and 2014 using the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcomes Study, a robust, state-wide trauma registry. We matched trauma registry records to Medicare claims from the y 2013 to 2015. Matching variables included admission date and patient demographics including date of birth, zip, sex, and race and/or ethnicity. Outcomes examined were inpatient, 30-day, and 1-y mortality. Multivariable logistic regression models including presenting physiology, comorbidities, injury characteristics, and demographics were developed to calculate expected mortality rates for each trauma center at each time point. Trauma center performance was assessed using observed-to-expected ratios and ranking for in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-y mortality. Results Of the 15,451 patients treated at 28 centers, 8.1% died before discharge or were discharged to hospice. Another 3.4% died within 30 d, and another 14.7% died within 1 y of injury. Of patients who survived hospitalization but died within 30 d, 92.5% were injured due to fall, and 75.0% sustained head injuries. Survival at 1 y was higher in patients discharged home (88.4%), compared to those discharged to a skilled nursing facility or long-term acute care hospital (72.7% and 52.6%, respectively). Three centers were identified as outliers (two low and one high) for in-hospital mortality, none of which were outliers when the horizon was stretched to 30 d from injury. At 30 d, two different low and two different high outliers were found. Conclusion Nearly one-in-three injured older adults who die within 30 d of injury dies after hospital discharge. Hospital rankings for in-hospital mortality correlate poorly with long-term outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of looking beyond survival to discharge for quality improvement and benchmarking.
Cytomegalovirus Infection in the Human Placenta: Maternal Immunity and Developmentally Regulated Receptors on Trophoblasts Converge

Abstract During human pregnancy, CMV infects the uterine-placental interface with varied outcomes from fetal intrauterine growth restriction to permanent birth defects, depending on the level of maternal immunity and gestational age. Virus spreads from infected uterine blood vessels, amplifies by replicating in decidual cells, and disseminates to the placenta in immune complexes. Cytotrophoblasts--epithelial cells of the placenta--differentiate along two distinct pathways. In the first, cells fuse into syncytiotrophoblasts covering the surface of chorionic villi that transport substances from the maternal to fetal bloodstream. In the second, cells invade the uterine interstitium and blood vessels, remodel the vasculature and form anchoring villi. CMV initiates replication in cytotrophoblast progenitor cells of floating villi, whereas syncytiotrophoblasts are spared. This extraordinary pattern of focal infection in underlying cells hinges on virion receptors being upregulated as villous cytotrophoblasts begin to differentiate. Expression of developmentally regulated receptors could explain viral replication in spatially distinct maternal and fetal compartments. Reduced invasiveness of infected cells could impair remodeling of the uterine vasculature, restrict maternal blood flow and access of the fetus to nutrients causing intrauterine growth restriction.
The Post‐9/11 Hero

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City’s Twin Towers, America and the world seemed to shift in and out of focus as people and governments grappled with the unreality of this very real event. Artists, too, sought ways to express the angst and confusion of the attack itself, as well as the debate over the sometimes controversial steps taken both to protect and avenge in its aftermath. Among these artistic responses we find an unusual number of treatments of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf appearing, particularly between 2005 and 2007. This article focuses on one of those productions, Sturla Gunnarsson’s 2006 film “Beowulf & Grendel,” starring Gerard Butler, tracing the ways this adaptation of the poem captures the essence of the original text while questioning the origin and nature of violence, heroism, and honor; the danger in demonizing the ‘other’; and the proper exercise of power in a society marked by random violence. Given the ruptured social and political climate post-9/11, it is perhaps not surprising that Gunnarsson and screenwriter Andrew Rai Berzin turned to a classic poem involving monsters, heroes, violence, and death to explore the complicated relationships among these issues evident both in the 10th and 21st centuries.
Observations on Ceramium uruguayense (Ceramiaceae, Rhodophyta): first occurrence in the Caribbean Sea

The red algae Ceramium uruguayense is reported for the first time in the Caribbean Sea. The vegetative and reproductive morphology of this species are described. Ceramium uruguayense is compared with other similar Caribbean species. Ceramium uruguayense has clear diagnostic characters like 8-9 periaxial cell, presence of pseudoperiaxial cells, acropetal direction in nodal formation and basipetal growth from periaxial cell. A distribution analysis of the genus in the Caribbean is presented.
Fault tolerant memory designs for improved yield and reliability

Fault tolerant memory designs aimed at providing high fault coverage are proposed. Reconfiguration strategies for single cell failure, multiple cell failures, single row failure, multiple row failures, single column failure, multiple column failures, and decoder failures are presented. The effect of reconfiguration on the yield and reliability of the memory design is analyzed. The designs are optimized for minimal area overhead. A significant improvement in yield and reliability is observed when an optimal number of redundant spares are used. >
The morality of unenabled embryo use--arguments that work and arguments that don't.

Address correspondence to Louis M. Guenin, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: guenin@hms.harvard.edu). As natural phenomena are to the scientist, so are arguments to the philosopher. The philosopher Richard Hare once said, “I like to give arguments for my position. They come in handy when people don’t agree with me.” Consider then the inclination of many among us—perhaps by virtue of being busy, or for other reasons—to pronounce a verdict, when a moral controversy comes along, by consulting aphorisms or slogans. By following this inclination, earnest people may unwittingly betray the moral views that they aspire to uphold. For they may fail to take account of the depth and subtlety of their respective moral views. I should like to discuss arguments offered in support of using human embryos in research and therapy. I plan to survey both arguments that work and arguments that do not. I shall first review six arguments that I place in the latter category. Each of these purports to justify research that I happen to support. But inasmuch as a good case is not made better by overstatement, and no case is made by an unsound argument, I am going to disavow those six arguments. I urge other supporters of donated embryo use to disavow them as well, because, as Bernard Williams once said, openness to criticism is the homage that candor pays to truth. To support my own view, I shall go on to sketch arguments that, so I shall suggest, are sound. I shall then say a bit more about cloning in particular, and shall close by remarking on the risk of abuses.
Phosphoribulokinase: isolation and sequence determination of the cysteine-containing active-site peptide modified by 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine.

Abstract Phosphoribulokinase (ATP: d -ribulose-5-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.19) is stoichiometrically inactivated by the ATP analog, 5′-p-flurosulfonylbenzoyadenosine (FSBA). The inactivaion is reversed upon incubation with dithiothreitol, suggesting that a cysteine is modified. Since the adduct formed upon enzyme inactivation is unstable to normal procedures for peptide analysis, the site of modification has been identified by converting the labile adduct to the well-characterized carboxymethylcysteine. The approach takes advantage of the sensitivity of the thiolsulfunyl-containing adduct to reducing agents; thus the adduct acts as a temporary protecting group while the previously unmodified cysteines are blocked. The FSBA-modified cysteine is the unmasked with dithiothreitol and radiolabeled. DEAE and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography of tryptic digests indicate that a single peptide is radiolabeled. Amino-acid analysis and automated Edman degradation techniques have been employed to confirm cysteine as the site of modification. The sequence of the tryptic peptide was determined to be: Ser-Gln-Gln-Gln-Thr-Ile-Val-Ile-Gly-Leu-Ala-Ala-Asp-Ser-Gly-CM-Cys-Glys-Lys. This sequence is identical with the reported N-terminal sequence, thus identifying Cys-16 as the site of modification.
Combined deformation- and temperature-induced scission in a rubber cylinder in torsion

Abstract When an elastomeric material is deformed and subjected to temperatures above some characteristic value T cr (near 100 ∘ C for natural rubber), it undergoes time and temperature dependent chemical changes consisting of scission and crosslinking of its macromolecular structure. The process continues until the temperature decreases below T cr . Experiments carried out in uniaxial extension have shown that the chemical changes are independent of stretch ratio within moderate stretches. It is reasonable to expect that the chemical changes would be affected by sufficiently large deformations, an interaction referred to as ‘mechanochemistry’. A kinetic theory of the breakdown of solids by Zhurkov [Kinetic concept of strength of solids, Int. J. Fract. Mech. 1 (1965) 311–323. [15] ] attributes this interaction to the lowering of activation energy by mechanical work. In a recent constitutive theory, an expression was developed that relates the chemical kinetics of scission of the original elastomeric network to time, temperature and activation energy. The kinetic theory of Zhurkov suggests a method for modifying this expression to account for the influence of deformation. This is explored in the case of simple shear deformations, such as those occurring during torsion of elastomeric cylinders held at fixed length. Using the approach of Penn and Kearsley [The scaling law for finite torsion of elastic cylinders, Trans. Soc. Rheology 20 (1976) 227–238. [16] ], it is shown that experiments in torsion can be used to determine the influence of shear deformations on the chemical kinetics of scission.
In vitro regeneration of Echinacea purpurea from leaf explants

Efficient plant regeneration was achieved via organogenesis from callus cultures derived from leaf tissue of Echinacea purpurea. Proliferating shoot cultures were obtained by placing leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) combinations. MS medium supplemented with BAP (4.44 μM) and NAA (0.054 μM) was the most effective, providing high shoot regeneration frequencies (100%) associated with a high number of shoots per explant (7.7 shoots/explant). Plantlets were rooted on MS medium alone or in combination with different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and high rooting and survival was achieved using MS media without plant growth regulators (PGR). All plantlets survived acclimatization producing healthy plants in the greenhouse. This study demonstrated that adventitious shoot regeneration of E. purpurea from leaf explants can be a useful method for the multiplication of this important medicinal plant.
Primordial cosmic ray sources

New gamma ray observations have provided what may be evidence for primordial cosmic ray sources existing out to redshifts of the order of 100. These sources may be galaxies and quasars in their initial stages of formation. They may have provided the basic energy source for ionizing the intergalactic gas.
Cytomegalovirus and glioma: putting the cart before the horse

In 1908, Oluf Bang and Vilhelm Ellerman laid the foundation for theory of oncoviruses by demonstrating that the avian erythroblastosis (a form of chicken leukaemia) could be transmitted by cell-free extracts. Since then, it has been shown very convincingly that viruses can directly cause several human cancers by various mechanisms. Epidemiological data imply that viruses are the second most important risk factor for cancer development in humans, exceeded only by tobacco consumption. Although the ability of certain viruses (hepatitis B and C, human papillomavirus, etc) to cause cancer has been time tested and proven scientifically, there are several other potential viral candidates whose role in oncogenesis is more controversial. One such controversial scenario involves the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in malignant gliomas, the most common form of primary brain tumour. CMV first attracted attention about a decade ago when CMV gene products were found in glioma tissue but not in normal brain. Since this initial observation, several different groups have shown an oncomodulatory effect of CMV; however, direct association between CMV infection and incidence of glioma is lacking. In this review, we will evaluate the evidence, both preclinical and clinical, regarding the possible role of CMV in gliomagenesis and maintenance. We will also critically evaluate the rationale for using antiviral drugs in the treatment of patients with glioma.
Cellular requirements for the monoclonal antibody-mediated eradication of an established solid tumor

Following subcutaneous implantation, the murine lymphoma E.G7 [a variant of EL-4, transfected with the chicken ovalbumin (OVA) gene] up-regulates the CD4 molecule. We previously showed that the administration of an anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) to EG.7-bearing mice leads to a rapid and complete regression of large established tumors. This tumor regression was shown to require both CD8+ cells and functional Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaR), as it failed to occur in mice depleted of CD8 cells, or mice genetically deficient in FcgammaI/III (gamma-/-mice). Using adoptive transfer, we now show that the FcgammaR+ cells required for this regression are the CD11b+ (phagocytic) cells. Furthermore, experiments using peptide tolerization demonstrated that the critical CD8 CTL population in this model is tumor specific. Analysis of tumors at various stages of regression revealed a massive CD11b+FcgammaR+ and a marginal CD8 infiltration. In the presence of the CTL determinant OVA-8 on tumor cells and of the antitumor mAb, this CD8 infiltration became remarkable, and correlated with tumor regression. These results identify the specific cellular effectors essential for the mAb-mediated tumor regression, and suggest that FcgammaR-activated macrophages induced an expansion of tumor-eliminating CTL in situ.
Relative anion mobilities in molten AgNO3-AgCl by the measurement of density and the gravitational component of cell potential☆

Abstract Densities of molten AgNO 3 -AgCl mixtures have been measured from the liquidus temperature to 320°C. Emf's of gravitational cells: Ag( h 1 )/AgNO 3 ,AgCl/Ag( h 2 ) have been investigated up to 260°C. These measurements are related to the mobilities of the anion constituents through a non-equilibrium thermodynamic formalism. The experimental results are compared to the liquid-junction potential and calorimetric data which have been published for this system, and it is shown that the relative anion mobilities determined by the measurement of the gravitational component of cell potential are in better agreement than those obtained by direct Hittorf-type experiments. The mobility of the nitrate-ion constituents is found to be slightly greater than that of the chloride-ion constituents in the temperature range considered. These facts are discussed in relation to the formation of low mobility complex ions.
STUDIES ON THE FIXATION OF RADIOACTIVE IODINE BY THE RABBIT THYROID

THE GREAT RAPIDITY with which the thyroid concentrates iodine following the administration of soluble iodides would seem to involve a consideration of chemical transformations occurring within this gland. Recent data (Perlman, et al., 1941; Morton, et al., 1941; Mann, et al., 1942; Morton, et al., 1942), obtained with radioactive iodine, have shown that circulating iodide is rapidly incorporated into the diiodotyrosine and thyroxin fractions of thyroid protein. In the shortest interval employed, Mann, Leblond, and Warren (1942) found considerable quantities of labeled iodine in the organic fractions (particularly the diiodotyrosine fraction) as early as 30 minutes following the administration of tracer doses of radioactive iodide. In studying the rate of fixation of administered (exogenous) iodide a number of investigators (Marine and Feiss, 1915; Hertz, et al., 1940; Hamilton and Soley, 1940; Lein, 1941; Leblond and Sue, 1941) have determined that the rate of concentration of iodine by the thyroid is gre...
Acquisition of responding with a remifentanil-associated conditioned reinforcer in the rat.

Rationale Drug-associated environmental stimuli may serve as conditioned reinforcers to enhance drug self-administration behaviors in humans and laboratory animals. However, it can be difficult to distinguish experimentally the conditioned reinforcing effects of a stimulus from other behavioral processes that can change rates of responding.
Cell Transformation by Polyoma Virus and SV40

Heritable alterations in cell growth after infection by viruses usually lead to malignancy, and consequently are attracting a great deal of attention. This review brings the story up to date and poses some questions for the future.
Toward an Explanation of Experimentally Obtained Outcomes to a Simple, Majority Rule Game:

The problem of so embarrassingly many solutions to n-person games is examined through the vehicle of a four-person simple, majority rule game. Ninety-seven experimental trials are employed to demonstrate that three different solutions (symmetric, inflated, and partitioned solutions) can be differentially predicted as one varies the structural characteristics of otherwise strictly identical games in character istic function form. The authors interpret their findings as an indication that systematic theory construction about the structure of conflict is a fruitful area for inquiry.
Steady-state analysis of PWM quadratic buck converter in CCM

This paper presents the analysis of a pulse-width modulated (PWM) quadratic buck or BUCK2 converter operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM). This class of converter offers very wide range of DC voltage conversion ratio enabling higher switching frequencies. In this paper, the steady-state analysis of the quadratic buck converter is presented. Results pertaining to the operation of the converter at boundary between continuous and discontinuous modes is discussed. A 24 V/10 V, 9 W quadratic buck converter is considered as a design example. Simulation results obtained using SABER circuit simulator are provided validating the analysis presented in the paper.
Steel coil embolization of hepatoportal fistulae.

Two patients with portal hypertension secondary to hepatoportal fistulae, of nontraumatic origin, were treated by transcatheter embolization of feeding hepatic artery branches with Gianturco-Anderson-Wallace steel coils. Both patients demonstrated immediate improvement of the symptoms related to their portal hypertension, 1 patient needing no further treatment after 3 years. It is concluded that using steel coils for this purpose is more effective and safer than other materials such as Gelfoam, and may cure portal hypertension in some cases.