cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Angiogenic responses are enhanced in mechanically and microscopically characterized, microbial transglutaminase crosslinked collagen matrices with increased stiffness

During angiogenesis, endothelial cells (ECs) use both soluble and insoluble cues to expand the existing vascular network to meet the changing trophic needs of the tissue. Fundamental to this expansion are physical interactions between ECs and extracellular matrix (ECM) that influence sprout migration, lumen formation and stabilization. These physical interactions suggest that ECM mechanical properties may influence sprouting ECs and, therefore, angiogenic responses. In a three-dimensional angiogenic model in which a monolayer of ECs is induced to invade an underlying collagen matrix, angiogenic responses were measured as a function of collagen matrix stiffness by inducing collagen crosslinking with microbial transglutaminase (mTG). By biaxial mechanical testing, stiffer collagen matrices were measured with both mTG treatment and incubation time. Using two-photon excited fluorescence (TPF) and second harmonic generation (SHG), it was shown that collagen TPF intensity increased with mTG treatment, and the TPF/SHG ratio correlated with biaxially tested mechanical stiffness. SHG and OCM were further used to show that other ECM physical properties such as porosity and pore size did not change with mTG treatment, thus verifying that matrix stiffness was tuned independently of matrix density. The results showed that stiffer matrices promote more angiogenic sprouts that invade deeper. No differences in lumen size were observed between control and mTG stiffened matrices, but greater remodeling was revealed in stiffer gels using SHG and OCM. The results of this study show that angiogenic responses are influenced by stiffness and suggest that ECM properties may be useful in regenerative medicine applications to engineer angiogenesis.
Infrared and mass spectrometry studies of the thermal decomposition of a nitro‐aromatic polymer

The thermal decomposition reactions of a novel nitro-aromatic polymer were investigated. Infrared spectroscopy was used to detect chemical structure changes that occurred in the solid material when it was heated. Mass spectrometry was employed to identify volatile products. The polymer decomposition mechanisms involved reactions between nitro groups and nearby methyl or methylene functionalities and primarily resulted in the formation of nitrogen monoxide gas and hydroxyl and carbonyl groups in the solid residue. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 351–357, 2005
Architectural design and analysis of a VLIW processor

Architectural design and analysis of VIPER, a VLIW processor designed to take advantage of instruction level parallelism, are presented. VIPER is designed to take advantage of the parallelizing capabilities of Percolation Scheduling. The approach taken in the design of VIPER addresses design issues involving implementation constraints, organizational techniques, and code generation strategies. The hardware organization of VIPER is determined by analyzing the efficiency of various organizational strategies. The relationships that exist among the pipeline structure, the memory addressing mode, the bypassing hardware, and the processor cycle time are studied. VIPER has been designed to provide support for multiway branching and conditional execution of operations. An integral objective of the design was to develop the code generator for the target machine. The code generator utilizes a new code scheduling technique that is devised to reduce the frequency of pipeline stalls caused by data hazards.
Reproducibility and error sources of μ-MRI-based trabecular bone structural parameters of the distal radius and tibia

Abstract The mechanical competence of trabecular bone is significantly determined, next to material density, by its three-dimensional (3D) structure. Recent advances in micromagnetic resonance imaging (μ-MRI) acquisition and processing techniques allow the 3D trabecular structure to be analyzed in vivo at peripheral sites such as the distal radius and tibia. The practicality of μ-MRI-based noninvasive virtual bone biopsy (VBB) for longitudinal studies of patients hinges on the reproducibility of the derived structural parameters, which largely determine the size of the effect that can be detected at a given power and significance level. In this paper, the reproducibility of μ-MRI-derived trabecular bone structure measures was examined by performing repeat studies in six healthy subjects in whom the distal aspects of the radius and tibia were scanned with a 3D spin-echo sequence at 137 × 137 × 410 μm3 voxel size. Bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and digital topological analysis (DTA) structural parameters including the topological bone surface-to-curve ratio (SCR) and topological erosion index (TEI) were evaluated after subjecting the raw images to a cascade of processing steps. The average coefficient of variation was 4–7% and was comparable for the two anatomic sites and for all parameters measured. The reliability expressed in terms of the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.95 to 0.97 in the radius and 0.68 to 0.92 in the tibia. Error analysis based on simulations suggests involuntary patient motion, primarily rotation, to be the chief source of imprecision, followed by failure to accurately match the analysis volumes in repeat studies.
Mitochondria as a Therapeutic Target for Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Mitochondria are cytoplasmic organelles responsible for life and death. Extensive evidence from animal models, postmortem brain studies of and clinical studies of aging and neurodegenerative diseases suggests that mitochondrial function is defective in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Several lines of research suggest that mitochondrial abnormalities, including defects in oxidative phosphorylation, increased accumulation of mitochondrial DNA defects, impaired calcium influx, accumulation of mutant proteins in mitochondria, and mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation are important cellular changes in both early and late-onset neurodegenerative diseases. Further, emerging evidence suggests that structural changes in mitochondria, including increased mitochondrial fragmentation and decreased mitochondrial fusion, are critical factors associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. This paper discusses research that elucidates features of mitochondria that are associated with cellular dysfunction in aging and neurodegenerative diseases and discusses mitochondrial structural and functional changes, and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics in neurodegenerative diseases. It also outlines mitochondria-targeted therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases.
Effects of orchidectomy on nigro-striatal dopaminergic function: behavioral and physiological evidence.

Abstract Abstract In the present experiments, we examined the effect of castration upon two indices of nigro-striatal dopaminergic function in the male rat. In Experiment I, differences in spontaneous locomotor behavioral activity between intact and castrated male rats were examined. The total distance traveled, horizontal activity and mean revolutions of castrated male rats were significantly greater than that of intact males. No significant differences between intact and castrated males were obtained for vertical activity. In Experiment II, the spontaneous in vitro dopamine release from the corpus striatum of intact and castrated rats as sampled during the light-phase (1500 h) and dark-phase (2400 h) of the photoperiod was examined. At both time periods, the spontaneous in vitro dopamine release of castrated males was significantly greater than that of intact males. Both intact and castrated males showed statistically significant increases in dopamine release at the 2400 h compared to the 1500 h time period. To examine if testicular hormones were responsible for these castration induced changes in dopamine release, in Experiment III we treated castrated male rats with testosterone propionate. Administration of testosterone propionate (0.1 mg/day x 5 days) significantly reduced in vitro dopamine release compared to untreated or castrated male rats receiving vehicle treatment. These results demonstrate that testicular hormones, most likely testosterone, have a markedly suppressive effect upon the nigro-striatal dopaminergic system as evidenced from changes in spontaneous behavioral activity and in vitro dopamine release.
AGU scientists meet with legislators during Geosciences Congressional Visits Day

This year marks the fourth annual Geosciences Congressional Visits Day (Geo-CVD), in which scientists from across the nation join together in Washington, D. C., to meet with their legislators to discuss the importance of funding for Earth and space sciences. AGU partnered with seven other Earth and space science organizations to bring more than 50 scientists, representing 23 states, for 2 days of training and congressional visits on 20–21 September 2011. As budget negotiations envelop Congress, which must find ways to agree on fiscal year (FY) 2012 budgets and reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, Geo-CVD scientists seized the occasion to emphasize the importance of federally funded scientific research as well as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Cuts to basic research and STEM education could adversely affect innovation, stifle future economic growth and competitiveness, and jeopardize national security.
THE RELATION OF CORONARY DISEASE, STROKE, AND MORTALITY TO WEIGHT IN YOUTH AND IN MIDDLE AGE

During ten years of follow-up 701 deaths occurred among 8006 45-68-year-old Honolulu Japanese men who were originally examined in 1965-68. Mortality was highest in both the leanest and fattest men and lowest in the fourth quintile of body mass index (BMI). The excess deaths in the top quintile were due primarily to coronary heart disease which was directly and positively related to BMI. In the bottom two quintiles excess mortality was due to cancer and "other" causes and was confined to men who had lost weight between age 25 and examination. This finding suggests that excess mortality in thin middle-aged men is due to occult antecedent disease rather than leanness per se. When BMI at age 25 was considered, men in the bottom quintile had the lowest mortality in middle age. It is concluded that upward revision of tables of desirable weight for young men would be unwarranted. A modest increase in the upper limit in middle-aged men may be justifiable, but the evidence is incomplete.
A dimensional qualitative research approach to understanding medically unnecessary aesthetic surgery

Consumers spend billions of dollars every year on products and services designed to help improve or change their physical appearance and performance. Such procedures, especially where surgery is involved, are not without risk of adverse consequences such as physical injury, irreversible nerve damage, or even permanent disfigurement. The popularity of appearance-enhancing cosmetic surgery seems to be rising, despite the many risks associated with it. To qualitatively investigate the complex interplay of relevant factors (including variables related to individual motivation, risk tolerance, self-concept, and societal standards of beauty), and to organize and analyze the resulting qualitative data, the systematic, psychologically sophisticated blueprint of dimensional qualitative research, or DQR (Cohen, 1999) was employed. Through in-depth interviews, content analysis of written material found on the Internet, and three focus groups, an effort was made to better understand consumer motivation for cosmetic surgery where there was no medical necessity. Findings and implications of this research are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The distribution of plasticizers between aqueous and polymer phases in aqueous colloidal polymer dispersions

Abstract The distribution of water-soluble (triethyl citrate and triacetin) and water-insoluble (acetyltriethyl citrate, acetyltributyl citrate, dibutyl phthalate, dibutyl sebacate, diethyl phthalate and tributyl citrate) plasticizers between the aqueous and polymer phases in an aqueous colloidal ethylcellulose dispersion, Aquacoat ® , was determined. A separation scheme was developed, which allowed the determination of the amounts of plasticizers dissolved and, in the case of water-insoluble plasticizers, also emulsified in the aqueous phase, and dissolved in the colloidal polymer particles. The plasticized ethylcellulose dispersion was separated by centrifugation and/or ultracentrifugation to obtain the various plasticizer-containing fractions. The plasticizer concentration in each phase was determined by a HPLC assay. The extent of the plasticizer partitioning was investigated with respect to the type (water-soluble or water-insoluble) and concentration of the plasticizer, and the solids content of the polymer dispersion. Water-insoluble plasticizers mainly partitioned into the polymer particles due to the higher affinity towards the polymer phase, however, the amount of emulsified plasticizer droplets increased with increasing plasticizer concentration after a plasticization time of 24 h. An ‘association’ coefficient, which was obtained from the ratio of the plasticizer concentration in the polymer to the concentration in the aqueous phase, was used to characterize the plasticizer partitioning. The fraction of plasticizer taken up by the colloidal polymer particles increased with increasing solids content of the polymer dispersion. It is therefore recommended to add the plasticizer to the undiluted dispersions followed by dilution to the desired solids content just prior to coating, rather than first diluting the dispersion followed by addition of the plasticizer.
Interorganizational Relationships Among HIV/AIDS Service Organizations in Baltimore: A Network Analysis

A wide variety of organizations has become involved in providing medical and social services to people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Although there is much interest among policy-makers, service providers, and clients in coordination among HIV/A IDSservice organizations, few studies have used network analytic tools to examine existing systems of HIV-related care. In an effort to fill this gap, this study used network analysis methods to describe several aspects of the interorganizational relationships among 30 HIV/A IDSservice agencies in Baltimore. Maryland. Client referrals to other organizations, client referrals from other organizations, exchange of information about shared clients, formal written linkage agreements for client referrals, and joint programs were each examined as a distinct type of network tie, with each the basis of a separate network among these 30 organizations. All of the networks except the one based on joint programs were relatively well connected, with most organizations either directly or indirectly linked. Most of the interorganizational collaboration occurred on a rather ad hoc basis for the purposes of meeting the more immediate needs presented by clients. Highly structured coordination involving substantial investment of resources and ongoing interagency activities appeared to be less common. The findings from this study also suggest that the providers in Baltimore tend to work directly with others as client needs arise rather than negotiating through “clearinghouse” types of organizations. Of the 30 HIV/A IDSservice organizations, 5 were highly central in at least four of the five different types of networks. These five organizations—each having a critical role in the continuum of care—may be considered the most central core of the HIV/A IDSservice delivery network in Baltimore. These organizations tend to be those that have been created specifically to provide HIV-related services or that specialize in HIV/A IDScare. This research can help policymakers understand how an HIV-related service delivery network may function and delineate key features of a network. In all communities, this type of assessment is critical to designing interventions to promote collaboration that are feasible within the context of existing interorganizational relationships. This type of data also has implications for informing activities to build the capacity of HIV/A IDSservice organizations.
The Physics of Filopodial Protrusion

Filopodium, a spike-like actin protrusion at the leading edge of migrating cells, functions as a sensor of the local environment and has a mechanical role in protrusion. We use modeling to examine mechanics and spatial-temporal dynamics of filopodia. We find that >10 actin filaments have to be bundled to overcome the membrane resistance and that the filopodial length is limited by buckling for 10–30 filaments and by G-actin diffusion for >30 filaments. There is an optimal number of bundled filaments, ∼30, at which the filopodial length can reach a few microns. The model explains characteristic interfilopodial distance of a few microns as a balance of initiation, lateral drift, and merging of the filopodia. The theory suggests that F-actin barbed ends have to be focused and protected from capping (the capping rate has to decrease one order of magnitude) once every hundred seconds per micron of the leading edge to initiate the observed number of filopodia. The model generates testable predictions about how filopodial length, rate of growth, and interfilopodial distance should depend on the number of bundled filaments, membrane resistance, lamellipodial protrusion rate, and G-actin diffusion coefficient.
Effects of fat and carbohydrate meals on colonic motor response

BACKGROUND Ingestion of a meal stimulates colonic motility. It is unclear whether the nutrient composition of a meal affects colonic motor response. AIMS To investigate and compare the effects of a predominantly fat or carbohydrate meal on colonic motility. METHODS In 18 healthy subjects, ambulatory colonic manometry was performed by placing a six sensor, solid state probe from the mid-transverse colon to the rectum. In a randomised, crossover design, 10 and 27 hours after probe placement, subjects received 4.18 MJ meals containing 60% calories from fat or carbohydrate sources. Preprandial and postprandial pressure activity and motor patterns were evaluated. RESULTS Both meals induced phasic activity with a greater area under the curve (p CONCLUSIONS Carbohydrate meals induce colonic motor response, but the effects are short lived when compared with fat meals. The prolonged, segmental, and retrograde phasic activity induced by the fat meal may delay colon transit. Thus meal composition influences colonic motor response.
Intermolecular energy transfer between lanthanide complexes: 6. Influence of metal-to-ligand ratio on the transfer from terbium (III) to europium (III) complexes of L-histidine

Abstract The nature of the complexes formed between Tb 3+ and L-histidine was investigated by making use of the fact that electronic energy can be absorbed by Tb 3+ /HIS complexes and subsequently transferred in a non-radiative manner to Eu 3+ /HIS complexes. The transfer was found to depend on the possible association of donor and quencher, and this information was used to outline the conditions under which the histidine complexes were found to self-associate. Supplementary information was obtained from measurements of the pH dependence of Tb 3+ luminescence and differential absorbance spectra of Ho 3+ /HIS complexes. At low pH, the energy transfer occurred primarily by collisional means (implying the presence of monomeric complexes), whereas the transfer was governed by the formation of associated complexes at high pH.
Correction of anisoplanatic phase errors in digital holography

The quality of coherent images computed from digital holography or heterodyne array data is sensitive to phase errors of the reference and/or object beams. A number of algorithms exist for correcting phase errors in or very near the hologram plane. In the case of phase errors introduced a nonnegligible distance away from hologram plane, the resulting imagery exhibits anisoplanatism. A feature of coherent imaging is that such phase errors may be corrected by simply propagating the aberrated fields (from the object) from the hologram plane to the plane where the phase errors were introduced and applying the phase-error correction algorithms to the fields in that plane. We present experimental results that demonstrate correction of such anisoplanatic phase errors.
Michael J. Rich and Robert P. Stoker, Collaborative Governance for Urban Revitalization: Lessons from Empowerment Zones (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2014).

One rare point of agreement among urban scholars of various ideological stripes is that place‐based urban revitalization efforts in the United States in the post‐World War II period—especially fede...
Adaptation by Tetrahymena pyriformis to Potassium Cyanide. I. Adaptive Reversal of Cyanide Inhibition of Growth

SUMMARY. A clonal culture of Tetrahymena pyriformis W became adapted to the presence of KCN by prolonged exposure to a KCN-containing medium. The volume of the adapted cell is about 82% of that of the untreated cell, while the nucleocytoplasmic ratio is greater for the adapted cell (0.040) than for the untreated cell (0.033). If adapted cells are cultivated in the absence of KCN for 72 hours, they regain their original size and the nucleocytoplasmic ratio returns to a normal value. This is taken as indication that changes probably are not due to mutation or selection of cyanide-resistant forms already present. Normal and adapted cells both have about the same water content (approximately 88% by weight) and specific gravity (about 1.053). Growth of adapted cells is not inhibited by 10−3M KCN to the same extent as that of untreated cells. However, cell division in the adapted cells is more resistant to cyanide than are the processes involved in protoplasmic increase.
Changing times in the RF world

In the past, RF was a very specialized area of circuit and system technology. But with the advent of digital techniques in the RF domain, more generally familiar tools and techniques are at our disposal. We now have the tools and techniques to begin to really tackle RF. One need not be an expert to be involved, though experts are still needed to be sure. But whatever challenges the future may bring, our RF engineers will be up to the task.
Visibility of synaptically induced conductance changes: theory and simulations of anatomically characterized cortical pyramidal cells

A recent report has provided evidence that there are no significant increases in the neuronal input conductance during the response of cortical cells in cat visual cortex to non-preferred visual stimuli (Douglas et al., 1988). A criticism of experiments of this kind is that changes in the membrane conductance occurring in the dendritic tree may not be visible from electrodes that impale the soma. Our paper describes theoretical and numerical results concerning the visibility of synaptically induced conductance changes from intracellular electrodes, in both ideal and anatomically well-characterized cortical neurons. Based on earlier work by Rall (1967), we here derive theoretical expressions for the change in input conductance at any location in a passive dendritic tree resulting from activation of a single synapse and obtain bounds for the effects of multiple synapses. We find that the conductance change measured at the cell body is always less than the sum of the synaptic conductance changes and that this observed conductance change does not depend on the synaptic reversal potential. For the case of an infinite dendritic cylinder, the change in input resistance due to a single synaptic input decays exponentially with distance of the synapse from the recording site. Numerical simulations of synaptic inputs that change approximately as fast as the membrane time-constant produce an increase in input conductance that is only slightly less visible than that of a constant input. We also compute the changes in somatic input conductance of 2 morphologically identified pyramidal cells from cat visual cortex during activity of a single inhibitory basket cell with known synaptic input locations. We find that the increase in conductance due to the activity of the inhibitory basket cells is clearly visible from the cell body of the pyramidal cells and that a 70% reduction in the amplitude of excitation is associated with at least a 30% increase in somatic input conductance, which would be visible in intracellular recordings. Taken together with the negative experimental evidence of Douglas et al. (1988), our results cast doubt on a large class of models of direction selectivity that rely on synaptically mediated inhibitory conductance increases to veto or block excitatory conductances increases.
The Evolution and Evaluation of Community Mediation: Limited Research Suggests Unlimited Progress

Building meaningful community capacity and changing conflict patterns are the most powerful tools provided by community mediation programs.Many of the elements of true democracy are present in the work we do. I believe that if, in any given situation, there is a community and a conflict, placing everyone together in one room and working through the mediation process will result in the most equitable and elegant solution possible. ommunity mediation in the United States is the product of thirty years of inspiration, innovation, and improvisation. A broad array of players—working often in concert, but sometimes at cross purposes—have constructed a remarkable field that handles an estimated 100,000 conflicts each year (National Association for Community Mediation, 2003), prima- rily through the services of highly trained volunteer mediators. While domestic community mediation builds on traditions from around the world and across many generations (Auerbach, 1983), the contemporary field is a uniquely American experience. The goals for community mediation are many, and they are lofty. With its emphases on individual self- determination, community self-reliance, and equal access to justice for all, community mediation is truly dispute resolution "of the people, by the people, and for the people." This article seeks to present the structure, accomplishments, and unfin- ished work of community mediation centers in the United States. Following an overview of the evolution of the field and consistent with the other
Cubic B-splines tomography at Loma Prieta

Abstract A high-resolution tomographic study, using cubic B-splines parameterization and employing a systematic approach to the choosing of appropriate damping and smoothing parameters, provided a three-dimensional P -wave velocity map of the Loma Prieta area. Used in the inversion were 11,977 high-quality raypaths from 844 aftershocks of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The velocity model exhibits a low-velocity feature between the San Andreas and Zayante-Vergeles faults in the top 10 km of the crust. This low-velocity feature is interpreted as a sedimentary unit exposed to the northwest and separated from the Salinian block by the Zayante-Vergeles fault. Below 10 km, no consistent change is observed between the Salinian and the Franciscan blocks. There appears to be a high correlation of aftershock activity and localized high-velocity anomalies southeast of the Loma Prieta mainshock. Whereas this anomaly may represent brittle rocks associated with a fault-zone asperity that failed after the mainshock, there is evidence to suggest it may be a body of serpentinite. The serpentinite exhibits high velocities and is potentially less competent than surrounding country rock, thus providing a sector along the fault more likely to be associated with many smaller earthquakes or creep behavior.
Evaluation of algorithms for bearing-only SLAM

An important milestone for building affordable robots that can become widely popular is to address robustly the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem with inexpensive, off-the-shelf sensors, such as monocular cameras. These sensors, however, impose significant challenges on SLAM procedures because they provide only bearing data related to environmental landmarks. This paper starts by providing an extensive comparison of different techniques for bearing-only SLAM in terms of robustness under different noise models, landmark densities and robot paths. We have experimented in a simulated environment with a variety of existing online algorithms including Rao-Blackwellized particle filters (RB-PFs). Our experiments suggest that RB-PFs are more robust compared to other existing methods and run considerably faster. Nevertheless, their performance suffers in the presence of outliers. In order to overcome this limitation we proceed to propose an augmentation of RB-PFs with: (a) Gaussian sum filters for landmark initialization and (b) an online, unsupervised outlier rejection policy. This framework exhibits impressive robustness and efficiency even in the presence of outliers
Reenergizing aged mitochondria to combat retinal degeneration (1060.1)

Bioenergetic failure is the major risk factor for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). Within the eye, the delicate microvasculature of the choroid and the metabolically active retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are especially sensitive to the stresses of age and diabetes. Using mouse models of diabetes and advanced age, we demonstrated diabetes/aging-induced abnormalities of the mitochondria in the choroid and RPE, alterations to the choroidal microvasculature, disruption to the RPE, and an increase in inflammation markers. Treatment with the novel cardiolipin-targeted antioxidant tetrapeptide SS-31, after onset of diabetes or in aged mice, restored proper RPE integrity and mitochondrial morphology, as well as reduced the intrusion of neovascular tufts from the choroid through the RPE and the level of inflammation markers. Moreover, SS-31 administration restored visual function as demonstrated by optokinetic tracking. Thus we are the first to pioneer a mitochondrial-targete...
The relationship between the inflation rate and its variability: the issues reconsidered

This paper empirically reexamines the hypothesis of a positive relationship between the inflation rate and its variability. The sample consists of 66 countries for the 1955–85 sample period. Using pooled cross-section time series data, empirical tests are performed for nine different country-groupings ranging from the G–7 developed countries to a group of 10 developing Asian countries. Several important conclusions can be derived. First, irrespective of the variability measure employed, the results indicate the presence of a significant positive relationship between the inflation rate and its variability. This provides strong support to Okun's hypothesis. Second, this relationship is stronger during the flexible rather than the fixed exchange rate period. Third, there appears to be an optimum zone of inflation rate within which the predictability of inflation is at its highest and hence uncertainty cost is at its lowest. For the 1955–85 sample period, this optimum zone of average inflation rate lies in th...
The Paf1 complex represses SER3 transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by facilitating intergenic transcription-dependent nucleosome occupancy of the SER3 promoter.

Previous studies have shown that repression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SER3 gene is dependent on transcription of SRG1 from noncoding DNA initiating within the intergenic region 5′ of SER3 and extending across the SER3 promoter region. By a mechanism dependent on the activities of the Swi/Snf chromatin remodeling factor, the HMG-like factor Spt2, and the Spt6 and Spt16 histone chaperones, SRG1 transcription deposits nucleosomes over the SER3 promoter to prevent transcription factors from binding and activating SER3. In this study, we uncover a role for the Paf1 transcription elongation complex in SER3 repression. We find that SER3 repression is primarily dependent on the Paf1 and Ctr9 subunits of this complex, with minor contributions by the Rtf1, Cdc73, and Leo1 subunits. We show that the Paf1 complex localizes to the SRG1 transcribed region under conditions that repress SER3, consistent with it having a direct role in mediating SRG1 transcription-dependent SER3 repression. Importantly, we show that the defect in SER3 repression in strains lacking Paf1 subunits is not a result of reduced SRG1 transcription or reduced levels of known Paf1 complex-dependent histone modifications. Rather, we find that strains lacking subunits of the Paf1 complex exhibit reduced nucleosome occupancy and reduced recruitment of Spt16 and, to a lesser extent, Spt6 at the SER3 promoter. Taken together, our results suggest that Paf1 and Ctr9 repress SER3 by maintaining SRG1 transcription-dependent nucleosome occupancy.
RHODOLITHS: BETWEEN ROCKS AND SOFT PLACES

Rhodoliths (maerl) are widely distributed in the worlds' oceans and have an excellent fossil record. Individuals are slow growing, may be long lived (>100 years), and are resilient to a variety of environmental disturbances. Their external morphology and internal growth bands are potential archives of environmental variation at scales of within years to tens of years. At high densities, these free-living non-geniculate coralline algae form rhodolith beds, communities of high diversity that can be severely impacted by resource extraction.
Optimizing the video transcoding workflow in content delivery networks

The current approach to transcoding in adaptive bit rate streaming is to transcode all videos in all possible bit rates which wastes transcoding resources and storage space, since a large fraction of the transcoded video segments are never watched by users. To reduce transcoding work, we propose several online transcoding policies that transcode video segments in a "just-in-time" fashion such that a segment is transcoded only to those bit rates that are actually requested by the user. However, a reduction in the transcoding work should not come at the expense of a significant reduction in the quality of experience of the users. To establish the feasibility of online transcoding, we first show that the bit rate of the next video segment requested by a user can be predicted ahead of time with an accuracy of 99.7% using a Markov prediction model. This allows our online algorithms to complete transcoding the required segment ahead of when it is needed by the user, thus reducing the possibility of freezes in the video playback. To derive our results, we collect and analyze a large amount of request traces from one of the world's largest video CDNs consisting of over 200 thousand unique users watching 5 million videos over a period of three days. The main conclusion of our work is that online transcoding schemes can reduce transcoding resources by over 95% without a major impact on the users' quality of experience.
Efficient associative memory using small-world architecture

Abstract Most models of neural associative memory have used networks with broad connectivity. However, from both a neurobiological viewpoint and an implementation perspective, it is logical to minimize the length of inter-neural connections and consider networks whose connectivity is predominantly local. The “small-world networks” model described recently by Watts and Strogatz provides an interesting approach to this issue. In this paper, we show that associative memory networks with small-world architectures can provide the same retrieval performance as randomly connected networks while using a fraction of the total connection length.
Design Planning in End-User Web Development

We report an exploratory study of the impacts of design planning on end users asked to develop a simple interactive web application. Some participants were asked to create a conceptual map to plan their projects and others to write scenarios; a third group was asked to do whatever they found useful. We describe the planning that each group underwent, how they approached the web development task, and their reactions to the experience afterwards. We also discuss how participants' gender and experience was related to their web development activities.
Symptom experiences of midlife women: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study.

Abstract Symptoms experienced by perimenopausal women are varied with little agreement about their nature, cause or stability. Objective: To describe the type and stability of symptoms experienced by midlife women. Methods: A community-based sample of 301 women ages 35–55 (Mean 41.1; S.D.=4.2), had at least one menstrual period in the past year, and took no ovarian hormones. Women completed a daily symptom diary for at least one cycle for 3 consecutive years. Symptoms were rated from zero to four. The 5 premenses days were targeted for consistency and as those most symptomatic. Twenty-eight symptoms commonly reported as perimenopausal were factor analyzed using principal components analysis with varimax rotation. Test-retest reliability and stability estimates were calculated according to the method of Heise (Heise, D. Am Sociol Rev 1969; 34: 93–101) that accounts for expected change over time. Results. Twenty-five of the 28 symptoms loaded on five factors labeled dysphoric mood, vasomotor, somatic, neuromuscular, and insomnia together accounting for 51.7% of the variance. Test-retest reliability estimates were highest for dysphoric mood (r = 0.78) and somatic (r = 0.70) symptoms. The reliability for the other three clusters ranged from r = 0.65 to r = 0.53). The stability of the clusters across 3 years was high for dysphoric mood, neuromuscular, and insomnia. The vasomotor and somatic clusters had the most change between years 1 and 3. Discussion: These results indicate that dysphoric mood is not a part of vasomotor symptoms or insomnia or other somatic symptoms suggesting an origin for vasomotor symptoms apart from the other symptoms. The stability of dysphoric mood across 3 years suggests a chronic situation possibly due to high stress, overwork, or an ongoing emotional illness. The stability of the neuromuscular and insomnia symptoms suggests underlying chronic physical conditions. The reduction in stability of vasomotor symptoms may reflect the changing nature of hormones as women approach menopause. Finally, the low stability of somatic symptoms suggests that they represent acute episodic illnesses. Together the identification of five distinct symptom clusters with varying stability over 3 years suggests that they are due to different underlying mechanisms and are not all attributed to the changing hormone patterns associated with the menopausal transition. Many other events in a midlife woman's life can account for these symptoms including life stress and acute and chronic illnesses.
Recurrent Candida tropicalis meningitis.

Summary Candida meningitis, a previously rare occurrence, has been increasing in prevalence and often is a result of complications of neurosurgery. We describe the case of a 49-year-old man who presented with headache, vertigo, intermittent blurred vision, and multiple episodes of nausea and vomiting. Computed tomography (CT) showed a left cerebellar hemorrhage with obliteration of the fourth ventricle causing hydrocephalus. He had an occipital craniotomy with transcondylar evacuation of the hemorrhage and placement of a temporary ventriculostomy. The hospital stay was prolonged because of postsurgical complications, and Candida tropicalis meningitis developed. Treatment was started with 400mg of fluconazole administered intravenously every 12h. In vitro susceptibility testing showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to fluconazole of 1μg/mL. Fluconazole was therefore continued orally for a total of 60 days, and the patient remained asymptomatic for 2 years. He then presented with increased vertigo and ataxia. Cerebrospinal fluid cultures grew C. tropicalis , which again showed susceptibility to fluconazole with a MIC of 1μg/mL, identical to that in the previous infection. However, a second course of fluconazole failed to control the infection despite adequate cerebrospinal fluid levels.
MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF PROSTAGLANDIN TRANSPORT

▪ Abstract Despite the fact that prostaglandins (PGs) have low intrinsic permeabilities across the plasma membrane, they must cross it twice: first upon release from the cytosol into the blood, and again upon cellular uptake prior to oxidation. Until recently, there were no cloned carriers that transported PGs. PGT is a broadly-expressed, 12-membrane-spanning domain integral membrane protein. When heterologously expressed in HeLa cells or Xenopus oocytes, it catalyzes the rapid, specific, and high-affinity uptake of PGE2, PGF2α, PGD2, 8-iso-PGF2α, and thromboxane B2. Functional studies indicate that PGT transports its substrate as the charged anion. The PGT substrate specificity and inhibitor profile match remarkably well with earlier in situ studies on the metabolic clearance of PGs by rat lung. Because PGT expression is especially high in this tissue, it is likely that PGT mediates the membrane step in PG clearance by the pulmonary circulation. Evidence is presented that PGT may play additional roles in...
Cardiovascular collapse during anesthesia in a patient with preoperatively discontinued chronic MAO inhibitor therapy

Abstract We describe a patient in whom long-term monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor therapy was discontinued 20 days before surgery with general anesthesia. This patient developed severe perioperative hypotension after administration of 10 mg of bupivacaine through an epidural catheter, which was corrected only after potent vasopressor therapy. We attribute this hemodynamic instability to attenuation of this patient's sympathetic tone based on several mechanisms: (1) residual effect of long-term administration of MAO inhibitor that caused a decrease in the number of β-adrenergic receptors (adrenergic subsensitivity due to receptor down-regulation), (2) recovered MAO activity causing effective degradation of sympathetic amines, and (3) combined attenuating effects of general and epidural anesthesia on sympathetic tone.
Virtual displacement and virtual force methods in structural analysis

It was demonstrated in Chapter 1 that a satisfactory one-dimensional analysis, except for local effects, can be made for simple beams. However, the stress analysis was made only for the beam cross section so that only the equilibrium equations were needed to get the solution. If the simple beams are assembled into a truss type structure, or into a beam with many supports, then the analysis becomes complicated again because deflection equations as well as equilibrium equations may be needed to get the stresses in the structure. Because of these complicated redundant problems, various special methods have been developed to determine stresses and deflections in redundant beams, trusses, and plates.
Nonperturbative enhancement of superloop at strong coupling

Abstract We address the near-collinear expansion of NMHV six-particle scattering amplitudes at strong value of the 't Hooft coupling in planar maximally supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory. We complement recent studies of this observable within the context of the Pentagon Operator Product Expansion, via the dual superWilson loop description, by studying effects of multiple scalar exchanges that accompany (or not) massive flux-tube excitations. Due to the fact that holes have a very small, nonperturbatively generated mass m h which is exponentially suppressed in the 't Hooft coupling, their exchanges must be resummed in the ultraviolet limit, τ ≪ 1 / m h . This procedure yields a contribution to the expectation value of the superloop which enters on equal footing with the classical area — a phenomenon which was earlier observed for MHV amplitudes. In all components, the near-massless scalar exchanges factorize from the ones of massive particles, at leading order in strong coupling.
A Ceramic Turbine Rotor — Its Design Evolution, Test Experience and Future

Design evolution of a ceramic turbine rotor, developed under the Ford/ARPA Program provides a background for the review and rationalization of conceptual changes that were brought about by the evolutionary developments in ceramic technology as a whole and ceramic design codes in particular. Predictive capabilities of these codes are assessed using results of hot spin — and engine tests of the evolved rotor configuration. The paper then discusses turbine rotor configurations, both axial and radial, that were developed to meet performance and reliability requirements of an advanced vehicular gas turbine of a 100–150 HP class. The analytical results for these future configurations are presented along with material requirements.
Hysteroscopy: a useful diagnostic adjunct in gynecology.

Advancements in instrumentation and the introduction of new media for uterine distention have enhanced the potential of hysteroscopy as a diagnostic technique. In a 10 month period at the University of Minnesota, hysteroscopy was performed in 110 patients with suspected uterine pathology. Paracervical block anesthesia was used in 70 ambulatory patients and the remainder were investigated under general anesthesia because of concomitant laparoscopy or planned surgical intervention. Both dextran 30 per cent and 5 per cent dextrose in water were used for uterine distention. Hysteroscopic abnormalities were found in 70 per cent of the patients examined. These findings included endometrial polyps (32 patients), 12 intrauterine foreign bodies, submucous myomas (10 patients), developmental anomalies and cesarean section scar defects (7 patients), and 16 patients with miscellaneous pathologic conditions, including one patient with adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. In 33 patients the hysteroscopic findings were normal. In several patients intrauterine devices were removed under hysteroscopic control. There were no complications related directly to hysteroscopic observation.