cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrating a complex electronic system in a small-scale autonomous instrumented robot: the NanoWalker project

The NanoWalker project is an attempt to explore a new approach in the development of various instruments. The idea is to build a small autonomous robot capable of nanometer range motions that will provide a standard platform for new miniaturized embedded instruments. This modular approach will allow easy expansion in instrumentation capability through the use of an arbitrary number of NanoWalkers which would perform similar or different measurement simultaneously on various samples. To do so, a fair amount of electronics must be embedded for infrared wireless communication, processing, support for the embedded instrument, and accurate control and drive capability for the piezo-actuated motion system. Miniaturization of the whole assembly is also a key characteristic to allow more robots to operate simultaneously within smaller surface areas. As such, new assembly techniques applicable to small volume production must be used to achieve the smallest possible implementation. The integration phase within the technological constraints is complicated by the fact that several factors such as the weight and weight distribution of the electronic assembly will have a direct impact on the very sensitive motion behavior of the robot. The NanoWalker is briefly described with the integration phases and the requirements that must be met by the assembly process.
Evidence for a Catalytic Dyad in the Active Site of Homocitrate Synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Homocitrate synthase (acetyl-coenzyme A: 2-ketoglutarate C-transferase; E.C. 2.3.3.14) (HCS) catalyzes the condensation of acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) and alpha-ketoglutarate (alpha-KG) to give homocitrate and CoA. Although the structure of an HCS has not been solved, the structure of isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS), a homologue, has been solved (Koon, N., Squire, C. J., and Baker, E. N. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101, 8295-8300). Three active site residues in IPMS, Glu-218, His-379, and Tyr-410, were proposed as candidates for catalytic residues involved in deprotonation of the methyl group of AcCoA prior to the Claisen condensation to give homocitrylCoA. All three of the active site residues in IPMS are conserved in the HCS from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Site-directed mutagenesis has been carried out to probe the role of the homologous residues, Glu-155, His-309, and Tyr-320, in the S. cerevisiae HCS. No detectable activity was observed for the H309A and H309N mutant enzyme, but a slight increase in activity was observed for H309A in the presence of 300 mM imidazole, which is still 1000-fold lower than that of wild type (wt). The E155Q and E155A mutant enzymes exhibited 1000-fold lower activity than wt. The activity of E155A, but not of E155Q, could be partially rescued by formate; a K act of 60 mM with a modest 4-fold maximum activation was observed. In the presence of formate, E155A gives k cat, K AcCoA, and K alpha-KG values of 0.0031 s (-1), 13 muM, and 39 microM, respectively, while a primary kinetic deuterium isotope effect of about 1.4 was obtained on V, with deuterium in the methyl of AcCoA. The pH dependence of k cat for E155A in the presence of formate gave a p K a of 7.9 for a group that must be protonated for optimum activity, similar to that observed for the wt enzyme. However, a partial change was observed on the acid side of the profile, compared to the all or none change observed for wt giving a p K a of about 6.7. The k cat for E155Q decreased at high pH, similar to the wt enzyme, but was pH independent at low pH. The Y320F mutant enzyme only lost 25-fold activity compared to that of the wt, giving k cat, K AcCoA, and K alpha-KG values of 0.039 s (-1), 33 microM, and 140 microM, respectively, and a primary kinetic deuterium isotope effect of 1.3 and 1.8 on V/ K AcCoA and V, respectively; the pH dependence of k cat was similar to that of the wt. These data, combined with a constant pH molecular dynamics simulation study, suggest that a catalytic dyad comprising Glu-155 and His-309 acts to deprotonate the methyl group of AcCoA, while Tyr320 is likely not directly involved in catalysis, but may aid in orienting the reactant and/or the catalytic dyad.
Multiple Isoforms of Fesselin (Avian Synaptopodin 2) are expressed in Smooth, Skeletal and Heart Muscle

The synaptopodin 2 gene can be differently spliced, resulting in three mRNAs with varying 3′ ends coding for different C-termini (De Ganck et al 2008). The calculated molecular weights of these proteins are 117, 119, and 136 kDa. These isoforms require the expression of exons 1–3. However, only a single protein product has been detected in mammalian muscle lacking the product of these first exons.We extracted four fesselin isoforms from avian smooth muscle tissue. These include the first isolated 79 and 103 kDa isoforms (Leinweber et al. 1999). The newly detected isoforms migrated on SDS gels with apparent molecular masses of 140 and 160 kDa. In contrast to our initial assumption that the 79 kDa was a proteolytic product of the 103 kDa protein we now show that they are different spliceforms. The 79 kDa isoform forms the core of synaptopodin 2. The other isoforms have different extensions at either the N- or C-terminal regions.The different isoforms were differentially extracted by different buffers. Extractions were most complete under conditions that depolymerized both actin and intermediate filaments. Surprisingly although fesselin binds to actin and myosin none of the four different isoforms was extracted with the acto-myosin-complex. The extraction data suggest that fesselin functions in actin filament organization rather than in regulation of actin-myosin interactions. In contrast to smooth muscle tissue we detected one isoform of fesselin in skeletal and heart muscle tissue in agreement with the findings in mammalian tissue. In avian skeletal muscle we observed a 79 kDa isoform and in heart muscle a 170 kDa isoform. The reason for the differential expression of fesselin in different muscle types is unknown.
Maturational Changes in Heart Rate Variability Dynamics during Quiet and Active Sleep in Low Birth Weight Infants 303

Objectives: To examine the maturational changes in cardiac interbeat interval variability during quiet (QS) and active sleep (AS) in low birth weight (LBW) infants.
HNO3 line parameters: New results and comparisons of simulations with high-resolution laboratory and atmospheric spectra

Line parameters for seven new HNO3 bands have been added to the 1991 HITRAN compilation. It is shown that they provide improved modeling of high resolution atmospheric and laboratory spectra. Simulations generated with the new line parameters for the HNO3 nu9, nu6, nu7, nu8, nu8+nu9, nu2, nu3/nu4, and nu5/2nu9 are presented.
Experimental and theoretical investigation of the charge-separation energies of hydrated zinc(II): redefinition of the critical size.

In the preceding article, the hydration energies of Zn2+(H2O)n complexes, where n = 6−10, were measured using threshold collision-induced dissociation (CID) in a guided ion beam tandem mass spectro...
Mixed hp-Finite Element Method for Linear Elasticity with Weakly Imposed Symmetry: Stability Analysis

The paper presents a generalization of Arnold-Falk-Winther elements for linear elasticity to meshes with elements of variable order. The generalization is straightforward but the stability analysis involves a nontrivial modification of involved interpolation operators. The analysis addresses only the $h$-convergence. In addition, numerical experiments for two dimensional cases are provided.
Integrin engagement-induced inhibition of human myelopoiesis is mediated by proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 gene products.

Abstract Objective Hematopoietic progenitor proliferation and differentiation are inhibited by integrin engagement of fibronectin (FN). Focal adhesion kinases have been shown to mediate intracellular signaling from integrins, and we recently demonstrated that gene expression and pre-mRNA splicing of the focal adhesion kinase, PYK2, is abnormal in CD34 + cells from chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. Here we investigated whether PYK2 gene products mediate integrin signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Methods Cord blood CD34 + cells were retrovirally transduced with vectors encoding Pyk2H, Pyk2, or the dominant negative–acting, kinase-deficient, C-terminal PYK2 fragment, PRNK, and myeloid proliferation and differentiation was assessed using colony-forming cell (CFC), long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC), and liquid culture assays. Results CD34 + cells overexpressing Pyk2H or Pyk2 generated 50% less colony-forming unit granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) than eGFP-transduced controls. Although the number of CFC generated by PRNK-expressing cells was unchanged, LTC-IC were significantly reduced. Culture of CD34 + cells on FN significantly reduced the generation of mature myeloid cells vs those cultured on BSA-coated wells, and could be overcome by addition of SCF. As is observed when integrins are engaged, overexpression of either Pyk2H or Pyk2 decreased committed myeloid progenitor proliferation and differentiation; however, SCF could not override this inhibition. Finally, as is observed when integrins are not engaged, PRNK-mediated inhibition of endogenous Pyk2H resulted in integrin-nonresponsive proliferation and differentiation of myeloid precursors and accelerated differentiation of primitive hematopoietic progenitors. Conclusion These studies indicate that PYK2 gene products mediate integrin-induced signals that regulate myelopoiesis.
The acquisition of voicing contrasts in Spanish and English learning infants and children: a longitudinal study*

The production of voice-onset time (VOT) was studied in a group of Spanish- and English-learning subjects at 1 and 2 years of age. Voice-onset time of initial stop consonants from canonical utterances was measured oscillographically. At one year no significant difference in VOT production was found between Spanish and English learners at any place of articulation. Mean VOT values for infants fell in the short lag range. By two years, four of the seven children in the English group and four of the children in the Spanish group showed significant evidence of having acquired the VOT distinction in stop consonants appropriate for their native language.
CCR6 and CCL20: Partners in Intestinal Immunity and Lymphorganogenesis

The CCR6 chemokine receptor is expressed by most B cells and subsets of T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) found in the gut mucosal immune system. CCL20, the single chemokine ligand for CCR6, is selectively made by the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) overlying Peyer's patches (PPs) and isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs). CCL20 contributes to the recruitment of CCR6-expressing B cells to these structures. CCL20 expression by the intestinal epithelium is also highly inducible in response to inflammatory stimuli. Thus, CCL20 functions as both an inflammatory and homeostatic chemokine. Interactions between CCR6 and CCL20 play a role at several stages in the development of intestinal lymphoid structures. A subset of the c-kit(+) lymphoid precursors found in cryptopatches (CPs) expresses CCR6. Recruitment of B cells to CPs and the subsequent expansion and organization of these B cells allows differentiation of some of these structures into ILFs. In CCR6 knockout mice, PPs are smaller with fewer follicles and the development of ILFs is compromised. These defects in the development of mucosal inductive sites in CCR6-deficient mice are responsible for decreased IgA production to oral antigens. CCR6 can be included with CXCR5 and CCR7 in a list of chemokine receptors that participate in shaping the organized lymphoid structures that are part of the intestinal immune system.
A Bureaucratic Turn

The article discusses the question whether Waldron's new analogy shifts the paradigm of international governance from a relationship that is based on law to a relationship that views participating actors as involved in some kind of common creative problem-solving effort. The implied change from �law� to �process� would raise serious concerns about what it might entail for the rights of citizens.
Both MC5r and A2Ar Are Required for Protective Regulatory Immunity in the Spleen of Post–Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis in Mice

The ocular microenvironment uses a poorly defined mela5 receptor (MC5r)-dependent pathway to recover immune tolerance following intraocular inflammation. This dependency is seen in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU), a mouse model of endogenous human autoimmune uveitis, with the emergence of autoantigen-specific regulatory immunity in the spleen that protects the mice from recurrence of EAU. In this study, we found that the MC5r-dependent regulatory immunity increased CD11b(+)F4/80(+)Ly-6C(low)Ly-6G(+)CD39(+)CD73(+) APCs in the spleen of post-EAU mice. These MC5r-dependent APCs require adenosine 2A receptor expression on T cells to activate EAU-suppressing CD25(+)CD4(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells. Therefore, in the recovery from autoimmune disease, the ocular microenvironment induces tolerance through a melanocortin-mediated expansion of Ly-6G(+) regulatory APCs in the spleen that use the adenosinergic pathway to promote activation of autoantigen-specific regulatory T cells.
Individualist Biocentrism vs. Holism Revisited

While holist views such as ecocentrism have considerable intuitive appeal, arguing for the moral considerability of ecological wholes such as ecosystems has turned out to be a very difficult task. In the environmental ethics literature, individualist biocentrists have persuasively argued that individual organisms—but not ecological wholes—are properly regarded as having a good of their own . In this paper, I revisit those arguments and contend that they are fatally flawed. The paper proceeds in five parts. First, I consider some problems brought about by climate change for environmental conservation strategies and argue that these problems give us good pragmatic reasons to want a better account of the welfare of ecological wholes. Second, I describe the theoretical assumptions from normative ethics that form the background of the arguments against holism. Third, I review the arguments given by individualist biocentrists in favour of individualism over holism. Fourth, I review recent work in the philosophy of biology on the units of selection problem, work in medicine on the human biome, and work in evolutionary biology on epigenetics and endogenous viral elements. I show how these developments undermine both the individualist arguments described above as well as the distinction between individuals and wholes as it has been understood by individualists. Finally, I consider five possible theoretical responses to these problems.
Optimal Planning Quantities for Product Transition

The replacement of an existing product with a new one presents many challenges. In particular, uncertainties in a new product introduction often lead to extreme cases of demand and supply mismatches. This paper addresses inventory planning decisions for product upgrades when there is no replenishment opportunity during the transition period. We allow product substitution: when a company runs out of the old product, a customer may be offered the new product as a substitute. We show that the optimal substitution decision is a time-varying threshold policy and establish the optimal planning policy. Further, we determine the optimal delay in a new product introduction, given the initial inventory of the old product.
Impact of Atmospheric Pressure Fluctuations on Vadose-zone Contaminant Plumes

Field and laboratory studies have been underway at the INEEL and BYU to investigate the effect of atmospheric pressure fluctuations on the migration of contaminant plumes. In the field, two vadose-zone piezometer nests were instrumented to measure soil-pressures and carbon tetrachloride concentrations at depths of roughly 78-ft, 112-ft., and 150-ft., below ground surface in wells 25-ft. apart. At land surface, a manifold was constructed to systematically rotate from port to port at 15-minute increments of time. Contaminant concentrations were measured at each rotation, and soil pressures were measured at all ports at 15-minute increments. Atmospheric pressures were also recorded. Results showed that atmospheric pressure changes propagated downward lagged in time and dampened in amplitude. Carbon tetrachloride concentrations were observed to decrease with pressure increases at each port, suggesting that pressure increases pushed the plume downward. Increases in concentration were observed with decreases in pressure. Concentrations were observed to change at a port by as much as an order of magnitude. Modeling is underway to assist in isolating the transport mechanisms involved and assist in quantifying the effect of varied pneumatic permeability on pressure propagation. Laboratory work is underway at BYU to more carefully isolate the mechanisms of diffusive transport and pressure fluctuation in unsaturated conditions. A sealed soil column has been packed with sand and instrumented with a contaminant reservoir at one end and concentration sensor at the other. A mechanical syringe is used to vary the pressure within the tube, and pressure sensors have been emplaced. An affiliation has been established with researchers at the DOE Sandia laboratory to utilize a novel non-invasive vapor detector in our sealed-column laboratory work.
An experimental study of seed ingestion and germination in a plant-animal assemblage in Ghana

Fleshy fruits collected from abundant woody plants on the Accra Plains, Ghana, were fed to frugivorous species common in the area. Seeds of each plant species were retrieved from each frugivore species for germination trials, and ingested seeds compared to fresh seeds in germination percentage and rapidity. Altogether 85 plant X animal feeding combinations were attempted. In 73% of trials, ingestion did not affect germination percentage; the remain-ing trials were about equally divided between significant increases and decreases. Ingested seeds had significantly faster germination in 12%, and significantly slower germination in 8%, of the trials. Germination percentages in all samples of fresh seeds ( = 37%) did not differ signifi-cantly from those ingested seeds ( = 31%).There was a significant association between the effect of ingestion on both germination rapidity and percentage (significantly increased, decreased, or neither) and the plant species involved; there was no such association between the effect of ingestion and the animal species. Animals had inconsistent and frequently negligible effects on germination. Two-way analyses of variance (plants X animals) of germination percentage and of germination improvement showed that plant species were a significant source of variation and animal species were not. The fleshy-fruited plants of this assemblage are not generally dependent upon animals for successful germination of their seeds.
Approximate correctness-checking of computational results

The process of checking the correctness of time-critical computations involves a fundamental and inherently conflicting tradeoff: the precision of the checking vs the time required to perform the checking process. This tradeoff is particularly relevant when the computations are intensive and can require appreciable time for completion. This issue is addressed by an innovative technique based on an extension of the 'use of certificates' which permits the precision of the correctness checking to be explicitly specified. This concept is developed relative to the broad class of problems which are amenable to the powerful and widely used B&B (branch-and-bound) strategy. It is extremely relevant to the motivation and importance of this paper to remember that 'checking the correctness of results for computationally intensive problems' can be just as demanding as 'generating the results themselves'. Accordingly, for time-critical applications in which a run-time result verification must be accomplished before a generated result can be released, a method for highly efficient approximate correctness checking of results in which it is efficiently determined that an obtained result is within some specified percentage of an optimal solution can be of enormous importance. This paper presents an approximate correctness checking methodology in which the precision of the result check can be explicitly specified and guaranteed even when an exact correct result is unknown, This controllable tradeoff, inherent in this method, can be the basis for new classes of adaptive result-checking strategies in which the precision of the check of a result can be varied, depending on the impact of the result within time-critical applications.
National missile defense and (dis)satisfaction

Previous research, applying perfect deterrence theory, has demonstrated that national missile defense generally enhances the stability of deterrence, primarily because it makes the defender’s retaliatory threat more credible. However, stability is not ensured, because missile defense has the potential to increase other states’ dissatisfaction with the status quo. Consequently, dissatisfied states have an increased incentive to challenge the status quo, undermining deterrence stability. Although there is a lengthy literature debating this point, no one has conducted a rigorous empirical analysis of the impact of national missile defense on satisfaction. To address this significant gap in the literature, we analyze the impact of US missile defense programs on other states’ status quo evaluations through analyses of events data, 1985–2004, and UN voting data, 1985–2008.
Geometric basis-vector selection methods and subpixel target detection as applied to hyperspectral imagery

In this paper, we compare three basis-vector selection methods as applied to subpixel target detection. This is a continuation of previous research in which a similar comparison was performed based on an AVIRIS image. Our goal is to find out to what extent our previous observations apply more broadly to other images, more specifically, a HYDICE image used in this paper. Our target detection approach is based on generating a radiance target region using a physical model to generate radiance spectra as observed under a wide range of atmospheric, illumination., and viewing conditions. The advantage of this approach is that the resulting target detection is invariant to those changing conditions. For the purpose of target detection, we use a structured model to describe each image spectra as a linear combination of the target and background basis-vectors, and then we apply a matched subspace detector. Finally, we find ROC curves to describe the relationship between the detection rate (DR) and the false alarm rate (FAR). Due to a large number of cases considered, we use summary metrics to represent our results. The obtained results are quite different from those obtained in (Bajorski et al., 2004) for the AVIRIS image. The best method for generating the background basis vectors in the AVIRIS image was the MaxD method, while the SVD method proved to be best for the HYDICE image used in this paper. Further research is needed to find out the reasons for these differences. It is not surprising that different methods are optimal for different types of data. However, it would be useful to be able to recognize the optimal method without assuming knowledge of the targets in the image
Effects of cholestyramine on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced enteric carcinoma in germfree rats.

SummaryOral administration of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced intestinal neoplasms in germfree rats. A supplement of 2% cholestyramine resin in the diet increased the frequency of DMH-induced intestinal tumors and accelerated malignant transformation. Bile acids in the cecal content were determined with and without cholestyramine in order to obtain a correlation between the bile acid metabolism and the enteric carcinogenesis.
Distribution and Ecological Preference of Rhododendron eastmanii Kron & Creel (May-white Azalea) in South Carolina

Abstract I conducted a survey in the piedmont and coastal plain of South Carolina during 2000–2003 that documented 23 population sites in eleven counties for the recently described Rhododendron eastmanii (May-white azalea). Populations were typically located on north-facing slopes of rich, mature forests above streams dominated by oaks, hickories, and other deciduous trees. Soils had a loamy sand to sandy loam texture and were circumneutral to slightly acidic. This species is more widespread than originally thought, and botanists in Georgia and North Carolina should look for the presence of this species.
On the Asymptotic Efficiency of Distributed Estimation Systems With Constant Modulus Signals Over Multiple-Access Channels

A distributed estimation problem is considered with multiple-access channels between sensors and a fusion center. The sensors phase-modulate their noisy observations before transmitting them to the fusion center, where a signal parameter is estimated. The asymptotic efficiency of this estimator is then determined by using two inequalities that relate the Fisher information and the characteristic function. A necessary and sufficient condition for equality is found for the first time in the literature. The loss in efficiency of the distributed estimation scheme relative to the centralized approach is quantified for different sensing noise distributions. It is shown that this distributed estimation system does not incur an efficiency loss if and only if the sensing noise distribution is Gaussian.
Embryonic lethality leads to hybrid male inviability in hybrids between Drosophila melanogaster and D. santomea

The study of the morphological defects unique to interspecific hybrids can reveal which developmental pathways have diverged between species. Drosophila melanogaster and D. santomea diverged more than 10 million years ago, and when crossed produce sterile adult females. Adult hybrid males are absent from all interspecific crosses. We aimed to determine the fate of these hybrid males. To do so, we tracked the development of hybrid females and males using classic genetic markers and techniques. We found that hybrid males die predominantly as embryos with severe segment-specification defects while a large proportion of hybrid females embryos hatch and survive to adulthood. In particular, we show that most male embryos show a characteristic abdominal ablation phenotype, not observed in either parental species. This suggests that sex-specific embryonic developmental defects eliminate hybrid males in this interspecific cross. The study of the developmental abnormalities that occur in hybrids can lead to the understanding of cryptic molecular divergence between species sharing a conserved body plan.
Did you ever have to make up your mind? What Notes users do when faced with a security decision

Designers are often faced with difficult tradeoffs between easing the user's burden by making security decisions for them and offering features that ensure that users can make the security decisions that are right for them and their environment. Users often do not understand enough about the impact of a security decision to make an informed choice. We report on the experience in a 500-person organization on the security of each user's Lotus Notes client against unsigned active content. We found that the default configuration of the majority of users did not allow unsigned active content to run. However, we found that when presented with a choice during their workflow, many of those otherwise secured users would allow unsigned active content to run. We discuss the features that are in Lotus Notes that provide security for active content and that respond to the usability issues from this study.
A triaxial probe for on-line proteolysis coupled with hydrogen/deuterium exchange-electrospray mass spectrometry

An on-line proteolysis system utilizing a triaxial electrospray probe was developed to aid localization of the hydrogen-bonding interaction sites in hydrogen/deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) studies of Aβ (1–40) fibrils. The probe allows delayed introduction of the organic solvent component needed for stable electrospray, thus enhancing hydrolysis performance relative to that of a coaxial probe. Effective on-line digestion was accomplished in ∼12 s. The probe should be of general utility for HDX-MS studies of amyloid fibrils and other protein aggregates.
Human Medial Olivocochlear Reflex: Effects as Functions of Contralateral, Ipsilateral, and Bilateral Elicitor Bandwidths

Animal studies have led to the view that the acoustic medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent reflex provides sharply tuned frequency-specific feedback that inhibits cochlear amplification. To determine if MOC activation is indeed narrow band, we measured the MOC effects in humans elicited by 60-dB sound pressure level (SPL) contralateral, ipsilateral, and bilateral noise bands as a function of noise bandwidth from 1/2 to 6.7 octaves. MOC effects were quantified by the change in stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions from 40 dB SPL probe tones near 0.5, 1, and 4 kHz. In a second experiment, the noise bands were centered 2 octaves below probe frequencies near 1 and 4 kHz. In all cases, the MOC effects increased as elicitor bandwidth increased, with the effect saturating at about 4 octaves. Generally, the MOC effects increased as the probe frequency decreased, opposite expectations based on MOC innervation density in the cochlea. Bilateral-elicitor effects were always the largest. The ratio of ipsilateral/contralateral effects depended on elicitor bandwidth; the ratio was large for narrow-band probe-centered elicitors and approximately unity for wide-band elicitors. In another experiment, the MOC effects from increasing elicitor bandwidths were calculated from measurements of the MOC effects from adjacent half-octave noise bands. The predicted bandwidth function agreed well with the measured bandwidth function for contralateral elicitors, but overestimated it for ipsilateral and bilateral elicitors. Overall, the results indicate that (1) the MOC reflexes integrate excitation from almost the entire cochlear length, (2) as elicitor bandwidth is increased, the excitation from newly stimulated cochlear regions more than overcomes the reduced excitation at frequencies in the center of the elicitor band, and (3) contralateral, ipsilateral, and bilateral elicitors show MOC reflex spatial summation over most of the cochlea, but ipsilateral spatial summation is less additive than contralateral.
Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in irritable bowel syndrome.

Author(s): Mahurkar, S; Polytarchou, C; Iliopoulos, D; Pothoulakis, C; Mayer, EA; Chang, L | Abstract: BackgroundIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a stress-sensitive disorder. Environmental factors including stress can trigger epigenetic changes, which have not been well-studied in IBS. We performed a pilot study investigating genome-wide DNA methylation of IBS patients and healthy controls (HCs) to identify potential epigenetic markers and associated pathways. Additionally, we investigated relationships of epigenetic changes in selected genes with clinical traits.MethodsTwenty-seven IBS patients (59% women; 10 IBS-diarrhea, 8 IBS-constipation, 9 IBS-mixed) and 23 age- and sex-matched HCs were examined. DNA methylation from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was measured using HM450 BeadChip, and representative methylation differences were confirmed by bisulphite sequencing. Gene expression was measured using quantitative PCR. Gastrointestinal (GI) and non-GI symptoms were measured using validated questionnaires. Associations were tested using non-parametric methods.Key resultsGenome-wide DNA methylation profiling of IBS patients compared with HCs identified 133 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) (mean difference ≥10%; p l 0.05). These genes were associated with gene ontology terms including glutathione metabolism related to oxidative stress and neuropeptide hormone activity. Validation by sequencing confirmed differential methylation of subcommissural organ (SCO)-Spondin (SSPO), glutathione-S-transferases mu 5 (GSTM5), and tubulin polymerization promoting protein genes. Methylation of two promoter CpGs in GSTM5 was associated with epigenetic silencing. Epigenetic changes in SSPO gene were positively correlated with hospital anxiety and depression scores in IBS patients (r g 0.4 and false discovery rate l0.05).Conclusions a inferencesThis study is the first to comprehensively explore the methylome of IBS patients. We identified DMPs in novel candidate genes which could provide new insights into disease mechanisms; however, these preliminary findings warrant confirmation in larger, independent studies.
Synthetic Aperture Radar, Technology, Past and Future Applications to Archaeology

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data are now widely available at resolutions better than 30 m for most locations on Earth. This imagery can be quite valuable for archaeological applications in diverse environments, as it is generally unaffected by cloud cover, making it useful in the tropics. In very arid environments, longer wavelength radar can penetrate thin sand cover.
Water co-catalyzed selective dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde and hydrogen

Abstract The non-oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde is considered a promising method to produce formaldehyde and clean hydrogen gas. Although Cu-based catalysts have an excellent catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol, metallic Cu is commonly believed to be unreactive for the dehydrogenation of methanol in the absence of oxygen adatoms or oxidized copper. Herein we show that metallic Cu can catalyze the dehydrogenation of methanol in the absence of oxygen adatoms by using water as a co-catalyst both under realistic reaction conditions using silica-supported PtCu nanoparticles in a flow reactor system at temperatures below 250 °C, and in ultra-high vacuum using model PtCu(111) catalysts. Adding small amounts of isolated Pt atoms into the Cu surface to form PtCu single atom alloys (SAAs) greatly enhances the dehydrogenation activity of Cu. Under the same reaction conditions, the yields of formaldehyde from PtCu SAA nanoparticles are more than one order of magnitude higher than on the Cu nanoparticles, indicating a significant promotional effect of individual, isolated Pt atoms. Moreover, this study also shows the unexpected role of water in the activation of methanol. Water, a catalyst for methanol dehydrogenation at low temperatures, becomes a reactant in the methanol steam reforming reactions only at higher temperatures over the same metal catalyst.
Avoiding class warfare: managing continuous queries with differentiated classes of service

Data stream management systems (DSMSs) offer the most effective solution for processing data streams by efficiently executing continuous queries (CQs) over the incoming data. CQs inherently have different levels of criticality and hence different levels of expected quality of service (QoS) and quality of data (QoD). Adhering to such expected QoS/QoD metrics is even more important in cases of multi-tenant data stream management services. In this work, we propose DILoS, a framework that, through priority-based scheduling and load shedding, supports differentiated QoS and QoD for multiple classes of CQs. Unlike existing works that consider scheduling and load shedding separately, DILoS is a novel unified framework that exploits the synergy between scheduling and load shedding. We also propose ALoMa, a general, adaptive load manager that DILoS is built upon. By its design, ALoMa performs better than the state-of-the-art alternatives in three dimensions: (1) it automatically tunes the headroom factor, (2) it honors the delay target, (3) it is applicable to complex query networks with shared operators. We implemented DILoS and ALoMa in our real DSMS prototype system (AQSIOS) and evaluate their performance for a variety of real and synthetic workloads. Our experimental evaluation of ALoMa verified its clear superiority over the state-of-the-art approaches. Our experimental evaluation of the DILoS framework showed that it (a) allows the scheduler and load shedder to consistently honor CQs' priorities, (b) significantly increases system capacity utilization by exploiting batch processing, and (c) enables operator sharing among query classes of different priorities while avoiding priority inversion, i.e., a lower-priority class never blocks a higher-priority one.
Early wound healing of laser in situ keratomileusis-like flaps after treatment with human corneal stromal stem cells.

To use a well-established organ culture model to investigate the effects of corneal stromal stem cells on the optical and biomechanical properties of corneal wounds after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)-like flap creation. School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. Experimental study. The LASIK-like flaps were produced in sheep corneas. The flap beds were treated with corneal stromal stem cells and were then replaced and allowed to heal for different periods of up to 3 weeks in organ culture. The optical transmission of the cornea, the force required to detach the flap, and the presence of myofibroblasts near the flap bed were measured.Corneal stromal stem cell-treated flap beds were statistically significantly more transparent after 3 weeks in culture than the untreated controls. At 3 weeks, the mean force necessary to detach the flap was more than twice the force required for the respective control samples. Concurrently, there were 44% activated cells immediately below the flap margin of the controls compared with 29% in the same region of the corneal stromal stem cell-treated flaps. In this system, the presence of corneal stromal stem cells at the wound margin significantly increased the adherence of LASIK-like flaps while maintaining corneal transparency. It is postulated that this is achieved by the deposition of extracellular connective tissue similar to that found in the normal cornea and by the paucity of activated keratocytes (myofibroblasts), which are known to scatter a significant amount of the incident light. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Sex Differences in Pigment Content of Harderian Glands of Mice

Conclusions1. The Harderian glands of female mice of C3H strain at 75 days of life appear to differ in at least two ways from the Harderian glands of male mice of the same age and strain, as follows: (a) They appear to contain under normal light a greater degree of gray pigmentation; (b) they contain approximately 25% more protoporphyrins, in spite of the fact that the glands are smaller and the body weights are also smaller than in males. 2. These differences between sexes are more pronounced at 75 days of age than they are at 250 days.
The orderly chaos of proteins.

The article discusses protein structure, including protein folding, and research by molecular biologists that suggests some types of proteins that exist in humans are partially or completely unstructured. According to the authors, a lack of protein folding was once viewed as a pathology. They note that a lack of folding does not necessarily hamper a protein's functionality and may be crucial to a protein's workings. Topics include the role that unstructured proteins may have played during evolution and how a better understanding of their true nature may lead to the design of novel drugs. INSETS: Order vs. Disorder;The Living Cell's Flexible Workers.
System-Level Heat Transfer Analysis, Thermal- Mechanical Cyclic Stress Analysis, and Environmental Fatigue Modeling of a Two-Loop Pressurized Water Reactor. A Preliminary Study

This report provides an update on an assessment of environmentally assisted fatigue for light water reactor components under extended service conditions. This report is a deliverable in April 2015 under the work package for environmentally assisted fatigue under DOE's Light Water Reactor Sustainability program. In this report, updates are discussed related to a system level preliminary finite element model of a two-loop pressurized water reactor (PWR). Based on this model, system-level heat transfer analysis and subsequent thermal-mechanical stress analysis were performed for typical design-basis thermal-mechanical fatigue cycles. The in-air fatigue lives of components, such as the hot and cold legs, were estimated on the basis of stress analysis results, ASME in-air fatigue life estimation criteria, and fatigue design curves. Furthermore, environmental correction factors and associated PWR environment fatigue lives for the hot and cold legs were estimated by using estimated stress and strain histories and the approach described in NUREG-6909. The discussed models and results are very preliminary. Further advancement of the discussed model is required for more accurate life prediction of reactor components. This report only presents the work related to finite element modelling activities. However, in between multiple tensile and fatigue tests were conducted. The related experimental resultsmore » will be presented in the year-end report.« less
Idling time of motile bacteria contributes to retardation and dispersion in sand porous medium.

The motility of microorganisms affects their transport in natural systems by altering their interactions with the solid phase of the soil matrix. To assess the effect of these interactions on transport parameters, a series of breakthrough curves (BTCs) for motile and nonmotile bacteria, including E. coli and P. putida species, were measured from a homogeneously packed sand column under three different interstitial velocities of 1 m/d, 5 m/d, and 10 m/d. BTCs for the nonmotile bacteria were nearly identical for all three flow rates, except that the recovery percentage at 1 m/d was reduced by 5% compared to the higher flow rates. In contrast, for the motile bacteria, the recovery percentages were not affected by flow rate, but their BTCs exhibited a higher degree of retardation and dispersion as the flow velocity decreased, which was consistent with increased idling times of the motile strains. The smooth-swimming mutant E. coli HCB437, which is unable to change its swimming direction after encountering the...
Serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in neuroblastoma.

Abstract The activity of dopamine-β-hydroxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine, was measured in the serum of 22 patients with neuroblastoma and of 27 control subjects. Twelve patients with neuroblastoma had serum values in the range of the control subjects, whereas 10 had extremely high values. Patients with high serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity also excreted large amounts of the norepinephrine metabolite, vanillymandelic acid. There was no correlation between the serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity and the urinary excretion levels of dopamine and its metabolite, homovanillic acid. The assay of serum levels of the enzyme may be useful for diagnosis of neuroblastomas.
Transnational blackface, neo-minstrelsy and the ‘French Eddie Murphy’ in Intouchables

AbstractThe 2011 French film Intouchables is an interracial buddy film about a black caregiver from the suburbs and a quadriplegic white aristocrat. Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s film broke box office records in France and abroad, becoming the second highest grossing French film of all time in domestic release and the most successful non-English film on the export market. However, the film’s critical reception was mixed; some celebrated the film’s social conscience while others denounced its racism. In this article, the author analyses the film’s treatment of race, specifically the ways in which Toledano and Nakache draw on tropes of American blackface, neo-minstrelsy and 1980s Hollywood interracial buddy comedies starring Eddie Murphy to visualise racial inequality and discrimination in contemporary France. The author tracks the ways in which these American tropes align and do not align with representations of cultural diversity and the banlieues in France, and he ultimately argues that the film’s ...
On the Langlands Functoriality for Automorphic Forms

This is the extended notes of my lcctures on the Langlands functoriality of automorphic forms,which are in particular on the topics closely related to my recent work.
Race, gender, and class in entrepreneurship: intersectional counterframes and black business owners

ABSTRACTEntrepreneurship is often touted as an economic opportunity that embodies American ideals of individualism and financial gain. Yet social scientists have long noted divergent entrepreneurial outcomes among various groups. In this paper, we consider how race informs entrepreneurship for minority business owners. In particular, we focus on the ways black entrepreneurs use racial counterframes as a means of defining various aspects of the entrepreneurial experience. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of intersectional counterframes to show how black entrepreneurs understand business ownership as a response to categories that interact with not only to race, but other social group categories as well, such as gender. We argue here that these business owners use both counterframes to construct entrepreneurship not simply as a potential pathway to economic stability, but perhaps more importantly, as a response to existing inequality.
Muscarinic, nicotinic and GABAergic receptor signaling differentially mediate fat-conditioned flavor preferences in rats.

Abstract Rats display conditioned flavor preferences (CFP) for fats. Previous studies demonstrated that whereas expression of an already-acquired corn oil (CO)-CFP was mildly reduced by dopamine (DA) D1, DA D2, NMDA or opioid receptor antagonists, the acquisition or learning of CO-CFP was eliminated by NMDA antagonists, and significantly reduced by DA D1 and D2, but not opioid antagonists. Previous studies of fructose-CFP demonstrated that muscarinic (scopolamine) and nicotinic (mecamylamine) cholinergic receptor antagonists and GABA B (baclofen) receptor agonism reduced the expression of this acquired response, and that scopolamine, but not mecamylamine or baclofen eliminated the acquisition or learning of this response. The present study examined scopolamine, mecamylamine or baclofen effects upon expression or acquisition of CO-CFP. For expression, rats were trained over 10 sessions with CS + (3.5% CO) and CS − (0.9% CO) flavored solutions without drugs. Two-bottle choice tests with CS + and CS − flavors in 0.9% CO examined preferences following vehicle, scopolamine (1–10 mg/kg), mecamylamine (1–8 mg/kg) and baclofen (1.5–5 mg/kg). In acquisition, eight groups of rats received vehicle, scopolamine (1, 2.5 mg/kg), mecamylamine (4, 6 mg/kg), baclofen (3, 5 mg/kg) or a limited intake vehicle control 0.5 h prior to all 10 CS + and CS − training sessions followed by six 2-bottle CS + and CS − choice tests in 0.9% CO. CO-CFP expression (percent CS + intake) was significantly but marginally reduced by scopolamine (70%), mecamylamine (85%) and baclofen (74%) relative to vehicle (98%). CO-CFP acquisition was eliminated (41%) by scopolamine relative to vehicle (88%) and limited control (98%) conditions. Neither mecamylamine nor baclofen altered CO-CFP acquisition. Thus, the muscarinic cholinergic receptor system is essential for acquisition (learning) of both fat-induced and sugar (fructose)-induced preferences. In contrast, muscarinic, nicotinic and GABA B receptors were minimally involved in the expression (maintenance) of fat- and fructose-CFP.
Medulloblastoma - Prognostic Factors

The prognostic factors and outcome of treatment of 58 patients with posterior fossa medulloblastoma seen from March 1965 through December 1984 were reviewed in the Division of Radiation Oncology at the Mayo Clinic.