cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Group V Phospholipase A2 in Zymosan-induced Eicosanoid Generation and Vascular Permeability Revealed by Targeted Gene Disruption

Conclusions regarding the contribution of low molecular weight secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) enzymes in eicosanoid generation have relied on data obtained from transfected cells or the use of inhibitors that fail to discriminate between individual members of the large family of mammalian sPLA2 enzymes. To elucidate the role of group V sPLA2, we used targeted gene disruption to generate mice lacking this enzyme. Zymosan-induced generation of leukotriene C4 and prostaglandin E2 was attenuated ∼50% in peritoneal macrophages from group V sPLA2-null mice compared with macrophages from wild-type littermates. Furthermore, the early phase of plasma exudation in response to intraperitoneal injection of zymosan and the accompanying in vivo generation of cysteinyl leukotrienes were markedly attenuated in group V sPLA2-null mice compared with wild-type controls. These data provide clear evidence of a role for group V sPLA2 in regulating eicosanoid generation in response to an acute innate stimulus of the immune response both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a role for this enzyme in innate immunity.
A two characteristic model for cohesionless soil and its calibration using optimization

Abstract An elastro-plastic constitutive model is developed to characterize the stress-strain behavior of cohesionless soils. The model utilizes the concept of two characteristics states represented by two characteristic state lines in the stress space. The two characteristic state lines represent the state of the soil at failure and the state at which the soil passes from compressive to dilative mode of deformation during shearing. The proposed approach provides a better control in predicting volumetric behavior of cohesionless soils. To increase the accessibility and usefulness of the model and reduce the difficulty of the model calibration process, an optimization procedure is used to evaluate the material parameters associated with the model. The model is verified with respect to a test that is used for finding the parameters, and a number of other tests that are not used for finding the parameters. A good correlation between predictions and experimental data is observed.
Making decisions for incident management in nuclear power plants using probabilistic safety assessment

Decisions by management during nuclear power plant operations may have safety-related and economic consequences, and may affect the relationship with external stakeholders such as regulatory authorities. Attributes such as worker exposure to radiation, potential radiation release, negative publicity, and regulatory intervention may conflict with concerns such as loss of income due to plant shutdown or reduced power. This article shows that the combination of probabilistic safety assessment and multi-attribute decision theory offers the potential for a structured decision-making methodology that could take into account risk-related aspects (plant and worker safety, for instance), as well as important factors like economics and regulatory requirements. The difficulties we encountered during the elicitation of utilities, and our solutions to those issues, are discussed. We demonstrate our decision analysis methodology using a case study in incident management—the decision making that follows events emanating...
Microstructure of alumina-forming oxidation resistant Al-Ti-Cr alloys

1. 1) The protective alumina-forming Al-Ti-Cr alloys identified by Perkins et al. [2] are based primarily on the τ (L12) and TiCrAl laves phases. 2. 2) The τ phase in the multiphase protective alumina-forming Al-Ti-Cr alloys is not stable at 1073K and decomposes to r-Al2Ti and Cr2Al. 3. 3) Future coating alloy development in the Al-Ti-Cr system should focus on the γ/TiCrAl laves two phase field.
Select G-Protein-Coupled Receptors Modulate Agonist-Induced Signaling via a ROCK, LIMK, and β-Arrestin 1 Pathway

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are typically present in a basal, inactive state but, when bound to an agonist, activate downstream signaling cascades. In studying arrestin regulation of opioid receptors in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, we find that agonists of delta opioid receptors (δORs) activate cofilin through Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK), LIM domain kinase (LIMK), and β-arrestin 1 (β-arr1) to regulate actin polymerization. This controls receptor function, as assessed by agonist-induced inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in DRGs. Agonists of opioid-receptor-like receptors (ORL1) similarly influence the function of this receptor through ROCK, LIMK, and β-arr1. Functional evidence of this cascade was demonstrated in vivo, where the behavioral effects of δOR or ORL1 agonists were enhanced in the absence of β-arr1 or prevented by inhibiting ROCK. This pathway allows δOR and ORL1 agonists to rapidly regulate receptor function.
Epstein-Barr virus gastritis: rare or rarely sampled? A case report.

Gastritis related to Epstein-Barr virus infection has been rarely reported in the literature. However, one population, arguably, most likely to be infected with the virus (young patients) is unlikely to undergo major diagnostic procedures that would yield pathological specimens containing the characteristic findings. Thus, the disease may be rarely sampled rather than truly rare. Furthermore, any patient with Epstein-Barr virus— related gastritis may manifest clinical and histological findings that can mimic hematolymphoid neoplasia. Therefore, care must be taken and a high level of clinical suspicion employed to avoid a misdiagnosis of lymphoma in these cases. Such a case is reported, with clinicopathological findings and follow-up information indicative of Epstein-Barr virus as the etiology of a clinically and histopathologically significant gastritis containing large, atypical immunoblast-like cells.
Pursuit of the mechanisms of kindling

Abstract The kindling phenomenon was discovered by the late Graham Goddard and his colleagues twenty years ago 1 . Advances in identifying structures that regulate kindling have begun to provide an anatomical framework for analysis of its mechanisms. Electrophysiological study of slices isolated from one structure implicated in the network, the hippocampus, has disclosed abnormal hyperexcitability in each of the three principal neuronal populations. This article attempts to integrate selected studies of the anatomical framework and electrophysiology of kindling and presents a hypothetical model of the initiation of a kindled seizure.
Genetic Dissection of Ventral Folding Morphogenesis in Mouse: Embryonic Visceral Endoderm-supplied BMP2 Positions Head and Heart

Ventral folding morphogenesis (VFM), a vital morphogenetic process in amniotes, mediates gut endoderm internalization, linear heart tube formation, ventral body wall closure and encasement of the fetus in extraembryonic membranes. Aberrant VFM underlies a number of birth defects such as gastroschisis and ectopia cordis in human and misplacement of head and heart in mouse. Recent cell lineage-specific mouse mutant analyses identified the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) pathway and Anterior Visceral Endoderm (AVE) as key regulators of anterior VFM. Loss of BMP2 expression solely from embryonic visceral endoderm (EmVE) and the AVE blocks formation of foregut invagination, and simultaneously, aberrantly positions the heart anterior/dorsal to the head, suggesting a mechanistic link between foregut and head/heart morphogenesis.
Damage to murine kidney and intestine from exposure to the fields of a piezoelectric lithotripter.

Abstract Earlier studies, in which murine kidneys were exposed to spherically diverging, spark-generated shock waves, demonstrated extensive hemorrhage in the interior of the organ at peak positive pressures somewhat less than 10 MPa. With comparable pulse numbers, this investigation, using the focal fields of a piezoelectric lithotripter, found no damage to murine kidneys at peak positive pressures as high as 40 MPa. Comparison of these cases and earlier bioeffects studies using pulsed, focused ultrasound leads to the conclusion that damage to murine kidneys is not simply correlated with peak positive pressure or peak negative pressure, nor is spectral content of the wave able to explain the striking differences in damage from these sources. With 200 individual shock waves from the piezoelectric lithotripter applied ventrally, 20–30% of the animals suffered superficial kidney damage (bleeding into the capsule), but the same exposure conditions produced severe intestinal hemorrhage in more than 80% of the animals.
28 Impact of antidiabetic medications on physical and cognitive functioning of older mexican americans with diabetes mellitus

Abstract PURPOSE: The current study was designed to evaluate the utility of antidiabetic medications in affecting changes in physical and cognitive functioning among older Mexican Americans diabetic patients over a 2-year period. METHODS: The existing cohort of Mexican Americans 60 or older in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA) Project was used. Physical functioning status was measured by assessment of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Cognitive functioning was measured by the Modified Mini Mental State Exam (3MS) and Delayed Word-list Recall Test. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 718 diabetic subjects in SALSA were divided into two groups (based on the duration of diabetes) to examine the effect of antidiabetic medications. For subjects with diagnosed diabetes ⩽ 5 years (N = 381), physical functioning improved over a two-year follow-up among subjects on treatment, compared to those without treatment, when controlling for diabetic symptoms (ADL: mean in log scale = −0.05, 95% CI = −0.10, −0.003). For subjects with diagnosed diabetes of 5+ years (N = 337), a significant increase in cognitive score and improvement in physical functioning were observed over a two-year follow-up among subjects on active treatments (N = 222), compared to those without treatment (N = 115) (3MS: mean = 6.64, 95% CI = 3.23, 10.05, ADL: mean in log scale = −0.10, 95% CI = −0.16, −0.04). Combination therapy of two or more antidiabetic agents appeared to be more effective than monotherapy in preventing the decline in physical and cognitive functioning for subjects. CONCLUSION: Antidiabetic drugs appear to be useful in alleviating the decline in physical and cognitive functioning among older Mexican Americans with diabetes, especially for those with a longer duration of the disease.
ContextController: Augmenting broadcast TV with realtime contextual information

ContextController is a content augmentation system that enables the real time collation and presentation of contextual information for linear TV broadcasts. The goal of this project is to enable viewers to supplement their TV viewing experience with externally sourced and summarized knowledge. Through this viewers with varied background knowledge are provided the ability to discover new contextual information, which aids in the improved understanding of the original content. Although this system can be used with a variety of content types this work focuses on News related broadcasts.
Experience with the Duodenal Switch Operation in the Presence of Intestinal Malrotation

The presence of intestinal malrotation (IM) may pose unexpected problems during bariatric operations. We reviewed the records of patients with IM undergoing bariatric operations at our institution over the last 5 years. Three patients underwent four procedures. These included an open duodenal switch, an attempted laparoscopic gastric bypass with open duodenal switch as a second-stage procedure, and lastly a laparoscopic robot-assisted duodenal switch. All patients have had good outcomes. The key anatomic principles of a tension-free duodeno-enterostomy and maintaining appropriate orientation at the distal enteroenterostomy are emphasized.
Cytochrome b5 reductase: the roles of the recessive congenital methemoglobinemia mutants P144L, L148P, and R159*.

Abstract Recessive congenital methemoglobinemia (RCM, OMIM 250800) arises from defects in either the erythrocytic or microsomal forms of the flavoprotein, cytochrome b 5 reductase (c b 5 r) and was the first disease to be directly associated with a specific enzyme deficiency. Of the 33 verified mutations in c b 5 r that give rise to either the type I (erythrocytic) or type II (generalized) forms of RCM, three of the mutations, corresponding to P144L, L148P, and R159*, are located in a segment of the primary sequence composed of residues G143 to V171 which serves as a “hinge” or “linker” region between the FAD- and NADH-binding lobes of the protein. With the exception of R159*, which produces a truncated non-functional c b 5 r resulting in type II RCM, the type I methemoglobinemias resulting from the P144L or L148P mutations have been proposed to be due to decreased enzyme stability. Utilizing a recombinant form of the rat c b 5 r enzyme, we have generated the P144L, L148P, and P144L/L148P mutants, purified the resulting proteins to homogeneity and characterized their spectroscopic, kinetic, and thermodynamic properties. The three mutant proteins retained full complements of FAD with the P144L and L148P variants being spectroscopically indistinguishable from wild-type c b 5 r. In contrast, kinetic analyses revealed that the P144L, L148P, and P144L/L148P variants retained only 28, 31, and 8% of wild-type NADH:cytochrome b 5 reductase activity, respectively, together with significant alterations in affinity for both NADH and NAD + . In addition, FAD oxidation–reduction potentials were 32, 19, and 65 mV more positive for the mutants than the corresponding FAD/FADH 2 couple in native c b 5 r ( E 0 ′ = - 272 mV ) . Thermal and proteolytic stability measurements indicated that all three mutants were less stable than the wild-type protein while differential spectroscopy indicated altered pyridine nucleotide binding in all three variants. These results demonstrate that the “hinge” region is important in maintaining the correct orientation of the flavin- and pyridine nucleotide-binding lobes within the protein for efficient electron transfer and that the P144L and L148P mutations disrupt the normal registration of the FAD- and NADH-binding lobes resulting in altered affinities for both the physiological reducing substrate, NADH and its product, NAD + .
Differential distribution of brush cells in the rat lung.

The distribution of brush cells in the rat lung was studied using electron microscopic morphometry. Samples were taken from six distinctive anatomical regions. Tissue from the trachea, lobar bronchi, terminal bronchioles, first alveolar duct bifurcations, proximal alveolar regions, and the distal alveolar region were isolated and embedded in Epox 812. Aside from the trachea and the lobar bronchi, the other four regions were isolated from embedded tissue using microdis-section techniques. Electron micrographs taken from thin sections of these samples were analyzed. It was found that brush cells made up 10% of the volume of epithelium covering the first alveolar duct bifurcation. Approximately 2% of the proximal alveolar epithelium, 1.4% of the terminal bronchiolar epithelium, and 3% of the tracheal epithelium were made up of brush cells. No brush-bordered epithelium was found in the lobar bronchi or in the distal alveolar walls. We conclude that brush cells have a distinct spatial location in the lung, being in high concentration in the trachea and in areas where first generation alveolar duets bifurcate. The highest density was on the bifurcation of the first alveolar ducts, and their density decreased radially from this region.
Welcome to the Front Seat: Racial Identity and Mesoamerican Immigrants

In this article, I argue that mestizo immigrants from the Mesoamerica region experience a low socioeconomic tracking compounded by a racialized subordinating discourse in the United States. These immigrants come over to the United States from a region where social stratification and racial prejudice are based more on cultural and linguistic differentiation than on pigmentation. Once in their new surroundings, mestizo immigrants live a reversal of power relations as well as a new cultural regime that places them in a secondary social role. Key words: diasporic studies, race theory, identity formation theory, identity and education, immigration, Latina/Latino/Chicano culture, people of color and socialization
Infrared Spectrometry since 1945

The period since World War II has resulted in a steady growth throughout the infrared field. This growth has been mainly one of utilization and extension of wartime developments and techniques rather than one of fundamentally new discoveries. Even so, the process of utilization and extension has been so broad that the field has altered radically in the last five years. An example of this alteration is the acceptance of the infrared spectrum by the organic chemist. A perusal of the Arthur Becker Lamb tributary issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, January, 1950, shows a large number of infrared spectra of organic materials presented simply as a compound characteristic comparable with a melting point, or as a part of proof of structure comparable with a bromination measurement. The interesting point is that, in many cases, no description at all is given of the spectrometer or the sampling conditions used. At some sites, evidently, the infrared spectrometer has been so successful as to reach a stage of oblivion, and now ranks with the distillation column or gravimetric balance as standard laboratory furniture. Actually, this is to be expected since there are probably over 1000 infrared spectrometers in use today.
Efficient search and fit methods to find nerve stimulation parameters for multi-contact electrodes

This paper describes a method to efficiently sample EMG recruitment space over a wide range of pulse amplitude (PA) and pulse width (PW). A gradient based search method is developed to find high information areas of a recruitment surface. This search method is first examined in the context of simulated EMG recruitment data and its ability to sample and subsequently fit Gompertz-Function-inspired surfaces to it. The search method is then used to determine parameters when stimulating through an 8 contact flat interface nerve electrode (FINE). The recorded EMG recruitment data are then used to validate the Gompertz surface fitting method as well as the search method.
Africa in the 1990s and beyond: Alternative prescriptions and projections

Abstract This article examines the origins, dimensions and implications of Africa's crisis. It draws attention to the impact of historical experiences, the distortions and disarticulations of that experience, and to the coalitions, contradictions, crises and conflicts inherited at independence. It looks at postcolonial alignment and realignment of social and political forces, the crisis of accumulation and power, and the implications of the region's marginal location and role in the global division of labour and power. Calling for a need to transcend the manifestations of the African predicament, the article looks at regional and international responses to the crisis. It concludes by prescribing the need for a fundamental political restructuring, the empowerment of the people and their communities and organizations, a socially sensitive structural adjustment programme, and the recomposition of the content and context of politics and social relations.
Situaciones sociales: su poder de transformación

ResumenA traves de investigaciones experimentales y analisis socio-historicos, en los cuales hombres y mujeres normales y corrientes son inducidos a comportarse de modo perverso, se muestra una perspectiva situacional sobre las causas de la conducta antisocial de los individuos y sobre la violencia sancionada por las naciones. Esta aproximacion socio-psicologica se contrapone al enfoque disposicional mas tradicional que se centra en las causas internas, o en la personalidad, para explicar la conducta antisocial. Los resultados de este trabajo confirman el principio lewiniano que postula que es posible investigar, dentro del “mundo real”, fenomenos sociales vitales mediante procedimientos experimentales. El trabajo se centra principalmente en mis propios estudios, tanto en aquellos realizados en el laboratorio como en los de campo, sobre la desindividuacion, la agresion y el vandalismo, y el experimento de la “Prision de Stanford”, junto con un proceso de analisis de los estudios de obediencia de Milgram y...
Conference On Optical Scattering Standards

This paper is a report on a conference, Standards for Scattering from Optical Surfaces, that was held February 6 and 7, 1979, at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado. Approximately 50 scientists attended and heard a dozen invited papers and a panel discussion. The visitors agreed, among other things, that national physical standards are needed. There was also general agreement that NBS should consider providing measurement services (such as well characterized surfaces) based on a state-of-the-art facility for precision scattering measurements and calibrations.
Effect of resin type on the signal integrity of an embedded perfluorinated polymer optical fiber

Polymer optical fibers (POF) hold many advantages for embedded sensing, such as their low cost, flexibility, high tensile strain limits and high fracture toughness. POF sensors may therefore be integrated into fiber reinforced composite structures for monitoring structural behavior. Since POFs do not require a protective coating, it is critical to verify that the resin system does not have a negative impact on the noise level or performance of POF sensors during composite manufacture. This study measured the effect of vinylester and epoxy resin systems on the signal loss of embedded perfluorinated, graded index POFs. Photon-counting optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) was used to monitor the signal attenuation and backscattering level of the POFs throughout the resin curing cycle. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and cross section analyses using scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images were also conducted to investigate whether the resin system caused chemical and physical changes of the POF. This study showed that vinylester resin caused a significant increase in the backscattering level of POF sensors and therefore induced high fiber signal losses. On the other hand, the POF treated with epoxy showed no change in backscattering level, indicating that no chemical or physical change had occurred to the POF.
Open Core Dislocations and Surface Energy of SiC

More than fifty years ago Frank proposed that a dislocation with a Burgers vector larger than a critical value would have an open core. Since then, there has been controversy as to whether micropipes in SiC are examples of open core screw dislocations. In this work open core dislocations in 4H-SiC material are investigated by AFM. The results are interpreted on the basis of Frank’s theory and the surface energy of SiC is estimated from the critical value of Burgers vector. Finally, the extracted surface energy is compared with the results of other research.
TRAIL and Interferon-α Act Synergistically to Induce Renal Cell Carcinoma Apoptosis

Purpose: Despite modern targeted therapy metastatic renal cell carcinoma remains a deadly disease. Interferon-α (Calbiochem®) is currently used to treat this condition, mainly combined with the tar...
Effort, productivity, and incentives in a 1970s Chinese People's commune

Abstract A 1970s panel data set is used to test hypotheses regarding the impacts of production team income distribution practices upon team labor supply and production levels in the collective farming era. It is hypothesized that team members worked harder the more of the revenue generated they expected to be distributed as income, and the more of that income they expected to be distributed in the form of cash. The hypothesis is tested in a recursive model containing separate equations for work effort and for output. The results are found to be at least mildly supportive of the hypothesis.
E‐book readers and college students

Purpose – There is evidence that the percentage of students in the higher education environment in the USA who will be using technology everyday in 2010 could reach nearly 100 percent. With such a possibility looming, will the plethora of e‐book readers or hand‐held multi‐functional devices designed to download and read e‐books change the reading habits of our students? The purpose of this paper is to discuss the present state of e‐book readers and consider their potential impact on the academic environment.Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a literature review and commentary on this topic that is now being addressed by cost‐conscious colleagues.Findings – The e‐book reader that becomes the standard will win the day appealing to college students by virtue of its cost and the variety of features that allow them the ability to retrieve the largest number of accessible materials to support their coursework.Originality/value – The value is in addressing this issue is to keep fresh the discuss...
Soil oxygen demand test

Abstract A Warburg respirometer was adapted to the measurement of the oxygen consumption of dairy, poultry, pig and beef wastes mixed with soil. This technique can be used to study factors affecting the decomposition of wastes in soil. It could also be used to develop management procedures for soil waste-treatment systems. Test procedures were developed to control important factors which influence the decomposition of waste in soil. After 5 days of decomposition, oxygen uptakes per gramme of Total Solids in the wastes were within 20% of their 5-day Biochemical Oxygen Demands. After 15 days of decomposition in the soil environment, oxygen consumption was approximately twice the five-day value. The results of the experiments were analysed using a first-order model of the decomposition process. The k-values for the models of decomposition in soil were less than the k-values for models of decomposition in a water environment.
Crack Deflection in Composites with Very Thin Interlayers

Composites with very thin second-phase interlayers were made by painting zirconia tapes with a slurry that contained alumina and a fugitive polymer. Warm uniaxial pressing was used to produce microstructures that contained either straight or wavy interlayers. Through the use of the fugitive polymer and a carefully selected sintering temperature, porosity was introduced into the second phase. Samples that were tested in bending displayed high strengths (540-580 MPa), whereas examination of polished and fractured test bars revealed crack deflection at weak interlayers.
Characterization of the aerosols resulting from arc welding processes

Abstract As a result of recent research on the potentially adverse health effects of sub-micrometer aerosols, a generation chamber and sampling system was designed to characterize aerosols from a popular welding system that utilized either gas metal arc welding or flux cored arc welding techniques. The experimental apparatus allowed flexibility in changing arc welding parameters, sample locations, and was designed to promote the steady-state generation of fumes over several minutes. In contrast to prior studies where the particle size distribution was weighted by mass without regard to its time/temperature history, the welding aerosols in this study were temporally collected and weighted by a lower moment, particle number. The results demonstrated that the welding alloy had a marked effect on the particle size distribution, morphology and chemical aspects of the resultant fume. In addition, the particle size distributions from these processes were multi-modal and dynamically changed with time.
The family of inverse demand systems

Abstract A set of inverse demand systems derived from some well-known utility functions is presented, in which the Hotelling-Wold identity has been used for such a derivation. The functional forms of the inverse demand systems obtained by this study are theoretically integrable and empirically operations.
The Drosophila DIAP1 protein is required to prevent accumulation of a continuously generated, processed form of the apical caspase DRONC.

Although loss of the inhibitor of apoptosis (LAP) protein DIAP1 has been shown to result in caspase activation and spontaneous cell death in Drosophila cells and embryos, the point at which DIAP1 normally functions to inhibit caspase activation is unknown. Depletion of the DIAP1 protein in Drosophila S2 cells or the Sf-IAP protein in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf21 cells by RNA interference (RNAi) or cycloheximide treatment resulted in rapid and widespread caspase-dependent apoptosis. Co-silencing of dronc or dark largely suppressed this apoptosis, indicating that DIAP1 is normally required to inhibit an activity dependent on these proteins. Silencing of dronc also inhibited DRICE processing following stimulation of apoptosis, demonstrating that DRONC functions as an apical caspase in S2 cells. Silencing of diap1 or treatment with UV light induced DRONC processing, which occurred in two steps. The first step appeared to occur continuously even in the absence of an apoptotic signal and to be dependent on DARK because full-length DRONC accumulated when dark was silenced in non-apoptotic cells. In addition, treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 resulted in accumulation of this initially processed form of DRONC, but not full-length DRONC, in non-apoptotic cells. The second step in DRONC processing was observed only in apoptotic cells. These results indicate that the initial step in DRONC processing occurs continuously via a DARK-dependent mechanism in Drosophila cells and that DIAP1 is required to prevent excess accumulation of this first form of processed DRONC, presumably through its ability to act as a ubiquitin-protein ligase.
APeg3: regulation of Peg3 through an evolutionarily conserved ncRNA.

Mammalian APeg3 is an antisense gene that is localized within the 3′-untranslated region of the imprinted gene, Peg3. APeg3 is expressed only in the vasopressinergic neurons of the hypothalamus, thus is predicted to play significant roles in this specific area of the brain. In the current study, we investigate the functions of APeg3 with comparative genomics and cell line-based functional approaches. The transcribed region of APeg3 displays high levels of sequence conservation among placental mammals, but without any obvious open reading frame, suggesting that APeg3 may have been selected as a ncRNA gene during eutherian evolution. This has been further supported by the detection of a conserved local RNA secondary structure within APeg3. RNA secondary structure analyses indicate a single conserved hairpin-loop structure towards the 5′ end of the transcript. The results from cell line-based transfection experiments demonstrate that APeg3 has the potential to down-regulate the transcription and protein levels of Peg3. The observed down-regulation by APeg3 is also somewhat orientation-independent. Overall, these results suggest that APeg3 has evolved as a ncRNA gene and controls the function of its sense gene Peg3 within specific neuronal cells.
Generalized point spread function for a diffraction-limited aberration-free imaging system under polychromatic illumination.

A generalized polychromatic point spread function applicable to optical imaging systems under broadband illumination is derived. The combined wavelength-dependent function, i.e., the product of the object radiance, medium transmittance, and detector response, is characterized by two parameters, the mean and standard deviation.
Big data: an introduction for librarians.

Modern life produces data at an astounding rate and shows no signs of slowing. This has lead to new advances in data storage and analysis and the concept of “big data,” that is, massive data sets that can yield surprising insights when analyzed. This column will briefly describe what big data is and why it is important. It will also briefly explore the possibilities and problems of big data and the implications it has for librarians. A list of big data projects and resources is also included.
RNAi Screen Reveals Potentially Novel Roles of Cytokines in Myoblast Differentiation

Cytokines are cell-secreted signaling molecules that modulate various cellular functions, with the best-characterized roles in immune responses. The expression of numerous cytokines in skeletal muscle tissues and muscle cells has been reported, but their function in skeletal myogenesis, the formation of skeletal muscle, has been largely underexplored. To systematically examine the potential roles of cytokines in skeletal myogenesis, we undertook an RNAi screen of 134 mouse cytokine genes for their involvement in the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts. Our results have uncovered 29 cytokines as strong candidates for novel myogenic regulators, potentially conferring positive and negative regulation at distinct stages of myogenesis. These candidates represent a diverse collection of cytokine families, including interleukins, TNF-related factors, and chemokines. Our findings suggest the fundamental importance of cytokines in the cell-autonomous regulation of myoblast differentiation, and may facilitate future identification of novel therapeutic targets for improving muscle regeneration and growth in health and diseases.
Energy Infrastructure Investment and the Rise of the Uncorporation1

While most large U.S. businesses have long been organized as corporations, a significant portion of our economy, including major parts of our energy infrastructure, are organized as other types of legal entities. These “uncorporations” include such business forms as Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). Many practitioners have dismissed these alternative entities as merely tax devices and only peripherally important to mainstream business. But this view misses important features of the uncorporation that make it an important alternative in dealing with the “agency” costs that arise in public companies from separating managerial control from equity ownership. Corporate governance relies heavily on agents such as auditors, class action lawyers, judges, and independent directors to protect shareholders from managerial self-interest. The obvious costs and defects of relying on these governance mechanisms have generally been seen as a reasonable price to pay for the benefits of the corporate form. But this conclusion depends on the availability and effectiveness of the alternative mechanisms for addressing agency costs. Uncorporations provide such an alternative by tying managers' economic well-being so closely to that of their firms that corporate monitoring devices become less necessary. Uncorporate governance mechanisms include managerial compensation that is based largely (if not entirely) on the firm's profits or cash distributions, and restrictions on managers' control of corporate cash through liquidation rights and requirements for cash distributions. Business people and policy makers should evaluate the potential benefits of uncorporations before concluding that the costs of corporate governance are an inevitable price of separating ownership and control in modern firms.
INTERMITTENT STIMULATION BY LIGHT : IV. A THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE QUANTITATIVE DATA OF FLICKER

A theoretical treatment of the data of intermittent stimulation by light is presented in terms of the familiar reversible photochemical system previously used for other properties of vision. It appears that such a system considered merely as the initial event in photoreception is capable of giving a first order quantitative description of the relation between critical frequency and illumination for different retinal regions, and of Talbot's law. Moreover the development of this concept shows that the general form of most of the existing relationships in flicker are already apparent in the characteristics of the behavior of this initial photochemical event.
Cholesterol blood levels in Rh sensitized women treated with Rh hapten.

Cholesterin lasst sich als Bestandteil des ungereinigten Rh-Haptens nachweisen. Deshalb wurde gepruft, ob die perorale Aufnahme dieser Fraktion den Blutcholesterinspiegel beeinflusst. Bei 17 Menschen, die kein Hapten erhielten, und bei 61 Hapten-Empfangenden wurde keine Erhohung des Cholesterinspiegels festgestellt.
The effect of mechanical load on integrin subunits α5 and β1 in chondrocytes from mature and immature cartilage explants

Articular cartilage is subjected to cyclic compressive stresses during joint loading. There is increasing experimental evidence that this loading is essential for the chondrocytes to maintain the functionality of the cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) and that members of the integrin family of transmembrane receptors may play an important role in signal mechanotransduction between the ECM and chondrocytes. Of particular interest are the integrin subunits α5 and β1, which are known to form the receptor for fibronectin, an important ECM protein, and to be involved in mechanotransduction as well as in the regulation of cytokine production. In this study, we measured the amounts of the integrin subunits α5 and β1 in chondrocytes from young (immature) and adult (mature) bovine articular cartilage explants which were subjected to a continuously applied cyclic compressive stress of 1 MPa for 6 and 24 h. The integrin content per chondrocyte was measured immediately after load cessation by flow cytometry following matrix digestion to release the cells. We found that a mechanical stress induced an increase in the number of integrin subunit α5 in immature and mature cartilage but not in the integrin subunit β1 content. The integrin contents were greatest after 6 h of loading and returned to control levels after 24 h of unloading. The results of this study supply further experimental evidence that chondrocytes respond to changes in their mechanical environment and that the integrin α5β1 may act as a mechanical signal transducer between the chondrocyte and the ECM for the modulation of cellular physiology.
New electronic transitions in TiO

Abstract Four new band systems were observed in the emission spectrum of a low-pressure diffusion flame of TiCl 4 plus oxygen, burning in potassium vapor. The new systems, all of which lie in the ultraviolet region, are attributed to TiO. Two of them have also been observed in emission from a TiBr 4 O 2 K flame. One system appears to involve transition to the ground X 3 Δ r state. The lower states of the other three systems seem to be the low-lying singlet states of TiO. The new bands permit two new excited states to be located with some certainty: a triplet state at 32 000 cm −1 and a 1 Σ state at 30 970 cm −1 .
ESTABLISHMENT, PERSISTENCE, AND GROWTH OF ASPEN (POPULUS TREMULOIDES) SEEDLINGS IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is a long-lived clonal species in which many genetically identical stems (ramets) arise from a common root system. Establishment by seed is extremely rare in the Rocky Mountain region, where most clones that exist today are thought to have established hundreds or thousands of years ago. However, recruitment of new genetic individuals through sexual reproduction has occurred periodically throughout the Holocene, and widespread establishment of seedling aspen occurred in Yellowstone National Park, USA, following the extensive 1988 fires. We combined extensive survey methods with manipulative experiments to investigate the patterns and mechanisms of new aspen genet establishment, growth, and survival during their first decade of development. Excavation and aging of 173 aspen stems in 1996 demonstrated that 65% had established within the first three years after the 1988 fires, and that none pre-dated 1988. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) genetic analyses reve...
Improved Detection of Focal Cerebral Blood Flow Changes Using Three-Dimensional Positron Emission Tomography

Removal of the interplane septa and configuration of a typical multislice PET scanner to accept all possible coincidence lines of response leads to a fivefold increase in sensitivity. This can be of value in regional CBF studies using bolus 15O-labeled water injections, allowing the injected dose to be reduced by a factor of 4, while maintaining the same number of noise equivalent counts. Thus, for a given cumulative dose limit, four times as many studies can be performed in a single subject. Data from the three-dimensional Hoffman brain phantom, closely matched to count rates seen in human studies, show that for an identical cumulative dose, the noise in subtraction (stimulus minus baseline) images can be reduced by a factor of 2 using three-dimensional data acquisition, with appropriate fractionation of the dose. This improvement is dependent on axial position due to the sensitivity characteristics of three-dimensional scans; however, there is a significant gain in the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) in all image planes. Studies performed in a human subject demonstrate how the factor of 2 gain in S/N leads to improved detectability of activation sites in PET subtraction images.
A novel STX16 deletion in autosomal dominant pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib redefines the boundaries of a cis-acting imprinting control element of GNAS.

A unique heterozygous 3-kb microdeletion within STX16, a closely linked gene centromeric of GNAS, was previously identified in multiple unrelated kindreds as a cause of autosomal dominant pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib (AD-PHP-Ib). We now report a novel heterozygous 4.4-kb microdeletion in a large kindred with AD-PHP-Ib. Affected individuals from this kindred share an epigenetic defect that is indistinguishable from that observed in patients with AD-PHP-Ib who carry the 3-kb microdeletion in the STX16 region (i.e., an isolated loss of methylation at GNAS exon A/B). The novel 4.4-kb microdeletion overlaps with the previously identified deletion by 1,286 bp and, similar to the latter deletion, removes several exons of STX16 (encoding syntaxin-16). Because these microdeletions lead to AD-PHP-Ib only after maternal transmission, we analyzed expression of this gene in lymphoblastoid cells of affected individuals with the 3-kb or the 4.4-kb microdeletion, an individual with a NESP55 deletion, and a healthy control. We found that STX16 mRNA was expressed in all cases from both parental alleles. Thus, STX16 is apparently not imprinted, and a loss-of-function mutation in one allele is therefore unlikely to be responsible for this disorder. Instead, the region of overlap between the two microdeletions likely harbors a cis-acting imprinting control element that is necessary for establishing and/or maintaining methylation at GNAS exon A/B, thus allowing normal Gαs expression in the proximal renal tubules. In the presence of either of the two microdeletions, parathyroid hormone resistance appears to develop over time, as documented in an affected individual who was diagnosed at birth with the 4.4-kb deletion of STX16 and who had normal serum parathyroid hormone levels until the age of 21 mo.
Individual differences in distance perception

Distance perception is among the most pervasive mental phenomena and the oldest research topics in behavioural science. However, we do not understand well the most pervasive finding of distance perception research, that of large individual differences. There are large individual differences in acrophobia (fear of heights), which we commonly assume consists of an abnormal fear of stimuli perceived normally. Evolved navigation theory (ENT) instead suggests that acrophobia consists of a more normal fear of stimuli perceived abnormally. ENT suggests that distance perception individual differences produce major components of acrophobia. Acrophobia tested over a broad range in the present study predicted large individual differences in distance estimation of surfaces that could produce falls. This fear of heights correlated positively with distance estimates of a vertical surface—even among non-acrophobic individuals at no risk of falling and without knowledge of being tested for acrophobia. Acrophobia score predicted magnitude of the descent illusion, which is thought to reflect the risk of falling. These data hold important implications in environmental navigation, clinical aetiology and the evolution of visual systems.
Seeing the Signaling Forest and the Trees

The introduction of primary research to Science Signaling will enable signaling researchers to see exciting new research as it emerges, in addition to getting a multidisciplinary view of the many fields for which an understanding of cell signaling mechanisms is essential.
Enhancement of swine progenitor chimerism in mixed swine/human bone marrow cultures with swine cytokines.

Abstract Objective: The induction of transplantation tolerance across xenogeneic barriers by bone marrow transplantation holds great promise, but engraftment of xenogeneic stem cells has been difficult to achieve. Part of this difficulty is due to species-specific differences in regulatory cytokines and elements of the stromal microenvironment, which we studied here. Materials and Methods: We developed a system where fresh bone marrow cells from swine and human are cultured on human bone marrow stroma in order to study these limiting factors in a clinically relevant species combination. Results: We report here the ability of recombinant swine interleukin (IL)-3 and c-kit ligand (KL) to specifically enhance swine hematopoietic chimerism in this system. In the absence of exogenous swine cytokines, there were about half as many swine progenitors as human progenitors at 1, 2, and 4 weeks of culture. When used alone, swine IL-3 led to a notable but transient increase in the relative ratio of swine progenitors, while addition of swine KL increased the ratio of swine progenitors only modestly and only at later time points. In contrast, when swine IL-3 and KL were added together, there was a two- to fourfold increase in the ratio of swine to human progenitors at all times tested. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that both swine IL-3 and KL are needed for prolonged enhancement of swine progenitor chimerism under these conditions, and suggest that the species specificity of either one or both of these cytokines may represent an important barrier to prolonged engraftment of swine bone marrow in humans.
Metabolism of 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) in chickens.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are an important class of persistent, organic pollutant that, based on previous studies in rodents, are poorly metabolized and bioaccumulate in lipophilic stores of the body. Because humans typically consume the fat and skin of chicken, a single (14)C-radiolabeled dose (2.7 mg/kg; 5.64 mumol/kg) of the most common PBDE in the environment, that is, 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), was administered to determine its metabolic disposition in male broiler chickens. Orally dosed BDE-47 was readily absorbed from the gut of chickens and was estimated to be 73% bioavailable. Cumulative tissue retention at 72 h was 60.2% of the dose. BDE-47 was deposited preferentially in lipophilic tissues, and the decreasing rank order of concentration on a wet weight basis was adipose tissue, skin, gastrointestinal tract, lung, carcass, muscle, liver, and kidney. When concentrations were adjusted for lipid content, the levels of BDE-47 in the principal edible tissues in chicken, that is, adipose tissue, skin, liver, and white and dark meat, were very similar to one another. Excretion of unbound metabolites in excreta was 12% of the dose. Alkaline hydrolysis of bound material yielded a hydroxylated tetrabromo metabolite. The metabolic pathway of BDE-47 in chicken included mono-oxidation, mono-oxidation/debromination, and debromination. The present results suggest that trimming the fat and skin from chicken would substantially reduce human exposure to PBDEs during the consumption of chicken.