cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Removal of KCNQ2 from Parvalbumin-expressing Interneurons Improves Anti-Seizure Efficacy of Retigabine

Abstract Most anti-seizure drugs (ASDs) achieve their effects by suppressing neuronal excitability through various drug targets. However, these drug targets are widely expressed in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Here, we investigate whether the efficacy of the ASD retigabine (RTG) is altered after removal of the potassium channel subunit KCNQ2, one of its drug targets, from parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV-INs). Parvalbumin-Cre (PV-Cre) mice were crossed with Kcnq2-floxed (Kcnq2fl/fl) mice to conditionally delete Kcnq2, the gene encoding KCNQ2, from PV-INs. The efficacy of RTG (10 mg/kg, i.p.) in preventing seizures induced by picrotoxin (PTX, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) and kainic acid (KA, 30mg/kg, i.p.) in conditional knockout mice (cKO, PV-Kcnq2fl/fl) was tested. Immunostaining for KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 and in vitro pharmacological studies with whole-cell recordings were also performed. The cKO mice had no significant change in appearance, body mass, balance, heat sensitivity, depressive behavior, mortality, or EEG spectral power. RTG significantly delayed the onset of PTX- and KA-induced convulsive seizures in cKO mice, but not in wild-type littermates (WT). The expression of both KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 subunits was specifically enriched at the distal axon initial segments (AISs) of hippocampal CA1 PV-INs. In cKO mice, this specific expression and the potassium currents mediated by these subunits were greatly reduced in PV-INs, while their expression in CA1 pyramidal cells (CA1-PCs) remained unchanged. Accordingly, while the ability of RTG to suppress CA1-PC spike activity was unchanged in cKO mice, its suppressive effect on high-frequency spike activity of CA1 PV-INs (elicited by >540pA depolarizing currents) was significantly reduced compared with WT mice. In addition, the RTG-induced suppressive effect on intrinsic membrane excitability of PV-INs in WT mice became absent or decreased in cKO mice. These findings suggest that reducing the suppression of PV-INs by RTG improves its anticonvulsant effect. Key Points (3-5 bullets, no longer than 85 characters each) RTG was effective for seizures only after Kcnq2 was removed from PV-INs. KCNQ2/KCNQ3 was enriched at PV-IN AISs, sites of AP initiation. Kcnq2 removal greatly reduced KCNQ2/KCNQ3 expression and function in CA1 PV-INs. The suppressive effect of RTG on hippocampal PV-INs was blunted in cKO mice. Therefore, the efficacy of RTG may improve with partial sparing of interneurons.
Adrian Currie, Rock, Bone and Ruin: An Optimist’s Guide to the Historical Sciences

Adrian Currie, Rock, Bone and Ruin: An Optimist’s Guide to the Historical Sciences (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2018), ix + 372 pp. ISBN: 9-780-26203-726-6. $35 (hbk).
Economic Report on the Impact of the Coronavirus on the African American Employment in Chicago

In this report, we investigate the effect of the Coronavirus (named COVID-19) may have had on the state of inequality among the African American labor community using national, state and city level data. This report consists of two distinct essays. The first essay investigates the impact of coronavirus on the national unemployment rates (as well as Illinois unemployment rates) defined by race, and compare it to the those during the two most recent economic recessions: the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and the 2008 global financial crisis. The motivation for using these two crises is to explore two different scenarios of the impact of COVID-19. In the second essay, we extend our analysis further and use data for all 77 neighborhood areas of the City of Chicago, to focus our attention on the effect of the virus may have had on the black community in the south and southeast sides of the city of Chicago which are mostly populated by African Americans. Our central finding is that firms do not appear to be treating black and white laborers as homogeneous, as attested by the finding that African American workers suffer from higher unemployment rates with higher volatility, lower median incomes, and they are more likely to work in the service sector, than their white counterparts. These findings have important policy implications.
Interferon-β–Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Approach to Diagnosis and Clinical Monitoring

Abstract A 48-year-old woman who had been receiving long-term interferon-β for 8 years for multiple sclerosis developed drug-induced World Health Organization group I pulmonary arterial hypertensio...
Comparison of two markers of iron sufficiency and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Abstract Background Iron deficiency during critical windows of brain development is associated with suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes. Identifying markers of neonatal iron status that best correlate with neurodevelopmental outcome is critical for optimal management of iron supplementation of neonates. Aims We aimed to evaluate two markers of iron sufficiency, ferritin and zinc protoporphyrin-to-heme ratios (ZnPP/H), with neurodevelopmental outcomes. Study design This is a retrospective cohort study. Subjects All infants with concurrent ferritin and ZnPP/H measurements obtained between October 2014 and April 2017 and Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 3rd Edition (BSID-III) evaluated at 24 months corrected age were included. Outcome measures Associations between iron markers (minimum, maximum and median ferritin and ZnPP/H) and BSID-III score at 24 months were assessed. Results 223 lab measurements from 62 infants were assessed. Mean gestational age was 28.1 weeks (SD = 2.6) with a mean birth weight of 1.1 kg (SD = 0.4). Significant associations between maximum and median ZnPP/H and motor score, and between median ZnPP/H and cognitive score were observed. Trends were also seen with higher minimum, median and maximum ZnPP/H associated with lower BSID-III scores, but did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). The associations between ferritin values and BSID scores were less consistent. Conclusions A positive association was seen between ZnPP/H values and BSID-III scores. Trends between ferritin and BSID values were less consistent, potentially because ferritin is more affected by inflammation. Consideration should be given to using ZnPP/H preferentially to adjust iron supplementation in the NICU to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Eros and the Impulse to Create: A Coda

In the myth of the birth of Eros in Plato’s Symposium, Diotima, prophetess of mysteries and Socrates’ teacher, contradicts the other banqueters’ speeches on the nature of love. All of them, with th...
New Aspects of the λ-Point Paradox

The purpose of this publication is twofold : (a) to eliminate finally any equipment source for the “λ-point paradox” and (b) to report a newly observed phenomenon dependent on the past history of the liquid helium-disk system.
From decision fusion to localization in radar sensor networks: a game theoretical view

This paper considers the localization problem in a radar sensor network (RSN), where the estimation is made based on fusing the received signals from multiple radar sensors. For practical radar receivers, the moving target indication (MTI) technique is often adopted to suppress the clutter in the relatively small Doppler frequency shift regime, although it may filter out the desired target signal as well. As a result, when multiple radar sensors are deployed and the target is moving along one direction, it is likely that only a subset of the radar receivers can observe the target, which we call an observation pattern. In this paper, we explore how to utilize the information of all possible observation patterns to derive the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the localization problem, which is shown to hinge heavily on radars and the prior statistic information of the observation patterns. Next, we generalize the localization problem to the case for an area $\mathcal{S}$ , and investigate the localization games between the RSN and the intrude target. We propose a two-stage Stakcelberg game framework to model the interactions between the RSN and the target, for cases that the target can adopt mixed and pure strategies, respectively. Finally, numerical results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can significantly improve the localization performance.
Intestinal Lymph Formation and Fat Absorption Stimulation by Acute Ethanol Administration and Inhibition by Chronic Ethanol Feeding

The acute administration of ethanol, either in lipid emulsions administered intraduodenally or in liquid diets given by gastric tube, increased the flow of intestinal lymph and the output of proteins and dietary lipids into the lymph, mainly in the 1st hr after administration. During this time, the intraduodenal administration of ethanol (0.75 g per kg of body weight), without exogenous lipids, increased the flow of lymph without changing the lymph lipid output. Stimulation of the lymph flow with neostigmine or by increasing the fluid load also enhanced the output of lymph proteins and the transport of exogenous lipids from the intestinal lumen into the lymph. To study the chronic effects of ethanol, rats were pair-fed liquid diets containing either ethanol (36% of calories) or isocaloric carbohydrate for 3 to 4 weeks. Thereafter, the lymph changes were measured after administration of equal lipid loads with and without ethanol. The administration of an acute ethanol dose to rats chronically fed alcohol moderately increased the lymph flow, but did not change the output of dietary lipids. Furthermore, rats chronically fed alcohol responded to a dietary challenge devoid of ethanol with increases in both lymph flow and dietary lipid output which were not as great as those of pair-fed controls. Thus, acute ethanol administration has a marked stimulatory effect both on the formation of intestinal lymph and on the transport of dietary fat. By contrast, chronic ethanol feeding inhibits these acute effects of ethanol, and, in addition, appears to have moderate inhibitory effect on lipid absorption.
Obesity is Associated with Changes in Plasma Oxylipids

Oxylipids, oxygenated fatty acids, are implicated in inflammation, immune cell signaling, and tumor survival. The link between obesity, inflammation, and cancer is well-accepted, but it is unknown ...
Allocating and Pricing Data Center Resources with Power‐Aware Combinatorial Auctions

This chapter reviews a method for employing a combinatorial market mechanism. This method provides a realistic model of resources, a realistic representation of goals and principled optimization. The market mechanism attempts to balance the “buyers” and “sellers” view of the data center. The chapter describes how to represent the energy‐aware data‐center allocation problem as a market. It discusses pricing rules and their incentive properties. The chapter evaluates market‐based system in a set of simulation experiments to establish computational tractability and effective allocative behavior over a wide range of environments. It also discusses an important class of generalizations to model and then turn to the essential task of devising prices for the market that have the necessary computational, economic, and game theoretic properties.
Making a case for a new “pay-as-you-go” CSA model (132.8)

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a unique food distribution system which allows subscribers to obtain produce directly from local farmers. Literature examining this direct marketing channel...
Valvular regurgitation and stenosis: when is surgery required?

Valvular heart disease is a growing public health problem, with an increasing prevalence due to an ageing population. Despite advances, the medical management of symptomatic valvular heart diseases remains suboptimal, necessitating surgical correction. The challenge remains in identifying an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patient who will benefit from timely surgery before irreversible changes in cardiac function have occurred. The potential risks of surgery versus watchful expectancy require careful decision-making. This review is a focused update on the existing guidelines and identifies the knowledge gaps and avenues of future research in the management of patients with valvular heart diseases
Dynamics of Random Networks: Connectivity and First Order Phase Transitions

The connectivity of individual neurons of large neural networks determine both the steady state activity of the network and its answer to external stimulus. Highly diluted random networks have zero activity. We show that increasing the network connectivity the activity changes discontinuously from zero to a finite value as a critical value in the connectivity is reached. Theoretical arguments and extensive numerical simulations indicate that the origin of this discontinuity in the activity of random networks is a first order phase transition from an inactive to an active state as the connectivity of the network is increased.
Cinnabar alteration in archaeological wall paintings: an experimental and theoretical approach

The red mineral pigment known as cinnabar (HgS) was commonly employed in Roman fresco wall paintings. Fresco artists of the period favored this pigment for its striking red color. However, upon excavation and exposure to air and light, cinnabar-pigmented surfaces recovered from archaeological contexts often proved to be unstable. Mural paintings colored with cinnabar that have been exposed in the open air frequently demonstrate a disfiguring, irreversible darkening of the surface. Traditionally, scholars have attributed this alteration to a light-induced phase change from red α-cinnabar to black β-cinnabar (meta-cinnabar). While this transformation has not been totally excluded, the prevailing view among conservation scientists is that chlorine plays a key role in the darkening process through the formation of light-sensitive mercury chloride compounds, or as a catalyst in the photochemical redox of Hg(II)S into Hg(0) and S(0). Using laboratory-based experiments and thermodynamic modeling, this paper attempts to further clarify the mechanism(s) and kinetics of cinnabar alteration in fresco applications, especially the role of light, humidity, and chlorine ions. Additionally, it explores possible pathways and preventive as well as remedial conservation treatments during or immediately following excavation, to inhibit or retard darkening of cinnabar-pigmented fresco surfaces.
Elucidating the Life History and Ecological Aspects of Allodero hylae (Annelida: Clitellata: Naididae), A Parasitic Oligochaete of Invasive Cuban Tree Frogs in Florida

Given their ubiquitous nature, it is surprising that more oligochaete annelid worms (Annelida: Clitellata) have not adopted an endoparasitic lifestyle. Exceptions, however, are the understudied members of the genus Dero (Allodero) that parasitize the ureters of tree frogs and toads. This study experimentally explores the life cycle and host specificity of Allodero hylae, the worm's use of chemical cues in host searching, and its seasonal prevalence and abundance over a year-long collection period on the Florida Southern College campus. A total of 2,005 A. hylae was collected from the ureter, urinary bladder, or expressed urine of wild Osteopilus septentrionalis; a significant positive correlation was found between host snout-vent length and parasite intensity for female but not male hosts. Monthly prevalence of A. hylae reached a peak of 58% in April, but never dropped below 20% in any month; mean abundance peaked March-May, whereas few worms were recovered in December and January. Confirming a parasitic lifestyle, wild- collected hosts with intense infections, typically .40 worms, showed obvious dilatation of the ureter wall, and some young-of-the-year O. septentrionalis exposed to A. hylae in the laboratory were killed by the apparent rupture of the host's ureter. The worm has a direct life cycle: worms expelled in the host's urine are capable of locating and re-infecting other hosts within aquatic microhabitats such as bromeliad tanks, and worms can survive for weeks in a free-living environment, even undergoing a morphological change. Further, chemotaxis assays found a positive response to a tree frog attractant for worms recently removed from hosts. Overall, this study provides the first multifaceted investigation on the life history and ecology of any Allodero spp., which offers new insights into an understudied endoparasitic oligochaete.
Abstract A22: Role of cap-dependent translation in response to upstream kinase-targeted therapy in colorectal cancer

Mutational activation of the PI3K/AKT and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathways is associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and metastasis. Several small-molecule inhibitors of PI3K, AKT, RAF and MEK have been tested in the clinic for the treatment of CRC but have shown only limited activity as a single agent. We find that a potential mechanism of AKT or ERK-independence is associated with redundant activation of eIF4E-initiated cap-dependent translation mediated by convergent regulation of the translation repressor 4E-BP1 by the AKT and ERK pathways. Combined inhibition of both pathways exhibits synergistic anti-CRC effects, both in vitro and in vivo, by effectively inhibiting cap-dependent translation via maximal activation of 4E-BP1 function. Specifically, we identify that survivin is a key translationally-regulated target of both pathways through convergence on the mTORC1/4E-BP1/eIF4E axis, and continuous translation of survivin by AKT and ERK signaling is crucial for CRC progression to metastasis. These findings reveal that the cap-dependent translation functions as a critical regulatory node that integrates oncogenic AKT and ERK signals for metastatic progression of CRC. Thus, targeting cap-dependent translation that could simultaneously block upstream oncogenic signals and their downstream targets may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for advanced CRC. Citation Format: Qing Ye, Weijia Cai, B. Mark Evers, David Solit, Neal Rosen, Qing-Bai She. Role of cap-dependent translation in response to upstream kinase-targeted therapy in colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Drug Sensitivity and Resistance: Improving Cancer Therapy; Jun 18-21, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(4 Suppl): Abstract nr A22.
Evaluation of scalar mixing and time scale models in PDF simulations of a turbulent premixed flame

Abstract Numerical simulation results obtained with a transported scalar probability density function (PDF) method are presented for a piloted turbulent premixed flame. The accuracy of the PDF method depends on the scalar mixing model and the scalar time scale model. Three widely used scalar mixing models are evaluated: the interaction by exchange with the mean (IEM) model, the modified Curl’s coalescence/dispersion (CD) model and the Euclidean minimum spanning tree (EMST) model. The three scalar mixing models are combined with a simple model for the scalar time scale which assumes a constant C ϕ = 12 value. A comparison of the simulation results with available measurements shows that only the EMST model calculates accurately the mean and variance of the reaction progress variable. An evaluation of the structure of the PDF’s of the reaction progress variable predicted by the three scalar mixing models confirms this conclusion: the IEM and CD models predict an unrealistic shape of the PDF. Simulations using various C ϕ values ranging from 2 to 50 combined with the three scalar mixing models have been performed. The observed deficiencies of the IEM and CD models persisted for all C ϕ values considered. The value C ϕ = 12 combined with the EMST model was found to be an optimal choice. To avoid the ad hoc choice for C ϕ , more sophisticated models for the scalar time scale have been used in simulations using the EMST model. A new model for the scalar time scale which is based on a linear blending between a model for flamelet combustion and a model for distributed combustion is developed. The new model has proven to be very promising as a scalar time scale model which can be applied from flamelet to distributed combustion.
Crust-magma interactions and the evolution of arc magmas: The San Pedro–Pellado volcanic complex, southern Chilean Andes

Field, petrographic, and trace-element data indicate that volcanic rocks of the Quaternary San Pedro–Pellado complex (lat 36°S, Chile) have incorporated a silicic component that may be derived from the crust. Isotope ratios of Sr, Nd, and Pb vary little among the volcanic rocks. This is due primarily to the limited isotopic contrast between the Mesozoic-Tertiary crust and the young magmas. Isotope and element compositions of San Pedro–Pellado rocks are similar to those reported from other localities in the southern volcanic zone of the Chilean Andes. We suggest that crustal assimilation is a significant process in the genesis of differentiated volcanic rocks in the southern volcanic zone. The San Pedro–Pellado example illustrates the importance of considering all types of evidence, not just isotopic data, in the evaluation of crustal contributions to arc magmas.
Reaction times to weak test lights

Maloney and Wandell (1984) describe a model of the response of a single visual channel to weak test lights. The initial channel response is a linearly filtered version of the stimulus. The filter output is randomly sampled over time. Each time a sample occurs there is some probability increasing with the magnitude of the sampled response - that a discrete detection event is generated. Maloney and Wandell derive the statistics of the detection events. In this paper a test is conducted of the hypothesis that the reaction time responses to the presence of a weak test light are initiated at the first detection event. This makes it possible to extend the application of the model to lights that are slightly above threshold, but still within the linear operating range of the visual system. A parameter-free prediction of the model proposed by Maloney and Wandell for lights detected by this statistic is tested. The data are in agreement with the prediction.
The influence of thyroid hormones on normal rat-liver mitochondria I. Changes associated with the inhibition of phosphorylation by thyroxine added to untreated mitochondria

Abstract 1. 1. A study of the uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation by thyroxine in the presence of MgCl2 has demonstrated that the reduced phosphorylation efficiency was associated with an inhibition of the terminal phosphate-transferring reactions and a slowing of the rate of substrate oxidation. These initial effects were followed by a loosening of respiratory control. No pretreatment of the mitochondria was necessary in order to observe the effects although it was essential that the thyroxine be added to the incubation medium after the mitochondria. 2. 2. Thyroxine did not induce mitochondrial swelling under the conditions required for phosphorylation. However, contrary to the observations of other investigators, thyroxine did induce mitochondrial swelling in the presence of adenosine 5′-triphosphate and MgCl2. At high levels of adenosine 5′-triphosphate the swelling was followed by an increase in the adenosine-5′-triphosphatase activity of the mitochondria.
Effect of dispersion on wake-bound electron states in metals

Using a dispersive dielectric function for the response of the electron gas, the induced potential along the path of a fast ion in a metal is calculated. From this, geometrical and binding information for the states of electrons which this potential may bind are determined.
The computation of costs for price decisions

Abstract Business should compute costs in a particular way of pricing purposes. The correct cost computation varies with its purpose, though most executives still believe that an item has a true cost regardless of why it is computed. Even cost estimates made for price decisions will differ according to the type of price decision that is at issue. One finds important differences depending on whether one is estimating costs for a one-shot bid, for a promotional price offer that is to last for a short period, or for a decision concerning long-term price. Although the same basic principles would apply in all three cases, their application is different. The appropriate concept is that of “decision cost”, a very simple but powerful idea that leads to different cost conclusions than are reached by prevailing costing methods.
Family factors, emotional functioning, and functional impairment in juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome.

Objective Family factors and emotional functioning can play an important role in the ability of adolescents with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome (JPFS) to cope with their condition and function in their everyday lives. The primary objectives of this study were to determine 1) whether adolescents with JPFS and their caregivers differed from healthy age-matched comparison peers and their caregivers in terms of emotional distress and functional impairment; 2) whether there were any differences in the family environment of adolescents with JPFS compared with healthy comparison peers; and 3) which individual-, caregiver-, and family-level variables were associated with functional impairment in adolescents with JPFS. Methods Participants were 47 adolescents with JPFS recruited from a pediatric rheumatology clinic and 46 comparison peers without chronic illness matched for age, sex, and race. Participants and their caregivers (all mothers) completed a battery of standardized measures administered in their homes. Results Adolescents with JPFS had greater internalizing and externalizing symptoms than healthy comparison peers. Mothers of adolescents with JPFS reported twice as many pain conditions and significantly greater depressive symptoms than mothers of comparison peers. The JPFS group also had poorer overall family functioning and more conflicted family relationships. In adolescents with JPFS, maternal pain history was associated with significantly higher functional impairment. Conclusion Increased distress and chronic pain are evident in families of adolescents with JPFS, and family relationships are also impacted. Implications for child functional impairment and the need for inclusion of caregivers in treatment are discussed.
Kinetics and mechanism of amyloid formation by the prion protein H1 peptide as determined by time-dependent ESR

Abstract Background: Peptides derived from three of four putative α-helical regions of the prion protein (PrP) form amyloid in solution. These peptides serve as models for amyloidogenesis and for understanding the α helix → β strand conformational change that is responsible for the development of disease. Kinetic studies of amyloid formation usually rely on the detection of fibrils. No study has yet explored the rate of monomer peptide uptake or the presence of nonfibrillar intermediate species. We present a new electron spin resonance (ESR) method for probing the kinetics of amyloid formation. A spin label was covalently attached to a highly amyloidogenic peptide and kinetic trials were monitored by ESR. Results: Electron microscopy shows that the spin-labeled peptide forms amyloid, and ESR reveals the kinetic decay of free peptide monomer during amyloid formation. The combination of electron microscopy and ESR suggests that there are three kinetically relevant species: monomer peptide, amyloid and amorphous aggregate (peptide aggregates devoid of fibrils or other structures with long-range order). A rather surprising result is that amyloid formation requires the presence of this amorphous aggregate. This is particularly interesting because PrP Sc the form of PrP associated with scrapie, is often found as an aggregate and amyloid formation is not a necessary component of prion replication or pathogenesis. Conclusions: Kinetic analysis of the time-dependent data suggests a model whereby the amorphous aggregate has a previously unsuspected dual role: it releases monomer into solution and also provides initiation sites for fibril growth. These findings suggest that the β-sheet-rich PrP Sc may be stabilized by aggregation.
Unsaturation in Binuclear Cyclobutadiene Iron Carbonyls: Triplet Structures, Four-Electron Bridging Carbonyl Groups, and Perpendicular Structures

In view of experimental work on (η4-C4H4)2Fe2(μ-CO)3 the full range of binuclear cyclobutadieneiron carbonyls (η4-C4H4)2Fe2(CO)n (n = 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) have been studied by density functional theory using the B3LYP and BP86 functionals. The pentacarbonyl (η4-C4H4)2Fe2(CO)5 is predicted to have a singly bridged (η4-C4H4)2Fe2(CO)4(μ-CO) structure with an Fe−Fe single-bond distance of 2.743 A (BP86). For (η4-C4H4)2Fe2(CO)4 cis and trans doubly CO-bridged singlet structures are found as well as two types of doubly CO-bridged triplet structures. One type has Fe−Fe bond distances in the single-bond range 2.64−2.66 A and 17-electron iron configurations. The other type of triplet structure has Fe═Fe bond distances in the range 2.38−2.39 A for a σ + 2/2π double bond like that in dioxygen and 18-electron iron configurations. For (η4-C4H4)2Fe2(CO)3 the global minimum is the experimentally observed triply CO-bridged structure with an Fe≡Fe distance of 2.148 A (BP86), corresponding to the triple bond required for 18-elec...
Transposable elements occur more frequently in autism-risk genes: Implications for the role of genomic instability in autism

An extremely large number of genes have been associated with autism. The functions of these genes span numerous domains and prove challenging in the search for commonalities underlying the conditions. In this study, we instead looked at characteristics of the genes themselves, specifically in the nature of their transposable element content. Utilizing available sequence databases, we compared occurrence of transposons in autismrisk genes to randomized controls and found that transposable content was significantly greater in our autism group. These results suggest a relationship between transposable element content and autism-risk genes and have implications for the stability of those genomic regions.
Measurement of Pulmonary Partial Pressure of Oxygen and Oxygen Depletion Rate with Hyperpolarized Helium-3 MRI: A Preliminary Reproducibility Study on Pig Model

Rational and Objectives Pulmonary partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) and oxygen depletion rate (R) are two important parameters of lung function. The dependence of hyperpolarized 3He (HP 3He) T1 on local oxygen concentration provides the basis for high-resolution mapping of the regional distributions of pO2 and R in the lung. Although the oxygen-sensitive HP 3He magnetic resonance imaging technique has been applied in human subjects and several animal species, reproducibility studies are rarely reported in the literature. This work presents a preliminary reproducibility study on a pig model. In this study, important scan parameters, such as measurement timing and flip angle, are optimized to minimize the noise-induced measurement uncertainty. Materials and Methods In the in vivo study, five normal pigs and one diseased pig with simulated pulmonary emboli were scanned with a small flip angle gradient echo sequence. The pulmonary oxygen measurement was repeated two to four times in each pig. In each measurement, a series of six images were acquired with optimal timing and flip angle. The parametric maps were generated using a bin-based data processing procedure that applied the multiple regression fitting method to extract the pO2 and R. Variations of global mean, percentiles, and regions of interest were calculated from the maps to analyze reproducibility. Results The global statistical analyses show that average variation of global mean is 10.7% for pO2 and 23.8% for R, and that the average variation of percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th) and interquartile range is 14.8% for pO2 and 30.4% for R. The region-of-interest analysis on the manually selected regions shows that the average variation of mean is 12.6% for pO2 and 21.9% for R. Conclusion In this work, a preliminary study on the reproducibility of measuring pO2 and R with HP 3He magnetic resonance imaging on a pig model is presented.
Lithium ion conduction in substituted Li5GaO4 phases

Abstract The electrical conductivity of substituted Li 5 GaO 4 phases was investigated by complex impedance techniques. Substitution by divalent cations to increase the concentration of vacancies in Li 5–2x Zn x GaO 4 did not enhance the ionic conductivity in β-Li 5 GaO 4 -type solid solutions. High Li + conduction was observed in Li 5+x Ga 1–x M x O 4 with M=Mg and Zn in the β-Li 5 GaO 4 structure. The maximum conductivity at 300°C is 4.1 × 10 –3 (ω-cm) –1 for Li 5.4 Ga 0.6 Zn 0.4 O 4 and 1.3 × 10 –3 (ω-cm) –1 for Li 5.7 Ga 0.7 Mg 0.3 O 4 . These results are discussed in relation to the structural properties.
Lumbar spine radiographic features and demographic, clinical, and radiographic knee, hip, and hand osteoarthritis

Objective To determine the prevalence of lumbar spine individual radiographic features (IRFs) of disc space narrowing (DSN), osteophytes (OST), and facet joint osteoarthritis (FOA); to describe the frequencies of demographic, clinical, and radiographic knee, hip, and hand osteoarthritis (OA) across lumbar spine IRFs; and to determine factors associated with lumbar spine IRFs. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 840 participants enrolled in the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project (2003–2004). Sample-based prevalence estimates were generated for each lumbar spine IRF. The associations between lumbar spine IRFs and demographic, clinical, and peripheral joint OA were determined with logistic regression models. Results Sample-based prevalence estimates were similar for DSN (57.6%) and FOA (57.9%) but higher for OST (88.1%), with significant differences across race and sex. Hand and knee OA frequencies increased across IRFs, whereas the effect was absent for hip OA. African Americans had lower odds of FOA (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] 0.45 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.32–0.62]), while there was no racial association with DSN and OST. Low back symptoms were associated with DSN (ORadj 1.37 [95% CI 1.04–1.80]) but not OST or FOA. Knee OA was associated with OST (ORadj 1.62 [95% CI 1.16–2.27]) and FOA (ORadj 1.69 [95% CI 1.15–2.49]) but not DSN. Hand OA was associated with FOA (ORadj 1.67 [95% CI 1.20–2.28]) but not with DSN or OST. No associations were found with hip OA. Conclusion These findings underscore the importance of analyzing lumbar spine IRFs separately as the associations with demographic, clinical, and radiographic knee, hip, and hand OA differ widely.
A class of differential games for which the closed-loop and open-loop Nash equilibria coincide

It is well known that, in general, Nash equilibria in open-loop strategies do not coincide with those in closed-loop strategies. This note identifies a class of differential games in which the Nash equilibrium in closed-loop strategies is degenerate, in the sense that it depends on time only. Consequently, the closed-loop equilibrium is also an equilibrium in open-loop strategies.
Information privacy: a comprehensive analysis of information request and privacy policies of most-visited Web sites

Obtaining consumer data has become an essential practice of Web proprietors. This is because, compared with ‘brick and mortar’ retail stores, it is much more difficult for Web proprietors to build one-on-one or face-to-face relationships with customers. The collection of personal information online boosts customized services for consumers, but at the same time it increases concerns about privacy infringement. Using a content analysis of the most visited Web sites in Korea and the United States, this study compares the amount and breadth of information requested by Web proprietors and examines the relationship between the information requests and privacy policies of Web sites. This study found that Korea-based Web sites present stronger privacy policies than do US-based Web sites. Ironically, they also request a greater amount and variety of information from consumers than do US-based Web sites during registration processes. When narrowing the focus to US sites only, this study also revealed that the stron...
Induction of mictic females in the rotifer Brachionus: oocytes of amictic females respond individually to population‐density signal only during oogenesis shortly before oviposition

Summary 1. One at a time during the reproductive period of amictic females, oocytes fill with yolk and undergo a mitotic maturation division (oogenesis), are oviposited as single cells, and then develop parthenogenetically into females. Sexual reproduction in Brachionus and several other genera is initiated when amictic females are crowded and oviposit some eggs induced to differentiate into mictic females. Mictic females produce haploid eggs that can develop parthenogentically into males or be fertilised and develop into diapausing embryos called resting eggs. 2. This study examines the time when oocytes in amictic females respond to maternal population density. Is the fate of all oocytes in the germarium irreversibly determined during the early postnatal life of the mother, or is each oocyte labile until just before oviposition? In the former case, the probability of an amictic female producing a mictic daughter at any time throughout her reproductive period would reflect the population density she experienced while young and not that at the time she oviposited an egg. 3. Amictic females of two clones of a Florida strain of B. calyciflorus were cultured singly from birth at a low or high density (in a large or small volume) until about halfway through their reproductive period and then switched (experimental treatment), or not (control treatment), to the other density condition. The results indicate that the female fate of an oocyte is determined by maternal population density during oogenesis. Eggs oviposited soon after transfer from low to high density had the same, or a higher, probability of becoming mictic females compared with those produced by control females kept at the high density; eggs oviposited after transfer from the high to the low density had the same low probability of becoming mictic females as those produced by control females kept at the low density. 4. Control females kept at the high density were less likely to produce mictic daughters as they aged. This decline is not because of a decreased propensity of older females to respond to crowding, as older females responded maximally when transferred from a low to a high population density. 5. As oocytes in amictic females respond to maternal population density only during oogenesis, there is a negligible lag between the population-density signal in the environment and the commitment to sexual reproduction. This minimises the obligatory two-generation lag between this signal and production of resting eggs, and thus reduces the possibility that crowding will lead to food limitation before production of these eggs.
The Rising Incidence of Isoniazid Resistance: Its Clinical Significance

SUMMARY 1.In a series of 322 consecutive patients, an incidence of primary resistance to isoniazid of 10 per cent was demonstrated. 2.Newly diagnosed cases of pulmonary tuberculosis respond well to combined drug regime in spite of initial resistance to isoniazid. 3.Patients with chronic cavitary tuberculosis of long duration who are initially resistant to INH may respond well to combined chemotherapy; however, most of them require surgical help to effect an arrest of their disease. 4.Drug resistance has thus far not become a public health problem in newly discovered untreated patients.
Spectroscopic investigations of intramolecular and intermolecular excimers of 1,3-di(2-naphthyl) propane and methylnaphthalenes in supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract Intramolecular excimer formation in 1,3-di(2-naphthyl)propane was studied spectroscopically in room-temperature solutions and in supercritical CO 2 . The results were compared with those of intermolecular excimer formation in l-methylnaphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene under the same experimental conditions. The implication of the results to the concept of local concentration augmentation as a mechanism for the solute-solute clustering in supercritical fluids is discussed along with the known results of enhanced pyrene intermolecular excimer formation in supercritical CO 2 under near-critical conditions.
A transmembrane osteoclastic protein-tyrosine phosphatase regulates osteoclast activity in part by promoting osteoclast survival through c-Src-dependent activation of NFκB and JNK2

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of overexpression of wild-type (WT) or phosphatase-deficient (PD) mutant of an osteoclastic protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP-oc) in RAW/C4 cells. Osteoclast-like cells derived from WT-PTP-oc overexpressing clones increased, while those derived from PD-PTP-oc expressing clones decreased, their resorption activity. WT-PTP-oc clones had lower apoptosis, lower caspase 3/7 activity, reduced c-Src tyr-527 phosphorylation (PY527) and IκBα cellular levels, and increased NFκB activation and JNK phosphorylation. Overexpression of PD-PTP-oc or PTP-oc siRNA treatment increased apoptosis, caspase 3/7 activity, PY527 and IκBα levels, and decreased NFκB and JNK2 activation. Inhibition of the c-Src kinase blocked the PTP-oc-mediated NFκB and JNK2 activation. Blocking the NFκB activation had no effect on the JNK2 activation. Inhibiting the NFκB and/or JNK2 pathway prevented the PTP-oc-mediated reduction in apoptosis. In conclusion, PTP-oc activates osteoclast activity in part by promoting osteoclast survival through the PTP-oc-mediated c-Src-dependent activation of NFκB and JNK2.
In Pursuit of Economic Citizenship

In autumn 1967, the U.S. Congress passed legislation designed to encourage states to require wage work among mothers who received welfare payments on behalf of their small children. The provision was hotly contested, and the Senate hearings and subse- quent debate drew delegations of supporters and protesters to the nation's capital to plead their case. Among them were a group of mothers from New York City who came to petition the Senate com- mittee charged with drafting the bill to preserve their capacity to remain at home with their young children. Failing to get on the Senate's agenda, the mothers made something of a fuss inside and outside the hearing rooms. Senator Russell B. Long, who chaired the subcommittee, responded angrily. Labeling welfare mothers "female broodmares" and "riffraff," he declared his distress at being besieged by "mothers who sat around this committee room all day and refused to go home." Along with their claims, Long rudely dismissed the rights of these mothers to petition Congress: "Why can't those people be told that if they can find time to impede the work of the Congress they can find time to pick up some beer cans in front of their house?" (Kessler-Harris 2001, 273) Long's abrupt refusal to hear the voices of welfare mothers illustrates a persistent tension between the political and civil rights of individuals on one hand and their access to social citizenship on the other. It suggests that in the modern world, where the market has intruded into the lives of families everywhere and social rights are
Cultural variation is part of human nature : Literary universals, context-sensitivity, and "shakespeare in the bush".

In 1966, Laura Bohannan wrote her classic essay challenging the supposition that great literary works speak to universal human concerns and conditions and, by extension, that human nature is the same everywhere. Her evidence: the Tiv of West Africa interpret Hamlet differently from Westerners. While Bohannan’s essay implies that cognitive universality and cultural variation are mutually exclusive phenomena, adaptationist theory suggests otherwise. Adaptive problems ("the human condition") and cognitive adaptations ("human nature") are constant across cultures. What differs between cultures is habitat: owing to environmental variation, the means and information relevant to solving adaptive problems differ from place to place. Thus, we find differences between cultures not because human minds differ in design but largely because human habitats differ in resources and history. On this view, we would expect world literature to express both human universals and cultural particularities. Specifically, we should expect to find literary universality at the macro level (e.g., adaptive problems, cognitive adaptations) and literary variation at the micro level (e.g., local solutions to adaptive problems).
Visualizing the Distribution of Synapses from Individual Neurons in the Mouse Brain

Background Proper function of the mammalian brain relies on the establishment of highly specific synaptic connections among billions of neurons. To understand how complex neural circuits function, it is crucial to precisely describe neuronal connectivity and the distributions of synapses to and from individual neurons. Methods and Findings In this study, we present a new genetic synaptic labeling method that relies on expression of a presynaptic marker, synaptophysin-GFP (Syp-GFP) in individual neurons in vivo. We assess the reliability of this method and use it to analyze the spatial patterning of synapses in developing and mature cerebellar granule cells (GCs). In immature GCs, Syp-GFP is distributed in both axonal and dendritic regions. Upon maturation, it becomes strongly enriched in axons. In mature GCs, we analyzed synapses along their ascending segments and parallel fibers. We observe no differences in presynaptic distribution between GCs born at different developmental time points and thus having varied depths of projections in the molecular layer. We found that the mean densities of synapses along the parallel fiber and the ascending segment above the Purkinje cell (PC) layer are statistically indistinguishable, and higher than previous estimates. Interestingly, presynaptic terminals were also found in the ascending segments of GCs below and within the PC layer, with the mean densities two-fold lower than that above the PC layer. The difference in the density of synapses in these parts of the ascending segment likely reflects the regional differences in postsynaptic target cells of GCs. Conclusions The ability to visualize synapses of single neurons in vivo is valuable for studying synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity within individual neurons as well as information flow in neural circuits.
A Comparative Analysis of Rorschach Forms with Altered Stimulus Characteristics

(1954). A Comparative Analysis of Rorschach Forms with Altered Stimulus Characteristics. Journal of Projective Techniques: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 151-164.
Cooperative assembly of higher-order Notch complexes functions as a switch to induce transcription

Notch receptors control differentiation and contribute to pathologic states such as cancer by interacting directly with a transcription factor called CSL (for CBF-1/Suppressor of Hairless/Lag-1) to induce expression of target genes. A number of Notch-regulated targets, including genes of the hairy/enhancer-of-split family in organisms ranging from Drosophila to humans, are characterized by paired CSL-binding sites in a characteristic head-to-head arrangement. Using a combination of structural and molecular approaches, we establish here that cooperative formation of dimeric Notch transcription complexes on promoters with paired sites is required to activate transcription. Our findings identify a mechanistic step that can account for the exquisite sensitivity of Notch target genes to variation in signal strength and developmental context, enable new strategies for sensitive and reliable identification of Notch target genes, and lay the groundwork for the development of Notch pathway inhibitors that are active on target genes containing paired sites.