cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunofluorescence method for quantifying the trabecular meshwork glucocorticoid response (TIGR) protein in trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal cells

PURPOSE. Decreased flow of aqueous humor through the trabecular meshwork (TM) and into Schlemm's canal (SC) is believed to be a predominant factor in the development of the elevated intraocular pressure found in primary open-angle and steroid glaucoma. Recent biochemical and genetic evidence has suggested that alterations in the expression of the TM glucocorticoid response (TIGR) protein within the chamber angle may play a role in the development of these glaucomas. To understand the process of TIGR induction in outflow pathway cells we developed an assay for TIGR expression that could distinguish both individual cell responses and also provide a semi-quantitative comparison between cell cultures. The present study demonstrates this approach, using digital image capture of immunofluorescently stained human TM and SC cells after treatment with dexamethasone (Dex). METHODS. Confluent cultures of human TM and SC cells were treated with 1 M Dex or vehicle control for 10 days. The cells were then fixed, permea...
The synaptonemal complexes of Caenorhabditis elegans: pachytene karyotype analysis of the rad-4 radiation-sensitive mutant.

Abstract In the rad -4 mutant of C. elegans there is a specific increase in the number of ‘Disjunction Regulator Regions’ (DDR) present on the synaptonemal complexes (SC) in pachytene nuclei. These DDRs either promote disjunction or inhibit nondisjunction of the X-chromosome as evidenced by the 10-fold decrease in the rate of X-chromosome nondisjunction as compared to the wild-type. The structure of the tripartite SC is normal, thus, the decrease in the rate of X-chromosome nondisjunction in the rad -4 mutant is not related to the structure of the SC but may be related to the number of DDRs. Other changes are also associated with the sensitivity to irradiation, i.e. the pachytene nuclear morphology is altered such that nuclei and nucleoli are 50% the size of wild-type. In addition, the autosomal: X-chromosome size ratio is reduced in the rad -4 mutant. That there are six SCs confirms n = 6 in this mutant and of these six SCs three can be identified: (1) the XX bivalent, SC No. 1, is the shortest and pairs synchronously with the autosomes; (2) the longest bivalent, SC No. 6, carries the nucleolar organizer region at one extreme end; and (3) SC No. 5 has two DDRs located approximately on μm apart from each other.
All-Atom Molecular Dynamic Simulations of Piscidin 1 and Piscidin 3 in Lipid Bilayers

Piscidin 1 (p1) and the less active piscidin 3 (p3) are α-helical, amphipathic, and cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). They adsorb onto the anionic outer membrane of pathogenic species and induce leakage beyond a threshold peptide concentration. While different mechanisms of membrane disruption have been proposed, an atomic-level description of the events leading to cell death is lacking and elucidating these mechanisms aid in the antibiotic design. Here, p1 and p3 in three different lipid bilayers (3:1 DMPC:DMPG, 1:1 POPE:POPG, and 4:1 POPC:Cholesterol) are studied by solid-state NMR spectroscopy and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to identify factors that differentiate the structure, orientation, and depth of insertion of piscidin. 15N-H dipolar coupling calculated for the membrane-bound peptides are in good agreement with values measured by NMR. The tilts of the peptides in the bilayer (τ) determined by fitting dipolar waves to the coupling data agree with those of the NMR-derived and MD-average structures when deviation from an ideal α-helix is included; when ideal values are assumed for the dipolar wave fitting, deviations range from 4° to 6°. While the instantaneous tilt fluctuates approximately ± 10° in the simulation, averaging over a time series of structures yields the same tilt as one for an average structure (as might be obtained from NMR-based structure determination). This is because τ ≈ 90. For transmembrane helices (τ ≈ 0), the average over a MD time series may be significantly different from a single averaged structure. Correlation between τ and the depth of insertion for p1 shows that as the peptide becomes more buried, the peptide tilts to bury the C-terminus. Moreover, the depth of insertion is 0.5 to 1.5A greater for p3 than p1, which likely reduces the activity of p3.
The Healthy Worker Effect in Professional Football

We investigated the “healthy athlete effect” (HAE) in American professional football. Ages of death of professional football players who debuted prior to 1940 were obtained and differences between ...
The role of sterol carrier protein 2 in stimulation of steroidogenesis in rat adrenal mitochondria by adrenal cytosol

Abstract Cholesterol side-chain cleavage (CSCC) in isolated rat adrenal mitochondria is enhanced by prior corticotropin (ACTH) stimulation in vivo (8-fold). Part of this stimulation is retained in vitro by addition of cytosol from ACTH-stimulated adrenals to mitochondria from unstimulated rats (2.5- to 6-fold). In vivo cycloheximide (CX) treatment fully inhibits the in vivo response and resolves the in vitro cytosolic stimulation into components: (i) ACTH-sensitive, CX-sensitive; (ii) ACTH-sensitive, CX-insensitive; and (iii) ACTH-insensitive, CX-insensitive. These components contribute approximately equally to stimulation by ACTH cytosol. Components (i) and (iii) most probably correspond to previously identified cytosolic constituents Steroidogenesis activator peptide and sterol carrier protein 2 (SCP 2 ). SCP 2 , as assayed by radioimmunoassay or ability to stimulate 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, was not elevated in adrenal cytosol or other subcellular fractions by ACTH treatment. Complete removal of SCP 2 from cytosol by treatment with anti-SCP 2 IgG decreased cytosolic stimulatory activity by an increment that was independent of ACTH or CX treatment. Addition of an amount of SCP 2 , equivalent to that present in cytosol, restored activity to SCP 2 -depleted cytosol but had no effect alone or when added with intact cytosol, suggesting the presence of a factor in cytosol that potentiates SCP 2 action. Pure hepatic SCP 2 stimulated CX mitochondrial CSCC 1.5- to 2-fold (EC 50 0.7 μ m ) but was five times less potent than SCP 2 in adrenal cytosol. Two pools of reactive cholesterol were distinguished in these preparations characterized, respectively, by succinate-supported activity and by additional isocitrate-supported activity. ACTH cytosol and SCP 2 each stimulated cholesterol availability to a fraction of mitochondrial P450 scc that was reduced by succinate but failed to stimulate availability to additional P450 scc reduced only by isocitrate.
CHAOS THEORY AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS: INSTRUCTIVE EXAMPLE

Chaos theory is used to analyze highly complex systems and thus may be useful for transportation applications. A series of analyses with which to find and exploit chaos is outlined, including time delays and embedding dimensions, Fourier power series, the correlation dimension, the largest Lyapunov exponent, and predictions. As an example, traffic flow data are analyzed and found to be chaotic, although it is shown that this could be the result of high-frequency noise. When used with a low-pass filter, predictions based on chaos theory are shown to have greater predictive power than a nonlinear least-squares method.
Blast furnace burden softening and melting phenomena: Part II. Evolution of the structure of the Pellets

This work was designed to better understand the softening and melting phenomena of ferrous feed materials in the blast furnace. In this article, the evolution of the microstructure above the softening temperature and the interaction between different types of pellets were analyzed. Experiments were performed with individual pellets as well as with mixed basic and acid pellets pre-reduced to 60 or 80 pct reduction. The samples showed the exudation of liquid from the acid, but not from the basic pellets. The interrupted experiments with mixed burden showed that above 1150 °C, there is an interaction between the acid and the basic pellets along their interface, whereas the cores of the pellets in these experiments were similar to those in the single burden experiments. The width of this interaction varies between 0.5 and 1.3 mm, depending on the temperature and pre-reduction degree. These results show that the slag from the acid pellet exuded and reacted with the surface of the basic pellet.
Treatment of noncardiac chest pain of psychological origin.

Psychiatric comorbidity is not an uncommon phenomenon in patients with noncardiac chest pain (NCCP). Panic disorder seems to be the most important psychiatric comorbidity for a number of reasons. First, it is the most common psychiatric disorder associated with NCCP. Second, panic disorder is a highly treatable condition that can produce dramatic improvement of NCCP when treatment is appropriate. Finally, the treatment of psychiatric comorbidity, whether panic disorder or other psychiatric disorders, can pay significant dividends in terms of improving the patient’s overall well-being and adaptation to illness, even if his/her chest pain symptoms are not alleviated. Adopting a biopsychosocial model to intervene on the stress of these patients’ experience is a key concept that can make NCCP a much less formidable challenge for the gastroenterologist.
Wireless Health Technologies

Recently, many commercial systems have appeared that aim to track daily activities and estimate energy expenditures. Unfortunately, the simplified approaches based on population models are inadequate for medical purposes such as guidance in rehabilitation, monitoring of chronic disease conditions, or for sports applications such as refinement of athletic form. Moreover, the data and algorithms are generally proprietary. Need exists for open systems that enable analysis at multiple levels of abstraction: environmental context, activity, activity segmentation, and trajectory of limbs. Also needed are complete end-to-end systems that provide feedback at the correct level of abstraction to the different actors: experts (doctors/coaches), non-professional caregivers, and the patient/athlete. We describe research in how to do this at low cost and at large scale, while taking into account the ways in which different classes of people interact with technology. Successful systems of this type can potentially revolutionize the provision of medical care, leading to better outcomes at lower cost.
MnSOD activity regulates hydroxytyrosol-induced extension of chronological lifespan

Chronological lifespan (CLS) is defined as the duration of quiescence in which normal cells retain the capacity to reenter the proliferative cycle. This study investigates whether hydroxytyrosol (HT), a naturally occurring polyphenol found in olives, extends CLS in normal human fibroblasts (NHFs). Quiescent NHFs cultured for a long duration (30–60 days) lose their capacity to repopulate. Approximately 60% of these cells exit the cell cycle permanently; a significant increase in the doubling time of the cell population was observed. CLS was extended in quiescent NHFs that were cultured in the presence of HT for 30–60 days. HT-induced extension of CLS was associated with an approximately 3-fold increase in manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity while there was no change in copper–zinc superoxide dismutase, catalase, or glutathione peroxidase protein levels. Quiescent NHFs overexpressing a dominant-negative mutant form of MnSOD failed to extend CLS. HT suppressed age-associated increase in mitochondrial ROS levels. Results from spectroscopy assays indicate that HT in the presence of peroxidases can undergo catechol–semiquinone–quinone redox cycling generating superoxide, which in a cellular context can activate the antioxidant system, e.g., MnSOD expression. These results demonstrate that HT extends CLS by increasing MnSOD activity and decreasing age-associated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species accumulation.
Heat transfer in Rayleigh-Bénard convection with air in moderate size containers

Abstract The work presented here concerns a class of problems in thermal convection in which the mechanisms responsible for the evolution of a dynamical system to different states of self-organization are explored. Experimental investigations of the wavenumber and heat flux characteristics for Rayleigh-Benard convection in moderate size containers with air exhibit a secondary bifurcation structure which can be understood, in the hierarchical sense, in terms of the behavior in families of container size as specified by the primary aspect ratio, L/d. It is concluded that the heat transport is strongly dependent on both size and shape of the container. For the work presented here, the near onset quadratic growth rate of heat flux is shown tc relax to that of a linear growth rate in containers with increasing primary aspect ratio. The linear growth in heat flux has been previously obtained from experiments in extended systems, and the theoretical results obtained by considering low amplitude convection in extended systems.
Targeting and translocation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase

This review explores advances in our understanding of the intracellular regulation of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the context of its dynamically regulated subcellular targeting. Nitric oxide (NO) is a labile molecule, and may play important biological roles both within the cell in which it is synthesized and in its interactions with nearby cells and molecules. The localization of eNOS within the cell importantly influences the biological role and chemical fate of the NO produced by the enzyme. eNOS, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent enzyme, is subject to a complex pattern of intracellular regulation, including co- and post-translational modifications and interactions with other proteins and ligands. In endothelial cells and cardiac myocytes eNOS is localized in specialized plasmalemmal signal-transducing domains termed caveolae; acylation of the enzyme by the fatty acids myristate and palmitate is required for targeting of the protein to caveolae. Targeting to caveolae facilitates eNOS activation following receptor stimulation. In resting cells, eNOS is tonically inhibited by its interactions with caveolin, the scaffolding protein in caveolae. However, following agonist activation, eNOS dissociates from caveolin, and nearly all the eNOS translocates to structures within the cell cytosol; following more protracted incubations with agonists, most of the cytosolic enzyme subsequently translocates back to the cell membrane. The agonist-induced internalization of eNOS is completely abrogated by chelation of intracellular Ca2+. These rapid receptor-mediated effects are seen not only for "classic" eNOS agonists such as bradykinin, but also for estradiol, indicating a novel non-genomic role for estrogen in eNOS activation. eNOS targeting to the membrane is labile, and is subject to receptor-regulated Ca2+-dependent reversible translocation, providing another point for regulation of NO-dependent signaling in the vascular endothelium.
Raman Spectroscopy of Ferroelectric Thin Films and Superlattices

Recent results of Raman spectroscopy studies of lattice dynamics and phase transitions in ferroelectric thin films and superlattices are reviewed. Raman studies of SrTiO3, BaTiO3, and BaxSr1−xTiO3 thin films in comparison with corresponding single crystals are presented; essential differences in the lattice dynamics behavior of thin films and single crystals are discussed. Application of ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy for studies of nanoscale ferroelectric heterostructures, such as BaTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, is demonstrated.
Occupations, Role Characteristics, and Intergenerational Transmission

This article examines the intergenerational covariation in detailed aspects of occupational roles. Occupations are conceptualized and measured on the basis of indicators for role requirements, content, and rewards. The detailed components are thought to underlie overall role characterizations such as socioeconomic status transmission. Data pertain to a national sample of male members of the civilian labor force and to a countywide sample of high school males. Canonical correlation analyses for two role relationships, involving parent occupation, early career occupation, and late adolescent occupational aspirations, show: (1) role transmission occurs for a multiplicity of occupational characteristics that span the requirements, content, and rewards of roles; (2) the two role relation ships are not isomorphic in their structure; (3) support for recent arguments that complexity of roles is a key organizing feature of role transmission processes; and (4) mixed support for recent research on patterns of interg...
High-resolution infrared spectroscopy of planetary atmospheres

Various techniques for high-resolution infrared spectroscopy of planetary atmospheres are reviewed. Resolving powers of a million are now possible at 1-5 microns with Fourier transform spectrometers and at 10 microns with heterodyne spectrometers. The extension of high-resolution spectroscopy to the far-infrared is currently under development. The role of ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy compared to observations by spacecraft is discussed.
The effect of pH on the rate of dissociation of the oxygenated beta chain tetramer of Hb A

The effect of pH on the overall assembly of oxyhemoglobin A following mixing of equivalent concentrations of alpha and beta heme subunits has been studied in 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffers at 20 degrees C. The resultant kinetic profiles monitored at 582.5 nm (the maximum of the oxyhemoglobin - oxy chain difference spectrum) were homogeneous and appeared to be first order. The rate of these exponential time courses, reflecting the rate of dissociation of the beta chain tetramer, increased from 0.013 min-1 at pH 6.4 to 0.30 min-1 at pH 8.0 and 1.0 min-1 at pH 8.5. Concurrent with this increased rate was a decrease in the overall color yield from the reaction. The absorbance changes, which involve a significant contribution from the beta chain tetramer to monomer dissociation step, changed three fold over the pH range studied. The findings indicate that protons enhance the stability of the beta chain tetramer.
Method to Optimize Nacelle Shape in a Supersonic Cruise Aircraft

A computer program is developed to optimize the shape of a nacelle installed in a supersonic aircraft for minimum drag. The program is also capable of optimizing the wing camber of the same aircraft. As a unique feature, the present code accounts for the aerodynamic forces on the entire airplane in contrast to previous wing camber optimization codes that included only the wing forces. The program is based on a panel-method analysis code by Woodward, and the accuracy of the program is checked with the available wind-tunnel data on isolated components as well as full configurations. The computed results are in general agreement with the available data. The results of several optimization test runs are presented and show agreement with trends predicted by other researchers based on theoretical and experimental studies. At higher angles of attack, when supersonic vortex lift becomes significant, the analysis code underpredicts the aircraft lift coefficient.
In-Vitro Release Studies of Chlorpheniramine Maleate from Topical Bases Using Cellulose Membrane and Hairless Mouse Skin

AbstractIn-vitro release of chlorpheniramine maleate from various topical bases was studied using cellulose membrane and hairless mouse skin as the diffusion barriers. These included a polymer gel base, a modified hydrophilic ointment base and a modified petrolatum base. The effects of the additive ingredients, such as, urea, ethanol and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on the drug release were also investigated. The rank order of drug release through the cellulose membrane was observed to be: the gel base > the modified hydrophilic ointment base > the modified hydrophilic petrolatum base. In general, the presence of additives adversely affected the drug release except for the (DMSO) and ethanol in certain cases.The samples with maximum drug release through the cellulose membrane were further studied for the drug release using hairless mouse skin as the diffusion barrier. Here again, the gel base gave the best in-vitro release of the drug, and the data correlated well with the results obtained through the cellulo...
Smartphone-based accurate range and energy efficient route selection for electric vehicle

Range anxiety — the fear of running out of battery power while on the road — is one of the major barriers to large scale adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Range prediction solutions are available to address anxiety but most of them have limited functionalities. In this paper we propose a new, “Accurate Range” and “Energy-efficient Route” (ARER) selection mobile software solution which is based on smartphone platform. The proposed solution provides several attractive features. The first and prime feature is estimation of the most accurate driving range considering those real time factors that were never considered in the prior art such as geographical terrain of the driving route (Elevation and Depression), real time alert implemented on the road (i.e. the road flood clogged or blocked due to catastrophe — such information would be received through PLAN (Personal Localized Alerting Network), a new public safety system that FCC and FEMA are working on currently that will enable government officials to send emergency text alerts, such as tornados, floods, terrorisms, to specific affected geographic areas through cell towers in near future), Real Time Wind Speed (tailwind and headwind), real time weight in the EV (onboard Passengers and Cargo), and real time traffic (including not only on road vehicles, but also STOP signs, advisory road signs, and probability of encountering red traffic lights, etc.), comparing with available battery energy. The second key feature that leverages on the first one is proposing the alternate route(s) that may not be essentially shorter but the most energy efficient (e.g. the route with depression instead of elevation and at the same time not flood clogged or blocked, the route with favorable wind direction at that instant and location, the route with lesser traffic congestion, fewer stop signs and fewer red traffic light etc.). The third feature is to evaluate the service relevance and suggest the point of service; offering similar services, that fall on the most energy efficient route (e.g. if the EV Driver searched for Rite-Aid Pharmacy, the software may also suggest the WalGreens or Wall Mart, or Target, or Shoprite, because of service relevance/similar service offering and occurrence on the most energy efficient route from the EV Driver's current location). The fourth feature is that it keeps the history of the roads traversed and uses the log data for future optimization. Lastly the fifth feature is that it produces a visual 360-degree real time range display, and calculates the estimated energy cost of completing a chosen rout. The software to make prototype for the work is under development.
COMPAS: adaptive performance monitoring of component-based systems

A performance monitoring framework for adaptive instrumentation and diagnosis is presented. Instrumentation is performed by low-overhead monitoring probes which are automatically activated and deactivated based on runtime conditions. Both a collaborative distributed model and a centralised model for assisting the diagnosis and adaptation processes are presented. The framework targets component-based systems in general and J2EE in particular.
Transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs): A highly efficient and versatile tool for genome editing

Transcription activator-like effector (TALE) nucleases (TALENs) have recently emerged as a revolutionary genome editing tool in many different organisms and cell types. The site-specific chromosomal double-strand breaks introduced by TALENs significantly increase the efficiency of genomic modification. The modular nature of the TALE central repeat domains enables researchers to tailor DNA recognition specificity with ease and target essentially any desired DNA sequence. Here, we comprehensively review the development of TALEN technology in terms of scaffold optimization, DNA recognition, and repeat array assembly. In addition, we provide some perspectives on the future development of this technology.
Kernel service outsourcing: an approach to improve performance and reliability of virtualized systems

Virtualization environments have become basic building blocks in consolidated data centers and cloud computing infrastructures. By running multiple virtual machines (VMs) in a shared physical machine, virtualization achieves high utilization of hardware resources and provides strong isolation between virtual machines. This dissertation discusses the implementation and the evaluation of an approach called kernel service outsourcing that improves the performance and the reliability of guest systems in virtualized, multi-kernel environments. Kernel service outsourcing allows applications to exploit operating system (OS) services from an external kernel existing in the shared system without limiting application OS service requests to the local kernel. Because OS services by external kernels may be more efficient services by local kernels, kernel service outsourcing creates new opportunities for better performance by applications in the guest OS. Moreover, application of the kernel service outsourcing technique implements natural diversity, which improves the reliability of virtualized systems. We present two major benefits of kernel service outsourcing. First, we show that I/O service outsourcing can improve the I/O performance of guest OSes by up to several multiples. In some important cases, the performance of network applications in the guest OS using network outsourcing was comparable to that of the native OS. We also applied kernel service outsourcing between Windows and Linux, and determined that kernel service outsourcing is viable even with two heterogeneous OS kernels. In addition, we studied more performance optimization techniques that can be successfully implemented in the external kernel when certain OS services are outsourced to the external kernel. The second benefit of kernel service outsourcing is to improve system reliability through the natural diversity created by the combination of different kinds of OS kernel implementations. Because OS services can be outsourced to different versions or even to heterogeneous types of OS kernel for equivalent functions, malicious attacks that target certain vulnerabilities in specific versions of OS kernels cannot succeed in the outsourced kernels. Our case studies with Windows and Linux show that in the outsourced systems, kernel service outsourcing prevented malicious attacks designed to exploit implementation-dependent vulnerabilities in the OS kernels.
Molecular evidence supporting the portal theory: a causative link between visceral adiposity and hepatic insulin resistance

The mechanism by which increased central adiposity causes hepatic insulin resistance is unclear. The “portal hypothesis” implicates increased lipolytic activity in the visceral fat and therefore in...
Abstract 2.0: If We Are All Shouting, Is There Anyone Left To Listen?

This paper explores notions of ‘voice’ as it relates to Web 2.0. We begin by tracing the social meanings of Web 2.0 technologies Brazil. There the notions of ‘voice’ as conceived of in the American media are absent, yet significant collective action took place online through a kind of speaking out. Next the paper describes the conflation of voice with a notion of social networks to explain how the American media misread the Brazilian action. This is achieved by an incredible plasticity and abstraction of the Web 2.0′ construct, which flattens otherwise qualitatively meaningful distinctions. This puts us on some ground to raise the issue of how abstractions might become relationships. This, we argue, is evidenced both in terms of how Brazilians might interpret online relationships, and how Web 2.0 hype betrays a politics of abstraction at work in the wider economy.
A Workflow Engine for the Execution of Scientific Protocols

We present the execution engine of the SemanticBio system, an integration solution that provides scientists support to express and execute scientific protocols. In SemanticBio scientific workflows are first expressed as conceptual workflows using scientific ontologies. Conceptual workflows are then translated in a semi-automated process into executable workflows, composed of calls to coordinated web services. Once the user has selected an executable workflow that meets the protocol needs, the SemanticBio execution engine supports the execution of data flow-coordinated tasks, i.e., the execution of a task is only based on the availability of its inputs. This engine is a lightweight, yet flexible approach to the execution of such workflows. Our approach addresses the problem of semantic interoperability of scientific resources publicly available on the web.
Explorebots: a mobile network experimentation testbed

In this paper, we detail our development of Explorebots--expandable, vision- and sensor-equipped wireless robots built around MICA motes. We developed Explorebots as a dynamic outreach for an NSF-funded Girl Scouts project. We've extended the capabilities of Explorebots to comprise a mobile network experimentation testbed. The testbed will support experimental analysis of protocols for mobile multi-hop networks. The low-cost Explorebots enable repeatable experiments without complete reliance on human subjects for mobility.
Program chairs' introduction to the first international workshop on stochastic image grammars (SIG-09) in conjunction with IEEE CVPR 2009

The major theme of the program is to identify challenges facing the work toward a unifying theoretical foundation of stochastic image grammars. The program has research topics that deals with stochastic image grammars. The topics include learning vocabularies of visual primitives and parts; hierarchical models of events, activities, and scenes; taxonomies and ontologies for activities; inference algorithm for image grammars; use of grammars for image parsing, and generating sentences of image interpretation; and image datasets and evaluating stochastic image grammars.
Butterflies Recorded on Flattop Mountain, Anchorage, Alaska

Eleven species of butterflies were recorded on Flattop Mountain, Anchorage, Alaska, during a four-day period in July 2006: Colias philodice vitabunda (Clouded Sulphur), Pieris angelika angelika (Arctic White), Lycaena dorcas arcticus (Dorcas Copper), Plebejus glandon bryanti (Arctic Blue), Plebejus idas alaskensis (Northern Blue), Plebejus optilete yukona (Cranberry Blue), Boloria charliclea butleri (Purplish Fritillary), Boloria alaskensis alaskensis (Mountain Fritillary), Speyeria mormonia bischoffii (Mormon Fritillary), Oeneis bore mckinleyensis (White-veined Arctic), and Carterocephalus palaemon skada (Arctic Skipperling). Based on previously published distribution maps, the records for Plebejus idas and P. optilete represent range extensions; P. optilete was relatively common in sheltered valleys on the mountain.
Studies of natural herbage of the sub-tropics I. The digestibility of herbage grazed by cattle

1. In two continuous digestibility trials carried out in 1960 and 1961, groups of three wether sheep were fed on oven-dried herbage which had been selectively collected from natural pastures during December 1959 to March 1960 and December 1960 to March 1961. The organic matter digestibility and the digestible crude protein content of the herbage and the nitrogen concentration in faeces were measured over periods of 5 days. The fresh faeces of dairy cattle grazing the natural pastures were regularly sampled and analysed. Regressions of organic matter digestibility and digestible crude protein content on faecal nitrogen were evaluated. From these equations and the composition of the dairy cattle faeces the digestibility of the herbage grazed was calculated.2. The herbage consumed by the cattle had a significantly higher organic matter digestibility and digestible crude protein content than the collected material. This difference, which increased as the season progressed, indicates that dairy cattle became increasingly selective in their grazing as the pasture deteriorated in quality.3. There was a marked yearly difference in digestibility-faecal nitrogen relationships and in the quality of the consumed forage. The grass eaten in 1959-60 had a higher digestibility and lower digestible crude protein content than in the following year. These differences may be part attributable to a seasonal difference in rainfall.4. The organic matter digestibility of the grazed herbage ranged from 52·71 to 65·03% and the digestible crude protein content from 3·08 to 7·43% For milk production, the herbage consumed is low in digestible protein in relation to the total amount of digestible nutrients.
Constraints on Pacific Plate Kinematics and Dynamics with Global Positioning System Measurements

Global positioning system (GPS) receivers are capable of generating precise geodetic data that can yield important constraints on both plate kinematics and dynamics. Geodetic measurements can determine plate motion rates over time scales for which little data are currently available. High-quality geodetic data may also allow the investigation of plate driving forces because changes in the intraplate stress field can potentially be inferred from measurement of the resulting crustal strain. A measurement program designed to investigate kinematic and dynamic aspects of plate tectonics should be concentrated in the Pacific region. This area contains the largest and fastest moving plate, up to 17 cm/year. Furthermore, subduction zones, which play a quantitatively important role in plate driving forces, are largely restricted to the Pacific region. We summarize accuracy studies showing that for short (< 100 km) baselines, centimeter-level accuracy can be expected using only mobile stations. For longer baselines, uncertainty in the orbit ephemeris of the GPS satellites is a major error source. Performing simultaneous observations at widely separated (~3000 km) fiducial stations near the region of interest, however, should allow centimeter-level accuracy for baselines up to several thousand kilometers in length. This performance level is predicated upon the assumption that fiducial baselines are known a priori to the centimeter level, for example, from very-long-baseline interferometry, and that corrections for tropospheric path delay are accurate to the centimeter level. The fiducial network location is flexible, limited mainly by the requirement for mutual satellite visibility.
STUDIES ON PITUITARY IMPLANTS AND EXTRACTS IN ADRENALECTOMIZED RATS

FOUR YEARS AGO, we (1) discussed the literature pertaining to the beneficial effect of the corpus luteum in adrenalectomized rats and in addition showed that JJL pituitary grafts were very effective in prolonging life and maintaining body growth in adrenalectomized female rats. These beneficial results of pituitary grafts were absent when they were made in oophorectomized and in male rats. Cavanaugh and Gaunt (2) confirmed our results regarding pituitary implants. They also showed that antuitrin-S and pituitary extracts would not prolong the life of adrenalectomized rats. Recently D'Amour and D'Amour (3) demonstrated some beneficial effects in female adrenalectomized rats treated with urine extracts, such as gonadin and follutein. In this paper, we present additional data on pituitary grafts and extracts in adrenalectomized rats. Female albino rats were used. The skin of the operative area was shaved and sterilized with alcohol.
Determinants of early outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke and proximal artery occlusion.

Background Proximal artery occlusions (PAO) recanalize in only a small percentage of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) alone, yet the benefits of adjunctive or substitutive intra-arterial therapy (IAT) in this patient subgroup are not well established. We evaluated early poststroke outcomes in a cohort of AIS patients with PAO categorized as "likely to benefit" (LTB) from IAT using prespecified criteria. Methods Using a prespecified protocol, 193 patients from our institutional stroke database admitted between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011, were prospectively deemed LTB from IAT. Logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of favorable (discharge to home or acute rehabilitation) versus unfavorable (discharge to skilled nursing facility, hospice, or in-hospital mortality) outcome. Results Of the patients included, 29.5% received IV tPA only, 11.4% underwent IAT only, and 37.8% had both. Overall in-hospital mortality was 19.2%. In a univariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR], .95; 95% confidence interval [CI], .93-.98), IV tPA (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2-4.3), and history of atrial fibrillation (OR, .5; 95% CI, .28-.97) were associated with outcome. Effect of IAT was not statistically significant (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, .7-2.3; P = .4). In multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of favorable outcome was IV tPA administration (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2-5.0). The odds of favorable poststroke outcome were significantly lowered (OR, .3; 95% CI, .1-.6; P = .0006) in those receiving neither IV tPA nor IAT. Conclusions In AIS patients with PAO thought most likely to benefit from IAT, IV tPA independently predicted favorable outcomes. These data reinforce the recommendation to provide early IV tPA to all eligible patients.
EFFECT OF DIETARY LEVEL OF RUMEN-DEGRADED PROTEIN ON PRODUCTION AND NITROGEN METABOLISM IN LACTATING DAIRY COWS

Twenty-eight (8 with ruminal cannulas) lactating Holstein cows were assigned to 4 x 4 Latin squares and fed diets with different levels of rumen-degraded protein (RDP) to study the effect of RDP on production and N metabolism. Diets contained [dry matter (DM) basis] 37% corn silage, 13% alfalfa silage, and 50% concentrate. The concentrate contained solvent and lignosulfonate-treated soybean meal and urea, and was adjusted to provide RDP at: 13.2, 12.3, 11.7, and 10.6% of DM in diets A to D, respectively. Intake of DM and yield of milk, fat-corrected milk, and fat were not affected by treatments. Dietary RDP had positive linear effects on milk true protein content and microbial non-ammonia N (NAN) flow at the omasal canal, and a quadratic effect on true protein yield, with maximal protein production at 12.3% RDP. However, dietary RDP had a positive linear effect on total N excretion, with urinary N accounting for most of the increase, and a negative linear effect on environmental N efficiency (kg of milk produced per kg of N excreted). Therefore, a compromise between profitability and environmental quality was achieved at a dietary RDP level of 11.7% of DM. Observed microbial NAN flow and RDP supply were higher and RUP flow was lower than those predicted by the NRC (2001) model. The NRC (2001) model overpredicted production responses to RUP compared with the results in this study. Replacing default NRC degradation rates for protein supplements with rates measured in vivo resulted in similar observed and predicted values, suggesting that in situ degradation rates used by the NRC are slower than apparent rates in this study.
Sound production and modeling

Sound in multimedia, movies, games, virtual reality, and human-computer interfaces is a growing field that encompasses the disciplines of analog and digital signal processing, physics, speech, music, perception, and computer systems architecture. This overview of sound production and modeling techniques surveys the state of the art in sound technology. Sound has become a critical component in modern multimedia systems, especially multispeaker surround-sound entertainment systems. Many of the components and techniques in these systems are also applicable in virtual and augmented reality systems. With basic sound hardware now available for most (but not all, as in some palmtops) computer systems, and increasing processor speeds allowing direct real-time sound manipulation, enhancing multimodal computer-human interfaces by using the sonic channel is becoming commonplace. Sound in games and other graphics-intensive real-time applications is achieving higher levels of sophistication and promises to undergo even further advancements in realism and responsiveness.
Comparison of Smoking History Patterns Among African American and White Cohorts in the United States Born 1890 to 1990.

INTRODUCTION Characterizing smoking history patterns summarizes life course exposure for birth cohorts, essential for evaluating the impact of tobacco control on health. Limited attention has been given to patterns among African Americans. METHODS Life course smoking histories of African Americans and whites were estimated beginning with the 1890 birth cohort. Estimates of smoking initiation and cessation probabilities, and intensity can be used as a baseline for studying smoking intervention strategies that target smoking exposure. US National Health Interview Surveys conducted from 1965 to 2012 yielded cross-sectional information on current smoking behavior among African Americans and whites. Additional detail for smokers including age at initiation, age at cessation and smoking intensity were available in some surveys and these were used to construct smoking histories for participants up to the date that they were interviewed. Age-period-cohort models with constrained natural splines provided estimates of current, former and never-smoker prevalence in cohorts beginning in 1890. RESULTS This approach yielded yearly estimates of initiation, cessation and smoking intensity by age for each birth cohort. Smoking initiation probabilities tend to be lower among African Americans compared to whites, and cessation probabilities also were generally lower. Higher initiation leads to higher smoking prevalence among whites in younger ages, but lower cessation leads to higher prevalence at older ages in blacks, when adverse health effects of smoking become most apparent. CONCLUSIONS These estimates provide a summary that can be used to better understand the effects of changes in smoking behavior following publication of the Surgeon General's Report in 1964. IMPLICATIONS A novel method of estimating smoking histories was applied to data from the National Health Interview Surveys, which provided an extensive summary of the smoking history in this population following publication of the Surgeon General's Report in 1964. The results suggest that some of the existing disparities in smoking-related disease may be due to the lower cessation rates in African Americans compared to whites. However, the number of cigarettes smoked is also lower among African Americans. Further work is needed to determine mechanisms by which smoking duration and intensity can account for racial disparities in smoking-related diseases.
Abstract 3958: A miRNA inhibitor screen for synthetic lethal interactions in KRAS-driven NSCLC

Lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is currently the leading cause of cancer fatalities in the United States, accounting for 30% of the fatalities in males, and 26% in females. Additionally, the five-year survival rate for individuals affected by lung cancer has only improved by 3% in the past 35 years. As suggested by the survival data, very few effective treatment options are available for NSCLC, and many vary dramatically in efficacy depending on the genetic status of the tumor. In particular, the presence of mutant KRAS in NSCLC serves as a negative predictor for drug efficacy. KRAS mutations are found in ∼22% of NSCLC tumors, and tumors harboring these mutations are especially refractory to treatment. We have identified synthetic lethal miRNAs in the background of KRAS-dependence through a four-armed miRNA inhibitor screen. A miRNA inhibitor screen can serve to not only identify miRNAs involved in context-dependent survival, but also genes and pathways that would be obscured by genomic redundancy in a conventional RNAi screen. Using a comprehensive library of miRNA inhibitors coupled with an endpoint assay for cell viability, we can identify miRNAs that modulate viability or paclitaxel sensitivity in KRAS-dependent NSCLC cell line NCI-H358 with minimal effect in the wild-type KRAS cell line NCI-H1993. Candidate miRNAs are validated in an expanded panel of ten cell lines including four KRAS mutant, four KRAS wild-type, and two immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell lines. The miRNAs identified here will allow us to elucidate vulnerable pathways in KRAS-dependent tumors that can be exploited for a therapeutic or predictive benefit in a typically difficult to manage class of tumor. This research was supported by NIH R01 CA129632 from the National Cancer Institute and by P50 CA70907 from the UT Southwestern/MD Anderson Cancer Center Lung Specialized Program of Research Excellence. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3958. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3958
Correlation of Pelvic Incidence With Cam and Pincer Lesions

Background:The sacropelvic parameter of pelvic incidence (PI) is a position-independent anatomic parameter that regulates lumbar lordosis and pelvic orientation. While it has been extensively studied in relation to spine pathology, only a single study has correlated PI with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).Hypothesis:Decreased PI would be associated with an increased prevalence of cam and pincer lesions.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Measurements of the acetabulum, proximal femur, and sacropelvis were made bilaterally on 40 cadaveric specimens, for a total of 80 hips. Twenty specimens had the presence of bilateral cam deformities (alpha angle >55°), and 20 age- and sex-matched specimens had bilateral normal hips. Pincer lesions were defined as an anteversion <15°. Pelvic incidence and acetabular version were measured using standardized lateral photographs and a goniometer, respectively. Independent-samples t tests were performed to evaluate for differences in measured parameters betwee...
The Cultural Life of the Living Dead

Zombies have become an explosive cultural phenomena which producers, retailers, and governmental agencies utilize to target consumers. Sociologist Denise N. Cook argues that the zombie myth pervades cultural narratives because it helps people distance themselves from criticizing actual social problems yet at the same time the zombie analogy can help to highlight potential social problems.
Contemporary Management of Migraine, Part 2

Prophylactic therapy is an important tool in the overall management of migraine. Established agents include beta blockers, methysergide, and TCAs. Other modalities, such as calcium channel blockers, NSAIDs, and biofeedback, may be useful when first-line therapy is ineffective. Understanding the use of abortive and prophylactic therapy of migraine will enable the pharmacist to play an important part in patient care.