cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Dependent HIV-1 Transcription Reveals a New Role for NFAT5 in the Toll-Like Receptor Pathway

Tuberculosis (TB) disease in HIV co-infected patients contributes to increased mortality by activating innate and adaptive immune signaling cascades that stimulate HIV-1 replication, leading to an increase in viral load. Here, we demonstrate that silencing of the expression of the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) by RNA interference (RNAi) inhibits Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb)-stimulated HIV-1 replication in co-infected macrophages. We show that NFAT5 gene and protein expression are strongly induced by MTb, which is a Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligand, and that an intact NFAT5 binding site in the viral promoter of R5-tropic HIV-1 subtype B and subtype C molecular clones is required for efficent induction of HIV-1 replication by MTb. Furthermore, silencing by RNAi of key components of the TLR pathway in human monocytes, including the downstream signaling molecules MyD88, IRAK1, and TRAF6, significantly inhibits MTb-induced NFAT5 gene expression. Thus, the innate immune response to MTb infection induces NFAT5 gene and protein expression, and NFAT5 plays a crucial role in MTb regulation of HIV-1 replication via a direct interaction with the viral promoter. These findings also demonstrate a general role for NFAT5 in TLR- and MTb-mediated control of gene expression.
Immigration Policy and Employment Conditions of US Immigrants from Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic1

Prior studies suggest that the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986 signalled a deterioration in the labour market conditions of Mexican migrants. In this paper, we examine whether and how labour market conditions worsened for Dominicans and Nicaraguans after 1986, and the extent to which these shifts were comparable to those experienced by Mexicans. Our analysis relies on a new source of data that offers comparable data across the three national origins. We estimate multivariate models that capture the effects of demographic attributes, human and social capital, migration-specific human and social capital, legal status, period of trip, national origin, and other controls on the hourly wages earned by household heads and whether they received cash wages on their last US trip. Models with interaction terms reveal significant pre- and post-1986 wage effects, but few differences in these effects between Mexicans and Dominicans or Nicaraguans. In contrast, group differences appear in the risk of cash receipt of wages. Dominicans and Nicaraguans experienced a greater increase in this risk relative to Mexicans pre- and post-1986. Together, these findings depict a broader, negative impact of IRCA on Latino migrant wages than has been documented elsewhere.
Structural Comparison of Human Monoamine Oxidases A and B MASS SPECTROMETRY MONITORING OF CYSTEINE REACTIVITIES

Abstract Monoamine oxidases (MAO) A and B are ∼60-kDa outer mitochondrial membrane flavoenzymes catalyzing the degradation of neurotransmitters and xenobiotic arylalkyl amines. Despite 70% identity of their amino acid sequences, both enzymes exhibit strikingly different properties when exposed to thiol-modifying reagents. Human MAO A and MAO B each contain 9 cysteine residues (7 in conserved sequence locations). MAO A is inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) much faster (τ½ = ∼3 min) than MAO B (τ½ = ∼8 h). These differences in thiol reactivities are also demonstrated by monitoring the NEM modification stoichiometries by electrospray mass spectrometry. Inactivation of either enzyme with acetylenic inhibitors results in alterations of their thiol reactivities. Cys5 and Cys266 were identified as the only residues modified by biotin-derivatized NEM in clorgyline-inactivated MAO A and pargyline-inactivated MAO B, respectively. The x-ray structure of MAO B (Binda, C., Newton-Vinson, P., Hubalek, F., Edmondson, D. E., and Mattevi, A. (2002) Nat. Struct. Biol. 9, 22–26) shows that Cys5 is located on the surface of the molecule opposite to the membrane-binding region. Cys266 in MAO A is predicted to be located in the same region of the molecule. These thiol residues are also modified by biotin-derivatized NEM in the mitochondrial membrane-bound MAO A and MAO B. This study shows that the MAO A structure is “more flexible” than that of MAO B and that clorgyline and pargyline inactivation of MAO A and B, respectively, increases the structural stability of both enzymes. No evidence is found for the presence of disulfide bonds in either enzyme, contrary to a previous suggestion.
X-ray Analysis of the Kinetics of Transesterification in Blends of Wholly Aromatic Thermotropic Copolyesters

The kinetics of the transesterification reaction occurring in blends of wholly aromatic copolyesters have been investigated by simulation of the changes that occur in the X-ray scattering data as a result of the interchange. The X-ray fiber diagrams of copolyesters prepared from p-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) and 2-hydroxy-6-naphthoic acid (HNA) contain nonperiodic diffraction maxima along the chain axis direction that vary in position (scattering angle) with the monomer composition and are due to the structural correlations in chains of completely random comonomer sequence. Melt blends of two different compositions initially show the scattering maxima of both components, but these shift as the specimen is held in the melt, until they merge to give the diffraction data characteristic of the intermediate composition. We have simulated the changes in these data by modeling the changes in the correlation function that occur as a result of the transesterification reaction. We find that the data are best reproduced using a completely random interchange model for a completely compatible blend. Simulations based on preferential reactivities of one or other of the monomers or partial segregation of one phase gave significantly inferior agreement with the positions of the observed diffraction maxima. The statistical modeling allows us to derive kinetic parameters for the reaction, for which we obtain an activation energy of 142 kJ/mol and a rate constant of 2.3 x 10 -4 s -1 at 315 °C. Compared to the equivalent data for isotropic polyesters, the activation energy compares very well, but the rate constant is 1 order of magnitude lower, perhaps due to the ordering in the thermotropic melt.
Coupled inositide phosphorylation and phospholipase D activation initiates clathrin-coat assembly on lysosomes

Adaptors appear to control clathrin-coat assembly by determining the site of lattice polymerization but the nucleating events that target soluble adaptors to an appropriate membrane are poorly understood. Using an in vitro model system that allows AP-2-containing clathrin coats to assemble on lysosomes, we show that adaptor recruitment and coat initiation requires phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) synthesis. PtdIns(4,5)P2 is generated on lysosomes by the sequential action of a lysosome-associated type II phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase and a soluble type I phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase. Phosphatidic acid, which potently stimulates type I phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase activity, is generated on the bilayer by a phospholipase D1-like enzyme located on the lysosomal surface. Quenching phosphatidic acid function with primary alcohols prevents the synthesis of PtdIns(4, 5)P2 and blocks coat assembly. Generating phosphatidic acid directly on lysosomes with exogenous bacterial phospholipase D in the absence of ATP still drives adaptor recruitment and limited coat assembly, indicating that PtdIns(4,5)P2 functions, at least in part, to activate the PtdIns(4,5)P2-dependent phospholipase D1. These results provide the first direct evidence for the involvement of anionic phospholipids in clathrin-coat assembly on membranes and define the enzymes responsible for the production of these important lipid mediators.
A rapid and inexpensive method for isolation of total DNA from dehydrated plant tissue

We describe an inexpensive method for dehydration of plant tissue and extraction of high molecular weight DNA. Tissue is dried for 12 to 24 hours in a food dehydrator and subsequently powdered for DNA extraction. Dicot tissue can be powdered in centrifuge tubesen masse using a commercial paint mixer and glass beads. With the use of the paint mixer, tissue never touches common surfaces that might lead to cross contamination, a potential benefit when the DNA is to be used for PCR reactions. The DNA is of a quality equal to that obtained from either lyophilized or fresh frozen tissue (commonly used in many labs). The advantages of the described procedure are that it is fast, does not require expensive equipment (e.g., lyophilizer) and can be used in situations where large numbers of samples must be extracted.
Synergistic induction of δ-aminolevulinate synthase by glutethimide and iron: relationship to the synergistic induction of heme oxygenase

Abstract Relationships between activities of δ-aminolevulinate synthase and heme oxygenase, respectively the rate-limiting enzymes of heme biosynthesis and degradation, have been studied in chick embryo liver cell cultures following exposure of the cultures to glutethimide and iron, a combination known to produce a synergistic induction of both enzymes. In time-course experiments, synergistic induction of heme oxygenase activity by glutethimide and iron preceded that of δ-aminolevulinate synthase by 4 h. Effects of selective inhibitors of both heme synthesis and degradation have also been studied with respect to effects on δ-aminolevulinate synthase and heme oxygenase activities. The synergistic induction of heme oxygenase by glutethimide and iron appears to be dependent upon cellular heme synthesis because addition of inhibitors of heme biosynthesis, 4,6-dioxoheptanoic acid or N-methylmesoporphyrin abolishes this synergistic induction. Exposure of cultures to tin-mesoporphyrin, a potent inhibitor of heme oxygenase, prevented the synergistic induction of δ-aminolevulinate synthase produced by glutethimide and iron, or, when added after induction was already established, promptly halted any further induction. These results suggest that the level of activity of heme oxygenase can reciprocally modulate intracellular heme levels and thus activity of δ-aminolevulinate synthase.
Longitudinal cognitive follow-up in low grade gliomas.

Background In patients with low-grade glioma (LGG), the tumor and its treatment with conformal radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy can disrupt cognitive function. However, the contribution of disease and treatment to long-term cognitive outcome remains to be elucidated. In this study, we performed longitudinal cognitive follow-up in a subgroup of patients who received RT, chemotherapy, or no treatment. Methods Twenty-five LGG patients underwent neuropsychological evaluations at study entry, and 6 and 12 months subsequently; 9 patients had RT ± chemotherapy prior to enrollment and 16 had no treatment. Results At the initial evaluation, treated patients had impaired performance on motor speed only, but scored 1 standard deviation below normative values on tests of executive functions; untreated patients had no cognitive impairment. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed a significant variation over time (P = 0.03) in nonverbal memory (delayed recall); treated patients’ performance improved at the 6-month follow-up to a level comparable to untreated patients, but both groups declined slightly by the 12-month evaluation. In a subset of patients (N = 16) available for an additional cognitive evaluation, significant changes between the 12-month and the long-term follow-up were seen in phonemic verbal fluency, mood and quality of life; untreated patients seen at short intervals improved slightly while treated patients seen at longer intervals declined. Conclusions Longitudinal follow-up showed that both disease duration and treatment with RT ± chemotherapy contributed to a mild decrement in nonverbal recall and in some aspects of executive functions and quality of life in this group of LGG patients.
Evaluation of two Web-based alcohol interventions for mandated college students

This study evaluated the efficacy of two Web-based interventions aimed at reducing heavy drinking in mandated college students. Mandated students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Web-based personalized normative feedback (WPNF) or Web-based education (WE). As predicted, results indicated that mandated students in the WPNF condition reported significantly greater reductions in weekly drinking quantity, peak alcohol consumption, and frequency of drinking to intoxication than students in the WE condition at a 30-day follow-up. Although not statistically significant, there was a similar trend for changes in alcohol-related problems. Mandated students in the WPNF group also reported significantly greater reductions in estimates of peer drinking from baseline to the follow-up assessment than students in the WE group. In addition, changes in estimates of peer drinking mediated the effect of the intervention on changes in drinking. Findings provide support for providing Web-based personalized normative feedback as an intervention program for mandated college students.
Crime sans châtiment: cinéma contemporain et éthique d'Emmanuel Levinas

Sous l’eclairage de l’ethique de la responsabilite d’Emmanuel Levinas et des etudes recentes centrees sur le lien entre l’esthetique et l’ethique de Colin Davis, Michele Aaron et Sam B. Girgus, cette etude analyse deux films francais contemporains dont les protagonistes sont des social serial killers. Elle est des notres de Siegrid Alnoy et Le Couperet de Constantin Costa-Gavras interrogent l’agencivite de leurs protagonistes criminels autant que celle des spectateurs. Le premier film offre une rencontre visuelle avec l’alterite a travers Christine Blanc, un personnage deroutant et etranger. L’esthetique du film, surtout le decadrage, la discontinuite narrative et la primaute des gros plans, illustre comment l’indifference humaine engendre l’alienation individuelle et la deshumanisation collective. Ce film montre, au niveau thematique comme visuel, la transformation de l’heroine a l’identite problematique en un sujet ethique qui, finalement, cherche sa redemption. La comparaison entre l’adaptation cinematographique de Costa-Gavras et le roman de Donald E. Westlake, The Ax , montre comment les ajouts cinematographiques creent un surplus de signification ethique. Le cineaste traduit visuellement le manque d’ethique generale dans une societe ouroborique ou l’altericide devient principe de survie. Une question se pose: comment exercer notre propre agencivite spectatorielle devant de tels spectacles?
Skew harmonics suppression in electromagnets with application to the Advanced Light Source (ALS) storage ring corrector magnet design

An analytical expression for prediction of skew harmonics in an iron core combined function regular/skew dipole magnet due to arbitrarily positioned electromagnet coils is developed. A structured approach is presented for the suppression of an arbitrary number of harmonic components to arbitrarily low values. Application of the analytical harmonic strength calculations coupled to the structured harmonic suppression approach is presented in the context of the design of the ALS storage ring corrector magnets, where quadrupole, sextupole, and octupole skew harmonics were reduced to less than 1.0% of the skew dipole at the beam aperture radius r=3.0 cm. >
Recent Calcite-Cemented Sandstone Generated by the Equatorial Tree Iroko (Chlorophora Excelsa), Daloa, Ivory Coast

In the region of Daloa, Ivory Coast, several Iroko trees ( Chlorophora excelsa , family of the Moraceae), a frequent species of the equatorial rain forest known for its calcareous excretions always related to wounds kept unhealed by insect activity, show an unusual lithogenetic aspect of this process. Between severely damaged roots, large-scale bleeding of the sap, after unsuccessful attempts to build crusts of fibrous carbonate over the wounds, has penetrated into the interstitial spaces of the adjacent granitic residual sand and cemented it by precipitation of calcium carbonate into large blocks of hard and massive calcite-cemented pure-quartz sandstone. The quartz and rare feldspar grains displayed a high amount of marginal corrosion by the cryptocrystalline calcite cement. The agents responsible for the severe damage to the trees cannot be determined with certainty but are assumed to be elephants, wild boars or jungle buffaloes. This recent sandstone demonstrates processes of intense corrosion of detrital quartz and feldspar grains and of general cementation both by calcite which have taken place at or near the surface before any decay, burial, overburden or compaction could occur and which, therefore, should be considered as geologically instantaneous.
Regulation of AUF1 Expression via Conserved Alternatively Spliced Elements in the 3′ Untranslated Region

The A+U-rich RNA-binding factor AUF1 exhibits characteristics of a trans-acting factor contributing to the rapid turnover of many cellular mRNAs. Structural mapping of the AUF1 gene and its transcribed mRNA has revealed alternative splicing events within the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR). In K562 erythroleukemia cells, we have identified four alternatively spliced AUF1 3′-UTR variants, including a population of AUF1 mRNA containing a highly conserved 107-nucleotide (nt) 3′-UTR exon (exon 9) and the adjacent downstream intron (intron 9). Functional analyses using luciferase–AUF1 3′-UTR chimeric transcripts demonstrated that the presence of either a spliceable or an unspliceable intron 9 in the 3′-UTR repressed luciferase expression in cis, indicating that intron 9 sequences may down-regulate gene expression by two distinct mechanisms. In the case of the unspliceable intron, repression of luciferase expression likely involved two AUF1-binding sequences, since luciferase expression was increased by deletion of these sites. However, inclusion of the spliceable intron in the luciferase 3′-UTR down-regulated expression independent of the AUF1-binding sequences. This is likely due to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) owing to the generation of exon-exon junctions more than 50 nt downstream of the luciferase termination codon. AUF1 mRNA splice variants generated by selective excision of intron 9 are thus also likely to be subject to NMD since intron 9 is always positioned >137 nt downstream of the stop codon. The distribution of alternatively spliced AUF1 transcripts in K562 cells is consistent with this model of regulated AUF1 expression.
Organization economics explains many forensic science errors

Judge Posner (2010) has identified an important lacuna in law and economics, namely a tendency to ignore organization theory. I will apply the tools of organization theory to an area almost completely neglected in law and economics, forensic science. Posner points us to tools we should make use of; I am pointing to an application we have neglected. Forensic science today is characterized by a twofold monopoly. First, evidence is typically examined by one crime lab only. Second, that same lab will normally be the only one to offer an interpretation of the results of the examination it performs. Crime labs today are typically organized under law enforcement agencies, which may create conscious and unconscious biases in favor of police and prosecution. These organizational features of forensic science today encourage errors and wrongful convictions.
Meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing the patency of covered and uncovered self-expandable metal stents for palliation of distal malignant bile duct obstruction

Background Self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) are used for palliation of malignant biliary obstruction. Objective We performed a meta-analysis to compare stent patency and stent survival of covered SEMSs (CSEMSs) and uncovered SEMSs (USEMSs) in patients with unresectable distal malignant biliary obstruction. Design Meta-analysis. Setting Tertiary-care facility. Patients A comprehensive search of several databases (from each database's earliest inclusive dates to November 2010, any language, and any population) was conducted. The search identified 337 potential abstracts and titles, of which 16 were retrieved in full text. Review of references identified 17 additional studies. We found 5 multicenter, randomized trials involving 781 patients. Intervention Placement of covered and uncovered SEMSs for treatment of distal malignant biliary obstruction. Main Outcome Measurements Stent patency, stent survival, patient survival, and cause for stent dysfunction (ingrowth, overgrowth, migration, and sludge formation). Results The median length of follow-up was 212 days. Compared with USEMSs, CSEMSs were associated with significantly prolonged stent patency (weighted mean difference [WMD] 60.56 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], 25.96, 95.17; I 2 = 0%) and longer stent survival (WMD 68.87 days; 95% CI, 25.64, 112.11; I 2 = 79%). Stent migration, tumor overgrowth, and sludge formation were significantly higher with CSEMSs (relative risk [RR] 8.11; 95% CI, 1.47, 44.76; I 2 = 0%), (RR 2.02; 95% CI, 1.08, 3.78; I 2 = 0%), (RR 2.89; 95% CI, 1.27, 6.55; I 2 = 0%). Limitations Relatively low number of studies available and the fact that 2 of the 5 studies were from one institution. Also, the limited availability of some stents used in the trials may limit the applicability of these results. Conclusion CSEMSs have a significantly longer duration of patency compared with USEMSs in patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction. Stent dysfunction occurs at a similar rate, although there is a trend toward later obstruction with CSEMSs.
Summarization beyond sentence extraction: a probabilistic approach to sentence compression

When humans produce summaries of documents, they do not simply extract sentences and concatenate them. Rather, they create new sentences that are grammatical, that cohere with one another, and that capture the most salient pieces of information in the original document. Given that large collections of text/abstract pairs are available online, it is now possible to envision algorithms that are trained to mimic this process. In this paper, we focus on sentence compression, a simpler version of this larger challenge. We aim to achieve two goals simultaneously: our compressions should be grammatical, and they should retain the most important pieces of information. These two goals can conflict. We devise both a noisy-channel and a decision-tree approach to the problem, and we evaluate results against manual compressions and a simple baseline.
Synaptic inputs to physiologically identified retinal X-cells in the cat.

The cat retina contains a number of different classes of ganglion cells, each of which has a unique set of receptive field properties. The mechanisms that underlie the functional differences among classes, however, are not well understood. All of the afferent input to retinal ganglion cells are from bipolar and amacrine cell terminals in the inner plexiform layer, suggesting that the physiological differences among cat retinal ganglion cells might be due to differences in the proportion of input that they receive from these cell types. In this study, we have combined in vivo intracellular recording and labeling with subsequent ultrastructural analysis to determine directly the patterns of synaptic input to physiologically identified X-cells in the cat retina. Our primary aim in these analyses was to determine whether retinal X-cells receive a characteristic pattern of bipolar and amacrine cell input, and further, whether the functional properties of this cell type can be related to identifiable patterns of synaptic input in the inner plexiform layer. We reconstructed the entire dendritic arbor of an OFF-center X-cell and greater than 75% of the dendritic tree of an ON-center X-cell and found that (1) both ON- and OFF-center X-cells are contacted with approximately the same frequency by bipolar and amacrine cell terminals, (2) each of these input types is distributed widely over their dendritic fields, and (3) there is no significant difference in the pattern of distribution of bipolar and amacrine cell synapses onto the dendrites of either cell type. Comparisons of the inputs to the ON- and the OFF-center cell, however, did reveal differences in the complexity of the synaptic arrangements found in association with the two neurons; a number of complex synaptic arrangements, including serial amacrine cell synapses, were found exclusively in association with the dendrites of the OFF-center X-cell. Most models of retinal X-cell receptive fields, because their visual responses share a number of features with those of bipolar cells, have attributed X-cell receptive field properties to their bipolar cell inputs. The data presented here, the first obtained from analyzing the inputs to the entire dendritic arbors of retinal X-cells, demonstrate that these retinal ganglion cells receive nearly one-half of their input from amacrine cells. These results clearly indicate that further data concerning the functional consequences of amacrine cell input are needed to understand more fully visual processing in the X-cell pathway.
The Neuropsychological Contributors to Psychopathic Personality Traits in Adolescence

Research has consistently revealed that measures of psychopathy and psychopathic personality traits represent some of the most consistent predictors of violent criminal involvement. As a result, there has been a considerable amount of interest in trying to identify the various etiological factors related to psychopathy. The current study builds on this existing body of literature by examining the association between neuropsychological deficits and psychopathic personality traits. Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care were analyzed. Adolescent psychopathic personality traits were measured with a 15-item scale drawn from the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI), whereas neuropsychological functioning was assessed with a number of standardized tests of cognitive skills. Analyses revealed that neuropsychological deficits were significantly related to psychopathy measures across all four measurement phases. Neuropsychological deficits also predicted scoring in the top 5% of psychopathic personality traits.
Design considerations for a single tube gamma camera

It is pointed out that many potentially practical applications for nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures are difficult or impossible to perform because of the physical size of existing mobile gamma cameras. With the commercial availability of position sensitive photomultiplier tubes (PSPMTs) the development of an instrument ideally suited to these applications now appears to be practical. The major components necessary to construct such a camera have been tested, and a circuit configuration designed to provide a high level of clinical performance in such a device is proposed. Spatial resolution and linearity data from a developmental prototype are provided. Measurements have shown that by using conventional sum and difference analog circuits only, a 76-mm/sup 2/ PSPMT has good linearity and therefore uniformity of sensitivity over only the central 60% of its absolute field of view. It is believed that this high-quality imaging area can be increased to virtually the full field of view by implementing a digital geometric correction scheme using a position vector lookup table. >
Hypothermia induces anti-inflammatory cytokines and inhibits nitric oxide and myeloperoxidase-mediated damage in the hearts of endotoxemic rats.

Study objectives The impairment of cardiac contractility during endotoxemia involves induction of nitric oxide formation through a cascade of events initiated by overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines. We previously showed that hypothermia attenuates endotoxin-induced overexpression of nitric oxide in rat lungs. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that hypothermia protects against endotoxin-induced myocardial inflammation by changing the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting myeloperoxidase, an indicator of neutrophil activity, and inhibiting nitric oxide-mediated protein damage. Design Rats were randomized to treatment with either hypothermia (n = 6; 18 to 24°C) or normothermia (n = 6; 36 to 38°C). Endotoxin (15 mg/kg) was administered intravascularly to anesthetized animals, and heart tissue was harvested 150 min later. Measurements and results Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), we found that hypothermia induced myocardial expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10, while decreasing concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and growth-related oncogene/cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (rat homolog of IL-8). Electromobility shift assay revealed that hypothermia inhibited the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays revealed that hypothermia attenuated the endotoxin-induced overexpression of both inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) messenger RNA and iNOS protein, respectively. Hypothermia also attenuated nitric oxide-mediated myocardial protein damage, as determined by a nitrotyrosine ELISA. Myocardial myeloperoxidase content, an indicator of neutrophil accumulation and oxidative activity, was also inhibited by hypothermia in endotoxemic rats. Conclusion These data demonstrate that hypothermia induces an anti-inflammatory cytokine profile, inhibits neutrophil aggregation, and inhibits the formation of nitric oxide during endotoxemia in the rat.
Is imitation learning the route to humanoid robots

This review investigates two recent developments in artificial intelligence and neural computation: learning from imitation and the development of humanoid robots. It is postulated that the study of imitation learning offers a promising route to gain new insights into mechanisms of perceptual motor control that could ultimately lead to the creation of autonomous humanoid robots. Imitation learning focuses on three important issues: efficient motor learning, the connection between action and perception, and modular motor control in the form of movement primitives. It is reviewed here how research on representations of, and functional connections between, action and perception have contributed to our understanding of motor acts of other beings. The recent discovery that some areas in the primate brain are active during both movement perception and execution has provided a hypothetical neural basis of imitation. Computational approaches to imitation learning are also described, initially from the perspective of traditional AI and robotics, but also from the perspective of neural network models and statistical-learning research. Parallels and differences between biological and computational approaches to imitation are highlighted and an overview of current projects that actually employ imitation learning for humanoid robots is given.
Willingness to communicate: Differing cultural perspectives

The general tendency to approach or avoid communication has been recognized as an important individual difference among people in a single culture for several decades. Recent research in Australia, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Sweden, and the United States suggests large differences exist in such tendencies between people in different cultures as well as within a given culture. This research suggests such “individual” tendencies may be developed to very different degrees in dissimilar cultures. The view is taken that an understanding of the cultural impact on individual differences should be a vital component in the study of intercultural communication. Examples are drawn from research on general willingness to communicate, introversion, communication apprehension, and self‐perceived communication competence in several countries around the world.
Intracellular transport using microtubule-based motors

INTRODUCTION 347 IN VITRO SYSTEMS FOR STUDYING MICROTUBULE-BASED ORGANELLE TRANSPORT 349 Axonal Transport 349 Organdie Transport in Nonneuronal Cells 353 CANDIDATES FORORGANELLE TRANSPORT MOTORS 355 Kinesin 355 Cytoplasmic Dynein and Other Possible Motors 360 BIOCHEMICAL ND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANELLE TRANSPORT 361 Association of Motility Proteins with Organelles 361 Direction ~f Movement on the Microtubule Lattice 363 A PERSPECTIVE IN VIVO 364 Role of Microtubule Polarity and Motility Proteins in Organelle Sorting within the Cell 364 Role of Microtubule-Based Motors in Secretion, Endocytosis, and the Spatial Oryanization of Oroanelles. 368 CONCLUSION 372
The Zeldovich spontaneous reaction wave propagation concept in the fast/modest heating limits

Quantitative mathematical models describe planar, spontaneous, reaction wave propagation (Zeldovich, Combust. Flame , vol. 39, 1980, pp. 211–214) in a finite hot spot volume of reactive gas. The results describe the complete thermomechanical response of the gas to a one-step, high-activation-energy exothermic reaction initiated by a tiny initial temperature non-uniformity in a gas at rest with uniform pressure. Initially, the complete conservation equations, including all transport terms, are non-dimensionalized to identify parameters that quantify the impact of viscosity, conduction and diffusion. The results demonstrate unequivocally that transport terms are tiny relative to all other terms in the equations, given the relevant time and length scales. The asymptotic analyses, based on the reactive Euler equations, describe both induction and post-induction period models for a fast heat release rate (induction time scale short compared to the acoustic time of the spot), as well as a modest heat release rate (induction time scale equivalent to the acoustic time). Analytical results are obtained for the fast heating rate problem and emphasize the physics of near constant-volume heating during the induction period. Weak hot spot expansion is the source of fluid expelled from the original finite volume and is a ‘piston-effect’ source of acoustic mechanical disturbances beyond the spot. The post-induction period is characterized by the explosive appearance of an ephemeral, spatially uniform high-temperature, high-pressure spot embedded in a cold, low-pressure environment. In analogy with a shock tube the subsequent expansion process occurs on the acoustic time scale of the spot and will be the source of shocks propagating beyond the spot. The modest heating rate induction period is characterized by weakly compressible phenomena that can be described by a novel system of linear wave equations for the temperature, pressure and induced velocity perturbations driven by nonlinear chemical heating, which provides physical insights difficult to obtain from the more familiar ‘Clarke equation’. When the heating rate is modest, reaction terms in the post-induction period Euler equations exhibit a form of singular behaviour in the high-activation-energy limit, implying the need to use a nonlinear exponential scaling for time and space, developed originally to describe spatially uniform thermal explosions (Kassoy, Q. J. Mech. Appl. Maths , vol. 30, 1977, pp. 71–89). Here again the result will be the explosive appearance of an ephemeral spatially uniform high-temperature, high-pressure hot spot. These results demonstrate that an initially weak temperature non-uniformity in a finite hot spot can be the source of acoustic and shock wave mechanical disturbances in the gas beyond the spot that may be related to rocket engine instability and engine knock.
Viscosity-Dominated Regime of a Fluid-Driven Fracture in an Elastic Medium

We consider a Griffith fluid-driven fracture of half length l (t) propagating in an impermeable linear elastic medium characterized by Young modulus E, Poisson ratio v, and toughness K Ic . An incompressible fluid of viscosity μ is injected at the center of the fracture at a given constant volumetric rate Q o (per unit fracture width). We choose a fixed coordinate system with axis x aligned with the crack, and x = 0 and x = ±l(t) corresponding to the crack center and crack tips, respectively. The crack is loaded by the internal fluid pressure p f (x, t) and by the far-field confining stress σ o perpendicular to the fracture plane. This paper will analyze the regime of fracture propagation when the effect of material toughness is small compared to the effect of fracturing fluid viscosity.
Differential tyrosyl-phosphorylation of multiple mitogen-activated protein kinase isoforms in response to prolactin in Nb2 lymphoma cells.

AbstractProlactin (PRL) stimulates mitogenesis and differentiative processes in a variety of cell types. Not all of the molecules involved in PRL signaling, which follows an initial PRL-receptor interaction, have been identified. In the present studies, PRL is shown to stimulate the differential tyrosyl phosphorylation of three isoforms (ERK-1, 2, and 4) of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinase) in a rat pre-T lymphoma cell line (Nb2). Evidence also suggests that PRL stimulates the tyrosyl phosphorylation of ERK-3, a MAP kinase isoform recently identified. When G1-arrested Nb2 cells are treated with 50 ng/ml oPRL, ERK-1 through 3 become tyrosyl phosphorylated within minutes (an indication of enzyme activation) and then become dephosphorylated within 30 min. Conversely, ERK-4 is rapidly tyrosyl phosphorylated by 5 min, and remains in this state for at least 1 hr.
Lessons Learned from Settlement of Three Highway Embankment MSE Walls

Three MSE walls were constructed along a two-lane rural highway where the use of non-standard on-site material as wall backfill initially appeared to be a great cost-savings measure with relatively low risk to the overall performance of the walls. The MSE walls ranged in maximum height from 8 to 11 meters and extended from 119 to 332 meters in length. Settlement of 76 to 152 millimeters was observed in the outbound roadway lane less than six months after construction. Longitudinal cracking appeared near the centerline of the roadway above the MSE walls, with voids up to 2 meters deep at spot locations. Roadway distress above the MSE walls was caused by settlement and piping of the wall backfill material. Several site-specific issues contributing to the MSE wall distress, including; (1) up to 45% fines in the wall backfill material, (2) rigid temporary shoring (soil nail walls) at the back of the more flexible MSE wall, and (3) an unlined ditch at the top of the wall, allowing surface water to flow through the clean gravel roadway base course to the back of the MSE wall. Three main lessons were learned from this case history. First, using non-standard on-site material as wall backfill ended up costing more than if imported fill was used, even though initial project costs were less and it appeared to be low risk to the wall performance. Secondly, temporary shoring systems need to be considered in conjunction with the design of MSE walls due to the differences in potential deformation between the two systems, which could lead to cracking at the interface of the two walls. Thirdly, prevention of surface water infiltration into the MSE wall system would have prevented piping of the wall backfill material and drainage improvements are relatively inexpensive costs compared to the overall cost of the entire MSE wall.
The Association between Gene-Environment Interactions and Diseases Involving the Human GST Superfamily with SNP Variants

Exposure to environmental hazards has been associated with diseases in humans. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human populations exposed to different environmental hazards, is vital for detecting the genetic risks of some important human diseases. Several studies in this field have been conducted on glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), a phase II detoxification superfamily, to investigate its role in the occurrence of diseases. Human GSTs consist of cytosolic and microsomal superfamilies that are further divided into subfamilies. Based on scientific search engines and a review of the literature, we have found a large amount of published articles on human GST super- and subfamilies that have greatly assisted in our efforts to examine their role in health and disease. Because of its polymorphic variations in relation to environmental hazards such as air pollutants, cigarette smoke, pesticides, heavy metals, carcinogens, pharmaceutical drugs, and xenobiotics, GST is considered as a significant biomarker. This review examines the studies on gene-environment interactions related to various diseases with respect to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found in the GST superfamily. Overall, it can be concluded that interactions between GST genes and environmental factors play an important role in human diseases.
Ctip1 Controls Acquisition of Sensory Area Identity and Establishment of Sensory Input Fields in the Developing Neocortex

While transcriptional controls over the size and relative position of cortical areas have been identified, less is known about regulators that direct acquisition of area-specific characteristics. Here, we report that the transcription factor Ctip1 functions in primary sensory areas to repress motor and activate sensory programs of gene expression, enabling establishment of sharp molecular boundaries defining functional areas. In Ctip1 mutants, abnormal gene expression leads to aberrantly motorized corticocortical and corticofugal output connectivity. Ctip1 critically regulates differentiation of layer IV neurons, and selective loss of Ctip1 in cortex deprives thalamocortical axons of their receptive "sensory field" in layer IV, which normally provides a tangentially and radially defined compartment of dedicated synaptic territory. Therefore, although thalamocortical axons invade appropriate cortical regions, they are unable to organize into properly configured sensory maps. Together, these data identify Ctip1 as a critical control over sensory area development.
Transmissible Plasmid Containing Salmonella enterica Heidelberg Isolates Modulate Cytokine Production During Early Stage of Interaction with Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

The variation in cytokine production during bacterial invasion of human intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) is a contributing factor for progression of the infection. A few Salmonella enterica Heidelberg strains isolated from poultry products harbor transmissible plasmids (TPs), including those that encode a type-IV secretion system. Earlier, we showed that these TPs are responsible for increased virulence during infection. This study examines the potential role of these TPs in cytokine production in IECs. This study showed that S. Heidelberg strains containing TPs (we refer as virulent strains) caused decreased interleukin (IL)-10 production in IECs after 1 h infection. The virulent strains induced a high level of tumor necrosis factor-α production under identical conditions. The virulent strains of S. Heidelberg also altered the production of IL-2, IL-17, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor compared to an avirulent strain. As a part of infection, bacteria cross the epithelial barrier and...
A view of infection control in canada united states of america and the united kingdom

The opportunity to visit twelve hospitals widely spread throughout Canada, the USA and the UK in late 1993 and early 1994 gave me a broad perspective on Infection Control in these countries. Working as I did in a 126 bed private hospital, I organised visits to a range of health care establishments to observe current practices in the surveillance and prevention of hospital acquired infections. Particular attention was given to methods and equipment used to promote a needle-safe and/or a needle free environment
Effect of environmental pollutant-As and SHP2~(D61G/+) activation on miRNA expression profiles in MEFs

Objective Establish the miRNA expression profiling under environmental carcinogens and gene mutations,to provide some new clues for further study on the mechanism of tumorgenesis.Methods Under the same condition,mice were first prepared in SHP2+/+ normal(wild type,Wt)and SHP2D61G/+activating mutation(gain-of-function mutation,GOF mutation)of immortalized fibroblast cells(mouse embryonic fibroblasts,MEFs),acute treat MEFs cells with 0.5 μmol/L As2O3 48 hours,then extract the cell total RNA.Use the analysis of miRNA hybridization to establish the miRNA(microRNA,miRNA,miR)expression profiling,screening the miRNAs which differential expression significantly,then validated by RT-PCR.Results After treated the SHP2+/+ MEFs and SHP2D61G/+ MEFs with As2O3,dozens of miRNAs showed differential expression.The expression of miRNAs increase or decrease in different SHP-2+/+ MEFs or SHP-2D61G/+ MEFs when treat with As2O3 or not,at the same time,we discovered some miRNAs show the same change along with the As2O3 treating and SHP2D61G/+ activating mutation,such as mmu-miRNA-100(down regulation) and mmu-miRNA-1907(up regulation).Conclusion Gene mutation and environmental pollution can effect the miRNAs expression profiling of MEFs significantly,these change maybe the basis of cells malignant transformation and tumourgenesis.
Evolutionary non-cooperative spectrum sharing game: long-term coexistence for collocated cognitive radio networks†

Collocated cognitive radio networks (CRNs) employ coexistence protocols to share the spectrum when it is not being used by the licensed primary users. These protocols work under the assumption that all spectrum bands provide the same level of quality of service, which is somewhat simplistic because channel conditions as well as the licensee's usage of allocated channels can vary significantly with time and space. These circumstances dictate that some channels may be considered better than others; therefore, CRNs are expected to have a preference over the choice of available channels. Because all CRNs are assumed to be rational and select the best available channels, it can lead to an imbalance in contention for disparate channels, degraded quality of service, and an overall inefficient utilization of spectrum resource. In this paper, we analyze this situation from a game theoretic perspective and model the coexistence of CRNs with heterogeneous spectrum as an evolutionary anti-coordination spectrum-sharing game. We derive the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) of the game by proving that it cannot be invaded by a greedy strategy. We also derive the replicator dynamics of the proposed evolutionary game, a mechanism with which players can learn from their payoff outcomes of strategic interactions and modify their strategies at every stage of the game and subsequently converge to ESS. Because all CRNs approach ESS based solely upon the common knowledge payoff observations, the evolutionary game can be implemented in a distributed manner. Finally, we analyze the game from the perspective of fairness using Jain's fairness index under selfish behavior from CRNs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chemokine Receptor Signaling

Signaling downstream of chemokine and other chemoattractant receptors regulates the localization, positioning, and homeostatic trafficking of leukocytes as well as the recruitment and localization of leukocytes at inflammatory sites. Ligand-induced changes in the molecular conformation of chemoattractant receptors trigger the engagement of heterotrimeric G proteins promoting α subunit GTP/GDP exchange. This functionally releases βγ subunits from the heterotrimer, which activate the downstream effectors needed to initiate leukocyte polarization, gradient sensing, and directional migration. Numerous regulatory mechanism targeting both the receptors and heterotrimeric G proteins help coordinate these signaling pathways. Failures in these regulatory pathways can severely impair chemokine receptor signaling and lead to pathology.