cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steroid hormone regulation of nuclear proto-oncogenes

The role of the nuclear proto-oncogenes as rapidly responding nuclear regulators in the cascade model for steroid hormone action is proposed. In this model, the nuclear proto-oncogenes respond within minutes to steroids and would code for regulatory proteins that in turn enter the nucleus to positively or negatively regulate "late" structural gene transcription and mRNA processing. The potential involvement of the nuclear matrix and one of its components, a receptor binding factor (RBF-1) for steroid receptors of these genes, is discussed. The nuclear proto-oncogenes, thus, may serve as important "early" regulatory genes and as excellent universal markers in all tissues in steroid hormone action. Proto-oncogenes are known to be regulatory genes since genetic alterations of amplification, mutations, chromosome translocation, and other rearrangements which result in overexpression, inactivation, and/or loss of regulatory control result in malignant transformation of the cell. It is now known that as many as six different proto-oncogenes must undergo alteration to induce the loss of cellular control of replication and/or for transformation to occur. The nuclear oncogenes, representing only one class of several of the known proto-oncogenes, code for transcription factors and enzymes involved in regulating these factors and other features of gene transcription. Possibly RNA processing is another function. Many of these genes and their responses to steroids are described in this chapter. The steroid receptors belong to a family which themselves represent transcription factors in that they reside in the nucleus and bind to specific DNA elements or other transcription factors to alter gene transcription and/or mRNA processing. The receptors for the various steroids are described as having a common structural motif and function using the above mentioned pathways. In the majority of cases cited, the steroid receptors mediate the rapid regulation of the nuclear proto-oncogene transcription. The role of palindromic SRE in or near these genes is to bind steroid hormone receptor dimers to regulate transcription. More powerful steroid response units (SRU), composed of two or more response elements for steroids or transcription factors, can act at great distances from the gene as enhancers for steroid- regulated transcription. What has become obvious from the studies of steroid effects on nuclear proto-oncogenes, is that, despite the tremendous scientific strides that have been made toward understanding gene regulation by steroids, we are still relatively naive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Update on hemangiomas of infancy.

Purpose of review Recent clinical and basic science research has led to advances in the understanding of hemangiomas of infancy. Recent findings New developments include (1) the establishment of a relation between hemangiomas of infancy and placental tissue, (2) the discovery of unique immunohistochemical markers for hemangiomas of infancy, (3) the importance of morphology and location in determining potential risk for underlying complications, and (4) the discovery of becaplermin 1% gel as an effective therapy for refractory ulceration. Summary The morphology and location of a hemangioma of infancy are critically important factors in determining potential risk for complications. Ongoing research is bringing closer an understanding of the cause of hemangioma, which will provide opportunities for the development of interventional, and ultimately preventative, therapies.
Synthesis and Secretion of Hydroxyproline-containing Macromolecules in Carrots II. In vivo Conversion of Peptidyl Proline to Peptidyl Hydroxyproline

The chelator alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl prevents the formation of protein-bound hydroxyproline without affecting protein synthesis as measured by the incorporation of (14)C-proline. The inhibitory effect can be overcome by exogenous ferrous ions. Neither alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl nor Fe(2+) interferes in any other known way with the synthesis and secretion of the hydroxyproline-rich proteins normally found in the cell wall. This reversal by Fe(2+) of the inhibition of proline hydroxylation by alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl is used for a study in vivo of the hydroxylation reaction. This reaction has a temperature coefficient of 2.2, suggesting that it is an enzymatic process. Reversal by Fe(2+) of the alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl inhibition can occur after protein synthesis has been arrested with cycloheximide, indicating that peptidyl proline is the substrate of the hydroxylation reaction. Hydroxylation occurs in the cytoplasm, and not in the cell wall, and only for a limited time after the incorporation of proline into the polypeptide chain. This suggests a spatial separation of the enzyme and the substrate.
CT Enteroclysis: Techniques and Applications

CT enteroclysis overcomes the individual deficiencies of both barium enteroclysis and conventional CT and combines the advantages of both into one technique whose clinical applicability has been simplified and made more reliable with multidetector CT technology. This article examines the techniques of CT enteroclysis and presents an overview of its clinical applications relative to other methods of small bowel imaging.
Liver alcohol dehydrogenase subunit equivalence studied by rapid sampling of alcohol product formed from sequentially bound [4α-3H]NADH

Abstract Horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase has been claimed to exhibit presteady-state “half-of-the-sites” reactivity with aromatic substrates under some circumstances. To clarify the role of half-of-the-sites reactivity in liver alcohol dehydrogenase the direct sampling of the alcohol product formed immediately after initiation of the reaction was studied using a rapid sampling device and [4α- 3 H]NADH. Liver alcohol dehydrogenase which contained a very low mole-ratio of [4α- 3 H]NADH bound to one subunit of the dimer was rapidly mixed with excess 4-(2′-imidazolylazo)benzaldehyde substrate and nonradioactive NADH to initiate the reaction, which was allowed to proceed for a short time before it was quenched. If strong HClO 4 quench was used isolation of total free and bound azoalcohol product was possible. If NaOH quench was used isolation only of the azoalcohol product released by the enzyme was possible since most enzyme-bound azoalcohol was reversed back to azoaldehyde by the base. The pH-jump reversal reaction also was characterized spectroscopically by stopped flow technique. Nearly fullsites reactivity was observed for reaction in either direction. Furthermore (4α- 3 H]NADH bound firstly to one subunit in the dimer reacted essentially identically to NADH bound secondly to the other subunit. Thus, half-of-the-sites reactivity was not observed in these experiments nor did they give any indication of liver alcohol dehydrogenase active site nonequivalence induced by coenzyme binding or reaction.
Oxidation of phenazine methosulfate by hepatic aldehyde oxidase.

Abstract Rabbit liver aldehyde oxidase exhibits a dual catalytic specificity; it catalyzes the oxidation of a wide variety of aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, salicylaldehyde, pyridoxal) and also catalyzes the hydroxylation of nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycles such as N1-methylnicotinamide, quinoline and quinine (Knox 1946). Oxygen, ferricyanide, methylene blue, 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, cytochrome c, nitroblue tetrazolium as well as phenazine methosulfate (PMS) serve as electron acceptors for the highly purified enzyme ( Rajagopalan, Fridovich and Handler, 1962 ). In the course of experiment in which PMS was to serve as electron acceptor it was observed that, in the absence of a conventional substrate, aerobic incubation of this dye with the enzyme resulted in the appearance of a red color. Further examination revealed that PMS can serve not only as electron acceptor but as an oxidizable substrate (electron donor) for aldehyde oxidase. Since this dye has occasionally been observed to serve as a reductant when introduced into biological systems as an oxidant ( Kok and Hoch, 1961 ), it appeared desirable to record the present findings.
Soil Humic Acid Decreases Biological Uranium(VI) Reduction by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32

Biological reduction of uranium(VI) by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 was investigated in the presence of soil humic acid (SHA). Experiments were performed under resting cell conditions with uranyl acetate as the electron acceptor and sodium lactate as the electron donor in a NaHCO3 or PIPES/NaHCO3 buffer. SHA significantly decreased the final extent of U(VI) bioreduction (100% uranium bioreduced without humics vs. 50% uranium bioreduced with humics). Dissolved (0.2-μm filter) U(VI) was measured by kinetic phosphorescence analysis where samples were kept anoxic during one measurement, and split samples were oxidized and remeasured. The difference between the anoxic and oxidized measurements was operationally defined as “U(IV) < 0.2-μm.” U(IV) <0.2-μm was detected only in samples containing SHA suggesting that soluble U(IV)–SHA complexes were formed or SHA facilitated the transport of UIVO2 (s) nanoparticles through the filter. Identical experiments conducted with nitrate instead of U(VI) showed that SHA int...
Transient receptor potential channels as novel effectors of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling: Potential implications for Rett syndrome

Abstract In addition to their prominent role as survival signals for neurons in the developing nervous system, neurotrophins have established their significance in the adult brain as well, where their modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity may participate in associative learning and memory. These crucial activities are primarily the result of neurotrophin regulation of intracellular Ca 2+ homeostasis and, ultimately, changes in gene expression. Outlined in the following review is a synopsis of neurotrophin signaling with a particular focus upon brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its role in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and neuronal Ca 2+ homeostasis. Neurotrophin signaling through tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk) and pan-neurotrophin receptor 75 kD (p75 NTR ) receptors are also discussed, reviewing recent results that indicate signaling through these two receptor modalities leads to opposing cellular outcomes. We also provide an intriguing look into the transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) family of ion channels as distinctive targets of BDNF signaling; these channels are critical for capacitative Ca 2+ entry, which, in due course, mediates changes in neuronal structure including dendritic spine density. Finally, we expand these topics into an exploration of mental retardation (MR), in particular Rett Syndrome (RTT), where dendritic spine abnormalities may underlie cognitive impairments. We propose that understanding the role of neurotrophins in synapse formation, plasticity, and maintenance will make fundamental contributions to the development of therapeutic strategies to improve cognitive function in developmental disorders associated with MR.
Immunofluorescent staining of frozen sections for glial fibrillary acidic protein.

Immunofluorescent staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) has been used as part of the diagnostic evaluation of eleven patients and compared with routine special stains. In one case, a difficult fibrillary neoplasm of the spinal cord, this diagnostic procedure provided rapid, positive identification of the glial nature of the tumor. In all cases, the GFAP reactivity was consistent with staining properties of PTAH and more rapid than PTAH.
Stress and coping in children and families

This chapter reviews issues in theory and methodology in the study of stress and coping in children and families.
Real-time solutions of the origin-crossing problem

Then-dimensional origin-crossing language,On, is a language each of whose words describes a walk throughn-dimensional space beginning and ending at the origin. For eachn, On is real-time recognizable by ann-counter machine but not by any (n — 1)-counter machine. In contrast, for alln, On is real-time recognizable by a one-tape Turing machine.
Map-assisted Kalman filtering

We describe a method for incorporating map information to the Kalman filter that is commonly used in indoor and outdoor navigation systems. The map information is provided as a measurement to the Kalman filter to ensure the consistency of the Kalman estimate. The proposed method provides huge computational saving over common map matching algorithms that use the more computationally expensive particle filter. We show indoor navigation examples that highlight the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Language Planning for the "Other Jewish Languages" in Israel: An Agenda for the Beginning of the 21st Century.

Although small budgets have recently been allocated to governmentally controlled “Authorities” for Yiddish and Ladino, both of these languages (as well as Judeo-Arabic and Judeo-Persian) suffer from a serious lack of well-prioritized efforts in accord with their specific language-planning needs. The ultra-orthodox Yiddish-speaking community is the only one among all of the “Jewish languages other than Hebrew” which has both a continually growing number of young speakers as well as demographically concentrated residential areas with neighborhood institutions (schools, synagogues) utilizing their own vernacular. The secular Yiddish sector is much richer in modern language-related institutional infrastructure and intelligentsia but is almost in total disarray insofar as demographic concentration of young speakers, schools with adequate instructional time and young institutional leadership are concerned. Ladino is even worse off, with respect to speakers and infrastructure, but has recently moved ahead noticeably due to prominent younger leaders with a rich agenda of important goals and projects. Judeo-Arabic and Judeo-Persian both suffer from a dire lack of language-focused intellectuals as well as the absence of a dominant spoken or written variety and are still regarded by their own speakers as dialects lacking in autonomy. None of the latter three languages/varieties has either a periodical press or book-production and the last two lack even courses, teachers or pedagogic materials appropriate for young students. The current insufficiency of funds and less-than-informed efforts on behalf of governmental authorities may lead to the early demise of most “other Jewish languages than Hebrew” in Israel, with the distinct exception of Yiddish in ultra-Orthodox circles.
The influence of methylphenidate on spontaneous autonomic activity and behavior in children diagnosed as hyperactive.

Methylphenidate influenced the spontaneous autonomic activity of children diagnosed as hyperactive. There was dose response related reduction in disruptive classroom behavior monitored by the teacher ratings and a parallel decrease in a component of heart period variability, V, derived via spectral analysis of heart period activity. A low dose of methylphenidate, which has been reported to enhance cognitive performance, selectively increased a measure of respiratory-cardiac coupling, Cw, derived via cross-spectral analysis of respiration and heart period activity. It is hypothesized that Cw may be a quantitative manifestation of brainstem integration and V may be a quantitative estimate of effective vagal tone on the heart.
A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Comparison of Extended Release Oxybutynin Versus Phenazopyridine for the Management of Postoperative Ureteral Stent Discomfort

Objectives Ureteral stents commonly cause lower urinary tract and flank discomfort. We evaluated the use of extended release oxybutynin versus phenazopyridine versus placebo for the management of ureteral stent discomfort after ureteroscopy. Methods Each of 60 patients who received a unilateral stent after ureteroscopy was given a blister pack containing 21 unmarked capsules of either extended release oxybutynin 10 mg, phenazopyridine 200 mg, or placebo in a prospective, randomized, and double-blinded fashion. Patients were instructed to take 1 capsule 3 times daily immediately after the procedure. Patients were given 50 tablets of oral narcotic to be taken as needed. Patients reported bothersome scores for flank pain, suprapubic pain, urinary frequency, urgency, dysuria, and hematuria on postoperative day 1, day 2, and the day of stent removal. Narcotic use was also recorded. Results Eight patients were excluded from the analysis for stent migration necessitating early removal (1), uncontrollable pain (1), failure to complete blister pack (4), and inability to contact for follow-up surveys (2). There was no difference in bothersome score among the groups for flank pain, suprapubic pain, urinary frequency, urgency, and dysuria. The phenazopyridine group reported less hematuria on postoperative day 1 when compared with placebo, which was statistically significant. The oxybutynin group required fewer narcotics, but this finding was not statistically significant. Conclusions Although this study failed to show a significant difference in bothersome scores among the groups, the small sample size precludes definitive conclusion. Future studies pooling these data will determine the overall treatment effect and the optimal management of ureteral stent morbidity.
A greenhouse gas emissions inventory for Pennsylvania.

Abstract The Pennsylvania greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory presented in this paper provides detailed estimates of emissions and their sources for the six major categories of GHGs. The inventory was compiled using the current U.S. Environment Protection Agency methodology, which applies emissions factors to socioeconomic data, such as fossil energy use, vehicle miles traveled, and industrial production. The paper also contains an assessment of the methodology and suggestions for improving accounting with respect to process, sectoral, and geographic considerations. The study found that Pennsylvania emitted 77.4 million metric tons carbon equivalent of GHGs in 1990 and that this total increased by 3% to 79.8 million metric tons carbon equivalent by 1999. Despite this increase, however, the state’s percentage contribution to the United States total declined during the decade. Pennsylvania’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels represented 92.4% of 1990 totals and declined to 90.5% in 1999....
True Color Molecular Imaging with METRiCS OCT

Being able to assess, structure and quantify the molecular content of biological samples in vivo is paramount to improving our understanding of many diseases. To this end, we have developed molecular imaging true-color spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (METRiCS OCT), which derives functional information from the spatially resolved spectral content of scattered and absorbed light.
The role of clinical practice guidelines in enhancing quality and reducing racial/ethnic disparities in paediatrics

Abstract Paediatricians believe that clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) can improve patient care but only when the CPGs are flexible, rigorously tested, effective, not used punitively and are motivated by desires to improve quality, not reduce costs. Paediatricians may avoid using CPGs because few have been subjected to rigorous evaluation to demonstrate improved quality and reduced costs. Effective physician adherence to a CPG can be viewed as a multi-step process with potential barriers at each step. Barriers to adherence can be classified as internal (lack of awareness, familiarity, agreement, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy regarding a given CPG and inability to overcome the inertia of current practice) or external (deficits in the required CPG implementation infrastructure). Effective interventions for overcoming barriers to CPG adherence can include multiple modes of disseminating CPG information to practitioners, continuing medical education, feedback to physicians and establishing a solid infrastructure for CPG implementation. Adherence to evidence-based asthma CPGs may be a potentially powerful tool for reducing or eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in asthma treatment because CPGs consist of strict, explicit protocols based on symptoms, not race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.
The effect of neutron irradiation on the loss and rearrangement of dislocations in thin foils of fatigue-hardened copper‡

Abstract Dislocation densities and arrangements in foils sectioned parallel to the primary slip plane were found to be the same, within experimental error, for both neutron-irradiated and unirradiated fatigue-hardened copper crystals. The loss of dislocations from unirradiated foils sectioned perpendicular to the primary slip direction was substantial (approximately 70%) for crystals in the early stages of fatigue hardening. The evidence from these experiments supports the conclusion that primary screw dislocations were mutually annihilated by cross-slip during cyclic hardening.
Spectral Reflectance of Martian Areas during the 1973 Opposition: Photoelectric Filter Photometry 0. 33-1. 10 μm

Abstract Reflectance spectra of 26 Martian areas (200–400 km in diameter) that were measured during the 1973 opposition are presented. They were measured through 25 narrow-band interference filters between 0.33 and 1.10 μm, using a photoelectric filter photometer at the Mauna Kea 230-cm telescope. There were many more bright and dark areas observed than during previous oppositions, and for the first time spectra were obtained of dust clouds and areas of mixed and intermediate albedo. The bright areas and dust clouds were all apparently composed of the same mineralogic unit. The dark area spectra differed substantially from the bright area and dust cloud spectra, and they showed major regional variations. The spectra of mixed and intermediate albedo areas had absorption bands seen in both bright and dark area spectra, and did not display any unique new features: thus they were apparently not compositionally unique, but rather were probably composed of mixtures of high albedo dust and dark area soils.
Actin-capping protein promotes microtubule stability by antagonizing the actin activity of mDia1

In migrating fibroblasts, RhoA and its effector mDia1 regulate the selective stabilization of microtubules (MTs) polarized in the direction of migration. The conserved formin homology 2 domain of mDia1 is involved both in actin polymerization and MT stabilization, and the relationship between these two activities is unknown. We found that latrunculin A (LatA) and jasplakinolide, actin drugs that release mDia1 from actin filament barbed ends, stimulated stable MT formation in serum-starved fibroblasts and caused a redistribution of mDia1 onto MTs. Knockdown of mDia1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) prevented stable MT induction by LatA, whereas blocking upstream Rho or integrin signaling had no effect. In search of physiological regulators of mDia1, we found that actin-capping protein induced stable MTs in an mDia1-dependent manner and inhibited the translocation of mDia on the ends of growing actin filaments. Knockdown of capping protein by siRNA reduced stable MT levels in proliferating cells and in starved cells stimulated with lysophosphatidic acid. These results show that actin-capping protein is a novel regulator of MT stability that functions by antagonizing mDia1 activity toward actin filaments and suggest a novel form of actin–MT cross-talk in which a single factor acts sequentially on actin and MTs.
Enhanced expression of a high-molecular-weight protein in arteriosclerotic plaques

We report the detection of a high-molecular-weight protein which is present in the 12,000 X g supernatant of arteriosclerotic plaques from the abdominal aortas of cockerels. The protein has a molecular weight of 160-170 kd when resolved via sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (7.5%) in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol. Densitometric scans of silver-stained gels indicate that the 160 kd protein is 8-10 times more prominent in plaques than in the underlying artery wall. This protein, which is present in all plaques analyzed to date, can be detected in animals as young as 8 weeks of age. This represents the first demonstration of the elaboration of a unique protein during the early stages of arteriosclerotic plaque development.
A Tuesday in the life of a flourisher: the role of positive emotional reactivity in optimal mental health.

Flourishing—a state of optimal mental health— has been linked to a host of benefits for the individual and society, including fewer workdays lost and the lowest incidence of chronic physical conditions. The aim of this paper was to investigate whether and how routine activities promote flourishing. The authors proposed that flourishers thrive because they capitalize on the processes featured in the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, specifically by experiencing greater positive emotional reactivity to pleasant events and building more resources over time. To test these hypotheses, the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) was administered to a prescreened community sample of adults (n 208), and they were recontacted two to three months later. Results showed that relative to those who did not flourish or were depressed, people who flourish generally responded with bigger “boosts” in positive emotions in response to everyday, pleasant events (helping, interacting, playing, learning, spiritual activity), and this greater positive emotional reactivity, over time, predicted higher levels of two facets of the cognitive resource of mindfulness. In turn, these higher levels of mindfulness were positively associated with higher levels of flourishing at the end of study, controlling for initial levels of flourishing. These results suggest that the promotion of well-being may be fueled by small, yet consequential differences in individuals’ emotional experience of pleasant everyday events. Additionally, these results underscore the utility of the broadenand-build theory in understanding the processes by which flourishing is promoted and provide support for a positive potentiation perspective.
Choices in fluid type and volume during resuscitation: impact on patient outcomes

We summarize the emerging new literature regarding the pathophysiological principles underlying the beneficial and deleterious effects of fluid administration during resuscitation, as well as current recommendations and recent clinical evidence regarding specific colloids and crystalloids. This systematic review allows us to conclude that there is no clear benefit associated with the use of colloids compared to crystalloids and no evidence to support the unique benefit of albumin as a resuscitation fluid. Hydroxyethyl starch use has been associated with increased acute kidney injury (AKI) and use of renal replacement therapy. Other synthetic colloids (dextran and gelatins) though not well studied do not appear superior to crystalloids. Normal saline (NS) use is associated with hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis and increased risk of AKI. This risk is decreased when balanced salt solutions are used. Balanced crystalloid solutions have shown no harmful effects, and there is evidence for benefit over NS. Finally, fluid resuscitation should be applied in a goal-directed manner and targeted to physiologic needs of individual patients. The evidence supports use of fluids in volume-responsive patients whose end-organ perfusion parameters have not been met.
Statistical modeling of silicon dioxide reliability

A technique is presented for predicting lifetime of an oxide to different voltages, different oxide areas and different temperatures. Using the defect density model in which defects are modelled as effective oxide thinning, many reliability parameters such as yield, failure rate, and screen time/screen yield can be predicted. Effects of oxide thickness, process improvements including defect gettering, and alternative dielectrics such as CVD oxides are evaluated in terms of defect density as a function of effective oxide thinning. >
Relaxed states of MHD turbulence - Minimum dissipation or minimum energy?

The results of driven, steady-state MHD computations are described by adapting the principle of minimum energy dissipation rate to MHD. It is argued that there is a variational principle that is as useful for the driven, steady-state problem as the minimum energy principle is for isolated mechanical systems, particularly for fluids and magnetofluids. Driven, dissipative MHD is reexamined from the standpoint of minimum-dissipation-rate principles.
Academic Advising as Learning: 10 Organizing Principles

A learning paradigm can transform the field of academic advising. Ten organizing principles answer the two core questions raised by a focus on learning. What should the student learn through advising? How might the learning take place? The first three organizing principles define a curriculum for academic advising and are based on the premise that the goals and values of advising should be derived from the institutional mission statement and assist advisees in developing higher-order thinking skills. The other principles focus on pedagogy: creating and organizing situations that assist students in meeting learning goals. We draw upon progressive, constructivist, and social constructivist theories of education to study both the learner and the learning context.
Individually addressable arrays of replica microbial cultures enabled by splitting SlipChips

Isolating microbes carrying genes of interest from environmental samples is important for applications in biology and medicine. However, this involves the use of genetic assays that often require lysis of microbial cells, which is not compatible with the goal of obtaining live cells for isolation and culture. This paper describes the design, fabrication, biological validation, and underlying physics of a microfluidic SlipChip device that addresses this challenge. The device is composed of two conjoined plates containing 1000 microcompartments, each comprising two juxtaposed wells, one on each opposing plate. Single microbial cells are stochastically confined and subsequently cultured within the microcompartments. Then, we split each microcompartment into two replica droplets, both containing microbial culture, and then controllably separate the two plates while retaining each droplet within each well. We experimentally describe the droplet retention as a function of capillary pressure, viscous pressure, and viscosity of the aqueous phase. Within each pair of replicas, one can be used for genetic analysis, and the other preserves live cells for growth. This microfluidic approach provides a facile way to cultivate anaerobes from complex communities. We validate this method by targeting, isolating, and culturing Bacteroides vulgatus, a core gut anaerobe, from a clinical sample. To date, this methodology has enabled isolation of a novel microbial taxon, representing a new genus. This approach could also be extended to the study of other microorganisms and even mammalian systems, and may enable targeted retrieval of solutions in applications including digital PCR, sequencing, single cell analysis, and protein crystallization.
Dynamic redundancy resolution in a nonholonomic wheeled mobile manipulator

Wheeled Mobile Manipulators (WMM) possess many advantages over fixed-base counterparts in terms of improved workspace, mobility and robustness. However, the combination of the nonholonomic constraints with the inherent redundancy limits effective exploitation of end-effector payload manipulation capabilities. The dynamic-level redundancy-resolution scheme presented in this paper decomposes the system dynamics into decoupled task-space (end-effector motions/forces) and a dynamically consistent null-space (internal motions/forces) component. This simplifies the subsequent development of a prioritized task-space control (of end-effector interactions) and a decoupled but secondary null-space control (of internal motions) in a hierarchical WMM controller. Various aspects of the ensuing novel capabilities are illustrated using a series of simulation results.
RT-SHIV, an infectious CCR5-tropic chimeric virus suitable for evaluating HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors in macaque models

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are an important category of drugs for both chemotherapy and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. However, current non-human primate (NHP) models utilizing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or commonly used chimeric SHIV (SIV expressing HIV-1 envelope) are inadequate due to the insensitivity to NNRTIs. To develop a NHP model for evaluation of NNRTI compounds, we characterized a RT-SHIV virus that was assembled by replacing the SIVmac239 reverse transcriptase (RT) with that of HIV-1HXB2. Since RT-SHIV exhibited in vitro characteristics of high infectivity, CCR5-usage, and sensitivity to HIV-1 specific NNRTIs, this virus was thought to be suitable for mucosal transmission and then was used to carry out a vaginal transmission study in pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina). RT-SHIV exhibited in vitro characteristics of an infectious CCR5-tropic chimeric virus. This virus was not only highly sensitive to HIV-1 RT specific NNRTIs; its replication was also inhibited by a variety of NRTIs and protease inhibitors. For in vivo vaginal transmission studies, macaques were either pretreated with a single dose of DMPA (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate) or left untreated before intravaginal inoculation with 500 or 1,000 TCID50 of RT-SHIV. All macaques became systemically infected by 2 or 3 weeks post-inoculation exhibiting persistent high viremia, marked CD4+T cell depletion, and antiviral antibody response. DMPA-pretreated macaques showed a higher mean plasma viral load after the acute infection stage, highly variable antiviral antibody response, and a higher incidence of AIDS-like disease as compared with macaques without DMPA pretreatment. This chimeric RT-SHIV has exhibited productive replication in both macaque and human PBMCs, predominantly CCR5-coreceptor usage for viral entry, and sensitivity to NNRTIs as well as other anti-HIV compounds. This study demonstrates rapid systemic infection in macaques following intravaginal exposure to RT-SHIV. This RT-SHIV/macaque model could be useful for evaluation of NNRTI-based therapies, microbicides, or other preventive strategies.
Teaching object-oriented programming and design (abstract)

A course in object-oriented programming and design oriented paradigm, namely that it promotes reuse, should address the claims made for the object- models the problem space, facilitates maintenance, incorporates changes easily, and shortens the development lifecycle. One way (perhaps the only way) for students to test such claims is to build a small but high quality product as part of the course.This tutorial shows how to have students in a conventional computer science program build such a product, and addresses such issues as how to pick good projects, whether and how students should work together in teams, how to keep students on schedule, and how to divide a project into a sequence of deliverables within the context of a one semester course.The tutorial also describes how to scale back the approach so that students in short courses, common in industry, can get maximum benefit in the limited time that is allowed.
When intraspecific exceeds interspecific variance : Effects of phytoplankton morphology and growth phase on copepod feeding and fitness

When different growth phases (exponential or stationary) or forms (solitary cells or colonies) of a single clone of Phaeocystis globosa were fed to three copepods, grazing, measured indirectly by fecal-pellet production, on different types of P. globosa differed by nearly two orders of magnitude, with differences on this clone sometimes exceeding differences between different phytoplankton species. The copepods Pseudodiaptomus pelagicusand Eucalanus pileatus fed more on colonies than solitary cells, with P. pelagicus also feeding more on exponential than on stationary cultures. Feeding by Acartia tonsa was complex and dramatically more variable. A. tonsa consumed 16‐92 times more P. globosa when feeding on stationary-phase colonies than on any other P. globosa cell type. It fed five times more on stationary-phase colonies of P. globosa than on the palatable Rhodomonas baltica, but fed more on R. baltica than on other stages of P. globosa. Diet effects on copepod fitness were not related to amounts of foods consumed. Survivorship of A. tonsa and E. pileatus did not differ on any of the P. globosa cell types, but survivorship of P. pelagicus was suppressed on colonies (which they consumed more of) versus solitary cells. A. tonsa consumed 30 times more stationary-phase colonies than exponential-phase solitary cells, but produced two times more eggs on the lesser consumed food. Dramatic consumption of stationary-phase colonies may occur because this is a low-quality food and A. tonsa attempts to compensate by consuming more. The limited consumption of other P. globosa types is suggestive of chemical defenses that may be compromised when colonies enter stationary phase.
Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval, 3rd ed.

In this comprehensive 3rd edition of Introduction to Modern Information Retrieval, G.G. Chowdhury has provided a thorough and information-rich resource for library and information professionals of ...
Expression of bcl-2 in Classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma: An Independent Predictor of Poor Outcome

Purpose Although most classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (CHL) patients are cured, a significant minority fails primary therapy and may die as a result of their disease. Age, stage, and other basic clinical and laboratory parameters, which comprise the International Prognostic Score (IPS), are used at diagnosis to predict outcome. To date, there is no consensus on biologic markers that add value to these parameters. Patients and Methods We evaluated 107 CHL patients for bcl-2, p53, and p21 expression by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays and correlated the results with outcome. The median follow-up of the 79 surviving patients was 6.8 years. Results Univariate analysis showed that age ≥ 45 years, stage III or IV, and IPS ≥ 3 were associated with a poor failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS). bcl-2 was expressed in 26% of patients and was associated with poor FFS and a trend for OS. p53 expression in combination with lack of p21 expression was not associated with outcome. Multivariate a...
On predictive routing of security contexts in an all‐IP network

While mobile nodes (MNs) undergo handovers across inter-wireless access networks, their security contexts must be propagated for secure re-establishment of on-going application sessions, such as those in secure mobile internet protocol (IP), authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) services. Routing security contexts via an IP network either on-demand or based on MNs' mobility prediction, imposes new challenging requirements of secure cross-handover services and security context management. In this paper, we present a context router (CXR) that manages security contexts in an all-IP network, providing seamless and secure handover services for the mobile users that carry multimedia-access devices. A CXR is responsible for (1) monitoring of MNs' cross-handover, (2) analysis of MNs' movement patterns, and (3) routing of security contexts ahead of MNs' arrival at relevant access points. The predictive routing reduces the delay in the underlying security association that would otherwise fetch an involved security context from a remote server. The predictive routing of security contexts is performed based on statistical learning of MNs' movement pattern, gauging (dis)similarities between the patterns obtained via distance measurements. The CXR has been evaluated with a prototypical implementation based on an MN mobility model on a grid. Our evaluation results support the predictive routing mechanism's improvement in seamless and secure cross-handover services by a factor of 2.5. Also, the prediction mechanism is shown to outperform the Kalman filter-based method [13] as a Kalman Fiter-based mechanism up to 1.5 and 3.6 times regarding prediction accuracy and computation performance, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibition of NFκB Activation with Curcumin Attenuates Plasma Inflammatory Cytokines Surge and Cardiomyocytic Apoptosis Following Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion1

Background. Following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardiac global ischemia and reperfusion, proinflammatory cytokines are activated and cause cardiomyocytic injury. Nuclear factor (NF)-B is involved in regulating inflammatory signal transduction. Curcumin inhibits NF-B activation and blocks the inflammatory responses. We studied whether curcumin could decrease myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury with cardioplegia during CPB and attenuate the appearance of apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. Materials and methods. Rabbits received normal saline (group 1) or curcumin (70 M/kg, group 2; 100 M/kg, group 3) injection 2 h before CPB. Total CPB was initiated and cold (4°C) antegrade intermittent crystalloid cardioplegia was delivered every 20 min for 60 min of cardiac arrest. Rabbits were weaned from CPB and reperfused for 4 h. Blood was sampled at various time points and then the reperfused hearts were harvested. Results. Postoperative elevation of plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-8 (14.5, 0.9, 2.9 times over baseline in groups 1‐3, respectively, P < 0.05), IL-10 (201.1, 6.0, 14.9 times over baseline in groups 1‐3, respectively, P < 0.05), TNF- (9.4, 3.1, 3.9 times over baseline in groups 1‐3, respectively, P < 0.05), and cardiac troponin I (141.2, 14.9, 15.0 times over baseline) significantly decreased in the curcumin groups. Appearance of apoptotic cardiomyocytes significantly decreased in the curcumin groups (5.69 1.64, 1.51 0.41, 2.43 0.49 per 1000 nuclei in groups 1‐3, respectively, P < 0.01). The activation of neutrophil in the myocardium, which was measured using myocardial myloperoxidase activity assay, was significantly attenuated in the curcumin group. There was a significant increase in apoptosis-related cleavage fragments of caspase-3 and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase in group 1 compared to the other groups. Conclusions. Curcumin, an inhibitor of NF-B, ameliorated the surge of pro-inflammatory cytokines during CPB and decreased the occurrence of cardiomyocytic apoptosis after global cardiac ischemia/reperfusion
Mirror Images: Political Structure and Early Railroad Policy in the United States and Prussia

As conventional thinking once had it, Vormarz Prussia and the antebellum United States mapped out opposite ends of a “strong-state, weak-state” spectrum. But several decades of research have rendered both images increasingly untenable. Revisions began on the American side in the 1940s when a group of scholars set out to re-evaluate the state governments' role in antebellum American industrialization. These studies of state legislation and political rhetoric—the first to take federalism seriously, one might say—collectively laid to rest the myth of laissez-faire during the antebellum period. Since then scholars of the antebellum political economy have examined the American state from another angle, shifting attention to the role of the state and federal courts in economic growth. Others, mean-while, have taken a closer look at the federal government's role before the Civil War and discerned interventionist tendencies in the federal legislature and executive as well. The cumulative effect is clear: it has become impossible to speak of laissez-faire in the antebellum American context. On the Prussian side, too, historians have begun to rethink the state's role in industrialization as mounting evidence has undermined the conventional image. Initially, few historians questioned the extent of the state's involvement in economic activity during the first half of the 19th century; instead, they debated its consequences—beneficial or not, intended or not. On balance the first round of revisions judged Vormdrz Prussian policies to have been rather contradictory in nature, some encouraging industrialization but others either hampering economic change or proving irrelevant.5 Historian Clive Trebilcock has gone a step further, however, debunking what he labels “myths of the directed economy” in nineteenth-century Germany.
Heterogeneity of H-K-ATPase-mediated acid secretion along the mouse collecting duct

In the collecting duct (CD), H-K-ATPases function in cation reabsorption and H secretion. This study evaluated H-K-ATPase-mediated H secretion along the mouse CD, measured as EIPA- and luminal bafi...
An overview of neural engineering

A comprehensive definition of Neural Engineering is presented from scientific, technological, clinical and end-user perspectives. Neural Engineering is the synergistic and highly interdisciplinary marriage of the neuroscience disciplines and those of engineering and computer science. It seeks to tap directly or indirectly into the nervous system to obtain sensory or command and control signals, to activate outgoing neural signals, and/or to influence processing within the central nervous system. Neural Engineering also seeks methods to restore lost or compromised neurological function. Neural Engineering is involved in designing, analyzing, and testing functional interfaces between neuroprosthetic systems and neurobiological systems. Neural Engineering also tests all of these components as systems, both in an engineering sense and in a physiological sense. Neural Engineering's design goals, achievable through rigorous in vitro, in vivo and clinical research, advance the understanding of sensorimotor neuroscience; and produce neural prostheses that are reliable, robust, safe, functionally transparent and cosmetically acceptable.
Is endothelin involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension

Endothelins are a family of potent vasoconstrictor peptides released by endothelial cells. The production of endothelin-1 (ET-1) can be stimulated by aggregating platelets and angiotensin II. It is inhibited by increases in intracellular concentration of cyclic GMP. ET-1 causes biphasic changes in arterial blood pressure and of peripheral resistance in several vascular beds: an initial transient decrease (due to release of nitric oxide, prostacyclin, or both from the endothelium) followed by a sustained increase (mainly due to direct activation of vascular smooth muscle). The vasoconstriction induced by the peptide is inhibited by increases in cyclic GMP. Few studies, except in pregnant women with preeclampsia or eclampsia, indicate that the circulating levels of the peptide are augmented in hypertension. Likewise, the information available on changes in responsiveness to endothelins in blood vessels from hypertensive animals is controversial. Until the effect of selective antagonists on the production or action of the peptide can be determined in hypertensive patients, caution must be exerted when implying a role for endothelin in the pathophysiology of hypertension.
Envisioning China’s Political Future: Elite Responses to Democracy as a Global Constitutive Norm

Democratic domestic governance has become a global constitutive norm. The fully socialized, “normal” state in international society is now expected either already to be democratic or embarked upon a democratization trajectory. But in China, the ruling Communist Party (CCP) rejects this norm and vows to construct an authoritarian new “political civilization” superior to democracy. Supportive Party intellectuals contend that most of the constitutive norms asserted to be global are actually manifestations of Western ideational power. CCP elites argue the impossibility of a global culture beyond the agency of states, which they regard as the ontologically primary actors in world politics. China’s rise—its rapid increase in comprehensive national power—affords these elites the material and ideational resources they need to resist reconstitution by global democratic norms. Their efforts will probably keep the international society of states significantly pluralist (in the English School sense) well into the future.