cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laser Dosimetry and Damage Mechanisms: Unresolved Problems

The use of any physical or chemical modality in science or in medicine and surgery requires the application of dosimetric concepts, terms, quantities, and units. The choice of any domestic quantities requires certain assumptions relating to the nature of the interaction of the chemical agent (or drug) or the physical agent (e.g. acoustic radiation, light, or ambient heat or cold). If these underlying assumptions are seriously in error, the wrong physical quantities may be chosen, with the result that empirical observations may not fit theory, the development of new theory will be hindered and experimental results will not be readily comparable between different laboratories. The use of standard terminology is also very important. Fortunately, the CIE (Commission International d’Eclairage) and other international organizations have established a standardized system of radiometric quantities and units[l,2].
Auxin Signaling: Derepression through Regulated Proteolysis

Auxins are a class of phytohormones implicated in virtually every aspect of plant growth and development. Many early plant responses to auxin are apparently mediated by members of a family of Aux/IAA proteins that dimerize with and inhibit members of the auxin response factor (ARF) family of transcription factors. Aux/IAA proteins are unstable, and their degradation is triggered by a ubiquitin-protein ligase that is regulated by modification with a ubiquitin-related protein. Recent genetic and biochemical evidence indicates that auxin accelerates the degradation of the already short-lived Aux/IAA proteins to derepress transcription by ARF proteins. Several pieces of the auxin-signaling puzzle remain to be assembled, including the proteins that initially bind auxin, the proteins that convey this signal to the protein degradation machinery, and the targets of the transcriptional derepression.
Inflammatory sinus diseases affecting the orbit.

This article details infectious and inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses that can involve the orbit; particular attention is paid to bacterial and fungal infections and the optic neuritis that can result. Wegener’s granulomatosis, polymorphic reticulosis, and sarcoid may invade the orbits by direct extension from the nose; each are briefly detailed. Graves’ orbitopathy and pseudotumor may mimic infection of sinus origin and must be differentiated for appropriate treatment.
Exploring the characteristics of successful volunteer-led urban forest tree committees in Massachusetts

Abstract Citizen engagement through urban forest tree committee volunteer service may aid in providing essential experience, ideas, and skills that support municipal tree management. Using semi-structured, research interviews with tree committee (TC) representatives from across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this study addresses current knowledge gaps concerning the general composition, processes, and relationships of volunteer-led urban forest tree committees. Our findings indicate that TC representatives are typically motivated, passionate volunteers who generally desire to work cooperatively with the many associations, organizations, and agencies that comprise the local socio-political landscape. Our findings also indicate it is important that TC representatives make a sustained, concerted effort to work collaboratively with their local tree warden to advance the care of their community’s urban trees. Furthermore, it is also essential that municipal managers and decision-makers attempt to provide TC volunteers with appropriate training opportunities, resources, as well as demonstrate appreciation, to further encourage and solidify volunteer-engagement in urban forestry at the local level.
Exploiting deep learning and volunteered geographic information for mapping buildings in Kano, Nigeria

Buildings in the developing world are inadequately mapped. Lack of such critical geospatial data adds unnecessary challenges to locating and reaching a large segment of the world’s most vulnerable population, impeding sustainability goals ranging from disaster relief to poverty reduction. Use of volunteered geographic information (VGI) has emerged as a widely accepted source to fill such voids. Despite its promise, availability of building maps for developing countries significantly lags behind demand. We present a new approach, coupling deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with VGI for automating building map generation from high-resolution satellite images for Kano state, Nigeria. Specifically, we trained a CNN with VGI building outlines of limited quality and quantity and generated building maps for a 50,000 km2 area. Resulting maps are in strong agreement with existing settlement maps and require a fraction of the manual input needed for the latter. The VGI-based maps will provide support across multiple facets of socioeconomic development in Kano state, and demonstrates potential advancements in current mapping capabilities in resource constrained countries. Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data (ISA-Tab format)
Associations Between Integrated Care Practice and Burnout Factors of Primary Care Physicians.

Background and objectives Physician burnout is increasingly problematic across many health care settings. Despite this trend, little is known about whether the type of collaboration in these settings may potentially help curb this trend. We explored whether higher levels of integrated care practice are associated with reduced burnout for physicians across settings. Methods A national survey was sent to health care professionals who work in a variety of medical settings. Primary care physicians (n=288) were a subset of this sample and were asked about their practice demographics and perceptions of burnout. A shortened version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assessed for areas of burnout in physicians. Results Higher levels of integrated care were associated with higher personal accomplishment (B=1.89, 95% CI:0.47, 3.31) and lower depersonalization (B=-2.48, 95% CI:-4.54, -0.42) in routine practice on the MBI. No significant associations were found between MBI scores and both years of practice at a current site or number of providers at the site. Conclusions While physician burnout continues to be a worsening problem, integrated care may be an additional strategy to help curb this trend. Administrators need to consider the value of integrated practice in addressing physician wellness-the potentially next big aim of health care.
Endorectal advancement flap for complex anal fistula: does flap configuration matter?

Aim Treatment of complex anal fistula (CAF) is challenging, often requiring multiple operations due to a high failure rate. The plethora of options attests to the lack of a panacea. Endorectal advancement flap (ERAF) carries the advantages of no sphincter division, no contour defect to the anal canal and no perineal wound. The failure rate of this procedure ranges between 15% and 60%. Although the procedure traditionally described a rhomboid (tongue-shaped) flap, an elliptical (curvilinear) flap was introduced to try to improve the results. This study aimed to describe the elliptical-shaped ERAF performed by the senior authors and others and compare failure rates between elliptical and rhomboid ERAFs for CAF. Method A retrospective review of all patients who underwent ERAF for CAF between 2011 and 2017 was undertaken. Patients were divided into two groups based on the type of flap: rhomboid or elliptical. The main outcomes measures were postoperative persistent or recurrent fistula. Results Seventy-six ERAF procedures for CAF were identified in 71 patients; 39 had a classic rhomboid flap and 37 had an elliptical configuration with mean follow-up of 13.8 and 13.9 months, respectively. The groups were similar for demographic parameters and preoperative fistula characteristics. The overall failure rate was 37%, with a success rate of 64% in the rhomboid and 62% in the elliptical group. Conclusion The shape of the ERAF for treatment of CAF does not appear to influence failure rate.
Influence of Conformation on Immunochemical Properties of Proteins

The ability of foreign proteins to induce the production of antibody has formed the basis for both passive and active immunization of humans and animals against infectious diseases. Thus the observation of Behring and Kitasato (1890) that cell-free sera of rabbits and mice, which were injected with inactivated diphtheria or tetanus toxin, were capable of neutralizing the toxin led to the development of antitoxin therapy. In the early history of immunology, attention was focused on the development of methods to inactivate a toxin without affecting its antigenicity. The use of formalin to inactivate a toxin proved to be a valuable discovery (Salkowski, 1898) and had extensive application in the commercial production of antitoxins (Glenny and Sudmersen, 1921).
Longitudinal analysis of gamma delta T cell subsets during malaria infections in Malian adults

Immunity that limits malarial disease is acquired over time, but adults living in endemic areas continue to become infected and can require treatment for clinical illness. Gamma delta (γδ) T cells, particularly the Vδ2+ subset, have been associated with development of clinical malaria in children. In this study, the dynamics of total γδ T cells, Vδ2+ and Vδ2− T cells were measured during a malaria transmission season in Malian adults. This study explored γδ T cell dynamics and Plasmodium falciparum infection outcomes over the course of the malaria transmission season in Malian adults enrolled in the placebo arm of a double-blind randomized vaccine trial. All volunteers were treated with anti-malarial drugs prior to the start of the transmission season and blood smears were assessed for P. falciparum infection every 2 weeks from July 2014 to January 2015. The study participants were stratified as either asymptomatic infections or clinical malaria cases. Vδ2+ and Vδ2− γδ T cell frequencies and activation (as measured by CD38 expression) were measured in all study participants at baseline and then every 2 months using a whole blood flow cytometry assay. Forty of the forty-three subjects became infected with P. falciparum and, of those, 21 individuals were diagnosed with clinical malaria at least once during the season. The γδ T cell percentage and activation increased over the duration of the transmission season. Both the Vδ2+ and Vδ2− γδ T cells were activated by P. falciparum infection. γδ T cells increased during a malaria transmission season and this expansion was noted in both the Vδ2+ and Vδ2− γδ T cells. However, neither expansion or activation of either γδ T cell subsets discriminated study participants that had asymptomatic infections from those that had clinical malaria cases.
Experimental Thermodynamics of Cluster Ions Composed of H2SO4 and H2O. 2. Measurements and ab Initio Structures of Negative Ions

Gas-phase nucleation in the atmosphere may be initiated by the condensation of sulfuric acid and water around ions. The thermodynamics of stepwise cluster ion growth must be known in order to model ion-induced nucleation of the H2SO4/H2O system. In the companion paper, we measured temperature-dependent equilibrium constants for the reactions of H2O with the H+(H2SO4)s(H2O)w cluster ions using an ion flow reactor. In this work, H2O bond enthalpies and entropies for the HSO4-(H2SO4)s(H2O)w, s ≤ 6 and w ≤ 10, cluster ions were measured. The thermodynamics of H2SO4 ligand bonding in these clusters were also determined using data from previous experiments. The small positive and negative cluster ions exhibit very different chemical characteristics, but both families show trends analogous to bulk solution thermodynamics as clusters grow in size. Small negative cluster ions have a lower affinity for H2O than positive ion species, but H2SO4 bonding is considerably stronger in the negative clusters. Ion-induced nu...
Ficcionalização do testemunho em A morte do inimigo, de Hans Keilson

Resumo Ao considerarmos as obras que compoem a Literatura de Testemunho, podemos observar a prevalencia de textos autobiograficos relatando as atrocidades da perseguicao nazista e dos campos de concentracao. No entanto, ha tambem muitas obras ficcionais, de teor autobiografico ou nao, que narram tais experiencias e outras relacionadas aos sofrimentos causados pelo nacional-socialismo a grandes parcelas da populacao europeia. Ao analisarmos a obra Der Tod des Widersachers, de Hans Keilson, procuramos determinar os indices de ficcionalidade que a afastam de uma possivel leitura autobiografica e refletir sobre as implicacoes eticas e esteticas de Keilson haver ficcionalizado experiencias proprias.
Machine Learning in the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Fight

Conflict between states in the modern era takes place under the threat of nuclear weapons use. Preventing additional states, especially adversarial ones, from acquiring nuclear weapons is the goal of the United States Department of Defense’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD) program as defined in Joint Publication 3-40. This chapter analyzes the utility of machine learning in assessing specific indicators of nuclear proliferation based on feasibility and utility criteria. Nuclear proliferation indicators are developed and machine learning evaluation criteria designated and discussed. Implications for chemical and biological weapons are briefly discussed. A speculative look at far-future, true generalized artificial intelligence in the C-WMD fight is made, with a focus on determining new questions that could be answered by an advanced system. The results show that the most promising areas for machine learning in Counter-WMD are power grid analysis, imagery analysis to located hidden and protected sites, and communications metadata analysis to identify key players and their activity in proliferation networks. Far-future artificial intelligence may be able to track proliferator progress, anticipate nuclear decision points, and design new arms reduction frameworks.
Immunologic Risk Assessment and Approach to Immunosuppression Regimen in Kidney Transplantation

The outcomes of kidney transplantation show a steady improvement with an increasing number of transplantations and decreasing incidence of acute rejection episodes. Successful transplantation begins with a comprehensive immunologic risk assessment and judicious choice of therapeutic agents. In this review, we discuss the trends in transplant immunosuppression practices and outcomes in the United States. We discuss practical testing algorithms for clinical decision making in induction therapy and fine-tuning maintenance immunosuppression. We introduce assessment tools for immune monitoring after transplantation and speculate on future directions in management.
EMFORCED: EM-Based Fingerprinting Framework for Remarked and Cloned Counterfeit IC Detection Using Machine Learning Classification

Electronics supply chain vulnerabilities have broadened in scope over the past two decades. With nearly all integrated circuit (IC) design companies relinquishing their fabrication, packaging, and test facilities, they are forced to rely upon companies from around the world to produce their ICs. This dependence leaves the electronics supply chain open to counterfeiting activities. In this article, we propose an electromagnetic (EM)-based fingerprinting framework, called EMFORCED, to detect remarked and cloned counterfeit ICs. Here, we demonstrate the benefits of using naturally occurring EM side channels to identify the IC design layout without decapsulating the chip under test. Enabling only the clock, $V_{\mathrm{ dd}}$ , and ground pins allows us to generate a design-specific fingerprint that is dependent upon the physical parameters of the chip under test. EMFORCED leverages the EM emissions from the clock distribution network to create a holistic, design-level, fingerprint, including both temporal information and spatial information. We utilize the fingerprint information of functionally similar 8051-series microprocessors from three vendors and perform unsupervised (principal component analysis) and supervised (linear discriminant analysis) machine learning methods on all ICs to determine their intravendor and intervendor similarities. We acquired ICs from multiple dates and lot codes along with variants acquired from the gray market and analyzed them for authenticity using physical inspection and X-ray tomography. Statistical analysis and machine learning techniques are used to demonstrate the reference-free and reference-inclusive classification methods based on EMFORCED measurements. We demonstrate the classification accuracies of 99.46% and 100% for unsupervised and supervised approaches, respectively.
Wine Dyed: Multi-wear Sustainable Wedding Dress

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'}This dress was designed in order to create a sustainable wedding dress that could be worn on more occasions than just a wedding day. The bridal market is coming to a turning point where traditional white wedding dresses are losing interest and alternative dresses are gaining market potential. The dress consists of the asymmetric, short dress with an origami flower strap and a maxi skirt that is worn underneath. Both pieces are intended to be worn together for the wedding while they could be worn separately for other occasions. The design for the dress was developed based on four key elements: Sustainable textiles, the use of natural dye, reducing waste, and transformability. Banana fiber fabric and organic cotton were used as the main and lining fabrics. Wine was used for the dye because it does not need a mordant. This decreases the toxicity of the dye process. The skirt pieces utilize the entire width of the fabric and the orgami flowers are made of hexagons, which can be cut like a honeycomb from the fabric, decreasing waste.
Circulation Control for Faster Minimum Cost Flow in Unit-Capacity Graphs

We present an $m^{4/3+o(1)}\log W$-time algorithm for solving the minimum cost flow problem in graphs with unit capacity, where $W$ is the maximum absolute value of any edge weight. For sparse graphs, this improves over the best known running time for this problem and, by well-known reductions, also implies improved running times for the shortest path problem with negative weights, minimum cost bipartite $\boldsymbol{\mathit{b}}$-matching when $\|\boldsymbol{\mathit{b}}\|_1 = O(m)$, and recovers the running time of the currently fastest algorithm for maximum flow in graphs with unit capacities (Liu-Sidford, 2020). Our algorithm relies on developing an interior point method-based framework which acts on the space of circulations in the underlying graph. From the combinatorial point of view, this framework can be viewed as iteratively improving the cost of a suboptimal solution by pushing flow around circulations. These circulations are derived by computing a regularized version of the standard Newton step, which is partially inspired by previous work on the unit-capacity maximum flow problem (Liu-Sidford, 2019), and subsequently refined based on the very recent progress on this problem (Liu-Sidford, 2020). The resulting step problem can then be computed efficiently using the recent work on $\ell_p$-norm minimizing flows (Kyng-Peng-Sachdeva-Wang, 2019). We obtain our faster algorithm by combining this new step primitive with a customized preconditioning method, which aims to ensure that the graph on which these circulations are computed has sufficiently large conductance.
Initiation and propagation of α-synuclein aggregation in the nervous system

The two main pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease are loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and proteinaceous amyloid fibrils composed mostly of α-synuclein, called Lewy pathology. Levodopa to enhance dopaminergic transmission remains one of the most effective treatment for alleviating the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (Olanow, Mov Disord 34:812–815, 2019). In addition, deep brain stimulation (Bronstein et al., Arch Neurol 68:165, 2011) to modulate basal ganglia circuit activity successfully alleviates some motor symptoms. MRI guided focused ultrasound in the subthalamic nucleus is a promising therapeutic strategy as well (Martinez-Fernandez et al., Lancet Neurol 17:54–63, 2018). However, to date, there exists no treatment that stops the progression of this disease. The findings that α-synuclein can be released from neurons and inherited through interconnected neural networks opened the door for discovering novel treatment strategies to prevent the formation and spread of Lewy pathology with the goal of halting PD in its tracks. This hypothesis is based on discoveries that pathologic aggregates of α-synuclein induce the endogenous α-synuclein protein to adopt a similar pathologic conformation, and is thus self-propagating. Phase I clinical trials are currently ongoing to test treatments such as immunotherapy to prevent the neuron to neuron spread of extracellular aggregates. Although tremendous progress has been made in understanding how Lewy pathology forms and spreads throughout the brain, cell intrinsic factors also play a critical role in the formation of pathologic α-synuclein, such as mechanisms that increase endogenous α-synuclein levels, selective expression profiles in distinct neuron subtypes, mutations and altered function of proteins involved in α-synuclein synthesis and degradation, and oxidative stress. Strategies that prevent the formation of pathologic α-synuclein should consider extracellular release and propagation, as well as neuron intrinsic mechanisms.
Analogical Framing: How Policy Comparisons Alter Political Support for Health Care Reform:

Analogies have captivated philosophers for millennia, yet their effects on modern public opinion preferences remain largely unexplored. Nevertheless, the lack of evidence as to whether analogies ai...
Linkage Analysis between Gametophytic Restorer Rf2 Gene and Genetic Markers in Cotton

In heterozygous fertility restored F 1 plants of the CMS-D8-Rf 2 gametophytic restoration system of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), only the pollen grains with the Rf 2 allele are functional; consequently, all F 2 plants are fertile. Our objective was to develop a statistical method to estimate the recombination fraction (r) between Rf 2 and genetic markers linked in repulsion or coupling phases in fertile F 2 populations. Alleles linked to Rf 2 are preferentially transmitted through pollen, whereas the transmission of alleles linked to rf 2 is reduced. Thus, linked genes give distorted segregation ratios depending on the linkage strength. Genes independent of Rf show normal segregation. The traditional 3:1 or other appropriate ratios can be used to test the linkage between a marker and the Rf locus in an F 2 population. Examples are given for two crosses: (D8R × T586) F 2 for repulsion linkage and (D8R × T582) F 2 for coupling phase linkage. The morphological data confirmed that Rf 2 is not linked to nine dominant genes in T586 or to five recessive genes in T582. However, a RAPD marker, UBC188 500 , present in D8R and absent in nonrestoring lines, exhibited extremely skewed segregation in the D8R × T586 F 2 population with only two plants without UBC188 500 in a population of 76 plants. The recombination frequency between Rf 2 and this marker is 5.26%, which agrees with our previous estimate from a testcross, (D8R × T586) × H1330. This indicates that the proposed method is a valid alternative for mapping gametophytic Rf 2 . Its advantages and limitations are discussed.
An epidemiological approach to the analysis of cribra orbitalia as an indicator of health status and mortality in medieval and post-medieval London under a model of parasitic infection.

OBJECTIVES Many individuals living in medieval and post-medieval London suffered issues with sanitation, food insecurity, infectious disease, and widespread exposure to parasites from a multitude of sources, causing increased risk of death for many inhabitants. We examine this stressful environment and its relationship with various demographic and temporal dimensions, using cribra orbitalia (CO) as an indicator of stress, to model an increased risk of dying under the expectations of our proposed parasitic model of infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyze the relationship between CO and mortality across seven medieval and post-medieval cemeteries from London by the covariates of sex, status, and age-at-death. A survival analysis (Cox regression) and a binomial logit estimated hazard and odds ratios of dying with CO across age-at-death, sex, status, and time-period within single statistical models. In addition, we provide new Bayesian age-at-death estimates for post-medieval samples. RESULTS The models show the rate of CO decreased over time and age-at-death, regardless of sex or status; post-medieval individuals were ~72% less likely to die with lesions than their medieval counterparts. Further, individuals with CO had ~1% decrease in risk of dying with CO per year of age. DISCUSSION These results suggest increased mortality risk for those with lesions indicative of anemia (CO), and selective mortality of younger individuals during the medieval period. Despite sex-specific nutritional and occupational hazards, and status-based access to resources, the prevalence of CO was similar across sex and status, which suggests living with parasitic infection that caused anemia was an everyday reality for medieval and post-medieval Londoners.
How the City Survey’s Redlining Maps Were Made: A Closer Look at HOLC’s Mortgagee Rehabilitation Division:

The infamous “security maps” made in the 1930s by the Home Loan Owners’ Corporation (HOLC), rating supposed mortgage lending risk in urban neighborhoods across the United States, have long been con...
Characterization of the Variation Spaces Corresponding to Shallow Neural Networks.

We consider the variation space corresponding to a dictionary of functions in $L^2(\Omega)$ and present the basic theory of approximation in these spaces. Specifically, we compare the definition based on integral representations with the definition in terms of convex hulls. We show that in many cases, including the dictionaries corresponding to shallow ReLU$^k$ networks and a dictionary of decaying Fourier modes, that the two definitions coincide. We also give a partial characterization of the variation space for shallow ReLU$^k$ networks and show that the variation space with respect to the dictionary of decaying Fourier modes corresponds to the Barron spectral space.
Additive manufacturing of structural ceramics: a historical perspective

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) has created a new era of digital manufacturing, where engineering practices, computer-aided design platforms, and part sourcing pipelines are dramatically changing. AM techniques are capable of producing plastic, metal, and ceramic components for both prototyping and end-use purposes. In this review, the fabrication of dense, structural advanced ceramic components using the seven families of additive manufacturing is discussed through a historical perspective. Initial studies on additive manufacturing of ceramic materials were reported just a few years after those of metal and plastic materials. However, industrial application of ceramic additive manufacturing is more than a decade behind metallic and plastic materials. Many of the challenges of ceramic AM can be traced back to the intrinsic difficulties of processing structural ceramic materials, including high processing temperatures, defect-sensitive mechanical properties, and poor machining characteristics. To mature the field of ceramic AM, future research and development should focus on expanding material selection, improving printing and post-processing control, realizing single-step processing, and unique capabilities such as multi-material and hybrid processing.
Preparing individuals with disabilities for space travel and habitation.

Abstract On May 11–12, 2021, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and the MITRE Corporation sponsored a Workshop on creating a human research program for civilians in commercial space. It was recommended that space travel and habitation should be accessible to all civilians, including individuals with disabilities. In the coming decades, it is predicted that thousands and perhaps millions of civilians will be traveling, living and working in space in orbit around the Earth, on the Moon and beyond. This development presents major challenges to human space researchers because very little is known about the impact of risks caused by microgravity, radiation and other space-related hazards on the civilian with an underlying health problem or with a disability. In preparation for expanding involvement of individuals with disabilities in space, we propose the first draft of a human research program that will prevent or mitigate the risks and protect the health and safety of the individual.
Impaired ovulation in mice with targeted deletion of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in numerous reproductive processes. To date, most studies have assessed the role of NO by using nonspecific pharmacological inhibitors of the precursor to NO, nitric oxide synthase (NOS). These pharmacological NOS inhibitors suppress all isoforms of NOS; thus, the precise contribution of each isoform to female reproductive physiology is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the specific role of neuronal NOS (nNOS) in the regulation of ovulation in female mice lacking the gene that encodes for nNOS (nNOS−/−). Ovulation was assessed in wild-type (WT) and nNOS−/− female mice by examining the number of ovarian rupture sites and number of oocytes recovered from the oviducts following mating or exposure to exogenous gonadotropins (i.e., 5 IU pregnant mares serum gonadotropin [PMSG] and 5 IU human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG]). Ovulatory efficiency was determined as the number of ovulated oocytes per number of ovarian rupture sites. To examine whether ovulatory deficits in nNOS−/− mice were due to alterations in central mechanisms, plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were assessed in WT and nNOS−/− mice that were challenged with 25 ng of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). To determine whether ovulatory deficits in nNOS−/− mice were due to local ovulation processes, nerves innervating the reproductive tract of WT and nNOS−/− females were examined for the presence of nNOS protein. There were substantial fertility deficits in nNOS−/− female mice; the nNOS−/− mice had fewer oocytes in their oviducts following spontaneous and gonadotropin-stimulated ovulation. Pituitary responsiveness to exogenous GnRH challenge was intact in nNOS−/− mice. Dense nNOS protein staining was observed in nerves innervating the reproductive tracts of WT mice. The reproductive deficits in nNOS−/− females are most likely due to alterations in the transfer of oocytes from the ovaries to the oviducts during ovulation. These results suggest that defects in neuronally derived NO production may contribute to female infertility.
Sequence-Specific Vpr Binding to HIV-1 LTR C/EBP Binding Sites and Adjacent Regions

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpr is a virion-associated protein that transactivates the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR), as well as other eukaryotic promoters. Here we used the electrophoretic mobility shift assay to demonstrate the direct binding of purified Vpr (strain pNL4-3) to HIV-1 LTR sequences that span the adjacent C/EBP site I, NF-kB site II, and ATF/CREB binding site. Binding between HIV-1 Vpr and the LTR C/EBP site II was also observed. A total of 94.7% of LTRs derived from peripheral blood displayed high relative Vpr binding affinity with respect to C/EBP site I, while only 5.3% exhibited a low relative Vpr binding affinity. Virtually all LTRs derived from peripheral blood exhibited a high relative Vpr binding phenotype relative to C/EBP site II. Additional studies have demonstrated that naturally occurring sequence variation within C/EBP site I and II can dramatically alter the relative affinity of Vpr for these cis-acting elements. Studies have also suggested a competitive interaction between C/EBP factors and Vpr for this region of the LTR. These studies suggest that Vpr may regulate the interaction of members of the C/EBP transcription factor family with the viral LTR. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005
Legalism in Law Making and Law Enforcement

she has so beautifully written is a comment, rather, on the general problem of conceptualism in ethics, even though her examples have been largely limited to public law. She has adopted a meaning for legalism so broad that it could include questions ranging all the way from the destructibility of contingent remainders to the problem of the appropriate number of cocktails at the publishers' party. "What is legalism?" she asks. "It is the ethical attitude that holds moral conduct to be a matter of rulefollowing." This, then, is a book about an ethical attitude an attitude holding that only specific verbal propositions have functional significance in moral and legal discourse ; about an attitude that it can be a meaningful and sometimes necessary thing to construct and promulgate such formulas as "all dogs must be leashed" or "six martinis is too much." Dr. Shklar is a student of that insidious habit of human intelligence generalization. Though her book is aimed at lawyers and speaks mostly of law, it is less a critique of lawyers and law than of all philosophies that strive to organize reality into verbal categories in short, of practically all philosophies. Perhaps the book is not an outright rejection of conceptualism in ethics, but its author rather clearly wishes that it could be. She may suffer rules gladly for society's sake, but she does suffer. For her the center of ethical experience is not to be found in the hoary dicta of judges and moralists. It lies rather in a hope for something she describes as :
Regenerative medicine: Advances in new methods and technologies

The articles published in the journal Cell Transplantation - The Regenerative Medicine Journal over the last two years reveal the recent and future cutting-edge research in the fields of regenerative and transplantation medicine. 437 articles were published from 2007 to 2008, a 17% increase compared to the 373 articles in 2006-2007. Neuroscience was still the most common section in both the number of articles and the percentage of all manuscripts published. The increasing interest and rapid advance in bioengineering technology is highlighted by tissue engineering and bioartificial organs being ranked second again. For a similar reason, the methods and new technologies section increased significantly compared to the last period. Articles focusing on the transplantation of stem cell lineages encompassed almost 20% of all articles published. By contrast, the non-stem cell transplantation group which is made up primarily of islet cells, followed by biomaterials and fetal neural tissue, etc. comprised less than 15%. Transplantation of cells pre-treated with medicine or gene transfection to prolong graft survival or promote differentiation into the needed phenotype, was prevalent in the transplantation articles regardless of the kind of cells used. Meanwhile, the majority of non-transplantation-based articles were related to new devices for various purposes, characterization of unknown cells, medicines, cell preparation and/or optimization for transplantation (e.g. isolation and culture), and disease pathology.
The development of a new drift chamber with a new gas mixture

Abstract A drift chamber of 1 cm spacing incorporating parallel foils which act as field-shaping electrodes was successfully operated producing a linear space-to-drift-time ratio that will enable the determination of positions of charged-particle tracks directly from timing spectra. The results indicate that spatial resolutions of 100–150 μm can be obtained from a single chamber filled with an argon-methane-acetylene gas mixture at atmospheric pressure. A simplified construction which liminates field-shaping wires, and uniform equipotential lines in the chamber which results in uniform electron drift velocities, are the main advantages of this new design.
Convergence Results on a Second-Order Rational Difference Equation with Quadratic Terms

We investigate the global behavior of the second-order difference equation Open image in new window , where initial conditions and all coefficients are positive. We find conditions on Open image in new window under which the even and odd subsequences of a positive solution converge, one to zero and the other to a nonnegative number; as well as conditions where one of the subsequences diverges to infinity and the other either converges to a positive number or diverges to infinity. We also find initial conditions where the solution monotonically converges to zero and where it diverges to infinity.
Nocturnal ozone maxima

Abstract The diurnal cycle of surface ozone concentrations is examined with emphasis on the meteorological processes during the nighttime period. It is shown that the nocturnal ozone maxima observed in ozone episode areas can be correlated with vertical mixing of the remnant daytime boundary layer. This mixing is forced by an increase in wind speed above the nocturnal surface inversion. It is proposed that this process not only explains nighttime increases in ozone concentrations at low elevation surface stations but is probably also the process responsible for the reversed diurnal ozone fluctuations observed at mountain summits.
Synthesis and Characterization of Sterically Encumbered Derivatives of Aluminum Hydrides and Halides: Assessment of Steric Properties of Bulky Terphenyl Ligands.

The synthesis and characterization of several sterically encumbered monoterphenyl derivatives of aluminum halides and aluminum hydrides are described. These compounds are [2,6-Mes2C6H3AlH3LiOEt2]n (1), (Mes = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2−), 2,6-Mes2C6H3AlH2OEt2 (2), [2,6-Mes2C6H3AlH2]2 (3), 2,6-Mes2C6H3AlCl2OEt2 (4), [2,6-Mes2C6H3AlCl3LiOEt2]n (5), [2,6-Mes2C6H3AlCl2]2 (6), TriphAlBr2OEt2 (7), (Triph = 2,4,6-Ph3C6H2−), [2,6-Trip2C6H3AlH3LiOEt2]2 (8) (Trip = 2,4,6-i-Pr3C6H2−), 2,6-Trip2C6H3AlH2OEt2 (9), [2,6-Trip2C6H3AlH2]2 (10), 2,6-Trip2C6H3AlCl2OEt2 (11), and the partially hydrolyzed derivative [2,6-Trip2C6H3Al(Cl)0.68(H)0.32(μ-OH)]2·2C6H6 (12). The structures of 2, 3a, 4, 6, 7, 9a, 10a, 10b, 11, and 12 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The structures of 3a, 9a, 10a, and 10b, are related to 3, 9, and 10, respectively, by partial occupation of chloride or hydride by hydroxide. The compounds were also characterized by 1H, 13C, 7Li, and 27Al NMR and IR spectroscopy. The major conclusions from the experimental dat...
Specific EGF repeats of Notch mediate interactions with Delta and serrate: Implications for notch as a multifunctional receptor

The neurogenic loci Notch and Delta, which both encode EGF-homologous transmembrane proteins, appear to function together in mediating cell-cell communication and have been shown to interact at the cell surface in vitro. To examine the role of the EGF repeats in this interaction, we performed an extensive deletion mutagenesis of the extracellular domain of Notch. We find that of the 36 EGF repeats of Notch, only two, 11 and 12, are both necessary and sufficient to mediate interactions with Delta. Furthermore, this Delta binding ability is conserved in the corresponding two repeats from the Xenopus Notch homolog. We report a novel molecular interaction between Notch and Serrate, another EGF-homologous transmembrane protein containing a region of striking similarity to Delta, and show that the same two EGF repeats of Notch also constitute a Serrate binding domain. These results suggest that Notch may act as a multifunctional receptor whose 36 EGF repeats form a tandem array of discrete ligand-binding units, each of which may potentially interact with several different proteins during development.
Modeling of Surface Structure of Supported Catalysts. Application to Deactivation of FT Reactors

Water in Fischer−Tropsch synthesis (FTS) on supported cobalt catalysts is known to deactivate the catalysts. The deactivation involves the reoxidation of highly dispersed cobalt phase by water and water-induced sintering. In both cases, the dispersion state of the cobalt phase in the supported catalyst plays an important role. Therefore, the deactivation kinetics depends on the surface structure of the catalyst. Mathematical models are formulated to describe the deactivation behavior of cobalt catalyst pellets with the dependence on catalyst structure and reaction conditions. On the crystallite scale, a size-dependent deactivation model for individual metal particles is built; on the catalyst scale, the deactivation and growth (shrinking) of each individual metal crystallite in the pellet as well as the radial distribution for temperature and concentrations are accounted for using a population balance equation (PBE) coupled with intraparticle diffusion-reaction equations. The model is used for optimizatio...
Abstract 2261: Natural redistribution of end-protection proteins in aging cells as telomeres shorten

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Telomeres are the nucleoprotein structures at the ends of linear chromosomes. In mammalian cells, a six-member protein complex, called shelterin, protects telomeres from being recognized as DNA double-strand breaks and from nucleolytic degradation. It has been speculated that as telomeres become progressively shorter with each round of replication, the number of binding sites for the components of shelterin would decrease as well. In an attempt to determine whether there is a relationship between the length of telomeres and shelterin binding, primary human dermal fibroblasts from neonatal foreskin (HDFn) were grown in culture, and the levels of a number of shelterin components were measured over time. Unlike other previous studies where artificially constructed telomeres were used to address this question, we are following the natural progression of aging of a population of cultured cells. Comparisons were made between young cells at a population doubling (PDL) between 3 and 6 and aged cells at a PDL of 28 to 38. Southern blotting using a telomeric probe showed that the aged cells possessed significantly shorter telomeres than their younger counterparts, supporting the notion that there will be fewer shelterin binding sites. Using immunoblotting to compare the levels of several shelterin subunits (TRF2, hRAP1, and POT1), we found that TRF2, the DNA binding subunit that targets hRAP1 to the telomeres, and POT1 decrease in level as would be expected when fewer binding sites are present for the complex. Interestingly, the levels of hRAP1 did not decrease proportionally and remained relatively high compared to other subunits. These data suggest that as telomeres decrease in length and shelterin binding sites become less numerous, most shelterin subunits are degraded, but hRAP1 most likely plays an additional role. We have stressed young HDFn cells with hydrogen peroxide to age them prematurely. Upon treatment, the young cells (PDL of 8) became similar in appearance to the untreated, aged cells at PDL greater than 25. In the treated, young cells, hRAP1 levels in the nucleus decreased in a manner that was unaffected by inhibition of the proteasome, suggesting that during the oxidative stress, hRAP1 translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Taken together, our data suggest that RAP1 plays a role in stress signaling or response to cellular aging. Citation Format: Michelle E. Baribault, Mark J. Swanson, Nancy S. Bae. Natural redistribution of end-protection proteins in aging cells as telomeres shorten. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2261. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2261
Spectroscopy and microscopy of spin-sensitive rectification current induced by microwave radiation.

Amplitude-modulated microwave radiation was applied to the junction of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Rectification in the tunneling current was induced by the microwave because of the nonlinearity of the junction. It is shown that this rectification current is proportional to the d 2 l/dV 2 signal and exhibits spin-sensitivity. The magnetic domain at the apex of an iron-coated tip was manipulated by applying an external magnetic field. The moment of spin flip and the magnetic hysteresis were measured by changes in the spin-dependent current through the Cr(001) surface.
Cultured Human Bone Marrow–Derived CD31+ Cells Are Effective for Cardiac and Vascular Repair Through Enhanced Angiogenic, Adhesion, and Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Background Cell therapy for cardiovascular disease has been limited by low engraftment of administered cells and modest therapeutic effects. Bone marrow (BM) -derived CD31+ cells are a promising cell source owing to their high angiovasculogenic and paracrine activities.
Endoscopic endocrine neck surgery with carbon dioxide insufflation: The effect on intracranial pressure in a large animal model

Abstract Background. Endoscopic endocrine neck surgery requires insufflation with carbon dioxide (CO2) at 10 to 15 mm Hg, which may decrease the cerebral venous return and increase intracranial pressure. This study evaluated the effect of CO2 neck insufflation on intracranial pressure (ICP) and hemodynamic parameters. Methods. Fifteen pigs underwent endoscopic thyroid dissection. Insufflation was performed with CO2 at 0 (sham), 10, 15, and 20 mm Hg and with helium at 20 mm Hg with 3 pigs in each group. ICP, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure (CVP), cardiac output, and blood gas were measured at baseline, 30, 60, and 120 minutes. Results. There were no differences in mean ICP between the sham group and CO2 insufflation at 10 mm Hg. Mean ICP increased significantly with CO2 at 15 and 20 mm Hg and with helium at 20 mm Hg. A significant increase in CVP occurred in pigs operated with CO2 at 20 mm Hg. We observed jugular vein collapse under all insufflation pressures; however, pigs operated at 10 mm Hg were able to maintain an intermittent blood flow. Conclusions. A severe increase in ICP occurs with insufflation pressures higher than 15 mm Hg, possibly as a result of decreased cervical venous blood flow. Carbon dioxide insufflation up to 10 mm Hg does not alter ICP and is recommended for clinical application in endoscopic neck surgery. (Surgery 2000;128:1035-42.)
Role of Platelet-Activating Factor in Cell Death Signaling in the Cornea: A Review

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent bioactive lipid generated in the cornea after injury whose actions are mediated through specific receptors. Studies from our laboratory have shown that PAF interactions with its receptors activate several transmembrane signals involved in apoptosis. Continuous exposure to PAF during prolonged inflammation increases keratocyte apoptosis and inhibition of epithelial adhesion to the basement membrane. As a consequence, there is a marked delay in wound healing, which is not countered by the action of growth factors. While apoptosis of stroma cells is rapid and potent, epithelial cells as well as myofibroblasts, which appear in the stroma during the repair phase, are resistant to apoptosis. However, PAF accelerates apoptosis of corneal epithelial cells exposed to oxidative stress by stimulating phospholipase A2, producing an early release of cytocrome C from mitochondria and activating caspase-3. In myofibroblasts, PAF has a synergistic action with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), increasing apoptosis of the cells to 85%. PAF antagonists block the effects of PAF and could have a therapeutic role in maintaining a healthy and transparent cornea.
Vertical zonation in hot spring algal mats

The thick mats which develop in alkaline hot springs of Yellowstone National Park in the temperature range 50–70 C contain only a thin surface layer of algal material, exclusively of the genus Syne...