cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporospatial Development of Neuropathologic Findings in a Canine Model of Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IIIB is a neuropathic lysosomal storage disease characterized by the deficient activity of a lysosomal enzyme obligate for the degradation of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) heparan sulfate (HS). The pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in MPS IIIB is incompletely understood. Large animal models are attractive for pathogenesis and therapeutic studies due to their larger size, outbred genetics, longer lifespan, and naturally occurring MPS IIIB disease. However, the temporospatial development of neuropathologic changes has not been reported for canine MPS IIIB. Here we describe lesions in 8 brain regions, cervical spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in a canine model of MPS IIIB that includes dogs aged from 2 to 26 months of age. Pathological changes in the brain included early microscopic vacuolation of glial cells initially observed at 2 months, and vacuolation of neurons initially observed at 10 months. Inclusions within affected cells variably stained positively with PAS and LFB stains. Quantitative immunohistochemistry demonstrated increased glial expression of GFAP and Iba1 in dogs with MPS IIIB compared to age-matched controls at all time points, suggesting neuroinflammation occurs early in disease. Loss of Purkinje cells was initially observed at 10 months and was pronounced in 18- and 26-month-old dogs with MPS IIIB. Our results support the dog as a replicative model of MPS IIIB neurologic lesions and detail the pathologic and neuroinflammatory changes in the spinal cord and DRG of MPS IIIB-affected dogs.
Musculoskeletal MRI of Nontraumatic Emergencies

A wide range of nontraumatic musculoskeletal conditions may require emergent or urgent management to avoid adverse clinical outcomes. These entities include bone and soft tissue infections, tissue necrosis, impending pathologic fracture or fungating tumor, and pseudoaneurysms. In this review, the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of these various entities is presented and discussed with the aim of improving radiologist and clinician recognition of the importance of key imaging findings in each case.
Respiratory syncytial virus induces β 2-adrenergic receptor dysfunction in human airway smooth muscle cells

Pharmacologic agonism of the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) induces bronchodilation by activating the enzyme adenylyl cyclase to generate cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). β2AR agonists are generally the most effective strategy to relieve acute airway obstruction in asthmatic patients, but they are much less effective when airway obstruction in young patients is triggered by infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Here, we investigated the effects of RSV infection on the abundance and function of β2AR in primary human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) derived from pediatric lung tissue. We showed that RSV infection of HASMCs resulted in proteolytic cleavage of β2AR mediated by the proteasome. RSV infection also resulted in β2AR ligand-independent activation of adenylyl cyclase, leading to reduced cAMP synthesis compared to that in uninfected control cells. Last, RSV infection caused stronger airway smooth muscle cell contraction in vitro due to increased cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations. Thus, our results suggest that RSV infection simultaneously induces loss of functional β2ARs and activation of multiple pathways favoring airway obstruction in young patients, with the net effect of counteracting β2AR agonist-induced bronchodilation. These findings not only provide a potential mechanism for the reported lack of clinical efficacy of β2AR agonists for treating virus-induced wheezing but also open the path to developing more precise therapeutic strategies.
Measures of excess [Formula: see text]CO 2 and recovery [Formula: see text]CO 2 as indices of performance fatigability during exercise: a pilot study

The severity of performance fatigability and the capacity to recover from activity are profoundly influenced by skeletal muscle energetics, specifically the ability to buffer fatigue-inducing ions produced from anaerobic metabolism. Mechanisms responsible for buffering these ions result in the production of excess carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be measured as expired CO2 ( $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2) during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). The primary objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of select assessment procedures for use in planning and carrying out interventional studies, which are larger interventional studies investigating the relationships between CO2 expiration, measured during and after both CPET and submaximal exercise testing, and performance fatigability. Cross-sectional, pilot study design. Seven healthy subjects (30.7±5.1 years; 5 females) completed a peak CPET and constant work-rate test (CWRT) on separate days, each followed by a 10-min recovery then 10-min walk test. Oxygen consumption ( $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ O2) and $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2 on- and off-kinetics (transition constant and oxidative response index), excess- $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2, and performance fatigability severity scores (PFSS) were measured. Data were analyzed using regression analyses. All subjects that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and consented to participate in the study completed all exercise testing sessions with no adverse events. All testing procedures were carried out successfully and outcome measures were obtained, as intended, without adverse events. Excess- $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2 accounted for 61% of the variability in performance fatigability as measured by $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ O2 on-kinetic ORI (ml/s) (R2=0.614; y = 8.474x − 4.379, 95% CI [0.748, 16.200]) and 62% of the variability as measured by PFSS (R2=0.619; y = − 0.096x + 1.267, 95% CI [−0.183, −0.009]). During CPET, $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2 -off ORI accounted for 70% (R2=0.695; y = 1.390x − 11.984, 95% CI [0.331, 2.449]) and $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2 -off Kt for 73% of the variability in performance fatigability measured by $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ O2 on-kinetic ORI (ml/s) (R2=0.730; y = 1.818x − 13.639, 95% CI [0.548, 3.087]). The findings of this study suggest that utilizing $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ CO2 measures may be a viable and useful addition or alternative to $$ \dot{\mathrm{V}} $$ O2 measures, warranting further study. While the current protocol appeared to be satisfactory, for obtaining select cardiopulmonary and performance fatigability measures as intended, modifications to the current protocol to consider in subsequent, larger studies may include use of an alternate mode or measure to enable control of work rate constancy during performance fatigability testing following initial CPET.
Look Who’s Writing: How Gender Affects News Credibility and Perceptions of News Relevance:

Women reporters are underrepresented in newsrooms and assigned to gender-stereotypic roles, but to what effect? To better understand the role of gender in news making, this article utilizes three s...
A History of the Changing Brain

Philosophical speculation on the effects of experience on brain structure and function has been going on for at least 2,000 years. Scientific research in this field, however, began only decades ago, and its respectability among scientists has been only recently established.
Do germinal centers have a role in the generation of lymphomas

In the spirit of this meeting I brought only a few slides but I was just told that Ian MacLennan, the real expert on germinal centers, couldn’t come and that I should give a bit of an introduction to germinal centers and the germinal center reaction. I can’t do that as well as Ian but I would like to talk about three things that I hope you will find interesting and relevant to tumorigenesis.
How is Art Possible? (1)

To ask the somewhat Kantian question of our title is undoubtedly to invite the expectation that a definition of art or a specification of the necessary and sufficient conditions of it, or a summative analysis of it is being proposed. But this is not our intention. Some of what may be necessary conditions have been explored here, but by no means all. We are now concerned only with what may be called the objective conditions, with that which is inherent in the objects of experience, of sense and perception, and which makes it possible to develop aesthetic objects in some sense-modalities but not readily, if at all, in others. To specify other conditions one has to proceed to a much more specific delineation of the media of the particular arts, visual, musical, literary, and other, and beyond this to direct one’s thoughts to the artist himself and to the vast assortment of available techniques. Beyond what is about to be specified, all the form-giving resources already explored at length stand open to the artist.
The Diversity of Free-Living Protists Seen and Unseen, Cultured and Uncultured

The development of improved preservation and staining techniques and particularly the application of electron microscopy provided a wealth of morphological information to improve the taxonomic criteria used for the description and identification of protists. This chapter concerns the "seen and unseen," "cultured and uncultured" protists, with a brief overview of these three categories. Ecological studies of cultured protists have included representatives from most of the major lineages of protists and have detailed the nutritional aspects of these species, their elemental stoichiometries, feeding behaviors and rates, growth rates, and growth efficiencies. The understanding of the biogeochemical significance and activities of these species has been ascertained largely through the manipulation and experimental examination of cultured protists. Using this information, ecologists have generated biogeochemical and food web models that significantly improved our understanding of the activities of photosynthetic and heterotrophic protists in natural communities and thus lend better insight into how aquatic communities function. The alveolates contain three well-known groups of protists: the ciliates, the dinoflagellates, and the apicomplexans. An example of the extensive genetic diversity detected in these very small protists can be found in the picoprasinophyte genus Micromonas. Success in this work obviously requires some general knowledge of the nutrition of the target cells, so these attempts can improve dramatically as the "needs" of the protistan taxa are characterized.
Biochemistry of amphibian development. I. Ribosome and protein synthesis in early development of Rana pipiens.

The development of Rana pipiens has provided a unique opportunity to correlate the synthesis of ribosomes with protein synthesis and embryogenesis. This was possible, since the egg and early embryos contain a low level of RNP particles which does not increase for several days. Increase of cytoplasmic ribosomes begins at Shumway stage 18 (muscular response), about 3–4 days after fertilization. At exactly the same time, embryos increase in soluble protein content, and begin to concentrate magnesium from the medium, 25% of which is bound to the newly formed ribosomes. Magnesium-deficient embryos cease growing at stages 21–23 and lack the 80–100 S ribosomes which are present in the controls. New ribosomes appear in the cytoplasm as 80–100 S particles. The normal development of Rana pipiens until hatching (stage 18–19 in this study) occurs with an almost complete absence of ribosomal synthesis.
The Autobiographical Subtext in Martin Walser's Letter to Lord Liszt

Martin Walser's novel describing the troublesome, self-destructive relationship between two sales representatives, Brief an Lord Liszt (1982; Letter to Lord Liszt, translated by Leila Vennewitz in 1985), has been adjudged by most critics to be another example of Walser's continuing attack on the German Wohlstandsgesellschaft in the sixties and seventies, the reign of big business in a commercialized, anti-individualistic society. In an interview with Walser, Anton Kaes discussed the development of this theme in his work and proposed: "Your earlier novels ... made you well-known as a chronicler of the FRG's economically thriving society.... However, you seem somehow recently to have given up a panoramic overview of society in favor of more restricted and concentrated anecdotal descriptions [of that society] (for example in The Inner Man or Letter to Lord Liszt)." In response to this comment, Walser explained that he had indeed newly changed the narrative stance in his fiction. Not only had he begun to use a third-person narrator instead of a first-person one, but he had also limited himself to depicting one protagonist in his relationship to an inimical world as personified by a single one of its inhabitants. Kaes inquired further as to whether this concentration on one individual might incline Walser to use autobiographical material more readily since he seemed to be associating his own malaise with his protagonist's. Walser replied: "My fictive character is a reaction to that which, I, in order to avoid my being indiscreet in regard to myself> call my shortcoming. The figure is therefore the expression of that shortcoming." In general, and especially in the matter of Letter to Lord Liszt, interpreters of Walser's work have paid insufficient attention to its confessional aspects; thus, one eminent critic, Frank Pilipp, attributes (admittedly not totally) the "sorrows" of Walser's protagonists to their inherited lack of social standing. While it must be conceded that this character "flaw"—e.g., Franz Horn's despair as a result of his socially induced self-effacement—is patently the motivating factor in bringing about the downfall of Walser's protagonists, I shall seek to
Survival Analysis, Software

Statistical software for survival analysis is discussed. We examine the abilities of five major software packages, BMDP, SAS, SPSS, S-PLUS, and STATA to perform basic calculations for censored data. Packages are compared based on their performance in computing summary statistics, in hypothesis testing, in performing Cox semiparametric regression modeling, and in performing parametric regression modeling. Keywords: SAS; BMDP; SPSS; STATA; S-PLUS; microcomputer packages
Chapter 21 Changes in Elk Resource Selection and Distribution with the Reestablishment of Wolf Predation Risk

Theme How animals use resources at local and landscape scales can differ depending on whether starvation is the primary limiting factor or significant predation risk also exists. With predation, individuals face the added and often conflicting demands of obtaining adequate nutrition while reducing predation risk. However, disentangling differences between the respective resource selection strategies in a given system is rarely possible. We evaluated changes in resource selection and prey distribution for a non-migratory elk population formerly limited by winter starvation and now subjected to wolf predation in the Madison headwaters area of Yellowstone National Park. Analyses of elk resource selection prior to wolf establishment (1991–1992 through 1997–1998) demonstrated a dynamic spatial and temporal response to changes in snow pack at the local and landscape level, with elk selecting areas with low snow mass, but forced to occupy areas with higher local snow mass as conditions on the winter range became more severe ( Chapter 8 by Messer et al. , this volume). We hypothesized that variables affecting elk resource selection prior to wolves would retain their primacy in post-wolf models (1998–1999 through 2005–2006), but that the magnitude of each would change depending on its contribution to predation risk. Broad-scale changes in prey distribution could also occur if the collective attributes of a landscape serve to alternately provide areas with decreased or increased predation risk. Thus, we also evaluated the potential for landscape-scale shifts in the distribution of the elk population among the three drainages of the Madison headwaters area if elk selected distinct prey refuges and avoided areas where they were particularly vulnerable to wolf predation. Alternatively, elk distribution shifts among the three drainages could also result from differential predation risk with lower densities of animals in high risk areas due to the removal by wolves of substantial numbers of prey.
Temporal knowledge discovery with infrequent episodes

In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm which discovers rare episodes with a combination of bottom-up and top-down scanning schema. The information sharing between bottom-up and top-down scannings helps prune candidate episodes, and thus, efficiently find infrequent episodes that are interesting to user: We evaluate the performance of the algorithm using real-life weather databases. We observe from experimental results that our approach results in 30%-90% reduction in computation time and 25%-75% reduction in the number of candidates comparing with Apriori algorithm.
High dielectric insulation coating for time domain reflectometry soil moisture sensor

[1] Insulation coating is often applied to time domain reflectometry (TDR) soil moisture sensors to reduce the conduction loss of energy. However, because of low dielectric constants of common plastic insulation materials, sensitivity is reduced, and the measurements are strongly dependent on coating thickness. Analytical studies clearly showed that these unwanted features could be mitigated if a high dielectric material is used for coating. An epoxy-ceramic nanocomposite was selected as a high dielectric insulation material because of its high dielectric constant and high adhesion. Experimental work using this composite indicated that the material has the potential to be used as a high dielectric coating for TDR soil moisture probes. On the basis of the results of these analytical and experimental studies a framework for designing an improved epoxy-ceramic composite for coating TDR soil moisture sensors is suggested.
High data rate recorder development at MIT Haystack Observatory

Current operational capabilities of tape recording for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at the Haystack Observatory allow 0.7 terabytes (12 hours at 128 Mb/s) of data to be stored in a 128 cu. inch volume. On-going efforts are aimed at full time 1 Gb/s operation with two 36-channel headstacks. Applications for linear digital tape recording, with suitable development of thin-film head arrays, suggest a volume density exceeding 1 TB/cu. inch to be achievable in the future.
Calibration of a reflectance FTIR method for determination of dissolved CO2 concentration in rhyolitic glasses

Abstract A technique based upon infrared reflectance spectroscopy is developed as an alternative to the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) transmission method for the quantitative measurement of dissolved molecular carbon dioxide in aluminosilicate glasses. The technique has the advantage that only a single sample surface need be polished, and no thickness measurement is necessary. The reflectance spectrum is analyzed by Kramers–Kronig relations or classical oscillator analysis to yield the optical constants and the absorption coefficient at 2350 cm −1 , due to the asymmetric stretching (ν 3 ) vibration of molecular CO 2 . The value obtained is in excellent agreement with values obtained by the transmission FTIR technique for a suite of rhyolitic glasses. For practical application of the method to rhyolites, an empirical correlation is developed between the normalized change in reflectance at 2350 cm −1 and the CO 2 content, up to ∼0.40 wt%.
Advances in Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a rare but life-long and challenging disorder. Current insight into the pathophysiology of this condition seems to be autoimmune-mediated postnatal cell death of hypocretin neurons occurring by organ-specific autoimmune targeting with HLA-T-cell receptor interactions. The hypocretin system seems to have an influence on multiple organ systems beyond its wake-promoting mechanisms. The recent availability of cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 analysis has led to definitive diagnostic criteria for narcolepsy with cataplexy. Pharmacologic first-line treatments for excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy is sodium oxybate, with modafinil for daytime sleepiness, in adults and children. Other investigative agents and treatment modalities hold promise in future directions for narcolepsy.
Pulsed Laser Deposition of Photoresponsive Two‐Dimensional GaSe Nanosheet Networks

Here we explore pulsed laser deposition (PLD), a well known and versatile synthesis method principally used for epitaxial oxide thin film growth, for the synthesis of functional metal chalcogenide (GaSe) nanosheet networks by stoichiometric transfer of laser vaporized material from bulk GaSe targets in Ar background gas. Uniform coverage of interconnected, crystalline, few-layer, photoresponsive GaSe nanosheets in both in-plane and out-of-plane orientations were achieved under different ablation plume conditions over ~1.5 cm2 areas. Plume propagation was characterized by in situ ICCD-imaging. High (1 Torr) Ar background gas pressures were found to be crucial for the stoichiometric growth of GaSe nanosheet networks. Individual 1-3 layer GaSe triangular nanosheets of ~ 200 nm domain size were formed within 30 laser pulses, coalescing to form nanosheet networks in as few as 100 laser pulses. The thickness of the deposited networks increased linearly with pulse number, adding layers in a two-dimensional (2D) growth mode while maintaining a surface roughness of 2 GaSe layers for increasing overall thickness. Field effect transistors using these interconnected crystalline GaSe networks showed p-type semiconducting characteristics with mobilities reaching as high as 0.1 cm2V-1s-1. Spectrally-resolved photoresponsivities and external quantum efficiencies ranged from 0.4 AW-1 and 100% at 700 nm, tomore » 1.4 AW-1 and 600 % at 240 nm, respectively. Pulsed laser deposition under these conditions appears to provide a versatile and rapid approach to stoichiometrically transfer and deposit photoresponsive networks of 2D nanosheets with digital thickness control and substrate-scale uniformity for a variety of applications.« less
Interorganizational Governance in Marketing Channels

Relationship management rapidly is becoming a central research paradigm in the marketing channels literature. A growing body of conceptual and empirical literature addresses different aspects of in...
Protein Response to External Electric Fields: Relaxation, Hysteresis, and Echo

Dipole moments induced in proteins by external electric fields are studied by molecular dynamics simulations and described in terms of analytical models based on ensembles of Langevin oscillators and Fokker−Planck equations. We investigate through simulations of the protein bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) (1) the distribution p(M) of dipole moments as well as the dipole moment autocorrelation function CM,M(t) at thermal equilibrium, (2) the dielectric constant e, (3) the dipole moment ΔM(t) induced by cyclic (piecewise linear or sinusoidally periodic in time) spatially homogeneous fields, demonstrating significant hysteresis behavior, and (4) the dipolar response to a constant homogeneous field applied for about a picosecond. Through a comparison between an analytical model and simulations, we show that the dipolar response (4) can be described by a relaxation characterized by CM,M(t) in addition to a significant pulse-shaped component, termed the dipole echo. The dipole echo arises from a memo...
All-optical flip flops using directly coupled semiconductor optical amplifiers

Two semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are directly coupled by connecting the output of each to the input of the other. This provides positive feedback for an inverted optical threshold; there is negligible output above a specified threshold. The SOA pair is analyzed and simulated to optimize parameters. Two SOA pairs are cross-connected in a similar manner by connecting the output of each pair to the input of the other, to construct an R-S flip-flop. Analysis shows that only two states exist. Simulation is used to demonstrate setting and resetting the R-S flip-flop at up to 5 Gbps.
Between a rock and a hard place: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

Abstract Individuals are frequently forced to make decisions from among undesirable choice-sets. Raise taxes or cut social services? Lay off workers or go bankrupt? Go deep in debt or forgo a college education? The research presented here suggests that in such situations, decision-makers are often evaluated negatively regardless of the choice they make. In Experiment 1, participants read about a judge deciding which of two seemingly unfit parents to award sole custody in a real-life divorce case. In Experiment 2, participants were led to believe that their partner in the experiment was forced to pick one of two unpleasant tasks for the participant to perform. In both cases, the decision and decision-maker were evaluated negatively regardless of the alternative chosen–and regardless of the fact that they were the only options in the choice-set. Discussion focuses on the source, scope, and consequences of this phenomenon.
Urine electrolytes as markers of bulimia nervosa.

Objective The diagnosis of bulimia nervosa (BN) is often delayed because patients are frequently secretive about the illness. Prior work has examined several potential diagnostic markers, none of which has been both highly sensitive and specific. Little is known about the utility of urine electrolytes in detecting BN symptoms. Method Seventy-seven women with BN and 53 control women participated in the study. Urine and serum electrolytes and urine phenolthalein screens were obtained. Subjects with BN also completed a self-report instrument (the Eating Behaviors IV) regarding vomiting during the week prior to assessment. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to examine the predictive abilities of urine and serum electrolytes. Results Bulimic and control subjects differed significantly on most electrolyte measures. The ratio of urine sodium to urine chloride was the best predictor of bulimic behavior; selecting individuals with a ratio of >1.16 identified 51.5% of BN subjects with a 5% false-positive rate. Fractional excretion of sodium (FENA), urine anion gap (UAG), and serum potassium values were also predictive of BN but serum hypokalemia was not more common in BN than in control subjects (4.1% vs. 0%; p = .15). Vomiting frequency was correlated with an abnormal UAG (r2 = .2231) but not FENA, nor serum potassium. Conclusion The ratio of urine sodium to urine chloride is a useful predictor of bulimic behavior that appears to be more powerful in detecting BN than traditional screening measures such as serum hypokalemia. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 279–287, 2001.
Photolithographically-Patterned Electroactive Films and Electrochemically Modulated Diffraction Gratings

This manuscript presents an overview of work directed toward the creation of arbitrary micron-scale patterns of electroactive polymer films by the application of photolithography. A brief overview of work by other groups in the field is followed by a detailed description of work from our own labs which resulted in the development of methods to pattern a variety of different electroactive materials, including Ru− and Os−polypyridine complexes, viologen-based polymers, and a low-potential polythiophene. The discussion provides detail on the photolithographic methodology. In addition, the spatially-patterned films are characterized by using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The voltammetric and spectroelectrochemical properties of several of the lithographically-patterned films are also presented. Finally, photolithography is applied to fabricate electrochromic optical diffraction gratings. The diffraction efficiency of these electroactive gratings can be modulated by an electrochemical stimulus. The...
The Influence of Stress, Position, and Utterance Length on the Pressure Characteristics of English /p/ and /b/

This study examines pressure characteristics of /p/ and /b/ as a function of position with regard to stress and position within the utterance. Eight female talkers produced utterances which varied ...
Causes for Withdrawal in an Urban Peritoneal Dialysis Program

Background. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an underutilized dialysis modality in the United States, especially in urban areas with diverse patient populations. Technique retention is a major concern of dialysis providers and might influence their approach to patients ready to begin dialysis therapy. Methods. Records from January 2009 to March 2014 were abstracted for demographic information, technique duration, and the reasons for withdrawal. Results. The median technique survival of the 128 incident patients during the study window was 781 days (2.1 years). The principle reasons for PD withdrawal were repeated peritonitis (30%); catheter dysfunction (18%); ultrafiltration failure (16%); patient choice or lack of support (16%); or hernia, leak, or other surgical complications (6%); and a total of 6 patients died during this period. Of the patients who did not expire and were not transplanted, most transferred to in-center hemodialysis and 8% transitioned to home-hemodialysis. Conclusions. Our findings suggest measures to ensure proper catheter placement and limiting infectious complications should be primary areas of focus in order to promote technique retention. Lastly, more focused education about home-hemodialysis as an option may allow those on PD who are beginning to demonstrate signs of technique failure to stay on home therapy.
Relative performance of micro and mainframe computers: two case studies

Abstract This article compares the relative performances from the user point of view of two typical opertions research algorithms implemented on an IBM PC microcomputer and on a CDC Cyber 6400 mainframe computer. The basis of comparison is the computation time expressed in CPU seconds. The first algorithm performs exclusively integer operations, while the second algorithm performs primarily real arithmetic and transcendental functions. For the integer algorithm the speed ratio is 2.14 or 2.65 depending on the accuracy of the PC, for the real algorithm the speed ratio is 3.6. In general, the speed ratio is approximately equal to 3 to 1, which is very favorable for the microcomputer, considering the availability of micro computers and the relative cost of CPU time on each machine.
Transitions in Drinking in Adolescent Females: Evidence From the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study

Background: Data from adult community samples indicate that alcohol dependence originates in late adolescence, thus marking that period as a fruitful one for the study of transitions in drinking. Methods: Using retrospective data about the timing of alcohol symptom onset from 1799 female twins who participated in the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study (MOAFTS), we integrated person-centered (PC) and variable-centered (VC) analyses to study 1-year transitions in alcohol symptomatology. A person-year data set reflecting the onset of 15 alcohol dependence symptoms was constructed, with each year in the young woman's life from the year of her first drink to her current age counting as one observation. Latent class analysis-a PC technique-identified classes of alcohol symptomatology for each person-year, and a lag function was used to identify class membership 1 year earlier. One-year transitions in drinking-a VC analysis-were then studied. Results: Smoking, marijuana use, and conduct problems were consistent promoters of transitions to more severe drinking classes, but depressed affect was not a significant predictor. Parental history of alcohol problems or excessive drinking, particularly maternal history, was a significant predictor of more serious transitions to moderate and dependent problem drinking. Conclusions: These data confirm that even over a 1-year time frame there was considerable change in drinking patterns in this adolescent sample. Smoking was as potent a risk factor as conduct problems in promoting the progression of alcohol symptomatology, and the role of familial factors was found to be influential in transitions at the more severe end of the drinking spectrum.
Formation of telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) foci in highly proliferating mouse cerebellar neuronal progenitors and medulloblastoma

Telomeres play crucial roles in the maintenance of genome integrity and control of cellular senescence. Most eukaryotic telomeres can be transcribed to generate a telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) that persists as a heterogeneous nuclear RNA and can be developmentally regulated. However, the precise function and regulation of TERRA in normal and cancer cell development remains poorly understood. Here, we show that TERRA accumulates in highly proliferating normal and cancer cells, and forms large nuclear foci, which are distinct from previously characterized markers of DNA damage or replication stress. Using a mouse model for medulloblastoma driven by chronic Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling, TERRA RNA was detected in tumor, but not adjacent normal cells using both RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and northern blotting. RNA FISH revealed the formation of TERRA foci (TERFs) in the nuclear regions of rapidly proliferating tumor cells. In the normal developing cerebellum, TERRA aggregates could also be detected in highly proliferating zones of progenitor neurons. SHH could enhance TERRA expression in purified granule progenitor cells in vitro, suggesting that proliferation signals contribute to TERRA expression in responsive tissue. TERRA foci did not colocalize with γH2AX foci, promyelocytic leukemia (PML) or Cajal bodies in mouse tumor tissue. We also provide evidence that TERRA is elevated in a variety of human cancers. These findings suggest that elevated TERRA levels reflect a novel early form of telomere regulation during replication stress and cancer cell evolution, and the TERRA RNA aggregates may form a novel nuclear body in highly proliferating mammalian cells.
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B-Induced MicroRNA-155 Targets SOCS1 To Promote Acute Inflammatory Lung Injury

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) causes food poisoning in humans. It is considered a biological weapon, and inhalation can trigger lung injury and sometimes respiratory failure. Being a superantigen, SEB initiates an exaggerated inflammatory response. While the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in immune cell activation is getting increasing recognition, their role in the regulation of inflammatory disease induced by SEB has not been studied. In this investigation, we demonstrate that exposure to SEB by inhalation results in acute inflammatory lung injury accompanied by an altered miRNA expression profile in lung-infiltrating cells. Among the miRNAs that were significantly elevated, miR-155 was the most overexpressed. Interestingly, miR-155(-/-) mice were protected from SEB-mediated inflammation and lung injury. Further studies revealed a functional link between SEB-induced miR-155 and proinflammatory cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-γ). Through the use of bioinformatics tools, suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), a negative regulator of IFN-γ, was identified as a potential target of miR-155. While miR-155(-/-) mice displayed increased expression of Socs1, the overexpression of miR-155 led to its suppression, thereby enhancing IFN-γ levels. Additionally, the inhibition of miR-155 resulted in restored Socs1expression. Together, our data demonstrate an important role for miR-155 in promoting SEB-mediated inflammation in the lungs through Socs1 suppression and suggest that miR-155 may be an important target in preventing SEB-mediated inflammation and tissue injury.
Mechanisms Transducing Cell Shrinkage in Xenopus Oocytes |[dagger]| 176

Hypertonicity shrinks cells, which restore their volume by osmolyte uptake. The transduction mechanism leading to osmolyte uptake is not known. Our aim was to determine whether cells transduce H2O loss via distortion of the membrane/cytoskeleton or via increasing concentrations of intracellular ions or macromolecules. We previously showed, in Xenopus oocytes, that hypertonicity induces Ca2+-dependent Cl- currents (Ihi). Both the rate and extent of Ihi are increased by expressing mRNA for the water channel protein aquaporin-1 to speed shrinkage. In order to correlate Ihi activation and cell volume changes, we simultaneously measured Ihi using the 2-electrode voltage clamp, and cell diameter using a video caliper in AQP1-expressing oocytes under three conditions: hypertonic shrinkage, hypertonic exposure at constant cell volume, and isotonic withdrawal of cytoplasm. Cell volume was calculated from cell diameter assuming a spherical shape. Volume was manipulated directly by injecting H2O or withdrawing cytoplasm via a computerized microsyringe connected to a third intracellular micropipette. Increasing bath osmolality (200 to 400 mosm/l) shrunk cells from 2.0 to 1.8 μl and activated Ihi (-55±12 nA at -65 mV). Moreover, hypertonicity activated Ihi before volume changed significantly. Indeed, Ihi activated even when volume was held constant (±0.3%) using feedback controlled injection of H2O. During this “volume clamp”, we observed decreased water flux with time without any change in the apparent water permeability judged from the time elapsed before cell rupture when the bath solution was replaced with distilled water. This suggested an osmotic gradient was established within the cell and is consistent with activation of Ihi by an increase in the concentration of some critical intracellular molecule. Withdrawing 120 nl of cytoplasm did not activate Ihi (n=7). This suggests that membrane deformation alone is not sufficient to activate the current. We conclude that increased ionic/macromolecular concentration beneath the membrane, and not mechanical distortion, activates Ihi.
Sustained Ca2+-induced Ca2+-release underlies the post-glutamate lethal Ca2+ plateau in older cultured hippocampal neurons

Abstract Several studies have shown that a prolonged Ca 2+ elevation follows a glutamate-mediated excitotoxic insult in cultured neurons, and may be associated with impending cell death. Recently, we showed that the prolonged Ca 2+ elevation that emerges as neurons age in culture is specifically linked to an age-related increase in excitotoxic vulnerability. However, the multiple sources of Ca 2+ that contribute to Ca 2+ elevation during and after glutamate exposure are not well understood. Here, we examined the Ca 2+ sources of the age-related prolonged Ca 2+ elevation in cultured hippocampal neurons. Studies with caffeine showed that the ryanodine receptor-dependent releasable pool of Ca 2+ from intracellular stores was similar in older and younger neurons. Thapsigargin, which inhibits intracellular store refilling, did not mimic the age-related prolonged Ca 2+ elevation and, in fact, partially reduced it. Ryanodine, which blocks Ca 2+ -induced Ca 2+ -release (CICR) from stores, completely blocked the age-related prolonged Ca 2+ elevation following glutamate exposure but did not alter maximal Ca 2+ elevation during the glutamate exposure. Thus, we conclude that sustained CICR plays a selective and key role in generating the lethal, age-related, prolonged Ca 2+ elevation, and is the likely mechanism underlying age-related, enhanced vulnerability to excitotoxicity in neurons.
CAD/CAM for nanoscale self-assembly

IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications has a long tradition of addressing CAD/CAM problems, a tradition that extends even beyond the well-known special issue on solid modeling. Here, we discuss the conversion of a standard representation for a solid object (for example, a boundary representation) into a set of complex message-passing instructions for manufacturing the object by a distributed system-a swarm of robots. Nanotechnology is currently hampered by a lack of manufacturing processes capable of both high throughput and high resolution. Direct-writing systems such as electron beam or scanning-probe microscopy are serial and slow but achieve high resolution, whereas various lithographic techniques are parallel and fast but typically have resolutions on the order of the tens of nanometers. Self-assembly, that is, the spontaneous assembly of components into the desired structures, is a promising concept that might lead to a revolution in nanomanufacturing.
The influence of crack face contact on the prediction of fatigue crack propagation in residual stress fields

Abstract It is a common practise to predict fatigue crack propagation rates for specimens containing residual stresses using the weight function or finite element method. Due to combined applied load and internal residual stresses, the stress intensity factor Ktot at the crack tip is calculated and used to predict the resulting fatigue crack propagation rates in conjunction with empirical crack growth laws. The calculation of Ktot normally implies pure linear elastic behaviour and the validity of the superposition law. For cracks growing through areas of high compressive residual stresses and subsequent transition areas from compressive to tensile residual stresses, this assumption is not necessarily valid. In this case the definition of non-linear contact conditions on the crack faces becomes necessary to describe the problem in a physically sound way. The presented study discusses the resulting differences in the prediction results for the case of an aluminium C(T)100 specimen containing a residual stress pattern typically found after welding processes.
Behind the Web site: An inside look at the production of Web-based textual government information

This paper describes an exploratory, multisite case study of the production of textual content for state agency Web sites. The qualitative field study explored internal agency Web staff characterizations of textual Web content and staff perceptions of factors affecting the production of content. Study results suggest that staff characterize content in terms of its format, its style age, its rate of change, its degree of change, its owner, and the degree to which it is sensitive. Staff described nine factors affecting content production including information intensity, public education mission, public inquiry burden, top-down directives, existing maintenance burden, review and approval process, resources, management interest and goals, and support from other program staff. A better understanding of how internal agency staff perceive and treat content is important because staff play a large role in determining what content is produced and what characteristics the content contains. The inclusion or exclusion of certain characteristics in content has important implications for information usability, costs, citizen participation in agency policymaking, government transparency, and public trust in government.
Divided we govern : party control, lawmaking, and investigations, 1946-1990

In this prize-winning book, which analyzes data from a 44-year period, Mayhew refutes the commonly held myth that the American national government functions effectively only when one political party controls the presidency and Congress. This edition has a new epilogue covering 1991-1992.
Strength Test for Pre-ROPS Tractor Axle Housings

SUMMARY Tractor rollovers are a major cause of farm-related deaths. A rollover protective structure (ROPS) dramatically reduces fatalities during tractor overturns. However, pre-ROPS (before ROPS were available) tractor axle housings were not designed to support the ROPS. This paper presents the strength test investigating pre-ROPS tractor axle housings, evaluating their suitability for accepting reliable ROPS. The factor of safety between longitudinal yield torque of the axle housing and the maximum torque subjected during ASAE S519 longitudinal static test is determined. The relationship between twisting angle and torque of the axle housing is established. The results show that a particular pre-ROPS axle housing can successfully support the ROPS with a safety factor of about two. The test was conducted in accordance to ASAE Standard S519 on a single axle housing.
Marital Conflict and Risk for Child Maladjustment over Time: Skin Conductance Level Reactivity as a Vulnerability Factor

Skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR) was examined as a longitudinal mediator and moderator of relations between parental marital conflict and psychopathology among children and young adolescents. Participants were 157 boys and girls (M age at T1 = 9.31 years; SD = 1.97); there was a 2-year lag between T1 and T2 assessments. At T1, participants’ SCLR was assessed in response to lab challenges. Parents completed measures of aggressive marital conflict and child adjustment at T1 and T2. Supportive of moderation effects, T1 marital conflict interacted with T1 SCLR and gender in the prediction of changes in maladjustment. The link between marital conflict and increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms was stronger for girls with higher SCLR than girls with lower SCLR. Marital conflict predicted increased externalizing behaviors for boys with lower SCLR but not higher SCLR, although levels of externalizing behaviors were similar among boys with lower and higher SCLR especially at higher levels of marital conflict. Findings build on the literature by illustrating the importance of examinations of both family risk and youth biological vulnerability for the prediction of psychopathology.
Underpotential Deposition of Mercury on Au(111): Electrochemical Studies and Comparison with Structural Investigations

Electrochemical studies of the UPD of mercury on Au(111) electrodes have been carried out in sulfuric acid and in perchloric acid alone as well as in the presence of sulfate and chloride anions and in acetate/acetic acid buffer with emphasis on the processes taking place in the presence of (bi)sulfate anions. These voltammetric studies have been compared to recent in-situ AFM, STM, and surface X-ray scattering studies in an effort to correlate voltammetric features with surface structures and their transitions. The different processes taking place during mercury UPD on A(111) in sulfuric acid can be summarized as follows: (i) At potentials higher than the first mercury UPD peak, there exists an ordered (bi)sulfate adlayer. The onset of mercury deposition triggers an order/disorder transition that gives rise to the first set of UPD peaks; C1/A1. (ii) Mercury deposition is governed mainly by mercury−gold interactions. As monolayer deposition reaches completion a disorder/order transition takes place giving...
The effect of cyclosporin A on the development of Eimeria in non-specific hosts

Abstract The role of T lymphocytes on the development of turkey coccidia in chickens was investigated to further document the involvement of immune mechanisms in the reactions of non-specific hosts to infections with species of Eimeria. All chickens treated with the T cell-specific immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporin A (CsA), 1, 2 or 3 days before or for 3 consecutive days immediately before inoculation with sporulated oocysts of Eimeria from the turkey, shed oocysts in their feces 7–12 days after inoculation. Those chickens treated with CsA after inoculation produced no oocysts although in one experiment a small number of oocysts were discharged by birds injected with CsA 1 day after inoculation. High serum levels of CsA were maintained in the CsA-treated chickens for at least 24 h post-inoculation with the oocysts. Immunosuppressive activity of the drug was determined by measuring lymphocyte blastogenesis in response to concanavalin A. These results demonstrate that the suppression of T lymphocyte activity in a non-specific host early during an infection with a heterologous species of Eimeria permits the complete intracellular development of the parasite. Our findings are suggestive of a role for T lymphocytes in preventing the development of Eimeria in non-specific hosts possibly via a lymphokine-mediated mechanism.