cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biosynthesis of biotin vitamers by Yarrowia lipolytica

The hydrocarbon utilizing yeast Yarrowia lipolyyica NCYC 1421 produces biotin and its vitamers when grown on glucose in biotin-free media. Levels of production can be influenced by the medium composition. Growth in the presence of longchained fatty acids greatly increases biotin vitamer production. The biotin vitamers produced are normally dethiobiotin and 7-keto, 8-aminopelargonic acid. The addition of succinic acid at 0.5 g per litre causes the vitamer 7, 8-diaminopelargonic acid to be produced at high levels. The biotin antagonist α-dehydrobiotin inhibits the growth of Yarrowia lipolytica. Mutants can be readily isolated which show resistance to α-dehydrobiotin, but these do not produce greater amounts of biotin or its vitamers.
Asymptotic properties of solutions to two discrete airy equations

We construct two finite difference models for the Airy differential equation. In one model, the form of the complete asymptotic representation of the solution can be found. However, this is not the case for the second model which is based on the use of a nonstandard difference scheme. This scheme leads to a second-order, linear difference equation that is not of a form for which the theorems of Poincare and Perron can be directly applied to obtain the asymptotic behavior of the solutions.
Akt Phosphorylation of BAD Couples Survival Signals to the Cell-Intrinsic Death Machinery

Abstract Growth factors can promote cell survival by activating the phosphatidylinositide-3′-OH kinase and its downstream target, the serine-threonine kinase Akt. However, the mechanism by which Akt functions to promote survival is not understood. We show that growth factor activation of the PI3′K/Akt signaling pathway culminates in the phosphorylation of the BCL-2 family member BAD, thereby suppressing apoptosis and promoting cell survival. Akt phosphorylates BAD in vitro and in vivo, and blocks the BAD-induced death of primary neurons in a site-specific manner. These findings define a mechanism by which growth factors directly inactivate a critical component of the cell-intrinsic death machinery.
Identification and Characterization of the Myxococcus xanthus argE Gene

The chromosomal acetylornithine deacetylase (argE) gene of Myxococcus xanthus was identified via homology to acetylornithine deacetylases from other bacterial species. A mutant carrying a disruption in argE was unable to grow on minimal media lacking supplemental arginine and formed fruiting bodies and spores in response to arginine starvation at high cell density.
Atypical Thermodynamic Profiles in Hurricanes

The global positioning system dropwindsondes deployed in Hurricane Bonnie on 26 August 1998 with supporting deployments in Hurricanes Mitch (1998) and Humberto (2001) are used to identify three unusual thermodynamic structures in the lower-cloud and subcloud layers. Two of these structures impact the energy content of the inflow and therefore the intensity of the hurricane. First, positive lapse rates of equivalent potential temperature are found near the top of the inflow. These layers insulate the inflow from the negative impacts of entrainment mixing and promote rapid energy increases, especially near the eyewall. The second structure is a rapid decrease of equivalent potential temperature adjacent to the sea surface. This is essentially a prominent surface layer that owes its existence to both higher moisture content and a superadiabatic lapse rate. The steep lapse rate most often occurs under and near the eyewall where wind speeds at the surface exceed hurricane force. The author speculates that water loading from spray increases the residence time of air parcels in the surface layer, contributing to the creation of this structure. The third feature is a moist absolutely unstable layer previously identified by Bryan and Fritsch for the midlatitudes. These layers are found adjacent to the eyewall, in rainbands, and in the hub cloud within the eye and are evidence of mesoscale or vortex-scale convergence and the very modest instabilities often found in the core of a hurricane.
The Lineage Cycle in Southern and Eastern Yugoslavia1

Named local patrilines in southern and eastern Yugoslavia (vamilije, rodovi) vary in the number of individual households contained in each. Data from thirteen locations on over 12,000 lineages and 62,000 constituent households are examined to determine the source of such variation in what is here called “lineage density.” Demographic, economic, and cultural factors account for about half the variance in lineage density, but even in a model in which nominal economic and cultural factors are ideally scaled to give them maximal weight, naturally scaled factors of time depth and fertility, that is the mechanics of the cycle of lineage development, account for almost three-fourths of the explainable variance. Defects in the data and in the model are discussed, but the conclusion remains that demographic data, too seldom collected by ethnographers, are of paramount importance in understanding social process.
A new storage scheme for the Lanczos solution of large scale finite element models of piezoelectric resonators

A storage algorithm for solving a large piezoelectric eigenvalue problem is presented. The storage algorithm could reduce memory requirements and computational time by more than an order of magnitude over a current storage scheme, which separates the mechanical stiffness matrix elements from the dielectric matrix elements in the finite element matrix equations. Details of the proposed algorithm is presented with regards to using a Lanczos eigenvalue solver. Finite element solutions for the free vibrations of a piezoelectric cube and bar are shown to illustrate the economy of the proposed storage scheme. Graphs of memory usage and computational time versus the size of the finite element model are presented to compare the results of the current storage scheme with those of the proposed storage scheme.
Pharmacologic Control of Dentinal Fluid Movement and Dental Caries in Rats

Parasympathetic stimulants were found to encourage the movement of fluid through the dentin from the pulp to the dentinoenamel junction. Regular treatment with a parasympathetic stimulant in rats that had all their major salivary glands removed significantly reduced the incidence of dental caries. Treatment with bradykinin in rats on a noncariogenic diet encouraged the movement of fluid into the tooth. When given regularly for 15 weeks, bradykinin caused significant dental caries.
The effect of sildenafil on nitric oxide–mediated vasodilation in healthy men

Background Sildenafil, a treatment for erectile dysfunction, is a specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE 5) inhibitor that enhances nitric oxide (NO)–mediated vasodilation in the corpus cavernosum by inhibiting cyclic guanosine monophosphate breakdown. Since PDE 5 is widely expressed in the vasculature, we examined the hypothesis that sildenafil could enhance NO-mediated vasodilation in other vascular beds and improve endothelial function. Methods NO-mediated responses to acetylcholine (endothelium-dependent) and nitroglycerin (endothelium-independent) were measured in healthy men in the dorsal hand vein (n = 13), after the administration of either sildenafil 50 mg or placebo. Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery and forearm postischemic reactive hyperemia were measured before and after sildenafil 50 mg, isosorbide dinitrate 5 mg, and placebo in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study (n = 11). Results In the hand vein, sildenafil administration increased sensitivity to local nitroglycerin. The 50% effective dose decreased approximately 4-fold from 13.5 ng/min (range, 6.9–26.6 ng/min) to 2.7 ng/min (range, 1.1–6.4 ng/min) (P = .025). Sildenafil decreased the maximum venoconstriction induced by phenylephrine from 81% ± 3% to 74% ± 3% (P = .025). Sildenafil did not significantly affect the maximal venodilatory response to acetylcholine (35% ± 7% after placebo versus 32% ± 8% after sildenafil) (P = .7). In the arterial vasculature, flow-mediated dilation before (2.4% ± 1%) and after (2.8% ± 1.4%) sildenafil (P = .8) and postischemic reactive hyperemia area under the curve before (1807 ± 393 mL · min · s/100 mL) and after (1467 ± 257 mL · min · s/100 mL) sildenafil were not different (P = .8). Resting heart rate, blood pressure, and resting brachial artery diameter were unchanged after sildenafil administration. Isosorbide dinitrate, an endothelium-independent vasodilator, caused a significant increase in resting brachial artery diameter from 0.53 ± 0.01 cm to 0.56 ± 0.02 cm (P = .005), without altering flow-mediated dilation. Conclusions In healthy men sildenafil increased sensitivity to nitroglycerin, an exogenous NO donor, approximately 4-fold but did not affect endothelium-dependent, NO-mediated responses in either the hand vein or forearm vasculature. Differential vascular responses to sildenafil may localize its enhancement of endogenous NO-mediated vasodilation to vascular beds such as the corpus cavernosum. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2001) 70, 270–279; doi: 10.1067/mcp.2001.117995
Dna2 Is Involved in CA Strand Resection and Nascent Lagging Strand Completion at Native Yeast Telomeres

Post-replicational telomere end processing involves both extension by telomerase and resection to produce 3′-GT-overhangs that extend beyond the complementary 5′-CA-rich strand. Resection must be carefully controlled to maintain telomere length. At short de novo telomeres generated artificially by HO endonuclease in the G_2 phase, we show that dna2-defective strains are impaired in both telomere elongation and sequential 5′-CA resection. At native telomeres in dna2 mutants, GT-overhangs do clearly elongate during late S phase but are shorter than in wild type, suggesting a role for Dna2 in 5′-CA resection but also indicating significant redundancy with other nucleases. Surprisingly, elimination of Mre11 nuclease or Exo1, which are complementary to Dna2 in resection of internal double strand breaks, does not lead to further shortening of GT-overhangs in dna2 mutants. A second step in end processing involves filling in of the CA-strand to maintain appropriate telomere length. We show that Dna2 is required for normal telomeric CA-strand fill-in. Yeast dna2 mutants, like mutants in DNA ligase 1 (cdc9), accumulate low molecular weight, nascent lagging strand DNA replication intermediates at telomeres. Based on this and other results, we propose that FEN1 is not sufficient and that either Dna2 or Exo1 is required to supplement FEN1 in maturing lagging strands at telomeres. Telomeres may be among the subset of genomic locations where Dna2 helicase/nuclease is essential for the two-nuclease pathway of primer processing on lagging strands.
Lithium Dimethylcuprate–Boron Trifluoride

(Me2CuLi) [15681-48-8] C2H6CuLi (MW 100.57) InChI = 1S/2CH3.Cu.Li/h2*1H3;; InChIKey = LQCYIQBYFCQMCH-UHFFFAOYSA-N (BF3) [7637-07-2] BF3 (MW 67.81) InChI = 1S/BF3/c2-1(3)4 InChIKey = WTEOIRVLGSZEPR-UHFFFAOYSA-N (BF3·Et2O) [109-63-7] C4H10BF3O (MW 141.95) InChI = 1S/C4H10O.BF3/c1-3-5-4-2;2-1(3)4/h3-4H2,1-2H3; InChIKey = KZMGYPLQYOPHEL-UHFFFAOYSA-N (methylating reagent that undergoes accelerated conjugate addition reactions,1 1,2-addition reactions,2 substitution reactions with alkyl1, 3 and allylic substrates,1, 4 and reduction reactions4) Physical Data: clear solution in THF; 1H NMR data for Me2CuLi + 2 BF3·Et2O at −80 °C is suggestive of a four-component system: Me2CuLi (δ −1.57 ppm) + Me3Cu2Li (δ −1.31 and −0.35 ppm) + MeLi·BF3 (δ 0.16 ppm) + BF3.1b Solubility: sol THF, Et2O Preparative Methods: addition of 2 equiv of Boron Trifluoride Etherate to Lithium Dimethylcuprate prepared from CuI salts and Methyllithium at −78 °C gives a clear solution in THF; warming the solution from −78 to −60 °C over 10 min generates a solution of Me3Cu2Li + BF3 + MeLi·BF3.1b The reagent can also be prepared by addition of Boron Trifluoride to Me2CuLi, although use of BF3·Et2O is more convenient and affords identical results.3b Handling, Storage, and Precautions: air- and moisture-sensitive; handle under inert atmosphere in a fume hood.
Guidance for exploratory testing through problem frames

Exploratory testing is a well-established, industry-adopted process of investigation and discovery, which employs human creativity to gain deep insights into a software product. It is authentic, rigorous, and enjoyable, making it an excellent topic for an undergraduate software engineering course. However, it is difficult to explain to the beginner how to generate a successful exploratory strategy. “Case studies” and “lessons learned” from practitioners illustrate the value of exploratory testing but do not necessarily reveal the motivation for a particular exploratory tour. Here we discuss the use of problem frames as a means of guiding students toward promising testing strategies. Problem frames were originally proposed as a requirements analysis approach, carefully locating and bounding software problems to be solved, then matching subproblems to commonly occurring problem patterns or “frames”. A natural extension to that idea is to associate test strategies with particular frame concerns, guiding the student toward exploratory techniques that are well-suited to the frame. Once students become confident exploratory testers, they can add their own strategies to a growing body of knowledge. To illustrate the approach, we consider frame concerns and test strategies for workpieces problems, using Google Calendar as our test subject.
A New Analytic Dyad: Homosexual Analyst, Heterosexual Patient

The paradoxical thesis is presented that the extraordinary aspect of the analytic experience of a homosexual male analyst and his heterosexual male analysand is that it was ordinary, that the fundamental processes of transference, countertransference, and analysis of defense and resistance were determinative. The unique variations of these processes with this particular patient are explored. The patient entered treatment unaware of the analyst's homosexuality, which he discovered during the analysis. The course of this discovery, its transformations, its defensive uses, its transference meanings, and its fate in the termination are delineated. Through viewing the patient's reactions to the analyst's homosexuality as potential entry points to the transference, the analytic process was enhanced and facilitated.
The Jrpm system for dynamically parallelizing Java programs

We describe the Java runtime parallelizing machine (Jrpm), a complete system for parallelizing sequential programs automatically. Jrpm is based on a chip multiprocessor (CMP) with thread-level speculation (TLS) support. CMPs have low sharing and communication costs relative to traditional multiprocessors, and thread-level speculation (TLS) simplifies program parallelization by allowing us to parallelize optimistically without violating correct sequential program behavior. Using a Java virtual machine with dynamic compilation support coupled with a hardware profiler, speculative buffer requirements and inter-thread dependencies of prospective speculative thread loops (STLs) are analyzed in real-time to identify the best loops to parallelize. Once sufficient data has been collected to make a reasonable decision, selected loops are dynamically recompiled to run in parallel.Experimental results demonstrate that Jrpm can exploit thread-level parallelism with minimal effort from the programmer. On four processors, we achieved speedups of 3 to 4 for floating point applications, 2 to 3 on multimedia applications, and between 1.5 and 2.5 on integer applications. Performance was achieved by automatic selection of thread decompositions by the hardware profiler, intra-procedural optimizations on code compiled dynamically into speculative threads, and some minor programmer transformations for exposing parallelism that cannot be performed automatically.
View Generation for Multiview Maximum Disagreement Based Active Learning for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Active learning (AL) seeks to interactively construct a smaller training data set that is the most informative and useful for the supervised classification task. Based on the multiview Adaptive Maximum Disagreement AL method, this study investigates the principles and capability of several approaches for the view generation for hyperspectral data classification, including clustering, random selection, and uniform subset slicing methods, which are then incorporated with dynamic view updating and feature space bagging strategies. Tests on Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer and Hyperion hyperspectral data sets show excellent performance as compared with random sampling and the simple version support vector machine margin sampling, a state-of-the-art AL method.
Secondary Structure of the r(CUUCGG) Tetraloop

The oligonucleotide r(GGACUUCGGUCC) has been observed to adopt a hairpin conformation by solution NMR and a double helical conformation by X-ray diffraction. In order to understand this apparent conflict, we used time-resolved fluorescence depolarization and 19fluorine NMR to follow the secondary structure of this dodecamer as the solution composition was changed stepwise from the NMR experimental conditions to those used for crystallization. Calculation of the dodecamer concentration in the crystal (180 mM strands) and the cation concentration needed for neutrality (>2 M) prompted investigation of a tethered species, in which two dodecamers are connected by a string of 4 nt, geometrically equivalent to approximately 100 mM strands, in 2.5 M NaCl. The RNA tetraloop and its DNA analog maintain a single-strand hairpin conformation in solution, even under the conditions used to grow the crystal. Under high salt conditions, the tethered RNA and DNA analogs of this sequence yield secondary components which could be the double helical conformation. Crystal contacts in addition to solvent changes and high RNA concentrations are needed to obtain the double helix as the predominant species.
Correlations of cibarial muscle activities of Homalodisca spp. sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) with EPG ingestion waveform and excretion

Fluid flow into and out of the stylets of xylem-ingesting sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) is powered by muscles of the cibarial pump. Such fluid flow is crucial for transmission of Xylella fastidiosa, the Pierce’s Disease bacterium, yet has not been rigorously studied via electrical penetration graph (EPG) technology. We correlated EPG waveforms with electromyographically (EMG) recorded muscle potentials from the cibarial dilator muscles, which power the piston-like cibarial diaphragm. There was a 1:1 correspondence of each cycle of cibarial muscle contraction/relaxation with each plateau of EPG waveform C. Results definitively showed that the C waveform represents active ingestion, i.e. fluid flow is propelled by cibarial muscle contraction. Moreover, each C waveform episode represents muscular diaphragm uplift, probably combined with a ‘‘bounce’’ from cuticular elasticity, to provide the suction that pulls fluid into the stylets. Fine structure of the EPG ingestion waveform represents directionality of fluid flow, supporting the primary role of streaming potentials as the electrical origin of the C waveform. Rhythmic bouts of cibarial pumping were generally correlated with sustained production of excretory droplets. However, neither the onset nor cessation of ingestion was correlated with onset or cessation of excretion, respectively. Volume of excreta is an inexact measure of ingestion. Implications for using EPG to understand the mechanism of X. fastidiosa transmission are discussed.
BEST: A real-time tracking method for scout robot

We propose a BEST (Background subtraction and Enhanced camShift Tracking) method for a scout robot tracking a moving object in real time. A modified back subtraction method based on time axis is used to segment the moving object in a complicated environment. The centroid and area are chosen as the feature to judge target. We proposed a novel method that combines Camshift, AWS (Adaptive Window Selecting method) and Kalman predicting algorithm together to track the detected object. Experiments based on a DSP image processing system in a scout robot indicate the feasibility and robustness of our method.
Un-"Freak"ing Black Female Selfhood: Grotesque-Erotic Agency and Ecofeminist Unity in Sapphire's Push

In the nineteenth-century United States, besides being displayed and prodded on antebellum auction blocks, black women were showcased in sideshows, newsprint, broadsides, song, drama, photography, world’s fairs, and literature as grotesque and exotic “freaks.” One example is the elderly Joice Heth, with whose paralyzed body P. T. Barnum’s famous career originated. In 1835, when Barnum purchased the right to show her, Heth was already on exhibit in Philadelphia as George Washington’s 161-year-old nursemaid. After her death the next year, she was publically dissected to determine her actual age for “a large crowd of doctors, medical students, clergymen, and editors,” which brought in a hefty sum and much-desired newspaper coverage for the entrepreneurial showman (Thomson 59).3 Blind and otherwise completely disabled, the property of others, black, female, and elderly, a “monster manifest in the ordinary,” Heth embodied what disability studies scholar Rosemarie Garland Thomson calls “the stigmata of social devaluation” (59). As the “celebrated and reviled” monstrous “carnivalesque juxtaposition” to the white, able-bodied, male Washingtonian heroic ideal (Reiss 51, 46), Heth was “America’s composite physical other, the domesticated and trivialized reversal of America’s self-image”—the “quintessential American freak” (Thomson 59). On both sides of the Atlantic, in the hugely influential urban dime museums (such as Barnum’s famous American Museum), traveling carnival sideshows, Wild West shows, and World’s Fairs, ethnographic and physical “freaks of nature” like Heth were actually “freaks of culture”; they were constructed, in other words, to define more sharply the “normal” white spectator-citizen (Stewart 109) and affirm the Imperial Age’s global march of Manifest Destiny.
Valence-driven connectivity encoding for 3D meshes

In this paper, we propose a valence-driven, single-resolution encoding technique for lossless compression of triangle mesh connectivity. Building upon a valence-based approach pioneered by Touma and Gotsman 22, we design a new valence-driven conquest for arbitrary meshes that always guarantees smaller compression rates than the original method. Furthermore, we provide a novel theoretical entropy study of our technique, hinting the optimality of the valence-driven approach. Finally, we demonstrate the practical efficiency of this approach (in agreement with the theoretical prediction) on a series of test meshes, resulting in the lowest compression ratios published so far, for both irregular and regular meshes, small or large.
Considerations in moving electronic radiography into routine use

Primary diagnosis plays a central role in the establishment of electronic radiography as a trusted technology. From this technology, other applications in radiology and medicine can easily flow. The fidelity of the electronic presentation of images, the ability of the radiologist to transfer film-based reading skills to a digitally based presentation, and the achievement of improvements in diagnostic efficiency are three important steps to building confidence in electronic methods in radiology. A discussion of these issues is presented as a prelude to the description of a plan for the use of broadband technology and multimedia in electronic radiography, both within and between hospitals. >
The Protein and Non-Protein Nitrogen Fractions in Milk. II. Their Content in Fresh Raw Milk

Summary A detailed study of the protein and non-protein nitrogen fractions in individual, single-milking and mixed-milk samples has been made. Great variations were observed among individual fractions.
Data, knowledge, innovation

Humans have always lived in ages of anxiety with the times busily trying the souls of men and women alike. Ironically, levels of anxiety and soul wrenching are positively correlated with resources and the income (GDP) we are producing. Because resources have never been so plentiful, levels of fretting are also reaching new highs. But do these emergent concerns correlate with some measure of how critical our real global problems now are? Growing GDP and income stem from the growth in quantity and productivity of our resources: populations and skill levels have grown; high investment furnishes greater volumes of capital; working populations are becoming more productive, and therefore GDP continues to grow. Productivity growth, most easily defined as increases in the ratio of outputs to inputs, depends mainly on innovation, which brings us to the main theme of this paper. Innovation is vital in making labor and capital more productive and raising living standards. Equally important, innovation is vital to the research and development efforts needed to solve our most pressing global and local problems. The objective of the paper, then, is to summarize basic ideas as to the economics of innovation in the context of global change.
The treatment views and recommendations of substance abusing women: A meta-synthesis

The purpose of this review is to synthesize qualitative data describing the substance abuse treatment views and recommendations of addicted mothers. The meta-synthesis approach is a systematic comparison of qualitative studies all asking the same or similar questions and seeks to result in a theory that cuts across all of the studies. Keyword searches of online databases Academic Search Premiere, PubMed, and Google Scholar were conducted using the keywords: perinatal substance abuse, women and substance abuse, parenting and substance abuse to locate qualitative studies. The author also searched references of qualitative studies to access additional articles. Studies were included if they were qualitative, included excerpts from participants who discussed issues about perinatal substance abuse treatment views and recommendations and were published between 1992 and 2010. There were 30 studies reviewed. Evidence suggests that social marketing of substance abuse services that emphasize comprehensive services ...
Effect of magnitude and direction of force on laryngeal abduction: implications for the nerve-muscle pedicle graft technique.

Reasons for performing study The nerve-muscle pedicle graft technique is a treatment for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), but the optimal placement of the pedicles within the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) muscle is unknown. Hypothesis The magnitude and direction of force placed on the muscular process of the left arytenoid cartilage affects the magnitude of laryngeal abduction. Methods Five larynges were harvested from cadavers. Using increments of 0.98 N, a dead-weight force generator applied a force of 0-14.7 N for 1 min each to the left muscular process at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 degrees angles. The rima glottis was photographed digitally 1 min after each force had been applied. Distances between biomarkers (Lines 1-4) and right to left angle quotient (RLQ) were used to assess the degree of left arytenoid abduction. Results Increasing force from 0-14.7 N progressively and significantly increased the length of all lines and RLQ, indicating abduction. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between force and angles. Applying forces of 7.84 N or greater (Lines 2-4 and RLQ) or 11.76 N or greater (Line 1) at angles 0, 10, 20 and 30 degrees resulted in significantly greater abduction than applying the same forces at 40, 50, 60 and 70 degrees. Angles of 0-30 degrees correspond with the direction of pull exerted by the lateral compartment of the CAD muscle. Conclusion In RLN, nerve-muscle pedicle grafts should be placed preferentially in the lateral rather than in the medial compartment of the CAD muscle. Potential relevance The information presented can be used to assist surgeons in the planning and application of the nerve-muscle pedicle graft procedure.
Endogenous CD4+ CD25+ Regulatory T Cells Have a Limited Role in the Control of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Mice

Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi results in a robust and multifaceted immune response that controls parasite load but is unable to completely clear infection, resulting in parasite persistence and a chronic illness known as Chagas' disease in humans. The severity of Chagas' disease is correlated with persistent parasitism of muscle, neuronal, and gut tissues. The natural immunomodulatory function of endogenous CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) to limit hyperactive immune responses may be exploited by microbes to persist despite host responses. In this study, we show that Treg cells are not necessary for T. cruzi evasion of immune responses during acute or chronic infection. In vivo anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody-mediated depletion of Treg cells from mice prior to challenge with a lethal strain or prior to and during acute infection with a nonlethal strain of parasite neither improved nor worsened the outcome of immune responses: differences in parasitemia, kinetics of antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell expansion, and CD8+ T-cell effector function (both in vivo and ex vivo) were of similar magnitudes for both depleted and control groups. Furthermore, depletion of CD25+ cells from chronically infected mice did not enhance immune responses of muscle-derived CD8+ T cells, nor could FoxP3 mRNA/scurfin-expressing leukocytes be isolated from muscle tissue. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that Treg cells do not appear to play a major role in regulating CD8+ T-cell effector responses during the acute phase of infection or in the muscles of mice during chronic T. cruzi infection.
HIV/AIDS Related Knowledge and Perceived Risk Associated with Condom Use among Adolescents in Uganda

While considerable attention has been paid to sexual behaviors among HIV high-risk populations in Africa, few studies have looked at the adolescent population. Using data from the 2004 National Survey of Adolescents in Uganda, logistic regression models were fitted to examine the odds that HIV/AIDS related knowledge and perceived risk of HIV infection are associated with condom use among adolescents. After including demographic measures, findings indicated that correct knowledge of condom use, as well as positive attitudes towards the use of condoms are associated with the likelihood that adolescents used condoms. Self assessment of the risk of HIV infection was not predictive of condom use, nor was knowing someone with AIDS. These findings further emphasize the need to encourage condom use and help protect adolescents at risk of HIV infection (Afr J Reprod Health 2011; 15[1]: 57-63).
Charge transport in highly aligned conjugated polymers (Presentation Recording)

Charge transport in conjugated polymers has a complex dependence on film morphology. Aligning the polymer chains in the plane of the film simplifies the morphology of the system allowing for insight into the morphological dependence of charge transport. Highly aligned conjugated polymers have also been shown to lead to among the highest reported field effect mobilities in these materials to date. In this talk, a comparison will be made between aligned polymer films processed using two primary methods, nanostructured substrate assisted growth and mechanical strain. A number of polymer systems including P3HT, pBTTT, N2200, and PCDTPT are considered, and the processed films are analyzed in detail with optical spectroscopy, AFM, TEM, and X-ray scattering providing insight into the molecular features that allow for effective alignment. By contrasting the morphology of these films, several insights into underlying charge transport limitations can be made. A number of key morphological features that lead to high field effect mobility and charge transport anisotropy in these films will be discussed. In addition, several unique features of organic thin film transistor device behavior in these systems will be examined including the commonly observed gate voltage dependence of saturated field effect mobility.
Philosophy, Sport and Education: International Perspectives

Philosophy, Sport and Education: International Perspectives is biblioteca 26 of the Serie Teoria e storia dell’educazione (Emanuele Isidori, Direttore della serie). The paperback version is a slim ...
Approximate Structured Optimization by Cyclic Block-Coordinate Descent

A uniform randomized exponential-potential block-coordinate descent method for the approximate solution of block-angular convex resource-sharing programs was analyzed in [5] and for the linear case in [14]. The former method is rendered deterministic by replacing its random block selection by arbitrary sweeps of its block coordinates, akin to classical implementations of Gauss-Seidel relaxation and coordinate descent in unconstrained optimization, recently used in concurrent network flows [15]. The general block-angular model consists of K disjoint convex compact sets (“blocks”) and M nonnegative convex block-separable inequalities (“coupling constraints”). It is shown that for linear coupling constraints and for a given but arbitrary relative accuracy e ∈ (0, 1], the proposed derandomized algorithm runs in O(K ln M(e −2 + ln min{K, M}) coordination steps or block optimizations, which is lower than all other existing bounds. It is also shown that this bound on coordination steps also applies to a reformulation of the above general nonlinear problem.
Fishing and the Rural Economy Farmer-Fishermen and the Merrimack River 1800–1846

Abstract During the early nineteenth century, rural New England communities consistently strove to manage river fisheries to ensure sustainable returns. While agriculture provided a strong foundation for the region's pre-industrial economy, this paper explores the place of rivers and fish within New England's socio-economic landscape and the ways in which locals sought to defend their way of life from the destructive potential of over-fishing and industrial dams.
Extension of IEC 60870-5-102 Standard and Its Application

This paper explores IEC 60870-5-102 standard,analyzing its insufficiencies in the application to electric energy remote-metering system.The data transmission protocol of electric energy remote-metering system in Guangdong Power Grid Corporation is extended from IEC 60870-5-102 standard,which is fully compatible with the standard and solves some problems in the construction of energy remote-metering system.The extension is presented detailedly combined with the applications of the protocol to the construction of energy remote-metering system in Guangdong power grid.
Hyperspectral microscopy for characterization of gold nanoparticles in biological media and cells for toxicity assessment.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are being implemented in a wide range of applications, and it is critical to proactively investigate their toxicity. Due to the extensive range of NPs being produced, in vitro studies are a valuable approach for toxicity screening. Key information required to support in vitro toxicity assessments include NP stability in biologically relevant media and fate once exposed to cells. Hyperspectral microscopy is a sensitive, real-time technique that combines the use of microscopy and spectroscopy for the measurement of the reflectance spectrum at individual pixels in a micrograph. This method has been used extensively for molecular imaging with plasmonic NPs as contrast agents (Aaron et al., Opt Express 16:2153-2167, 2008; Kumar et al., Nano Lett 7:1338-1343, 2007; Wax and Sokolov, Laser Photon Rev 3:146-158, 2009; Curry et al., Opt Express 14:6535-6542, 2006; Curry et al., J Biomed Opt 13:014022, 2008; Cognet et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 100:11350-11355, 2003; Sokolov et al., Cancer Res 63:1999-2004, 2003; Sonnichsen et al., Nat Biotechnol 23:741-745, 2005; Nusz et al., Anal Chem 80:984-989, 2008) and/or sensors (Nusz et al., Anal Chem 80:984-989, 2008; Ungureanu et al., Sens Actuators B 150:529-536, 2010; McFarland and Van Duyne, Nano Lett 3:1057-1062, 2003; Galush et al., Nano Lett 9:2077-2082, 2009; El-Sayed et al., Nano Lett 5:829-834, 2005). Here we describe an approach for using hyperspectral microscopy to characterize the agglomeration and stability of plasmonic NPs in biological media and their interactions with cells.
Multiple Inhibitory Pathways Contribute to Lung CD8+ T Cell Impairment and Protect against Immunopathology during Acute Viral Respiratory Infection

Viruses are frequent causes of lower respiratory infection (LRI). Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) signaling contributes to pulmonary CD8(+) T cell (TCD8) functional impairment during acute viral LRI, but the role of TCD8 impairment in viral clearance and immunopathology is unclear. We now find that human metapneumovirus infection induces virus-specific lung TCD8 that fail to produce effector cytokines or degranulate late postinfection, with minimally increased function even in the absence of PD-1 signaling. Impaired lung TCD8 upregulated multiple inhibitory receptors, including PD-1, lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3), T cell Ig mucin 3, and 2B4. Moreover, coexpression of these receptors continued to increase even after viral clearance, with most virus-specific lung TCD8 expressing three or more inhibitory receptors on day 14 postinfection. Viral infection also increased expression of inhibitory ligands by both airway epithelial cells and APCs, further establishing an inhibitory environment. In vitro Ab blockade revealed that multiple inhibitory receptors contribute to TCD8 impairment induced by either human metapneumovirus or influenza virus infection. In vivo blockade of T cell Ig mucin 3 signaling failed to enhance TCD8 function or reduce viral titers. However, blockade of LAG-3 in PD-1-deficient mice restored TCD8 effector functions but increased lung pathology, indicating that LAG-3 mediates lung TCD8 impairment in vivo and contributes to protection from immunopathology during viral clearance. These results demonstrate that an orchestrated network of pathways modifies lung TCD8 functionality during viral LRI, with PD-1 and LAG-3 serving prominent roles. Lung TCD8 impairment may prevent immunopathology but also contributes to recurrent lung infections.
Development of Hybrid Rice Variety FY7206 with Blast Resistance Gene Pid3 and Cold Tolerance Gene Ctb1

Abstract Hybrid rice Fanyou 7206 (FY7206), derived from the cross between a sterile line Fanyuan A and a restorer line Fuhui 7206, was bred by the Rice Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. FY7206 was characterized by moderate blast resistance, cold tolerance, as well as wide adaptability, and high yields. The blast resistance results indicated that the frequencies of blast races in race B, race C and the total resistance frequency for FY7206 were 95.5%, 100.0% and 97.2%, respectively. The disease resistance results showed that the leaf blast grade for FY7206 was level 1 and panicle blast was level 5. The indoor spray results indicated that FY7206 was resistant to 11 isolates of Magnorpathe oryzae . The blast resistance of FY7206 might be derived from the high expression of blast resistance gene Pid3 . The results for simulated cold resistance in an artificial climate chamber indicated that the cold tolerance for FY7206 was moderate at the booting and flowering stages. The cold tolerance results also indicated that FY7206 could be tolerant to temperatures as low as 10 °C at the seedling stage. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of cold tolerance gene Ctb1 in FY7206 was relatively high. These results suggested that FY7206 is a hybrid indica rice variety with good comprehensive characteristics, including blast resistance and cold tolerance.
A distinct pattern of cytokine gene expression by human CD83+ blood dendritic cells

Dendritic cells are the most potent antigen-presenting cells of the immune system. Although dendritic cells are likely to secrete selective cytokines that facilitate antigen presentation, the difficulty in isolating pure dendritic cells in sufficient numbers has made assessment of this function imprecise. In this study, pure populations of CD83+ human blood dendritic cells were isolated by previously established enrichment procedures and subsequent cell sorting. Cytokine gene expression was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of mRNA. Resting CD83+ dendritic cells expressed interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) mRNA, while activation of cells with phorbol myristate acetate induced IL-1 alpha and beta, IL-9, TNF-beta, interferon-gamma, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), M-CSF, and G-CSF mRNA expression. Resting CD83+ cells also expressed the Rantes, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, and MIP-1 beta chemokines, with 1-309 expression induced upon activation. Resting and activated CD83+ dendritic cells also expressed receptors for IL-2 (CD25), TGF-beta 1 and -beta 3, and GM-CSF as determined by indirect immunofluorescence staining. These results indicate that dendritic cells have the ability to produce a variety of soluble factors which are likely to contribute substantially to the potent allostimulatory activity of these cells.
Reactivation of HIV-1 proviruses in immune-compromised mice engrafted with human VOA-negative CD4+ T cells.

Abstract Background HIV-1 infection remains incurable on antiretroviral therapy (ART) due to virus latency. To date, enhanced co-culture assays, including viral outgrowth assays (VOA), are commonly used to measure HIV-1 latent reservoirs and evaluate latency-reversing agents (LRAs). However, VOA can only reactivate a small fraction of intact proviruses. Methods To explore the utility of NOD scid gamma (NSG) mice as an in vivo model to reactivate HIV-1 proviruses from VOA-negative CD4+ T cells, resting CD4+ T cells from an HIV-1 latently infected individual were isolated and the human CD4+ T cells corresponding to VOA-positive and VOA-negative CD4+ T cells were engrafted into NSG mice. Plasma viral load (pVL) and human CD4+ T cells were quantified every other week using qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. Results We found that NSG mice reactivated latently infected HIV-1 from VOA-positive CD4+ T cells as well as VOA-negative CD4+ T cells. Engrafted CD4+ T cells proliferated considerably in vivo, peaked prior to provirus reactivation, and lasted for up to 14 weeks. Sequence analyses revealed that reactivated proviruses in VOA-positive and VOA-negative CD4+ T cells are different. Conclusion Taken together, NSG mice can support long-term engraftment of human CD4+ T cells and reactivate VOA-positive and VOA-negative proviruses. Therefore, this in vivo model has the potential to be used to study the underlying mechanisms of HIV-1 latency and reactivation.
Teacher evaluation: Are principals’ classroom observations accurate at the conclusion of training?

Abstract Teacher evaluation commonly includes classroom observations conducted by principals. Despite widespread use, little is known about the quality of principal ratings. We investigated 1,324 principals’ rating accuracy of six teaching practices at the conclusion of training within an authentic teacher evaluation system. Data are from a video-based exam of four 10-minute classroom observations. Many-Facet Rasch modeling revealed that (1) overall principals had high accuracy, but individuals varied substantially, and (2) some teaching episodes and practices were easier to rate accurately. For example, promotes critical thinking was rated more accurately than uses formative assessment. Because Many-Facet Rasch modeling estimates individuals’ accuracy patterns across teaching episodes and practices, it is a useful tool for identifying areas that individual principals, or groups, may need additional training (e.g., evaluating formative assessment). Implications for improving training of principals to conduct classroom observations for teacher evaluation are discussed.
Characterization of Wild Blueberry Polyphenols Bioavailability and Kinetic Profile in Plasma over 24-h Period in Human Subjects.

cope Understanding the metabolic fate of polyphenols from plant foods can aid in developing dietary recommendations that maximize their health benefits. Wild blueberries (WBB) provide a distinctive composition of dietary anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid (CGA). Methods and results This is a single blind, randomized, two-arm crossover controlled study. Human subjects ingested a WBB beverage (25 g freeze dried WBB powder) or placebo beverage with a meal and plasma was collected over 24 h. Anthocyanins, CGA and their metabolites were characterized and quantified in beverages and in plasma using targeted and non-targeted mass analyses. Bioavailability of WBB anthocyanins and 3-CGA was 1.1% and 0.2%, respectively. Parent anthocyanins and 3-CGA peaked ∼2 h post ingestion, while phase II metabolites, including glucuronide conjugates of peonidin, delphinidin, cyanidin and petunidin peaked ∼ 2.6, 6.3, 7 and 8.8 h, respectively. Phenolic acids (metabolites) peaked between 0.5 and 24 h. Biphasic responses were evident suggesting preferential enterohepatic recycling for some compounds. Conclusion The data indicate bioavailability of early and late phase WBB metabolites peaking at different times during the 24 h period, which may be important for maximizing their biological activity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Speech segmentation with a neural encoder model of working memory

We present the first unsupervised LSTM speech segmenter as a cognitive model of the acquisition of words from unsegmented input. Cognitive biases toward phonological and syntactic predictability in speech are rooted in the limitations of human memory (Baddeley et al., 1998); compressed representations are easier to acquire and retain in memory. To model the biases introduced by these memory limitations, our system uses an LSTM-based encoder-decoder with a small number of hidden units, then searches for a segmentation that minimizes autoencoding loss. Linguistically meaningful segments (e.g. words) should share regular patterns of features that facilitate decoder performance in comparison to random segmentations, and we show that our learner discovers these patterns when trained on either phoneme sequences or raw acoustics. To our knowledge, ours is the first fully unsupervised system to be able to segment both symbolic and acoustic representations of speech.