cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ribosomal RNA synthesis in plants.

Abstract The cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA's (of molecular weight 1.3 × 106 and 0.7 × 106 daltons) of higher plants arise by the selective cleavage of larger precursor molecules. The main precursor RNA species in carrot (Daucus carota) have been tentatively characterized by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis as having molecular weights of 2.8 × 106, 2.2 × 106 and 1.4 × 106 daltons, and base compositions similar to ribosomal RNA. Results obtained using isotope labeling combined with cell-fractionation techniques have shown that these molecules are localized in the nucleus and have kinetics of synthesis consistent with them being precursors of ribosomal RNA.
Contextual Affordances of Rural Appalachian Individuals.

Vocational psychology has recently begun examining the career development of marginalized and underrepresented populations. Social cognitive career theory provides a theoretical understanding of how cultural differences, resources, and barriers may affect the vocational choices and actions of individuals from minority populations. Contextual affordances, in particular, provide psychologists with a mechanism through which both distal and proximal environments influence vocational outcomes. This article examines the contextual affordances of Appalachian individuals from a social justice perspective. Implications for interventions and future research are proposed.
Efficient planning under uncertainty for a target-tracking micro-aerial vehicle

A helicopter agent has to plan trajectories to track multiple ground targets from the air. The agent has partial information of each target's pose, and must reason about its uncertainty of the targets' poses when planning subsequent actions. We present an online, forward-search algorithm for planning under uncertainty by representing the agent's belief of each target's pose as a multi-modal Gaussian belief. We exploit this parametric belief representation to directly compute the distribution of posterior beliefs after actions are taken. This analytic computation not only enables us to plan in problems with continuous observation spaces, but also allows the agent to search deeper by considering policies composed of multi-step action sequences; deeper searches better enable the agent to keep the targets well-localized. We present experimental results in simulation, as well as demonstrate the algorithm on an actual quadrotor helicopter tracking multiple vehicles on a road network constructed indoors.
S-Adenosylmethionine Prevents Mallory Denk Body Formation in Drug-Primed Mice by Inhibiting the Epigenetic Memory

In previous studies, microarray analysis of livers from mice fed diethyl-1,4-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethyl-3,5-pyridine decarboxylate (DDC) for 10 weeks followed by 1 month of drug withdrawal (drug-primed mice) and then 7 days of drug refeeding showed an increase in the expression of numerous genes referred to here as the molecular cellular memory. This memory predisposes the liver to Mallory Denk body formation in response to drug refeeding. In the current study, drug-primed mice were refed DDC with or without a daily dose of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe; 4 g/kg of body weight). The livers were studied for evidence of oxidative stress and changes in gene expression with microarray analysis. SAMe prevented Mallory Denk body formation in vivo. The molecular cellular memory induced by DDC refeeding lasted for 4 months after drug withdrawal and was not manifest when SAMe was added to the diet in the in vivo experiment. Liver cells from drug-primed mice spontaneously formed Mallory Denk bodies in primary tissue cultures. SAMe prevented Mallory Denk bodies when it was added to the culture medium. Conclusion: SAMe treatment prevented Mallory Denk body formation in vivo and in vitro by preventing the expression of a molecular cellular memory induced by prior DDC feeding. No evidence for the involvement of oxidative stress in induction of the memory was found. The molecular memory included the up-regulation of the expression of genes associated with the development of liver cell preneoplasia. (HEPATOLOGY 2007.) (This is a corrected version of the abstract first published online on 20 December 2007 — the corrected version appears in print.)
Human Factors in Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems: A Look to the Future

To achieve greater mobility and safety in highway travel, the Intelligent Vehicle-Highway System (IVHS) concept links the vehicle, driver, highway, and traffic management team using advanced communications and computer-controlled technology. In the near future we will see considerable change in the basic nature of the driving task and the way traffic is managed in the U.S. These changes are driven by the urgent need to address the serious problems of increased traffic congestion, energy waste, high fatality and injury rates, and environmental pollution. Human factors considerations are critical in the design and operation of IVHS. The driver-vehicle and driver-highway interfaces will be altered and will require optimization. Traffic control centers will perform more complex functions and will need the best possible ergonomic design. Traffic management teams will need to be properly configured and trained to meet effective performance criteria for more demanding work conditions. This paper will discuss IVHS human factors issues from the perspective of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). It will also review FHWA's IVHS human factors research and development needs and strategies for the near future. The issues and planned FHWA activities for IVHS human factors will be discussed in terms of four elements: Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS), Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO), and Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS). Language: en
On the drop time of a dropping electrode and on the bubble time of a bubble electrode

Abstract Consideration of the drop time of a dropping (mercury) electrode and of the bubble time of the newly invented bubble electrodes is made on the basis of hydrodynamic analysis. Although it has long been known that the Tate equation is insufficient to describe drop formation at an orifice, this equation is still in common use. Here, it is shown that no explicit equation can be derived for the very general case of drop and bubble formation, since the shapes of drops and bubbles themselves depend at least on the interfacial tension, the drop (bubble) volume, etc. For the case of absolute sphericity of drops, the following equation is derived: where tD is the drop time, ϱ is the density, ϱ1> ϱ2, σ is the interfacial tension, g is the constant gravitational acceleration, Q is the volume flux, r is the radius of the orifice, R is the radius of the drop at the moment of its detachment, po is the air pressure and pA is the pressure on the orifice area. A similar formula applies for bubbles.
Fast neutral particles as probes of the extent of Io's exosphere

Abstract The spatial extent of ion cyclotron waves at Io has been interpreted as requiring a multistep acceleration and transport process: exospheric ions are accelerated outward (relative to Jupiter) due to the corotation electric field, neutralized due to charge exchange in the surrounding exosphere, and then reionized after traveling far across magnetic field lines, at which point they generate the waves. The trajectories of the particles away from Io are sensitive to the location of their initial ionization. This paper examines the spatial distributions of fast neutrals produced under varying conditions in order to provide constraints on the possible structure and nature of the Io exosphere. While a rapid onset of cyclotron waves at a specific location around Io can be modeled with a single, point-source region of ions, such as might occur over a volcano, the regional extent of the waves suggests multiple or distributed sources.
Percutaneous ultrasound-guided thrombin injection of a post-traumatic pancreatic pseudoaneurysm in a pediatric patient

Non-operative management for blunt injuries to the proximal pancreas has become increasingly common. A bleeding pseudoaneurysm in the setting of a traumatic pancreatic pseudocyst presents a morbid operation. We present the case of a 15-year old with a grade V pancreatic injury that developed a bleeding pseudoaneurysm successfully treated with percutaneous ultrasound-guided thrombin injection.
Changes in proteoglycan synthesis of chondrocytes in articular cartilage are associated with the time-dependent changes in their mechanical environment.

Explant loading experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of load duration on proteoglycan synthesis. A compressive load of 0.1 MPa applied for 10 min was found to stimulate proteoglycan synthesis, while the same load applied for 20 h suppressed synthesis. This bimodal response suggests that the cells are responding to different mechanical stimuli as time progresses. A theoretical model has therefore been developed to describe the mechanical environment perceived by cells within soft hydrated tissues (e.g. articular cartilage) while the tissue is being loaded. The cells are modeled, using the biphasic theory, as fluid-solid inclusions embedded in and attached to a biphasic extracellular matrix of distinct material properties. A method of solution is developed which is valid for any axisymmetric loading configuration, provided that the cell radius, a, is small relative to the tissue height, h (i.e. h/a >> 1). A closed-form analytical solution for this inclusion problem is then presented for the confined compression configuration. Results from this model show that the mechanical environment in and around the cells is time dependent and inhomogeneous, and can be significantly influenced by differences in properties between the cell and the extracellular matrix.
Fibrosis-related biomarkers and incident cardiovascular disease in older adults the cardiovascular health study

Background— Fibrotic changes in the heart and arteries have been implicated in a diverse range of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but whether circulating biomarkers that reflect fibrosis are associated with CVD is unknown. Methods and Results— We determined the associations of 2 biomarkers of fibrosis, transforming growth factor- β (TGF-β), and procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP), with incident heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke among community-living older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study. We measured circulating TGF-β (n=1371) and PIIINP (n=2568) from plasma samples collected in 1996 and ascertained events through 2010. Given TGF-β’s pleiotropic effects on inflammation and fibrogenesis, we investigated potential effect modification by C-reactive protein in secondary analyses. After adjustment for sociodemographic, clinical, and biochemical risk factors, PIIINP was associated with total CVD (hazard ratio [HR] per SD=1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.14) and heart failure (HR per SD=1.08; CI, 1.01–1.16) but not myocardial infarction or stroke. TGF-β was not associated with any CVD outcomes in the full cohort but was associated with total CVD (HR per SD=1.16; CI, 1.02–1.31), heart failure (HR per SD=1.16; CI, 1.01–1.34), and stroke (HR per SD=1.20; CI, 1.01–1.42) among individuals with C-reactive protein above the median, 2.3 mg/L ( P interaction <0.05). Conclusions— Our findings provide large-scale, prospective evidence that circulating biomarkers of fibrosis, measured in community-living individuals late in life, are associated with CVD. Further research on whether TGF-β has a stronger fibrogenic effect in the setting of inflammation is warranted.
Differential tracking system by geometrical segmentation of source space with coded laser beams

We describe a differential tracking system (DTS) based on differential pulse code modulation channel. A laser beam web is employed to segment and differentiate the source space and measure the quantized source velocity vector. DTS can track a source in N position with only O(1) sensors in each dimension.
An easily implementable hierarchical heuristic for a two-echelon spare parts distribution system

This paper addresses a two-echelon spare parts stocking and distribution system consisting of a central Distribution Center (DC) and regional facilities. Because the primary purpose for holding inventory is to provide timely repairs of customer's equipment, we set as our objective to minimize total inventory investment subject to constraints on the delay due to parts outages. We decompose the resulting problem by level and by facility. By simplifying the expressions for the delay constraint? and applying previously developed heuristics for the single-level problem [1], we are able to derive closed-form expressions for the inventory control parameters. We then develop a search algorithm (on DC fill rate) to approximate the parameters (Lagrange multipliers) in the closed-form expressions. Numerical comparisons against an analytic lower bound and, for small problsms, exact solutions show the approximation to be quite accurate. We also found that it outperforms methods currently in use by the firm that motiva...
Fuzzy design of military information systems

On the supposition that military operations are by nature fuzzy endeavours, some fuzzy set theory concepts are applied to the analysis of combat. More specifically, the military command and control function, which directs combat operations, is examined from the perspective of a supporting management information system (MIS), Since a military commander's perspective of the situation can be as important as the facts of the situation, a partitioned data base to support the MIS is introduced. One part contains data which may be either sharp or fuzzy; the other part, information relating to context. It is suggested that probability concepts apply to the former, and that possibility concepts apply to the latter. Data fusion is defined as the joining of the two partitions to provide information in context to the relevant field commander and his staff. Based on a simple military scenario, the design implications of this fusion are explored. A number of examples using recent fuzzy set results are applied to a conceptual fuzzy data base. In particular, both probabilistic and possibilistic entropy appear to operate within the data base, and structure it serves. Both entropy concepts lead to the introduction of information context regeneration along the command network serviced by the fuzzy MIS. The idea of fuzzy containment in a real system is discussed. It is asserted that both the classical hierarchial structure and the centralized control structures of the military serve to keep fuzziness within bounds. The concept of contextual noise is introduced. Throughout, fuzzy set theory is advanced as a conceptual framework for design rather than a detailed design tool. This suggestion is based partially on the evidence that the universe of fuzzy data and information is much larger than that of sharp data. Moreover, in military situations, there may only be fuzzy information.
Bypass Tracts Revisited

The study of atrioventricular bypass tracts remains an educational cornerstone for students of electrophysiology seeking to understand the principles of reentry, mapping, tachycardia mechanism diagnosis in the electrophysiology laboratory, and ablation. Surgical and subsequently catheter ablation procedures to eliminate these tracts derived from an understanding of their anatomic location, typically bridging the atrioventricular annulus allowing conduction from atrium to ventricle to bypass the normal atrioventricular node. With this appreciation of anatomy and physiology, pacing maneuvers can be applied and interpreted to clarify the presence and electrophysiological properties of atrioventricular bypass tracts in the electrophysiology laboratory. Article see p 1262 In this segment of Teaching Points in Electrophysiology, Patel and colleagues1 present and carefully examine a different type of bypass tract, one connecting the right atrium to a pulmonary vein (PV) bypassing the left atrial myocardium. The underlying principle for PV isolation derives from the construct that the PV myocardium is solely activated via conduction from the left atrial myocardium across the PV ostium.2,3 The presence of an intercaval bundle creating a tract that electrically connects the posterior right atrium and the anterior aspect of the right superior PV makes isolation of this vein with left atrial ablation alone impossible. Similar tracts may also bypass the left atrium and connect a left PV to the coronary sinus (CS) musculature, to the left atrial appendage (LAA), or to an adjacent left PV. In the latter case, ostial encircling ablation lines will fail to isolate the vein. In the former 2 cases, even encircling antral ablation lines around the left PVs may fail to isolate these structures. In some patients, the remnant of the left superior vena cava—the ligament and vein of Marshall (VOM)—serves as the tract connecting the CS myocardium to a PV.2 The presence of these …
Development of integrated mechanistically-based degradation-mode models for performance assessment of high-level waste containers

Alloy 22 [UNS NO60221] is now being considered for construction of high level waste containers to be emplaced at Yucca Mountain and elsewhere. In essence, this alloy is 20.0-22.5% Cr, 12.5-14.5% MO, 2.0-6.0% Fe, 2.5-3.5% W, with the balance being Ni. Other impurity elements include P, Si, S, Mn, Co and V. Cobalt may be present at a maximum concentration of 2.5%. Detailed mechanistic models have been developed to account for the corrosion of Alloy 22 surfaces in crevices that will inevitably form. Such occluded areas experience substantial decreases in pH, with corresponding elevations in chloride concentration. Experimental work has been undertaken to validate the crevice corrosion model, including parallel studies with 304 stainless steel.
Effect of inhibitors of protein synthesis on DNA formation in liver.

Abstract Three inhibitors of protein synthesis, cycloheximide, sparsomycin, and pactamycin, depressed to similar extents the formation of protein and DNA in the livers of partially hepatectomized rats at all the levels of the antibiotics tested. Inhibition of DNA replication was not due to reductions in the activities of the kinases that convert thymidine to TTP or of ribonucleotide reductase.
Computer networks in higher education: socio-economic-political factors

This study presents the results of a nationwide survey of computer networks in higher education conducted during 1971-73. Five major and 18 minor networks were identified. The five major networks included: the ARPA Net, the California State College network, the University of Iowa/Iowa State University network, the Michigan Educational Research Information Triad, Inc., and the Triangle Universities Computation Center network in North Carolina. In-depth studies were conducted of the latter two nets. Based on the experiences of these operating networks, a number of factors are identified for consideration in developing networks. Finally, recommendations are advanced regarding the development of networks in higher education in the future.
Charge-transfer complexations among biochemically reactive compounds.

Bei vielen biochemischen Stoffen wird die mit Ladungstransfer verbundene Komplexbildung durch Veranderungen im gemessenen Absorptionsspektrum angezeigt. Die mogliche Bedeutung einer solchen Komplexbildung, insbesondere bei Wasserstoff-und Elektronentransport innerhalb biologischer Systeme, wird diskutiert.
Influence of bean-tomato intercropping on population dynamics of the potato leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae).

This study describes the influence of tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill, and bean plant, Phaseolus vulgaris L., intercropping on the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae (Harris). The field design consisted of a single density of snap bean plants intercropped with a gradient of tomato plant densities. Leafhopper oviposition, nymph and natural enemy populations, and plant growth were monitored throughout two seasons. A complementary laboratory study analyzed the potential influence of host plant quality upon its acceptability for oviposition by potato leafhopper. Leafhopper densities in medium to high density intercrop subplots were >25% of those populations on bean planted alone, during periods of high leafhopper population densities. Differences in nymphal counts between treatments were a function of oviposition, not differential nymphal mortality from natural enemies or host plant resistance. Differences in tomato plant density across treatments did not fully account for differences in leafhopper densities. Reduced bean host plant acceptability was observed when choice tests were conducted using beans grown under different fertilizer levels. Up to 76% of the eggs were laid in plants containing the greatest amount of total nitrogen. Although tomato is believed to have directly reduced leafhopper densities in the intercrop treatments, the additional effect of host plant quality was also shown to be a potentially important factor.
Conduction properties of the inferior vena cava-tricuspid annular isthmus in patients with typical atrial flutter.

Conduction Properties of the Annular Isthmus. Introduction: A functional region of slow conduction located in the inferior right atrium has been postulated to be critical to the induction and maintenance of typical human atrial flutter. We reexamined the potential role of functional conduction delay in the annular isthmus between the tricuspid valve and the inferior vena cava; it is within this region that such delays have been postulated to occur, and where interruption of conduction by radiofrequency energy application has been shown to eliminate typical flutter. Methods and Results: Thirty patients with type I atrial flutter (30 counterclockwise, 14 clockwise) were studied. Counterclockwise and clockwise isthmus activation times adjacent and parallel to the tricuspid valve were measured during three conditions: (1) atrial pacing in sinus rhythm, (2) atrial flutter, and (3) entrainment of atrial flutter. During pacing in sinus rhythm at progressively shorter cycle lengths, both counterclockwise and clockwise isthmus activation times remained unchanged; decremental conduction prior to flutter induction or loss of capture was not observed. Counterclockwise isthmus activation time did not significantly differ during flutter (68 ± 23 msec), inferolateral tricuspid annulus pacing (71 ± 23 msec), or entrainment of flutter (72 ± 23 msec). Similarly, clockwise isthmus activation times did not significantly differ between flutter (65 ± 22 msec), proximal coronary sinus pacing (73 ± 21 msec), or entrainment of flutter (64 ± 15 msec). Conclusion: Decremental conduction is not characteristic of activation through the isthmus when activation is assessed parallel and adjacent to the tricuspid annulus. Functional slowing or conduction delay does not develop in this region during typical atrial flutter.
Comparing “pick and place” task in spatial Augmented Reality versus non-immersive Virtual Reality for rehabilitation setting

Introducing computer games to the rehabilitation market led to development of numerous Virtual Reality (VR) training applications. Although VR has provided tremendous benefit to the patients and caregivers, it has inherent limitations, some of which might be solved by replacing it with Augmented Reality (AR). The task of pick-and-place, which is part of many activities of daily living (ADL's), is one of the major affected functions stroke patients mainly expect to recover. We developed an exercise consisting of moving an object between various points, following a flash light that indicates the next target. The results show superior performance of subjects in spatial AR versus non-immersive VR setting. This could be due to the extraneous hand-eye coordination which exists in VR whereas it is eliminated in spatial AR.
Cystic adenomyosis of the uterus: MRI

Adenomyosis of the uterus is most often seen as focal or diffuse thickening of the myometrial junctional zone on MRI. We describe the morphologic features and signal characteristics of the rarer cystic form of the disease, as revealed by MRI. We conclude that cystic adenomyosis of the uterus is characterized by a well-circumscribed cystic lesion within the myometrium that demonstrates hemorrhage in differential stages of organization on MR images.
Gamma spectrometry of deep-sea cores and sediment accumulation rates

Abstract Deep-sea sediment accumulation rates can be determined by nondestructive gamma ray spectrometry with about as much confidence and with far less effort than by radiochemical alpha spectrometry. Both methods are based on the decay of 230 Th within the sediment column, sometimes normalized against 232 Th; with the gamma ray technique, the isotopes actually measured are 214 Bi, a daughter of 230 Th, and 208 Tl, a daughter of 232 Th. Comparison of alpha and gamma measurements on four cores from the South Indian Basin shows that near the tops of some cores 214 Bi is not in equilibrium with 230 Th, partly because of diffusion of the intervening daughter, 226 Ra. If 214 Bi is assumed to be equilibrium with 226 Ra, a value for the diffusion coefficient of radium in sediments is determined to be in the order of 10 −9 to 10 −8 cm 2 s −1 , in agreement with previous results. Because such zones of diffusion are shallow compared to the total region of 230 Th decay in the sediment, there is little effect on the apparent sediment accumulation rate as determined by the decrease in the 214 Bi/ 208 Tl activity ratio down and core.
Catalytic Antibody Structures: An Early Assessment

The three-dimensional structures of four catalytic antibodies, three of which were complexed with transition-state analogs, have been determined by X-ray crystallographic methods. An additional catalytic antibody structure has been deduced using homology modeling methods, and the information derived from the resulting model has been the basis for site-directed mutagenesis experiments. Analysis of these crystal structures suggests that the primary source of catalytic activity in three of the antibodies is primarily shape and charge complementarity between the combining sites and the transition-state-analog haptens. The fourth structure may contain a modified “catalytic triad,” with histidine, serine, and tyrosine side chains positioned so that they could participate in the chemical transformation. Otherwise, the abzyme structures are representative of antibody structures in general, and do not possess any particularly unusual features that would suggest a classification outside the normal range of variation expected within the immunoglobulin family. Rather, the catalytic activity of these antibodies can be explained entirely on the basis of the local arrangement of residues that line the binding sites for their haptenic antigens. In addition, the structures provide strong evidence that the conserved immunoglobulin framework can provide a highly suitable context to serve as the basis for a generalized, programmable catalyst.
Diabetes, Glucose Control, and 9-Year Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults Without Dementia

Objectives: To determine if prevalent and incident diabetes mellitus (DM) increase risk of cognitive decline and if, among elderly adults with DM, poor glucose control is related to worse cognitive performance. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study at 2 community clinics. Participants: A total of 3069 elderly adults (mean age, 74.2 years; 42% black; 52% female). Main Outcome Measures: Participants completed the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) at baseline and selected intervals over 10 years. Diabetes mellitus status was determined at baseline and during follow-up visits. Glycosylated hemoglobin A1c level was measured at years 1 (baseline), 4, 6, and 10 from fasting whole blood. Results: At baseline, 717 participants (23.4%) had prevalent DM and 2352 (76.6%) were without DM, 159 of whom developed incidentDMduring follow-up. Participants with prevalent DM had lower baseline test scores than participants withoutDM(3MS: 88.8 vs 90.9; DSST: 32.5 vs 36.3, respectively; t = 6.09; P = .001 for both tests). Results from mixed-effects models showed a similar pattern for 9-year decline (3MS: -6.0- vs -4.5-point decline; t = 2.66; P = .008; DSST: -7.9- vs -5.7-point decline; t = 3.69; P = .001, respectively). Participants with incident DM tended to have baseline and 9-year decline scores between the other 2 groups but were not statistically different from the group without DM. Multivariate adjustment for demographics and medical comorbidities produced similar results. Among participants with prevalent DM, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c level was associated with lower average mean cognitive scores (3MS: F = 8.2; P for overall = .003; DSST: F = 3.4; P for overall = .04), even after multivariate adjustment. Conclusion: Among well-functioning older adults, DM and poor glucose control among those with DM are associated with worse cognitive function and greater decline. This suggests that severity of DM may contribute to accelerated cognitive aging. ©2012 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
A qPCR ScoreCard quantifies the differentiation potential of human pluripotent stem cells

Research on human pluripotent stem cells has been hampered by the lack of a standardized, quantitative, scalable assay of pluripotency. We previously described an assay called ScoreCard that used gene expression signatures to quantify differentiation efficiency. Here we report an improved version of the assay based on qPCR that enables faster, more quantitative assessment of functional pluripotency. We provide an in-depth characterization of the revised signature panel (commercially available as the TaqMan hPSC Scorecard Assay) through embryoid body and directed differentiation experiments as well as a detailed comparison to the teratoma assay. We further show that the improved ScoreCard enables a wider range of applications, such as screening of small molecules, genetic perturbations and assessment of culture conditions. Our approach can be extended beyond stem cell applications to characterize and assess the utility of other cell types and lineages.
Laminar shear stress elicit distinct endothelial cell E-selectin expression pattern via TNFα and IL-1β activation.

The ability to discriminate cell adhesion molecule expression between healthy and inflamed endothelium is critical for therapeutic intervention in many diseases. This study explores the effect of laminar flow on TNFα-induced E-selectin surface expression levels in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) relative to IL-1β-induced expression via flow chamber assays. HUVECs grown in static culture were either directly (naive) activated with cytokine in the presence of laminar shear or pre-exposed to 12 h of laminar shear (shear-conditioned) prior to simultaneous shear and cytokine activation. Naive cells activated with cytokine in static served as control. Depending on the cell shear history, fluid shear is found to differently affect TNFα-induced relative to IL-1β-induced HUVEC expression of E-selectin. Specifically, E-selectin surface expression by naive HUVECs is enhanced in the 8–12 h activation time range with simultaneous exposure to shear and TNFα (shear-TNFα) relative to TNFα static control whereas enhanced E-selectin expression is observed in the 4–24 h range for shear-IL-1β treatment relative to IL-1β static control. While exposure of HUVECs to shear preconditioning mutes shear-TNFα-induced E-selectin expression, it enhances or down-regulates shear-IL-1β-induced expression dependent on the activation period. Under dual-cytokine-shear conditions, IL-1β signaling dominates. Overall, a better understanding of E-selectin expression pattern by human ECs relative to the combined interaction of cytokines, shear profile and history can help elucidate many disease pathologies. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 999–1003. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Coercion and Warfare in the Rise of State Societies in Southern Zambezia

Researchers have raised a wide range of variables to account for the emergence and governance of complex polities. Warfare and investment in military power, along with an expansionist ideology, are often raised as catalysts for the emergence of state societies and hierarchical forms of leadership. In southern Africa’s Zambezian region, complex polities arose during the Later Iron Age, presently dated to the early second millennium CE. Wealth accumulation in the form of arable land for grazing cattle, as well as the development of a highly regulated elite ideology coupled with favorable climatic conditions, factored into this trajectory of sociopolitical development. This paper explores the role coercion may have played in cultural changes associated with increased political complexity in Zambezia. Coercive and persuasive leadership is often challenging to recognize archaeologically. Do we have sufficient visible datasets to support coercive power and conflict as a dominant factor for cultural change in this region? Was conflict a significant driver of change in the prehistoric Shashi-Limpopo Basin? How does the evidence stand up to scrutiny when evaluated against known archaeological signatures for warfare?
Nitromation of amines by stimulated macrophages

Rats and mice treated in vivo with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesize and excrete large quantities of nitrate. Murine peritoneal macrophages, elicited in vivo with thioglycolate and stimulated in vitro with LPS and/or gamma-interferon (IFN), produce copious amounts of nitrate and nitrite. We report here experiments showing N-nitrosamine formation by macrophages immunostimulated in vitro. Macrophage cell lines J774.1, PU5-1.8, WEHI-3 and RAW 264 and freshly isolated macrophages from C3H/He mice were used. Macrophages were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (pH 7.5) supplemented with calf serum (10%). Supernatant NO2- and NO3- were measured. N-Nitrosamines were extracted with dichloromethane and the extracts analyzed by a gas chromatography--thermal energy analyzer. Cells (1.5 X 10(6)/ml) were incubated with LPS (10 micrograms/ml) and morpholine (15 mM) for 72 h at 37 degrees C. Under these conditions, all of the cell types listed above produced nitrite (40-70 microM) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR; 114-940 nM). LPS was required for both processes, and this effect was enhanced by IFN. Nitrite (150 microM) incubated with morpholine in cell-free medium did not form NMOR nor did cells plus morpholine and NO2-. The rate of NMOR formation in the J774.1 cell line was highest in the middle incubation period (24-36 h) although [NO2-] was highest in the final incubation period (48-72 h). Thus, the cells do not catalyze nitrosamine formation per se, rather the amine traps out a reactive nitrosating species prior to the formation of NO2- and NO3-. These results suggest that immunostimulated macrophages may be capable of nitrosamine formation under physiological conditions.
Spatial Modeling of Water Use in California Rice Production

There are growing concerns over the water use efficiencies in California rice production. To address these concerns it is necessary to better understand the balance of flows within the system. A spatial water-balance model was developed, using a geographic information system (GIS), to estimate the inflows to and outflows from the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District in California's Sacramento Valley. System inflows included precipitation and irrigation. Outflows included evapotranspiration, surface runoff, and percolation. The storage capacity of the system was also estimated. The model was run to simulate twenty-four months from January 2003 through December 2004. The model was assessed by determining if the equation was balanced. Throughout the study the model remained balanced within the system's maximum storage capacity. The results suggest that even with limited data, spatial water-balance models provide useful descriptions of regional agricultural water use.
An Evidence-Based Approach to the Management of Agitation in the Geriatric Patient

According to U.S. Census Bureau projections, some 35 million Americans are 65 years of age and older today—about 12.6% of the population. This figure is expected to rise to about 70 million by 2030, by which time this age group will constitute 20% of the population. This tremendous growth in the geriatric population will most likely be accompanied by increases in the numbers of older patients presenting to general psychiatrists in the coming years. The most rapidly increasing segment of the older population is the “oldest old”—those 85 years of age and older. By 2010, it is estimated that 1.9 of every 100 persons will be 85 or older. This group has a high risk of psychiatric disorders, largely Agitation is one of the more prevalent as well as clinically distressing symptoms in the geriatric psychiatric patient. Agitation has myriad presentations and numerous possible causes. It can be the primary symptom for which a psychiatric consultation is sought, both for the cognitively intact and the cognitively impaired patient. In this article, the definition, diagnosis, etiology, and initial management strategy of agitation will be delineated. The aim of the article is to provide a practical overview and a clinical perspective on this topic.
RtoA links initial cell type choice to the cell cycle in Dictyostelium

In Dictyostelium, initial cell type choice is correlated with the cell-cycle phase of the cell at the time of starvation. We have isolated a mutant, ratioA (rtoA), with a defect in this mechanism that results in an abnormally high percentage of prestalk cells. The rtoA gene has been cloned and sequenced and codes for a novel protein. The cell cycle is normal in rtoA. In the wild type, prestalk cells differentiate from those cells in S or early G2 phase at starvation and prespore cells from cells in late G2 or M phase at starvation. In rtoA mutants, both prestalk and prespore cells originate randomly from cells in any phase of the cell cycle at starvation.
Contribution of dead wood to biomass and carbon stocks in the Caribbean: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Dead wood is a substantial carbon stock in terrestrial forest ecosystems and hence a critical component of global carbon cycles. Given the limited amounts of dead wood biomass and carbon stock information for Caribbean forests, our objectives were to: (1) describe the relative contribution of down woody materials (DWM) to carbon stocks on the island of St. John; (2) compare these contributions among differing stand characteristics in subtropical moist and dry forests; and (3) compare down woody material carbon stocks on St. John to those observed in other tropical and temperate forests. Our results indicate that dead wood and litter comprise an average of 20 percent of total carbon stocks on St. John in both moist and dry forest life zones. Island-wide, dead wood biomass on the ground ranged from 4.55 to 28.11 Mg/ha. Coarse woody material biomass and carbon content were higher in moist forests than in dry forests. No other down woody material components differed between life zones or among vegetation categories (P > 0.05). Live tree density was positively correlated with fine woody material and litter in the moist forest life zone (R = 0.57 and 0.84, respectively) and snag basal area was positively correlated with total down woody material amounts (R = 0.50) in dry forest. Our study indicates that DWM are important contributors to the total biomass and, therefore, carbon budgets in subtropical systems, and that contributions of DWM on St. John appear to be comparable to values given for similar dry forest systems.
Reed-Solomon coding performance with errors and erasures decoding on a Rayleigh fading channel

Presents analytical results for a specific case of message transmission over a Rayleigh fading channel using NCMFSK signaling and RS coding with errors and erasures decoding. The authors show that errors and erasures decoding provides greater than 3 dB coding gain compared to errors-only (hard decision) decoding. Furthermore, it is shown that the ratio of erasures to errors must be very large to achieve minimum message error probability. >
Antiferromagnetic behavior in Y-Ba-(CU1-xScx)-O

We report the results on x-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility study of Y–Ba–(Cu1−xScx)–O. The materials were prepared in a stoichiometry corresponding to Y1Ba2(Cu1−xScx)3O7. Although x-ray analysis reveals the increasing presence of a subtle second phase with increasing Sc content, the superconducting transition temperature and resistivity did not change substantially in the composition range 0.0 x ≤ 0.15. In contrast, the magnetic susceptibility studies showed dramatic changes. Although Sc3+ has no spin by itself, an enhanced paramagnetic Curie susceptibility was observed above T c with a moment of 1.5 μB per Sc. At 16 K a sharp cusp is observed in the temperature dependent susceptibility corresponding to the onset of a three-dimensionally ordered antiferromagnetic state. These results are discussed in terms of an additional previously unreported phase of Y–Ba–(Cu–Sc)–O that has an antiferromagnetic Neel temperature of 16 K. For composition of x = 1.0, a new phase is formed which is nonmagnetic.
Contrasting Measures of Adherence with Simple Drug Use, Medication Switching, and Therapeutic Duplication

BACKGROUNDMultiple measures of adherence have been reported in the research literature and it is difficult to determine which is best, as each is nuanced. Occurrences of medication switching and polypharmacy or therapeutic duplication can substantially complicate adherence calculations when adherence to a therapeutic class is sought.OBJECTIVETo contrast the Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) adherence metric with 2 variants of the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR, truncated MPR).METHODSThis study was a retrospective analysis of the North Carolina Medicaid administrative claims data from July 1999 to June 2000. Data for patients with schizophrenia (ICD-9-CM code 295.xx) who were not part of a health maintenance organization, not hospitalized, and not pregnant, taking at least one antipsychotic, were aggregated for each person into person-quarters. The numerator for PDC was defined as the number of days one or more antipsychotics was available and the MPR numerator was defined as the total days’ supply of ant...
Does the Neuron "Learn" like the Synapse?

An improved learning paradigm that offers a significant reduction in computation time during the supervised learning phase is described. It is based on extending the role that the neuron plays in artificial neural systems. Prior work has regarded the neuron as a strictly passive, non-linear processing element, and the synapse on the other hand as the primary source of information processing and knowledge retention. In this work, the role of the neuron is extended insofar as allowing its parameters to adaptively participate in the learning phase. The temperature of the sigmoid function is an example of such a parameter. During learning, both the synaptic interconnection weights wijm and the neuronal temperatures Tim are optimized so as to capture the knowledge contained within the training set. The method allows each neuron to possess and update its own characteristic local temperature. This algorithm has been applied to logic type of problems such as the XOR or parity problem, resulting in a significant decrease in the required number of training cycles.
The effects of EEG data transformations on the solution accuracy of principal component analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a commonly used multivariate procedure that reduces the dimensionality of a data set. When applied to quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) data, PCA produces components that may represent functional systems within the brain. Unfortunately, qEEG, like many other physiological measures, produce distributions that are positively skewed. In response, researchers often transform qEEG data prior to conducting a PCA, which does not require univariate or multivariate normality. Despite this, researchers continue to transform qEEG data with limited knowledge of how such transformations will affect the accuracy (precision) of their component solutions. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effects of several commonly used data transformation procedures on PCA solution accuracy.
Reducing the Infectivity of Blood Components What we Have Learned

The safety of the nation's blood supply has improved over the last several years as a result of more intensive donor screening and viral testing. Concurrently, there has been more judicious use of blood components. Although the risk is small, transmission of blood borne viruses, bacteria and parasites can occur. Investigators have studied a myriad of processes for pathogen depletion and/or inactivation, including the use of chemicals, extended storage, filtration, heating, irradiation, photochemicals and washing. Pasteurization, methylene blue and solvent-detergent processes have been introduced in parts of Europe for improving the safety of plasma used for transfusion. The FDA is reviewing a license application for the solvent-detergent process. For red cells, use of highly efficient leukodepletion filters is believed to be equivalent to antibody testing for the prevention of CMV disease transmission. Otherwise, no successful treatments have yet been identified for red cells or platelets. Several photoch...
Thrust tectonics and Cretaceous intracontinental shortening in southeast Alaska

An imbricate thrust belt extending along strike for more than 2000 km overprints the tectonic boundary between two of the largest allochthonous crustal fragments (Intermontane and Insular superterranes) in the North American Cordillera, and affects rocks west of the Coast Plutonic Complex in southeast Alaska and western British Columbia. Deformation was broadly coeval with mid-Cretaceous magmatism and involved the emplacement of west-directed thrust nappes over a structurally intact and relatively unmetamorphosed basement. The Palaeozoic and lower Mesozoic Alexander terrane forms structural basement for much of the thrust belt along a moderately northeast-dipping decollement.
Body Composition, Adipose Tissue, and Energy Balance

There is a dramatic alteration in body composition, adipose tissue, and energy balance in GHR−/− mice. Despite the fact that studies have utilized mice of differing ages, gender, and genetic backgrounds, the long-lived, insulin-sensitive GHR−/− mice are consistently found to be relatively obese with a striking depot-difference in adipose tissue accumulation. The increased adiposity is due to increases in both white adipose tissue, most notably the subcutaneous regions, and brown adipose tissue. In part, the increased adipose tissue mass is due to a positive energy balance marked by increased food consumption, even though this is somewhat offset by greater energy expenditure. Despite the many published studies related to adipose tissue and energy balance in these mice, there is still much to be learned. As we continue to appreciate that adipose tissue is a complex, interactive, modifiable endocrine tissue, the GHR−/− mice represent a counterintuitive state of obesity without the many metabolic complications that often accompany excess adiposity. Understanding the unique features of energy regulation and adiposity in these mice will help us better understand the metabolic dysfunction surrounding an obese state.