cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solving inverse problems using Particle Swarm Optimization: An application to aircraft fuel measurement considering sensor failure

This paper describes a robust modeling method to handle inverse problems with missing data. The modeling method is applied to aircraft fuel measurement considering sensor failure. Neural Networks that are tolerant to noisy data are adapted to approximate the nonlinear physical process. Unlike previous algorithms that use gradient information to search input space in inverse problems, the proposed method thoroughly explores the input space using particle swarm optimization. The comparison results show the effectiveness of our method in dealing with missing data.
Massively Scalable Mixture Model for Small-scale Sand Ripples

Abstract : Our long-term goal is to develop a modeling framework to predict sediment transport, the evolution of seafloor roughness, and acoustic propagation through the seafloor in the near shore and littoral battlespace environment. The primary objective of this project is to implement a massively parallel version of an existing mixture model, SedMix3D, for simulating small-scale ripple dynamics in shallow littoral environments. The applicability of the existing serial version of SedMix3D is severely hampered by the physical limitations (memory and CPU speed) of typical desktop workstations. The scalable version of SedMix3D developed here will be able to simulate prototype size domains found in the center of a laboratory U-tube (up to 1 m in length). The parallel version of SedMix3D is a powerful research tool that will be used to study the details of small-scale sand ripple dynamics, including the following: (1) the effects of suspended sediment concentration on turbulence modulation, (2) the dynamics of ripple transitions from 2D to 3D (and back to 2D) under changing forcing conditions, and (3) the role of terminations and bifurcations on ripple migration and growth rates. SedMix3D treats the fluid-sediment mixture as a single continuum with effective properties that parameterize the fluid-sediment and sediment-sediment interactions using several closures for the sediment phase. The capability of SedMix3D to simulate small-scale sand ripple dynamics has been illustrated both qualitatively and quantitatively. The research tool developed here will be used to improve understanding of bedform dynamics, and more generally, bottom boundary layer physics in shallow sandy environments.
Crossing the fabrication gap: evolving assembly plans to build 3-D objects

Evolutionary computation has demonstrated the ability to design novel and interesting objects. Such objects are increasingly being assembled in the physical world, albeit with some difficultly. An obstacle to this assembly is that most evolved designs are descriptive representations: they specify what to build, but carry no information on how to build it. Inferring a corresponding assembly sequence for such an object is a complex task for any but the most trivial designs. We offer an alternative solution to this spectre of the fabrication gap, namely the direct evolution of assembly sequences. As we show, such methods not only lead to the evolution of buildable objects, but also lead to the emergence of novel means of assembly as well
Type inference with simple selftypes is NP-complete

The metavariable self is fundamental in object-oriented languages. Typing self in the presence of inheritance has been studied by Abadi and Cardelli, Bruce, and others. A key concept in these developments is the notion of selftype, which enables flexible type annotations that are impossible with recursive types and subtyping. Bruce et al. demonstrated that, for the language TOOPLE, type checking is decidable. Open until now is the problem of type inference with selftype.In this paper we present a simple type system with selftype, recursive types, and subtyping, and we prove that type inference is NP-complete. With recursive types and subtyping alone, type inference is known to be P-complete. Our example language is the object calculus of Abadi and Cardelli. Both our type inference algorithm and our lower bound are the first such results for a type system with selftype.
Peasants, Merchants, and Markets: Inland Trade in Medieval England, 1150-1350 (review)

JAMES GIVEN Historians’ understanding of the role of towns and trade in medieval society has changed dramatically in the last few years. The medieval town was once regarded as, in Bloch’s phrase, “a foreign body in feudal society.”1 Inhabited by merchants catering to the consumption needs of the ruling groups in church and state and prospering from long-distance trade in luxury goods, towns were surrounded by a countryside inhabited by a commercially inert peasantry. Subsistence farmers, peasants participated in market-mediated exchange in only a minor way. Recent scholarship has revised this picture. Masschaele’s excellent work exempliaes a new way of looking at towns and trade in medieval society from the mid-twelfth to the mid-fourteenth century. Masschaele makes three major contributions. The arst is a careful description of the way in which English towns and their markets were tightly integrated with their agrarian hinterlands. Through the analysis of lists of urban occupations and tax returns, Masschaele demonstrates that the economy of the typical English town was dominated by the processing of raw materials obtained from the countryside. The primary sectors of the urban economy involved the provision and processing of food stuffs for the urban population, the production of textiles, and the processing of leather and hides. In Masschaele’s opinion, these activities accounted for one-half to two-thirds of urban economic activity. As he puts it, “the growth and prosperity of most towns went hand in hand with the development of commercial links with the countryside” (17). Masschaele’s second contribution is to underline the deep involvement of English peasants in commodity production. For Masschaele, the true agrarian entrepreneurs of medieval England were the upper levels of the peasantry. Although the gentry sold agricultural goods into urban markets, Masschaele estimates that the total amount of market-bound goods produced by peasants vastly outnumbered that produced by the gentry. In Masschaele’s account, the English countryside was not populated with a largely subsistence peasantry, living in a “moral economy,” and only marginally engaged in the market, but with large numbers of bustling peasant entrepreneurs carefully judging market conditions, loading up their packhorses and wagons, and setting off down the roads and over the bridges of an elaborate inland communications network to town in search of proat. The book’s third major contribution is an interesting case study of the market network of Huntingdonshire. Drawing on central-place theory, Masschaele discusses how rural markets and peasant villages were linked together into a regional marketing network focused on the larger towns. The efaciency with which such a market network could function
Derivation of Formulas Relevant to Neutron Transport in Media with Anisotropic Scattering

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the derivation of formulas relevant to neutron transport in media with anisotropic scattering. The chapter also describes the time-independent transport of neutrons in homogeneous media with anisotropic scattering and plane geometry. The unknown function ψ is the neutron density in phase space ( x is a position coordinate and μ the cosine of the angle between velocity and x -direction), and hence a non-negative real valued function. The sum of the integrals in equation originates from an approximation of some integral operator working on ψ . The assumption b 0 A –1 T introduced in the chapter are discussed. The spectral theorem applied to the operator A –1 T is formulated. It also determines the spectrum N , the measure σ, and the transforms F and F –1 that feature in the spectral theorem for the operator A –1 T .
Tumor hypoxia and genetic alterations in sporadic cancers

The cancer genome contains many gene alterations. How cancer cells acquire these alterations is a matter for discussion. One hypothesis is that cancer cells obtain mutations in genome stability genes at an early stage of tumor development, which results in genetic instability and generates a gene pool that enhances cellular proliferation and survival. Another hypothesis puts its emphasis on the natural selection of gene mutations for fitness. Recent data for systematic cancer genome sequencing shows that mutations in stability genes are rare in human sporadic cancers. Instead, many “passenger” mutations that do not drive the carcinogenesis process have been found in the cancer genome. Both the hypotheses mentioned above fall short in explaining recent data. Recently, many studies demonstrate the role of the tumor microenvironment, especially hypoxia and reoxygenation, in genetic instability. In this review, literature will be presented which supports a third hypothesis, i.e. that hypoxia/re-oxygenation induces genetic instability.
Molecular biology of growth hormone receptors

Growth hormone (GH), synthesized in and secreted from the anterior pituitary lobe, has multiple effects at both the cellular and the organismal levels, including promotion of body growth, stimulation of intermediary metabolism, and transcriptional regulation of specific genes. These effects are believed to be mediated by high-affinity cell-surface receptors, which have recently been cloned and characterized and found to be members of a newly described receptor family. Although GH receptor expression is widespread, the cellular mechanisms by which GH binding to those receptors initiates cellular responses are still unclear. Functional expression of the cloned receptor in tissue culture has resulted in substantial progress toward that goal.
The Relation between Age and Mean Length of Utterance in Morphemes.

The relationship between child age and mean length of utterance measured in morphemes (MLU) was studied in a sample of 123 middle- to upper-middle-class midwestern children, aged 17 to 59 months, conversing with mothers in free play. A significant correlation was found between age and MLU: r = .88. Age accounted for 78% of the variance when MLU was regressed on age; and MLU accounted for 77% of the variance when age was regressed on MLU. Significant nonlinear components accounted only for an additional 1% and 3% (respectively) of the variance. Ranges within one standard deviation (SD) were estimated for predicted MLUs and derived for predicted ages on the basis of linear regression. MLU increased at an average rate of 1.2 morphemes per year; predicted variability in predicted MLU increased with age. These findings can play a useful role in three activities when the children studied are from populations similar to the one sampled here, and MLUs are obtained in the same way. They can aid in (1) finding chil...
Pattern of left ventricular diastolic filling in chronic aortic regurgitation: A gated blood pool assessment

Abstract Limited information exists regarding the pattern of left ventricular diastolic filling in moderate to severe chronic aortic regurgitation (AR). The left ventricular diastolic filling curve derived from gated blood pool scans was evaluated in 24 normal subjects and 29 patients with AR. The peak filling rate (PFR), mean filling rate (MFR), peak ejection rate (PER), PFR/MFR, PFR/PER, and the time of the rapid filling period divided by the diastolic time were determined. PFR, MFR and PER were calculated as end-diastolic volumes per second (EDV/s). PFR was lower in the AR group than in the normal subjects (2.24 ± 0.70 vs 3.09 ± 0.71 EDV/s, p
Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm in children: Report of two cases and literature review

Two children with ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm are described, each with a ventricular septal defect, and in one there was also an associated discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis. The diagnostic appearance of two-dimensional echocardiography and axial angiocardiography are emphasized to allow early diagnosis and surgical repair. A literature review of recent reports in English disclosed that 13 patients under age 20 had been reported to have ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm.
β-cell death and proliferation after intermittent hypoxia: Role of oxidative stress

Intermittent hypoxia (IH), such as occurs in sleep apnea, induces increased oxidative stress and is associated with altered glucose homeostasis. Because pancreatic beta cells are very sensitive to oxidative stress we tested whether they could be affected by IH. The effects of IH exposure (24 h/day, 5.7 and 21% O(2) alternation) in mice on beta-cell proliferation and beta-cell death were tested using Ki67 staining and TUNEL staining, respectively. To assess the role of oxidative stress in these processes, transgenic mice with beta-cell-specific overexpression of the antioxidant protein MnSOD were exposed to IH. After 4 days of IH exposure, beta-cell proliferation was increased almost fourfold. Coinciding with the increase in proliferation, the subcellular localization of the cell cycle regulator cyclin D2 was increased in the nucleus. In addition, beta-cell death was increased approximately fourfold. MnSOD transgene did not alter the effects of IH on beta-cell proliferation, but completely abrogated the IH effects on cell death. Thus, IH exposure that mimics sleep apnea can lead to increased beta-cell proliferation and cell death. Furthermore, the cell death response seems to be due to oxidative stress.
Reichenbach’s cubical universe and the problem of the external world

This paper is a sympathetic critique of the argument that Reichenbach develops in Chap. 2 of Experience and Prediction for the thesis that sense experience justifies belief in the existence of an external world. After discussing his attack on the positivist theory of meaning, I describe the probability ideas that Reichenbach presents. I argue that Reichenbach begins with an argument grounded in the Law of Likelihood but that he then endorses a different argument that involves prior probabilities. I try to show how this second step in Reichenbach’s approach can be strengthened by using ideas that have been developed recently for understanding causation in terms of the idea of intervention.
Unusual presentation of a malignant granular cell tumor of the pelvis: case report and literature review

Abstract Background Malignant granular cell tumors are among the rarest of soft tissue cancers, currently understood to be of Schwann cell origin. As with their benign counterparts, malignant granular cell tumors (MGCTs) have a wide anatomic distribution and carry a poor prognosis, with recurrence and metastasis typically within 1 year of diagnosis. Only a handful of MGCTs have been described in the pelvis. Case We describe a case of malignant granular cell tumor that presented as a pararectal mass associated with severe rectal pain. The patient underwent pelvic exenteration and postoperative radiation therapy. She recurred with evidence of liver metastases on imaging studies 8 months following her exenteration. Conclusion We discuss the diagnosis and prognosis of malignant granular cell tumors arising in the pelvis.
Fisheries: Measuring biodiversity in marine ecosystems

The use of catch data to determine indicators of biodiversity such as 'mean trophic level' does not adequately measure ecosystem changes induced by fishing. Improved ways to assess those changes are required. See Letter p.431 It is often claimed that industrial fisheries are 'fishing down marine food webs' by depleting top predators (such as tuna) before targeting their prey species (plankton feeders such as oysters and sardines). But new global data reveal little evidence for this pattern of sequential depletion, working downwards through the trophic levels of the marine ecosystem. Rather, comparison of model predictions of the widely adopted marine indicator, mean trophic level (MTL) derived from reported catches, with actual ecosystem MTL suggests that fishing has intensified throughout all levels of marine food webs. The trend can be masked by the use of data based on catches, and if we are to accurately monitor future fisheries collapses — and recoveries — we may need to shift focus from catch-based indicators to tracking true abundance trends using scientific surveys and models.
Analyzing the uncertainty of suspended sediment load prediction using sequential data assimilation

Summary A first step in understanding the impacts of sediment and controlling the sources of sediment is to quantify the mass loading. Since mass loading is the product of flow and concentration, the quantification of loads first requires the quantification of runoff volume. Using the National Weather Service’s SNOW-17 and the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) models, this study employed particle filter based Bayesian data assimilation methods to predict seasonal snow water equivalent (SWE) and runoff within a small watershed in the Lake Tahoe Basin located in California, USA. A procedure was developed to scale the variance multipliers (a.k.a hyperparameters) for model parameters and predictions based on the accuracy of the mean predictions relative to the ensemble spread. In addition, an online bias correction algorithm based on the lagged average bias was implemented to detect and correct for systematic bias in model forecasts prior to updating with the particle filter. Both of these methods significantly improved the performance of the particle filter without requiring excessively wide prediction bounds. The flow ensemble was linked to a non-linear regression model that was used to predict suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) based on runoff rate and time of year. Runoff volumes and SSC were then combined to produce an ensemble of suspended sediment load estimates. Annual suspended sediment loads for the 5 years of simulation were finally computed along with 95% prediction intervals that account for uncertainty in both the SSC regression model and flow rate estimates. Understanding the uncertainty associated with annual suspended sediment load predictions is critical for making sound watershed management decisions aimed at maintaining the exceptional clarity of Lake Tahoe. The computational methods developed and applied in this research could assist with similar studies where it is important to quantify the predictive uncertainty of pollutant load estimates.
Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type I—Associated Adult T-Cell Leukemia: The Joseph Goldberger Clinical Investigator Lecture

SELECTED CASE A 37-year-old Jamaican woman developed a generalized erythematous maculopapular rash. She had a peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count of 37×10 9 /L, 75% of which were malignant T cells with convoluted nuclei. The diagnosis of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)—related adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) was supported by high titers of antibodies to HTLV-I in the peripheral blood. The patient was referred to the National Institutes of Health for treatment. Results of physical examination on admission were normal, with the exception of a generalized nonpuritic maculopapular skin rash. The patient manifested overt leukemia with a peripheral WBC count of 32.6 ×10 9 /L, 83% of which were malignant T cells. The phenotype of the malignant cells was CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 - , CD7 - , and CD25 + . The serum concentration of soluble CD25 was elevated to 3645 units (normal geometric mean 235, with 95% confidence interval of 112 to 502
Characterization of Glomerular Diseases Using Proteomic Analysis of Laser Capture Microdissected Glomeruli

The application of molecular techniques to characterize clinical kidney biopsies has the potential to provide insights into glomerular diseases that cannot be revealed by traditional renal pathology. The present work is a proof-of-concept approach to test whether proteomic analysis of glomeruli isolated from clinical biopsies by laser capture microdissection can provide unique information regarding differentially expressed proteins relevant to disease pathogenesis. The proteomes of glomeruli isolated by laser capture microdissection from biopsies of normal kidneys (living-related donor kidneys) were compared with those from patients with diabetic nephropathy, lupus nephritis, and fibronectin glomerulopathy. Glomerular proteins were extracted, trypsin digested, and subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for identification and quantitation. Relative to normal glomeruli, all disease-associated glomeruli showed an increased presence of complement components, a marked decline in podocyte-associated proteins, and a decrease in proteins associated with cellular metabolism. Additionally, fibronectin glomerulopathy glomeruli differed from all the other glomeruli because of a significant accumulation of fibronectin and fibulin. This study demonstrates that our method acquires reproducible and quantitative proteomic information from laser capture microdissection isolates that can be used to characterize the molecular features of glomerular diseases.
Comparing and contrasting Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis mechanosensitive channels (MscL). New gain of function mutations in the loop region.

Sequence analysis of 35 putative MscL homologues was used to develop an optimal alignment for Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis MscL and to place these homologues into sequence subfamilies. By using this alignment, previously identified E. coli MscL mutants that displayed severe and very severe gain of function phenotypes were mapped onto the M. tuberculosis MscL sequence. Not all of the resulting M. tuberculosis mutants displayed a gain of function phenotype; for instance, normal phenotypes were noted for mutations at Ala20, the analogue of the highly sensitive Gly22 site in E. coli. A previously unnoticed intersubunit hydrogen bond in the extracellular loop region of the M. tuberculosis MscL crystal structure has been analyzed. Cross-linkable residues were substituted for the residues involved in the hydrogen bond, and cross-linking studies indicated that these sites are spatially close under physiological conditions. In general, mutation at these positions results in a gain of function phenotype, which provides strong evidence for the importance of the loop region in MscL channel function. No analogue to this interesting interaction could be found in E. coli MscL by sequence alignment. Taken together, these results indicate that caution should be exercised in using the M. tuberculosis MscL crystal structure to analyze previous functional studies of E. coli MscL.
Cell division in newly formed cells from protoplasts of soybean.

Abstract Soybean protoplasts were obtained by cellulase digestion of the walls. Washing out the enzyme using conditioned medium plus sorbitol and sucrose as osmotic stabilizers allowed the protoplasts to regenerate new walls. Subsequently many of the reconstituted cells underwent repeated division.
Variability of Resting Mammary Blood Flow in Nonlactating Holstein Cows

Abstract Variability of rates of mammary arterial blood flow was studied in four dry unbred Holstein cows fitted with electromagnetic blood flow transducers around the right mammary artery. Cows were assigned to a 4×4 Latin square design balanced for residual effects. Treatments were estradiol 17 β (.1 mg/kg body weight), progesterone (.25 mg/kg body weight), estradiol and progesterone combination, or alcohol. Rates of blood flow for cows resting appeared to be related to previous milk production or age. Rates of blood flow differed among cows, days, and treatments. However, time of day measurement was taken had no detectable influence on mammary blood flow. Residual variances attributed to cow, day, hour, and treatment were heterogeneous. Heterogeneity was greatest for cows and days; range was about threefold (high/low). Scale effects were not evident. Coefficients of variation were low with a range of 17 estimates from .63 to 1.51%. These coefficients are about 10% of those for goats. Variance of a single measurement taken during a 15-min recording was 36.48 when mean flow was 674.3 ml/min and systematic effects from time were removed. Residual variance during a 15-min period not adjusted for systematic time trends was 41.40. Heterogeneity of variance suggests caution in testing treatment effects on mammary blood flow because of possible excessive significant F tests.
Approximate Dynamic Programming for Optimal Stationary Control With Control-Dependent Noise

This brief studies the stochastic optimal control problem via reinforcement learning and approximate/adaptive dynamic programming (ADP). A policy iteration algorithm is derived in the presence of both additive and multiplicative noise using Ito calculus. The expectation of the approximated cost matrix is guaranteed to converge to the solution of some algebraic Riccati equation that gives rise to the optimal cost value. Moreover, the covariance of the approximated cost matrix can be reduced by increasing the length of time interval between two consecutive iterations. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed ADP methodology.
Ray‐tracing studies and path‐integrated gains of ELF unducted whistler mode waves in the Earth's magnetosphere

Gyroresonance and Landau resonance interactions between unducted low-frequency whistler waves and trapped electrons in the earth's plasmasphere have been studied. Ray paths for waves launched near the plasmapause have been traced. In agreement with recent findings by Thorne et al. (1979), waves have been found which return through the equatorial zone with field-aligned wave normal angles. However, when the growth along the ray path is calculated for such waves, assuming an electron distribution function of the form E exp -n sin exp m alpha, it is found that for all the waves considered, the local growth rate becomes negative before plasmapause reflection, limiting the total gain to small values. Most waves reach zero gain before reflection. This is the result of Landau damping at oblique propagation angles, which necessarily occurs before reflection can take place. It is concluded that the concept of cyclic ray paths does not provide an explanation for the generation of unguided plasmaspheric hiss.
HLA antigen expression and induction by γ-interferon in cultured human trophoblasts

The expression and regulation of HLA antigens were examined in isolated human trophoblasts. Immunocytochemical studies that used monoclonal antibodies against class I (HLA-A, B, and C) antigens revealed that both cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts can express HLA heavy chains and β 2 -microglobulin. Expression of these antigens increased with time in culture. The addition of recombinant γ-interferon (1000 U/ml) to the cultures significantly increased cellular staining for these antigens over controls throughout the 72-hour time course studied. In addition, we noted that gene expression for HLA class I heavy chain was also markedly augmented by the addition of γ-interferon. Expression of class II (HLA-DR) antigens was not detected in any of the experiments. These results suggest that during in vitro differentiation, cytotrophoblasts can express class I HLA antigens and the genes controlling their production can be regulated. Alterations in the expression or suppression of these antigens during pregnancy could be responsible for some pregnancy complications.
Subcellular location of a soluble factor that stimulates DNA replication in permeable animal cells

Abstract The subcellular location of a soluble DNA replication-stimulating factor released from lysolecithin-permeabilized cultured mammalian cells was investigated by cytochalasin B (CB) enucleation. In both Chinese hamster ovary cells and baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, approx. 70% of the total activity of the replication-stimulating factor was associated with the karyoplast fraction. In neither cell line did the replication-stimulating factor show any significant change in activity or in subcellular location between G1 and S period synchronized cells. The general nature and mechanism of action of this stimulatory factor were characterized in order to show that it was similar to “cytoplasmic” factors reported to stimulate DNA replication in other subcellular systems. The predominantly nuclear location of the replication-stimulating factor supports a physiological role in DNA metabolism in animal cells.
The Role of the Crista Terminalis in Atrial Flutter and Fibrillation: A Computer Modeling Study

Although atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia, the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Recent studies have determined the role of the crista terminalis in the mechanisms of a simpler arrhythmia, atrial flutter. We hypothesize that as transverse coupling across the crista terminalis increases, the activation pattern that results is less like typical atrial flutter and more like atrial fibrillation. 6480 Van Capelle elements were coupled in an icosahedron, simulating the right atrium. Atrial simulations were created which incorporated no heterogeneity, heterogeneous coupling, heterogeneous effective refractory periods, and both heterogeneous coupling and effective refractory periods. When the entire crista terminalis was uncoupled, typical atrial flutter occurred. When transverse coupling allowed activation to propagate across the crista terminalis, the flutter cycle length decreased (p<0.0001). In addition, when heterogeneity was present, both the coefficient of variation of cycle length and the number of activation wavelets increased (p<0.0001). Thus, a more rapid reentrant circuit in the superior right atrium drove fibrillatory activity in the remainder of the atrium, as predicted by the "mother wavelet hypothesis." While awaiting in vivo validation, our study indicates that transverse coupling along the crista terminalis may play an important role in the development of atrial fibrillation from atrial flutter.
Phosphorylation-dephosphorlylation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors: Evidence for the in vivo and in vitro release of receptors from rat brain plasma membrane

Abstract The effects of phosphorylation on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) were studied in vitro and in vivo using rat brain plasma membrane and receptors partially purified at least 2500-fold. Purified mAChRs were phosphorylated in vitro by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and dephosphorylated by calcineurin. Phosphorylation of purified mAChRs was enhanced by carbachol and blocked by atropine. The filtrate which passed through glass fiber filters and high speed supernates were assayed for mAChRs by an ammonium sulfate precipitation method. Following incubation of the plasma membrane under phosphorylating conditions and ultracentrifugation at 300,000 g, mAChRs appeared in the high speed supernate. This release was stimulated by adding carbachol to the incubation medium. In rats treated with carbachol, brain mAChRs redistributed from the heavy into the light membrane fractions. Ultrastructural examination of the light membrane fractions and the 300,000 g supernatant fractions after in vivo and in vitro carbachol treatment revealed double membrane vesicular structures. Incubation of phosphorylated plasma membranes with calcineurin increased the reincorporation of added partially purified receptors into the plasma membrane. The release and reincorporation of mAChRs strongly imply that there is a translocation and recycling of mAChRs between plasma membrane and cytosol in vivo. The significance and the function of the translocation of mAChRs remain to be investigated.
Integrated Analyses of microRNAs Demonstrate Their Widespread Influence on Gene Expression in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma

Background: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Network recently comprehensively catalogued the molecular aberrations in 487 high-grade serous ovarian cancers, with much remaining to be elucidated regarding the microRNAs (miRNAs). Here, using TCGA ovarian data, we surveyed the miRNAs, in the context of their predicted gene targets. Methods and Results: Integration of miRNA and gene patterns yielded evidence that proximal pairs of miRNAs are processed from polycistronic primary transcripts, and that intronic miRNAs and their host gene mRNAs derive from common transcripts. Patterns of miRNA expression revealed multiple tumor subtypes and a set of 34 miRNAs predictive of overall patient survival. In a global analysis, miRNA:mRNA pairs anti-correlated in expression across tumors showed a higher frequency of in silico predicted target sites in the mRNA 39-untranslated region (with less frequency observed for coding sequence and 59-untranslated regions). The miR-29 family and predicted target genes were among the most strongly anticorrelated miRNA:mRNA pairs; over-expression of miR-29a in vitro repressed several anti-correlated genes (including DNMT3A and DNMT3B) and substantially decreased ovarian cancer cell viability. Conclusions: This study establishes miRNAs as having a widespread impact on gene expression programs in ovarian cancer, further strengthening our understanding of miRNA biology as it applies to human cancer. As with gene transcripts, miRNAs exhibit high diversity reflecting the genomic heterogeneity within a clinically homogeneous disease population. Putative miRNA:mRNA interactions, as identified using integrative analysis, can be validated. TCGA data are a valuable resource for the identification of novel tumor suppressive miRNAs in ovarian as well as other cancers.
The use of chemosenses by threadfin shad, Dorosoma petenense to detect conspecifics, predators and food

The abilities of threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) in using chemosenses to detect the scents of conspecifics, a predator and food were tested in the laboratory. Shad did not respond to the scents of conspecifics or a predator; possibly because both shad and their predators out-swim such cues as chemical scents that are transmitted slowly through the water. Shad showed a strong attraction to the scents of food. In feeding, chemosenses may be used for filter feeding on microscopic food and for locating food beyond the range of vision.
A qualitative study of work-life choices in academic internal medicine

The high attrition rate of female physicians pursuing an academic medicine research career has not been examined in the context of career development theory. We explored how internal medicine residents and faculty experience their work within the context of their broader life domain in order to identify strategies for facilitating career advancement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 18 residents and 34 faculty members representing male and female physicians at different career stages. Using thematic analysis, three themes emerged: (1) the love of being a physician ("Raison d'etre"), (2) family obligations ("2nd Shift"), and (3) balancing work demands with non-work life ("Negotiating Academic Medicine"). Female researchers and educators reported more strategies for multiple role planning and management than female practitioners. Interventions aimed at enhancing academic internists' planning and self-efficacy for multiple role management should be investigated as a potential means for increasing participation and facilitate advancement.
Cation permeability and ouabain-insensitive cation flux in the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell.

The components of Na and K flux across the plasma membrane have been investigated in the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell. At intracellular K levels of approximately 100mm, unidirectional K influx is composed of a ouabain-sensitive component, a ouabain-insensitive, nondiffusional component and a diffusional component. Unidirectional K efflux is composed of an external K-dependent component and a diffusional component. Upon reduction of intracellular K to approximately 50mm, the external K-dependent component becomes maximal and diminishes upon further reduction of intracellular K. Unidirectional Na efflux is composed of a ouabain-sensitive component, a diffusional component and a saturable, external Na-dependent, ouabain-insensitive component. Unidirectional Na influx may be accounted for by a diffusional component, based on estimates of membrane permeability to Na, membrane potential and Na distribution. This would suggest that the ouabain-insensitive, external Na-dependent Na efflux is not Na−Na exchange.
Comparison of transdermal fentanyl and intramuscular oxymorphone on post-operative behaviour after ovariohysterectomy in dogs

Abstract The effects of transdermal fentanyl and im oxymorphone on behavioural and physiological responses, after ovariohysterectomy in dogs, were investigated. The study involved three groups of 10 dogs: fentanyl/surgery (FS), oxymorphone/surgery (OS), fentanyl/control (FC). A transdermal fentanyl delivery system (50 μg hour−1) (FS and FC) was applied 20 hours before surgery, or IM oxymorphone (Os) was administered. After ovariohysterectomy (FS and OS) or anaesthesia alone (FC), dogs were continuously videotaped for 24 hours and a standardised hourly interaction with a handler performed. The videotapes were analysed, and interactive and non-interactive behaviours evaluated. In addition, pain and sedation scores, pulse and respiratory rates, rectal temperature, arterial blood pressure, plasma cortisol and plasma fentanyl concentrations were measured. This study showed that transdermal fentanyl and IM oxymorphone (0·05 mg kg−1) produced comparable analgesic effects over a 24 hour recording period. IM oxymorphone produced significantly more sedation and lower rectal temperatures than transdermal fentanyl. There were no significant differences between groups in respiratory and heart rates, and arterial blood pressures.
A new three-phase high-power soft-switched DC-DC converter based fuel cell power conditioning system with minimized DC capacitor

This paper proposes a new fuel cell power conditioning system based on the three-phase high-power soft-switched dc-dc converter with minimized dc capacitor. The traditional fuel cell system minimizes the dc capacitor by adopting the dc active filter which consists of the dc chopper with active switches. The unique contribution of this paper is to minimize the dc capacitor by using the proposed pulsation power decoupling control with no extra cost. Moreover, the dc-dc converter adopts three-phase interleaved structure based current-fed dual-active-bridge (CF-DAB) converter, resulting in much smaller input current ripple and passive component. The CF-DAB converter realizes zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) operation for all switching devices without auxiliary circuits, resulting in the high-efficiency operation. Simulation and experimental results were presented to validate the theoretical analysis and advanced performance.
Transplantation of cryopreserved human embryonal carcinoma-derived neurons (NT2N cells) promotes functional recovery in ischemic rats

Abstract This study was designed to explore the efficacy of a human clone cell line as an alternative neural graft source and to validate the practice of cryopreservation and xenografting as logistical approaches toward conducting neural transplantation. We investigated the biological effects of transplanting cultured human neurons (NT2N cells) derived from a well-characterized embryonal carcinoma cell line into the brains of rats subjected to transient, focal cerebral ischemia induced by embolic occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. At 1 month and extending throughout the 6-month posttransplantation test period, ischemic animals that were transplanted with NT2N cells and treated with an immunosuppressive drug displayed a significant improvement in a passive avoidance task as well as a normalization of asymmetrical motor behavior compared to ischemic animals that received rat fetal cerebellar cell grafts or vehicle alone. Remarkably, cryopreserved NT2N cell grafts, compared with fresh NT2N cell grafts, remained viable in the immunosuppressed rat brain and effective in producing behavioral recovery in immunosuppressed ischemic animals. The long-term viability of cryopreserved NT2N cell xenograftsin vivoand their sustained effectiveness in promoting behavioral recovery suggest potential utilization of xenografting and cryopreservation as useful protocols for establishing clone cell lines as graft source in neural transplantation therapies for central nervous system disorders.
Improving the performance of enumerative search methods—part II: computational experiments

Abstract Generally, branch and bound algorithms typically use mechanistic search strategies and generally do not fully exploit “local” information inherent in problem structures; that is, specific problem-domain knowledge. Some exceptions are found in [2–5]. Incorporatiing intelligence in branch and bound algorithms has been suggested by Glover [1], but not studied in a rigorous experimental framework. We use the mean tardiness job sequencing problem to explore these issues. This paper is divided into two Parts. In Part I [9], we provided the intuitive motivation for this investigation and an experimental framework. In Part II, we present detailed computational results and statistical analysis. The results indicate that branch and bound algorithms can be enhanced significantly by exploiting local knowledge of problem structure and more judicious search strategies.
Jogging reduces obesity and hypertension in obese/SHR.

AbstractYoung Obese/SHR, genetically destined to become obese were made to run three times daily, averaging 2740 ft/day. Siblings of these young Obese/SHR which were allowed to remain sedentary, developed voracious appetites, massive obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, hyperadrenocorticism, muscle wasting, kidney stones, thin skin, and accelerated aging. The Obese/SHR that exercised did not become obese, their blood lipid, glucose, BUN, blood pressure, and hyperadrenocorticism were reduced, but their testes and ovaries became prematurely atrophic.
Dietary Chlorella pyrenoidosa for patients with malignant glioma: Effects on immunocompetence, quality of life, and survival

The scientific and anecdotal information available suggests that broken cell wall preparations and extracts of Chlorella pyrenoidosa in the diet provides important nutrients necessary to maintain good health, resist infection, and restore immune functions in immunocompromised patients. Our clinical study of Chlorella pyrenoidosa (provided by YSK International Corporation, Kyoto, Japan) was designed to test these properties in patients with a history of glioma. Patients with this type of primary brain tumor have a poor prognosis and either because of the tumor itself or due to the treatments applied to kill it, they have compromised immune functions leading to a greater than normal susceptibility to infection. Chlorella was added to the diet of 21 patients; 15 had a glioblastoma, four with low-grade astrocytoma, one had an anaplastic astrocytoma, and one with a high-grade oligodendroglioma. Each patient's general health was monitored by monthly physical and neurological examinations as long as they survived or for at least 2 years. Imaging studies of the brain and blood tests were performed at 3–4 months intervals. Complete blood counts, differentials, cytometric determinations of natural killer cells and T cell subsets, and in vitro lymphocyte activation assays to assess level of immunosuppression were performed on blood samples. Our results with patients taking Chlorella, although limited, suggest that the cellular components and functions of the immune system remain at near-normal levels and are less adversely affected when patients are undergoing chemotherapy and/or taking immunosuppressive medications such as steroids. Over the 2 year course of our investigation, we have observed our patients to have had fewer respiratory infections and flu-like illnesses. 7 of the 20 evaluable patients were alive and had yet to show any reappearance of their glioma after 2 years in the study. Although, our results suggest that our glioma patients may have benefited from adding Chlorella pyrenoidosa to their diet, more controlled clinical studies and animal experiments will be required to define its mechanism of action and limitations.
A comparison of thermodilution and pulsed Doppler cardiac output measurement in critically ill children

To evaluate the pulsed Doppler cardiac output method as a noninvasive means for determining cardiac output in critically ill children, we performed paired pulsed Doppler and thermodilution cardiac output determinations in 17 critically ill children. Commercially available equipment, specifically designed for this purpose, was employed. Forty paired thermodilution and pulsed Doppler determinations were made. There was a significant correlation between the two measurements (pulsed Doppler=0.84 thermodilution +0.39; r =0.79, p p =0.25). However, differences between individual paired thermodilution and pulsed Doppler measurements were large (−3.13 to 2.03 L/min; median 0.12 L/min), and the percentage difference between individual paired thermodilution and pulsed Doppler measurements ranged from 0.41% to 102.5% (median 12.7%). A discrepancy of 15% or more between thermodilution and pulsed Doppler was encountered in 18 (45%) of 40 of paired measurements (95% confidence interval: 29% to 61%), and one fourth of the paired measurements differed by more than 25%. We conclude that, as employed in this study, pulsed Doppler cardiac output determination is not sufficiently representative of the thermodilution output to be employed for hemodynamic monitoring in critically ill children.
Stochastic flow networks: how component criticality changes with component reliability

Consider a directed flow network whose arcs have random two-state capacities. The paper describes how a single Monte Carlo experiment allows one to estimate the sensitivity of the probability that a particular cutset is critical, given that the maximum flow between a pair of nodes takes values in an interval, in response to varying arc reliabilities. The technique improves considerably on alternative potential methods.
Adaptation of the polychaete Neanthes Arenaceodentata to copper

Abstract Neanthes arenaceodentata were exposed to 292, 146, 92 and 56 μg litre−1 Cu (measured) and control seawater after a 27-day pre-exposure to a sublethal concentration of Cu (10, 16 and 28 μg litre−1 and control) to determine if the worms increased their tolerance to Cu after the pre-treatment. The worms pre-exposed to 28 μg litre−1 Cu were significantly more resistant to Cu toxicity than control and 10 and 16 μg litre−1 Cu pre-exposed worms. For example, the time to 50 % mortality at 92 μg litre−1 Cu was 18 and 11 days for worms pre-exposed to 28 μg litre−1 Cu and control conditions, respectively. The net rate of Cu uptake during the toxicity test was lower for worms pre-exposed to 28 μg litre−1 Cu than for the control and 10 and 16 μg litre−1 Cu pre-exposed worms. For example, the net rate of Cu uptake at 292 μg litre−1 Cu by worms pre-exposed to 28 μg litre−1 Cu and control conditions was 42 and 102 μg g−1 day −1, respectively.