cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microglial-derived miRNA let-7 and HMGB1 contribute to ethanol-induced neurotoxicity via TLR7

Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling is emerging as an important component of neurodegeneration. TLR7 senses viral RNA and certain endogenous miRNAs to initiate innate immune responses leading to neurodegeneration. Alcoholism is associated with hippocampal degeneration, with preclinical studies linking ethanol-induced neurodegeneration with central innate immune induction and TLR activation. The endogenous miRNA let-7b binds TLR7 to cause neurodegeneration. TLR7 and other immune markers were assessed in postmortem human hippocampal tissue that was obtained from the New South Wales Tissue Bank. Rat hippocampal-entorhinal cortex (HEC) slice culture was used to assess specific effects of ethanol on TLR7, let-7b, and microvesicles. We report here that hippocampal tissue from postmortem human alcoholic brains shows increased expression of TLR7 and increased microglial activation. Using HEC slice culture, we found that ethanol induces TLR7 and let-7b expression. Ethanol caused TLR7-associated neuroimmune gene induction and initiated the release let-7b in microvesicles (MVs), enhancing TLR7-mediated neurotoxicity. Further, ethanol increased let-7b binding to the danger signaling molecule high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in MVs, while reducing let-7 binding to classical chaperone protein argonaute (Ago2). Flow cytometric analysis of MVs from HEC media and analysis of MVs from brain cell culture lines found that microglia were the primary source of let-7b and HMGB1-containing MVs. Our results identify that ethanol induces neuroimmune pathology involving the release of let-7b/HMGB1 complexes in microglia-derived microvesicles. This contributes to hippocampal neurodegeneration and may play a role in the pathology of alcoholism.
Breastfeeding as a Primary Diabetes Prevention Strategy Among Low-Income Latina Women

Type 2 diabetes is a serious illness affecting more than 20 million Americans; if left untreated it can lead to life threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Efforts to prevent the onset or delay the complications of diabetes are urgently needed particularly among Mexican Americans who are 1.7 times more likely to develop diabetes. Medical professionals agree that diabetes may be prevented through proper diet and exercise. A growing body of evidence suggest that the risk of diabetes may also be reduced among women who breastfeed. New research shows that women who breastfeed exclusively are less likely to develop diabetes. However, despite the many known benefits of breastfeeding, rates are declining particularly among low- income Latina women. Focus groups were conducted with low-income women participating in the Women Infants and Children Program (WIC) to assess their knowledge and perceptions of breastfeeding. It was found that all focus group participants would be more likely to breastfeed if they knew it reduced their risk of diabetes. As a result of this study, an educational handout was then developed to promote breastfeeding as a diabetes prevention strategy among low-income Latina women.
Regulation of Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Contractility in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Implications for Therapy

There are two primary components that produce PAH; aberrant structural changes (smooth muscle cell proliferation, smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and the deposition of matrix proteins within the media of pulmonary arterial vessels), and excess vasoconstriction. However, in PAH, the target and aim of all current therapeutic agents is to reduce the contractility of the pulmonary vasculature; prostaglandins, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, guanylate cyclase stimulators, endothelin antagonists, NO inhalation & Rho kinase inhibitors all influence signaling pathways in the pulmonary vascular smooth muscle to decrease vasoconstriction, and hence, pulmonary vascular resistance. This review will therefore primarily focus on discussing the signaling pathways regulating contractility in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle, the mechanism for current treatments, as well as highlighting potential targets for the development of novel therapies.
Dependence of the amplitude of fusional convergence movements on the velocity of the eliciting stimulus.

Foveal stimuli were used to elicit fusional convergence movements of the left eye in 5 subjects icith normal binocular vision. The amplitude of fusional convergence was measured by recording eye position. The eyes were light adapted, and the stimulus to the left eye was driven at angular velocities ranging from 1/8 to 6 degrees per second. Although large individual differences were found in the maximum amplitude of fusional convergence, this maximum was elicited in all subjects with velocities of less than 1 degree per second. As the angular velocity of the stimulus increases, the amplitude of fusional convergence first rises abruptly and then descends. The range of approximately 10 to 1 between the lower and upper velocity values which give rise to 75 per cent maximum fusional convergence probably accounts for why the velocity of eliciting fusional convergence is not crucial in determining the clinical result.
Stepping back to see what matters: Psychological distance reduces diagnosticity neglect in social comparison

Social comparisons differ in their diagnosticity — that is, in the extent to which their outcomes are attributable to sources internal versus external to the self. While logic suggests that people should give more credence to diagnostic than to nondiagnostic comparisons, research shows that people often overlook comparison diagnosticity, leading them to drawing inaccurate conclusions about themselves — a phenomenon known as diagnosticity neglect. Here I examine a process that may reduce diagnosticity neglect: psychological distance. Because psychological distance — and the mental abstraction it engenders — helps people to organize information hierarchically, it may allow people to better distinguish between diagnostic and nondiagnostic information. Four experiments, using two distinct tasks (a bean bag throwing game and an anagrams quiz) and two forms of psychological distance (social and hypothetical), confirm these predictions; a preregistered fifth experiment demonstrates their real-world consequences. Overall, this research highlights the power of psychological distance to reduce diagnosticity neglect.
Using naturalistic driving study data to investigate the impact of driver distraction on driver's brake reaction time in freeway rear-end events in car-following situation

Abstract Introduction The rear-end crash is one of the most common freeway crash types, and driver distraction is often cited as a leading cause of rear-end crashes. Previous research indicates that driver distraction could have negative effects on driving performance, but the specific association between driver distraction and crash risk is still not fully revealed. This study sought to understand the mechanism by which driver distraction, defined as secondary task distraction, could influence crash risk, as indicated by a driver's reaction time, in freeway car-following situations. Method A statistical analysis, exploring the causal model structure regarding drivers’ distraction impacts on reaction times, was conducted. Distraction duration, distraction scenario, and secondary task type were chosen as distraction-related factors. Besides, exogenous factors including weather, visual obstruction, lighting condition, traffic density, and intersection presence and endogenous factors including driver age and gender were considered. Results There was an association between driver distraction and reaction time in the sample freeway rear-end events from SHRP 2 NDS database. Distraction duration, the distracted status when a leader braked, and secondary task type were related to reaction time, while all other factors showed no significant effect on reaction time. Conclusions The analysis showed that driver distraction duration is the primary direct cause of the increase in reaction time, with other factors having indirect effects mediated by distraction duration. Longer distraction duration, the distracted status when a leader braked, and engaging in auditory-visual-manual secondary task tended to result in longer reaction times. Practical applications Given drivers will be distracted occasionally, countermeasures which shorten distraction duration or avoid distraction presence while a leader vehicle brakes are worth considering. This study helps better understand the mechanism of freeway rear-end events in car-following situations, and provides a methodology that can be adopted to study the association between driver behavior and driving features.
Opportunities for Machine Learning in Electronic Design Automation

The rise of machine learning (ML) has introduced many opportunities for computer-aided-design, VLSI design, and their intersection. Related to computer-aided design, we review several classical CAD algorithms which can benefit from ML, outline the key challenges, and discuss promising approaches. In particular, because some of the existing ML accelerators have used asynchronous design, we review the state-of-the-art in asynchronous CAD support, and identify opportunities for ML within these flows.
Patterns of Emotions and Emotion Communication in “Hostility” and Aggression

The behavioral sciences have an uncommonly difficult problem delineating and defining some of their more important concepts. One of the reasons for this is that behavioral science often has to deal with terms that have a variety of meanings both in the dictionary and in common usage. Typically, behavioral scientists do not discover or invent things that can be given a new and unambiguous name. A few decades ago in the biological sciences a substance was discovered and given the name penicillin. Since that time, a host of antibiotics have been developed and given special names, and each name symbolizes a particular set of biochemical properties. Many of these special names, like penicillin, are now in common usage. Thus the vocabulary of other sciences moves from the realm of science to common usage. There are few, if any, parallels in the behavioral sciences. In the behavioral sciences the reverse is most often the case. Terms go from common usage to behavioral science. This inevitably causes problems. It is difficult to deal scientifically with a term whose meaning may vary even from individual to individual.
HNE-mediated cell signaling

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is one of the major α,β-unsaturated aldehydes produced in lipid peroxidation. HNE is a potent messenger in signaling pathways. Aging is associated with increased lipid peroxidation and HNE production, although a cause and effect relation remains unclear. Aging is also associated with significant changes in many signaling pathways with some enhanced and others decreased. One of the issues that is often avoided in studies of HNE is the wide range of exogenous HNE concentrations that have been used. These exposures range from what is found in plasma in unstressed mammals to well beyond real life pathology. Accumulating evidence suggests that HNE modification of signaling proteins occurs at cysteine, histidine, and lysine residues located at particular environments. Finally, HNE-signaling also involves the proteolytic degradation of proteins by proteasomes, lysosomes and autophagy.
Type I Interferons in NeuroHIV

Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1 continues to cause HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders despite combined antiretroviral therapy. Interferons (IFNs) are important for any antiviral immune response, but the lasting production of IFNα causes exhaustive activation leading eventually to progression to AIDS. Expression of IFNα in the HIV-exposed central nervous system has been linked to cognitive impairment and inflammatory neuropathology. In contrast, IFNβ exerts anti-inflammatory effects, appears to control, at least temporarily, lentiviral infection in the brain and provides neuroprotection. The dichotomy of type I IFN effects on HIV-1 infection and the associated brain injury will be discussed in this review, because the underlying mechanisms require further investigation to allow harnessing these innate immune factors for therapeutic purposes.
The Precision and Internal Confidence of Our Approximate Number Thoughts

The approximate number system (ANS) is a portion of your cognition that is active across your entire life, and is in the business of giving you a rapid and intuitive sense for numbers and their relations (e.g., how many blue versus yellow dots are on a screen or how many voices you hear speaking at the dinner table). In this chapter, we discuss approximate number representations, Weber fractions, and individual differences in these representations (e.g., individuals who may struggle with ANS number perceptions that are less precise than is typical). A key organizing theme throughout the chapter is “internal confidence.” We suggest that internal confidence (a technical notion related to signal fidelity) is the major causal factor for the observed links between our sense of approximate number and our performance in school mathematics.
Trabecular Meshwork Regeneration—a Potential Treatment for Glaucoma

In this review, we overview the pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma as it relates to the trabecular meshwork (TM), exploring modes of TM dysfunction and regeneration via stem cell therapies. Stem cells from a variety of sources, including trabecular meshwork, mesenchymal, adipose, and induced pluripotent stem cells, have shown the potential to differentiate into TM cells in vitro or in vivo and to regenerate the TM in vivo, lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) and reducing glaucomatous retinal ganglion cell damage. Stem cell therapies for TM regeneration provide a robust and promising suite of treatments for eventual lowering of IOP and prevention of glaucomatous vision loss in humans in the future. Further investigation into stem cell homing mechanisms and the safety of introducing these cells into human anterior chamber, for instance, are required before clinical applications in treating glaucoma patients.
Introducing the Early Digital

This introductory chapter outlines the objectives of the book, explaining how adopting “early digital” as a frame can encourage new perspectives on established topics within the history of computing and productively integrate concerns from related fields such as media theory and communications history. Haigh encourages historians to take digitality seriously as an analytical category, probes the differences between analog and digital computing, and argues that the ability of a machine to follow a program is fundamentally digital. He also introduces the contributions of the individual chapters in the book, situating each within this broader analysis of digitality and its historical materiality.
Kearsley-type instabilities in finite deformations of transversely isotropic and incompressible hyperelastic materials

Abstract We assume that the strain energy density, W, for a transversely isotropic and incompressible hyperelastic solid is a complete quadratic function of components of the right Cauchy-Green strain tensor, C. We first discuss restrictions on the seven material parameters appearing in the expression for W. It is shown that for the reference configuration to be stress-free, both terms linear in (I4 − 1) and (I5 − 1) must simultaneously appear in the expression for W where I4 = A • CA, I5 = A • C2A, and A is a unit vector along the axis of transverse isotropy. Subsequently, we show that for a prismatic body comprised of this material deformed either in dead-load or displacement-controlled uniaxial tension/compression along A, depending upon the sign of the material parameter h14 multiplying the term (I1 − 3)(I4 − 1) in the expression for W, the two lateral stretches may bifurcate from being equal to being unequal for a stable solution defined as the one that has lower free energy. Here I1 = tr(C) where tr is the trace operator. This is similar to Kearsley's instability in an isotropic square Mooney-Rivlin membrane deformed with equal biaxial dead loads on the edges for which the stable deformed configuration shifts from having equal to unequal biaxial stretches.
A Light-Weight Replay Detection Framework For Voice Controlled IoT Devices

The growing number of voice-controlled devices (VCDs), i.e. Google Home, Amazon Alexa, etc., has resulted in automation of home appliances, smart gadgets, and next generation vehicles, etc. However, VCDs and voice-activated services i.e. chatbots are vulnerable to audio replay attacks. Our vulnerability analysis of VCDs shows that these replays could be exploited in multi-hop scenarios to maliciously access the devices/nodes attached to the Internet of Things. To protect these VCDs and voice-activated services, there is an urgent need to develop reliable and computationally efficient solutions to detect the replay attacks. This paper models replay attacks as a nonlinear process that introduces higher-order harmonic distortions. To detect these harmonic distortions, we propose the acoustic ternary patterns-gammatone cepstral coefficient (ATP-GTCC) features that are capable of capturing distortions due to replay attacks. Error correcting output codes model is used to train a multi-class SVM classifier using the proposed ATP-GTCC feature space and tested for voice replay attack detection. Performance of the proposed framework is evaluated on ASVspoof 2019 dataset, and our own created voice spoofing detection corpus (VSDC) consisting of bona-fide, first-order replay (replayed once), and second-order replay (replayed twice) audio recordings. Experimental results signify that the proposed audio replay detection framework reliably detects both first and second-order replay attacks and can be used in resource constrained devices.
Modeling and Characterization of Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs) in Radio Frequency Regime in an Active Interposer Technology

In this paper, modeling and characterization of TSVs in radio frequency (RF) regime in an "active interposer" technology is presented. In this technology, a top die is stacked on top of a base die and TSV is employed as an interconnect that carries signals and power from off-chip sources to the base die and the top die. Modeling of the TSVs carrying signal for high frequency applications depends heavily on the design of the test structures and the de-embedding method. In this study, transmission lines (TLs) are used as the redistribution layer (RDL) test structure to characterize the electromagnetic properties of the TSV. TLs with different lengths are used which enables the application of different de-embedding methods for TSVs’ lumped model extraction. Three different de-embedding methods are introduced and applied to extract the RF properties of the TSVs, and a comparison of their accuracy is discussed. Full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations are performed comparing the RF performance of the devices-under-test and a correlation of simulations to extracted silicon data is made. As the TSVs are not fully symmetrical in this process, the frequency band where the accurate RF data is valid is highlighted. A wide-band lumped-element RLC model for the TSVs is generated and how the individual components of the model vary with respect to the number of employed TSVs as well as the architecture where they are placed with respect to each other are studied.
Property and cation valence engineering in entropy-stabilized oxide thin films

Author(s): Kotsonis, GN; Meisenheimer, PB; Miao, L; Roth, J; Wang, B; Shafer, P; Engel-Herbert, R; Alem, N; Heron, JT; Rost, CM; Maria, JP | Abstract: We present data for epitaxial thin films of the prototypical entropy-stabilized oxide (ESO), Mg0.2Ni0.2Co0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2O, that reveals a systematic trend in lattice parameter and properties as a function of substrate temperature during film growth with negligible changes in microstructure. A larger net Co valence in films grown at substrate temperatures below 350 °C results in a smaller lattice parameter, a smaller optical band gap, and stronger magnetic exchange bias. Observation of this phenomena suggests a complex interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics during ESO synthesis; specifically thermal history, oxygen chemical potential, and entropy. In addition to the compositional degrees of freedom available to ESO systems, subtle nuances in atomic structure at constant metallic element proportions can strongly influence properties, simultaneously complicating physical characterization and providing opportunities for property tuning and development.
Biological Rule-Based Modeling of Experimental Cell Secretion Data

The allergic response in humans results from the crosslinking of IgE-Fc< RI receptor complexes via the binding of IgE antibodies to antigens, which results in cell degranulation. The relationship between cell degranulation and antigen-antibody aggregation was investigated for the shrimp allergen Pen a 1. A biological rule-based model was developed to simulate aggregation of IgE antibodies and the Pen a 1 antigen. The forward rate constant and the crosslinking factor were varied to demonstrate how the model output changes as these model parameters are changed. It was found that the peak of the dose-response curve becomes greater and more defined as the crosslinking factor increases, and that the peak shifts to lower doses as the forward rate constant increases. Parameter scanning was performed to fit the model output to experimental cell secretion data obtained by collaborators, assuming a directly proportional relationship between the two quantities. Four concentrations of allergenspecific IgE were examined: 15 ng/mL, 30 ng/mL, 60 ng/mL, and 120 ng/mL. For each IgE concentration, nine doses of Pen a 1 were examined ranging from 0.0001 ng/mL to 10,000 ng/mL. The average aggregate size was used as the measure of aggregation to compare to the experimental data. It was found that the output of the biological rule-based model fit well to the cell degranulation data.
Public Health, Communities and Consent

What is or should be the role of consent in public health? Should the role of consent be different if the public health action involves surveillance rather than efforts to change behavior to improve health? Should either individual or community consent be required for the exercise of surveillance? If community consent is required, what constitutes the community and how might it give consent? This chapter explores these difficult questions about consent and communities. It argues that the ethical considerations of respect for persons that lie behind informed consent can be reflected in the roles of public health, groups, communities, and populations in surveillance. Reflecting such respect, however, requires careful attention to the differing ways communities may be defined, in terms of political borders, geography, groups, identities, and interests. It also requires nuanced understanding of the different ways communities develop, interrelate, and function.
A Local LoRa Based Network Protocol with Low Power Redundant Base Stations Enabling Remote Environmental Monitoring

Wireless sensor networks provide a technological opportunity for environmental monitoring at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolutions. Unfortunately, existing network solutions fail to fulfill power, cost, and reliability requirements for remote offline field sites. Therefore, we propose a novel LoRa-based network protocol for local, ultra-low-power, low-cost, long-range communications. The system relies on Time Division Duplex Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum transmissions and implements collision avoidance. Each networked device is equipped with a single channel radio, local data storage, and a real time clock. This paper provides a description of the network topology and the techniques that are used. The result is a network protocol with 100% network capacity and ultra-low-power base stations that can run on batteries for years.
The association between three key social determinants of health and life dissatisfaction: A 2017 behavioral risk factor surveillance system analysis.

Abstract Poor health outcomes disproportionately impact certain populations in the United States owing to the inequitable distribution of social determinants of health (SDOH). Using the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we estimated the association of three adverse SDOH (housing insecurity, food insecurity, and financial instability) with life dissatisfaction. Participants were from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio, the only states that included the SDOH and Emotional Support and Life Satisfaction modules (n = 25,850). Six percent of respondents reported life dissatisfaction. Those who reported housing insecurity (Prevalence difference (PD) = 14.2 per 100, 95% CI [7.6, 20.7]), food insecurity (PD = 10.9 [7.1, 14.7]), and financial instability (PD = 5.6 [4.9, 6.3]) had higher prevalence of life dissatisfaction. The differences in prevalence of life dissatisfaction, comparing those with and without an adverse SDOH, decreased with increased emotional support (for housing insecurity, food insecurity, and financial instability, respectively: low support, PD = 30.2 [11.6, 48.8], 22.1 [11.6, 32.6], 16.4 [12.0, 20.8]; high support, PD = 4.8 [−2.9, 12.6], 4.8 [0.0, 9.7], 1.7 [1.1, 2.3]). Participants with frequent mental distress (FMD) had greater prevalence differences than those without FMD (for housing insecurity, food insecurity, and financial instability, respectively: with FMD, PD = 15.4 [7.5, 23.3], 10.7 [4.7, 16.7], 14.4 [9.6, 19.3]; without FMD, PD = 6.1 [−0.5, 12.5], 5.3 [1.6, 9.0], 2.5 [2.0, 3.0]). Social determinants may not only influence physical health but also have an impact on psychological well-being. This impact may be altered by levels of emotional support and FMD.
SGLT2 Inhibition in Heart Failure with a Preserved Ejection Fraction — A Win against a Formidable Foe

More Evidence for SGLT2 Inhibitors in Heart Failure Mark Drazner comments on the findings of the EMPEROR-Preserved trial, which assessed the potential benefit of empagliflozin in patients with a pr...
Processing GeneChip/spl reg/ array images

Processing Affymetrix/spl reg/ GeneChip/spl reg/ array images requires accurate and robust methods. Algorithms are designed to handle a wide variety of input image data. Execution time and interface to database products are considered during design and development. Evaluating the image processing algorithms include analysis of application results, such as, gene expression and genotyping.
A new method for modeling the spatially-variant, object-dependent scatter response function in SPECT

Scatter compensation using iterative reconstruction results in improved image quality and quantitative accuracy compared to subtraction-based methods, However, this requires knowledge of the spatially-varying, object-dependent scatter response function (SRF), We have previously developed a method, slab derived scatter estimation (SDSE) for estimating the SRF. However, this method has reduced accuracy for nonuniform attenuators and Tl-201 imaging. In this paper we present a new method which provides better modeling of the SRF for Tl-201 SPECT, and should provide improved accuracy for nonuniform attenuators. The method requires 3 image space convolutions and an attenuated projection for each viewing angle. Implementation in a projector-backprojector pair for use with an iterative reconstruction algorithm would require 2 image space Fourier transforms and 6 image space inverse Fourier transforms per iteration. We observed good agreement between SRFs and projection data estimated using this new model compared to those obtained using Monte Carlo simulations.
A general Hsu-Robbins-Erdős Type estimate of tail probabilities of sums of independent identically distributed random variables

Let X1,X2,... be a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables, and put \(S_n = X_1 + \cdot \cdot \cdot + X_n \). Under some conditions on the positive sequence τn and the positive increasing sequence an, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the convergence of \(\sum\nolimits_{n = 1}^\infty {\tau _n } P\left( {\left| {S_n } \right| \geqslant \varepsilon an} \right)\) for all e > 0, generalizing Baum and Katz's~(1965) generalization of the Hsu–Robbins–Erdos (1947, 1949) law of large numbers, also allowing us to characterize the convergence of the above series in the case where τn = n-1and \(an = \left( {n\log n} \right)^{{1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 2}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 2}} \) for n ≤ 2, thereby answering a question of Spataru. Moreover, some results for non-identically distributed independent random variables are obtained by a recent comparison inequality. Our basic method is to use a central limit theorem estimate of Nagaev (1965) combined with the Hoffman-Jorgensen inequality~(1974).
A Major Role of DNA Polymerase δ in Replication of Both the Leading and Lagging DNA Strands

Genetic studies with S. cerevisiae Polδ (pol3-L612M) and Pole (pol2-M644G) mutant alleles, each of which display a higher rate for the generation of a specific mismatch, have led to the conclusion that Pole is the primary leading strand replicase and that Polδ is restricted to replicating the lagging strand template. Contrary to this widely accepted view, here we show that Polδ plays a major role in the replication of both DNA strands, and that the paucity of pol3-L612M-generated errors on the leading strand results from their more proficient removal. Thus, the apparent lack of Polδ contribution to leading strand replication is due to differential mismatch removal rather than differential mismatch generation. Altogether, our genetic studies with Pol3 and Pol2 mutator alleles support the conclusion that Polδ, and not Pole, is the major DNA polymerase for carrying out both leading and lagging DNA synthesis.
Chicken Transferrin: High Levels in Chickens with Reticuloendothelial Virus Disease

Abstract Serum protein alterations in chicks with reticuloendothelial virus disease (RED) were studied by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. The serum electrophoregram of the RE virus inoculated chicks presented profound alterations when compared with the normal control chicks. The changes consisted of a highly increased gamma-1-globulin peak and decreased albumin. Moderate elevations in all the other electrophoretic fractions were also observed, except for prealbumin. There was not a significant difference in the total serum proteins between the RED infected and the control groups of chicks. It was found in previous studies that chicken transferrin migrated in the gamma-1-globulin position of the cellulose acetate electrophoregram. In RED infected chicks the elevation of gamma-1-globulins was caused by an increase in transferrin and not by an increase in immunoglobulins. These findings were substantiated by comparative electrophoretic studies on paper and polyacrylamide-gel, immunodiffusion, gel-filtration on Sephadex G-200, and by an iron-transferrin stain. The marked proliferation of reticuloendothelial cells and the cellular alterations in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius in RED infected chicks appeared to be causally related to the elevated concentration of transferrin in the serum.
Spinal lamina I neurons projecting to the parabrachial area of the cat midbrain

We have observed a population of lamina I neurons in the cat that has projections to the parabrachial area (parabrachial and cuneiform nuclei). A subpopulation of these neurons also projects to the contralateral thalamus. The majority of projecting cells responded exclusively to noxious stimuli, a few wide-dynamic-range neurons were also observed. Conduction velocities for antidromic activation from the midbrain ranged from 1 to 18 m/s. We stained 14 cells intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase. These findings suggest that a major nociceptive projection pathway originating in lamina I and terminating in the parabrachial area exists in the cat.
An experimental VM/370 based information system

We recognize the need to build a facility to respond to a requirement for information systems for two classes of application areas:1) Areas where the problem addressed and the underlying data structures keep changing (e.g. energy policy making applications).2) Information systems in their formulative stages, where the system definition changes as the problem is better understood.
Rejection of an MHC class II negative tumor following induction of murine syngeneic graft-versus-host disease

Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been used clinically to induce graft-versus-host disease following autologous bone marrow transplantation in an attempt to destroy residual leukemia cells and reduce relapse. To analyze the antitumor potential of murine syngeneic graft-versus-host disease (SGVHD), C3H/HeN mice were lethally irradiated, reconstituted with T cell-depleted syngeneic bone marrow (ATBM) and treated with CsA for 21 days. Graft-versus-leukemia activity was assessed by challenging groups of olive oil-treated control ATBM (OO-ATBM) and CsA-treated (CsA-ATBM) mice 1 week after CsA therapy with graded doses of the syngeneic 38C13 B cell lymphoma. Following CsA treatment, up to 70% of CsA-ATBM developed SGVHD and more than 70% of the animals injected with 500 38C13 cells exhibited long-term survival (MST >80 days). In contrast, none of the OO-ATBM control mice developed SGVHD, and more than 75% of these mice died following injection of 500 38C13 tumor cells (MST = 34 days). Long-term survivors were not resistant to tumor challenge suggesting that tumor-specific immunity did not develop. Finally, class II negative 38C13 cells cultured in IL-4 or IL-10 were not inducible for MHC class II molecules, demonstrating that class II-independent antitumor mechanisms exist in SGVHD mice.
Endomorphisms of Two Dimensional Jacobians and Related Finite Algebras

Zarhin proves that if is the curve where or , then . In seeking to examine his result in the genus case supposing other Galois groups, we calculate for a genus 2 curve where is irreducible. In particular, we show that unless the Galois group is or , the Galois group does not determine .
Effects of cadmium on potassium currents in activated B lymphocytes

Abstract We have applied the patch clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration to study whole-cell currents in B lymphocytes under three conditions: (i) resting; (ii) interleukin-4 (IL-4)-treated; and (iii) IL-4 plus cadmium-treated murine B lymphocytes. Through these experiments we have: (i) confirmed our earlier findings and the observation of others that resting B cells express only outward currents; (ii) confirmed the presence of an inwardly rectifying K + current elicited by treatment with the lymphokine IL-4 that was revealed in our previous study on single channel currents; (iii) demonstrated that both inward and outward rectifying K + currents in IL-4 treated B cells are dramatically reduced by exposure to 20 μM cadmium; and (iv) determined that the activation curve of the IL-4-induced inward rectifier is shifted to more negative voltages by cadmium. We propose that one of the mechanisms by which cadmium can mediate toxicity in activated B lymphocytes is through the suppression and modulation of potassium currents, effects that may alter the timing of entry into the cell cycle.
Democracy, War, and Covert Action:

It is well established that stable industrialized democracies do not use overt force against each other. But do democracies ever use covert force against other elected governments? This article confirms the US threat or use of forcible covert action against a series of elected non-European governments during the Cold War: Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Indonesia (1955), Brazil (1960s), Chile (1973), Nicaragua (1980s). There are other examples of US covert non-forcible action against elected governments. Three types of analysis are offered for this pattern. On the most obvious level, the US acted on the basis of an expansive conception of its perceived security interests, fearing future developments that would work to the advantage of the USSR, even though the US was not faced with clear and present dangers to its territorial integrity and political independence. A deeper unique explanation is that, as Michael Hunt has argued, the US was encouraged in these covert actions by an informal ideology entailing beliefs in US greatness, fears of social revolution, and racism. A deeper theoretical explanation is that the targeted regimes did not qualify as mature liberal regimes showing the characteristics of neo-Kantian liberalism: representative and specialized democracy, democratic alliance, and extensive private commerce. Moreover, the neo-Kantian reliance on representative decision-making to avoid major war did not affect secret decisions involving probabilty of few US deaths.
Hyaluronidase activity during thyroxine-induced tadpole metamorphosis☆

Abstract Immersion of Rana catesbeiana tadpoles in 10 −7 M l -thyroxine gives rise to increases in brain and backskin hyaluronidase activity. After 10 days of immersion, there is a 1.9-fold increment in brain enzyme activity and a 2.5-fold increment in the backskin. The rise in activity occurs mainly between the seventh and tenth days of treatment. During the 10-day treatment, hyaluronate content in the backskin decreases to 22% of the control level while sulfated glycosaminoglycan increases markedly, but no significant change in brain glycosaminoglycan composition occurs. The onset of major metamorphic events was observed between the seventh and tenth days of immersion in thyroxine.
Coordination of multi-scales in chemical engineering

The work of chemical engineers involves an enormous range of scales: from molecules in nano-meters to the globe in mega-meters, and from molecular rotation in pico-seconds to global warming in giga-seconds. However, most chemical engineers are specialists in only one or two scales, and coordination is needed to ensure harmony and productivity in service to the human condition. There are three historic successful methods of coordination: (a) a single all-knowing generalist, (b) the volunteer cooperation among specialists, and (c) the hierarchical command of specialists. The numerous opportunities and threats today urgently require coordination among scales, and the volunteer cooperation method seems the most appropriate for the future since the complexities of the problems involved transcend the competence of any single organization.
Mammal Observations at Lower Back River, Northwest Territories, Canada

The Back River drains the interior barrens of the Northwest Territories of Canada. According to Blanchet (1930) the river has its headwaters in a high plateau and flows through a sand plain basin (not in accord with conditions of our base camp). The country north of the Back River drainage is of low relief. The river takes a northerly direction for the last one-third of its course. To the east, between the river and Wager Bay, the country is known to be very rugged. The first known exploration of the Back River, then called the Great Fish River, was by Sir George Back and his party, who left England in 1833 to search for Sir John Ross. Back's party wintered at Ft. Reliance. During the summer of 1834 they went down the Back River to its mouth and returned to Ft. Reliance where they again spent the winter, returning to England in 1835. In the appendix of Back's report (1836) there is a list of specimens collected and observed. The collecting was done by Mr. Richard King, surgeon to the expedition. In 1855 Chief Factor James Anderson of the Hudson's Bay Company made a similar journey (Clarke, 1940a) hoping to find traces of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition. Both these exploring trips support Stefansson's statement (1929) that much arctic exploration has been a by-product of search parties. So far as is known, Back and Anderson and their parties were the only white men who had visited in summer the area selected for the University of Minnesota-Wilkie Foundation expedition to the Back River. Members of the expedition were Dr. W. J. Breckenridge, Harvey L. Gunderson, John A. Jarosz, R. Spence Taylor, Robert J. Wilkie, James W. Wilkie and Dr. Lawrence Larson. The party was in the vicinity of Mount Meadowbank along the …
A simple and compliant force sensing palm for the MLab Simple Hand

Sensing the forces applied to the palm of a robot manipulator requires robust compliant sensors guarded against collision. The force sensing palm for the MLab Simple Hand measures three components of net contact force in a simple robust design using flexure springs and optical position sensing. The hand is calibrated in an automatic process. Measurements are included to compare performance to the theoretical model.
Earth orbit raise design for the ARTEMIS mission

ARTEMIS is a mission to send two spacecraft from Earth orbit to libration orbits around the Moon Lagrange points and then into lunar orbit. Lunar flybys were used early in the mission to send the spacecraft into low-energy lunar transfers which were designed libration orbits for minimal deltaV. ARTEMIS began by raising the Earth orbits of each spacecraft to achieve the planned lunar flybys. Spacecraft conguration and operation constraints made the Earth orbit raise phase of the mission a signicant mission design challenge by itself. This paper describes the process used to and trajectories that achieved mission goals and the resulting series of Earth orbits that culminated in successful lunar flybys.
Determination of water quality variables, endotoxin concentration, and Enterobacteriaceae concentration and identification in southern High Plains dairy lagoons

The objectives of this study were to determine the concentration of endotoxin, determine 20 water quality variables, and identify and enumerate fungal and bacterial pathogens from United States southern High Plains dairy lagoons and control lakes during summer and winter. Water samples were collected in triplicate from the north, south, east, and west quadrants of each body of water. The mean (± SEM) winter dairy lagoon endotoxin concentration was significantly higher (9,678 ± 1,834 ng/mL) than the summer concentration (3,220 ± 810 ng/mL). The mean endotoxin concentration of the 2 control lakes (summer: 58.1 ± 8.8 ng/mL; winter: 38.6 ± 4.2 ng/mL) was significantly less than that of the dairy lagoons. Two hundred-one Salmonella enterica spp. isolates were identified, 7 serovars were recovered from the dairy lagoons, and 259 Salmonella ssp. were identified from 5 other dairy locations (milk barn, ditch effluent, settling basin, feed alley pad flush, and center pivots). Twenty-eight Salmonella spp. were identified from center pivot water. Escherichia coli O157:H7 pathogens were isolated from other dairy locations but not from lagoons. Neither Salmonella spp. nor E. coli O157:H7 were identified from control lakes. Enterobacteriaceae opportunistic pathogens were isolated from both dairies and control lakes. Important mesophilic and thermophilic catabolic (to manure biosolids) fungal isolates were identified from dairy effluent locations, but no thermophilic fungal isolates were cultured from the control lakes. Adequate curing of green forage following center pivot irrigation is important to kill lagoon water enteric pathogens, even though the lagoon water is mixed with fresh water. Recirculating lagoon water to flush the feed alley pad, where cows stand while eating, to remove manure and using lagoon water to abate dairy dust in loafing pens and unimproved dairy roads is inconsistent with good environmental practice management.
Thermoelasticity problems in the mechanics of composite materials with large-scale deformation of the filler

A problem is posed and a method of solution developed for a class of thermoelasticity problems in the mechanics of composite materials with large-scale structural deformations, in which in the continuum approximation the composite material is modelled by a homogeneous orthotropic body with curvilinear orthotropy. As an application the authors establish the foundations of a theory of buckling for planar structural elements subjected to constant thermal fields.
The ties that bind: Group membership shapes the neural correlates of in-group favoritism.

Abstract Across species, including non-human primates, rodents, and humans, prosocial behavior, the act of helping others, is preferentially provided to members of one’s own group. Whereas a particularly ubiquitous example of this is kinship, whereby humans and animals expend greater resources and take more risks for their own kin, in-group prosocial behavior has been demonstrated among diverse shared social groups, including race and culture. In the current study, we made group membership salient by recruiting Chinese and American participants to engage in a prosocial decision-making task during fMRI with an American and Chinese confederate. We found across all participants that donations to the in-group relative to out-group was associated with increased activation in the ventral striatum. Moreover, participants with a greater sense of group identity and Chinese participants relative to American participants, showed heightened activation in self-control (VLPFC, ACC) and mentalizing (TPJ, DMPFC) regions when contributing to the out-group relative to in-group. Our findings provide novel evidence about the neural mechanisms involved in intergroup prosocial behavior.
1989: The Greatest Surprises

Although it is still a work in progress, Central and Eastern Europe's transition to democracy and markets shows signs of durability. Comparison of the post-1989 period to the interwar years suggests the critical importance of a supportive outside environment and popular forbearance in the achievement and institutionalization of real change.
Erythrocytes as carriers of chemotherapeutic agents for targeting the reticuloendothelial system

The object of this work was to define a model using hypotonically loaded erythrocytes as a vehicle to target drugs to the reticuloendothelial system (RES). The optimum hemolytic event was found to occur at 100 mOsm/kg using a 0.5-min exposure at 0 degrees C. Approximately one third of the total volume of the cells could be replaced with hypotonic drug solutions under these conditions. Although cytosine-beta-D-arabinofuranoside, ara C, is membrane permeable and could not be entrapped in the erythrocytes, phosphorylation of this nucleoside antimetabolite enabled it to be loaded efficiently. Actinomycin D could be loaded and retained within the cells at 0 degrees C, but 90% of this loaded drug leaked out of the erythrocytes in 1 min at 37 degrees C. Actinomycin D-DNA complexes, however, could be loaded and retained for longer periods. In this case, 50% of the DNA-bound drug was retained in the cells for one hour at 37 degrees C. It was found that the glycopeptide antitumor antibiotic, bleomycin, could be entrapped and retained in the cells without appreciable leakage. It was possible to load a human therapeutic dose of this drug in 1-2 ml of packed cells. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that bleomycin entrapped in erythrocytes was significantly more effective than the same dose of free drug in suppressing the phagocytic function of the RES in Balb/C and C3H mice. The rationale is discussed for the possible use of these drugs, entrapped in erythrocytes, for the production of RES blockade in the treatment of disorders in man.
Temperature and localization of atoms in three-dimensional optical lattices

We report temperature measurements of atoms trapped in a three-dimensional ~3D! optical lattice, a welldefined laser-cooling situation that can be treated with currently available theoretical tools. We also obtain fluorescence spectra from a 3D optical lattice, from which we obtain quantitative information about the trapping atoms, including the oscillation frequencies, spatial localization, and a temperature, which is in good agreement with our direct measurements. For comparison we study a 1D lattice using the same atom ~cesium!.