cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
B cell MHC class II signaling: A story of life and death

MHC class II regulates B cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation during cognate B cell-T cell interaction. This is, in part, due to the MHC class II signaling in B cells. Activation of MHC Class II in human B cells or "primed" murine B cells leads to tyrosine phosphorylation, calcium mobilization, AKT, ERK, JNK activation. In addition, crosslinking MHC class II with monoclonal Abs kill malignant human B cells. Several humanized anti-HLA-DR/MHC class II monoclonal Abs entered clinical trials for lymphoma/leukemia and MHC class II-expressing melanomas. Mechanistically, MHC class II is associated with a wealth of transmembrane proteins including the B cell-specific signaling proteins CD79a/b, CD19 and a group of four-transmembrane proteins including tetraspanins and the apoptotic protein MPYS/STING. Furthermore, MHC class II signals are compartmentalized in the tetraspanin-enriched microdomains. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of MHC class II signaling in B cells focusing on its physiological significance and the therapeutic potential.
A System for Non-intrusive Affective Assessment in the Circumplex Model from Pupil Diameter and Facial Expression Monitoring

This paper outlines a system for non-intrusive estimation of a user’s affective state in the Circumplex Model from monitoring the user’s pupil diameter and facial expression, obtained from an EyeTech TM3 eye gaze tracker (EGT) and a RGB-D camera (KINECT) respectively. According to previous studies, the pupillary response can be used to recognize “sympathetic activation” and simultaneous “parasympathetic deactivation”, which correspond to affective arousal. Additionally, tracking the user’s facial muscle movements as he or she displays characteristic facial gestures yields indicators to estimate the affective valence. We propose to combine both types of information to map the affective state of the user to a region on the Circumplex Model. This paper outlines our initial implementation of such combined system.
Piercing the Prison Uniform of Invisibility for Black Female Inmates

For professionals working with the issues of women and criminality, the lean years of working without the support of solid empirical data are coming to an end. In the past, professionals working on women and crime toiled in the dark as there were few studies which focused specifically on women's criminality, and little empirical data existed to support theoretical approaches. Lawyers and women's advocates sensed that crime committed by women was different from crime committed by men and that each type of crime affected society in different ways. However, the only information available to support these beliefs was anecdotal stories. Today, a combination of factors gives women's advocates new tools to support their arguments that crimes committed by women are different than those committed by men. Not only do men and women follow different paths into crime,' but their crimes also cause different types of harm to society.2
Neural Control of Visceral Activity

The autonomic nervous system (ANS)—together with neural centers in the medulla, hypothalamus, and limbic system—regulates the visceral functions. These visceral control centers are concerned with the maintenance of a constant internal environment. All of the visceral systems—cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, metabolic, renal, reproductive, and respiratory—are affected by the activity of these neural control centers.
Bradykinin-stimulated eicosanoid synthesis and secretion by rabbit ileal components

The eicosanoid profiles, sites of production, and response to bradykinin stimulation were determined in rabbit ileum and its various components by radioimmunoassay of various prostanoids and 5-lipoxygenase products in the incubation media. The profile of eicosanoid synthesis and secretion by the epithelial cell fraction was PGF2 alpha greater than 6-keto-PGF1 alpha greater than dihydro-keto-PCM = PGE2 greater than TxB2 much greater than 5-HETE greater than LTB4 and by the deepitheliated ileum was PGE2 = 6-keto-PGF1 alpha greater than PGF2 alpha greater than dihydro-keto-PGM greater than TxB2 much greater than LTB4 greater than 5-HETE. PGD2 was not sought in these studies. Rates of eicosanoid production by the deepitheliated ileum were over 200 times that of the epithelial cells. The epithelial cells accounted for 67% of the protein but only 0.2% of the PGE2 produced, while the lamina propria and submucosa contained only 12-30% of the protein but produced 80-90% of the PGE2. Bradykinin (1 microM), A23187 (10 microM), arachidonic acid (20 microM), and melittin (0.7 microM) stimulated PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production by 200% in deepitheliated (or subepithelial) ileum, but bradykinin failed to stimulate production of any eicosanoid by the epithelial cell fraction. Thus the subepithelium (predominantly the lamina propria) is the major eicosanoid producer of rabbit ileum and is the major site of bradykinin-stimulated eicosanoid synthesis and secretion. Eicosanoids released from subepithelial components may be important regulators of epithelial function.
CSTA source: a web repository of K-12 Computer Science Teaching and Learning Materials: poster session

The Computer Science Teachers Association is a membership organization that supports and promotes the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. The project is about designing and maintaining CSTA portal which is a web repository of K-12 Computer Science Teaching and Learning Materials. It is a collection of materials developed specifically for computer science and information technology education.
Performance enhancement techniques for the front and back of nanostructured "black silicon" solar cells

Nanostructured black silicon (bSi) exhibits a broadband antireflection (AR) response due to graded-index and scattering effects, unlike traditional quarter-wavelength dielectric AR coatings. We present various techniques to improve the front- and back-surface performance of nanostructured bSi solar cells. Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) is used for proximity doping to reduce the physical impact on the bSi nanostructures during front-surface emitter formation. An optimum concentration of 2 wt. % of ADP is found to result in a typical solar cell emitter sheet resistivity of 50 Ω / sq. Potassium hydroxide is used to etch off the highly doped region of the bSi solar cell front emitter, which results in lower surface recombination and up to a 23% increase in short wavelength (400 to 600 nm) internal quantum efficiency of the bSi solar cell. To reduce the series resistance and enhance surface passivation, forming gas anneal is employed, improving bSi cell’s overall efficiency by over 31%. By optimizing the back-surface-field formed by sputtered aluminum (Al), the backside recombination rate is reduced, improving external quantum efficiency by up to 11% in the long wavelength (>900 nm) region.
Investigation of TLD and EBT3 performance under the presence of 1.5T, 0.35T, and 0T magnetic field strengths in MR/CT visible materials.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and radiochromic EBT3 film inside MR/CT visible geometric head and thorax phantoms in the presence of: 0, 0.35, and 1.5 T magnetic fields. METHODS Thermoluminescent Dosimeters reproducibility studies were examined by irradiating IROC-Houston's TLD acrylic block five times under 0 and 1.5 T configurations of Elekta's Unity system and three times under 0 and 0.35 T configurations of ViewRay's MRIdian Cobalt-60 (60 Co) system. Both systems were irradiated with an equivalent 10 × 10 cm2 field size, and a prescribed dose of 3 Gy to the maximum depth deposition (dmax). EBT3 film and TLDs were investigated using two geometrical Magnetic Resonance (MR)-guided Radiation Therapy (MRgRT) head and thorax phantoms. Each geometrical phantom had eight quadrants that combined to create a centrally located rectangular tumor (3 × 3 × 5 cm3 ) surrounded by tissue to form a 15 × 15 × 15 cm3 cubic phantom. Liquid polyvinyl chloride plastic and Superflab were used to simulate the tumor and surrounding tissue in the head phantom, respectively. Synthetic ballistic gel and a heterogeneous in-house mixture were used to construct the tumor and surrounding tissue in the thorax phantom, respectively. EBT3 and double-loaded TLDs were used in the phantoms to compare beam profiles and point dose measurements with and without magnetic fields. GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations were performed to validate the detectors for both Unity 0 T/1.5 T and MRIdian 0 T/0.35 T configurations. RESULTS Average TLD block measurements which, compared the magnetic field effects (magnetic field vs 0 T) on the Unity and MRIdian systems, were 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively. The average ratios between magnetic field effects for the geometric thorax and head phantoms under the Unity system were -0.2% and 1.6% and for the MRIdian system were 0.2% and -0.3%, respectively. Beam profiles generated with both systems agreed with Monte Carlo measurements and previous literature findings. CONCLUSIONS TLDs and EBT3 film dosimeters could potentially be used in MR/CT visible tissue equivalent phantoms that will experience a magnetic field environment.
A database of geopositioned onchocerciasis prevalence data

Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease with numerous symptoms and side effects, and when left untreated can lead to permanent blindness or skin disease. This database is an attempt to combine onchocerciasis prevalence data from peer-reviewed publications into a single open-source dataset. The process followed to extract and format the information has been detailed in this paper. A total of 14,043 unique location, diagnostic, age and sex-specific records from 1975–2017 have been collected, organized and marked for collapse where a single geo-position is shared between multiple records. The locations vary from single villages up to smaller administrative units and onchocerciasis control program-defined foci. This resulting database can be used to by the global health community to advance understanding of the distribution of onchocerciasis infection and disease. Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data (ISA-Tab format)
CHAPTER 6 – Nonmonotonic Reasoning

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the nonmonotonic reasoning. Language cannot capture all that one want to say about the world. A finite set of sentences can never be more than an approximate description of things as they really are. Any general rule that one might care to frame is subject to an unlimited number of exceptions and qualifications. An important technique involves the use of nonsound inferences of various kinds. That is, from a database A, one will allow certain inferences that do not logically follow from A. Often these inferences depend globally on all of the sentences in A rather than on a small subset. In particular, one will be introducing inference techniques the application of which depends on certain sentences not being in A. With such inference rules, if another sentence is added to A, an inference may have to be retracted. Ordinary logical inference rules, on the other hand, are monotonic because the set of theorems derivable from premises is not reduced by adding to the premises.
Developing an IT Career Anchor Fit Construct: An Organizational Equilibrium Theory Approach

Organizations continue to struggle with recruiting and retaining qualified IT professionals. Yet, little is known about the reasons that some IT professionals decide to leave the IT profession altogether. Educating, recruiting, and developing the specialized IT workforce is a major undertaking, so understanding why individuals turn away from their careers is crucial. This research-in-progress explores what factors affect IT professionals' turnaway intentions through the lens of organizational equilibrium theory. Expected implications for research and practice are discussed.
The Epidemiology of Recent Alcohol Use Among a National Sample of Middle Eastern College Students.

Alcohol use among college students is a national health concern. The epidemiology of alcohol use among Middle Eastern college students remains to be investigated. This study sought to understand the epidemiology of recent alcohol use among Middle Eastern college students. We use data from the 2017 to 2018 Healthy Minds Study to identify predictors of recent alcohol use among 1,763 Middle Eastern students nationwide. Weighted univariate analyses were conducted to determine significant predictors of recent alcohol use. Nearly half (45.5%) of Middle Eastern college students reported using alcohol in the past 2 weeks (recent alcohol use). Those at highest risk for recent alcohol use were in their 4th year of schooling (p < .001), living in a fraternity or sorority house (p < .001), and reported that religion was not a big part of their life (p < .001). Students who lived with their parents were less likely to drink alcohol (p < . 001). Recent alcohol use among Middle Eastern college students is a national public health concern. Interventions are warranted to decrease this growing public health anomaly and to more effectively deal with this current public health crisis.
Computer-Aided Prognosis

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a comparison of several ways to predict survival following diagnosis and treatment of a disease. It discusses alternative estimators of the five-year survival rate and compares their performance on a large group of breast cancer cases. The chapter presents a density estimation method and a standard method for the estimation of the five-year survival rate and then compares several other regression methods for the same problem. The density estimation method has two advantages over the regression methods: (1) incomplete data can be used, and (2) rough estimates of the accuracy of the probability assessments are available. The regression method also has two advantages over the density estimation method: (1) regression of survival time on indicants retains detailed information about survival times, which density estimation methods lose by dichotomizing survival time, and (2) a regression method can furnish a probability distribution of survival time, given an array of indicants.
Anticipated stigma, stereotypes, and COVID-19 testing

Testing for COVID-19 is important for identifying, tracing, and treating COVID-19 cases as well as informing policy decisions Evidence from other disease epidemics suggests that anticipated stigma and stereotypes are barriers to testing for disease Anticipated stigma may undermine testing due to labeling avoidance (i e , efforts to avoid receiving the label of a stigmatized status) and stereotypes may undermine testing by reducing perceived vulnerability to disease Given the importance of scaling up COVID-19 testing, the current study explored the potential roles of anticipated stigma and stereotypes in COVID-19 testing A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted with 845 United States adults in April 2020 Measures were adapted from previous studies of stigma associated with infectious diseases, and participants were asked about the likelihood that they would seek a COVID-19 test if one were to be ordered by their doctor Analyses demonstrated that participants who anticipated greater COVID-19 stigma and endorsed COVID-19 stereotypes to a greater degree reported that they would be less likely to seek a COVID-19 test Notably, endorsement of anticipated stigma and stereotypes was low, and knowledge and fear were stronger predictors of testing than stigma Nonetheless, results provide preliminary evidence that anticipated stigma and stereotypes may represent barriers to testing in the context of COVID-19, similar to other diseases As COVID-19 tests become more widely available, efforts may be needed to address COVID-19 stigma alongside other barriers such as access and knowledge to maximize testing efforts (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
The HOX⋯SO2 (X=F, Cl, Br, I) Binary Complexes: Implications for Atmospheric Chemistry.

Sulfur dioxide and hypohalous acids (HOX, X = F, Cl, Br, I) are ubiquitous molecules in the atmosphere that are central to important processes like seasonal ozone depletion, acid rain, and cloud nucleation. We present the first theoretical examination of the HOX···SO 2 binary complexes and the associated trends due to halogen substitution. Reliable geometries were optimized at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(T+d)Z level of theory for HOF and HOCl complexes. The HOBr and HOI complexes were optimized at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(D+d)Z level of theory with the exception of the Br and I atoms which were modeled with an aug-cc-pwCVDZ-PP pseudopotential. 27 HOX···SO 2 complexes were characterized and the focal point method was employed to produce CCSDT(Q)/CBS interaction energies. Natural Bond Orbital analysis and Symmetry Adapted Perturbation Theory were used to classify the nature of each principle interaction. The interaction energies of all HOX···SO 2 complexes in this study ranged from 1.35 to 3.81 kcal mol -1 . The single-interaction hydrogen bonded complexes spanned a range of 2.62 to 3.07 kcal mol -1 , while the single-interaction halogen bonded complexes were far more sensitive to halogen substitution ranging from 1.35 to 3.06 kcal mol -1 , indicating that the two types of interactions are extremely competitive for heavier halogens. Our results provide insight into the interactions between HOX and SO 2 which may guide further research of related systems.
Predicting lattice parameters for orthorhombic distorted-perovskite oxides via machine learning

Abstract Orthorhombic perovskite oxides, ABO3, have been studied extensively for application in advanced functional materials and devices, due to unique and versatile materials properties that arise from stoichiometry engineering. The lattice parameters, a, b, and c, have a critical impact on the structural stability, electronic structure, magnetic ordering, and thus materials performance. In this study, we develop the Gaussian process regression (GPR) model based on the Bayesian optimization to provide statistical relationships among the ionic radii, electronegativities, valence, and lattice constants for orthorhombic perovskite ABO3 compounds with 157 samples. The model shows a high degree of stability and accuracy. After being applied to predict the lattice parameters of doped- and non-synthesized oxides, the GPR model shows promising prediction power as well. The model may be used as an alternative method to obtain lattice parameters as compared to experimental approaches and other modeling methods.
Improving Human-Robot Collaboration Efficiency and Robustness through Non-Verbal Emotional Communication

Emotional expression plays a very important role in human-robot interaction. It can greatly improve the quality of interaction between humans and robots. In the case of non-verbal communication, emotional expression can greatly shorten the social distance between humans and robots. However, in practical HRI applications, the efficiency and robustness are also an important part we need to consider. In this paper, we demonstrate the impact on the efficiency and robustness of human-robot teamwork in the case of implicit non-verbal communication. We designed an interactive experiment using a collaborative Sawyer robot. In the experiment, we let the robot play a tic-tac-toe game with a person, and judged whether there was a positive or negative effect by comparing the effects of various emotional factors. Our experiments demonstrated that the emotional expression in the case of non-verbal communication has a positive impact on the efficiency and robustness in a collaborative human-robot task.
Vaginal mucositis related to immunotherapy in endometrial cancer

Abstract Immunotherapy, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi), has revolutionized our approach to treating all solid tumors, including gynecologic malignancies. Compared to standard chemotherapy, the adverse events associated with immunotherapies, are often mild and localized, although more severe systemic responses can also occur. While dermatitisdermatitis is a most commonly reported side effect of ICPi therapy, cutaneous toxicities have a range of clinical manifestations and can provide a challenge in an otherwise favorable treatment protocol. There have been few documented cases of mucositis caused by ICPi therapy and to our knowledge, no documented case of an ICPi therapy causing vaginal mucositis. As such, we present a case of a patient with metastatic uterine serous carcinoma (USC) treated with immunotherapy, who developed grade 3 vaginal mucositis. This is a case presentation of a 67-year-old woman with a history of stage I metastatic uterine serous carcinoma who was initially treated with a hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and lymphadenectomy. Eight months after surgery, patient was found to have a vaginal recurrence treated with external beam radiation therapy and vaginal brachytherapy, as well as port site recurrence treated with resection and 6 cycles of systemic chemotherapy with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel. The patient was found to have progression of her disease and was treated with a combinatorial therapy using PD-L1 inhibitor and TK inhibitor. Patient tolerated first two cycles of treatment without severe side effects. Nine days after administration of the second cycle, the patient reported new onset of severe non-radiating vaginal and perineal pain, that worsened with sitting down, and was refractory to pain medications. Pelvic examination revealed multiple, deep, erythematous ulcerations on the vaginal mucosa involving the left and anterior vaginal introitus, distal vagina and necrosis around the periurethral area, consistent with grade 3 mucositis. The treatment was immediately discontinued, and the patient was started on prednisone 100 mg by mouth daily for 7 days, which was tapered over the course of 10 days and Gabapentin and Oxycodone were given for pain control. The patient started to report improvement in symptoms after 3 weeks and re-examination in 1 month showed decreased amount of fibrinous material involving 50% of the lesions, indicating that the initial grade 3 mucositis had improved to grade 1. As immunotherapy is becoming more widely used in gynecologic and other malignancies, providers need to be aware of rare but significant complications associated with these therapies. Such toxicities should be correctly identified and treated appropriately and expediently. Most patients will continue to benefit from administered immunotherapy and often times can be restarted once the toxicities are alleviated. To our knowledge, this is a first reported case of vaginal mucositis associated with immunotherapy treatment with ICPi in a patient with gynecologic malignancy.
Geothermobacter hydrogeniphilus sp. nov., a mesophilic, iron(III)-reducing bacterium from seafloor/subseafloor environments in the Pacific Ocean, and emended description of the genus Geothermobacter.

A novel mesophilic, anaerobic, mixotrophic bacterium, with designated strains EPR-MT and HR-1, was isolated from a semi-extinct hydrothermal vent at the East Pacific Rise and from an Fe-mat at Lō'ihi Seamount, respectively. The cells were Gram-negative, pleomorphic rods of about 2.0 µm in length and 0.5 µm in width. Strain EPR-MT grew between 25 and 45 °C (optimum, 37.5-40 °C), 10 and 50 g l-1 NaCl (optimum, 15-20 g l-1) and pH 5.5 and 8.6 (optimum, pH 6.4). Strain HR-1 grew between 20 and 45 °C (optimum, 37.5-40 °C), 10 and 50 g l-1 NaCl (optimum, 15-25 g l-1) and pH 5.5 and 8.6 (optimum, pH 6.4). Shortest generation times with H2 as the primary electron donor, CO2 as the carbon source and ferric citrate as terminal electron acceptor were 6.7 and 5.5 h for EPR-MT and HR-1, respectively. Fe(OH)3, MnO2, AsO43-, SO42-, SeO42-, S2O32-, S0 and NO3- were also used as terminal electron acceptors. Acetate, yeast extract, formate, lactate, tryptone and Casamino acids also served as both electron donors and carbon sources. G+C content of the genomic DNA was 59.4 mol% for strain EPR-MT and 59.2 mol% for strain HR-1. Phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses indicated that both strains were closely related to each other and to Geothermobacter ehrlichii, within the class δ-Proteobacteria (now within the class Desulfuromonadia). Based on phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses in addition to physiological and biochemical characteristics, both strains were found to represent a novel species within the genus Geothermobacter, for which the name Geothermobacter hydrogeniphilus sp. nov. is proposed. Geothermobacter hydrogeniphilus is represented by type strain EPR-MT (=JCM 32109T=KCTC 15831T=ATCC TSD-173T) and strain HR-1 (=JCM 32110=KCTC 15832).
Design of Neuraminidase-Targeted Imaging and Therapeutic Agents for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Influenza Virus Infections

The last step in influenza virus replication involves the assembly of viral components on the infected cell's plasma membrane followed by budding of intact virus from the host cell surface. Because viral neuraminidase and hemagglutinin are both inserted into the host cell's membrane during this process, influenza virus-infected cells are distinguished from uninfected cells by the presence of viral neuraminidase and hemagglutinin on their cell surfaces. In an effort to exploit this difference in cell surface markers for development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents, we have modified an influenza neuraminidase inhibitor, zanamivir, for targeting of attached imaging and therapeutic agents selectively to influenza viruses and virus-infected cells. We have designed here a zanamivir-conjugated rhodamine dye that allows visual monitoring of binding, internalization, and intracellular trafficking of the fluorescence-labeled neuraminidase in virus-infected cells. We also synthesize a zanamivir-99mTc radioimaging conjugate that permits whole body imaging of the virus's biodistribution and abundance in infected mice. Finally, we create both a zanamivir-targeted cytotoxic drug (i.e., zanamivir-tubulysin B) and a viral neuraminidase-targeted CAR T cell and demonstrate that they are both able to kill viral neuraminidase-expressing cells without damaging healthy cells. Taken together, these data suggest that the influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitor, zanamivir, can be exploited to improve the diagnosis, imaging, and treatment of influenza virus infections.
Chapter 16. Assay of Nonhistone Phosphatase Activity

Publisher Summary Nonhistone proteins are subject to covalent modification through both phosphorylation and dephosphorylation reactions. The protein kinases involved in catalyzing the phosphorylation step have been the subject of extensive investigation but the enzymes catalyzing the dephosphorylation step have been barely studied. Such enzymes are not only potentially important to the physiological regulation of the state of nonhistone protein phosphorylation but are also useful as experimental tools for artificially modulating the phosphorylation state of these proteins during chromatin reconstitution studies. This chapter is concerned with methods used for the assay and isolation of nonhistone phosphatases and discusses the preparation of 32P-labeled nonhistone proteins. 32P-labeled nonhistone proteins can be employed as substrates for the assay of nonhistone phosphatase activity. 32P-labeled nonhistone protein is incubated in a reaction and various amounts of enzyme fractions to be tested for phosphatase activity.
A neural pattern generator that tunes into the physical dynamics of the limb system

A model is presented in which a spinal circuit generates oscillatory output to a pendular limb via the muscles which, in turn, modulates the frequency of the spinal circuit. This model is based on a new theory of biological motor control which claims that motor behavior emerges from the coupling or interaction of the neural dynamics of the central nervous system and the physical dynamics of the limb system. Simulation results indicate that limit cycle stability in motor behavior can arise from such a coupling. It is also shown that these limit cycle frequencies scale with the physical length of the limb in accord with the resonant frequency of the limb and in agreement with human experimental data. Motor learning is treated as an increase in the efficacy of proprioceptive information and is shown to result in performance closer to the resonant frequency of the physical system. >
Controller structure definition via intelligent process control

Industrial challenge problems like the Tennessee Eastman Plantwide Control Problem of Downs and Vogel (1990) prompted us to employ intelligent control principles for addressing the selection and pairing problem. A knowledge-based, object-oriented framework for controller structure definition is described in this paper. >
Progress in Understanding the Toxicity of Gasoline and Diesel Engine Exhaust Emissions

To help guide heavy vehicle engine, fuel, and exhaust after-treatment technology development, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute are conducting research not addressed elsewhere on aspects of the toxicity of particulate engine emissions. Advances in these technologies that reduce diesel particulate mass emissions may result in changes in particle composition, and there is concern that the number of ultrafine (<0.1 micron) particles may increase. All present epidemiological and laboratory data on the toxicity of diesel emissions were derived from emissions of older-technology engines. New, short-term toxicity data are needed to make health-based choices among diesel technologies and to compare the toxicity of diesel emissions to those of other engine technologies. This research program has two facets: (1) development and use of short-term in vitro and in vivo toxicity assays for comparing the toxicities of gasoline and diesel exhaust emissions; and (2) determination of the disposition of inhaled ultrafine particles deposited in the lung. Responses of cultured cells, cultured lung slices, and rodent lungs to various types of particles were compared to develop an improved short-term toxicity screening capability. To date, chemical toxicity indicators of cultured human A549 cells and early inflammatory and cytotoxic indicators ofmore » rat lungs have given the best distinguishing capability. A study is now underway to determine the relative toxicities of exhaust samples from in-use diesel and gasoline engines. The samples are being collected under the direction of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with support from DOE's Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies. The ability to generate solid ultrafine particles and to trace their movement in the body as particles and soluble material was developed. Data from rodents suggest that ultrafine particles can move from the lung to the liver in particulate form. The quantitative disposition of inhaled ultrafine particles will be determined in rodents and nonhuman primates.« less
Reviewing the arguments for market based approaches to water distribution: a critical assessment for sustainable water management in Spain

Countries in dry climates need to fi nd more effi cient water management practices to meet growing water demand. Traditional command-and-control water policies are associated with ineffi ciencies and have motivated the exploration of market based approaches, includ- ing water trading. Water trading has its intellectual origin with the theory of Pareto optimal- ity and the Coase theorem, which asserts that resources will be allocated effi ciently given well defi ned property rights and no transaction costs. This research reviews the case for water trading and fi nds that, in the Spanish context, institutional innovations and reforms are needed to address externalities in the water market and lower transaction costs before water trading can become viable. Policies based purely on market incentives are unlikely to produce desirable results. The challenge for Spanish policy-makers will be to create the appropriate mix of market incentives and institutional conditions that will promote an effi cient distribution of water resources. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
KIT Receptor Gain‐of‐Function in Hematopoiesis Enhances Stem Cell Self‐Renewal and Promotes Progenitor Cell Expansion

The KIT receptor tyrosine kinase has important roles in hematopoiesis. We have recently produced a mouse model for imatinib resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) carrying the Kit(V558Δ) and Kit(T669I) (human KIT(T670I) ) mutations found in imatinib-resistant GIST. The Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) mice developed microcytic erythrocytosis with an increase in erythroid progenitor numbers, a phenotype previously seen only in mouse models of polycythemia vera with alterations in Epo or Jak2. Significantly, the increased hematocrit observed in Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) mice normalized upon splenectomy. In accordance with increased erythroid progenitors, myeloerythroid progenitor numbers were also elevated in the Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) mice. Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) numbers in the bone marrow (BM) of Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) mice were unchanged in comparison to wild-type mice. However, increased HSC numbers were observed in fetal livers and the spleen and peripheral blood of adult Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) mice. Importantly, HSC from Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) BM had a competitive advantage over wild-type HSC. In response to 5-fluorouracil treatment, elevated numbers of dividing Lin(-) Sca(+) cells were found in the Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) BM compared to wild type. Our study demonstrates that signaling from the Kit(V558Δ;T669I/+) receptor has important consequences in hematopoiesis enhancing HSC self-renewal and resulting in increased erythropoiesis.
Constitutional Necessity and Epistemic Possibility

By an incomplete sentence we shall understand a declarative sentence that can be used, without variation in its meaning, to make different statements in different contexts. Although the point deserves supporting argument, which we will not provide, sentences whose grammatical subjects are indexical expressions or demonstratives are obvious, plausible examples of incomplete sentences. Uttered in one context the sentence ‘He is ill’ may be used to make one statement, for example, that George is ill, while in another context the very same sentence may be used to make a quite different statement, for example, that Paul is ill.
Effect of an Opaque Reflecting Layer on the Thermal Behavior of a Thermal Barrier Coating

A parametric study using a two-flux approximation of the radiative transfer equation was performed to examine the effects of an opaque reflective layer on the thermal behavior of a typical semitransparent thermal barrier coating on an opaque substrate. Some ceramic materials are semitransparent in the wavelength ranges where thermal radiation is important. Even with an opaque layer on each side of the semitransparent thermal barrier coating, scattering and absorption can have an effect on the heat transfer. In this work, a thermal barrier coating that is semitransparent up to a wavelength of 5 micrometers is considered. Above 5 micrometers wavelength, the thermal barrier coating is opaque. The absorption and scattering coefficient of the thermal barrier was varied. The thermal behavior of the thermal barrier coating with an opaque reflective layer is compared to a thermal barrier coating without the reflective layer. For a thicker thermal barrier coating with lower convective loading, which would be typical of a combustor liner, a reflective layer can significantly decrease the temperature in the thermal barrier coating and substrate if the scattering is weak or moderate and for strong scattering if the absorption is large. The layer without the reflective coating can be about as effective as the layer with the reflective coating if the absorption is small and the scattering strong. For low absorption, some temperatures in the thermal barrier coating system can be slightly higher with the reflective layer. For a thin thermal barrier coating with high convective loading, which would be typical of a blade or vane that sees the hot sections of the combustor, the reflective layer is not as effective. The reflective layer reduces the surface temperature of the reflective layer for all conditions considered. For weak and moderate scattering, the temperature of the TBC-substrate interface is reduced but for strong scattering, the temperature of the substrate is increased slightly.
Growth and Invasiveness of Candida albicans in the Germ-Free and Conventional Mouse After Oral Challenge

Candida albicans was established in large numbers throughout the gut after one oral challenge in the germ-free and in the conventional mouse. Of the strains tested, only the germ-free ND 1 mouse appeared to be susceptible to infection, and this was confined to the stomach mucosa; lesions contained large numbers of hyphal and mycelial forms with blastospores. These forms were also seen in the gut of resistant germ-free ND 4 mice after challenge. Only budding yeast forms were seen in the gut contents from conventional animals. The concentration of sulfhydryl-containing compounds was decreased in the stomach contents from germ-free mice. The stomach tissue of conventional animals seemed to be more acidic than that of germ-free animals, and association of C. albicans with conventional mice neutralized some of this acidity. Eh values of contents from the gut of unchallenged mice were usually higher in conventional than in germ-free animals; after challenge, the Eh in both groups decreased. Some reciprocal effects of intestinal microorganisms and host are discussed in relation to intestinal candidiasis.
SECOND-ORDER SUM- AND DIFFERENCE-FREQUENCY GENERATION VIA QUADRUPOLE TRANSITIONS IN ATOMIC VAPORS

Atomic vapors have played an important role in recent work on optical mixing. They have been used to generate tunable IR radiation, tunable vacuum UV, and coherent radiation with wavelengths as short as 380 A. Until recently, the schemes used all involved susceptibilities derived by keeping only the dipole interaction of light with the medium. Recently we reported second order sum-frequency generation in Na vapor.[1] The dipole susceptibility for second order mixing vanishes for a vapor, and a more general type of susceptibility must be considered to describe this process.[2] For example, our Na sum-frequency generation can be described as phase matched emission from oscillating atomic quadrupole moments driven at frequency ω3 = ωl + ω2 by two applied fields, as shown schematically in Fig. 1. The quadrupole moment density is given by: $$\begin{gathered} \underline{\underline Q} = {\underline{\underline X} ^{(Q)}}:{\underline E _1}{\underline E _2} \hfill \\ {\text{ = }}{{\text{X}}^{(Q)}}{\text{ }}[{\underline E _1}{\underline E _2} + {\underline E _2}{\underline E _1} - \frac{2}{3}\underline{\underline I} ({\underline E _1} \cdot {\underline E _2})]. \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ (1)
The Shaping of Planetary Nebulae

CCD images of Planetary Nebulae (PNs) in various emission lines have been obtained for about 50 northern objects. The signatures of snowplows driven by a hot bubble interior are nearly ubiquitous in the sample. The geometry of the bubble-nebula interface argues that mass ejection prior to the hot wind phase is densest in an equatorial plane. The interface is delineated best in emission lines ranging in ionization from high (He++) to low (N+ and occasionally 0°). A very preliminary analysis suggests that some of the heating in the snowplows arises from a source other than stellar uv radiation.
Measuring some semantic and pragmatic variables in the speech of two psychiatric patients.

This is a report of research in progress to develop methods for studying semantic structures underlying the speech of patients in psychotherapy. It uses the notion of case relations as markers of semantic functions to describe underlying semantic representations. In particular, semantic representations are related to personality differences between two patients in classic psychoanalysis. Significant differences are found in the frequency distributions of some semantic functions, especially Beneficiary and Bearer, in the distributions of semantic functions by topic of discourse, and in the correlations of semantic functions with each other.
Who needs addresses

The author describes a framework for virtualising network addresses, reasoning that virtualisation requires reversing the usual the network-first, resource-second addressing order. A hierarchical name space is constructed for representing the shared resources by a homogenised form of URLs, a logical end-to-end route is constructed by combining the bind and connect requests over this name space, and used instead of end-to-end addresses for setting up virtual paths. Direct interpretation of the homogenised URLs ensures logical routing performance comparable to IP routing, and the logical route provides geographical trimming of the search in the transaction to virtual paths. Resulting features include a simple, uniform API for both point-to-point and multipoint connectivity, host security by invisibility, etc., which can be availed by privately deploying the framework over the existing networks.
Inhibition of chromatin remodeling by Polycomb Group protein Posterior Sex Combs is mechanistically distinct from nucleosome binding

Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins are essential regulators of development that maintain gene silencing in Drosophila and mammals through alterations of chromatin structure. One key PcG protein, Posterior Sex Combs (PSC), is part of at least two complexes: Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and dRING-Associated Factors (dRAF). PRC1-class complexes compact chromatin and inhibit chromatin remodeling, while dRAF has E3 ligase activity for ubiquitylation of histone H2A; activities of both complexes can inhibit transcription. The noncovalent effects of PRC1-class complexes on chromatin can be recapitulated by PSC alone, and the region of PSC required for these activities is essential for PSC function in vivo. To understand how PSC interacts with chromatin to exert its repressive effects, we compared the ability of PSC to bind to and inhibit remodeling of various nucleosomal templates and determined which regions of PSC are required for mononucleosome binding and inhibition of chromatin remodeling. We find that PSC binds mononucleosome templates but inhibits their remodeling poorly. Addition of linker DNA to mononucleosomes allows their remodeling to be inhibited, although higher concentrations of PSC are required than for inhibition of multinucleosome templates. The C-terminal region of PSC (amino acids 456−1603) is important for inhibition of chromatin remodeling, and we identified amino acids 456−909 as being sufficient for stable nucleosome binding but not for inhibition of chromatin remodeling. Our data suggest distinct mechanistic steps between nucleosome binding and inhibition of chromatin remodeling.
Dioxin hepatic carcinogenesis : biologically motivated modeling and risk assessment

There are several key portions of the exposure-dose-response continuum with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, dioxin) that have to be described quantitatively in developing a comprehensive mechanistically based dose-response model. These include: (i) the accumulation of TCDD in the target tissue, (ii) formation of a complex between dioxin and the Ah receptor, (iii) activation of transcription of growth regulatory genes by the TCDD-Ah receptor complex, (iv) cellular events on tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models have been used as tools to integrate knowledge of the determinants of dioxin disposition, including specific binding to dioxin-inducible hepatic cytochromes, and to link TCDD tissue dosimetry with gene activation by pharmacodynamic (PD) models crafted to examine dioxin-regulated gene expression. Biological studies on growth factor regulation suggest hypotheses for the role of these gene products in transient cell proliferation, prolonged growth suppression, and hepatic tumor promotion. We have used these hypotheses as the basis for stochastic cell growth models of the promotional events with TCDD and to suggest experimental strategies for future research. The combination of PBPK, PBPD and stochastic cell growth models provides a seamless exposure-dose-response model for TCDD induction of liver tumors in rodents. This comprehensive exposure-dose-response model should prove useful for risk assessment, experimental design, and analysis of noncancer endpoints with this potent, ubiquitous environmental contaminant. This paper outlines progress in formulating and evaluating these models for TCDD.
A new method for the analysis of amide-linked hydroxy fatty acids in lipid-As from gram-negative bacteria.

Lipid-A represents the ubiquitous, covalently bound hydrophobic component of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (endotoxins). Lipid-As isolated and characterized from rhizobial species have large variations in their backbone sugars, as well as in their hydroxy fatty acid substituents. The sugar backbones consist of either glucosamine and galacturonic acid or glucosamine and 2,3-diaminoglucose. The published procedures for characterizing amide-linked fatty acids do not release all these fatty acids, hence a new method was developed to characterize the amide-linked hydroxy fatty acids. This method involves a mild methanolysis procedure to release glucosamine methyl glycosides which still contain the amide-bound hydroxy fatty acids. The products were analysed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) and, after trimethylsilylation, by electron impact (E.I.) and chemical ionization (C.I.) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The procedure was applied to lipid-A preparations from several gram-negative bacteria. This method allows the unequivocal identification of amide-linked hydroxy fatty acids and also allows determination of the microheterogeneity of the N-acyl substituents in lipid-As from gram-negative bacteria.
Novel Use of Doxycycline in Continuous-Instillation Negative Pressure Wound Therapy as "Wound Chemotherapy"

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is frequently employed in the treatment of complex wounds. A variety of wound chemotherapeutic agents such as insulin, which acts as a growth factor, may prove helpful in treatment as well. We present a case report in which insulin was used as a chemotherapeutic agent in continuous-instillation NPWT. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature describing this method of delivery.
I‐BIEM. An Iterative Boundary Integral Equation Method for Computer Solutions of Current Distribution Problems with Complex Boundaries—A New Algorithm I . Theoretical

A new algorithm for an iterative computation of solutions of Laplace's or Poisson's equations in two dimensions, using Green's second identity, is presented. This algorithm converges strongly and geometrically and can be applied to curved, irregular, or moving boundaries with nonlinear and/or discontinuous boundary conditions. It has been implemented in Pascal on a number of micro- and minicomputers and applied to several geometries. Cases with known analytic solutions have been tested. Convergence to within 0.1 percent to 0.01 percent of the theoretical values are obtained in a few minutes on a microcomputer.
The apparent ’five-fold’ nature of large T2 (AI6Li3Cu) crystals

LargeT 2 (Al6Li3Cu) crystals which display apparent five-fold symmetry have been studied using several different electron microscopy techniques. Electron microprobe X-ray analysis was used to determine the phases present in two different alloys cast with bulk compositions close to stoi-chiometricT 2. Convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) of these crystals indicates that they do not display five-fold rotational symmetry, and TEM images and selected area diffraction from thin foil specimens indicate a microcrystalline or twinned structure is responsible for the apparent five-fold symmetry ofT 2. Microdiffraction patterns obtained from the thinnest regions of the crystals are consistent with a cubic structure having a lattice parameter of ≈0.40 nm.