cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental evidence for the impact of soil viruses on carbon cycling during surface plant litter decomposition

To date, the potential impact of viral communities on biogeochemical cycles in soil has largely been inferred from indirect evidence, such as virus-driven changes in microbial abundances, viral auxiliary metabolic genes, and correlations with soil physiochemical properties. To more directly test the impact of soil viruses on carbon cycling during plant litter decomposition, we added concentrated viral community suspensions to complex litter decomposer communities in 40-day microcosm experiments. Microbial communities from two New Mexico alpine soils, Pajarito (PJ) and Santa Fe (SF), were inoculated onto grass litter on sand, and three treatments were applied in triplicate to each set of microcosms: addition of buffer (no added virus), addition of live virus (+virus), or killed virus (+killed-virus) fractions extracted from the same soil. Significant differences in respiration were observed between the +virus and +killed-virus treatments in the PJ, but not the SF microcosms. Bacterial and fungal community composition differed significantly by treatment in both PJ and SF microcosms. Combining data across both soils, viral addition altered links between bacterial and fungal diversity, dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen. Overall, we demonstrate that increasing viral pressure in complex microbial communities can impact terrestrial biogeochemical cycling but is context-dependent.
Analysis of the trend and spatial clustering of gastric cancer deaths in Shandong Province from 1970 to 2013

Objective: To investigate the distribution characteristics and trends of mortality and spatial aggregation of gastric cancer in Shandong Province from 1970 to 2013. Methods: The mortality data of gastric cancer from 1970 to 1974, 1990 to 1992 and 2004 to 2005 were collected from the first, second and third retrospective sampling survey of causes of death in Shandong Province, respectively. The mortality data of gastric cancer from 2011 to 2013 were collected from the all-cause surveillance data of Shandong Province. The crude mortality rate and age-standardized mortality rate were used to describe the death level of gastric cancer. The age-standardized mortality rate of Shandong Province was calculated based on Segi's world standard population, and the age-standardized mortality rate of counties (cities and districts) was calculated based on the Chinese population in 1964.The factors influencing the difference of gastric cancer mortality in different periods were decomposed by using the method of differential decomposition of mortality, and the contributions of population and non-population factors in different periods were estimated.Using ArcGIS 10.2 software, the death level of gastric cancer in different counties (cities and districts) in Shandong province from 1970 to 1974 and 2011 to 2013 were visualized. DeoDa 1.12 software was used for global and local spatial autocorrelation analysis. Results: The crude death rate and age-standardized death rate of gastric cancer in Shandong province increased firstly and then decreased during 1970-2013, and the crude death rate of gastric cancer increased from 18.33/100 000 in 1970-1974 to 28.51/100 000 in 2011-2013. Segi's age-standardized mortality rate for gastric cancer decreased from 20.94 per 100 000 in 1970-1974 to 18.17 per 100 000 in 2011-2013.From 1990 to 1992, from 2004 to 2005 and from 2011 to 2013, the contribution value of non-population factors to the increase of crude gc mortality was 95.59%, 48.45% and -20.57%, respectively, showing a continuous downward trend. The Moran's I index of crude mortality of gastric cancer in Shandong province from 1970 to 1974 and from 2011 to 2013 were 0.77 and 0.57, respectively, and the Moran's I index of age-normalized mortality was 0.75 and 0.44, respectively. Local autocorrelation analysis showed that there were 31 and 19 high aged-mortality areas of gastric cancer in 1970-1974 and 2011-2013 respectively, and 7 overlapping counties (cities and districts), 6 of which were located in Jiaodong area. Conclusion: The crude mortality and age-standardized mortality of gastric cancer in Shandong province increased first and then decreased from 1970 to 2013, and the distribution of gastric cancer mortality had obvious spatial aggregation and changed with time.
Identification and validation of serum biomarkers for clinical assessment of Hsp90 inhibitor therapy

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 4454 Background: Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that plays a crucial role in the conformational maturation of numerous oncogenic signaling proteins. Tumor cells are known to express an altered high affinity conformation of Hsp90 to accelerate the folding of proteins and support their rapid growth. We developed fully synthetic small molecules (e.g., BIIB021) that preferentially bind to the tumor specific Hsp90 and inhibit cancer cell growth in a variety of xenograft models. Several Hsp90 inhibitors including BIIB021 are currently being tested in human cancer patients. The pharmacodynamic (PD) activity of Hsp90 inhibitors is presently assessed by a Western blot assay that is both semi-quantitative and difficult to implement in the clinic. We identified and clinically validated three serum biomarkers (e.g., Hsp70, Hsp90α, HER-2 ECD) via a bioinformatics approach as well as traditional methods. Assessment of these serum biomarkers is easy to implement and should facilitate a systematic evaluation of Hsp90 inhibitor therapy in the clinic and could help determine optimal biological dose, selection of formulations and aid in determination of pharmacologically active dose for advanced Phase II clinical trials. Methods: Tumor cell lines (e.g., H146 and BT474) and human PBMC were treated with various doses of novel synthetic Hsp90 inhibitors, BIIB021 and BIIB028. Proteins secreted into the culture medium or interstitial medium (Xenograft models) at various intervals were analyzed by a bioinformatics approach (non labeled multidimensional separation of peptide digests coupled with ESI-MS), Western blotting or selected biomarkers by highly sensitive ELISA methods both on chemiluminescence and colorimetry platforms. Based on these preliminary analyses, at least three secreted pharmacodynamic markers viz., Hsp70, Hsp90α and HER-2ECD were further validated for clinical use and parameters including accuracy, precision, matrix effects and stability were assessed. Additionally, the basal levels of all three PD markers in normal human serum and multiple different cancer patient serum were analyzed and satisfactorily detected within the assay range. Furthermore, the assays for serum Hsp70 and HER-2ECD have been successfully implemented for the analysis of biomarkers in serum from cancer patients undergoing treatment with BIIB021 in Phase I solid tumor trials. Results and Conclusions: Systematic and simpler approaches to monitor the PD activity of Hsp90 inhibitors in the clinic are currently lacking. We report here the identification, development and validation of clinical biomarkers to monitor the bioactivity of Hsp90 inhibitors in early stage clinical trials. These validated assays should be useful in selection of appropriate formulations, dose and monitoring the biological effects of investigational Hsp90 inhibitors in cancer patient trials.
Corticostriatal Activity in Primary Motor Cortex of the Macaque

Although input from corticostriatal neurons (CSNs) plays a critical role in basal ganglia functions, little is known about CSN activity during behavior. We compared the properties of antidromically identified CSNs with those of antidromically identified neurons that project via the cerebral peduncle to distant targets. Both types of neurons were recorded in primary motor cortex (M1) of two monkeys as they performed a step-tracking task in which static loads opposed or assisted simple and precued movements of the elbow or wrist. Multiple lines of evidence suggested that CSNs and corticopeduncular neurons (CPNs) belong to distinct populations. No cells were activated from both striatum and peduncle. Compared with CPNs, CSNs had slow conduction velocities and low spontaneous rates, and the activity of most was unmodulated by sensory testing or within the tasks used. CSN activity resembled that described for M1-recipient striatal neurons: perimovement firing was small in magnitude, strongly directional, and rarely showed muscle-like load effects. Contrary to a previous report, perimovement activity in most CSNs began before movement onset. CSN activity was more selective than that of CPNs: CSN sensory responses and perimovement activities were often directionally specific, CSNs were often activated exclusively by sensory stimulation, active movement, or movement preparation, and a substantial fraction of CSNs (19%) was unresponsive to any task or manipulation. Thus, CSNs transmit signals distinct from those sent to spinal cord/brainstem. The highly selective activity of CSNs suggests that a discrete (i.e., sparse) code is used to signal cortical activation states to striatum.
NEOCOLONIAL NARCISSISM AND POSTCOLONIAL PARANOIA

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children represents an attempt to provide a therapeutic understanding of history and its traumas in a manner that places individualized psychoanalytic constructions in juxtaposition to those of larger collectives. Following Rushdie's lead, I recuperate the problematic Freudian concepts of paranoia, narcissism and fetishism and offer them as models for the functioning of state power. I postulate interdependent senses of nation and state that incorporate both desire and narrative, and thus allow for the application of psychoanalytic terms: the nation is the way in which the state desires to be known, and the state is the way in which the nation desires not to be known. A psychoanalysis of the state thus reads on the institutional level for the same dynamics of repression, projection and displacement that Freud applied to the individual psyche. In Midnight's Children, Saleem Sinai represents a fictionalized engagement with Indian history that mirrors the narcissism, fetishism and ...
The relationship between the superior petrosal sinus and the porus trigeminus: an anatomical study.

Object During intracranial approaches to the skull base, vascular relationships are important. One relationship that has received scant attention in the literature is that between the superior petrosal sinus (SPS) and the opening of the Meckel cave (that is, the porus trigeminus). Methods Cadaver dissections were performed in 25 latex-injected adult cadaveric heads (50 sides). Specifically, the relationship between the SPS and the opening of the Meckel cave was observed. The goal was to enhance knowledge of the relationship between the SPS and the opening of the Meckel cave. Results Of the 50 sides, 68%, 18%, and 16% of SPSs traveled superior to, inferior to, and around the opening to the Meckel cave, respectively. In the latter cases, a venous ring was formed around the proximal trigeminal nerve. No sinus entered the Meckel cave. In general, the porus trigeminus was narrowed on sides found to have an SPS that encircled this region. Sinuses that traveled only inferior to the porus were in general smaller ...
THE COSMIC-RAY ISOTOPE SPECTROMETER FOR THE ADVANCED COMPOSITION EXPLORER

The Cosmic-Ray Isotope Spectrometer is designed to cover the highest decade of the Advanced Composition Explorer’s energy interval, from ∼50 to ∼500 MeV nucl-1, with isotopic resolution for elements from Z ≃ 2 to Z ≃ 30. The nuclei detected in this energy interval are predominantly cosmic rays originating in our Galaxy. This sample of galactic matter can be used to investigate the nucleosynthesis of the parent material, as well as fractionation, acceleration, and transport processes that these particles undergo in the Galaxy and in the interplanetary medium.
Multiplier ideal sheaves, Nevanlinna theory, and Diophantine approximation

This paper states a conjecture for Nevanlinna theory or diophantine approximation, with a sheaf of ideals in place of the normal crossings divisor. This is done by using a correction term involving a multiplier ideal sheaf. This new conjecture trivially implies earlier conjectures in Nevanlinna theory or diophantine approximation, and in fact is equivalent to these conjectures. Although it does not provide anything new, it may be a more convenient formulation for some applications.
Solution-phase synthesis and thermal conductivity of nanostructured CdSe, In2Se3, and composites thereof

The use of nanoparticle-in-matrix composites is a common motif among a broad range of nanoscience applications and is of particular interest to the thermal sciences community. To explore this morphological theme, we create crystalline inorganic composites with nanoparticle volume fractions ranging from 0 to ∼100% using solution-phase processing. We synthesize these composites by mixing colloidal CdSe nanocrystals and In2Se3 metal–chalcogenide complex (MCC) precursor in the solution-phase and then thermally transform the MCC precursor into a crystalline In2Se3 matrix. We find rich structural and chemical interactions between the CdSe nanocrystals and the In2Se3 matrix, including alterations in In2Se3 grain size and orientation as well as the formation of a ternary phase, CdIn2Se4. The average thermal conductivities of the 100% In2Se3 and ∼100% CdSe composites are 0.32 and 0.53 W m−1 K−1, respectively. These thermal conductivities are remarkably low for inorganic crystalline materials and are comparable to amorphous polymers. With the exception of the ∼100% CdSe samples, the thermal conductivities of these nanocomposites are insensitive to CdSe volume fraction and are ∼0.3 W m−1 K−1 in all cases. We attribute this insensitivity to competing effects that arise from structural morphology changes during composite formation. This insensitivity to CdSe volume fraction also suggests that very low thermal conductivities can be reliably achieved using this solution-phase route to nanocomposites.
A fast algorithm for unmodified ARMA spectrum estimation

A recursive algorithm for finding the parameters of Cadzow's "high performance" ARMA (Autoregressive and Moving Average) spectral estimation model is developed. The method does not require any data modification techniques which have been often used to develop computationally fast algorithms. The development of the algorithm is based on the shift invariant structure of the covariance matrix and orthogonal projection operators. The number of arithmetic operation at each arrival of new data points have been reduced to the order of p with p being the order of denominator coefficients. In the paper, development of fast algorithm and its numerical examples of ARMA model spectral estimation are described.
HEART DISEASE MORTALITY IN NONSMOKERS LIVING WITH SMOKERS

A private census of Washington County, Maryland, in 1963 obtained information on smoking habits of all adults in the census, and death certificates of all residents who died in the next 12 years were coded for underlying cause of death and matched to the census. Among the white population aged 25 and over, 4,162 men and 14,873 women had never smoked. In this group, death rates from arteriosclerotic heart disease were significantly higher among men (relative risk (RR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-1.6) and women (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.1-1.4) who lived with smokers in 1963, after adjustment for age, marital status, years of schooling, and quality of housing. Among women, the relative risk increased significantly (p less than 0.005) with increasing level of exposure; among men, there was little evidence of a dose-response relation. The relative risks for nonsmokers who lived with smokers were greatest among both men and women who were younger than age 45 in 1963, but the number of deaths in these groups was small, and confidence intervals were broad. These results suggest a small but measurable risk for arteriosclerotic heart disease among nonsmokers who live with smokers.
Endovascular Treatment of a Fusiform Aneurysm at the M3-M4 Junction of the Middle Cerebral Artery Using the Pipeline Embolization Device.

Background Peripheral fusiform cerebral aneurysms remain difficult to treat. Current surgical approaches to the treatment of fusiform aneurysms include wrapping, clip occlusion or vessel reconstruction without parent vessel sacrifice, and aneurysm trapping with or without bypass, although these may carry high morbidity (36%). Classic endovascular approaches to the treatment of peripheral aneurysms include selective or parent artery occlusion, which imparts the risk of distal infarction. It may be possible to use a flow diversion device off label to treat the aneurysm and preserve flow to the distal territory. Case Description After a presyncopal event, a patient was found to have an unruptured fusiform aneurysm at the junction of the M3 and M4 segments of the right middle cerebral artery. After initiating dual antiplatelet therapy, the aneurysm was successfully treated with a Pipeline embolization device. Three months after treatment, the aneurysm has completely thrombosed, the parent artery remains widely patent, and the patient remains at her neurologic baseline. Conclusions Flow diversion devices may provide the neurointerventional surgeon with an opportunity to treat fusiform peripheral aneurysms and preserve flow to the distal territory.
Performance analysis of iCAR (integrated cellular and ad-hoc relay system)

iCAR is a new wireless architecture based on the integration of cellular and modern ad-hoc relaying technologies. We analyze its performance and compare it with conventional cellular system. In particular, we prove that due to the ability of ad-hoc relay stations (ARS) to relay traffic from one cell to another cell dynamically. iCAR has a lower system-wide call blocking probability than any corresponding cellular system without ARS, even if traffic can be evenly distributed among cells. We also study two typical scenarios and present some numeric results.
Occupational Exposure to Human Immunodeficiency Virus: What Healthcare Providers Should Know

PURPOSE: The author reviews the risks of occupational exposure to HIV and provides a rationale for new postexposure guidelines for healthcare workers. OVERVIEW: Approximately 50,000 percutaneous exposures occur yearly among healthcare workers in the United States. Of these, approximately 5000 involve exposures to blood that is known to be infected with HIV. The risk of transmission after percutaneous exposure to HIV-tainted blood has been estimated to be 0.3%, but the risk may be considerably higher to the healthcare worker if any of the following is present: a deep injury; visible blood on the sharp device; a procedure that involves a needle placed in the patient's artery or vein; and a patient with advanced AIDS. The increasing resistance of HIV strains to antiretroviral therapy continues to make treatment more difficult. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Postexposure prophylaxis with zidovudine may reduce the risk of occupational infection by 80%. Advances in the ability to ameliorate HIV transmission rates and to treat individuals with resistant disease through innovations in drug therapy, engineering of controls for injury prevention, and more focused postexposure evaluation offer the hope of reducing this infrequent, but dangerous, occupational threat.
Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Pregnancy

Prevalence studies indicate that Candida species colonize the vagina in at least 20 % of all women, rising to 30 % in pregnancy. Although, some studies concluded that pregnant women were more likely to have symptomatic vaginal infections caused by Candida, yet other studies found a high prevalence of asymptomatic infection only during pregnancy. Most episodes of symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) occur during the second and third trimesters. The increased risk of VVC in pregnancy is likely sustained by pregnancy-related factors, such as immunologic alterations, increased estrogen levels, and increased vaginal glycogen production. Although evidence is incomplete, there is some emerging data which suggests that candidiasis in pregnancy may be associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications, such as premature rupture of membranes, preterm labor, chorioamnionitis, and congenital cutaneous candidiasis. In contrast to nonpregnant women, there are no formal studies, evaluating the use of long-term suppressive maintenance oral azoles in the treatment of recurrent VVC (RVVC) in pregnancy. Most clinicians do not offer suppressive therapy in pregnancy and prefer to treat individual symptomatic episodes only utilizing a topical imidazole vaginally for 7 days to minimize systemic exposure to medications.
Computational modeling and design of renin inhibitors

Abstract The recently introduced field-based QSAR was employed to develop robust quantitative 3D QSAR models to comprehend the activity of several structurally diverse classes of small molecule renin inhibitors reported in literature. A reasonable predictive model with an r2 (pred) of ∼0.67 and rmse of 0.79 was achieved for an external validation set of ∼150 compounds centered on the model developed using ∼450 training set compounds. Based on the developed 3D QSAR models and additional insights gained from reported X-ray structures, opportunity for activity improvements in the [aza]indole scaffold was explored using a carefully designed virtual library of ∼2300 compounds. The potential for success of such combined structure-guided and ligand-based approach was justified when the resulting prediction was compared against a representative with supporting experimental results.
CLUSTER-BASED MONTE CARLO SIMULATION OF FERROFLUIDS

We demonstrate a Monte Carlo algorithm for efficiently simulating ferrofluids. By identifying particle clusters and evolving them as single units, we reduce correlation times by more than two orders of magnitude. This method enables accurate calculations of ferrofluid thermodynamics in the limit of strong magnetic coupling that would be impossible by conventional means. We apply the method to study magnetic anisotropy in dilute thin films.
Improved Continence in Patients With Neurogenic Sphincteric Incompetence With Combination Tubularized Posterior Urethroplasty and Fascial Wrap: The Lengthening, Narrowing and Tightening Procedure

Purpose: We evaluated the outcome in 19 patients who underwent bladder neck reconstruction by lengthening, narrowing and tightening the bladder neck with a combined tubularized posterior urethroplasty and circumferential fascial wrap.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of all patients who underwent bladder neck lengthening, narrowing and tightening between April 1996 and November 2002. Preoperative urodynamic and radiographic data were available on all patients. The surgical technique involved retroperitoneal exposure of the bladder neck with a tubularized posterior urethroplasty over a urethral catheter. The reconstructed urethra was then circumferentially wrapped with a fitted piece of cadaveric fascia.Results: Of the 19 patients 15 remain completely continent at a mean ± SD followup of 35.5 ± 29.1 months. Three patients underwent secondary reconstruction, including bladder neck ligation in all 3 and secondary enterocystoplasty in 2. No patient experienced difficult intermittent catheterizati...
Auroral boundary variations and the interplanetary magnetic field

Abstract This paper describes a DMSP data set of 150 auroral images during magnetically quiet times which have been analyzed in corrected geomagnetic local time and latitudinal coordinates and fit to offset circles. The fit parameters R (circle radius) and ( X , Y ) (center location) have been compared to the hourly interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) prior to the time of the satellite scan of the aurora. The results for variation of R with B z , agree with previous works and generally show about a 1° increase of R with increase of southward B z by 1 nT. The location of the circle center also has a clear statistical shift in the Southern Hemisphere with IMF B y such that the southern polar cap moves towards dusk (dawn) with B y > ( B y
Feedback Regulation of β-Arrestin1 Function by Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinases

The functions of β-arrestin1 to facilitate clathrin-mediated endocytosis of the β2-adrenergic receptor and to promote agonist-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) are regulated by its phosphorylation/dephosphorylation at Ser-412. Cytoplasmic β-arrestin1 is almost stoichiometrically phosphorylated at Ser-412. Dephosphorylation of β-arrestin1 at the plasma membrane is required for targeting a signaling complex that includes the agonist-occupied receptors to the clathrin-coated pits. Here we demonstrate that β-arrestin1 phosphorylation and function are modulated by an ERK-dependent negative feedback mechanism. ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylate β-arrestin1 at Ser-412 in vitro. Inhibition of ERK activity by a dominant-negative MEK1 mutant significantly attenuates β-arrestin1 phosphorylation, thereby increasing the concentration of dephosphorylated β-arrestin1. Under such conditions, β-arrestin1-mediated β2-adrenergic receptor internalization is enhanced as is its ability to bind clathrin. In contrast, if ERK-mediated phosphorylation is increased by transfection of a constitutively active MEK1 mutant, receptor internalization is inhibited. Our results suggest that dephosphorylated β-arrestin1 mediates endocytosis-dependent ERK activation. Following activation, ERKs phosphorylate β-arrestin1, thereby exerting an inhibitory feedback control of its function.
Effect of the Pericardium on Left Ventricular Volume and Function in Acute Hypervolaemia

The effect of acute volume overload was studied in 20 dogs, nine of which had undergone pericardiectomy. End-diastolic and end-systolic left ventricular volumes, as determined by biplane angiocardiography, were significantly higher, and the ejected fraction relatively lower in the pericardiectomized group. It is concluded that the pericardium prevents excessive left ventricular dilatation and impairment of the ventricular function during acute hypervolaemia.
Ba(NpO2)(PO4)(H2O), its relationship to the uranophane group, and implications for Np incorporation in uranyl minerals

Single crystals of Ba(NpO2)(PO4)(H2O) were obtained using hydrothermal synthesis techniques. The structure was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected using Mo K α radiation and an APEX II CCD detector and was refined on the basis of F 2 for all unique data to R 1 = 2.41%. Ba(NpO2)(PO4)(H2O) crystallized in monoclinic space group P 21/ n with a = 6.905(3), b = 7.108(3), c = 13.321(6) A, β= 105.02°, and V = 631.4 A3. The structure contains chains of edge-sharing neptunyl pentagonal bipyramids that link through phosphate tetrahedra to form infinite sheets. This sheet-type is identical to the anion topology of the uranophane group, in particular to that of oursinite, Co[(UO2)(SiO3OH)]2(H2O)6. Similarities between Ba(NpO2)(PO4)(H2O) and the uranophane group of minerals suggests a charge-balancing mechanism for incorporation of Np5+ into uranyl minerals.
Crystal structure of a complex with a substituted methylene ligand bound to a triosmium cluster: Os3(CO)10(μ-CO)(μ-CHSiMe3)

The complex Os3(CO)10(μ-CO)(μ-CHSiMe3) crystallizes in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P21/n with a 15.463(9), b 9.352(3), c 16.757(7) A, β 107.38(4)°, V 2312.6(17) A3 and Z = 4. Diffraction data (Mo-Kα, 2θ(max) = 40°) were collected on a Syntex P21 diffractometer and the structure was refined to RF 4.2% and RwF 4.8% for all 2170 data (RF 3.3%, RwF 4.5% for those 1914 data with |F0|=>3σ(|F0|)). The molecule contains a triangular array of osmium atoms in which Os(2) and Os(3) are each associated with three terminal carbonyl ligands, while Os(1) is associated with four terminal carbonyls. Atoms Os(2) and Os(3) are mutually bridged by a nearly symmetrical bridging carbonyl ligand (Os(2)-C(1) 2.186(17) A; Os(3)-C(1) 2.101(17) A) and a bridging CHSiMe3 ligand with Os(2)-C(2) 2.159(15) and Os(3)-C(2) 2.188(16) A. The structure is an ordered analogue of the species Os3(CO)10(μ-CO)(μ-CH2) which suffers from a four-fold disorder.
Engineering human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells to produce a broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibody after in vitro maturation to human B lymphocytes.

Broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies are rare and have proved hard to elicit with any immunogen. We have tested in vitro the notion that such antibodies or other antiviral proteins could be made by lentivirus-mediated gene transfer into human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), followed by differentiation of the transduced cells into B cells, the most potent antibody-producing cells. To do this, we have developed a highly efficient system for in vitro maturation of secreting B lymphocytes and plasma cells from CD34 HSPCs. It is a 3-stage, in vitro culture system that supports normal human B-lineage development from HSPCs to antibody-secreting plasmablasts (36%) and plasma cells (20%). By transducing human cord blood CD34 cells with lentiviral vectors encoding a secretory monoclonal anti-HIV antibody, b12 (IgG1), we were able to program human B cells to produce in vitro up to 1.5 g/mL of this broadly neutralizing antibody. Our results suggest that an HIV vaccine might be delivered by autologous transplantation of in vitro‐programmed HSPCs, which would develop into antibody-secreting B cells in vivo and provide a continuous supply of anti-HIV neutralizing antibodies. (Blood. 2009;113: 1422-1431)
Quasi-Fermi level splitting and sub-bandgap absorptivity from semiconductor photoluminescence

A unified model for the direct gap absorption coefficient (band-edge and sub-bandgap) is developed that encompasses the functional forms of the Urbach, Thomas-Fermi, screened Thomas-Fermi, and Franz-Keldysh models of sub-bandgap absorption as specific cases. We combine this model of absorption with an occupation-corrected non-equilibrium Planck law for the spontaneous emission of photons to yield a model of photoluminescence (PL) with broad applicability to band-band photoluminescence from intrinsic, heavily doped, and strongly compensated semiconductors. The utility of the model is that it is amenable to full-spectrum fitting of absolute intensity PL data and yields: (1) the quasi-Fermi level splitting, (2) the local lattice temperature, (3) the direct bandgap, (4) the functional form of the sub-bandgap absorption, and (5) the energy broadening parameter (Urbach energy, magnitude of potential fluctuations, etc.). The accuracy of the model is demonstrated by fitting the room temperature PL spectrum of GaAs. It is then applied to Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGSSe) and Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) to reveal the nature of their tail states. For GaAs, the model fit is excellent, and fitted parameters match literature values for the bandgap (1.42 eV), functional form of the sub-bandgap states (purely Urbach in nature), and energy broadening parameter (Urbach energy of 9.4 meV). For CIGSSe and CZTSSe, the model fits yield quasi-Fermi leveling splittings that match well with the open circuit voltages measured on devices made from the same materials and bandgaps that match well with those extracted from EQE measurements on the devices. The power of the exponential decay of the absorption coefficient into the bandgap is found to be in the range of 1.2 to 1.6, suggesting that tunneling in the presence of local electrostatic potential fluctuations is a dominant factor contributing to the sub-bandgap absorption by either purely electrostatic (screened Thomas-Fermi) or a photon-assisted tunneling mechanism (Franz-Keldysh). A Gaussian distribution of bandgaps (local Eg fluctuation) is found to be inconsistent with the data. The sub-bandgap absorption of the CZTSSe absorber is found to be larger than that for CIGSSe for materials that yield roughly equivalent photovoltaic devices (8% efficient). Further, it is shown that fitting only portions of the PL spectrum (e.g., low energy for energy broadening parameter and high energy for quasi-Fermi level splitting) may lead to significant errors for materials with substantial sub-bandgap absorption and emission.
Myocardial Protection with Blood Cardioplegia in Ischemically Injured Hearts: Reduction of Reoxygenation Injury with Allopurinol

Myocellular injury mediated by oxygen radicals potentially limits myocardial protection in ischemically damaged hearts. This damage may be greater with oxygen-carrying blood cardioplegic solutions. A major mechanism of oxygen radical production is the conversion of hypoxanthine to uric acid by xanthine oxidase. In 16 anesthetized dogs, we studied whether adding allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, to blood cardioplegia would improve recovery of left ventricular (LV) performance and oxygen consumption. Millar transducer-tipped catheters and minor axis ultrasonic crystals were placed to assess LV performance by the slope of the end-systolic pressure-minor axis diameter relationships (Emax). Following total vented bypass, the hearts underwent 30 minutes of normothermic ischemia and then hypothermic blood cardioplegia with 1 mM allopurinol (N = 8) or without allopurinol (N = 8). Postischemic LV performance was significantly better with allopurinol than without (49.5 +/- 8.0 versus 17.4 +/- 4.1% of preischemic Emax; p less than 0.004). Postischemic LV oxygen consumption in the beating working state, calculated from LV blood flow (15 microm microspheres) and oxygen extraction, was comparable to preischemic values with and without allopurinol (10.2 +/- 1.2 versus 8.6 +/- 1.2 ml O2/100 gm/min). We conclude that allopurinol enhancement of blood cardioplegia increases myocardial protection in severely ischemic ventricles.
Aspirin potently inhibits oxidative DNA strand breaks: implications for cancer chemoprevention

Epidemiological studies have suggested that the use of aspirin is associated with a decreased incidence of human malignancies, particularly colorectal cancer. Since reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critically involved in multistage carcinogenesis, this study was undertaken to examine the ability of aspirin to inhibit ROS-mediated DNA damage. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)+Cu(II) and hydroquinone (HQ) + Cu(II) were used to cause oxidative DNA strand breaks in phiX-174 plasmid DNA. We demonstrated that the presence of aspirin at concentrations (0.5-2 mM) compatible with amounts in plasma during chronic anti-inflammatory therapy resulted in a marked inhibition of oxidative DNA damage induced by either H2O2/Cu(II) or HQ/Cu(II). The inhibition of oxidative DNA damage by aspirin was exhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, aspirin was found to be much more potent than the hydroxyl radical scavengers, mannitol and dimethyl sulfoxide, in protecting against the H2O2/Cu(II)-mediated DNA strand breaks. Since the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) is crucially involved in both H2O2/Cu(II)- and HQ/Cu(II)-mediated formation of hydroxyl radical or its equivalent, and the subsequent oxidative DNA damage, we examined whether aspirin could inhibit this Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox cycle. It was observed that aspirin at concentrations that showed the inhibitory effect on oxidative DNA damage did not alter the Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox cycle in either H2O2/Cu(II) or HQ/Cu(II) system. In addition, aspirin was not found to significantly scavenge H2O2. This study demonstrates for the first time that aspirin potently inhibits both H2O2/Cu(II)- and HQ/Cu(II)-mediated oxidative DNA strand breaks most likely through scavenging the hydroxyl radical or its equivalent derived from these two systems. The potent inhibition of oxidative DNA damage by aspirin may thus partially contribute to its anticancer activities observed in humans.
Autecology of an intertidal Alaskan harpacticoid copepod Apolethon sp.

The life history and ecology of a harpacticoid copepod, Apolethon sp., were investigated for one year in the intertidal zone of a subarctic bay in southeastern Alaska. Core samples were collected biweekly at the 0 m tidal level from March, 1992 through March, 1993; zonation and vertical distribution were determined from additional samples. Large seasonal variations in density of Apolethon sp. parallelled that of the total harpacticoid community, with highest densities (124.3±12.5 10 cm−2; mean ± standard error) in March and lowest densities in May and October (7.6±4.5). The sex ratio of Apolethon sp. varied directly with population density, varying from <0.1 to 1.2 (male:female) during the study period. The species was restricted to a relatively narrow vertical band within the intertidal zone, having its greatest density at — 1 m and being rare above + 1 m tidal height. Adult Apolethon sp. bear conspicuous ovoid mucin structures located laterally on the genital double-somite. The mucin structures are unique to the species; several putative functions are discussed.
An Energy Information Gateway for use in residential and commercial environments

Growing demands for products which enable consumers to manage their energy use more efficiently has led to the development of Energy Information Gateways, which are just beginning to gain traction in the marketplace. Such devices are envisioned to provide a communications and control infrastructure for appliances within their domain of influence, as well as communication with metering equipment. All relevant energy consumption information is expected to be relayed to the occupant in a practical manner. This paper outlines a software architecture for an EIG which is applicable to both residential and commercial environments. The software package utilizes the highly modular Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGI) JAVA software framework to allow customization of individual EIG functionality and facilitates interoperability for existing smart grid products. In addition, the software in question provides a connection to external demand response resources and hosts a dynamic web based user interface to facilitate occupant interaction.
Paper: Low-order control design for LMI problems using alternating projection methods

Computational techniques based on alternating projections are proposed to solve control design problems described by linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). In particular, we concentrate on the stabilization and the suboptimal H"~ output feedback control design problems. These problems can be described by a pair of LMIs and an additional coupling condition. This coupling condition is convex for the full-order control design problem, but convexity is lost for the control problem of order strictly less than the plant order. We formulate these problems as feasibility problems with matrix constraint sets of simple geometry, and we utilize this geometry to obtain analytical expressions for the orthogonal projection operators onto these sets. Full-order and low-order controllers are designed using alternating projection methods. For the full-order controller case, global convergence of the alternating projection methods to a feasible solution is guaranteed. However, for the low-order control case, only local convergence is guaranteed. An example is provided to illustrate the use of these methods for the full-order and the low-order controller design.
Compile-time optimization of near-neighbor communication for scalable shared-memory multiprocessors

Abstract Scalable shared-memory multiprocessor systems are typically NUMA (nonuniform memory access) machines, where the exploitation of the memory hierarchy is critical to achieving high performance. Iterative data parallel loops with near-neighbor communication account for many important numerical applications. In such loops, the communication of partial results stresses the memory system performance. In this paper, we develop data placement schemes that minimize communication time where the near-neighbor interaction is determined by a stencil. Under a given loop partition, our compile-time algorithm partitions global data into four classes for each processor, with each class requiring specific consistency maintenance requirements. The ADAPT (Automatic Data Allocation and Partitioning Tool) system was implemented to automatically partition parallel code segments for the BBN TC2000, a scalable shared-memory multiprocessor. ADAPT caches global arrays and maintains data consistency in software through instructions that flush data from private caches. Restructuring of a fluid flow code segment by ADAPT improved performance by a factor of more than 3 on the BBN TC2000. Features in current generation pipelined processors with multiple functional units permit the overlap of memory accesses with computation. Our experiments on the BBN TC2000 show that the degree of overlap is limited by architectural parameters, such as the number of CPU registers.
Feature definition in pattern recognition with small sample size

Abstract The problem of feature definition in the design of a pattern recognition system where the number of available training samples is small but the number of potential features is excessively large has not received adequate attention. Most of the existing feature extraction and feature selection procedures are not feasible due to computational considerations when the number of features exceeds, say, 100, and are not even applicable when the number of features exceeds the number of patterns. The feature definition procedure which we have proposed involves partitioning a large set of highly correlated features into subsets, or clusters, through hierarchical clustering. Almost any feature selection or extraction procedure, including the constrained maximum variance approach introduced here, can then be applied to each subset to obtain a single representative feature. The original set of correlated features is thus reduced to a small set of nearly uncorrelated features. The utility of this procedure has been demonstrated on a speaker-identification data base which consists of 20 subjects, 156 features, and 180 samples.
Bid is cleaved upstream of caspase-8 activation during TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells

TRAIL induces apoptosis in many malignant cell types. In this study, we used the human papilloma virus (HPV) 16 E6 protein as a molecular tool to probe the TRAIL pathway in HCT116 colon carcinoma cells and U2OS osteosarcoma cells. Intriguingly, we found that while E6 protected HCT116 cells from TRAIL, U2OS cells expressing E6 remained sensitive to TRAIL. Furthermore, silencing FADD and procaspase-8 expression with siRNA did not prevent TRAIL-induced apoptosis in U2OS cells. However, siBid provided significant protection from TRAIL, and the cleavage kinetics of Bid and caspase-8 revealed that Bid was cleaved prior to the activation of caspase-8. Cathepsin B activity in U2OS cells was significantly activated shortly after exposure to TRAIL, and the cathepsin B inhibitor, CA074Me, inhibited both TRAIL- and anti-DR5-mediated apoptosis and delayed the cleavage of Bid. These findings suggest that TRAIL activates a pathway dependent on Bid, but largely independent of FADD and caspase-8, in U2OS cells.
B cell precursors are decreased in senescent BALB/c mice, but retain normal mitotic activity in vivo and in vitro.

The numbers of phenotypic (sIg− Ly5[220]+) and functional B cell precursors were significantly reduced in the bone marrow of senescent (22–24 months old) BALBc mice when compared to their young (2–4 months old) cohorts. Little alteration in the numbers of B cell precursors occurred during the first 12 months of life in this strain. In contrast, an accelerated loss of B cell precursors between 15 and 18 months of age was observed. In particular, the levels of small Ly5(220)+ B cell precursors were decreased with advanced age, although a decline in numbers of large sIg− Ly5(220)+ B cell precursors was also evident. The percentages of large sIg− Ly5(220)+ B cell precursors in (S + G2M) stages of cell cycle were similar (e.g., 60–80%) in aged and young BALBc mice. Importantly, Ly5(220)+ pre-B cells from both young and aged BALBc mice, either present in vivo or derived from Ly5(220)− cells in vitro, were capable of proliferation in response to rIL-7. These observations suggest that the aging process results in a progressive decline in the numbers of pre-B cells; however, this apparently is not due to failure of B lineage precursor cells to respond to growth mediators either in vivo or in vitro.
Enhancing Relative Attitude and Trajectory Estimation for Autonomous Rendezvous Using Flash LIDAR

ash LIDAR measurements are processed with no information about the target body shape and attitude, and for close approach phases where the relative pose is estimated simultaneously with the relative trajectory. In both cases, very good relative navigation accuracy can be obtained with errors based on current ash LIDAR models. The distant navigation analysis considered the necessary frequency of ash LIDAR data needed for accurate solutions, the eect of ignoring the target shape, and the growth of the achieved errors in the case of sensor malfunction. The close approach results are focused on the implementation of a combination of the Optimal Linear Attitude and Translation Estimator (OLTAE) algorithm for processing feature based tracking into relative attitude and translation measurements, combined with an extended Kalman lter (EKF) for estimating the full 6-DOF relative dynamic state.
Remote sensing of new production fuelled by nitrogen fixation

[1] Climatological satellite observations in the tropical North Atlantic generally show a wintertime surface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) maximum except over a broad region in the western North Atlantic that has a summer Chl-a maximum. This region also shows decoupling between Chl-a and vertical nutrient flux, based on the positive relationship between sea surface height anomaly (SSH), sea surface temperature, and Chl-a. An analogous summer Chl-a maximum is simulated in a model including a dynamic representation of Trichodesmium and N2-fixation, but not in runs without. These results suggest that the growth is fuelled by N2-fixation. Using the observed summertime increase in Chl-a and the model efficiency for N2-fixation transfer to phytoplankton biomass, we calculate a nitrogen fixation rate of 220 μmol N m−2day−1 in this region. This constitutes the first satellite observation of the effect of nitrogen fixation on Chl-a, and may ultimately provide a means of deriving new global N2-fixation estimates.
Relationships between anxiety sensitivity, hyperventilation, and emotional reactivity to displays of facial emotions

Undergraduate women who scored in the top (n = 24) and bottom 15% (n = 24) on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index viewed randomly counterbalanced sets of three neutral and three dysphoric faces after having either hyperventilated or relaxed. Participants rated the amount of change they experienced in Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Surprise, Disgust, and Contempt after viewing each face. High Anxiety Sensitive (AS) women reported significantly greater changes on six of the seven emotions, even though pretreatment differences in somatically experienced anxiety were covaried out. Significant three-way interactions were found for participants self-rated changes in Fear and Surprise, with tendencies toward significance (p < .10) also emerging for Anger and Disgust. The pattern of interactions was identical for all four variables. Low AS women manifested greater reductions in these four emotions when viewing neutral as opposed to dysphoric faces, regardless of whether they hyperventilated or relaxed. High AS women who relaxed manifested similar discriminative abilities. High AS women who hyperventilated, however, reported no relative changes in emotional arousal to both dysphoric and neutral faces. The blunted discrimination shown by high AS women who hyperventilated suggests that, when these individuals are in a physiologically challenged state, they may be less responsive to "early warning" indicators of social distress displayed by others which may, in turn, cause them to experience subsequent interpersonal difficulties.