cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A versatile modeling technique for predicting dielectric strength improvements in gas mixtures for superconducting applications [Oct 17 2755-2764]]

The following information has been omitted during the publishing process of IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 24, No. 5; October 2017. The caption of Figure 15 should read "Breakdown voltage comparison of He-H 2 mixtures: experimental measurements vs. values of the conventional model with m = 1 at 77 K" The caption of Figure 16 should read "Breakdown voltage comparison of He-H 2 mixtures: experimental measurements vs. values of the conventional model with m = 2 at 77 K"
Neurophysiology: Seizure Onset and Propagation: Application of Advanced Signal Analysis to Intracranial Recordings

Epileptic seizures are brief, transient events characterized by rapidly changing dynamics. Partial seizures, the most common seizure type, and one often refractory to medications, originate from focal brain regions and have variable patterns of propagation. In the presurgical evaluations of some patients, intracranial recording arrays are needed to better define the seizure focus. Digital processing, high frequency sampling rates, and more extensive or customized electrode arrays can provide a more complete assessment of patterns of seizure onset and propagation. These advanced analyses can supplement visual analyses of ictal recordings and provide new insights. Gabor atom density (a composite measure of signal complexity) and short-time direct transfer function are two examples of new methods that can provide new clues about seizure onset and propagation.
The Future of CISE Distributed Research Infrastructure

The following paper represents an initial snapshot of the community vision for a possible future of CISE distributed research infrastructure aimed at enabling new types of research and discoveries. As such, it is only the first step in helping define this vision. It is expected that it will change over time as the research community contributes new ideas.
Engaging Students in Searching the Literature

In 2014, the library curriculum for the College of Pharmacy was revised, with the number of sessions increased from one per term for two terms to one per term for three terms, instruction was scaffolded, and the flipped classroom model was employed, with active learning and assessments used throughout. This article will describe how the active learning portion of one session was gamified: why a "serious game" was the correct tool to use to improve student learning, how the game was created, and what was the theory underlying this transformation.
A phase I study to evaluate PSCA-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells for patients with PSCA+ metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

TPS250Background: Although treatment options have improved, mCRPC remains highly lethal. Immunotherapy holds potential for durable remissions but not yet in mCRPC. CAR-T cell therapy has yielded cu...
Hydrologic Validation and Flood Analysis

Hydrologic validation centers on examining the utility of satellite rainfall products for applications that concern terrestrial waters. In this chapter the authors focus on streamflow and flood forecasting. As basin response to rainfall is a complex interaction of runoff generation and water transport in the drainage network, satellite rainfall products should be evaluated in that context. This basin-centric view of the validation problem provides new performance metrics that can guide satellite product developers. The authors outline a spatio-temporal framework for studies of satellite-rainfall products. The framework involves a ground-based rainfall reference product available at the basin scale as well as a hydrologic model that can faithfully mimic the basin response to rainfall. As rainfall generated runoff propagates through river network so do the product uncertainties. The authors discuss a statistical analysis of the dependency scale of the river “transported” discrepancies. The results indicate that errors propagate through much longer distances than what a traditional geostatistical analysis would reveal.
A phase I and randomized phase II etctn study of KW-0761 (Mogamulizumab) and MK-3475 (Pembrolizumab) in relapsed and refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

TPS8072Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) escapes host immune responses via inhibition of the B2M and CD58 pathways and upregulation of PD-1 ligands. However, treatment results with ...
Obesity Drives Delayed Infarct Expansion, Inflammation, and Distinct Gene Networks in a Mouse Stroke Model

Obesity is associated with chronic peripheral inflammation, is a risk factor for stroke, and causes increased infarct sizes. To characterize how obesity increases infarct size, we fed a high-fat diet to wild-type C57BL/6J mice for either 6 weeks or 15 weeks and then induced distal middle cerebral artery strokes. We found that infarct expansion happened late after stroke. There were no differences in cortical neuroinflammation (astrogliosis, microgliosis, or pro-inflammatory cytokines) either prior to or 10 h after stroke, and also no differences in stroke size at 10 h. However, by 3 days after stroke, animals fed a high-fat diet had a dramatic increase in microgliosis and astrogliosis that was associated with larger strokes and worsened functional recovery. RNA sequencing revealed a dramatic increase in inflammatory genes in the high-fat diet-fed animals 3 days after stroke that were not present prior to stroke. Genetic pathways unique to diet-induced obesity were primarily related to adaptive immunity, extracellular matrix components, cell migration, and vasculogenesis. The late appearance of neuroinflammation and infarct expansion indicates that there may be a therapeutic window between 10 and 36 h after stroke where inflammation and obesity-specific transcriptional programs could be targeted to improve outcomes in people with obesity and stroke.
Unequal Proximity to Environmental Pollution: An Intersectional Analysis of People with Disabilities in Harris County, Texas

This article addresses the growing need to analyze the relationship between disability and environmental pollution, as well as contribute to emerging research that recommends an intersectional appr...
Comparison of standard uptake values in whole body studies acquired on PET/CT and PET/MR systems with time-of-flight capability.

2724 Objectives An IRB-approved clinical investigation was conducted to compare the impact of time-of-flight (TOF) reconstruction on standardized uptake values (SUV) in whole body studies acquired on the GE Healthcare SIGNA PET/MR system and the GE Discovery 690 (and 710) PET/CT system. Both the SIGNA and Discovery 690 systems have TOF capability; however, the SIGNA has faster timing resolution and the TOF information is used to correct the MR-based attenuation maps for truncation. The goal of this study was to determine if TOF reconstruction had a greater impact on SUV on PET/MR versus PET/CT. Methods 26 patients undergoing a clinically-indicated PET/CT study were recruited to undergo a subsequent whole-body PET/MR study without re-injection of FDG. For their PET/CT study, patients were injected with 14.9 ± 0.3 mCi 18F-FDG with an uptake time of 63 ± 4 minutes. If the patients met eligibility criteria and had active disease on the PET/CT scan they were approached to immediately undergo a PET/MR study. The mean uptake time for the PET/MR study was 125 ± 13 minutes. PET data from the PET/CT and PET/MR studies were reconstructed using a fully-3D OSEM iterative reconstruction algorithm without and with TOF information, denoted as non-TOF and TOF, respectively. All images were sent to an OsiriX 64-bit workstation for analysis. SUVmax and SUVpeak were measured for the non-TOF and TOF images from the PET/CT and PET/MR studies. The sizes of the lesions were measured from the CT. The average SUV (SUVavg) in the liver and cerebellum for all scans was also measured with a volume of interest. Analysis consisted of comparing non-TOF and TOF SUVs for each patient. Results A total of 39 presumed-malignant lesions (9 in lung, 13 in bone and 17 in soft tissue) were identified. It was found that the SUVmax in the TOF images, as compared to the non-TOF images, increased by 14% for the PET/MR study and 4% for the PET/CT study. Further, the increase in SUVmax for TOF over non-TOF in the PET/MR study was 5%, 16% and 7% for lesions in lung, bone and soft tissue respectively. Similar results were found for SUVpeak. There was no statistically significant association between lesion size and the increase of SUV with TOF. The non-TOF and TOF images had the same liver SUVavg in the PET/MR while the liver SUVavg was reduced by 4% in the TOF images of the PET/CT study. There was no change in SUVavg in the cerebellum for non-TOF and TOF images of the PET/CT or PET/MR studies. Conclusions Time-of-flight reconstruction has a greater impact on the SUVmax on PET/MR than on PET/CT. This may be due in part to the use of TOF information in truncation correction of the MR-based attenuation maps and different convergence rates for the TOF and non-TOF reconstructions.
PPARγ agonists attenuate PGE2 via 15-PGDH induction in human non-small cell lung cancer

4958 Lung cancer cells elaborate immunosuppressive and anti-apoptotic mediators such as Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE2). COX-2 is the rate-limiting enzyme for the production PGE2. In humans, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is expressed in multiple tissues, including the breast, colon, lung, ovary, and placenta. PPARγ ligands such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have been recently shown to inhibit lung cancer cell growth. Here we examined the effect of thiazolidinediones (pioglitazone and rosiglitazone) on PGE2 levels in non-small cell cancer cell lines (NSCLC) such as A427 and A549 lines. 24-hour treatment with either pioglitatzone (10uM) or rosiglitazone (10uM) in serum free medium inhibits PGE2 release in both A427 and A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. However, a 24-hour treatment with TZDs (10uM) in serum free medium do not suppress COX-2 expression in both cell lines. Because PPARγ ligands have the capacity to act via PPARγ independent pathways, we determined whether the suppressive effect of both pioglitazone and rosiglitazone are PPARγ dependent. By overexpressing a dominant negative PPARγ via transfection in NSCLC, we found that the suppressive effect of the PPARγ ligands on PGE2 is PPARγ independent. In order to understand the mechanism underlying COX-2 independent suppression of PGE2 by TZDs, we performed experiments to address the downstream events that regulate PGE2. We first assessed the PGE synthase activity, which makes PGE2 from its precursor PGH2. We demonstrated that PGE synthase activity is not altered by either TZD. Next, we examined whether pioglitazone and rosiglitazone can regulate biological inactivation of PGE2. The first step of metabolism of prostaglandins is catalyzed by 15-PGDH enzyme, which produces biologically inactive 15-keto-prostaglandins from active PGE2. Western blot analysis of this enzyme using 15-PGDH antibody reveals that 24-hour treatment of both TZDs (10uM) increase 15-PGDH protein expression in both A427 and A549 cell lines. The enzyme activity was assayed by measuring the transfer of tritium from 15(S)-[15-3H]-PGE2 to glutamate by coupling 15-PGDH with glutamate dehydrogenase. We found that the pioglitazone treatment significantly and rosiglitazone treatment moderately increase the 15-PGDH activity in NSCLC. Because both pioglitazone and rosiglitazone fail to inhibit COX-2 while inhibiting PGE2 production, they bypass the potential overproduction of pulmonary leukotrienes, some of which may be inducers of tumor progression. This new understanding will allow the foundation for the future development of drugs that may directly inhibit PGE2 levels in NSCLC. (Supported by the UCLA Lung Cancer SPORE-P50CA90388)
A holistic decision-making framework for selecting domestic piping materials

A life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was carried out for three types of materials commonly used in domestic plumbing systems, copper, cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), to examine the efficiencies and tradeoffs involved in the material selection process. The LCIA results revealed that for all midpoint and damage impact categories, PEX systems have less of an impact on the environment than either copper or CPVC. The results from the LCIA approach were combined with economic, ergonomic, convenience, safety, and other relevant factors to produce a holistic decision model that can be used to optimize the material selection process. The model was applied to develop a formal preference elicitation methodology that revealed that health considerations (35%) have the greatest impact on consumer choice, followed by environmental impact (19%), taste and odor (13%), cost (11%), and corrosion resistance (10%). These findings will help policy experts and water utilities understand how homeowners make decisions and the factors they consider important when selecting alternative plumbing materials.
Specific Inhibition of the Phosphorylation of Protein I, a Synaptic Protein, by Affinity-Purified Anti-Protein I Antibody

Publisher Summary Affinity-purified anti-protein I IgG, either the intact molecule or its monovalent Fab fragment, inhibits specifically the phosphorylation of protein I without affecting the phosphorylation of other proteins, including those that are substrates for the CAMP-dependent protein kinase or calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. This indicates that the specific inhibition by the anti-protein I IgG probably has resulted from its blocking action on the phosphorylation sites of protein I rather than from its blocking action on the catalytic sites of the protein kinases. This substrate-directed specific inhibitor of the phosphorylation of protein I may provide a unique probe in the investigation of the precise synaptic function of protein I phosphorylation. In particular, the monovalent Fab(t) fragment, which has a substantially lower molecular weight than the intact IgG, and yet is capable of causing the specific inhibition, will be amenable to certain experimentations. To obtain a clue to the presynaptic function of protein I, synaptosomes can be fused with liposomes into which the Fab(t) fragment is incorporated, and it can be examined whether it has any effects on the neurotransmitter release from or uptake into the synaptosomes. It is also possible to test the Fab(t) fragment directly for an effect on neurotransmitter uptake into isolated synaptic vesicles.
Cytoplasmic, Nuclear, and Platelet Autoantibodies in Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Patients

Serum samples from patients with confirmed human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) were tested for cytoplasmic, nuclear, and platelet autoantibodies and rheumatoid factor. The indirect fluorescence antinuclear antibody test on Hep-2 cells demonstrated antinuclear titers of > or = 40 and > or = 160 in 44 and 10%, respectively, of serum samples from HGE patients. Two patients (4%) had anticytoplasmic (mitochondrial and spindle apparatus) antibodies with a titer of 80 and two patients (4%) had anticytoplasmic (mitochondrial) antibodies with a titer of 160 or greater. Flow cytometry was used to demonstrate antiplatelet antibodies in 80% of first serum samples from HGE patients. Rheumatoid factor was not detected. Nuclear and cytoplasmic autoantibodies are a major cause of interference when the indirect fluorescence antibody test is used to detect fluorescence of morulae in Ehrlichia-infected equine neutrophils or HL-60 promyelocytes. Antiplatelet antibodies may contribute to the profound thrombocytopenia which is a characteristic laboratory feature during the acute phase of HGE infection. Whether autoantibodies precede infection or are caused by immune activation of HGE deserves further study.
An Introduction to Plant Structure and Development: Structure and development of the cell wall

Perspective Nearly all plant cells are characterized by an enclosing, cellulosic wall. Those that are not, such as gametes, are either very short-lived or are protected by enclosure within a sheath or tissue of walled cells. In addition to its vital role in communication between cells, the wall serves both supporting and protective functions. Cell walls were first observed, in cork, by Robert Hooke in 1663 and considered to be “dead” structures. Furthermore, the cell wall, produced by and to the exterior of the protoplast, has been considered by some biologists to be an extracellular structure. Most botanists, however, have persisted in considering the wall to be the outer part of the cell, a view based largely on the integration of cytokinesis and cell wall formation. Strong justification for this viewpoint has been provided by research during the past several decades which has shown that the wall is a dynamic structure that receives biochemical information from the protoplast and sends information to it. Recent studies suggest that the wall is an integral component of a cell wall–plasma membrane–cytoskeleton continuum which provides a pathway for molecular and mechanical signals between cells in a tissue, or between cells and the external environment (Wyatt and Carpita, 1993; Reuzeau and Pont-Lezica, 1995; see also Wojtaszek, 2000). Major components of this continuum are plasmodesmata, highly specialized regions of endoplasmic reticulum which traverse the walls and connect the protoplasts of adjacent cells, microtubules, thought to play important roles in determining the orientation of cellulose microfibrils in the cell wall (Baskin, 2001), and actin microfilaments which have been implicated in cytoplasmic streaming and in the transport of vesicles containing precursor compounds to the sites of wall synthesis (Chaffey et al ., 2000).
Contribution of the external urethral sphincter to urinary void size in unanesthetized unrestrained rats.

Aims In anesthetized rats, voiding is typically associated with phasic activation (bursting) of the external urethral sphincter (EUS). During spontaneous voiding in unanesthetized, unrestrained rats, EUS bursting is the most common form of EUS activity exhibited, but it is not necessary for productive voiding to occur. The aim of the present study was to determine which aspects of EUS activity contributed to void size during bursting and non-bursting voiding in conscious, freely moving rats. Methods Female rats were implanted with electrodes adjacent to the EUS for recording electromyographic activity (EMG). EUS EMG recordings were performed during 24-hr sessions in a metabolic cage while voided urine was continuously collected and weighed. Results Void size was positively correlated with the duration of the intra-burst silent and active periods and variables reflecting the overall intensity and duration of bursting, particularly at lower frequencies within the 3-10 Hz range of EUS bursting. In addition, void size was inversely related to the frequency of bursting and to the average EMG amplitude during voiding, both in voids with and without bursting. Conclusions EUS bursting contributes to productive voiding when bursting is present. Lower bursting frequencies elicit more productive voiding than do higher frequencies. In the absence of bursting, the association of increased void size with smaller average EUS EMG amplitude suggests that conscious rats can perform synergic voiding (i.e., bladder contraction with EUS relaxation) that is comparable to that seen in humans and other typically non-bursting species. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Specificity and stability of mother-child interaction styles

Dyad interaction patterns between a mother and two different children in the same family were compared in a series of five families, in order to explore the similarity or uniqueness of mother-child interaction styles within and between families. Another body of data compared mother-child interaction patterns in six children at the ages of four or five years and again three years later. This kind of information is basic to clinical research directed toward evaluating change in single cases. The hypothesis that interfamily consistency might be a meaningful dimension for comparing families was also raised.
Characterization of four basic models of indirect pharmacodynamic responses

Four basic models of indirect pharmacodynamic responses were characterized in terms of changing dose, Imax or Smax, and IC50 or SC50 to examine the effects of these fundamental drug properties on response profiles. Standard pharmacokinetic parameters were used for generating plasma concentration, and response-time profiles using computer simulations. Comparisons to theoretical expectations were made. In all four models, the maximum response (Rmax) (inhibition or stimulation) and the time of its occurrence (TRmax) were dependent on the model, dose, Imax or Smax, and IC50 or SC50 values,. An increase in dose or a decrease in IC50 or SC50 by the same factor produced, as theoretically expected, identical and superimposable pharmacodynamic response patterns in each of the models. Some parameters (TRmax, ABEC) were nearly proportional to log dose, while others (Rmax, CRmax) were nonlinear. Assessment of expected response signature patterns as demonstrated in this report may be helpful in experimental designs and in assigning appropriate models to pharmacodynamic data.
A quadratic programming technique with application to kinetic rate constant determination

Abstract A technique for the solution of the quadratic programming problem by a series of unconstrained optimizations in subspaces of the original space is developed. This technique uses a previously known transformation to convert the problem into an optimization in the non-negative orthant. The optimization can then be solved by optimizations in subspaces. The algorithm is shown to always decrease the objective function and to converge in a finite number of iterations. The algorithm is easily programmed on a computer. An example, previously used by others, is solved with this technique in a fewer number of iterations. An illustration of this technique for kinetic rate constant determination is included. Other applications for this simple quadratic programming scheme are discussed.
Human lung cell growth is not stimulated by lead ions after lead chromate-induced genotoxicity.

Chromate compounds are known human lung carcinogens. Water solubility is an important factor in the carcinogenicity of these compounds with the most potent carcinogenic compounds being water-insoluble or ‘particulate’. Previously we have shown that particulate chromates dissolve extracellularly releasing chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) ions and only the Cr ions induce genotoxicity. Pb ions have been considered to have epigenetic effects and it is thought that these may enhance the carcinogenic activity of lead chromate, perhaps by stimulating Cr-damaged cells to divide. However, this possibility has not been directly tested. Accordingly, we investigated the ability of Pb ions to stimulate human lung cells and possibly force lead chromate-damaged cells to grow. We found that at concentrations of lead chromate that induced damage, human lung cells exhibited cell cycle arrest and growth inhibition that were very similar to those observed for sodium chromate. Moreover, we found that soluble Pb ions were not growth stimulatory to human lung cells and in fact induced progressive mitotic arrest. These data indicate that lead chromate-generated Cr ions cause growth inhibition and cell cycle arrest and that Pb does not induce epigenetic effects that stimulate chromate-damaged cells to grow.
Filling the FAA guidance and policy gap for systems integration and safety assurance

In 2010 the FAA formed the Airborne Systems Advisory Team (ASAT). The team consists of airborne system and safety specialists from FAA Headquarters, Directorates, and Aircraft Certification Offices (ACO). Our goal is to provide an efficient and standardized approach for establishing aircraft systems integration and safety assurance for the implementation of emerging technologies and the FAA NextGen operating environment. Current airborne systems designs have become increasingly dependent on highly integrated systems architectures that share power, computing, networking, and input/output resources to support the needs for multiple aircraft functions. Establishing the relationships and transition points between the development, verification and validation activities for these functions throughout systems integration have become more difficult to define and trace to established safety objectives. The ASAT identified SAE, ARP4754a, Development of Civil Aircraft and Systems as an acceptable method for constructing the regulatory compliance for highly-integrated or complex aircraft systems. Therefore, we published an Advisory Circular (AC) to formally recognize the methodology provided by the ARP and its part in demonstrating an acceptable means of compliance to the Title 14 CFR. In the paper we will look at an actual incident and its casual factors to illustrate the challenges we face when we integrate systems and how important it is to thoroughly analyze and test that the safety objectives established for aircraft and system level functions are compliant with the applicable Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14CFR). We will indentify the regulatory requirement for safety in installations of systems and equipment and look at how our current policy and guidance applies to this challenge and what new policy and guidance may be needed.
The Abajian scales. John Abajian, Ed Brazell, and the University of Vermont's 1956 to 1959 halothane research.

Gino Dente leans back in his favorite chair and thinks back to a conversation over a half-century ago. “We had a student visiting us from England, and he mentioned a Dr. Raventos and asked if I had ever used halothane. Well, I told him that I had never even heard of it,” recalls Dente, then a 39-year-old Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Vermont (UVM). “That piqued my curiosity though, so I decided to write a letter to Dr. Raventos and ask him some questions, and a short time later he sent me two bottles of halothane. We had absolutely no idea how to use it. I gave one bottle to Ernie Mills at the DeGoesbriand (Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital, Burlington, VT) and kept one bottle for myself at the Fletcher (Mary Fletcher Hospital, Burlington, VT) and we tried it.” So began UVM’s halothane research study in November 1956. One of a handful of centers in the United States studying the agent, by mid-1959 UVM anesthesiologists and CRNAs had performed over 5,000 halothane anesthetics and perfected its delivery with an innovative modification of the copper kettle. The publication of their experience in an October 1959 JAMA article, emphasizing the then-controversial importance of precision vaporization, contributed to the acceptance of halothane into clinical practice in the United States.1
Curricular Differences and Unidimensionality of Achievement Test Data: An Exploratory Analysis

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a linear factor analytic method commonly used to investigate violation of the item response theory (IRT) unidimensionality assumption is sensitive to measurable curricular differences within a school district and to examine the possibility of differential item performance for groups of students receiving different instruction. For grades 3 and 6 in reading and mathematics, personnel from two midwestern school systems that regularly administer standardized achievement tests identified the formal textbook series used and provided ratings of test-instructional match for each school building (classroom). For both districts, the factor analysis results suggested no differences in percentages of variance for large first factors and relatively small second factors across ratings or series groups. The IRT analyses indicated little, if any, differential item performance for curricular subgroups. Thus, the impact of factors that might be related to curricular differences was judged to be minor.
Predicting extinction and reinstatement of alcohol and sucrose self-administration in outbred rats.

Preventing relapse to drinking or escalation to excessive drinking could be aided by identifying factors that predict these behaviors. Animal models, particularly those that utilize operant self-administration techniques, can be useful. In a prior operant study, we noted a good deal of variability in behaviors during training and test sessions. We utilized data obtained from that study of two groups of rats, trained and tested identically except one responded for alcohol and the other for sucrose, to explore for associations related to relapse (reinstatement) or to excessive drinking (maintenance). Data were obtained from sessions conducted under fixed- and progressive-ratio schedules, as well as from extinction and reinstatement sessions. Variables assessed included active and inactive presses, head entries into the dipper trough, and automated recordings of body movements during these sessions, as well as alcohol preference prior to training. First, using multiple regression, we examined whether alcohol preference prior to training associated with any response variable among alcohol-responding rats. Second, using factor analysis, we identified a training variable, body movements, that associated with responses during tests. Using this measure, rats were divided into low and high response groups and compared on active lever presses and head entries across test sessions. Results show that among alcohol-responding rats, alcohol preference predicted head entries during extinction. High body movement rats emitted significantly fewer active lever presses and had fewer head entries across test sessions, particularly during reinstatement, compared to low body movement rats. Results from this exploratory study provide clues for future experimental studies.
HSP105 interacts with GRP78 and GSK3 and promotes ER stress-induced caspase-3 activation

Stress of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) is caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins, which occurs in many neurodegenerative diseases. ER stress can lead to adaptive responses or apoptosis, both of which follow activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Heat shock proteins (HSP) support the folding and function of many proteins, and are important components of the ER stress response, but little is known about the role of one of the major large HSPs, HSP105. We identified several new partners of HSP105, including glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), a promoter of ER stress-induced apoptosis, and GRP78, a key component of the UPR. Knockdown of HSP105 did not alter UPR signaling after ER stress, but blocked caspase-3 activation after ER stress. In contrast, caspase-3 activation induced by genotoxic stress was unaffected by knockdown of HSP105, suggesting ER stress-specificity in the apoptotic action of HSP105. However, knockdown of HSP105 did not alter cell survival after ER stress, but instead diverted signaling to a caspase-3-independent cell death pathway, indicating that HSP105 is necessary for apoptotic signaling after UPR activation by ER stress. Thus, HSP105 appears to chaperone the responses to ER stress through its interactions with GRP78 and GSK3, and without HSP105 cell death following ER stress proceeds by a non-caspase-3-dependent process.
Don't lose sleep on it: a re-examination of the daylight savings time anomaly

A recent study finds evidence of a new financial market anomaly linking daylight savings time changes with market returns – spring and fall daylight savings time weekends are typically followed by large negative returns – and that these returns are significantly lower than regular weekend average returns. The present study finds that neither the consistency nor the magnitude and statistical significance claimed for this anomaly survives serious scrutiny.
Anisotropic Solvent Structuring in Aqueous Sugar Solutions

The details of solution structure have proven difficult to probe experimentally, but computer simulations allow solvent structuring to be examined directly. We report here molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a series of pentose sugars in solution, describe in detail the three-dimensional structuring which these molecules impose on water, and relate this structuring to the solute molecular topologies. Well-defined first and second solvation shells are observed around the sugar molecules with specific locations determined by the arrangement of functional groups within each solute. Calculated molecular internal energies and solvent interaction energies generally correspond qualitatively with earlier models of sugar energetics based on stability factors. However, pairs of axial hydroxyl groups on the same side of a sugar ring were found to be disfavored by solvation energy, not by internal energy, which is actually more favorable due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding, in accord with both quantum mechanica...
Random response and noise transmission of discretely stiffened composite panels

The surface protection systems of aerospace and aircraft structures are lately more often constructed from discretely stiffened composite panels. Composite materials proved to be suitable for those structural applications. This paper presents an analytical study on dynamic response and structure-borne sound transmission of these structures due to random loading conditions. A generalized transfer matrix procedure for composite-stiffened flat panels is developed to obtain the required dynamic response solution. Modal decomposition is used to predict the interior noise transmission. The acoustic enclosure is taken to be rectangular in shape. A portion of the boundaries is elastic (composite material), whereas the remaining surface is acoustically rigid. Numerical results are presented for acousto-structural applications.
Use of vital capacity for cardiac failure risk estimation in persons with coronary disease and left ventricular hypertrophy

Abstract Cardiac failure is a common lethal outcome of coronary heart disease and left ventricular hypertrophy. The efficacy of forced vital capacity (FVC), measured biennially, in predicting the onset of cardiac failure was explored in 818 Framingham Study subjects with these predisposing conditions, among whom 324 developed cardiac failure. Among the men and women who had coronary disease or left ventricular hypertrophy, those with FVCs in the lowest quartile were at substantially increased risk of developing cardiac failure. For men, comparing the lowest quartile with men whose FVCs were in the highest quartile ( 5.6 L), the risk ratio was 1.8; for women with FVCs
Measurement of O18O16 ratios of total oxygen of carbonates

Abstract The commonly used phosphoric acid procedure for the determination, of oxygen isotope abundances in carbonates involves a large kinetic isotope effect. The value of the fractionation factor,α, defined as: α = ( O 18 O 16 ) CO 2 ( O 18 O 16 carbonate has been measured for several alkaline earth and transition metal carbonates. The value of 1000 Inα ranges from 9.9 to 11.2. The previously used assumption that calcite and dolomite have the same value of a leads to an overestimate of the dolomite-calcite oxygon isotope fractionation by 0.8 per mil.
Inhaled nitric oxide (40 ppm) during one-lung ventilation, in the lateral decubitus position, does not decrease pulmonary vascular resistance or improve oxygenation in normal patients

Objectives: To determine the effects of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) on venous admixture (Qs/Qt), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in patients undergoing one-lung ventilation (1LV) in the lateral decubitus position. Design: Prospective, blinded, crossover. Setting: University hospital. Participants: Six adult patients scheduled for thoracotomy. Interventions: Patients were anesthetized with thoracic epidural lidocaine, intravenous fentanyl, and inhaled isoflurane and were monitored with a systemic and pulmonary artery catheter (PAC). In the lateral decubitus position, the dependent lung was ventilated with 70% oxygen (O2) and 30% nitrogen (N2) for the control 1LV condition. For the experimental 1LV condition, the dependent lung was ventilated with the same gas concentration + NO at 40 ppm. Patients were alternated between the control and the experimental NO (40 ppm) conditions every 15 minutes for as long as the case would allow. Measurements and Main Results: During all conditions, oxygenation, Qs/Qt, and pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics were measured in a double-blinded fashion. The mean PVR during 1LV was 128 ± 39 (SD) dyne · s · cm−5. Inhaled NO at 40 ppm did not affect MPAP, PVR, or Qs/Qt. Conclusions: Inhaled NO at 40 ppm, during 1LV in the lateral decubitus position, did not significantly decrease MPAP in patients with normal baseline PVR. Oxygenation and Qs/Qt did not change in this setting because MPAP was not altered. At present, interventions other than administration of inhaled NO should be applied to patients with normal PVR who experience hypoxia during one-lung ventilation.
Photoresists using tetrahydropyranyl- and tetrahydrofuranyl-protected styrene maleic anhydride half-ester polymers

Traditional I-line resists commonly use novolak as matrix resin and diazonaphthoquinone as photosensitizer. Novolak resins, however, can not be used in Deep-UV resist formulations because of their high optical absorption at 248 nm. When the lithography migrated to Deep-UV technology, polyvinylphenols (PVP), which has a low absorption at 248 nm, became the resin of choice. Styrene maleic anhydride polymers also have a low optical absorption at 248 nm and are commercially available with relatively lower cost than current polyvinylphenols. Therefore, we felt that styrene maleic anhydride polymers would be of interest for DUV resist applications. In our investigation, the styrene maleic anhydride copolymer was first reacted with methanol to form the half ester then was protected with tetrahydropyranyl and tetrahydrofuranyl groups using p- toluene sulfonic acid as catalyst. Since the protected polymers have no base soluble component, they exhibit high inhibition in TMAH developer. TGA analysis also shows these polymers having reasonable thermal stability with the onset of decomposition at temperature above 150 degree C. However the resists formulated with these polymers showed poor adhesion property. By blending PVP with these polymers in resist formulation, the adhesion problem was resolved and reasonable lithographic performance was obtained.
Lymphocytic Infiltrates in Solitary Parathyroid Adenomas A Report of Four Cases with Review of the Literature

We describe four cases of solitary parathyroid adenomas with prominent lymphocytic infiltrates presenting as primary hyperparathyroidism. There was no involvement of the other parathyroid glands in the three cases in which they were biopsied. In two cases the thyroids were removed and were without lymphoid infiltrates. The infiltrates were composed of a mixed population of B and T lymphocytes in the three cases that had material available for immunohistochemistry. There was no evidence of parathyroid parenchymal destruction, and in none of the patients was an autoimmune disease present clinically or serologically. We hypothesize that lymphocytic infiltrates in parathyroid adenomas are an uncommon, but clinically innocuous, histologic finding and their presence does not imply an autoimmune disorder.
Particle Filter Based on Thermophoretic Deposition from Natural Convection Flow

We present an analysis of particle migration in a natural convection flow between parallel plates and within the annulus of concentric tubes. The flow channel is vertically oriented with one surface maintained at a higher temperature than the other. Particle migration is dominated by advection in the vertical direction and thermophoresis in the horizontal direction. From scale analysis it is demonstrated that particles are completely removed from air flowing through the channel if its length exceeds Lc = (b4g/24Kv2), where b is the width of the channel, g is the acceleration of gravity, K is a thermophoretic coefficient of order 0.5, and v is the kinematic viscosity of air. Precise predictions of particle removal efficiency as a function of system parameters are obtained by numerical solution of the governing equations. Based on the model results, it appears feasible to develop a practical filter for removing smoke particles from a smoldering cigarette in an ashtray by using natural convection in combinat...
Sex, food, and words: the hidden meanings behind everyday language

Language is a subtle and powerful tool for communication. But the words we use also provide a rich mine of information for the social scientist. The history of words like "ketchup", "ceviche", or "dessert" tells us about the relationships between the superpowers who dominated the globe 500 or 1000 years ago. The words on the back of potato chip packages can demonstrate popular attitudes toward social class. And the names we give ice cream flavors may be an evolutionary reflex of the attempt by early mammals to appear larger than their competitors. The language of dating is just as informative as the language of food. In experiments with speed dating, work in our lab shows that we can detect flirtation or other stances in men and women on dates, just by looking at linguistic features like their pitch, their use of negative words like "can't" or "don't", or how often they use hedges like "sort of" or "kind of". The language of these two popular topics of conversation, food and dating, can teach us a lot about history, culture, and psychology.
Soft-x-ray photoemission study of chemisorption and Fermi-level pinning at the Cs/GaAs(110) and K/GaAs(110) interfaces.

The room-temperature adsorption of Cs on n-type GaAs(110) has been studied with use of core-level photoelectron spectroscopy. The coverage-dependent splitting of the Cs 4d core level into two sets of doublets indicate site-dependent adsorption for submonolayer coverages up to about 0.5 monolayer (ML). The broadening of this core level close to the saturation coverage is consistent with the growth of an out of registry monolayer as suggested by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) data. Analysis of the substrate core levels indicate the formation of a laterally uniform overlayer and lack of chemical reaction. The Schottky barrier of 0.7 eV obtained from the low-coverage band bending is similar to the values for many other metals with much larger work function (Al, Ni, or Ti). We report also data on the K overlayers. They indicate a similar value of band bending and presence of a chemical reaction at the K/GaAs interface. The band bending results for Cs and K indicate that Schottky barrier for GaAs interfaces do not depend on the metal work function in a very broad range of the work-function values.
Vertical distributions, diurnal migrations, and sampling problems of hyperiid amphipods in the North Pacific central gyre

Over 14,000 hyperiid amphipods were identified to species from replicated, stratified opening-closing net tows (n = 79) in the North Pacific central gyre. Most hyperiid individuals live in the upper 100 m; details of their resource partitioning are not yet known, but differences in either diurnal migratory behavior or preferred depths could help species avoid competition. Each of the two most abundant species accounts for 25% of the hyperiids captured. One species appears to show normal (up at night), the other reverse migration on a fine vertical scale, but statistical treatments of the data only marginally support these conclusions. Details of vertical distributions are shown for the 10 most abundant species (accounting for 80% of the individuals captured). Variability among replicates is large, making it difficult to draw statistically defensible conclusions about vertical distributions. At the 5% significance level only two species show diurnal migration; at the 10% level, only four do so. These difficulties occur even with well replicated sampling in an extremely stable environment. The difficulties are discussed and applied to the question of niche dimensionality among hyperiid species.
Robust Internal Elastic Lamina Fenestration in Skeletal Muscle Arteries

Holes within the internal elastic lamina (IEL) of blood vessels are sites of fenestration allowing for passage of diffusible vasoactive substances and interface of endothelial cell membrane projections with underlying vascular smooth muscle. Endothelial projections are sites of dynamic Ca(2+) events leading to endothelium dependent hyperpolarization (EDH)-mediated relaxations and the activity of these events increase as vessel diameter decreases. We tested the hypothesis that IEL fenestration is greater in distal vs. proximal arteries in skeletal muscle, and is unlike other vascular beds (mesentery). We also determined ion channel protein composition within the endothelium of intramuscular and non-intramuscular skeletal muscle arteries. Popliteal arteries, subsequent gastrocnemius feed arteries, and first and second order intramuscular arterioles from rat hindlimb were isolated, cut longitudinally, fixed, and imaged using confocal microscopy. Quantitative analysis revealed a significantly larger total fenestration area in second and first order arterioles vs. feed and popliteal arteries (58% and 16% vs. 5% and 3%; N = 10 images/artery), due to a noticeably greater average size of holes (9.5 and 3.9 µm(2) vs 1.5 and 1.9 µm(2)). Next, we investigated via immunolabeling procedures whether proteins involved in EDH often embedded in endothelial cell projections were disparate between arterial segments. Specific proteins involved in EDH, such as inositol trisphosphate receptors, small and intermediate conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, and the canonical (C) transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPC3 were present in both popliteal and first order intramuscular arterioles. However due to larger IEL fenestration in first order arterioles, a larger spanning area of EDH proteins is observed proximal to the smooth muscle cell plasma membrane. These observations highlight the robust area of fenestration within intramuscular arterioles and indicate that the anatomical architecture and endothelial cell hyperpolarizing apparatus for distinct vasodilatory signaling is potentially present.
The Role of Saliva and Other Local Environmental Factors in Oral Carcinogenesis

form (reverting postmitotic). The two kinds of intermitotic and the reverting postmitotic cells are considered to be po­ tentially malignant.2 Ameloblasts perform their function, revert to squamous epithelium and then die. They may thus be considered as falling between the fixed postmitotic and the reverting postmitotic types. They have a limited potential for malignant change; therefore, the failure to stimulate them by chemical carcino­ gens is understandable. Until more is known about the biology of these cells, however, hypothesis should not be con­ fused with theory. The physiology of the oral mucosa and its appendages offers a real challenge in the field of biology.
SEQUENCE, OVERPRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF VIBRIO PROTEOLYTICUS RIBOSOMAL PROTEIN L18 FOR IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STUDIES

A strategy suggested by comparative genomic studies was used to amplify the entire Vibrio proteolyticus (Vp) gene for ribosomal protein L18. Vp L18 and its flanking regions were sequenced and compared with the deduced amino acid (aa) sequences of other known L18 proteins. A 26-aa residue segment at the carboxy terminus contains many strongly conserved residues and may be critical for the L18 interaction with 5S rRNA. This approach should allow rapid characterization of L18 from large numbers of bacteria. Both Vp L18 and Escherichia coli (Ec) L18 were overproduced and purified using a T7 expression vector which fuses an N-terminal peptide segment (His-tag) containing 6 histidine residues to the recombinant protein. The purified fusion proteins, Vp His::L18 and Ec His::L18, were both found to bind to either the Vp 5S or Ec 5S rRNAs in vitro. Vp His::L18 protein was also shown to incorporate into Ec ribosomes in vivo. This His-tag strategy likely will have general applicability for the study of ribosomal proteins in vitro and in vivo.