cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transgenic Mice Expressing Human ApoB95 and ApoB97 EVIDENCE THAT SEQUENCES WITHIN THE CARBOXYL-TERMINAL PORTION OF HUMAN apoB100 ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF LIPOPROTEIN(a)

Abstract The structural features of apolipoprotein (apo) B that are important for its covalent linkage to apo(a) to form lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are incompletely understood. Although apoB100 cysteine 4326 is required for the disulfide linkage with apo(a), other structural features, aside from a single free cysteine residue, must be important for apoB’s initial interaction with apo(a) and for facilitating the formation of the disulfide bond. To determine if sequences carboxyl-terminal to cysteine 4326 affect the efficiency of Lp(a) formation, we used “pop-in, pop-out” gene targeting in a human apoB yeast artificial chromosome to introduce nonsense mutations into exon 29 of the apoB gene. The mutant yeast artificial chromosomes, which coded for the truncated versions of human apoB, apoB95, and apoB97, were then used to express these mutant forms of apoB in transgenic mice. As judged by in vitro assays of Lp(a) formation, apoB95 (4330 amino acids) formed a small amount of Lp(a) but did so slowly. In contrast, apoB97 (4397 amino acids) formed Lp(a) rapidly, although not quite as rapidly as the full-length apoB100 (4536 amino acids). These results were supported by an analysis of double-transgenic mice expressing both human apo(a) and either apoB95 or apoB97. In mice expressing both apoB95 and apo(a), there was only a trace amount of Lp(a) in the plasma, and most of the apo(a) was free, whereas in mice expressing both apoB97 and apo(a), virtually all of the apo(a) was bound to apoB97 in the form of Lp(a). These results show that sequences carboxyl-terminal to apoB95 (amino acids 4331–4536) are not absolutely required for Lp(a) formation, but this segment of the apoB molecule, particularly residues 4331–4397, is necessary for the efficient assembly of Lp(a).
Targeted Mutation in β1,4-Galactosyltransferase Leads to Pituitary Insufficiency and Neonatal Lethality

Despite much attention, the function of oligosaccharide chains on glycoproteins and glycolipids remains largely unknown. Our understanding of oligosaccharide function in vivo has been limited to the use of reagents and targeted mutations that eliminate entire classes of oligosaccharide chains. However, most biological functions for oligosaccharides have been attributed to specific terminal sequences on these glycoside chains; yet, there have been few studies that examine the consequences of modifying terminal oligosaccharide structures in vivo. To address this issue, mice were created bearing a targeted mutation in beta1,4-galactosyltransferase (GalTase), an enzyme responsible for elaboration of many of the proposed biologically active carbohydrate epitopes. Most GalTase-null mice died within the first few weeks after birth and were characterized by stunted growth, thin skin, sparse hair, and dehydration. In addition, spermatogenesis was delayed, the lungs were poorly developed, and the adrenal cortices were poorly stratified. The few surviving adults had puffy skin (myxedema) and difficulty delivering pups at birth (dystocia) and failed to lactate (agalactosis). All of these defects are consistent with endocrine insufficiency, which was confirmed by markedly decreased levels of serum thyroxine. The polyglandular nature of the endocrine insufficiency is indicative of a failure of the anterior pituitary gland to stimulate the target endocrine organs. Previous in vitro studies have suggested that incomplete glycosylation of anterior pituitary hormones leads to the creation of hormone antagonists, which down-regulate subsequent endocrine function, producing polyglandular endocrine insufficiency. In GalTase-null mice, the anterior pituitary acquired a normal secretory phenotype during neonatal development indicative of normal glycoprotein hormone synthesis and secretion. However, as expected, the gland was devoid of GalTase activity. These results support a requirement for terminal oligosaccharide sequences for anterior pituitary hormone function. The fact that approximately 10% of the GalTase-null mice survive the neonatal period indicates the presence of a previously unrecognized compensatory pathway for glycoprotein hormone glycosylation and/or action.
Transplantation: The relevance of the FAVORIT blood pressure associations

Secondary analysis of the FAVORIT data in kidney transplant recipients showed that systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure <70 mmHg at trial entry were associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease over a mean of 4 years. Whether these blood pressure values are associated with mortality is unclear.
Evaluation of probabilistic threshold queries in MCDB

MCDB is a prototype database system for managing stochastic models for uncertain data. In this paper, we study the problem of how to use MCDB to answer statistical queries that search for database objects which satisfy some filter condition with greater (or less than) a user-specified probability. For example: "Which packages will arrive late with > 5% probability?" "Which regions will see more than a 2% decline in sales with > 50% probability?" "What items will be out of stock by Friday with > 20% probability?" We consider both the systems aspects and the statistical aspects of the problem.
THE EFFECT OF TRYPAN BLUE ON THYROID FUNCTION IN THE RAT11

Four ml. of a 0.5% saline solution of trypan blue were injected intraperitoneally once or twice daily for varying periods of time. Six days after the injections, thyroid weight and serum PBI had decreased to 60% and 25% of normal, respectively, while thyroidal radioiodine uptake was suppressed to 15% of the normal value. Thyroid hormone secretion was inhibited for about 14 hours by a single injection of trypan blue; continuous inhibition was produced by repeated injections. Exogenous TSH given to these treated rats caused thyroid hormone secretion to resume. Adrenal weight increased after trypan blue administration, but there was no change in testis weight. Pituitary weight was slightly less in treated animals. It is believed that trypan blue treatment specifically inhibits pituitary TSH secretion, causing secondary hypofunction of the thyroid.
Analysis of System Requirements Negotiation Behavior Patterns

Roughly 35 three-person teams played the roles of user, customer, and developer in negotiating the requirements of a library information system. Each team was provided with a suggested set of stakeholder goals and implementation options, but were encouraged to exercise creativity in expanding the stakeholder goals and in creating options for negotiating an eventually satisfactory set of system requirements. The teams consisted of students in a first-year graduate course in software engineering at USC. They were provided with training in the Theory W (win-win) (Boehm-Ross, 1989) approach to system requirements determination and the associated USC WinWin groupware support system (Boehm, et al, 1995)(Horowitz, 1996). They were required to complete the assignment in two weeks. Data was collected on the negotiation process and results, with 23 projects providing sufficiently complete and comparable data for analysis. A number of hypotheses were formulated about the results. Some of the hypotheses addressed the use and potential improvement of WinWin features. Others addressed more general process issues, e.g. that the uniform set of initial conditions would lead to uniform results. This paper summarizes the data analysis, which shows that expectations of uniform group behavior were generally not realized. In terms of goals for relevant Capability Maturity Models (CMM's), this implies that the System Engineering CMM's Level 2 goal of Planned and Tracked processes is more realistic than the Software CMM's Level 2 goal of Repeatable processes.
Robust Gaussian and non-Gaussian matched subspace detection

We address the problem of matched filter and subspace detection in the presence of arbitrary noise and interference or interfering signals that may lie in an arbitrary unknown subspace of the measurement space. A minmax methodology developed to deal with this uncertainty can also be adapted to situations where partial information on the interference or other uncertainties is available. This methodology leads to a hypothesis test with adequate levels of false alarm robustness and signal detection sensitivity. The robust test is applicable to a large class of noise density functions. In addition, generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) detectors are derived for the class of generalized Gaussian noise. The detectors are generalizations of the /spl chi//sup 2/, t, and F statistics used with Gaussian noise, which are themselves motivated in a new way by the robust test. For matched filter detection, these expressions are simpler and computationally efficient. The robust test reduces to the conventional test when unlearned subspace interference is known to be absent. The results demonstrate that when compared with the conventional detector, the robust one trades off some detection performance in the absence of interference for the sake of robustness in its presence.
Coalition strategy-proof mechanisms for provision of excludable public goods

Abstract I study coalition strategy-proof implementation in public goods environments where agents may be excluded from enjoying the public good. I characterize individually rational, coalition strategy-proof mechanisms with the Equal Treatment of Equals property and prove that Moulin's serial mechanism Pareto-dominates every continuous mechanism in this class.
Efficiency Enhancement Using Cold Storage for Solar Powered Absorption Cooling of Data Centers

Use of solar powered absorption refrigeration to augment data center afternoon cooling has three advantages: (1) it replaces non-renewable electrically powered cooling with cooling provided by renewable power, (2) it reduces operating costs by reducing consumption of costly peak load electrical power, and (3) use of a carbon free energy source reduces the carbon footprint of the data center. In the investigation summarized here, a computational model of a lithium bromide (LiBr) and water absorption system performance was used to explore the advantages of using nighttime cooling and cold storage to enhance the performance of solar powered absorption refrigeration for peak cooling in data centers. In this study, the model accounts for thermodynamic property effects on the absorption cycle performance and finite heat exchanger effectiveness. The model is used to explore the impact of parametric changes on system coefficient of performance (COP) and system payback. The results indicate that COP enhancements above 15% can be achieved with simple cold storage strategies. The results indicate that that when optimally designed, this type of system achieves energy efficiency, offering environmental and economic advantages that make it an attractive initial step in incorporating solar powered absorption cooling into green data center designs. Strategies for maximizing the positive contributions of cold storage suggested by the results are discussed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Local regulation of the threshold for calcium sparks in rat ventricular myocytes: role of sodium-calcium exchange

1. To determine whether Na+-Ca2+ exchange modulates Ca2+ sparks, we studied enzymatically isolated patch clamped rat ventricular myocytes loaded with the Ca2+-sensitive indicator fluo-3, using confocal microscopy at 20-22 C. Two-dimensional images of Ca2+ sparks were recorded at 240 Hz using a laser scanning confocal microscope, allowing observation of a large area of the cell (820 microm2) at one time. 2. At a holding potential of -75 mV, spontaneous sparks were infrequent. Removal of extracellular Na+ for 520 ms, which in the absence of pipette Na+ should block Na+-Ca2+ exchange bidirectionally, was associated with a fourfold increase in spark frequency, without a significant change in cytoplasmic [Ca2+], sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content, or spark intensity, size or time course. 3. These findings are consistent with a model of excitation-contraction coupling in which Na+-Ca2+ exchange locally regulates the resting Ca2+ concentration in the diadic cleft (T-tubule-SR junction), thereby modulating the threshold for triggering Ca2+ sparks.
Gleevec suppresses p63 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma despite p63 activation by DNA-damaging agents.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of Gleevec on p63 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines and to investigate the role of Gleevec in regulating p63 stabilization under DNA-damaging conditions. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine p63 expression in HNSCC tissue. Annexin V staining was used to assess the effects of p63 on early apoptosis. Immunoblotting was used to examine the effects of Gleevec on p63 protein levels in HNSCC cell lines in response to DNA damage. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to study the expression pattern of p63 and c-Abl. Results: In HNSCC, p63 protein levels are induced by DNA-damaging agents, including ionizing radiation, doxorubicin, and ultraviolet light. We demonstrate that Gleevec reduces p63/ΔNp63 expression in a dose-dependent manner in HNSCC and overrides the protein induction by DNA-damaging agents. Overexpression of c-Abl in the absence of Gleevec results in higher levels of p63 than those treated with Gleevec, implicating c-Abl kinase activity as a regulator of p63 protein stability. Conclusions: Gleevec downregulates p63/ΔNp63 levels in HNSCC in a dose-dependent manner under both normal and DNA-damaging conditions. This downregulation can be explained by Gleevec's inhibition of c-Abl, which destabilizes p63. Based on our data, treating cancers with high expression of TAp63 with Gleevec may result in the unfavorable inhibition of a tumor suppressor, whereas downregulation of ΔNp63 would be advantageous. Further development of antibodies that can discriminate between TAp63 and ΔNp63 will be needed to determine the specific effects of Gleevec on p63 in HNSCC.
One-sided tolerance limits in balanced and unbalanced one-way random models based on generalized confidence intervals

We consider the problem of deriving one-sided tolerance intervals in the one-way random model with balanced as well as unbalanced data, under the usual normality assumptions. The problems investigated deal with the computation of such intervals for the observable random variable, as well as the unobservable random effect in the one-way random model. The tolerance limits are derived using the concept of a generalized confidence interval. Some approximations are derived for the tolerance limits, and their performance is investigated by simulation. The simulation results show that the proposed tolerance limits are quite satisfactory for practical use.
The General Transcription-Repair Factor TFIIH Is Recruited to the Excision Repair Complex by the XPA Protein Independent of the TFIIE Transcription Factor

Recent studies have revealed that the general transcription factor TFIIH is also a general excision repair factor which, along with several other proteins, is required for transcription-independent excision reaction. As a general transcription factor, TFIIH is recruited to RNA polymerase II-promoter complex by another general transcription factor called TFIIE. We were interested in knowing whether TFIIE is also involved in recruiting TFIIH to the excision repair complex. We found that cell-free extract depleted of TFIIE carried out excision repair at a normal rate, leading us to conclude that TFIIE is not involved in recruiting TFIIH to the damage site and has no role in general excision repair. In contrast, the human damage recognition protein XPA specifically binds to TFIIH and apparently recruits it to the damage site. The carboxyl-terminal half of XPA is responsible for specific interaction with TFIIH. The C261S/C264S mutant of XPA bound the ERCC1•XPF complex normally, but failed to bind TFIIH and failed to complement an XP-A mutant cell-free extract indicating that the XPA-TFIIH interaction is essential to effecting the excision reaction. Interestingly, XPA also binds to the p34 subunit of TFIIE specifically and in competition with the p56 subunit of TFIIE. This latter interaction has no apparent role in general excision repair but may be relevant in the transcription-coupled repair reaction.
On the adsorption of hydrogen by supported transition-metal catalysts and MgO

Many industrial catalysts consist of fine particles of transition metals bonded to substrates such as silica or alumina. These particles may be as few as 6 to 12 atoms (in fact some sources believe that the essential catalytic unit may be as few as two transition-metal atoms) in number. Such systems may catalyze a wide variety of reactions. The simplest reaction possible is the dissociation of H/sub 2/. In this paper the interaction of hydrogen with supported transition-metal catalysts is examined. Another system which dissociates H/sub 2/ is MgO when properly prepared. The active site for H/sub 2/ dissociation on an MgO surface is also examined and the behavior of MgO with that of a support transition metal for H/sub 2/ dissociation is contrasted. All calculations are performed using a molecular cluster approach. The computational methods employed are the restricted Hartree-Fock method, the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method, and the generalized valence bond method in the perfect pairing limit.
Correlation inequalities and the decay of correlations in ferromagnets

We prove a variety of new correlation inequalities which bound intermediate distance correlations from below by long distance correlations. Typical is the following which holds for spin 1/2 nearest neighbor Ising ferromagnets: $$\langle S_\alpha S_\gamma \rangle \leqq \sum\limits_{\delta \in B} {\langle S_\alpha S_\delta \rangle } \langle S_\delta S_\gamma \rangle$$ whereB is any subset of the lattice whose removal divides the lattice into pieces with α,γ in distinct components. We describe various applications, e.g. the above inequality implies the critical exponent inequality η<1.
Effect of single oroesophageal feeding of 3 L versus 4 L of colostrum on absorption of colostral IgG in Holstein bull calves

Abstract Ingestion and absorption of colostral immunoglobulins is essential for survival of dairy calves. The hypothesis put forward in this study was that large colostral volumes (4 L) reduce absorption of colostral immunoglobulin by reducing apparent efficiency of absorption of immunoglobulins compared to smaller colostral volumes (3 L), when colostrum is fed once by oroesophageal tubing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of colostral volume on apparent efficiency of absorption (AEA) of colostral immunoglobulin G (IgG) when calves are fed 3 L compared to 4 L of colostrum. Twenty-eight, age-matched Holstein bull calves aged between 2 and 8 h were randomly assigned to receive 3 L or 4 L of colostrum with similar colostral IgG concentration, once, by oroesophageal tubing. Serum IgG concentration at 48 h of age and AEA of IgG were compared between the two groups. The results of the study showed that there was no difference in the serum IgG concentrations at 48 h of age or AEA of IgG between the groups ( P >0.05). The results of this study suggest that dairy producers can save colostrum by feeding 3 L of colostrum when calves are fed once by oroesophageal tubing. There seems to be no added practical benefit in feeding 4 L of colostrum compared to 3 L when colostrum is fed once. Studies with larger sample sizes are required to compare mortalities up to weaning between groups of dairy calves fed 3 L compared to 4 L of colostrum.
Inter-relationships among Diet, Obesity and Hippocampal-dependent Cognitive Function

Abstract Intake of a Western diet (WD), which is high in saturated fat and sugar, is associated with deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory processes as well as with markers of hippocampal pathology. In the present study, rats were trained to asymptote on hippocampal-dependent serial feature negative (FN) and hippocampal-independent simple discrimination problems. Performance was then assessed following 7 days on ad libitum chow and after 10, 24, 40, 60, and 90 days of maintenance on WD, on ketogenic (KETO) diet, which is high in saturated fat and low in sugar and other carbohydrates, or continued maintenance on chow (CHOW). Confirming and extending previous findings, diet-induced obese (DIO) rats fed WD showed impaired FN performance, increased blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and increased fasting blood glucose levels compared to CHOW controls and to diet-resistant (DR) rats that did not become obese when maintained on WD. For rats fed the KETO diet, FN performance and BBB integrity were more closely associated with level of circulating ketone bodies than with obesity phenotype (DR or DIO), with higher levels of ketones appearing to provide a protective effect. The evidence also indicated that FN deficits preceded and predicted increased body weight and adiposity. This research (a) further substantiates previous findings of WD-induced deficits in hippocampal-dependent FN discriminations, (b) suggests that ketones may be protective against diet-induced cognitive impairment, and (c) provides evidence that diet-induced cognitive impairment precedes weight gain and obesity.
Autoradiographic localization of α-bungarotoxin-binding sites in the carotid body of the rat

Radioiodinated α-bungarotoxin (α-Bgt) was used to localize α-Bgt-acetylcholine receptors in the carotid body of the rat. The gamma spectrometer analyses indicated a high uptake of [125I] α-Bgt in carotid bodies incubated in vitro (1.51 fmole per organ). Incorporation of the isotope was effectively blocked by pretreatment of carotid bodies with d-tubocurarine and unlabeled α-Bgt, but not by atropine. Light microscopic autoradiography showed a heavy labeling of some parenchymal cells. Electron-microscopic autoradiography revealed that labeling was localized along the interface between parenchymal cells, especially where their cytoplasmic processes engage in complex interdigitations. The silver grain counts on electron-microscopic autoradiographs suggest that labelings are preferentially associated with the plasma membrane of certain Type I cells. It is suggested that these Type I cells in the rat's carotid body probably are provided with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on their plasma membranes.
Weekend emergency department visits in Nebraska: higher utilization, lower acuity.

Abstract Background: We know very little about differences in Emergency Department (ED) utilization and acuity on weekends compared with weekdays. Understanding such differences may help elucidate the role of the ED in the health care delivery system. Study Objective: To compare patterns of ED use on weekends with weekdays and analyze the differences between these two groups. Methods: The Health Care Utilization Project (HCUP) is a national state-by-state billing database from acute-care, non-federal hospitals. Data from Nebraska in 2004 was used to compare ED-only patient visits (patients discharged home or transferred to another health care facility) and ED-admitted visits (patients admitted to the same hospital after an ED visit) for weekend vs. weekday frequency, billed charges, sex, age, and primary payer. Results: Of all non-admitted patients who visited the ED, 34.5% came in on weekends. This yielded ED utilization rates of 25 visits/1000 people on weekdays and 33 visits/1000 people on weekends, an increase of 32% on weekends. Weekend-only ED patients of all ages and payer categories were charged lower hospital facility fees than weekday-only ED patients; $777 vs. $921, respectively ( p p
On the time-dependent moments of Markovian queues with reneging

We give an explicit representation for the time-dependent moments of a Markovian queueing system with reneging. Our expressions are comparable in form to the moment expressions for the M/M/1 queue found in Abate and Whitt (Queueing Syst. 2:41---65, 1987; Adv. Appl. Probab. 20:145---178, 1988). We also illustrate how to use these expressions to derive analogous moment expressions for a reflected Ornstein---Uhlenbeck process, with reflection at zero.
Therapists' expectancies and patients' improvement in treatment: the shape of the link.

-It has been hypothesized that therapists' expectancies for therapeutic gain by their patients are linked to the actual clinical improvement shown by the patients during treatment. It has also been hypothesized that therapists' expectancies may help cause patients' improvement. The first hypothesis has received empirical support, but the second has not. The study reported here tested a causative interpretation of the link between therapists' expectancies and patients' improvement, and a second interpretation that therapists' expectancies predict but do not cause patlrnts' improvement. Based on motivation research it was reasoned that a s ~ g n ~ f ~ c a n t curvilinear relationship between therapists' expectancy and patients' Improvement would support a causative interpretation; a significant linear relationship between these variables would support a predictive interpretation. Multip!e regression analyses produced evidence of a significant linear relationship betwecn m:asures of expectancy and improvement, but no curvilinear component to the relat:on:hip. The results are interpreted as supporting the predictive interp~etation. Zome limitations of the findings are discussed.
Distribution and Medical Ecology of the Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of Peru

The altitudinal distribution and medical ecology of 26 species of blow flies along an Andean transect in central Peru are given, based on ca. 25,000 flies collected in 1979, 1980, and 1981. Five species are reported for the first time from Peru: Hemilucilia hermanlenti Mello, Phaenicia eximia (Wiedemann), Phaenicia ochricornis (Wiedemann), Phaenicia sericata (Meigen), and Sarconesia versicolor Bigot. In the wet season, when flies are most abundant, and on the eastern slope of the Andes, species richness was greatest at 1,800 m at eusynanthropic and hemisynanthropic sites, and at 200 m at asynanthropic sites. Although the western slope had fewer species, richness was maximum near the same altitude. In general, species diversity was greater near human habitats than in the wild. Ten species showed an upward shift of 300 to 600 m in their range in the wet season, with few species invading another biotic zone. The synanthropic indices of 13 species at 200, 1,000, 2,500, and 4,000 m in wet and dry seasons are given. Three of five species showed increased synanthropy with elevation and two of eight species increased synanthropy in the dry season. The bait preferences of 20 species, the propensity of 14 species to enter homes, and the diurnal activity curves of 9 species are presented. Based on this study, the medically most important blow flies in Peru are Cochliomyia macellaria (F.), P. eximia, Phaenicia ibis (Shannon), Sarconesia magellanica (LeGuillou), Sarconesia chlorogaster (Wiedemann), and Compsomyiops spp., with a combined range from tropic to alpine zones. The ecological niches of 26 species are defined according to altitude, synanthropy, food preferences, endophily/exophily, and diurnal flight patterns.
How Hadoop Clusters Break

This article describes an examination of a sample of several hundred support tickets for the Hadoop ecosystem, a widely used group of big data storage and processing systems; a taxonomy of errors and how they are addressed by supporters; and the misconfigurations that are the dominant cause of failures. Some design "antipatterns" and missing platform features contribute to these problems. Developers can use various methods to build more robust distributed systems, thereby helping users and administrators prevent some of these rough edges.
ABA triblock copolymers with two crystallizable blocks

Triblock copolymers of the ABA type were synthesized in which the A block is poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), having molecular weight of 1000 or 2000, and the B block is poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), having molecular weight of about 8000 or 10,000. When the triblock copolymer was cooled from the melt, the PEO block crystallized at around room temperature. Upon further cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature and reheating, the crystallization of the PDMS middle block took place at around −90°C. The melting temperatures and degrees of crystallinity of the PEO blocks in the copolymers were depressed from their respective pure state values. On the other hand, the melting points of the PDMS middle blocks in the copolymers were the same as the pure state values; furthermore, the degrees of crystallinity were unexpectedly much higher. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An embryo specific red cell antigen in a dove species, Streptopelia risoria.

Summary The erythrocytes of all embryos tested to date of a dove species, Streptopelia risoria, have carried an “embryo antigen” during the first seven days of incubation. It gradually disappeared and was not observed beyond the fourth day after hatching. Peculiarly, this embryo antigen was detected by the use of antisera produced against the cells of backcross hybrids carrying one of the antigenic characters (ch-4) that differentiate S. chinensis from risoria. One possible explanation is that the antibodies were directed against a contrasting character in risoria to ch-4, and this character is expressed on the cells of the embryos, not on those of the adults. Resume Jusqu'a aujourd'hui les erythrocytes de tous les embryons d'une espece de pigeon, le streptopelia risoria, comportent un antigene embryonnaire pendant les 7 premiers jours d'incubation. Il disparait graduellement et n'est plus observe 4 jours apres l'eclosion. Cet antigene embryonnaire a pu etre curieusement decele en utilisant des anti-serums produits contre des erythrocytes d'hybrides comportant un des caracteres antigeniques (ch-4) qui differencie le S. chinensis du risoria. L'explication possible de ce phenomene est que les anticorps sont diriges contre un caractere contrastant du risoria a l'egard de ch-4, et ce caractere s'exprime sur les cellules de l'embryon mais non sur les cellules de l'animal adulte. Zusammenfassung In den Erythrozyten samtlicher bisher untersuchten Embryonen einer Taubenart, Streptopelia risoria, gelang es wahrend der ersten sieben Tage der Bebrutung, ein «Embryo-Antigen» nachzuweisen. Mit zunehmender Entwicklung verschwindet es; spater als vier Tage nach dem Ausschlupfen kann es nicht mehr nachgewiesen werden. Eigentumlicherweise wurde dieses Antigen bei Verwendung von Antiseren entdeckt, welche gegen Zellen von Ruckkreuzungen gerichtet waren, welche ein Antigen (ch-4) enthielten, welches die S. chinensis von der risoria unterscheidet. Die Befunde lassen sich am besten dadurch erklaren, das diese Antikorper sich gegen ein Merkmal richten, welches die risoria an Stelle von ch-4 aufweist, wobei dieses nur in den embryonalen Zellen, nicht aber in denjenigen erwachsener Individuen zur Auspragung gelangt.
PM2.5 episodes as observed in the speciation trends network

Abstract Urban PM2.5 speciation data from the 2000–2002 Speciation Trends Network were analyzed to gain an understanding of the various species contributing to regional PM2.5 episodes. The seasonal differences of these episodes and their relationship to meteorology were also studied. The results of this analysis revealed that summertime PM2.5 episodes are dominated by high concentration of acidic sulfate particles and some elevated organic aerosols. There is clear evidence that simultaneously elevated organics coincide with high concentration of acidic sulfate particles in many areas in the summer PM2.5 episode and they peaked on a day when solar radiation was obviously not very strong. This suggests that in summer, in addition to the conventional explanation of SOA formation through photochemical oxidation and partitioning, some other mechanism such as the presence of acidic particles could also play a role in enhancing the SOA production under heterogeneous reactions. In the cold seasons, however, nitrate and organic particles are the major contributors to the observed PM2.5 episodes with organic particles peaking in the fall and nitrates peaking in the winter. Given the weak solar radiations, cold temperatures, and an obvious decoupling of high organic aerosol concentrations with acidic particles in the winter, it suggests that the observed wintertime organic aerosols are essentially primary in nature. Meteorologically, regional PM2.5 episodes are predominantly triggered by stagnant high pressure systems with most of the high values occurred on the backside of the high pressure system or ahead of a quasi-stationary front where temperatures and relative humidity are high. The fact that the regional PM2.5 episodes can occur in almost any season and their major components are essentially secondary aerosols suggests that meteorology and aerosol thermodynamics are at least as important as the photochemistry in determining the high airborne PM2.5 concentrations. The dominance of nitrate episodes in the cold seasons reflects the fact that the wintertime ammonia emissions are generally high enough to neutralize most of the acids produced in the major industrial source regions. This is supported by the ammonium availability calculations.
A Chimeric SERM–Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Approach to Breast Cancer Therapy

Breast cancer remains a significant cause of death in women and few therapeutic options exist for estrogen receptor negative ER(−) cancers. Epigenetic re-activation of target genes using histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors has been proposed in ER(−) cancers to resensitize to therapy using selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) that are effective in ER(+) cancer treatment. Based upon preliminary studies in ER(+) and ER(−) breast cancer cells treated with combinations of HDAC inhibitors and SERMs, hybrid drugs were designed with computational guidance. Assay for inhibition of four Type I HDAC isoforms and antagonism of estrogenic activity in two cell lines yielded a “SERMostat” with 1–3 μM potency across all targets. The superior hybrid caused significant cell death in ER(−) human breast cancer cells and elicited cell death at the same concentration as the parent SERM in combination treatment and at an earlier time point.
Pleuropulmonary and skeletal lymphangiomatosis with chylothorax and chylopericardium

Congenital lymphangiomatosis of lung and bone, with or without chylothorax, is a rare but often fatal systemic lymphatic malformation. In those who survive infancy and early childhood, parietal pleurectomy with excision of lymphatic lakes and ligation of the thoracic duct can be successful. Two patients with lymphangiomatosis are described, 1 with chylothorax and chylopericardium with generalized skeletal lesions and the other with pleuropulmonary lesions and chylothorax. Both were successfully treated with parietal pleurectomy, excision of lymphatic lakes, and ligation of lymphatics, including the thoracic duct. To our knowledge, the triad of generalized skeletal lymphangiomatosis, chylopericardium, and chylothorax has not been previously reported.
Another View of Autonomy: Arranging for Consent in Advance

A review of the issues surrounding a Ulysses contract--a prior consent agreement--juxtaposes the autonomy expressed by a stabilized patient who gives consent in advance for treatment during an acute break and the exercise of a patient's right to refuse as protected by legal advocates. Ideally, the first approach would enable persons to claim control over their lives and promote a collaborative process involving patient, family members, and professionals. But feedback from an informal canvassing of individuals representing various vantage points emphasizes concern about safeguards and monitoring the use of these contracts. Although several legal avenues may be open, both theoretical and technical obstacles can block the road to voluntary involuntary treatment. We hope this article will serve as a stimulus for an open exchange about ways to ensure one's right to protect oneself from the consequences of psychosis.
Performance optimization of analog integrated circuits by device sizing and its application to pseudosynthesis

A novel integrated approach to multiple criterion constrained performance optimization of analog integrated circuits based on nonlinear programming and heuristic techniques is presented. The deterministic technique used in the optimizer is the MPHS (modified Parkinson-Hutchinson simplex algorithm). New heuristics for step-length calculation, step length modulation, and the use of Biggs' dominant degree method help to quickly converge to solution when gradient information is available. The GRS technique acts as an efficient intermediate mechanism to help overcome numerical difficulties during gradient-based optimization and to find new feasible subspaces on encountering local minima. The use of this optimization strategy has provided consistent improvements in circuit performance. The new optimizer can be used to verify performance degradation of analog circuits with process variation. Pseudosynthesis of analog circuits offers a practical solution to reducing design cycle time for analog circuit components.
JAPAN'S BUREAUCRATIC DECISION-MAKING ON THE TEXTBOOK

In social theory as well as in common folklore, the childhood years have been recognized as critical for the development of the individual's personality, social attitudes, and cultural values. In most societies, the school stands with the family and peer groups as one of the most significant agents of political learning. In Japan, school influence is much greater than the other two factors because of the educational system. The myths and legends of the past, the policies and programs of the present, and the goals and aspirations of the future are taught selectively. Consciously or not, textbooks justify and rationalize the political practices.
Development of a Fluorescent Quenching Based High Throughput Assay to Screen for Calcineurin Inhibitors

Currently there is no effective treatment available for major neurodegenerative disorders associated to protein misfolding, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease. One of most promising therapeutic approaches under development focuses on inhibiting the misfolding and aggregation pathway. However, it is likely that by the time clinical symptoms appear, there is a large accumulation of misfolded aggregates and a very substantial damage to the brain. Thus, it seems that at the clinical stage of the disease it is necessary also to develop strategies aiming to prevent the neuronal damage produced by already formed misfolded aggregates. Chronic activation of calcineurin (CaN), a type IIB phosphatase, has been implicated as a pivotal molecule connecting synaptic loss and neuronal damage to protein misfolding. The fact that the crystal structure of CaN is also well established makes it an ideal target for drug discovery. CaN activity assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) reported so far are based on absorbance. In this article we report the development of a fluorescent quenching based CaN activity assay suitable for robotic screening of large chemical libraries to find novel inhibitors. The assay yielded a Z score of 0.84 with coefficient of variance ≤ 15%. Our results also show that this assay can be used to identify CaN inhibitors with a wide range of potencies.
Potential population growth and harmful effects on humans from bed bug populations exposed to different feeding regimes.

Effects of host availability and feeding period on bed bugs, Cimex lectularius (L.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), were measured. Population growth and the potential harmful effect of bed bug populations on human hosts were modelled. Bloodmeal sizes were affected by both feeding length and frequency, with >2-fold difference between insects fed daily or weekly. Blood consumption increased >2-fold between bed bugs fed occasionally and often, and 1.5-fold between occasional and daily feeding. Bed bugs fed more often than once a week, potentially every 2–4 days. Egg production was associated with nutrition, being strongly correlated with blood consumption in the previous week. Bed bug populations can grow under different feeding regimes and are hard to control with <80% mortality. Bed bugs can survive and grow even in locations with a limited blood supply, where bed bug persistence may be important for the continual spread of populations. Persistence in non-traditional locations and a potential association with human pathogens increase the health risks of bed bugs. Potential blood loss as a result of a bed bug can have serious consequences because uncontrolled populations can reach harmful levels in 3–8 months. The reproduction potential of bed bug populations suggests serious consequences to human health and the need for efficacious control measures.
Self-Configuring TDMA Protocols for Enhancing Vehicle Safety With DSRC Based Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

This paper presents a novel Medium Access Control protocol for inter-vehicular wireless networking using the emerging Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) standards. The main contribution of the paper is the design of a self- configuring TDMA protocol capable of inter-vehicle message delivery with short and deterministic delay bounds. The proposed Vehicular Self-Organizing MAC (VeSOMAC) is designed to be vehicle location and movement aware so that the MAC slots in a vehicle platoon can be time ordered based on the vehicles' relative locations for minimizing the multi-hop delivery delay. A novel feature of VeSOMAC is its in-band control mechanism for exchanging TDMA slot information during distributed MAC scheduling. It is shown that by avoiding explicit timing information exchange, VeSOMAC can work without inter-vehicle time synchronization. The in-band control mechanism is also used for fast protocol convergence during initial network setup and topology changes due to vehicle movements. A simulation model has been developed for comparing VeSOMAC's performance with that of DSRC-recommended 802.11 MAC protocol for highway traffic safety applications.
Tools for Estimating Surplus Production and F MSY in Any Stock Assessment Model

Abstract Surplus-production calculations can be made in any stock assessment model that includes catch data and that estimates biomass. Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) reference points can also be estimated if there are sufficient data. The “external” method estimates production model parameters after the assessment model is fitted. External calculations are simple and useful; we recommend that they be done routinely. The “internal” method fits a more complicated assessment model and a surplus-production model simultaneously. It includes the external and “all-measurement-error” modeling methods (e.g., ASPIC) as special cases. External MSY estimates for Atlantic surfclam Spisula solidissima off northern New Jersey, cowcod Sebastes levis in the Southern California bight, and yellowtail flounder Pleuronectes ferrugineus on Georges Bank and internal MSY estimates for northern Atlantic surfclam were similar to conventional estimates. Surplus-production calculations and both internal and external modeling appro...
Uterine Epithelial Cell Estrogen Receptor Alpha-Dependent and -Independent Genomic Profiles That Underlie Estrogen Responses in Mice

Estrogens exert their activity through estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) to stimulate hypertrophy and hyperplasia in the uterus. A uterine epithelial ERalpha conditional knockout mouse model (Wnt7aCre+;Esr1f/f or cKO) demonstrated that ERalpha in the epithelial cells was dispensable for an initial uterine proliferative response to 17beta-estradiol (E2) but required for subsequent uterine biological responses. This study aimed to characterize the differential gene expression patterns induced by E2 in the presence or absence of epithelial ERalpha. RNA microarray analysis revealed that approximately 20% of the genes differentially expressed at 2 h were epithelial ERalpha independent, as they were preserved in the cKO uteri. This indicates that early uterine transcripts mediated by stromal ERalpha are sufficient to promote initial proliferative responses. However, more than 90% of the differentially expressed transcripts at 24 h were not regulated in the cKO, indicating that the majority of later transcriptional regulation required epithelial ERalpha, especially those involved in mitosis. This shows that loss of regulation of these later transcripts results in blunted subsequent uterine growth after 3 days of E2 treatment. Additionally, progesterone's ability to inhibit E2-induced epithelial cell proliferation was impaired, consistent with a uterine receptivity defect that contributes to cKO infertility. These transcriptional profiles correlate with our previously observed biological responses, in which the initial proliferative response is independent of epithelial ERalpha and thus dependent on stromal ERalpha, yet epithelial ERalpha is essential for subsequent tissue responsiveness.
SEVEN NEW YORKERIA SPECIES (CESTODA: TETRAPHYLLIDEA) FROM BORNEO AND AUSTRALIA AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF CHILOSCYLLIUM (ELASMOBRANCHII: ORECTOLOBIFORMES) SPECIES

New material of Yorkeria Southwell, 1927, collected from Chiloscyllium Muller & Henle species, i.e., bamboo sharks, from Malaysian Borneo and eastern Australia was found to include specimens that appear to be consistent with, and thus allow redescription of, the poorly characterized type of the genus, Yorkeria parva Southwell, 1927, as well as 7 new species of tetraphyllidean cestodes from the genus Yorkeria. Discovered in Borneo were Y. parva and Yorkeria teeveeyi n. sp. from Chiloscyllium indicum (Gmelin), Yorkeria garneri n. sp. from Chiloscyllium hasselti Bleeker, Yorkeria pusillulus n. sp., Yorkeria saliputium n. sp., and Yorkeria yubodohensis n. sp. from Chiloscyllium punctatum Muller & Henle. In Australia, a shark species tentatively identified as Chiloscyllium cf. punctatum was found to host Yorkeria izardi n. sp. and Yorkeria longstaffae n. sp. Three of the new species resemble Yorkeria kelleyae Caira & Tracy, 2002, described from sharks identified as C. punctatum in Thailand, in their possession...
On the perturbation solution of interface-reaction controlled diffusion in solids

Insertion of species A into species B forms a product P through two kinetic processes, namely, (1) the chemical reaction between A and B that occurs at the B-P interface, and (2) the diffusion of species A in product P. These two processes are symbiotic in that the chemical reaction provides the driving force for the diffusion, while the diffusion sustains the chemical reaction by providing sufficient reactant to the reactive interface. In this paper, a mathematical framework is developed for the coupled reactiondiffusion processes. The resulting system of boundary and initial value problem is solved analytically for the case of interface-reaction controlled diffusion, i.e., the rate of diffusion is much faster than the rate of chemical reaction at the interface so that the final kinetics are limited by the interface chemical reaction. Asymptotic expressions are given for the velocity of the reactive interface and the concentration of diffusing species under two different boundary conditions.