cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interleukin‐1β posttranslational processing—exploration of P2X7 receptor involvement

Cultured monocytes and macrophages stimulated with LPS produce large quantities of prointerleukin (IL)-1β, but release little mature cytokine to the medium. The efficiency at which the procytokine is converted to its active 17 kDa species and released extracellularly is enhanced by treating cytokine-producing cells with a secretion stimulus such as ATP or nigericin. Alterations to the composition of the intracellular ionic environment, including a necessary K+ efflux, accompany the stimulus-induced secretory process. Cell death also accompanies stimulus-induced IL-1 posttranslational processing and human monocytes treated with ATP generate and release mature caspase-1. ATP-treated monocytes achieve a swollen morphology and do not produce mature caspase-3; these traits are uncharacteristic of an apoptotic mechanism. Stimulus-induced secretion of IL-1β is disrupted by substitution of medium Cl- with chaotropic anions such as I- and by numerous anion transport inhibitors. These pharmacological agents block processing independently of the nature of the secretion stimulus, suggesting that a common downstream mechanism is engaged. Although sufficient to activate, the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is not a necessary element of the secretory mechanism. KN-62, an antagonist of P2X7R function, inhibits ATP-induced IL-1β posttranslational processing but does not inhibit processing induced by nigericin. Likewise, LPS-activated peritoneal macrophages isolated from P2X7R-deficient mice respond to nigericin and produce mature 17 kDa IL-1β. On the other hand, the receptor-deficient macrophages, in contrast to their wild-type counterparts, do not respond to ATP. These findings highlight the unusual secretory requirements of IL-1 and demonstrate that P2X7R activation represents one mechanism by which cytokine posttranslational processing can be initiated. Drug Dev. Res. 53:83–90, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Resource allocation for hierarchical underwater sensor networks

We investigate data collection over an underwater acoustic communication network, where sensor nodes are deployed to measure an environmental process. To enhance the energy-efficiency, the network is organized into a hierarchical structure, in which multiple local fusion centers collect the information and convey it to a master fusion center. The master fusion center then recovers the map of the sensing field. We exploit the unique properties of the underwater signal propagation to allocate resources efficiently across the network, resulting in overall savings in the energy and a reduction in the minimum necessary bandwidth.
Zeeman effect and revised analysis of singly ionized rubidium (Rb ii)

The spectrum of Rb ii has been observed in a sliding-spark discharge with the NBS 10.7-m normal-incidence vacuum spectrograph and in an electrodeless discharge with the NBS 10.7-m Eagle spectrograph in air. The Zeeman effect was observed from 2200 to 5200 A with an electrodeless lamp in a magnetic field of 31 000 G. The analysis has confirmed all ten of the previously known levels of the 4p55p configuration. The 4p54d, 4p55s, 4p55d, and 4p56s configurations have been considerably revised and extended. Almost all levels of these configurations are now known, as well as those of 4p56d, 4p57s, and 4p54f, which were newly located. All configurations have been theoretically interpreted, with configuration interaction included. The energy parameters determined from a least-squares fit to the observed level values are compared with Hartree–Fock calculations. The ionization energy as derived from the 4p5ns series, n = 5, 6, 7, is 220 070±25 cm−1 (2.7.285±0.003 eV).
Effects of progesterone on the oviductal epithelium in estrogen-primed prepubertal beagles: light and electron microscopic observations.

A total of 45 prepubertal beagles 6 to 8 weeks of age were used to study the cytological changes that accompany regression of the oviductal epithelium. The oviductal epithelium in untreated pups consisted of undifferentiated low cuboidal cells that measured 10.3 ± 2.0 μm in height. In response to estradiol (E2), low cuboidal cells underwent hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and cytodifferentiation and gave rise to columnar ciliated and secretory cells. After 12 days of E2 treatment the epithelium was fully differentiated and measured 29.4 ± 2.6 μm in height with 56% of the cells possessing cilia. When E2 treatment was continued for an additional 12 days, the epithelium was maintained in a differentiated state. However, if E2 treatment was terminated or progesterone (P) given alone or in conjunction with E2, the oviductal epithelium regressed and after 6 days was composed of low cuboidal cells that ranged in height from 9 to 14 μm with approximately 25% of the cells possessing cilia. A variety of cytological changes characterized the process of regression. The most immediate signs that regression was underway were a reduction in the height of the epithelium and the presence of cells with shrunken, pleomorphic nuclei that lacked prominent nucleoli. Degenerative events included: (1) pinching off and shedding of the apical cytoplasm of cells comprising the epithelium, (2) extrusion of whole cells and/or nuclei, and (3) resorption of cilia and basal bodies. During the first 6 days following E2 withdrawal or P treatment, macrophages and cellular debris were frequently present within the lumen of the oviduct. The process of regression did not proceed synchronously throughout the ampulla of the oviduct, nor did all cells appear to degenerate in the same manner. The cytological changes that accompanied oviductal regression following P treatment were identical to those observed following E2 withdrawal. Results from experiments conducted in the present study show that: (1) E2 induces the oviductal epithelium to differentiate and is required to maintain the epithelium in a differentiated state, (2) E2 withdrawal or P treatment causes the oviductal epithelium to regress, (3) at least three distinct degenerative processes are involved in the transition of columnar ciliated and secretory cells into low cuboidal cells, and (4) regression does not occur synchronously throughout the ampulla region of the oviduct.
Mental discipline, punishment and recidivism: reading Foucault against de-radicalisation programmes in the War on Terror

This article uses Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish to examine how de-radicalisation programmes in the War on Terror transform power–knowledge relations, mental discipline and punishment by attempting to instil self-governance through non-violence. Foucault’s theories on the evolution of discipline and punishment can be applied to de-radicalisation programmes, but only after considerable revision. By asking questions on the nature of knowledge, practice, state involvement and recidivism of de-radicalisation, I contend that many programmes may be ultimately limited by a disproportionate focus on religious rehabilitation rather than political dialogue regarding the motivations for such violence.
Abronia macrocarpa (Nyctaginaceae): a new species from Texas

Abronia macrocarpa, a large-fruited species, is described as new. It is known only from a small sand dune area in Leon County, Texas.
Establishing a Mobile Resources Collection Development Policy

This column outlines some steps and decisions involved in the process of establishing a mobile resources collection development policy. Initial decisions should be made about what platforms will be supported and how the workflow will be organized. There are many criteria to consider when evaluating apps, including subject relevance, quality of content, reputation of the producer/publisher, cost, access, legal issues, and copyright and fair use issues. We describe many resources for gathering apps for potential collection and address solutions for promoting and disseminating the mobile resources. Finally, we address the evaluation of the program and future areas for research.
The Real Estate of NOS Signaling: Location, Location, Location

While sympathetic stimulation of the heart produces chronotropic, inotropic, and lusitropic effects, increased frequency alone causes a positive force-frequency relationship (FFR) and frequency-dependent acceleration of relaxation (FDAR).1 That is, contraction amplitude and relaxation rate are increased with increasing frequency in most species (including humans). The key mechanism involved in the positive FFR is increased sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ load, due to increased Ca2+ influx and decreased Ca2+ efflux.1,2 Ca2+ influx increases due to more L-type Ca2+ current ( I Ca) per unit time, while Ca2+ efflux via Na+-Ca2+ exchange (NCX) decreases because the diastolic time is reduced and [Na+]i increases. Enhanced SR Ca2+-pump function causes FDAR and also augments SR Ca2+ loading. Various signaling pathways are involved (eg, CaMKII).3 In human heart failure, the FFR reverses (ie, from positive to negative) due to an inability of the SR to increase Ca2+ content.4 This negative FFR is a main contributor to the loss of contractile reserve in the failing heart. Of many pathways that can modify FFR, nitric oxide (NO) signaling is the topic addressed by Khan et al in this issue of Circulation Research .5 NO synthase (NOS) produces NO from l-arginine, and cardiac myocytes express all three NOS isoforms.6,7 NOS1 (nNOS) and NOS3 (eNOS) are constitutively expressed and produce low amounts of NO (regulated by [Ca2+-calmodulin]i levels). NOS2 (iNOS) …
A family of compact genetic algorithms for intrinsic evolvable hardware

For many evolvable hardware applications, small size and power efficiency are critical design considerations. One manner in which significant memory, and thus, power and space savings can be realized in a hardware-based evolutionary algorithm is to represent populations of candidate solutions as probability vectors rather than as sets of bit strings. The compact genetic algorithm (CGA) is a probability vector-based evolutionary algorithm that can be efficiently and elegantly implemented in digital hardware. Unfortunately, the CGA is a very weak, first order, evolutionary algorithm that is unlikely to possess sufficient search power to enable intrinsic evolvable hardware applications. In this paper, we further develop a number of modifications to the basic CGA that significantly improve its search efficacy without substantially increasing the size and complexity of its hardware implementation. The paper provides both benchmark results demonstrating increased efficacy and a conceptual data path/microcontroller design suitable for implementation in digital hardware. Following, it demonstrates efficient implementation by making a head-to-head comparison of field programmable gate array implementations of both the classic CGA and a member of our family of modifications. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research, including several additional extensions that we expect will further increase search efficacy without increasing implementation cost.
Interaction between VA RNA and the lupus antigen La: formation of a ribonucleoprotein particle in vitro.

Abstract The small adenovirus-encoded VA RNAs occur as ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles in association with a cellular protein antigen, La, recognized by the anti-La class of lupus sera [Lerner, M. R., Boyle, J. A., Hardin, J. A. & Steitz, J. A. (1981) Science 211, 400-402]. We have tentatively identified the La antigen as a HeLa cell phosphoprotein of Mr approximately equal to 45,000, present in infected and uninfected cells. The antigen appears not to be required for the transcription of VA RNAs in vitro. RNP particles that contain newly synthesized VA RNAs assemble rapidly in transcription extracts making VA RNA and also can be reconstituted from purified VA RNA and a source of La antigen. Variant forms of VA RNAI with sequence deletions and substitutions bind to the La antigen, suggesting that the recognition site includes the RNA termini or the sequences corresponding to the internal control region (promoter), or both. Upon reconstitution with fragments of VA RNAI, oligonucleotides from both the 5' and 3' termini bind to the antigen, but those from the control region do not. The terminal oligonucleotides of wild-type VA RNA can form a basepaired stem, but structures of comparable stability cannot be formed by the chimeric variant molecules. Therefore, the recognition site is probably the terminal nucleotides themselves rather than the stem structure.
Studying program correctness by constructing contracts

Because the concept of program correctness is generally taught as an activity independent of the programming process, most introductory computer science (CS) students perceive it as unnecessary and even irrelevant. The concept of contracts, on the other hand, is generally taught as an integral part of the programming process. As such, most introductory CS students have little difficulty understanding the need to establish contracts via preconditions and postconditions. In order to improve teaching program correctness concepts, we implemented ProVIDE, an enhanced integrated development environment (IDE) for Java [7]. Pro VIDE supports a modified version of the "design by contract" methodology [13] that assists its student programmers in contract construction. Rather than asking for both a precondition and postcondition for each of his/her methods, ProVIDE asks the student to simply supply a postcondition. ProVIDE then helps the student construct the appropriate precondition by leading him/her through an axiomatic proof of the correctness of the method. Thus, the proof of correctness of the method is a side-effect of the student's need to construct an appropriate precondition.
Pricing Promotional Products Under Upselling

Upselling is offering an additional product to a customer who just made a purchase. Most catalogers and online sellers, in addition to some traditional retailers, use upselling often to clear inventories of slow-moving items. We investigate the pricing and discounting questions for such an item, which we call the promotional product. In our model, an arriving customer may purchase this promotional product or one of the other products that the firm sells. If the customer purchases one of the other products, the promotional product is offered to the customer, possibly with a discount. While deciding whether to offer a discount and, if so, how big a discount to offer, the firm uses the information that the customer has just bought a certain product with a certain price. We investigate how discounting decisions depend on the inventory levels, time, type of pricing policy in use, and the relationship between the customers' reservation prices for the promotional product and the other products (negatively or positively correlated). In particular, we find that if the firm sets prices and discounts dynamically and the customers' reservation prices for the promotional product are negatively correlated with their reservation prices for the product they purchased, then customers are always offered a discount regardless of the inventory levels and time. On the other hand, if the customers' reservation prices for the promotional product are positively correlated with their reservation prices for the product they purchased, then the customer may or may not be offered a discount, depending on the inventory levels and time. Our numerical study shows that the benefit to the firm from using customer purchase information is high when the firm uses a static price, but chooses discounts dynamically. We also find that although dynamic discounting decisions bring modest improvements, setting the price dynamically seems to have a more significant effect on the firm's profits.
Optical and magnetic resonance studies of Mg-doped GaN homoepitaxial layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) at 24 GHz have been performed on a series of MBE-grown Mg-doped (10 17 –10 20 cm � 3 ) GaN homoepitaxial layers. High-resolution PL at 5 K revealed intense bandedge emission with narrow linewidths (0.2–0.4 meV) attributed to annihilation of excitons bound to shallow Mg acceptors. In contrast to many previous reports for GaN heteroepitaxial layers doped with [Mg]43 � 10 18 cm � 3 , the only visible PL observed was strong shallow donor–shallow acceptor recombination with zero phonon line at 3.27 eV. Most notably, ODMR on this emission from a sample doped with [Mg] of 1 � 10 17 cm � 3 revealed the first evidence for the highly anisotropic g-tensor (gJ� 2.19, g?� 0) expected for Mg shallow acceptors in wurtzite GaN. This result is attributed to the much reduced dislocation densities (p5 � 10 6 cm � 3 ) and Mg impurity concentrations compared to those characteristic of the more conventional investigated Mg-doped GaN heteroepitaxial layers. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A spatially explicit model to identify suitable sites to establish dedicated woody energy crops.

Abstract Biomass has gained considerable attention in the southern United States (US) mainly because of its potential to partially replace fossil fuels and develop a sustainable bioenergy industry. Dedicated energy crops could offer a reliable and sustainable biomass supply, but there is limited research identifying suitable sites and evaluating their economic feasibility. This study developed a model to identify potential sites to establish dedicated energy crops based on the economic feasibility of short rotation woody crops. Site suitability was based on site-specific woody biomass yield, production costs, and delivered biomass prices. Transportation costs including off-road and on-road transportation costs were based on travel time from each potential plantation site to the nearest conversion facility. Break-even biomass amounts were obtained by considering production costs and biomass price, and potential biomass yield was estimated based on site index. Break-even biomass amounts were then compared with potential biomass yields to determine suitable sites to establish dedicated energy crops. To illustrate the applicability of the model, it was applied to a four-county test area in northern Kentucky with a diverse land cover and ownership, relatively extensive transportation network, and presence of existing conversion facilities, conditions which are common in the Ohio River Valley region and much of the southern US.
Countercontrol: An Issue in Intervention

Countercontrol is defined as opposition or resistance to intervention. As such, it consumes time, increases program cost, and attenuates accountability of subject growth. Yet, little systematic research has been conducted to document its occurrence. This paper clarifies countercontrol by discussing variables that may precipitate its occurrence and presents implications for programming to mitigate the possibility of encountering this phenomenon.
CORRELATION OF RADIOGRAPHIC, ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC, AND ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC SIGNS OF LEFT HEART ENLARGEMENT IN DOGS WITH MITRAL REGURGITATION

Thoracic radiographs of 40 dogs with mitral regurgitation were evaluated for signs of left heart enlargement and classified into three groups based on the degree of left atrial enlargement (mild = group A, moderate = group B, and severe = group C). Echocardiographic enlargement ratios were calculated for the left atrium (LAEecho), the left ventricle (LVEecho), and the aorta (AOEecho) by dividing the measured dimension with the expected dimension normalized for body weight. The incidence of LVH patterns and p-mitrale was recorded on electrocardiograms. With advanced stages of the disease, there was good agreement of the radiographs and echocardiograms with significant differences of the left atrial enlargement ratio between groups. Nine of the 16 dogs from groups A and B, however, had LAEecho ratios within the normal range. Sixteen dogs with radiographic signs of left ventricular enlargement had normal LVEecho ratios. These disagreements were interpreted as either cardiac enlargement not manifest in the dimensional change measured by the echocardiogram or as overreading of radiographs. The left ventricular wall thickness did not vary significantly between groups. The incidence of p-mitrale was 30%, but this ECG abnormality, when present, reliably identified enlarged left atrial dimensions. Left ventricular hypertrophy patterns of the ECG did not correlate with either the radiographic diagnosis of left ventricular enlargement or the echocardiographic enlargement ratios.
Ethnographic Inquiry in Clinical Settings

Physical therapy combines art and science. Both aspects of our practice require systematic investigation. Clinical researchers are confronted with managing the unpredictable variables introduced by multiple human behaviors inherent in the therapeutic process. Ethnography is a qualitative approach to scientific inquiry that is suitable for addressing the human behaviors inherent in practice as they unfold in the clinical setting. An overview of the purpose, methodology, strengths, and limitations of ethnography is presented. Suggestions for applying ethnographic inquiry to physical therapy are provided. The strengths of ethnography include 1) its systematic and rigorous process for collecting and analyzing data that ensures attention to the issues of validity and reliability and 2) the potential relevance of its outcomes to physical therapy practitioners.
Role of viral respiratory infections in asthma and asthma exacerbations

Viral respiratory tract infections are common and usually selflimited illnesses. For patients at risk of asthma, or with existing asthma, viral respiratory tract infections can have a profound effect on the expression of disease or loss of control. New evidence has shown that wheezing episodes early in life due to human rhinoviruses are a major risk factor for the later diagnosis of asthma at age 6 years. For those with existing asthma, exacerbations are a major cause of morbidity, can need acute care, and can, albeit rarely, result in death. Viral respiratory tract infections, predominantly those caused by human rhinoviruses, are associated with asthma exacerbations. There is also evidence that deficiencies in antiviral activity and the integrity of the airway epithelial barrier could make individuals with asthma more likely to have severe viral respiratory infections of the lower airway, and thus increase the risk of exacerbation. In view of the effect of respiratory viruses on many aspects of asthma, efforts to understand the mechanisms and risk factors by which these airway infections cause changes in airway pathophysiology are a first step towards improved treatment.
Design of robustly stable disturbance observers based on closed loop consideration using H/sub /spl infin// optimization and its applications to motion control systems

In disturbance-observer-based control, the closed loop system consists of a main feedback control loop and an inner disturbance observer loop. This paper presents a design method for a disturbance observer to satisfy closed loop performance specifications, provided that the main feedback controller is known. Taking advantage of certain fixed-structure disturbance observers, the disturbance observer design problem can be transformed into the synthesis problem of H/sub /spl infin// (sub-) optimal static output feedback gain for an extended plant. The static output feedback gain, and therefore the disturbance observer, can be obtained by solving a series of convex optimization problems. Since the disturbance observer is designed based on closed loop consideration, the robust stability of the closed loop system is guaranteed.
Measured Versus Predicted Performance of Building Integrated Photovoltaics

20!. Twelve months of performance data was recorded at 5-min intervals, including power output, voltage, current, panel temperature, and meteorological data. The solar tracking facility is used to characterize the electrical performance of the panels used in the test bed. The performance at standard rating conditions, the temperature coefficients, the effect of air mass, and the effect of incident angle are measured for each panel. These parameters are required inputs to the computer simulation tools @3#. The rooftop meteorological station measures the total horizontal, horizontal diffuse, and the direct beam irradiance; the outdoor ambient temperature; and the wind speed and direction. The rooftop data are measured and stored at 5-min intervals throughout the year. Additionally, a small meteorological station is located on the wall at the test bed. This station measures the total irradiance in the plane of the panels, the wind speed in the plane of the panels, and the outdoor ambient temperature. These facilities provide the measurements needed to evaluate BIPV predictive performance tools. The measured test bed performance @4# is compared to the performance predicted with the SNL PV model using characterization parameters from the tracking facility and the measured meteorological data. The SNL model is empirical in nature, and it requires many parameters specific to the model. The prediction of the panel’s temperature is a key component of any PV model. The temperature of the photovoltaic cells is predicted with IV Curve Tracer using an empirical model. A transient one-dimensional heat transfer model, developed at NIST @5#, was substituted for the empirical model. Comparisons were made to predictions using the empirical model and measured data.
A reevaluation of crystal-size distributions in chromite cumulates

Although studies have shown that igneous cumulates can form by in situ crystallization without requiring crystal settling, it has not been demonstrated that crystal-size distributions (CSDs) are consistent with such a process. Plots of crystal-size fractions per unit volume vs. crystal size for chromite grains from the Stillwater complex show a log-linear distribution with negative slope at larger sizes and a concave-down distribution at smaller sizes. The log-linear portion of these trends is similar to previously reported trends for other silicate and oxide phases in crystallizing magmas. However, the lack of smaller grain sizes indicates that the original population was altered during a postnucleation crystalaging period that resulted in the loss of the smaller size fractions, an interpretation consistent with textural and volume-balance evidence. The CSD trends imply that Cr was not concentrated by settling of chromite but was brought to the site of the growing chromite grains. Similarities between the Stillwater data and CSD trends for garnet in metapelites suggest that such trends are a characteristic feature of any geologic system undergoing crystal aging after an initial period of nucleation and crystal growth.
Nanoscale Fluid Transport: Size and Rate Effects

The transport behavior of water molecules inside a model carbon nanotube is investigated by using nonequilibrium molecular dynamcis (NMED) simulations. The shearing stress between the nanotube wall and the water molecules is identified as a key factor in determining the nanofluidic properties. Due to the effect of nanoscale confinement, the effective shearing stress is not only size sensitive but also strongly dependent on the fluid flow rate. Consequently, the nominal viscosity of the confined water decreases rapidly as the tube radius is reduced or when a faster flow rate is maintained. An infiltration experiment on a nanoporous carbon is performed to qualitatively validate these findings.
Experience with pipelined multiple instruction streams

Pipelining has been used to implement efficient, high-speed vector computers. It is also an effective method for implementing multiprocessors. The Heterogeneous Element Processor (HEP) built by Denelcor Incorporated is the first commercially available computer system to use pipelining to implement multiple processes. This paper introduces the architecture and programming environment of the HEP and surveys a range of scientific applications programs for which parallel versions have been produced, tested, and analyzed on this computer. In all cases, the ideal of one instruction completion every pipeline step time is closely approached. Speed limitations in the parallel programs are more often a result of the extra code necessary to ensure synchronization than of actual synchronization lockout at execution time. The pipelined multiple instruction stream architecture is shown to cover a wide range of applications with good utilization of the parallel hardware.
Physical vs. numerical dispersion in nonhydrostatic ocean modeling

Abstract Many large-scale simulations of internal waves are computed with ocean models solving the primitive (hydrostatic) equations. Under certain circumstances, however, internal waves can represent a dynamical balance between nonlinearity and nonhydrostasy (dispersion), and thus may require computationally expensive nonhydrostatic simulations to be well-resolved. Most discretizations of the primitive equations are second-order accurate, inducing numerical dispersion generated from odd-order terms in the truncation error (3rd-order derivatives and higher). This numerical dispersion mimics physical dispersion due to nonhydrostasy. In this paper, we determine the numerical dispersion coefficient associated with common discretizations of the primitive equations. We compare this coefficient to the physical dispersion coefficient from the Boussinesq equations or KdV equation. The results show that, to lowest order, the ratio of numerical to physical dispersion is Γ = Kλ 2 , where K is an O (1) constant dependent on the discretization of the governing equations and λ is the grid leptic ratio, λ ≡ Δ x / h 1 , where Δ x is the horizontal grid spacing and h 1 is the depth of the internal interface. In addition to deriving this relationship, we verify that it indeed holds in a nonhydrostatic ocean model (SUNTANS). To ensure relative dominance of physical over numerical effects, simulations require Γ ≪ 1. Based on this condition, the horizontal grid spacing required for proper resolution of nonhydrostatic effects is λ O (1) or Δ x h 1 . When this condition is not satisfied, numerical dispersion overwhelms physical dispersion, and modeled internal waves exist with a dynamical balance between nonlinearity and numerical dispersion. Satisfaction of this condition may be a significant additional resolution requirement beyond the current state-of-the-art in ocean modeling.
Hysteresis in a Capillary Condensation System

We report measurements of the hysteretic capillary condensation of liquid 4 He into the porous material Nuclepore. Results are presented for global and hysteretic behavior for 300 A diameter pores. These observations deviate from the predictions of the Preisach model of independent hysteresis domains. By modifying the Preisach model so as to restrict the ability of some of the pores to drain normally we are able to model many features of the experimental data.
Generation of effective antitumor vaccines using photodynamic therapy.

Preclinical studies have shown that photodynamic therapy (PDT) of tumors augments the host antitumor immune response. However, the role of the PDT effect on tumor cells as opposed to the host tissues has not been determined. To test the contribution of the direct effects of PDT on tumor cells to the enhanced antitumor response by the host, we examined the immunogenicity of PDT-generated murine tumor cell lysates in a preclinical vaccine model. We found that the PDT-generated tumor cell lysates were potent vaccines and that PDT-generated vaccines are more effective than other modes of creating whole tumor vaccines, i.e., UV or ionizing irradiation, and unlike other traditional vaccines, PDT vaccines do not require coadministration of an adjuvant to be effective. PDT vaccines are tumor specific and appear to induce a cytotoxic T-cell response. We have demonstrated that although both UV and PDT-generated tumor cell lysates are able to induce phenotypic DC maturation, only PDT-generated lysates are able to activate DCs to express IL-12, which is critical to the development of a cellular immune response. Our results show that PDT effects on tumor cells alone are sufficient to generate an antitumor immune response, indicating that the direct tumor effects of PDT play an important role in enhancing that host antitumor immune response. These studies also suggest that in addition to the role of PDT as a therapeutic modality, PDT-generated vaccines may have clinical potential as an adjuvant therapy.
The Role of Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in the Modulation of Renal Blood Flow

Cellular elements located in the collecting tubules,1 the glomeruli,2 the medullary interstitium,3 and the blood vessels of the kidney4 have the capacity to metabolize arachidonic acid to an endoperoxide intermediate that is the immediate precursor of thromboxane A2 and prostaglandins (PG) E2, F2α, D2, and I2. In 1970 McGiff et al. reported that release of renal prostaglandins during close arterial infusion of angiotensin II in the dog was associated with waning of the renal vasoconstrictor action of the peptide, and suggested involvement of renal prostaglandins in the regulation of blood flow to the kidney.5 This concept gained strength over the past decade with the demonstration that vasoactive hormones including angiotensin and norepinephrine stimulate renal prostaglandin synthesis, that several prostaglandins reduce the tone and reactivity of the renal vasculature to vasoconstrictor hormones, that induction of renal prostaglandin synthesis during infusion of arachidonic acid is associated with vasodilation and increased blood flow to the kidney, and that inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis bring about renal vasoconstriction and lowering of the blood flow in a number of states characterized by enhanced activity of one or more vasoconstrictor neurohormonal systems. Hence it is now apparent that an interplay between renal prostaglandins and the renin—angiotensin and/or sympathetic nervous system is a dominant feature of mechanisms regulating the blood flow to the kidney. This review analyzes the relationships between renal prostaglandins and vasoconstrictor systems and discusses the significance of such relationships with regard to the renal circulation.
Knowledge base differentiation in urban systems of innovation and entrepreneurship

This research aims to understand knowledge bases in urban systems of innovation and entrepreneurship. Using principal component analysis, it develops a new typology that differentiates urban knowledge bases into management knowledge, biomedical knowledge, engineering knowledge, arts and humanities knowledge, transportation knowledge and agricultural knowledge. The following multivariate analysis shows that management knowledge and engineering knowledge are of major importance in facilitating innovation and high technology entrepreneurship in US cities. Additionally, arts and humanities knowledge is positively associated with innovation but not with entrepreneurship. This research sheds light on public policy to build a vibrant urban system of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Potential Mechanisms of Metabolic SuppressionDownstream of Central A1AR Activation During Onset of Torpor

Hibernating animals demonstrate a nadir in metabolic demand and body temperature (T b) during torpor that is fundamental to adaptation to seasonal periods of reduced resource availability. A recent study shows how the brain regulates metabolic suppression during onset of torpor suggesting that central A1 adenosine receptor signaling is both necessary and sufficient to trigger decreases in metabolic rate and T b. This leads to an interesting question of how central signals are transduced to the periphery to elicit global suppression of metabolism and this chapter discusses relevant hypotheses.
Functional polymers. XXI

Several 2(2-hydroxyphenyl)2H-benzotriazoles with more than one benzotriazole group substituted on di- and trihydroxybenzenes were synthesized by azo coupling ofo-nitrobenzenediazonium chloride with resorcinol or phloroglucinol followed by reductive cyclization with zinc powder and sodium hydroxide. By careful diazonium coupling witho-nitrobenzenediazonium chloride, the monobenzotriazyl compound, 4(2H-benzotriazole-2-yl)1,3-dihydroxybenzene [2(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)2H-benzotriazole] was obtained. All compounds have unusual spectral characteristics with high extinction coefficients, cut off of the absorption below 400 nm and are excellent candidates for ultraviolet stabilizers.
Few-photon nonlinear optics using interacting rydberg atoms

Mapping the interaction between Rydberg excitations onto photons enables the realization of optical nonlinearities on the single-photon level. We present a single-photon transistor, where one gate photon controls the transmission of many source photons.
Methods of Reducing Losses of Honey Bees Caused by Spraying Cotton with Insecticides

In 1976 in central Arizona, 4 of 16 management and protection practices successfully reduced losses of honey bees located in 194 ha of cotton and sprayed 5 times with a combination of methyl parathion and toxaphene. All but one of 36 colonies survived in these treatments whereas only 40 of 119 colonies survived in the 12 other treatments. Three of the 4 better neatments included covering the colonies with burlap for 12 h during and after the insecticide application. Colonies gained weight (20.9 kg/colony) in only the most successful treatment, a 6-way combination of covering, shade, pollen and syrup feeding, Miller bottom board, and Wardecker waterer. When bees are used for pollination in or near cotton fields and a large area is controlled by a single manager, bee losses could be reduced by a combination of shade, covering, pollen feeding, and a Wardecker waterer. This method would be too costly when bees are used only for producing honey and not for pollination.
Seed Production Characteristics of K-you 267, a New Combination of Hybrid Rice with Cold Tolerance in the Higher Elevation Areas of Guizhou

The experiment of seed production of K-you 267, a new combination of hybrid rice with cold tolerance, was conducted in Guiyang at an altitude of 1140 meters, in 2003. The restorer line Qianhui 267, male parent, was sown on March 31 while the cytoplasm male sterile (CMS) line K17 A, female parent, was sown on May 23, May 28 and June 2, separately. The results showed that the male parent Qianyou 267 headed from August 9 to 15. The best heading stage for the female parent, which completely met the heading stage of male parent, was the third sowning date of May 28. The yield of this female sowing date was 217.1kg/667m~2 when the restorer line Qianhui 267 reached the stage about 7.6 leaves. There were totally 18 leaves for the restorer line Qianhui 267 while the number of leaves was 12 for CMS line K17 A in different sowing stages. The feasibility was discussed for the seed production of K-you 267 in the higher elevation areas of Guizhou province.
Some Mathematical Basics: Conservation Laws

The concepts of material derivative and reference frames are introduced. Conservation laws of physics are summarized and their application in the context of the governing equations of atmospheric dynamics is presented briefly. The set of nonlinear dynamical equations that describe the motion of an atmospheric parcel is called the Navier-Stokes equations. Various assumptions can be made to simplify the governing equations. Geostrophic wind approximation is presented, which is often used in lower and middle atmosphere dynamics. Finally, some vertical coordinate systems are discussed.
Society’s Cradle: An Anthropological Perspective on the Socialisation of Cognition

As a species, we have universal capacities for perceiving the world, and cognitively structuring what we perceive. Nonetheless, the stimuli available to perception and the cultural values which give meaning to the objects and events perceived determine that cognitive skills may covary in some manner with the meaningful stimuli available to perception.
IL-7 and Depression: The importance of gender and blood fraction

Interleukin 7 (IL-7) is involved in B and T cell development and differentiation. Recent work suggests IL-7 may be altered in depression; however, we have previously shown that gender and blood fraction oftentimes impacts putative biomarker relationships among those with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current study examined the impact of blood fraction (serum versus plasma) and gender on the IL7 depression link in a sample of elders with and without AD. Non-fasting serum (150 AD cases 150 controls) and plasma (100 AD cases, 100 controls) IL-7 levels were assayed via electrochemiluminescence. The correlation between serum and plasma for IL-7 was 0.34. In the total sample, serum (r(2)=0.16, p=0.006) and plasma (r(2)=-0.20, p=0.007) IL-7 levels were significantly, but inversely, correlated with GDS-30 scores. When split by gender, serum IL-7 levels were significantly positively associated with GDS scores among men (r(2)=0.34, p=0.001) whereas plasma IL-7 levels (r(2)=-0.23, p=0.008) were significantly negatively associated with GDS scores among women. A logistic regression model predicting depression status (GDS30>=10) included age, gender, education, plasma, and serum IL-7 levels, found both significantly associated with depression status, but in opposite directions. Our findings support a significant link between IL-7 and depression; however, we further highlight the importance of blood fraction and gender when examining this relationship. Additionally, these findings further support the need for additional work that could lead to targeted therapeutic interventions utilizing anti-inflammatory medications for individuals with depression.
HPLC-Assisted Automated Oligosaccharide Synthesis: Implementation of the Autosampler as a Mode of the Reagent Delivery

The development of a useful methodology for simple, scalable, and transformative automation of oligosaccharide synthesis that easily interfaces with existing methods is reported. The automated synthesis can now be performed using accessible equipment where the reactants and reagents are delivered by the pump or the autosampler and the reactions can be monitored by the UV detector. The HPLC-based platform for automation is easy to setup and adapt to different systems and targets.
Characterizing Potentially Induced Earthquake Rate Changes in the Brawley Seismic Zone, Southern California

The Brawley seismic zone (BSZ), in the Salton trough of southern California, has a history of earthquake swarms and geothermal energy exploitation. Some earthquake rate changes may have been induced by fluid extraction and injection activity at local geothermal fields, particularly at the North Brawley Geothermal Field (NBGF) and at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF). We explore this issue by examining earthquake rate changes and interevent distance distributions in these fields. In Oklahoma and Arkansas, where considerable wastewater injection occurs, increases in background seismicity rate and aftershock productivity and decreases in interevent distance were indicative of fluid‐injection‐induced seismicity. Here, we test if similar changes occur that may be associated with fluid injection and extraction in geothermal areas. We use stochastic epidemic‐type aftershock sequence models to detect changes in the underlying seismogenic processes, shown by statistically significant changes in the model parameters. The most robust model changes in the SSGF roughly occur when large changes in net fluid production occur, but a similar correlation is not seen in the NBGF. Also, although both background seismicity rate and aftershock productivity increased for fluid‐injection‐induced earthquake rate changes in Oklahoma and Arkansas, the background rate increases significantly in the BSZ only, roughly corresponding with net fluid production rate increases. Moreover, in both fields the interevent spacing does not change significantly during active energy projects. This suggests that, although geothermal field activities in a tectonically active region may not significantly change the physics of earthquake interactions, earthquake rates may still be driven by fluid injection or extraction rates, particularly in the SSGF.
Third Exposure to a Reduced Carbohydrate Meal Lowers Evening Postprandial Insulin and GIP Responses and HOMA-IR Estimate of Insulin Resistance.

Background Postprandial hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease mortality. Postprandial hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia also occur in metabolically healthy subjects consuming high-carbohydrate diets particularly after evening meals and when carbohydrate loads follow acute exercise. We hypothesized the involvement of dietary carbohydrate load, especially when timed after exercise, and mediation by the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) in this phenomenon, as this incretin promotes insulin secretion after carbohydrate intake in insulin-sensitive, but not in insulin-resistant states. Methods Four groups of eight metabolically healthy weight-matched postmenopausal women were provided with three isocaloric meals (a pre-trial meal and two meals during the trial day) containing either 30% or 60% carbohydrate, with and without two-hours of moderate-intensity exercise before the last two meals. Plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon, GIP, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), free fatty acids (FFAs), and D-3-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were measured during 4-h postprandial periods and 3-h exercise periods, and their areas under the curve (AUCs) were analyzed by mixed-model ANOVA, and insulin resistance during fasting and meal tolerance tests within each diet was estimated using homeostasis-model assessment (HOMA-IR). Results The third low-carbohydrate meal, but not the high-carbohydrate meal, reduced: (1) evening insulin AUC by 39% without exercise and by 31% after exercise; (2) GIP AUC by 48% without exercise and by 45% after exercise, and (3) evening insulin resistance by 37% without exercise and by 24% after exercise. Pre-meal exercise did not alter insulin-, GIP- and HOMA-IR- lowering effects of low-carbohydrate diet, but exacerbated evening hyperglycemia. Conclusions Evening postprandial insulin and GIP responses and insulin resistance declined by over 30% after three meals that limited daily carbohydrate intake to 30% compared to no such changes after three 60%-carbohydrate meals, an effect that was independent of pre-meal exercise. The parallel timing and magnitude of postprandial insulin and GIP changes suggest their dependence on a delayed intestinal adaptation to a low-carbohydrate diet. Pre-meal exercise exacerbated glucose intolerance with both diets most likely due to impairment of insulin signaling by pre-meal elevation of FFAs.