cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sequence analysis of the medium and small RNAs of impatiens necrotic spot virus reveals segment reassortment but not recombination

The complete sequence of the medium (M) and small (S) RNA genome segments were determined for twelve isolates of impatiens necrotic spot virus from eight plant species. The M- and S-RNAs of these isolates shared 97–99% and 93–98% nucleotide sequence identity, respectively, with the corresponding full-length sequences available in public databases. Phylogenetic analysis based on the M- or S-RNA sequences showed incongruence in the phylogenetic position of some isolates, suggesting intraspecies segment reassortment. The lack of phylogenetic discordance in individual and concatenated sequences of individual genes encoded by M- or S-RNAs suggests that segment reassortment rather than recombination is driving evolution of these INSV isolates.
Abstract 4608: Colchicine binding site agents as potent tubulin inhibitors suppressing triple negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cases account for about 15% of all breast cancers in the United States and have poorer overall prognosis relative to other molecular subtypes, partially due to the rapid development of drug resistance to chemotherapies and the increased risk of visceral metastasis. One of the standard treatment regimens for TNBC is the use of a taxane-based chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, which stabilizes microtubules. However, drug resistance and neurotoxicities often limit the clinical efficacy of taxanes. Therefore, there are continuous needs to develop more effective therapies that could overcome resistance to taxanes. In this study, a novel series of structurally related pyridine analogs based on our previously reported lead compound ABI-274, was designed and synthesized to identify a molecule with improved antiproliferative potency. Most of these pyridine compounds exhibited potent cytotoxicity when tested in a panel of melanoma and breast cancer cell lines, with IC50 values in the low nanomolar range. Among them, CH-II-77 is the most potent compound with an IC50 value of 1−3 nM against these cancer cell lines, including paclitaxel-resistant sublines. The high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of CH-II-77 in complex with tubulin protein confirmed its direct binding to the colchicine-binding site. It strongly induced apoptosis and produced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in TNBC cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In vivo, CH-II-77 inhibited tumor growth in A375 melanoma xenografts and MDA-MB-231 TNBC xenografts in a dose-dependent manner. CH-II-77 was able to induce tumor necrosis and apoptosis in vivo. Collectively, these studies strongly suggest that CH-II-77 is a potent inhibitor of the growth of TNBC in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CH-II-77 and optimization of this analog are promising new generation of tubulin inhibitors for the treatment of TNBC and other types of cancers where tubulin inhibitors are currently being used clinically. Citation Format: Shanshan Deng, Hao Chen, Raisa Krutilina, Najah G. Albadari, Tiffany N. Seagroves, Duane D. Miller, Wei Li. Colchicine binding site agents as potent tubulin inhibitors suppressing triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4608.
Effect of observer variability and training cases on U-Net segmentation performance

In general, deep networks are biased by the truth data provided to the network in training. Many recent studies are focused on understanding and avoiding biases in deep networks so that they can be corrected in future predictions. Particularly, as deep networks experience increased implementation, it is important that biases are explored to understand where predictions can fail. One potential source of bias is in the truth data provided to the network. For example, if a training set consists of only white males, it is likely that predictive performance will be improved on a testing set of white males than a testing set of African-American females. The U-Net architecture is a deep network that has seen widespread use over recent years, particularly for medical imaging segmentation tasks. The network is trained using a binary mask delineating the object to be segmented, which is typically produced using manual or semi-automated methods. It is possible for the manual/semi-automated method to yield biased truth, thus, the purpose of our study is to evaluate the impact of varying truth data as provided by two different observers on U-Net segmentation performance. Additionally, a common problem in medical imaging research is a lack of data, forcing many studies to be performed with insufficient datasets. However, the U-Net has been shown to achieve sufficient segmentation performance on small training set sizes, thus we also investigate the impact of training set size on U-Net performance for a simple segmentation task in low-dose thoracic CT scans. This is also conducted to support that the results produced in the observer variability section of this study are not caused by lack of sufficient training data.
Olaparib for DNA repair-deficient prostate cancer — one for all, or all for one?

Mature results of the PROfound study demonstrate that the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib prolongs progression-free survival compared with second-generation hormonal therapies in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer harbouring BRCA1, BRCA2 or ATM mutations. However, a closer look at the efficacy of olaparib on a gene-by-gene basis suggests that its activity is most pronounced in BRCA2-mutant prostate cancers and might not be equally active in all homologous recombination repair-deficient cancers.
Cadmium exposure activates Akt/ERK Signaling and pro-inflammatory COX-2 expression in human gallbladder epithelial cells via a ROS dependent mechanism.

Abstract Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the commonest biliary tract cancer with an ill-defined etiology. We examined the role of Cd+2 exposures in a primary human gallbladder (GB) cell line model in this study. Cd+2 exposures induced decreased cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, altered Akt/ERK signaling pathway activation, PGE2 and COX-2 expression in a human primary gallbladder epithelial cell model. Pharmacological inhibitors were used to determine the key drivers of elevated COX-2 expression due to Cd+2 exposure. Our results show Cd+2 causes a dose-dependent reduction in GB cell viability (EC50 value – 18.6 μM). Dose-dependent activation of phospho-Akt and phospho-ERK signaling pathways via increased phosphoprotein expression was observed due to Cd+2. Signaling activation of Akt and ERK was prevented by 5 mM N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), establishing the role of ROS as a key driver in the activation process. Importantly, we observed Cd+2 also caused a dose dependent change in the COX-2 and PGE2 expression levels. PI3K-Akt and NF-kB signaling pathways play a key role in Cd+2 exposure induced COX-2 activation in the gallbladder epithelial cells. In conclusion, our study measures the toxicological effects of Cd+2 exposures on human GB epithelial cells for the first time and establishes the role of Cd+2 as a possible driver of the Akt/ERK pathway overactivity and chronic inflammation in gallbladder carcinogenesis.
Defensive minoritarianism: support for democracy among Lebanese Christians

When does religion promote anti-democratic attitudes in the Middle East? A sizeable sub-literature assesses attitudes towards democracy among Muslims in the region, but less attention has been give...
Pig‐a gene mutations in bone marrow granulocytes of procarbazine‐treated F344 rats

It was previously demonstrated that procarbazine (PCZ) is positive in the rat erythrocyte Pig-a gene mutation assay. However, since mammalian erythrocytes lack genomic DNA, it was necessary to analyze nucleated bone-marrow erythroid precursor cells to confirm that PCZ induces mutations in the Pig-a gene (Revollo et al., Environ Mol Mutagen, 2020). In this study, the association between Pig-a mutation and loss of GPI anchors was further strengthened and the genesis of Pig-a mutation in PCZ-dosed rats was evaluated by analyzing bone-marrow granulocytes. Erythrocytes and granulocytes both originate from myeloid progenitor cells, but granulocytes contain DNA throughout their developmental stages. F344 rats were treated with three doses of 150 mg/kg PCZ; 2 weeks later, CD48-deficient mutant phenotype bone-marrow granulocytes (BMGs [CD11b+ ]) were isolated by flow-cytometric sorting. Sequencing data showed that the CD48-deficient mutant phenotype BMGs contained mutations in the Pig-a gene while wild-type BMGs did not. PCZ-induced mutations included missense, nonsense and splice site variants; the majority of mutations were A > T, A > C, and A > G, with the mutated A on the nontranscribed DNA strand. The PCZ-induced mutational analysis in BMGs supports the association between the phenotype measured in the Pig-a assay and mutation in the Pig-a gene. Also, PCZ mutation spectra were similar in bone-marrow erythroids and BMGs, but none of the mutations detected in BMGs were the same as the erythroid precursor cell mutations from the same rats. Thus, mutations induced in the Pig-a assay appear to be induced after commitment of myeloid progenitor cells to either the granulocyte or erythroid pathway.
Embodying the Sacred by Nancy E. Van Deusen

Van Deusen, Nancy E. Embodying the Sacred: Women Mystics in Seventeenth-Century Lima. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2018.
The dejudicialization of religious freedom

Despite a recent trend toward the judicialization of religious freedom (JRF), both historical experience and theoretical considerations suggest ‘dejudicialization’ is likely at some point. Yet, dej...
Association of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Elevated Blood Pressure and Orthostatic Hypertension in Adolescence.

Importance Although pediatric guidelines have delineated updated thresholds for elevated blood pressure (eBP) in youth and adult guidelines have recognized obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as an established risk factor for eBP, the relative association of pediatric OSA with adolescent eBP remains unexplored. Objective To assess the association of pediatric OSA with eBP and its orthostatic reactivity in adolescence. Design, Setting, and Participants At baseline of this population-based cohort study (Penn State Child Cohort) in 2000-2005, a random sample of 700 children aged 5 to 12 years from the general population was studied. A total of 421 participants (60.1%) were followed up in 2010-2013 after 7.4 years as adolescents (ages, 12-23 years). Data analyses were conducted from July 6 to October 29, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes were the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) score, ascertained via polysomnography conducted in a laboratory; eBP measured in the seated position identified using guideline-recommended pediatric criteria; orthostatic hyperreactivity identified with BP assessed in the supine and standing positions; and visceral adipose tissue assessed via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Results Among the 421 participants (mean [SD] age at follow-up, 16.5 [2.3] years), 227 (53.9%) were male and 92 (21.9%) were racial/ethnic minorities. A persistent AHI of 2 or more since childhood was longitudinally associated with adolescent eBP (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% CI 1.1-7.5), while a remitted AHI of 2 or more was not (OR, 0.9; 95% CI 0.3-2.6). Adolescent OSA was associated with eBP in a dose-response manner; however, the association of an AHI of 2 to less than 5 among adolescents was nonsignificant (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.9-2.6) and that of an AHI of 5 or more was approximately 2-fold (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1-4.9) after adjusting for visceral adipose tissue. An AHI of 5 or more (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2-8.5), but not between 2 and less than 5 (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.6-3.0), was associated with orthostatic hyperreactivity among adolescents even after adjusting for visceral adipose tissue. Childhood OSA was not associated with adolescent eBP in female participants, while the risk of OSA and eBP was greater in male participants. Conclusions and Relevance The results of this cohort study suggest that childhood OSA is associated with adolescent hypertension only if it persists during this developmental period. Visceral adiposity explains a large extent of, but not all, the risk of hypertension associated with adolescent OSA, which is greater in male individuals.
Proofs of Theorems B, C, and D

Recall that a partially ordered set L is a geometric lattice if (a) it has a unique minimal element, 0 (b) for each v∈Lall maximally ordered chains 0 = v0<v1<…<vp = v have the same number of elements, in which case we say the rank of v is p and we write p = r(v). (c) This function satisfies $$ r(v \wedge w) + r(v \vee w) \leqslant r(v) + r(w) $$ (d) every element is a join of elements of rank 1
In Situ Microstructural Control and Mechanical Testing Inside the Transmission Electron Microscope at Elevated Temperatures

With atomic-scale imaging and analytical capabilities such as electron diffraction and energy-loss spectroscopy, the transmission electron microscope has allowed access to the internal microstructure of materials like no other microscopy. It has been mostly a passive or post-mortem analysis tool, but that trend is changing with in situ straining, heating and electrical biasing. In this study, we design and demonstrate a multi-functional microchip that integrates actuators, sensors, heaters and electrodes with freestanding electron transparent specimens. In addition to mechanical testing at elevated temperatures, the chip can actively control microstructures (grain growth and phase change) of the specimen material. Using nano-crystalline aluminum, nickel and zirconium as specimen materials, we demonstrate these novel capabilities inside the microscope. Our approach of active microstructural control and quantitative testing with real-time visualization can influence mechanistic modeling by providing direct and accurate evidence of the fundamental mechanisms behind materials behavior.
A PHOTOMETRIC ADAPTATION OF THE SOMOGYI METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF GLUCOSE

The reliability of the various Somogyi-Shaffer-Hartmann (1, 2) copper reagents for glucose determination in biological material has been established. Adaptation of these reagents to calorimetric use may be accomplished by omission of the iodide and iodate in their preparation, since these interfere with the molybdate color reagents. This omission produces no especial change in the character of the reagents. KI, however, inhibits the autoreduction of the copper and in its absence an unstable reagent results. Nevertheless, if the copper is added to the rest of the reagent on the day of its use, this difficulty is avoided. When the Somogyi micro reagent (2) is used in this way with almost any of the various phosphomolybdate reagents, very satisfactory proportionality is found between color density and glucose taken over a wide range of values. However, all of the phosphomolybdate reagents tried left much to be desired in reproducibility from time to time and lacked the desired stability of color. We therefore tried various color reagents, which led to the development of a new arsenomolybdate reagent. When this reagent was used with Somogyi’s micro reagent, it gave satisfactory stability and reproducibility of color. By this means it has been possible to utilize the copper reagents in a photometric procedure for practically all the uses to which the titrimetric procedures are adapted. These include tissue sugar, glycogen, urine reduction equivalent, maltose, glucuronic acid, etc. However, diastase determinations have not been successful because of the effect of the undigested starch on the clarity of the final colored solution. The reactions involved in the molybdenum blue reaction are uncertain and beyond the scope of this report. Woods and Mellon (3) discuss and give references to the various interpretations of the reaction. Reagents-Analytical reagent grade or the equivalent. 1. Copper Reagent A. Dissolve 25 gm. of N&C03 (anhydrous), 25 gm. of Rochelle salt, 20 gm. of NaHCOs, and 200 gm. of NaiSOa (anhydrous) in about 800 ml. of water and dilute to 1 liter. Filter if necessary.’ This
Inhibition of Terminal Differentiation of Hamster Epidermal Cells in Culture by the Phorbol Ester 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate

The effect of 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the terminal differentiation of hamster epidermal cells in culture was studied. Epidermal cells were isolated from 1-day-old Syrian hamsters by separating the epidermis from the dermis by cold trypsin treatment. A large number of cells were isolated by this procedure without contamination with dermal fibroblasts. When grown in culture, the epidermal cells divided rapidly, stratified, and differentiated as measured by elaboration of abundant keratin-like amorphous material, red staining with rhodanile blue (which is characteristic of cornifying epithelium), and formation of cornified envelopes. These structures were measured by electron microscopy and quantitation of detergent-insoluble cell ghosts. TPA markedly inhibited this differentiation of the hamster epidermal cells in culture. When grown in the presence of TPA (5 to 1000 ng/ml) for three or more days, the epidermal cell monolayers failed to stain positively with rhodanile blue, and the cell stratification and production of keratin-like material was reduced. The differentiation of the epidermal cells was quantitated by measuring the percentage of cells with cornified envelopes; TPA reduced by up to 70% the number of these terminally differentiated cells. Phorbol didecanoate also inhibited the differentiation of hamster epidermal cells in culture, while phorbol was inactive. The effect of TPA was reversible. When TPA was removed from the media, the cells rapidly differentiated to the same extent as did untreated cells. TPA also stimulated DNA synthesis of the epidermal cells, especially after 10 days in culture when the vast number of cells in control cultures had ceased DNA synthesis. These results are discussed in view of the fact that TPA has not been demonstrated to promote epidermal carcinogenesis in Syrian hamsters.
The Ties That Bind: Infanticide, Gender, and Society

Infanticide is seen to be a horrific act, and yet this article finds that a growing body of literature on the topic is proving that infanticide is tied to human history. It provides a synthesis of the literature and identifies new directions in the scholarship since William L. Langer. These new directions move beyond the infanticidal act itself to an understanding of the circumstances that prompt it. They make clear that women’s bodies tie them to their sexuality and the need to nurture children. Moreover, women must carry out these responsibilities while tied to hostile environments, cultural proscriptions, patriarchal law, and the violence of war. Infanticide scholarship, then, uncovers the numerous ties that bind women together as victims who are driven to infanticide and also as women who have exhibited agency in an attempt to move beyond victimhood and assert control over their own destiny.
Effects of diet macronutrient composition on body composition and fat distribution during weight maintenance and weight loss

Objective Qualitative aspects of diet may affect body composition and propensity for weight gain or loss. We tested the hypothesis that consumption of a relatively low glycemic load (GL) diet would reduce total and visceral adipose tissue under both eucaloric and hypocaloric conditions. Design and Methods Participants were 69 healthy overweight men and women. Body composition was assessed by DXA and fat distribution by CT scan at baseline, after 8 weeks of a eucaloric diet intervention, and after 8 weeks of a hypocaloric (1000 kcal/day deficit) diet intervention. Participants were provided all food for both phases, and randomized to either a low GL diet ( 75 points per 1000 kcal, n = 29). Results After the eucaloric phase, participants who consumed the low GL diet had 11% less intra-abdominal fat (IAAT) than those who consumed the high GL diet (P < 0.05, adjusted for total fat mass and baseline IAAT). Participants lost an average of 5.8 kg during the hypocaloric phase, with no differences in the amount of weight loss with diet assignment (P = 0.39). Following weight loss, participants who consumed the low GL diet had 4.4% less total fat mass than those who consumed the high GL diet (P < 0.05, adjusted for lean mass and baseline fat mass). Conclusions Consumption of a relatively low GL diet may affect energy partitioning, both inducing reduction in IAAT independent of weight change, and enhancing loss of fat relative to lean mass during weight loss.
For the Sake of Our Future: Sacrificing in Eastern Indonesia

For tfie Sake of Our Future: Sacrificing in Eastern Indonesia. Signe Howell. ed. Leiden, Netherlands: Leiden University, 1996. 398 pp.
Similarity measures for short segments of text

Measuring the similarity between documents and queries has been extensively studied in information retrieval. However, there are a growing number of tasks that require computing the similarity between two very short segments of text. These tasks include query reformulation, sponsored search, and image retrieval. Standard text similarity measures perform poorly on such tasks because of data sparseness and the lack of context. In this work, we study this problem from an information retrieval perspective, focusing on text representations and similarity measures. We examine a range of similarity measures, including purely lexical measures, stemming, and language modeling-based measures. We formally evaluate and analyze the methods on a query-query similarity task using 363,822 queries from a web search log. Our analysis provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each method, including important tradeoffs between effectiveness and efficiency.
Separate Roads to Feminism: Organizing One's Own

No one has invented an “ism” that works for everybody. Dorinda Moreno Concord, California July 2000 Introduction: The Intermovement Level and Feminist Emergences In the previous three chapters, I have narrated the emergences of feminist movements from different racial/ethnic communities such that it might be hard for the reader to imagine that feminists would have had any choice but to form organizationally distinct movements. Since left feminist movements came from other social movements, and since “recruitment to a movement follows the lines of pre-existing social relationships,” the existence of organizationally distinct feminisms organized along racial/ethnic lines seems to have been “natural,” and inevitable (Gerlach and Hine 1970:44). But the commonalities that feminists shared with those in their parent movements were not straitjackets. It was also the case that there were contacts among emerging feminists in different racial/ethnic communities, and that there was cross-pollination of ideas about gender liberation. The 1960s and 1970s were years in which social movement politics were fluid and fast-changing; when new constituencies of activists emerged and agitated; when long-standing social injustices and cultural mores were challenged, sometimes successfully; and when people did, at various times, meet and work with those of other classes and races. Many white feminists encountered and emulated Black Civil Rights activists in that movement (Evans 1979) and continued to stay abreast of developments in that movement; a number of Black feminists had relationships with white feminists, with Black women represented in the ranks and among the leadership of the National Organization for Women (NOW) (A. C. Hernandez, interview 2000; Marx Ferree and Hess 1994); and as argued in Chapter Four Chicana feminists were sympathetic to a large part of the “Anglo” feminist agenda, if not to white feminists themselves (Orozco 1976).
The Relation between Identification and Discrimination along Speech and Non-Speech Continua:

In order to investigate the perception of simple unidimensional non-speech stimuli and synthetic speech stimuli in a manner permitting direct comparisons, identification and discrimination function...
Noninvasive Assessment of Endothelial Activity in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Microvascular endothelial activity (EA) after stimulation with iontophoretically administered acetylcholine was evaluated using laser Doppler fluxmetery (LDF) and calibrated photoplethysmography (c-PPG) in normal patients and patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). The patients included 79 non-PAD subjects and 51 patients with PAD. Upper and lower extremity EA was examined using LDF and c-PPG after acetylcholine iontophoresis for 10 min. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed using integrated area under response curve. In non-PAD patients, the EA by LDF in the upper extremity was significantly lower in the older patients compared to the younger patients. Conversely, EA by LDF detected no significant difference between these groups in the lower extremity.With c-PPG, the EA was slightly reduced in the upper but not in the lower extremity in older patients. Comparing PAD patients to the older patients, there was a significantly lower EA response in the upper and lower extremities by LDF. Likewise, ...
Robust Segmentation and Tracking of Generic Shapes of Neuro-stem Cells

Given the time lapse images of human Neuro Stem Cells (hNSC) marked by fluorescent proteins, that are obtained from a confocal laser microscope, we present algorithms to identify, segment, track, and estimate statistical parameters of the cells. The structure of these cells are quite complex and irregular, which makes segmentation and tracking even more challenging. We use a novel combination of Difference of Gaussians and a variant of the Watershed algorithm to segment cells accurately. Our tracking algorithm can identify not only the temporal path of the cells but also events like cell divisions and deaths. Our system is robust, efficient, completely automatic, and removes many drawbacks faced by earlier solutions. We also propose the first geometric algorithm that uses Delaunay triangulation, to find the number of the branches of the cells, which is an important biological feature.
Physics of gamma-ray bursts

Attention is given to the accumulating evidence for the view that gamma-ray bursts come from strongly magnetic neutron stars, discussing the physical properties of the emission region and the radiation processes expected in strong magnetic fields, and emphasizing that the observed burst spectra require that the emission region be optically thin. This entails that the energy of the emitting plasma and/or the plasma itself be continuously replenished during a burst, and that the cooling time scale of the emitting plasma be much shorter than the observed duration of the bursts. This characteristic of the cooling time scale implies that the burst intensity and spectrum can vary on extremely short time scales, and that the burst duration must have a separate explanation. It is emphasized that synchrotron emission is favored as the gamma-ray production mechanism; it is the only mechanism capable of satisfying the optical thinness constraint while producing the observed luminosity.
[D-Ala2]deltorphin I binding and pharmacological evidence for a special subtype of delta opioid receptor on human and invertebrate immune cells.

Abstract The effects of the opioid neuropeptide [D-Ala2]deltorphin I, isolated from amphibian skin, on immunoregulatory activities were studied in representatives of vertebrates and invertebrates. The high potency of this compound parallels that of [Met]enkephalin, which was previously demonstrated in vertebrate plasma and invertebrate hemolymph. The addition of [D-Ala2]deltorphin I at 10(-11) M to human granulocytes or immunocytes of the mollusc Mytilus edulis resulted in cellular adherence and conformational changes indicative of cellular activation. This value is in line with the concentrations obtained with [Met]enkephalin, tested in the presence of the specific neutral endopeptidase 24.11 inhibitor phosphoramidon, and this opioid's synthetic analog [D-Ala2, Met5]enkephalin which, like [D-Ala2]deltorphin I, is resistant to proteolytic degradation. Both ligands appear to be acting on the same population of immunocytes. The same relationship was estimated to exist in the insect Leucophaea maderae, in which the high viscosity of the hemolymph makes the quantification of reactive cells more difficult than in Mytilus. In addition, [D-Ala2]deltorphin I is as potent as beta-endorphin in affecting the proliferation of lymphocytes in response to mitogen. Saturation experiments with unlabeled ligands and the radioligands [3H][D-Ala2]deltorphin I and [3H][D-Ala2,Met5]enkephalinamide revealed the presence of two high-affinity binding sites on human granulocytes, one sensitive to the nonequilibrium delta opioid antagonist [D-Ala2,Leu5,Cys6]enkephalinamide and the other relatively insensitive. The results obtained with [D-Ala2]deltorphin I support the view that the special role played by endogenous [Met]enkephalin in immunobiological activities of vertebrates and invertebrates is mediated by a special subtype of delta opioid receptor.
Constitutively Active Akt Inhibits Trafficking of Amyloid Precursor Protein and Amyloid Precursor Protein Metabolites through Feedback Inhibition of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase†

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides, generated through sequential proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP), aggregate to form amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Understanding the regulation of Aβ generation and cellular secretion is critical to our understanding of AD pathophysiology. In the present study, we examined the role of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway in regulating APP trafficking and Aβ secretion. Previous studies have demonstrated that insulin or IGF-1 stimulation can increase Aβ and APP secretion in a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) dependent manner. To expand upon these studies and better understand the molecular targets responsible for alterations in APP secretion, we constitutively activated Akt, a downstream component of the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway. Counterintuitively, constitutively active Akt (myr-Akt) overexpression produced an opposite effect to insulin/IGF-1 stimulation and inhibited secretion of APP and APP metabolites in mult...
A computer-based information system for clinical engineering in hospitals

Abstract The goals of the clinical engineering department at a hospital can be summarized in three points. First, it is to achieve safe, reliable, cost effective, and appropriate use of clinical, communications, and electrically-operated equipment by patients, staff, and visitors. Second, it is to document safety, performance, and regulatory compliance through periodic inspection and testing of devices. Third, it is to use data associated with both scheduled and non-scheduled activities to minimize the necessity for non-scheduled maintenance and problem-solving. To achieve these goals, it requires a sophisticated computer information system. A computer-based clinical engineering information system (CEIS) for the support and testing of the clinical equipment used in hospitals is presented in this paper. This CEIS is designed to be menu-driven and higher user-friendly. It will allow the clinical engineering department to perform jobs more efficiently and effectively at a hospital.
Branch structures at the steps of the devil's staircase of the sine circle map

We have discovered substructures consisting of branches at each step of the devil's staircase of the sine circle map. These substructures are found to follow the hierarchy of the Farey tree. We develop a formalism to relate the rational winding number {ital W}={ital p}/{ital q} to the number of branches in these substructures.
Horton overland flow contribution to runoff on unpaved mountain roads: A case study in northern Thailand

Two indirect methods are used to detect evidence of intercepted subsurface flow (ISSF) by the road prism in the Pang Khum Experimental Watershed (PKEW) in northern Thailand. During the 12-month study period we failed to observe a soil moisture change that corresponds with ISSF being generated by the water table rising above the road surface. In support of the soil moisture data, δ 18 O signatures of rain water, road runoff, and stream water (a proxy for soil water) suggest Horton overland flow (HOF) generated on the road surface, not ISSF, is the dominant source of observed road runoff during typical rainfall events in the study area. This finding, which is contrary to the ISSF-dominant road runoff regime found typically on unpaved mountain roads in the US Pacific NW, suggests that the use of a HOF-based model to simulate runoff and sediment transport on unpaved roads in PKEW provides not only lower bound estimates of these processes, but realistic approximations for typical events.
Cognitive and Neural Correlates of Aerobic Fitness in Obese Older Adults

Background/Study Context: Aerobic fitness is associated with preserved cognition and brain volume in older adulthood. The current study investigated whether the benefits of aerobic fitness extend to obese older adults, a segment of the population that is rapidly growing and who exhibit compromised cognition and brain structure relative to their nonobese counterparts. Methods: Measures of obesity, aerobic fitness, cognition (processing speed, executive function, spatial ability, memory), and regional brain volumes (prefrontal gray, prefrontal white, hippocampus) were obtained from 19 obese older adults aged 65 to 75. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the proportion of unique variance in cognitive and volumetric measures accounted for by aerobic fitness after controlling for covariates (age, gender, and waist circumference). Results: Aerobic fitness accounted for a significant amount of unique variance in processing speed (adjusted R 2 = .44), executive function (adjusted R 2...
Circadian Dysregulation Disrupts Bile Acid Homeostasis

Background Bile acids are potentially toxic compounds and their levels of hepatic production, uptake and export are tightly regulated by many inputs, including circadian rhythm. We tested the impact of disrupting the peripheral circadian clock on integral steps of bile acid homeostasis. Methodology/principal findings Both restricted feeding, which phase shifts peripheral clocks, and genetic ablation in Per1(-/-)/Per2(-/-) (PERDKO) mice disrupted normal bile acid control and resulted in hepatic cholestasis. Restricted feeding caused a dramatic, transient elevation in hepatic bile acid levels that was associated with activation of the xenobiotic receptors CAR and PXR and elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), indicative of liver damage. In the PERDKO mice, serum bile acid levels were elevated and the circadian expression of key bile acid synthesis and transport genes, including Cyp7A1 and NTCP, was lost. This was associated with blunted expression of a primary clock output, the transcription factor DBP, which transactivates the promoters of both genes. Conclusions/significance We conclude that disruption of the circadian clock results in dysregulation of bile acid homeostasis that mimics cholestatic disease.
Malingered dementia associated with battered women's syndrome

Received November 21, 1996; revised February 28, 1997; accepted April 3, 1997. From the Wake Area Health Education Center, Wake Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Address reprint requests to Dr. Gittelman, Wake Medical Education Institute, 3024 New Bern Ave., Suite 301, Raleigh, NC 27610. e-mail: daddkg@med.unc.edu. Copyright 1998 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Domestic violence is a problem affecting a significant number of households in the United States and around the world. Domestic violence encompasses a broad range of violent behaviors perpetrated by family members and other intimate partners against each other. Battering may be considered a form of domestic violence that occurs in a repetitive, cyclical fashion, with one partner as the chronic batterer and the other partner as the chronic victim of battering. The majority of batterers are men and the majority of the victims of battering are women (among heterosexual couples). Another specific characteristic of battering is control. Whereas domestic violence consists of sporadic assaults arising from arguments and hot tempers, battering includes violence and other behaviors intended to keep the victim within the control of the batterer. Physical and sexual assaults, as well as emotional degradation, financial destitution, and isolation from family and friends, have been described as means used by batterers to control their victims. The case reported is one of malingered dementia induced by a battering husband upon his wife so that he could have her at home within his control.
Characterization of murine polyreactive antigen-binding B cells: presentation of antigens to T cells.

Monoclonal polyreactive antibodies (Ab) can bind, at low affinity, a variety of different self and non-self antigens (Ag). Recent studies in humans showed that polyreactive Ab are expressed onthe surface of a subset of peripheral B lymphocytes and clonal analysis revealed that a variety of different Ag can bind to single cells expressing these Ab. To see if these polyreactive Ag-bindingB (PAB) cells also are present in mice, fluorescein-conjugated Ag and FACS sorting were used to identify and separate PAB cells from non-polyreactive Ag-binding B cells. Depending on the Ag used for screening, up to one-third of mouse splenic B cells displayed polyreactive Ag-binding properties. Confirmation that the Ag actually bound to surface Ig came from treating PAB cells with anti-Ig which inhibited Ag binding by up to 80 %. Further studies showed that PAB cells could present Ag to Ag-specific T cells, but despite their Ag-presenting ability, PAB cells from normal mice failed totrigger Ag-specific T cells to proliferate. Analysis of the co-stimulatory molecules B7-1 and B7-2 showed that these molecules were not expressed on PAB cells from normal mice. These findings argue that thelack of co-stimulatory molecules on PAB cells is the most likely explanation for their failure to stimulate Ag-specific T cells. The ability of PAB cells from normal mice to bind and present Ag to Ag-specific T cells, without causing them to proliferate, suggests that PAB cells may contribute to the induction and / or maintenance of immunological tolerance.
A Bio-Inspired Aircraft Design Concept

The goal of the research has been to design a robotic bird that utilizes principles of nature to optimize flight. Seagulls were the preferred model for the robot because they have a large wing span that provides a more steady flight and sheds a continuous wake vortex, creating lift on both the upstroke and down-stroke of flight [1]. Research has been done on the architecture of a seagull’s wing as well as the aerodynamic features of its comprising airfoils. The robotic wings developed will capture the architecture of the seagull wings with a variety of airfoils that improve lift and reduce drag and joints that enable bending on the upstroke in the flapping motion. A main focus of this research was to study how the seagull uses air flow to improve its flight performance. The fluid mechanics of the wing was analyzed for steady and unsteady flight using Fluent code to see how seagull adapts to different flow conditions. Using the developed robotic model of the wing attempts were made to achieve the necessary wing positioning that fully complied with that of the seagull during flight. Actuation of the wings was achieved using servo motors. Fabrication of the robotic prototype involved material selection for the fuselage, wing surface and skeletal structure. At completion of the prototyping, trials were performed using stereovision to study the complex effects of unsteady flow, and to verify the computational analyses undertaken.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Fluorometric analysis of epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Abstract A modification of the classic trihydroxyindole method for the fluorometric estimation of epinephrine and norepinephrine is presented. Assay procedures for each catecholamine were separately optimized, significantly increasing the sensitivity and specificity of the procedures. Methodology has been simplified through the use of intersolution calibration, making this assay suitable for use in research or clinical laboratories. Performance of both epinephrine and norepinephrine assays are possible on 1 ml of deproteinated plasma or urine using these procedures.
Urban Sprawl and Decline: Prospects for Change

Urban sprawl has emerged as a popular and contentious issue, with increasingnumbers of calls for “growth management” and “smart growth.” But efforts to control real estate development collide with strongly held American values concerning property rights and home rule. Little change is the likely result. However, the related dynamic of urban decline is more amenable to change because political forces required for change are likely to strengthen as aged suburbs themselves face decline.
Empirical line parameters of NH3 from 4791 to 5294 cm−1

To support remote sensing of planetary atmospheres at 2 μm, laboratory spectra of NH3 and enriched 14NH3 and 15NH3 were recorded at 0.011 cm−1 resolution with the McMath Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) located at Kitt Peak National Observatory/National Solar Observatory. Multiple optical paths and pressures were used with sample temperatures between 297 and 185K. Some 2000 line positions and intensities at room temperature were measured with precisions of 0.0003 cm−1 and 3%, respectively, for unblended transitions. Low and room temperature intensities were then combined to determine empirical lower state energies for 1815 lines. These data permitted the assignments for v1 + v4 of 14NH3 to be extended to J′ = 10. Transitions of v3 + v4 of 15NH3 were also cataloged for the first time. Nearly 45% of the 2000 measured features were identified, and empirical upper state levels were obtained. The experimental results for lines with measured intensities greater than 3 × 10−24 cm−1/(molecule·cm−2) at 296 K were included in the 1996 HITRAN database. To obtain consistent NH3 line positions, the positions of 28 H2O transitions between 5206 and 5396 cm−1 were also calibrated using the 2-0 band of CO at 4260 cm−1.
Use of an Oral Glucose-Electrolyte Solution in the Treatment of Paediatric Cholera—A controlled study

This study was conducted in Calcutta India during the cholera season April-July 1970 to evaluate the use of an oral glucose-electrolyte solution and to define the practical problems involved in carrying out such treatment in infants and children. 15 children were treated by standard intravenous methods and 17 by a combination of intravenous and oral glucose-electrolyte fluids. Results from the study suggested that oral fluid therapy will be uniformly successful only after initial fluid and electrolyte losses have been corrected intravenously. Since lack of intravenous fluid and lack of trained personnel are major handicaps to successful cholera therapy in India oral therapy can be a marked improvement since it decreases the need for intravenous fluids thereby reducing need for trained personnel to administer therapy under difficult field conditions.
A game theoretical approach to franchising arrangements

The paper explores interactive relationships between a franchisor and a franchisee. We investigate issues of non-cooperation and cooperation between channel members, using game theoretical concepts as the foundation for the analysis of these issues. First, we model the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee as a non-cooperative two-stage game. The franchisor, as the leader, specifies the fixed lump-sum and the royalty fee and the franchisee, as the follower, then decides on the retail price. Second, we address the problem of cooperation between franchisor and franchisee, taking into consideration the effect of the franchisee's risk attitude on cooperation and illustrate the consequences of mutually beneficial incentives. We also look at conditions under which both members prefer to cooperate, and conditions under which only one member prefers to cooperate, and the associated optimal payment schemes.
Spiral structure as an explanation for the asymmetric brightness of Saturn's A ring

REITSEMA et al. and Lumme and Irvine have recently confirmed earlier observations which suggested that the A ring of Saturn is fainter in the quadrants following conjunctions of the particles with the Earth–Saturn line and brighter in the quadrants preceding conjunctions. Surprisingly, no intrinsic azimuthal brightness variation is found in the B ring. The brightness variation has been linked to the presence of synchronously rotating particles in the A ring, the effect caused by either a systematic variation in albedo over their surfaces or variations in their geometric projections. Of these two possibilities, the latter seems more promising since the asymmetry of the brightness variation with respect to the Earth–Saturn line is difficult to account for by means of an albedo variation. Furthermore, an albedo variation would yield the same brightness pattern for the B ring if it contained synchronously rotating particles. In this paper, however, we propose yet another mechanism to explain the phenomenon—spiral wakes in the A ring.
Psychobiology and the treatment of drug dependence: the biobehavioral interface

In the past 15 years there has been an explosion of data on the multivariate nature of drug dependence. The complex relationship between addictive disorders and psychopathology has been better clarified. Certain Axis I and II diagnoses in DSM-III appear to occur more commonly in alcohol-and drug-dependent patients than in the general population, suggesting that they may serve as risk factors for the development of addictive disorders. Psychopathological symptoms also result during periods of chronic intoxication and may persist as secondary psychiatric disorders even in the absence of continued substance use. Behavioral research in human and animal models has begun to yield insights into the nature of dependence disorders and the importance of brain mechanisms of reinforcement to the addiction process. Inevitably, neural scientists are beginning to delineate the commonalities and differences in drug reinforcement across drug class. The research has begun to suggest pharmacological approaches to the treatm...
Using the Importance Sampling Identity to Bound Tail Probabilities

We show how the importance sampling identity can often be used to efficiently bound tail probabilities, illustrating with the normal, Poisson, and gamma random variables.
Occupational expectations and the hypothesis of increasing realism of choice

Abstract A two-wave analysis of the dynamics of occupational expectations in a rural youth panel generally failed to support the hypothesis of ‘increasing realism of choice.’ An analysis of four multiple regression equations indicated (1) that Black youth tended to lower their levels of occupational expectations over time and (2) that occupational expectations tended to vary with changes in occupational aspirations and educational expectations. However, family SEI, perception of occupational goal blockage, three measures of self image and change in perception of occupational goal blockage, were not found to be associated with the dynamics of occupational expectation. Two alternate explanations for the findings were presented.