cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Replacing dietary antibiotics with 0.20% l-glutamine in swine nursery diets: impact on health and productivity of pigs following weaning and transport1,2,3.

Antibiotic use has been limited in U.S. swine production. Therefore, the objective was to determine whether supplementing l-glutamine at cost-effective levels can replace dietary antibiotics to improve piglet welfare and productivity following weaning and transport. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that withholding dietary antibiotics would negatively affect pigs while diet supplementation with 0.20% l-glutamine (GLN) would have similar effects on pig performance and health as antibiotics. Mixed sex piglets (N = 480; 5.62 ± 0.06 kg BW) were weaned (18.4 ± 0.2 d of age) and transported for 12 h in central Indiana, for 2 replicates, during the summer of 2016 and the spring of 2017. Pigs were blocked by BW and allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments (n = 10 pens/dietary treatment/replicate [8 pigs/pen]); antibiotics (A; chlortetracycline [441 ppm] + tiamulin [38.6 ppm]), no antibiotics (NA), or GLN fed for 14 d. On days 15 to 34, pigs were provided common antibiotic-free diets in 2 phases. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED in SAS 9.4. Day 14 BW and days 0 to 14 ADG were greater (P = 0.01) for A (5.6% and 18.5%, respectively) and GLN pigs (3.8% and 11.4%, respectively) compared with NA pigs, with no differences between A and GLN pigs. Days 0 to 14 ADFI increased for A (P 0.05) in productivity between dietary treatments were detected. On day 13, plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was reduced (P = 0.02) in A (36.7 ± 6.9 pg/mL) and GLN pigs (40.9 ± 6.9 pg/mL) vs. NA pigs (63.2 ± 6.9 pg/mL). Aggressive behavior tended to be reduced overall (P = 0.09; 26.4%) in GLN compared with A pigs, but no differences were observed between A and GLN vs. NA pigs. Huddling, active, and eating/drinking behaviors were increased overall (P < 0.02; 179%, 37%, and 29%, respectively) in the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate. When hot carcass weight (HCW) was used as a covariate, loin depth and lean percentage were increased (P = 0.01; 4.0% and 1.1%, respectively) during the spring replicate compared with the summer replicate. In conclusion, GLN supplementation improved pig performance and health after weaning and transport similarly to A across replicates; however, the positive effects of A and GLN were diminished when dietary treatments ceased.
Technology-independent estimation of cell type composition using differentially methylated regions

Background: High-resolution genome-wide measurement of DNA methylation (DNAm) has become a widely used assay in biomedical research. A major challenge in measuring DNAm is variability introduced from intra-sample cellular heterogeneity, which is a convolution of DNAm profiles across cell types. When this source of variability is confounded with an outcome of interest, if unaccounted for, false positives ensue. This is particularly problematic in epigenome-wide association studies for human disease performed on whole blood, a heterogeneous tissue. To account for this source of variability, a first step is to determine the actual cell proportions of each sample. Currently, the most effective approach is based on fitting a linear model in which one assumes the DNAm profiles of the representative cell types are known. However, we can only make this assumption when a dedicated experiment is performed to provide a plug-in estimate for these profiles. Although this method works well in practice, technology-specific biases lead to platform-dependent plug-in profiles. As a result, to apply the current methods across technologies we are required to repeat these costly experiments for each platform. Results: Here, we present a method that accurately estimates cell proportions agnostic to platform by first using experimental data to identify regions in which each cell type is clearly methylated or unmethlyated and model these as latent states. While the continuous measurements used in the linear model approaches are affected by platform-specific biases, the latent states are biologically driven and therefore technology independent, implying that experimental data only needs to be collected once. We demonstrate that our method accurately estimates the cell composition from whole blood samples and is applicable across multiple platforms, including microarray and sequencing platforms.
Healing Circles as Black Feminist Pedagogical Interventions

Richardson offers a theoretical paradigm shift in thinking about Black feminist praxis and pedagogy. This chapter explores ways Black feminist pedagogy reimagines the classroom and the work scholars can do with students. While the Black feminist tradition has historically included self-care, particularly in understandings of the erotic (Sister outsider, The Crossing Press, 1984), much has been lost in translation on the ground, in the classroom, in our research, and within the Academy (But what do we think we’re doing anyway: The state of black feminist criticism(s) or my version of a little bit of history. In Changing our own words: Essays on criticism, theory, and writing by black women, Rutgers University Press, 1989). The radical Black feminist tradition can guide us toward pedagogies that lead to transformative learning, and allow us simultaneously to transformative justice when we keep radical self-care and healing central in the classroom.
The asbestos-carbon nanotube analogy: An update.

Abstract Nanotechnology is an emerging industry based on commercialization of materials with one or more dimensions of 100 nm or less. Engineered nanomaterials are currently incorporated into thin films, porous materials, liquid suspensions, or filler/matrix nanocomposites with future applications predicted in energy and catalysis, microelectronics, environmental sensing and remediation, and nanomedicine. Carbon nanotubes are one-dimensional fibrous nanomaterials that physically resemble asbestos fibers. Toxicologic studies in rodents demonstrated that some types of carbon nanotubes can induce mesothelioma, and the World Health Organization evaluated long, rigid multiwall carbon nanotubes as possibly carcinogenic for humans in 2014. This review summarizes key physicochemical similarities and differences between asbestos fibers and carbon nanotubes. The “fiber pathogenicity paradigm” has been extended to include carbon nanotubes as well as other high-aspect-ratio fibrous nanomaterials including metallic nanowires. This paradigm identifies width, length, and biopersistence of high-aspect-ratio fibrous nanomaterials as critical determinants of lung disease, including mesothelioma, following inhalation. Based on recent theoretical modeling studies, a fourth factor, mechanical bending stiffness, will be considered as predictive of potential carcinogenicity. Novel three-dimensional lung tissue platforms provide an opportunity for in vitro screening of a wide range of high aspect ratio fibrous nanomaterials for potential lung toxicity prior to commercialization.
Late Effects of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Including Total Body Irradiation

It is estimated that over 50,000 autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) are performed worldwide every year and that number continues to grow. Total body irradiation (TBI) began as and remains an integral part of the transplantation conditioning process in addition to high-dose chemotherapy (HD-CTX). In addition to its role as a tumor cytotoxic agent, the eradication of host hematopoietic and immunological cells is equally important particularly for allogeneic transplants. As the number of HCT increases worldwide and the survival continues to improve, the late deleterious consequences of HCT will increasingly become paramount. The late effects of HCT and in particular, TBI are manifest in practically every organ system and may have significant impact on the quality of life of surviving patients years after transplantation. Patients must be followed meticulously and appropriate interventions executed to minimize the impact of late treatment effects. This chapter examines the acute and long-term consequences of TBI in combination with various preparative regimens by specific organ sites.
Mechanism of cap -independent translation by long distance kissing stem -loop interactions in plant viral RNAs

iii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2. OSCILLATING KISSING STEM-LOOP INTERACTIONS MEDIATE SCANNING-DEPENDENT TRANSLATION BY A VIRAL CAP-INDEPENDENT TRANSLATION ELEMENT 37 CHAPTER 3. TRANS-REGULATION OF TRANSLATION BY A VIRAL SUBGENOMIC RNA 83 CHAPTER 4. COMPETING VIRAL MRNAS SHOW DIFFERENT EFFICIENCY IN PROMOTING CAP-INDEPENDENT TRANSLATION UNDER LOW FACTOR AVAILABILITY 121 CHAPTER 5. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 150 APPENDIX A. RNA SEQUENCES IMPLICATED IN CAP-INDEPENDENT TRANSLATION 156 APPENDIX B. IN VITRO ANALYSIS OF TRANSLATION ENHANCERS 168 APPENDIX C. PREPARATION AND ELECTROPORATION OF OAT PROTOPLASTS FROM CELL SUSPENSION CULTURE 191 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 218
Clinical Performance of (1,3) Beta-D Glucan for the Diagnosis of Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP) in Cancer Patients Tested With PCP Polymerase Chain Reaction

Background Serum (1,3)-beta-D glucan (BDG) is increasingly used to guide the management of suspected Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). BDG lacks specificity for PCP, and its clinical performance in high-risk cancer patients has not been fully assessed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for PCP detection is highly sensitive, but cannot differentiate between colonization and infection. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of serum BDG in conjunction with PCP PCR on respiratory samples in patients with cancer and unexplained lung infiltrates. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of adult patients evaluated for PCP at our institution from 2012 to 2015, using serum BDG and PCP PCR. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the serum BDG at different thresholds were evaluated using PCP PCR alone or in conjunction with clinical presentation in PCP PCR-positive patients. Results With PCP PCR alone as the reference method, BDG (≥80 pg/mL) had a sensitivity of 69.8%, specificity of 81.2%, PPV of 34.6%, and NPV of 95.2% for PCP. At ≥200 pg/mL in patients with a positive PCR and a compatible PCP clinical syndrome, BDG had a sensitivity of 70%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, and NPV of 52.0% for PCP. Conclusions Patients negative by both BDG and PCR were unlikely to have PCP. In patients with a compatible clinical syndrome for PCP, higher BDG values (>200 pg/mL) were consistently associated with clinically-significant PCP infections among PCP PCR-positive oncology patients.
A Grid Connected Photovoltaic Microinverter with Integrated Battery

This paper presents a single-stage three-port microinverter for single-phase grid-connected PV applications. A battery in the third port is dedicated to store the additional power generated from the PV panel. The battery also operates as a backup power source to compensate for the power mismatch between the source and the grid. The integrated three-port inverter operates under soft-switching technique so that the switching losses of the high frequency primary and secondary switches are negligible. To verify the theoretical analysis of the proposed topology, a 100-W three-port microinverter was designed and simulated.
Fads or Facts? Sifting through the Evidence to Find What Really Works.

Despite the requirement that teachers implement evidence-based instruction in their classrooms, a significant research-to-practice gap persists. Far too often, teachers resort to quick fixes found ...
Relation Between Statewide Hospital Performance Reports on Myocardial Infarction and Cardiovascular Outcomes

Healthcare systems may be judged on quality of care and access to health services. Studies on the association of hospital quality of care scores and clinical outcomes have yielded mixed results. With the help of a richer and more representative database, the aim of our study was to shed light on these inconsistencies. We examined the association of 4 process of care scores (prescription of aspirin, β blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker used for left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and an overall composite score) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), reported in the Hospital Performance Reports, with 30-day and 1-year rates of readmission for AMI and cardiovascular (CV) death. Clinical outcomes were from the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System, an administrative database that comprises all patient CV disease admissions to acute care hospitals in New Jersey. CV death was related with overall score (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.821, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.726 to 0.930, p = 0.002) at 30 days and with all 4 scores at 1 year (OR ranging from 0.829 to 0.997, p
Audiologic profile of the jackson heart study cohort and comparison to other cohorts.

Objectives/hypothesis The objective of this study was to determine the audiological profile of an African American cohort, identify related factors, and compare them to other datasets. Study design Cross-sectional, longitudinal cohort study. Methods The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is a longitudinal cohort study of 5,306 African Americans living in the metropolitan Jackson, Mississippi area, with a focus on cardiometabolic health. The JHS Hearing Study (n = 1,314) was implemented to measure the prevalence of hearing, tinnitus, and balance outcomes and relationship to predictor variables. Here we present prevalence and covariate relationships in comparison to the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results The prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulty was 38.1% (n = 500). The prevalence of hearing loss based on audiometric pure tone threshold average (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 kHz) of the better ear was 19.8% (n = 260) and for the worse ear 29.8% (n = 392). The prevalence of tinnitus was 29.5% (n = 388) and balance dysfunction 24.1% (n = 317). Relationships of hearing loss to demographic, cardiometabolic, and audiologic variables are presented. Conclusions These results demonstrate that hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance dysfunction are common issues affecting adult African Americans, and that hearing loss is related to numerous modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors. Furthermore, our findings are consistent with lower prevalence of hearing loss in African Americans compared to the non-African American populations. However, despite the lower audiometric evidence of hearing loss, nearly 40% of participants reported hearing difficulty. Level of evidence 2b Laryngoscope, 129:2391-2397, 2019.
Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing for Analysis of Landscape Ecological Processes: Current Insights and Trends. Chapter 3

NASA or NOAA Earth-observing satellites are not the only space-based TIR platforms. The European Space Agency (ESA), the Chinese, and other countries have in orbit or plan to launch TIR remote sensing systems. Satellite remote sensing provides an excellent opportunity to study land-atmosphere energy exchanges at the regional scale. A predominant application of TIR data has been in inferring evaporation, evapotranspiration (ET), and soil moisture. In addition to using TIR data for ET and soil moisture analysis over vegetated surfaces, there is also a need for using these data for assessment of drought conditions. The concept of ecological thermodynamics provides a quantification of surface energy fluxes for landscape characterization in relation to the overall amount of energy input and output from specific land cover types.
Lankapura: The Legacy of the Ramayana in Sri Lanka

The five articles which make up this special issue of South Asia explore the role of the Ramayana in Sri Lankan art, literature, religious ritual and political discourse in shaping Sinhala Buddhist...
Increased mirror overflow movements in ADHD are associated with altered EEG alpha/beta band desynchronization.

Children with ADHD show developmentally abnormal levels of mirror overflow-unintentional movements occurring symmetrically opposite of intentional movements. Because mirror overflow correlates with ADHD behavioral symptoms, the study of disinhibition in motor control may shed light on physiologic mechanisms underlying impaired behavioral/cognitive control. This is a case-controlled study of EEG recording from 25 children with ADHD and 25 typically developing (TD) controls performing unilateral sequential finger tapping, with overflow movements measured using electronic goniometers. Consistent with previously published findings, children with ADHD showed increased mirror overflow as compared with TD peers. EEG findings revealed less lateralized alpha modulation (event-related desynchronization; ERD) and decreased magnitude of beta ERD in ADHD; both alpha and beta ERD reflect cortical activation. Moderation analysis revealed a significant association between beta ERD and overflow, independent of diagnosis; and an equivocal (p = .08) effect of diagnosis on the relationship between alpha ERD and overflow, with a significant effect in children with ADHD but not TD children. These results suggest two mechanisms involved with mirror overflow: one reflected in beta ipsilateral to the intentional movement and relevant to both children with ADHD and controls, and the other seemingly more specific to ADHD (alpha, contralateral to movement).
Impact of Achieved Tenure and Promotion on Faculty Research Productivity at a School of Pharmacy

Objective: Critics of the promotion and tenure system contend that promotion and tenure may lead to a decline in research productivity (“dead wood phenomena”) by those faculty. To assess this perception, we compiled the publications and grants at the time of application for promotion, and again through 2017 for the same faculty following promotion and/or tenure. Methods: Promotion documents at a school of pharmacy at a public Midwestern university were assessed. Mean publication rates and grant dollars per year per faculty member were compared to the same group of faculty (n=13) pre and post-promotion. Results: At the time of promotion to associate professor, mean numbers of total publications per year per faculty in the pharmacy practice department were 1.1, compared to 1.4 post-promotion. For pharmaceutical sciences department faculty, corresponding means were 5.0 and 4.1, respectively. At the time of promotion to full professor, mean numbers of total publications per year for pharmacy practice faculty were 7.0, compared to 7.2 post-promotion. For pharmaceutical sciences faculty, corresponding means were 3.5 and 4.7, respectively. For grant activity, both associate professors and full professors increased the mean total dollars per year from pre-promotion to post-promotion for both departments. Conclusion: Research productivity at this school of pharmacy continues to be either maintained or increased since promotion for the collective group of faculty. This evidence runs counter to the perception that promotion and tenure may lead to decreased scholarly productivity. The study provides a roadmap for other schools/colleges to quantify research productivity and make comparisons to national mean levels reported in the literature. Article Type: Original Research
Bringing Truth into Being

Merleau-Ponty’s criticisms of the philosophical tradition — according to which the task of the philosopher is the reflection of a pre-existent truth — are ubiquitous in his writings. Because traditional philosophies hold both that Being is already completed and thus atemporal, and that reason is transparent to itself, they also conceive of truth as a timeless adequation between thought and reality. Of course, Merleau-Ponty will attack these positions at every step of the way, and his new definition of what philosophy is marks a radical departure from the past. Since he thematizes in a distinct manner the issues concerning the thing in the world, the subject, reason, consciousness, and temporality, the traditional notion of truth becomes untenable. Although he does not explicitly deal with the problem of truth in the Phenomenology of Perception, it does remain an important background concern, occasionally migrating to the surface. In this paper I would like to approach Merleau-Ponty’s conception of truth through his distinctive reflections on being. I will begin by briefly discussing his rejection of the traditional view concerning being and truth. Then I will present his own conception of “phenomenalization” as he bases it upon his thesis of the “primacy of perception and phenomena”. This new perspective on ontology will necessitate, in turn, an alternative notion of truth, which I will approach through the contexts of Merleau-Ponty’s conceptions of the cogito and language.
Selective radioprotection of normal tissues by new cerium oxide nanoparticles

754 Background: Selective or preferential protection of normal tissues is an attractive and potential approach to improve radiotherapy of cancer patients. Currently, we are using nanotechnology as a tool to intervene biological functions that may enhance the radiation treatment and provide a new approach in radioprotection for cancer patients. The efficacy of cancer radiotherapy is limited by normal-tissue injury in the radiation field. Although the use of precise radiation field sizes and accurate dose planning minimize these unwanted side effects, they still occur in a large percentage of treated patients. The side effects may be too severe and compromise optimal radiation dose delivery and significantly reduce the quality of life of patients. Methods and Results: In preliminary studies, we have identified a radioprotective property of the nanoparticle, cerium oxide (also known as nanoceria). We have shown that nanoceria can render protection against chemical, biological and radiological insults on a variety of cultured cell lines. In the first study, rat astrocytes were treated with 10 Gy radiation in the presence or absence of nanoceria. The results showed that in the presence of the optimal biological dose of 10 nM nanoceria, the rat astrocytes were protected from radiation-induced cell death. In another set of experiments, human normal breast (CRL8798) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines were exposed to up to 5000 nM nanoceria as a single treatment. Interestingly, no nanoceria-induced cytotoxicity was observed. When 10 Gy radiation was administered as single therapy, radiation-induced cell death was observed in both the normal and cancer cell lines. However, when nanoceria was administered in combination with radiation, 10 nM nanoceria protected 99% of only the normal breast cells from radiation-induced cell death. In sharp contrast, human MCF-7 breast cancer cells exposed to the same doses of radiation combined with nanoceria were not protected from radiation-induced cell death. Conclusion: These data suggest that cerium oxide nanoparticles are an effective radioprotectant for normal tissues. Cerium oxide nanoparticles can protect normal but not cancer cells from radiation-induced cell death which will lead to novel approaches for eliminating the undesirable side effects of radiation and will ultimately lead to better efficacy of radiation therapy for cancer patients.
DNA Damage Promotes Epithelial Hyperplasia and Fate Mis-specification via Fibroblast Inflammasome Activation

DNA crosslinking agents are commonly used in cancer chemotherapy; however, responses of normal tissues to these agents have not been widely investigated. We reveal in mouse interfollicular epidermal, mammary and hair follicle epithelia that genotoxicity does not promote apoptosis but paradoxically induces hyperplasia and fate specification defects in quiescent stem cells. DNA damage to skin causes epithelial and dermal hyperplasia, tissue expansion, and proliferation-independent formation of abnormal K14/K10 dual-positive suprabasal cells. Unexpectedly, this behavior is epithelial cell non-autonomous and independent of an intact immune system. Instead, dermal fibroblasts are both necessary and sufficient to induce the epithelial response, which is mediated by activation of a fibroblast-specific NLRP3 inflammasome and subsequent IL-1β production. Thus, genotoxic agents that are used chemotherapeutically to promote cancer cell death can have the opposite effect on wild-type epithelia by inducing, via a non-autonomous IL-1β-driven mechanism, both hyperplasia and stem cell lineage defects.
Variability in the fundamental versus realized niches of North American mangroves

AIM: Climate change is leading to large‐scale shifts in species’ range limits. Mangroves, for example, are encroaching into saltmarshes at numerous tropical–temperate transition zones. However, mangrove expansion varies geographically, in large part because mangroves might not be fully occupying their fundamental niches across their range limits. Here we characterize and compare the fundamental versus realized thermal niches of two mangrove species found near their northern range limits on both coasts of North America. LOCATION: Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. TAXA: Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans). METHODS: Red and black mangrove propagules were collected near range limits on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and experimentally exposed to simulated overnight freezes ranging from −0.5 to −15°C, and grown in water temperatures ranging from 13 to 25°C. We then modelled range‐specific distributions based on threshold survival responses to cold treatments and compared these predictions to current distributions and climate envelopes. RESULTS: On the Atlantic coast, laboratory physiological thresholds closely matched realized distributions for both black and red mangroves. The Pacific black mangroves were less tolerant to freezes than the Atlantic populations, but laboratory determined thresholds essentially matched their realized distributions. In contrast, Pacific red mangroves were surprisingly freeze tolerant, and our laboratory threshold‐based model predicted suitable habitat far north of their current range limit. Our cold‐water tolerance experiments indicated that mangroves can tolerate chronically colder water temperatures than are currently experienced at either range limit. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: On its own, cold water temperature does not seem to be a limiting factor on either coast of North America. On the Atlantic coast, range limits for both mangrove species are set by extreme cold air temperatures and rapidly shifting in response to climate change. On the warmer but more arid Pacific coast, range limits for black mangroves only appear limited by cold air temperatures, but neither species seems to be undergoing climate change‐related migration. This supports the importance of other range‐restricting factors, such as aridity or dispersal limitation. Thus, distribution models need to incorporate species and range‐specific physiological data to predict the effects of climate change on population‐specific range limits.
Developmental Associations between Joint Engagement and Autistic Children's Vocabulary: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis.

Cross-lagged panel analysis was used to examine associations between two joint engagement variables; higher order supported joint engagement and higher order supported joint engagement that co-occu...
Ankle Deformity in Children with Congenital Pseudoarthrosis of the Fibula

Purpose: Patients with congenital pseudoarthrosis of the fibula (CPF) may develop progressive ankle valgus due to fibular discontinuity. Management of ankle alignment in patients with CPF is difficult and concern has been raised regarding the ability to form a tibiofibular synostosis and the implications this synostosis has on ankle alignment. The objective of this retrospective case series is to assess the clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients with CPF cared for at a tertiary care children’s hospital. Methods: Retrospective series of 18 patients with CPF cared for between 1995 and …
Prospects for Novel Plant Disease Control Rationales

The practical control of plant diseases generally uses methods which were implemented in the last century. Plant pathologists have improved the application and deployment of these strategies, but conceptually they are little changed. Where available, the most popular and effective means of plant disease control is by genetically inherited resistance. Such disease resistance genes have been used in cultivar improvement since early in this century, but we still do not know their structures or what they do. The importance of resistance genes in practical agriculture and the fact that they are inherited as single Mendelian traits makes them lucrative objectives for the improvement of crop plants by biotechnology. To attain the objective, however, it will be necessary to clone disease resistance genes from one or more plant species. This is a technically imposing task and it would also be necessary to introduce the cloned gene into a cultivar of the same plant lacking the allele in question or into another plant species and test for expression by inoculation with an appropriate pathogen. While this exercise is of general interest to plant biologists, there are several other approaches to improving pathogen resistance.
Modulation of calcium current and diverse K+ currents in identified Hermissenda neurons by small cardioactive peptide B.

The molluscan neuropeptides, small cardioactive peptides A and B (SCPA,B), are known to modulate the responses of many molluscan central and peripheral target cells (see review by Lloyd, 1986), but their full range of physiological actions remains unknown. External application of SCPB (1–10 microM) modified diverse ionic conductances in a set of giant identifiable neurons in the brain of the marine mollusk Hermissenda crassicornis. SCPB caused a transient depolarization and increased input resistance that enhanced or promoted cell firing. Under voltage-clamp, SCPB reduced a “background” residual current (IR), reduced early transient K+ current (IA), reduced a delayed K+ current (IK(V], and enhanced ICa, IBa, and a Ca2+-activated K+ current, IK(Ca). In tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) saline, SCPB enhanced the amplitude and duration and reduced the threshold of evoked Ca and Ba spikes. Immunocytochemical staining techniques have localized an endogenous SCPB-like peptide in numerous somata and their neurites in the nervous system of Hermissenda (Longley and Longley, 1985; Watson and Willows, 1986). These data are consistent with a role for SCPB as a neurotransmitter/neurohormone modulator of neuronal excitability in Hermissenda. A neurotransmitter role for endogenous SCPs has been proposed for a synaptic pair of cultured neurons in the Aplysia buccal ganglion (Lloyd et al., 1986). SCPB has been implicated in the control of feeding motor output in Aplysia (Sossin et al., 1986) and Tritonia (Willows and Watson, 1986), and in the presynaptic facilitation of sensory neurons mediating the gill and siphon defensive withdrawal reflex in Aplysia (Abrams et al., 1984).
Low serum estradiol and high serum progesterone concentrations characterize hypertensive pregnancies at high altitude.

Intrauterine growth retardation and preeclampsia are more common at high than at low altitude. Because altered hormonal profiles have been linked with these disorders, we asked whether placental steroid hormone concentrations were altered during pregnancy at high altitude. We measured progesterone, unconjugated estradiol, and estriol (by radioimmunoassay) at weeks 20, 30, and 36 ofpregnancy in 18 women at low altitude (1600 m) and 40 women at high altitude (3100 m). Women at 3100 in compared with 1600 in had lower serum estradiol concentrations at week 36 of pregnancy, and lower estriol and higher progesterone concentrations throughout pregnancy. As a result, the progesteronelestradiol ratio was greater in the high- versus the low-altitude women. Estradiol fell between weeks 30 and 36 in women who developed transient hypertension or preeclampsia. The fall in estradiol was accompanied by a marked increase in progesterone concentrations among the preeclamptic women. At 3100 m, estradiol correlated negatively (r = -0.37, P <.05) and progesterone positively (r = 0.46, P <.05) with mean arterial pressure at week 36 of pregnancy. We speculate that reduced placental oxygen pressure (PO2) at high altitude may decrease placental aromatase activity and thereby lower estradiol and estriol concentrations. The factor(s) responsible for the rise in progesterone is unknown. Possibly, high progesterone relative to estradiol concentrations contributes to the development of preeclampsia at high altitude.
Protein folding in vivo: the importance of ribosomes.

The folding of proteins into their native conformation is more favourable kinetically if it occurs at the same time as protein synthesis, but there are few examples of such co-translational folding. The folding of the Semliki Forest virus capsid protein is one example.
Processing and Sorting of Proteins Synthesized in the Endoplasmic Reticulum

It is becoming clear that all eukaryotic cells synthesize, in association with their rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), three major classes of proteins utilizing a common set of mechanisms. These proteins can be classified as bona fide secretory proteins which are discharged from the cell for use in the extracellular space; lysosomal hydrolases which are segregated into a set of intracellular compartments for use in intracellular digestion processes; and membrane proteins destined for use in the biogenesis of several intracellular membrane-bounded compartments and of specialized functional domains of the plasmalemma.
DESCRIPTION AND STATUS OF NASA-LERC/DOE PHOTOVOLTAIC APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS EXPERIMENTS

In its role of supporting the DOE Photovoltaic Program, the NASA-Lewis Research Center has designed, fabricated and installed 16 geographically dispersed photovoltaic systems. These systems are powering a refrigerator, highway warning sign, forest lookout towers, remote weather stations, a water chiller at a visitor center, and insect survey traps. Each of these systems is described in terms of load requirements, solar array and battery size, and instrumentation and controls. Operational experience is described and present status is given for each system. The P/V power systems have proven to be highly reliable with almost no problems with modules and very few problems overall
TomoTherapy for Cranial Radiosurgery/Radiotherapy

We have used TomoTherapy for the treatment of cranial lesions with single fraction radiosurgery (SRS) as well as fractionated radiotherapy (SRT). TomoTherapy image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) allows very good imaging of bony anatomy, however regions where subtle contour changes occur may be difficult to match and are prone to subjective interpretation. The purpose of this study is to use high-contrast gold fiducials, permanently implanted into the skull, as objective markers to aid in determining the accuracy of cranial setup, and autofusion in TomoTherapy. At each treatment a TomoTherapy scan (MV-CT) was carried out and fused to the conventional KV-CT to visualize the position of bony anatomy, and the position of the implanted fiducials. The fiducials were clearly seen on the MV-CT and were used to determine shifts in the longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions as well as roll, pitch and yaw. Vertical shifts were most significant ranging from 2–6 mm. Lateral and longitudinal shifts were typically 0–3 mm. Vector analyses of daily shifts indicated that the displacement from initial setup position was an average of 4.1 mm, but that displacements of up to 6 mm can occur in some fractions. This demonstrates quantitatively the importance of using IGRT in cranial treatments. When autofusion was activated using all six degrees of freedom (linear plus rotational corrections) the displacement was typically 2 mm. The displacement is unlikely to exceed 1.0 mm when fiducials are used for fusion. The fiducials are a significant aid in determining setup accuracy for the treatment of brain lesions. Advantages for this method of stereotactic localization include patient comfort, absence of external devices allowing fractionated treatment courses, and a high degree of accuracy.
Resiliency of bridges: A decision making tool

Objective decisionmaking processes are emerging as indispensable tools for bridge managers. Objective relationships between traditional bridge management efforts and management decisions are needed to ensure cost effectiveness and adequate performance. Such tools include conventional decisionmaking theory, qualitative and quantitative risk management, and life cycle analysis. The advent of high cost demands due to recent natural and man-made disasters have led to an interest in a modern decisionmaking concept known as “Infrastructure Resiliency”. This paper explores the application of resiliency concepts to bridge structures. This concept has great potential to assist infrastructure owners with multiple asset types to reduce overall risk through appropriate decisions after specific hazards faced by their network.
Defensins attenuate cytokine responses yet enhance antibody responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis adhesins in mice

Aim: Our aim is to assess the ability of human neutrophil peptide α-defensins (HNPs) and human β-defensins (HBDs) to attenuate proinflammatory cytokine responses and enhance antibody responses to recombinant hemagglutinin B (rHagB) or recombinant fimbrillin A (rFimA) from Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 in mice. Materials & methods: In the first study, C57BL/6 mice were given 10 µg rHagB or rFimA without and with 1 µg HNP1, HNP2, HBD1, HBD2 or HBD3. At 24 h, mice were euthanized and cytokine concentrations were determined in nasal wash fluid (NWF), bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, saliva and serum. In the second study, C57BL/6 mice were given 10 µg rHagB or rFimA without and with 1 µg HNPs or HBDs similarly on days 0, 7 and 14. At 21 days, mice were euthanized and rHagB- and rFimA-specific antibody responses were determined in NWF, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, saliva and serum. Results: Mice given rHagB + HNP2, rHagB + HBD1 and rHagB + HBD3 produced significantly lower (p < 0.05) IL-6 responses than mice giv...
Interaction of a protein phosphatase with an Arabidopsis serine-threonine receptor kinase

A protein phosphatase was cloned that interacts with a serine-threonine receptor-like kinase, RLK5, from Arabidopsis thaliana. The phosphatase, designated KAPP (kinase-associated protein phosphatase), is composed of three domains: an amino-terminal signal anchor, a kinase interaction (KI) domain, and a type 2C protein phosphatase catalytic region. Association of RLK5 with the KI domain is dependent on phosphorylation of RLK5 and can be abolished by dephosphorylation. KAPP may function as a signaling component in a pathway involving RLK5.
Orthogonal Turning of Aluminum 6061 in Liquid Nitrogen Cutting Environment

Liquid nitrogen is studied as an alternative metal working fluid during the machining of Aluminum 6061-T6 alloy using two different tool materials (HSS and an uncoated carbide). The design of the experiment utilized two feeds (0.002”/rev and 0.004”/rev) with a constant depth of cut (0.125 inch) and 3 different tool rake angles of 0°, 7° and 15°. Force data was collected using Kistler dynometer. Three-dimensional (3D) measurements of the tool wear were analyzed using a 3D Keyence optical microscope in conjunction with a Dektak surface profilometer. When contrasted with dry cutting (hard turning), it was found that the liquid nitrogen increased the tool wear with HSS tools but decreased tool wear using uncoated carbide tools. Effect on cutting forces in all cases was statistically insignificant.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
In vitro fatty acid synthesis and enzyme activity in liver and adipose tissue of the mouse (Mus musculus)

Abstract 1. 1. The incorporation of glucose-U-14C into Catty acids by mouse epididymal adipose tissue was much greater than by liver slices from the same animals. 2. 2. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase indicated that pentose phosphate shunt activity is also greater in adipose tissue than in liver. 3. 3. The high malic enzyme activity in mouse adipose tissue suggests that this enzyme plays an important role in the genera don of NADPH for the support of fatty acid synthesis in this tissue.
Sorting Out the Sortals: A Fregean Argument for Essentialism

In his paper, “Identity Statements and Essentialism,” Loux (New Scholast 44:431–439, 1971) seeks to demonstrate sortal essentialism based on Frege’s thesis that all statements of number concerning a collection require that the members fall under the same sortal concept. I shall attempt to argue that a detailed analysis of Loux’s argument reveals it as failing to imply the type of sortal dependency thesis necessary for the justification of sortal essentialism. However, if one construes the transworld identity relation as no different from our run of the mill identity relation, then his argument can serve as the basis for a proof of a type of nontrivial essentialism, thereby showing that the possible worlds picture of modality is indeed committed to a robust essentialism.
Flexible sigmoidoscopy for screening.

Excerpt To the editor: The position paper (1) on the use of flexible sigmoidoscopy for screening is certainly welcome. I disagree, however, with the inclusion of ability to use forceps biopsy as a ...
FORMATION OF CU OR FE THIOBARBITURATE COMPLEXES INTERFERE WITH THE DETERMINATION OF MALONDIALDEHYDE

Abstract This research was conducted to determine whether or not Cu(II) and Fe(III) form TBA complexes that absorb and fluoresce at the same wavelengths as the bis-TBA-MDA adduct and support a false conclusion that Cu(II) and Fe(III) cause lipid and other tissue component oxidations as evidenced by the apparent formation of the bis-TBA-MBA adduct. Additions of Cu(II) or Fe(III) to Na TBA gave concentration related increases in absorbance at 532 nm, the wavelength of maximum absorbance of the bis-TBA-MDA adduct. These absorbance spectra demonstrate that the addition of aqueous solutions of Na TBA to systems containing added Cu(II) and/or Fe(III) and their butanol extracts will support the false conclusion that Cu(II) and/or Fe(III) caused lipid and other tissue component oxidations. Fluorescence at 553 nm, the maximum for fluorescence of the bis-TBA-MDA adduct, increased as the concentration of Cu(II) increased but decreased with the addition of Fe(III). Fluorescence obtained following the addition of Cu(II) to Na TBA will support the false conclusion that Cu(II) causes lipid and other tissue component oxidations while the lack of fluorescence following the addition of Fe(III) will not support this false conclusion. These studies show that the presence of Cu(II) or Fe(III) in TBA assay systems lead to the specious interpretation that oxidations occurred due to the formation of HO · radical via Cu(II)- or Fe(III)-mediated Fenton chemistry.
Growth and Properties of AlGaInP Resonant Cavity Light Emitting Diodes (RCLEDs)on Ge/SiGe/Si Substrates

AlGaInP visible resonant cavity light emitting diodes (RCLEDs) were grown and fabricated on low-dislocation density, SiGe/Si metamorphic substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. A comparison with devices grown on GaAs and Ge substrates showed that not only did the RCLED device structure successfully transfer to the SiGe substrate, but also a higher optical output power was obtained. This is a result of a high thermal conductivity and an enhanced lateral current spreading. In addition, the growth of an AlGaAs current spreading layer and a modified top metal contact were incorporated to the SiGe RCLED to improve the device performance. With these improvements, a 410µm × 410µm device was fabricated with an optical power of 166µW at 665nm peak wavelength under 500mA current injection and an extremely narrow full width half maximum (FWHM) value of 3.63nm for electroluminescent emission under 50mA injection current.
Selective cerebral perfusion: A review of the evidence

Objective With the realization that hypothermia was neuroprotective, hypothermic selective antegrade cerebral perfusion was adopted by many surgical groups for aortic arch resection, prompting experimental and clinical studies to elaborate technical refinements and safe parameters of selective antegrade cerebral perfusion. We review the evidence for optimum management of perfusion pressure, flow, temperature, pH, hematocrit, and cannulation access. Methods Underperfusion and overperfusion impair neurologic function after selective antegrade cerebral perfusion. Overperfusion—including excessive flow and pressure—is expressed experimentally as an increase in intracranial pressure, indicative of cerebral edema, and causes slow neurobehavioral recovery. As the safe limits of moderate and mild hypothermic selective antegrade cerebral perfusion are being explored in many aortic centers, the ischemic tolerance of the spinal cord during lower-body circulatory arrest becomes a new focus of concern. Results Although a significant portion of the population has an incomplete circle of Willis, contralateral flow via extracranial collaterals has permitted the successful use of various cannulation techniques. Unilateral perfusion is adequate for short-term ( Conclusions On the basis of these experimental and clinical studies, certain recommendations for the use of nonpulsatile selective antegrade cerebral perfusion can be made.
Current status of the subspecialty of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery

The clinical problems of pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence that affect women due to their unique role in reproduction have helped define the field of obstetrics and gynecology over the last 150 years. The recent identification of female pelvic medicine/reconstructive surgery as an area of subspecialization within obstetrics and gynecology recognizes the growing strength of this discipline. A total of 37 accredited fellowship programs exist at leading academic institutions and membership in specialty-associated societies has more than doubled in the last 15 years. Research support from the National Institutes of Health and foundations has led to exciting basic and translational research as well as well-designed and well-conducted multicenter randomized clinical trials. Continued efforts should allow this field to establish the same national infrastructure present in the other long-established subspecialties.
Expansion or Elimination of B Cells In Vivo: Dual Roles for CD40- and Fas (CD95)-Ligands Modulated by the B Cell Antigen Receptor

Signals from CD4+ T cells induce two opposite fates in B cells: clonal proliferation of B cells that bind specifically to foreign antigens and clonal deletion of equivalent B cells that bind self-antigens. This B cell fate decision is determined by the concerted action of two surface proteins on activated T cells, CD40-and Fas-ligands (CD40L and FasL), whose effects are switched by signals from the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). Foreign antigens that stimulate the BCR acutely cause CD40L and FasL to promote clonal proliferation. CD40L and FasL trigger deletion, however, when the BCRs become desensitized by chronic stimulation with self-antigens or when BCRs have not bound an antigen. The need for both Fas and CD40L to correctly regulate self-reactive B cell fate may explain the severe autoantibody disorders in Fas- or CD40L-deficient children.