cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DNA G-Quadruplexes and I-Motifs in Therapeutics and Diagnostics

G-quadruplex- and i-motif-based DNA oligomers are being investigated for their integration into therapeutic and diagnostic micro-assemblies. Examples include quadruplex-forming aptamers as potential anti-HIV agents, and serum-stable quadruplexes as carriers for delivering porphyrins into cancer cells for photodynamic therapy. The i-motifs from C-rich DNA find application in pH-triggered hydrogels that can carry agents like drugs, proteins, and polymers to their targets. The pH-dependent conformational dynamics of i-motifs also make them useful as biosensors for detecting pH changes in cellular microenvironments. Due to these and many other applications, and in an effort to present a compendia of recent uses of quadruplexes and i-motifs, this chapter will concern itself with formation of G-quadruplexes and i-motifs; their physical and chemical properties; the effects of molecular crowding and hydration on their structure and stability; and their application in therapeutics as drug targets, drug-delivery vehicles, and diagnostic tools.
Sacralizing leadership: The role of the sacred in enabling organizational sensemaking, cohesion, and identity:

This article provides a sociological description and application of the sacred for use in the study of leadership. It provides a definition and theory of the sacred, derived from the field of socio...
Vector Tick Transmission Model of Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis.

Many aspects of rickettsial infections have been characterized, including pathogenic and immune pathways and mechanisms of rickettsial survival within the vertebrate host and tick vector. However, very few studies are focused on the complex pathogen–vector–host interactions during tick feeding. Therefore, our objective was to develop a tick transmission model of the spotted fever group of rickettsial infections to study the initial events in disease development. The most appropriate strain of mouse was identified for evaluation as a transmission model, and the course of infection, bacterial levels, histopathologic changes, and antibody response during tick transmission in mice infested with Amblyomma maculatum ticks carrying the emerging pathogen, Rickettia parkeri, were studied. Results showed distinct clinical signs in C3H/HeN mice infected intravenously, leading to selection of this mouse strain for tick transmission studies. Active infection of animals was observed after tick vector transmission. The bacteria disseminated systemically and spread to several organs at 24 hours after tick attachment, with peak bacterial load at day 6 after tick attachment. Skin, lung, and liver showed the greatest pathologic changes, with inflammatory cellular infiltration and necrosis. These findings indicate the feasibility of using murine infection with R. parkeri by A. maculatum tick transmission as a model to study different aspects of the spotted fever group of rickettsial disease establishment.
The Association Between Social Anxiety and Perceived Frequency and Value of Classmate and Close Friend Social Support

Abstract The current study examined the relationship between social support from classmates and close friends and social anxiety in a sample of 377 adolescent students in grades 9–12. The results o...
Prevalence and genetic characterization of deer tick virus (Powassan virus, lineage II) in Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in Maine.

Deer tick virus (DTV) is a genetic variant of Powassan virus (POWV) that circulates in North America in an enzootic cycle involving the blacklegged or "deer tick," Ixodes scapularis, and small rodents such as the white-footed mouse. The number of reported human cases with neuroinvasive disease has increased substantially over the past few years, indicating that POWV may be of increasing public health importance. To this end, we sought to estimate POWV infection rates in questing I. scapularis collected from four health districts in Maine (York, Cumberland, Midcoast, and Central Maine). Infection rates were 1.6%, 1.7%, 0.7%, and 0%, respectively, for adults collected from April to November in 2016. Adults collected in October and November in 2017 from York and Cumberland counties had slightly higher rates of 2.3% and 3.5%, respectively. There was no difference in the number of males verses the number of females infected. All positive samples were of the DTV (lineage II) variant. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on 8 of the 15 DTV sequences obtained in 2016. Deer tick virus from the coastal regions were genetically similar and clustered with virus strains isolated from I. scapularis from New York State and Bridgeport, CT. The two inland viruses were genetically nearly identical and grouped with viruses from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. These results are the first reported infection rates and sequences for POWV in questing ticks collected in Maine and will provide a reference point for future POWV studies.
Cone-Beam CT Systems

Cone-beam CT (CBCT) systems have emerged in a broad variety of forms and clinical applications. The diversity of platforms includes open-gantry C-arms and U-arms as well as closed-gantry rings. Applications span a spectrum of image-guided interventions (e.g., image-guided radiotherapy, surgery, and interventional radiology) and specialty diagnostic imaging procedures (e.g., dental, ENT, breast, and orthopedics). This chapter surveys the general principles and characteristics of CBCT in comparison and in contrast to multi-detector CT (MDCT). Aspects of particular note include system geometry, x-ray source and detector, 3D image acquisition and reconstruction techniques, image quality characteristics, artifacts, dosimetry, primary areas of clinical application, and regulatory considerations.
Public Library: Crystal Meth, Choreography, Conceptual Art

The public video project The Public Library includes the performance of writing field notes and of choreographed dance sequences — which together serve as an ethnographic prompt for discussions abo...
Spectroscopy and electronic structure of the hypermetallic oxide, MgOMg

Electronic spectra for the hypermetallic oxide MgOMg have been observed in the 21 100 cm-1-24 000 cm-1 spectral range using laser induced fluorescence and two-photon resonantly enhanced ionization techniques. Rotationally resolved data confirmed the prediction of a X1Σg + ground state. The spectrum was highly congested due to the optical activity of a low-frequency bending mode and the presence of three isotopologues with significant natural abundances. Ab initio calculations predict a bent equilibrium structure for the A1B2 upper state, consistent with the observation of a long progression of the bending vibration mode. However, the vibrational intervals were not reproduced by the theoretical calculations. In part, this discrepancy is attributed to strong vibronic coupling between multiple electronically excited states. Two-photon ionization measurements were used to determine an ionization energy of 6.5800(25) eV.
Genetic analysis of the barley variegation mutant, grandpa1.a

Providing the photosynthesis factory for plants, chloroplasts are critical for crop biomass and economic yield. However, chloroplast development is a complicated process, coordinated by the cross-communication between the nucleus and plastids, and the underlying biogenesis mechanism has not been fully revealed. Variegation mutants have provided ideal models to identify genes or factors involved in chloroplast development. Well-developed chloroplasts are present in the green tissue areas, while the white areas contain undifferentiated plastids that are deficient in chlorophyll. Unlike albino plants, variegation mutants survive to maturity and enable investigation into the signaling pathways underlying chloroplast biogenesis. The allelic variegated mutants in barley, grandpa 1 (gpa1), have long been identified but have not been genetically characterized. We characterized and genetically analyzed the grandpa1.a (gpa1.a) mutant. The chloroplast ultrastructure was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and it was confirmed that chloroplast biogenesis was disrupted in the white sections of gpa1.a. To determine the precise position of Gpa1, a high-resolution genetic map was constructed. Segregating individuals were genotyped with the barley 50 k iSelect SNP Array, and the linked SNPs were converted to PCR-based markers for genetic mapping. The Gpa1 gene was mapped to chromosome 2H within a gene cluster functionally related to photosynthesis or chloroplast differentiation. In the variegated gpa1.a mutant, we identified a large deletion in this gene cluster that eliminates a putative plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX). Here we characterized and genetically mapped the gpa1.a mutation causing a variegation phenotype in barley. The PTOX-encoding gene in the delimited region is a promising candidate for Gpa1. Therefore, the present study provides a foundation for the cloning of Gpa1, which will elevate our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying chloroplast biogenesis, particularly in monocot plants.
α-Band activity tracks a two-dimensional spotlight of attention during spatial working memory maintenance

A substantial body of work has shown that patterns of EEG α-band activity track the angular coordinates of attended and remembered stimuli around fixation, but whether these patterns track the two-...
Membranous nephropathy: a single disease or a pattern of injury resulting from different diseases.

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is defined as disease entity characterized by thickening of the glomerular basement membranes due to subepithelial (SE) deposition of immune complexes. It is typically classified into primary MN (70%) when there is no disease association, and secondary MN (30%) when there is an underlying disease association such as lupus, malignancy, infections or drugs. Phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) and thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A (THSD7A) are target antigens in 70% and 1-5% of primary MN, respectively. The antigens in the remaining MN were not known. Recently, multiple novel proteins/target antigens have been identified in MN. These include exostosin 1/2, neural epidermal growth-like 1 protein, semaphorin 3B, protocadherin 7 and neural cell adhesion molecule 1. Some of these antigens are present in the setting of primary MN, some in secondary MN and some in both, thus blurring the lines between primary and secondary MN. Preliminary studies show that each of the new antigen-associated MN has distinct clinical, kidney biopsy findings and outcome data. We propose that each new protein/antigen-associated MN is a specific disease that results in the common MN pattern of injury characterized by thickened glomerular basement membrane (GBM) with or without spikes or pinholes on light microscopy, granular immunoglobulin G with or without complement 3 on immunofluorescence microscopy and SE electron-dense deposits on electron microscopy. In other words, MN is truly only a pattern of injury resulting from specific diseases that cause deposition of SE immune deposits along the GBM. It is of paramount importance to ascertain the specific disease entity causing the MN pattern not only for precise diagnosis and management, but also for future studies on these newly described diseases.
Convergence and Sampling

This topic will overview a variety of extremely powerful analysis results that span statistics, estimation theory, and big data. It provides a framework to think about how to aggregate more and more data to get better and better estimates. It will cover the Central Limit Theorem (CLT), Chernoff-Hoeffding bounds, Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) algorithms, as well as analysis of importance sampling techniques which improve the concentration of random samples.
Worksites as Sacrifice Zones: Structural Precarity and COVID-19 in U.S. Meatpacking

As meatpacking facilities became COVID-19 hotspots, the pandemic renewed the importance of longstanding claims from environmental justice and agrifood scholars. The former asserts the perceived dis...
A molecular census of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease

Abstract Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) project widely throughout the central nervous system, playing critical roles in voluntary movements, reward processing, and working memory. Many of these neurons are highly sensitive to neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and their loss correlates strongly with the pathognomonic symptoms. To characterize these populations molecularly, we developed a protocol to enrich and transcriptionally profile DA neuron nuclei from postmortem human SNpc of both PD patients and matched controls. We identified a total of ten distinct populations, including one that was primate-specific. A single subtype, marked by the gene AGTR1, was highly susceptible to degeneration, and was enriched for expression of genes associated with PD in genetic studies, suggesting many risk loci act within this subtype to influence its neurodegeneration. The AGTR1 subtype also showed the strongest upregulation of TP53 and its downstream targets, nominating a potential pathway of degeneration in vivo. The transcriptional characterization of differentially disease-vulnerable DA neurons in the SNpc will inform the development of laboratory models, enable the nomination of novel disease biomarkers, and guide further studies of pathogenic disease mechanisms.
Pedagogically Reclaiming Marx’s Politics in the Postdigital Age: Social Formations and Althuserrian Pedagogical Gestures

This paper builds on Marxist postdigital literature by first clarifying what a ‘mode of production’ is, what the capitalist mode of production is, and how, why, and on what technological foundations it emerged. This leads into a discussion of these technological foundations and their relationship to production, knowledge, research, and subjectivity, in other words, the ‘general intellect’. At this point, I move from discussing modes of production to social or socio-economic formations, and show why social formations are more helpful for conceptualizing the political and pedagogical struggle in the era of postdigital capitalism (and any capitalism) as well as to insist on the division between capitalism and communism, two distinct modes of production in between which socialism is posited as a transitional social formation. With the postdigital age, collaboration, networked interactions, communication, open-source platforms, and more might be elements of a future mode of production. I end by returning to the question of the marxist political project and propose a postdigital marxist pedagogical approach that might help educators shift the balance of forces in the class struggle based on Althusser’s reading of Capital that brings together two formerly opposed educational forms: counterinterpellation and disinterpellation.
Synthetic Map Generation to Provide Unlimited Training Data for Historical Map Text Detection

Many historical map sheets are publicly available for studies that require long-term historical geographic data. The cartographic design of these maps includes a combination of map symbols and text labels. Automatically reading text labels from map images could greatly speed up the map interpretation and helps generate rich metadata describing the map content. Many text detection algorithms have been proposed to locate text regions in map images automatically, but most of the algorithms are trained on out-of-domain datasets (e.g., scenic images). Training data determines the quality of machine learning models, and manually annotating text regions in map images is labor-extensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, existing geographic data sources, such as Open-StreetMap (OSM), contain machine-readable map layers, which allow us to separate out the text layer and obtain text label annotations easily. However, the cartographic styles between OSM map tiles and historical maps are significantly different. This paper proposes a method to automatically generate an unlimited amount of annotated historical map images for training text detection models. We use a style transfer model to convert contemporary map images into historical style and place text labels upon them. We show that the state-of-the-art text detection models (e.g., PSENet) can benefit from the synthetic historical maps and achieve significant improvement for historical map text detection.
Trade networks and interaction spheres—A view from Silcott

The people of Silcott, a small farming community in southeastern Washington, participated in six major trade networks: local, local-commercial, area-commercial, regional, national, and international. These networks are examined through the ethnographic, historical, and archaeological data. Remarkably, the regional, national and international networks are best studied through the archaeology, whereas the local networks and the area commercial networks are best examined through the ethnography. These networks bound Silcott into an integrated community, while at the same time they linked Silcott to the national economy via the various networks.
Lessons from the World Trade Center for Open Space Planning Generally and Boston's Big Dig Specifically

This paper looks to several land use planning issues at stake in both the World Trade Center redevelopment and Central Artery/ Tunnel Project, offering some lessons for the future of public open space planning with respect to the inouence of the press, the centrality of politics, the urgency of addressing public and private claims of land ownership, the need to engage the public, and seizing the opportunity to create new public transportation links.
Unexpectedly similar rates of nucleotide substitution found in male and female hominids

In 1947, it was suggested that, in humans, the mutation rate is dramatically higher in the male germ line than in the female germ line1. This hypothesis has been supported by the observation that, among primates, Y-linked genes evolved more rapidly than homologous X-linked genes2,3,4,5,6. Based on these evolutionary studies, the ratio (αm) of male to female mutation rates in primates was estimated to be about 5. However, selection could have skewed sequence evolution in introns and exons7,8,9,10. In addition, some of the X–Y gene pairs studied lie within chromosomal regions with substantially divergent nucleotide sequences7,11,12. Here we directly compare human X and Y sequences within a large region with no known genes. Here the two chromosomes are 99% identical, and X–Y divergence began only three or four million years ago, during hominid evolution13,14,15. In apes, homologous sequences exist only on the X chromosome. We sequenced and compared 38.6 kb of this region from human X, human Y, chimpanzee X and gorilla X chromosomes. We calculated αm to be 1.7 (95% confidence interval 1.15–2.87), significantly lower than previous estimates in primates. We infer that, in humans and their immediate ancestors, male and female mutation rates were far more similar than previously supposed.
Retrovirology: 3 at age 2

Retrovirology announces new editorial board members and reprises progress over the first two years of publishing.
“How'd You Do on That Test?”: The Effects of Gender on Self-Presentation of Achievement to Vulnerable Men

This study examined the effects of gender on how people present their academic achievements when interacting with “vulnerable” male peers. Participants were 86 college students (40 males, 46 females) drawn from a population that was 7% African American, 10% Asian American, 6% Latino/a, 6% non-U.S. citizens, and 71% Euro-Americans. They were induced to predict their grade point average (GPA) to a male confederate who presented himself as (a) having earned either a low GPA or an average GPA, and (b) concerned or unconcerned about his academic performance. Both men's and women's GPA predictions were higher when interacting with the concerned partner, and men's predictions were even higher when interacting with the concerned, low-GPA partner. For male participants, there were significant positive correlations between predicted GPA and perceived similarity to the partner and between predicted GPA and interest in establishing a relationship with the partner, especially when interacting with the worried partner. These and other findings are discussed in the context of previous findings and related theory.
An object-oriented approach to template guided visual inspection

The concepts and design issues that provide the basis for the I/sup 2/F (image interpretation foundations) system are described. The I/sup 2/F system combines object-oriented design for machine vision software and constraint-based geometric modeling into a flexible and effective system for automatic template-guided visual inspection. Object-oriented design for 2-D geometry-based image analysis is discussed, and results from processing experimental X-ray data are presented. >
Labeling autologous leukocytes with indium-111 oxine

A method is described for labeling autologous leukocytes with indium-111 oxine, which is used for localizing inflammatory processes. To an aqueous solution of indium-111 chloride was added sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0, and then a freshly prepared solution of oxine (8-hydroxyquinoline) in ethanol. After 3-5 minutes of incubation at room temperature, the chelated indium-111 oxine was extracted with chloroform, evaporated to dryness, redissolved in ethanol, and diluted with 0.9% saline. Leukocytes were isolated from venous blood by centrifugation at 300-350 g and resuspended in 0.9% saline. The cells were labeled by adding the indium-111 oxine solution to the leukocyte suspension. Clinical results have shown indium-111-labeled leukocytes to be highly specific for abscess localization. Indium-111 is useful for imaging because its gamma emissions are suitable for external detection and its half-life of 67 hours allows studies to be performed over several days without presenting an excessive radiation dose to the patient.
Universal Elemental Homology in Glyptocystitoids, Hemicosmitoids, Coronoids and Blastoids: Steps Toward Echinoderm Phylogenetic Reconstruction in Derived Blastozoa

Universal elemental homology (UEH) is used to establish homology of thecal plates and elements of the ambulacral system among clades of stemmed echinoderms by placing these structures into a testable hypothesis of homology. Here UEH is used to explore hypotheses of homology in blastoids, coronoids, Lysocystites, hemicosmitoids, and glyptocystitoids. This new approach to analyze homology is particularly powerful in understanding the nature of the thecal plates of blastoids and how they relate to other taxa in a common nomenclatural lexicon. In blastoids, deltoids are interpreted as oral plates that are homologues to oral plates of glyptocystitoids and hemicosmitoids whereas side plates are interpreted to be ambulacral floor plates. Thecal plates are homologous among blastoids, coronoids and Lysocystites but these morphologies cannot be reconciled with plate circlets of glyptocystitoids and hemicosmitoids. A phylogenetic analysis of these taxa presents the origin of blastoids as sister taxon of coronoids within a testable series of homologies.
The redox potential of the primary quinone QA of bacterial photosynthesis is independent of the divalent metal ion

Abstract The function of the ferrous ion which links the primary and secondary quinone electron acceptors, Q A and Q B , via histidine ligands from the reaction center protein of the photosynthetic bacterium Rbodobacter sphaeroids (Y) has been investigated by substitution with Mn(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II), using biosynthetic incorporation of the metal ion. The midpoint potential and pH dependence for reduction of Q A in chromatophore membranes were found to be indistinguishable for all four divalent ions, and in agreement with earlier results on the R26 and Ga strains of R. sphaeroides containing only iron. We therefore conclude that the divalent ion contributes no functionally significant covalent coupling to the primary acceptor and that these metals have no differential electrostatic influence. Furthermore, inhibition of photoreduction of Q B by the herbicide ametryne was found to be the same for all four samples. Thus, these four divalent ions exhibit no differential influence on the binding properties of this herbicide in the Q B site.
The Personal Server: Using a Commercially Available Cell-Phone As the Center of Your Personal Computing Experience

The personal server (PS) concept enables users to access personal content and applications, sourced from their personal mobile device, through interface-rich platforms such as desktop PCs or laptop computers. Advances in This demo shows the PS platform based con commercially available hardware platforms, demonstrating how basic advances in mobile technologies are starting to reach mainstream. The original PS instantiation, which was demoed at WMCSA 2002, was realized using a custom hardware platform and showed only a limited suite of capabilities. Along with using a commercially available platform, the current instantiation shows integration with numerous other technologies, including emerging digital home standards and systems
Surveying Older Adults About a Recommender System for a Digital Library

We present results from a survey of adults, 63 and older, about the potential implementation of a recommender system within a digital library of health-related content. We studied how these older adults perceive the idea of a recommender system and different aspects of its design. We presented four different types of recommender systems in the survey and our results indicate that this group would prefer a system based on explicit feedback in the form of ratings that measure the helpfulness of content. Reinforcing previous research, we learned this group is interested in a system that explains why it recommended content and they do not want to spend much time creating a profile of interests to warm the system. We discuss where we would use this recommender system, how we designed the survey for our audience, and plans for future studies on this subject.
Membrane-bound flavin adenine dinucleotide in Methanobacterium Bryantii.

Summary Noncovalently attached flavin was isolated and partially purified from the membrane fraction of Methanobacterium Bryantii . The flavin was identified as FAD by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, effects on the spectra of reduction and of protonation, phenol extractability, behavior in thin layer chromatography in two solvent systems, and ability to reconstitute activity of the FAD-specific enzyme D-amino acid oxidase. These singular organisms thus are capable of synthesizing isoalloxazine-type flavins as well as the unique 5-deazaflavin factor F420. Membrane-bound FAD may thus (in addition to iron-sulfur centers and a nickel species) be involved in energy-coupled methanogenesis.
A Numerical Study of Natural Convection in a Horizontal Porous Layer Subjected to an End-to-End Temperature Difference

A numerical study of steady, natural convection in a fluid-saturated, horizontal, porous layer subjected to an end-to-end temperature difference is reported. The analysis is performed using a finite element computer program based on the Galerkin form of the finite element method. Heat transfer rates are predicted for aspect ratios ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 and Rayleigh numbers in the range 25 to 200. Representative plots of temperature and velocity fields are presented. Comparisons are made with an approximate analytical solution and regions of validity are identified for the analytical solution.
Nonlinear theory of parametric instabilities in plasmas

The weak plasma turbulence theory recently formulated by one of us is applied to parametrically unstable plasmas. A dispersion relation for normal modes of the turbulent plasma is derived. The condition of marginal stability of these modes provides a nonlinear equation describing the quasistationary turbulent spectrum. Two classes of nonlinearities arise: (i) Diagonal corrections, similar to the renormalized frequencies and damping rates of usual weak turbulence theory but which must be computed using the frequencies of the coupled parametric modes, and (ii) coupling saturation corrections which are renormalized mode coupling coefficients related to spectral cross coupling coefficients such as . The coupling saturation theory is applied to the electron-electron decay instability (..omega.. approx. 2..omega../sub p//sub e/) and strongly inhibits the conversion of pump radiation into plasma waves. (AIP)
Hybrid symbols for parallel optical/rf channels using BICM-ID

Novel hybrid symbols for parallel free space optical and radio frequency links using bit-interleaved coded modulation with iterative detection are proposed. An asymptotic bit error performance analysis for the proposed hybrid symbols is developed. The proposed symbol mapping achieves gains of several dBs over conventional mappings.
Do displaced workers lose occupational prestige

Abstract Worker displacement has become a common feature of employment in the “flexible economy.” While studies of income losses and the duration of unemployment after displacement abound, and popular accounts argue that workers often lose status, less empirical attention has been paid to the quality or prestige of employment displaced workers are able to secure after a downsizing event. This paper helps to fill this gap in the literature by focusing on changes in occupational prestige among a nationally representative sample of displaced workers who became reemployed from the January 2004 Displaced Workers and Employee Tenure Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Our findings show that displaced workers with higher levels of education, net of other factors, fared significantly better than others in job quality upon reemployment, highlighting the importance of education in retaining status and privilege in the new economy.
A novel locus for canine osteosarcoma (OSA1) maps to CFA34, the canine orthologue of human 3q26.

Abstract Spontaneous tumors in dogs share many of the same features of their human orthologues including clinical behavior, response to treatment, and molecular defects. It is therefore natural to consider the use of dogs and their spontaneous malignancies in the study of complex disease such as cancer. Scottish Deerhounds are a giant breed of dogs that exhibit a high incidence of bone cancer. Our previous work suggested that osteosarcoma within this breed could be explained by the presence of a major gene of dominant effect. Herein, we use a whole genome mapping approach to evaluate a four-generation pedigree of Scottish Deerhounds for linkage of their osteosarcoma phenotype. Using this approach we found evidence of linkage ( Z max = 5.766) between their phenotype and markers located on CFA34, in a region syntenic to human chromosome 3q26. The identification of this locus provides novel insight into the genetic basis of osteosarcoma in both canines and humans.
Developmental expression of Ultraspiracle proteins in the epidermis of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, during larval life and the onset of metamorphosis

During the final two larval instars, a changing pattern of three Ultraspiracle (Usp) proteins (50.5, 52.5, and 57 kDa) was detected in immunoblots of the dorsal abdominal epidermis of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, by a monoclonal antibody against Drosophila Usp that was shown to detect MsUsp. The 57- and 52.5-kDa bands were present during the intermolt periods and the 50.5- and 52.5-kDa bands during the molting phases. The antibody detected a nuclear antigen present in epidermis, muscle, fat body, and the central nervous system from the time of hatching. In the epidermis Usp was present in all cell nuclei but was especially prominent in the tormogen and trichogen cells immediately after ecdysis in both the penultimate and final instars. This latter immunoreactivity disappeared within 12 h whereas the remainder of the epidermis retained high levels throughout the feeding period. During the molt immunostaining reappeared in the hair cell nuclei. During the wandering stage at the onset of metamorphosis and just before pupal ecdysis, immunoblots showed high levels of Usp, but nuclei showed little or no staining. This discrepancy is likely due to the loss of one Usp isoform from the nucleus and its dispersal in the cytoplasm in preparation for the appearance of the second isoform.
Circadian rhythms in the albino rat: Effect of illumination on urine excretion, water intake, and the formation of the anti-diuretic hormone

Abstract Diurnal fluctuations in rate of urine excretion, water intake and ADH formation were investigated under three conditions of illumination; alternating light and darkness (LD), continuous darkness (DD) and continuous light (LL). In the LD condition the rates of urine excretion and water intake exhibited peaks at 600 hr and minima at 1800 hr. The pattern of sodium excretion resembled the urine volume rhythm while the fluctuations in potassium excretion were not statistically significant. A rhythm in ADH formation was indicated by fluctuations in the size of aldehyde fuchsin stained cells in the supraoptic nucleus. Peak secretion was observed at 1800 hr which coincided with the time of minimal rate of urine excretion. These two variables (urine volume and ADH) were related by a correlation coefficient of −0.75. In continuous darkness the rhythmic changes in rate of water consumption persisted. The urine rhythm, though attenuated, was also maintained. The pattern of sodium excretion was identical to that observed in the LD condition. The ADH rhythm was attenuated so that statistically significant fluctuations could no longer be detected. In the LL condition only the drinking rhythm was sustained. The rate of ADH formation was greater than under any other condition and an overall decline in the rate of urine excretion was also observed. The total amount of water consumed in 24 hr was observed to decrease as the duration of illumination exposure per day was increased.
Training Versus Monitoring: A Qualitative Examination of Athletic Department Practices Regarding Student-Athletes and Twitter

Twitter has created a number of issues for collegiate athletic programs. Via their tweets, student-athletes have sparked public relations issues for athletic departments and educational institutions. This research examined the messages student-athletes receive from athletic department officials and coaches about Twitter. Semi-structured interviews with 20 student-athletes at a Division I school were conducted. Results revealed that these messages occurred in 1 of 3 areas: (a) (non)training, (b) surveillance/monitoring, and (c) reactive training. The results indicate that student-athletes are left to their interpretations of what constitutes inappropriate Twitter content while also being subjected to monitoring. Education about Twitter typically occurs after a violation of an unclear or unknown policy. This reactionary and ambiguous approach to Twitter appears to be doing little to mitigate controversial tweets. Athletic administrators are encouraged to devote resources to front-end, rather than back-end, ...
The effect of HSV multiplication rate on antiviral drug efficacy in vitro.

Abstract HSV-1 multiplication rates have been shown to vary in different tissues and the rate of multiplication may correlate with susceptibility to antiviral chemotherapy. Herpetic stromal keratitis is a necrotizing condition refractive to antiviral therapy and this lack of antiviral efficacy in stromal disease may be the result of very low rates of viral replication in the corneal stromal keratocytes. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of antiviral drugs in an in vitro system in which the virus multiplication rate is slow. In this system, the reduced rate of virus multiplication is achieved by a reduction in the incubation temperature. Vero cells were infected at one of several multiplicities of infection with McKrae strain HSV-1 and incubated for 24, 48, or 72 h at 26 or 36.5°C in the presence or absence of trifluridine (50 μg/ml) or acyclovir (20 μg/ml). Both drugs suppressed viral replication at 36.5°C. However, under some specific sets of conditions, trifluridine was not effective in suppressing viral replication in cells incubated at 26°C. At this temperature, viral replication and cell metabolism are slowed to a pace which may be similar to that which occurs in corneal stromal keratocytes in vivo. Acyclovir significantly reduced HSV-1 replication under all conditions at 26°C, indicating that the antiviral activity of this compound is effective in cells whose metabolic rate is slow and in which viral replication is taking place slowly.
Enhanced TiO2 Photocatalytic Processing of Organic Wastes for Green Space Exploration

The effect of transition metal co-catalysts on the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 was investigated. Ruthenium (Ru), palladium, platinum, copper, silver, and gold, were loaded onto TiO2 powders (anatase and mixed-phase P25) and screened for the decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB) under broad-band irradiation. The morphology and estimated chemical composition of photocatalysts were determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. Brunhauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) analysis measured mass-specific surface area(s). X-ray diffraction analysis was performed to confirm the identity of titania phase(s) present. The BET surface area of anatase TiO2/Ru 1% (9.2 sq m/gm) was one of the highest measured of all photocatalysts prepared in our laboratory. Photolyses conducted under air-saturated and nitrogen-saturated conditions revealed photodegradation efficiencies of 85 and 2 percent, respectively, after 60 min compared to 58 percent with no catalyst. The cause of low photocatalytic activity under an inert atmosphere is discussed. TiO2/Ru 1% showed a superior photocatalytic activity relative to P25-TiO2 under broad-band irradiation. A potential deployment of photocatalytic technologies on a mission could be a reactor with modest enhancement in solar intensity brought about by a trough-style reactor, with reactants and catalyst flowing along the axis of the trough and therefore being illuminated for a controlled duration based on the flow rate.
FcγRIV : A novel FcR with distinct IgG subclass specificity

Mouse IgG subclasses display a hierarchy of in vivo activities, with IgG2a and IgG2b showing the greatest protective and pathogenic properties. These enhanced activities result, in part, from their ability to bind to a novel, gamma chain-dependent, activating IgG Fc receptor, FcgammaRIV. FcgammaRIV maps in the 75 kb genomic interval between FcgammaRII and FcgammaRIII; its expression is restricted to myeloid lineage cells, and it binds to IgG2a and IgG2b with intermediate affinity. No binding to IgG1 or IgG3 was observed. Blocking FcgammaRIV binding to pathogenic anti-platelet antibodies is sufficient to protect mice from antibody-induced thrombocytopenia. Thus, the FcgammaR system has evolved distinct activation receptors displaying selectivity for IgG subclasses, with IgG1 antibodies exclusively dependent on FcgammaRIII, whereas IgG2a and IgG2b show preferential dependence on FcgammaRIV activation. These distinct binding affinities for the IgG subclasses to FcgammaRs account for their differential protective and pathogenic activities in vivo.
Covariates of human peripheral nerve function: I. Nerve conduction velocity and amplitude

A systematic investigation of covariates of nerve conduction measures was performed on data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Nerve conduction velocity and amplitude were obtained for the median motor, median sensory, ulnar sensory, peroneal motor, and sural sensory nerves on 4,462 subjects. The magnitude of effect of skin temperature, height, body mass index, age, race, place of military service, smoking status, alcohol consumption, income, and EMG examiner was estimated for all 10 conduction outcomes. The major covariates were skin temperature, height, and examiner. Covariates with smaller but not unimportant effects on conduction outcomes were age, race, smoking status, and income. Alcohol consumption was associated with only small effects on conduction measures. These results provide an empirical basis for selection of variables to control in studies employing nerve conduction measures.
Effect of Water Vapor on Electrical Properties of Individual Reduced Graphene Oxide Sheets

The electrical conductivity and gas-sensing characteristics of individual sheets of partially reduced graphene oxide are studied, and the results display a strong dependence on the chosen reduction method. Three reduction procedures are considered here: thermal, chemical, and a combined chemical/thermal approach. Samples treated by chemical/thermal reduction display the highest conductivity whereas thermally reduced samples display the fastest gas-sensing response times. The chemo-resistive response to water vapor adsorption is well fit by a linear driving force model. The conductivity upon exposure to water vapor and measured as a function of the gated electric field displays significant hysteresis. These results illustrate how the chemical structure of graphene oxide may be tailored to optimize specific properties for applications such as field effect devices and gas sensors.
Simulations of Voltage Transients Across Intracellular Mitochondrial Membranes Due to Nanosecond Electrical Pulses

Simulations to quantify the induction of transmembrane potentials across the mitochondrial membranes have been carried out, taking account of their irregular shape. Our results demonstrate that short (60 ns), high-intensity pulses have the capacity to create membrane potentials, while longer 600-ns pulses are not as effective. Also, the plasma membrane effects are always greater than those at the mitochondria, and that poration at the inner mitochondrial membrane is more difficult than at the outer mitochondrial membrane. In the shorter pulse range, geometric dependence is very pronounced, and so short pulses could be very effective in highly irregular shaped cells, such as neurons. Finally, bioeffects due to the longer 600-ns pulses as seen experimentally, is likely due to other (secondary) effects such as calcium inflow from the porated plasma membrane at the mitochondrial sites.
A New Total Synthesis of Bulnesol

Abstract Some years ago we began work on a general hydroazulenic sesquiterpene synthesis based on the known photo-ene product (II) of citral (I).1 The projected key step, the cyclization of an olefinic aldehyde, has been extensively studied in model systems: the stereochemical outcome, and other data, suggest a concerted electrocyclic mechanism with the carbonyl serving as an enophile.2 However application of this reaction to model aldehydes yielding the guaiane skeleton were less encouraging. Aldehyde III (R[dbnd]H), obtained from photocitral-A by two successive homologations using cyanide displacement of tosylate, gave at best a 60% yield of cyclized material—a mixture of olefin isomers and hydroxy epimers. Initial attempts to incorporate a group R suitable for later elaboration into the isopropylol side chain common in guaianes were also discouraging.
Economic costs of respiratory tract infections in the United States

To evaluate one aspect of the impact of respiratory tract infections in the United States, national survey data were used to estimate direct and indirect economic costs. Overall, upper and lower respiratory tract infections are estimated to be responsible for approximately $15 billion in direct treatment costs. Physician charges account for about one half and hospital care accounts for approximately one quarter of these costs. An estimated 1.25 million patients are hospitalized yearly for community-acquired respiratory tract infections, and charges for their care are projected to exceed $4 billion. Almost 300 thousand patients acquire nosocomial respiratory infections yearly, and charges for treating these infections are approximately $470 million. Although costs associated with hospital care are substantial, approximately $10 billion (67 percent of the total estimated cost of these infections) results from treatment of patients in ambulatory settings. It is not possible to calculate the full magnitude of the indirect costs of respiratory infections, but losses in income of employed persons who miss work because of infection are calculated to be more than $9 billion per year.
Hugoniot overtake sound-velocity measurements on CsI

Shock-wave overtake experiments have been used to confirm that CsI melts along the Hugoniot curve at a pressure of roughly 30 GPa. The experimental results give the pressure dependence of the bulk sound velocity in the fluid along the Hugoniot curve to 150 GPa, from which the pressure dependences of both the adiabatic bulk modulus and the Grueneisen parameter ..gamma.. can be calculated. These quantities show normal behavior, with no obvious indication of the band closure and metalization which are predicted for this region of the Hugoniot curve. The results of these experiments are combined with the shock-wave optical pyrometry data of Radousky et al. (Phys. Rev. B 31, 1457 (1985)) to obtain results for the variation along the Hugoniot curve of both the constant-volume heat capacity (which increases by 30% from the melting line to 90 GPa) and the isothermal bulk modulus. The large values of C/sub V/, which are roughly twice the classical value for a solid, are the only indications of unusual behavior for CsI. Thermodynamic properties along the Hugoniot curve are consistent only with the diamond-anvil isotherm which used solid xenon as a pressure-transmitting medium.
Variation in the haemolymph protein, amino acid, and lipid levels in adult house crickets, Acheta domesticus L., of different ages

Abstract Very marked changes in the haemolymph concentrations of proteins, amino acids, and lipids were noted, particularly during the first 15 days of adult life. During this period the levels of total protein and amino acid in the haemolymph fell from the initially high values found at the time of the final moult. The lipid concentration, however, increased during the first few days of adult life, reaching a peak around the fifth to tenth day, before falling to the lower values found in older crickets. The significance of these results in relation to post-emergence maturation processes in the imaginal stage is discussed.
Variation-Based Transparency Analysis of an Internet-Distributed Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation Platform for Vehicle Powertrain Systems

Recent work by the authors and colleagues developed an Internet-distributed hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) platform to integrate two geographically-dispersed HILS setups over the Internet, namely, the engine-in-the-loop simulation setup at the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann Arbor, MI, and the driver-in-the-loop ride motion simulator at the US Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, MI. As the literature discusses in detail, distributing the HILS over the Internet introduces transparency issues due to the delay, jitter, and loss associated with the Internet. This paper first illustrates on a simple example that distributing the simulation can in and of itself be another important source of transparency degradation. Then, the paper presents a variation analysis to evaluate the effect of these two main sources of transparency degradation on the performance of the abovementioned setup. The paper concludes that transparency and how it is affected by distributing the simulation and by the delay, jitter, and loss associated with the Internet is dependent on the signal of interest. Specifically, it is shown that distributing the simulation has more effect on the transparency of the engine torque and throttle signals than the delay, jitter, and loss of the Internet between Ann Arbor and Warren, whereas it does not significantly affect the transparency of vehicle speed unless the Internet delay increases significantly.Copyright © 2009 by ASME