cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanoreceptive submodality channel interactions: psychophysical observations on differential activation of flutter and vibration.

Abstract Psychophysical studies on masking of sensations induced by sinusoidal mechanical stimuli were conducted in human subjects to characterize the interactions within and between the submodalities of flutter and vibration. Using a conditioning-test stimulus paradigm, we found that the threshold of a test stimulus was elevated (masking) when the test stimulus was paired with a twice-threshold conditioning stimulus that activated the same submodality. Detection theory analysis further indicated that the observed elevation in threshold resulted in part from a change in stimulus detectability (i.e. d′). In contrast, when the test stimulus and the twice-threshold conditioning stimulus activated different submodalities, no elevation in test stimulus threshold (no masking) was observed. Thus, for stimuli that activate either flutter or vibration, masking (and the inhibitory operations by which it is presumably mediated) is restricted to a given submodality and not distributed across submodalities. This finding suggests that these submodality channels function independently.
A large scale preparative gel electrophoresis separation of α1 and α2 subunits of the voltage‐gated Ca2+ channel from rabbit skeletal muscle

A large-scale preparative gel electrophoresis method effectively separates individual voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) subunits with high resolution, starting with up to 4 mg of rabbit skeletal muscle L-type VGCC complex. Using this method, we separated alpha 1 and alpha 2 subunits of rabbit skeletal muscle VGCC with a high efficiency and with protein recoveries of 83%. The separated alpha 1 and alpha 2 subunits eluted from the gel in a 1:1 molar ratio. The method should be applicable for separating the other VGCC subunits or subunits of other protein complexes.
Anthralin, a non-phorbol tumor promoter, fails to inhibit metabolic cooperation in mutant human fibroblasts, but inhibits phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis in vitro

Two (among many) of the hypotheses put forward to explain mechanisms of action of tumor promoters are: (1) immunosuppression of the host; and (2) inhibition of intercellular junctional communication. Murine spleen cells were exposed for 30 min to various concentrations of anthralin (1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrone), a polyphenolic non-phorbol promoter, and 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,8-DHAQ), an inactive congener. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced T cell blastogenesis, an indicator of lymphocyte function, was then assessed in vitro. Exposure to anthralin resulted in a concentration-dependent suppression of lymphocyte proliferation with complete suppression occurring at 1 microM. The inactive congener, 1,8-DHAQ, failed to suppress lectin-induced blastogenesis at concentrations up to 10 microM. Dithiothreitol (DTT), a sulfhydryl (SH) compound, failed to protect against the suppression of lymphocyte function by anthralin. In addition, anthralin failed to inhibit in vitro microtubule assembly, a SH-dependent process, in a crude rat brain extract. Finally, unlike 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), the most potent skin tumor promoter known, anthralin failed to inhibit metabolic cooperation between mutant human fibroblasts as assayed by [14C]citrulline incorporation. In summary, the data suggest that anthralin may act as a tumor promoter by suppressing immune parameters, a property which is shared by the phorbol esters.
Correlative magnetic resonance and near-infrared technologies for the evaluation of mitochondrial disease.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 31 P magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 31 P-MRS) and nearinfrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are non-invasive methods for characterizing the dynamic aspects of human muscle contraction. MRI is employed for investigating the general morphology of muscles and for longitudinal evaluations of abnormalities such as inflammation or fat infiltration. By contrast, biopsy provides diagnostic information on a small sample of tissue, for example, identification of the cell types found in the inflammatory infiltrate. Biopsy is not suitable for frequent repeat examinations. Clearly, MRI and biopsy are clinically complementary. The various morphological and pathological findings can be correlated with metabolic data obtained with 31 P-MRS [1,2]. 31 P-MRS is a technique for determining the levels of ATP, phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi) and also pH in resting and exercising muscles. Minute-by-minute changes in the metabolities during exercise can be measured with 31 P-MRS and thereby enable bioenergetic studies of contracting muscles. The efficiency of the generation and utilization of the high energy phosphate compounds, ATP and PCr, can be ascertained from the ratio of the concentrations of Pi and PCr, namely, the Pi=PCr ratio. During exercise by normal muscles, the Pi=PCr ratio becomes elevated due to increased Pi and decreased PCr levels. If the Pi=PCr ratio is elevated above normal values, a dysfunctional bioenergetic status exists and exercise performance is impaired. For example, in mitochondrial myopathies the Pi=PCr ratio during exercise is elevated well above normal values, indicating a severely impaired bioenergetic status which may in part account for muscle dysfunction. After exercise the rate of resynthesis of PCr is substantially reduced in the diseases muscles [3]. NIRS evaluates kinetic changes in oxygen levels in muscles during exercise and the subsequent recovery period. Adequate oxygen delivery and utilization are essential for efficient synthesis of the ATP required for repetitive contractions and overall physical endurance. The NIRS measurements of oxygen saturation can be correlated with 31 P-MRS data for ATP and PCr turnover. In the case of mitochondrial myopathy, there is an abnormal “paradoxical oxygenation” of the exercising muscles (poor oxygen utilization) rather than the usual deoxygenation (fast utilization) seen in normal muscles. Impaired oxygen utilization and deficient ATP synthesis correlate with the clinical findings of weakness and fatigue [4]. In summary, MRI, 31 P-MRS and NIRS, provide unique quantitative data for studies of normal muscle function and for more complex investigations of muscle disorders. These non-invasive examinations
A pseudo‐unitary implementation of the radial trace transform

The Radial Trace Transform (RTT) is an attractive tool for wavefield separation because it lowers the apparent temporal frequency of radial events like ground roll, making it possible to remove them from the data by simple bandpass filtering in the RT domain. In Henley’s (1999) implementation of the RTT, the RT domain is wellsampled, and thus suitable for post-filtering, but suffers from interpolation errors because it intepolates across offsets. We present an alternate implementation, which is pseudo-unitary in the limit of an infinitely densely sampled RT space, with the side effect that the RT domain has missing data. Using a simple 2-D filter, we estimate the missing data in the RT domain using Claerbout’s (1998) optimization methodology without affecting the invertibility of the RTT. Our implementation suppresses radial noise while preserving signal, including static shifts.
Effect of aging on some physical properties of hydrochlorothiazide tablets

Hydrochlorothiazide tablets were prepared using acacia, starch, and polyvinylpyrrolidone as granulating agents. The tablets were evaluated at room temperature and at elevated temperatures relative to changes in hardness, disintegration, and dissolution. Acacia is an unsatisfactory granulating agent because the values of the hardness, disintegration, and dissolution times are increased with aging; starch and polyvinylpyrrolidone are acceptable granulating agents because the physical properties of the tablets are essentially unchanged with aging. The changes in the physical properties of the tablets after short-term storage at elevated temperatures correlated with the changes upon aging for 1 year at room temperature. Thus, for the formulations used in this study, changes occurring after short-term storage at 37, 50, and 80° could be used to predict changes in physical properties during the normal shelf-life of the tablets at room temperature.
Abstract C45: Validation of thromboxane A2 receptor (TP) as a target to block breast cancer metastasis.

The receptor of thromboxane A2 (TXA2), TP, is a seven transmembrane, G-protein-coupled receptor. Increased expression of TP at RNA level was found to correlate with a poor prognosis in breast cancer patients but it is unknown how TP expression and activities are involved in breast cancer progression. Here we report that TP is expressed in metastatic breast cancer cells at both RNA and protein levels. Treatment of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells by U46619, a TP agonist, induced cell body contraction. The U46619-induced contraction was blocked by SQ29548, a high-affinity TP antagonist. Further studies found that small GTPase RhoA was activated by TP activation and that pretreatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with Y27632, a Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, blocked U46619-induced cell contraction. The requirement of RhoA activation in U46619 induced cell contraction was further confirmed by the ability of dominant negative RhoA to block cell contraction induced by U46619. MDA-MB-231 cells with TP knockdown displayed a reduced percentage of contraction under the treatment of U46619 and TXA2 agonist I-BOP as well as attenuated invasion ability. When injected into mice, MDA-MB-231 cells with TP depleted did not present significant changes in primary tumor formation or growth. However, TP depletion reduced the ability of MDA-MB-231 cells to metastasize to the lung and the liver in an experimental metastasis model. We further demonstrated that TP depletion reduced the lung colonization ability of MDA-MB-231 cells by blocking active extravasation. Taken together, TP is expressed in breast cancer and that activation of TP has profound effects on tumor cell cytoskeleton and contraction through activation of RhoA. Inhibition or depletion of TP reduces the metastatic dissemination of breast cancer cells in vivo by blocking the extravasation of tumor cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C45.
It's what you don't say: Omissio in Cicero's speeches

The rhetorical strategy omissio is used frequently by Cicero to make points which, for various reasons, the orator states that he is omitting from his speech. Of the forms omissio may take reticentia is perhaps the most “respectable” in that the speaker actually fulfills his stated intention to omit with a remark such as “His character is known to all; I will not discuss it here.” A more interesting form of omissio is occultatio, the device which enables the speaker to actually introduce assertions under pretext of leaving them out, with a prejudicial “omitting” statement such as “I will not discuss his past immoralities; the present case is sufficient.” The points Cicero brings out under occultatio are technically irrefutable because they are “left out” of the direct argument. The reasons Cicero gives (and does not give) for his “omissions” and the types, frequency, and significance of the strategy of omissio are examined in the article.
Automotive Maintenance and Safety Preparedness among Drivers: Aspects of Age and Gender

Almost every motor vehicle in use today came with a manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule. Many automobile manufacturers expect the owner (or driver) to perform certain first-line maintenance tasks on his or her own vehicle. This paper examines automobile drivers' knowledge of and preparedness to deal with many of these maintenance tasks as well as some emergencies which can arise as a result of their neglect. Relative differences between the genders are discussed as are differences among age groups. A set of non-driving maintenance functions commonly described in owner's manuals was selected for study. A survey was designed to measure drivers' knowledge with regard to these maintenance functions and other safety knowledge. The instrument also asked a number of questions designed to determine what types of safety equipment the drivers routinely carry with them as well as what types of other maintenance the subjects performed on their own cars. Subjects were 166 licensed male and female drivers bet...
Motion of an Antarctic glacier by repeated tidally modulated earthquakes

Subglacial seismicity reveals information about glacier behaviour. Analysis of repeated seismic events beneath an Antarctic outlet glacier is consistent with sliding of debris-laden ice over a bedrock asperity with an event frequency that is modulated by the ocean tides.
Mammographic tissue, breast cancer risk, serial image analysis, and digital mammography. Part 1. Tissue and related risk factors.

Abstract This work is presented as a sequence of two parts. In this leading section, a review of the breast tissue–risk research is provided. Although controversy remains, there is substantial evidence indicating that dense mammographic tissue (a) is a breast cancer risk factor that is at least similar, if not greater, in magnitude with the other known breast cancer risk factors and (b) may be a partial biomarker for some of the other risk factors. Understanding these influences may provide a mechanism for measuring the dynamics of breast cancer risk. The totality of this work is to provide support for an automated serial mammography study under way at the authors' institution, where digital mammographic images are acquired with a full–field digital mammography system. This is a filmless imaging system, where the image is acquired in digital format. This electronic imaging acquisition system provides a prime opportunity to easily couple and manipulate the image data with patient information such as risk probability analysis or other pertinent personal history data for improved automated decision making. In this leading section, the main focus is on understanding elements that will assist in fusing risk probability analysis with automated computer–aided diagnosis. The evidence indicates that there are many factors that influence breast tissue at any given time and thus have the ability to alter the associated radiographic image appearance over time. At the initiation of the serial study it was clear that the authors did not fully understand the nature of the problem: automatically comparing similar mammographic scenes acquired at different times. In the second part of this sequence, the more time–related tissue influences are reviewed.
Beacon certificate push revocation

Authentication information is best localized. Local sources of authentication information are better able to physically identify users, provide authoritative information on them, adequately protect authentication information and infrastructure, and ato provide high quality authentication at an affordable cost.We consider here the problem of public key authentication using a potentially large number of local Certificate Authorities (CAs). The information provided by these CAs is federated together to create a large-scale distributed authentication base. One of the key problems in doing so is certificate revocation. Efficient mechanisms are described for certificate revocation when there are many CAs and we provide some measures on their efficiency.
Scoring the composite leading indicators: A Bayesian turning points approach

This paper explores a Bayesian decision-theoretic approach for analysis and development of composite leading indicators. The methods used here are derived from work by Zellner et al. (1988) and Zellner and Hong (1988) aimed at forecasts time series turning points, and the multi-process mixture models first described by Harrison and Stevens (1976) and more recently in West and Harrison (1989). Here, these methods are used to develop composite leading indicators formed by using the posterior probabilities derived from predictive relations between the individual indicator variables and the state of the economy measure as weights. This study, like those of Wecker (1979), Kling (1987) and Diebold and Rudebusch (1989), uses the time series observations on the measure of economic activity which we wish to predict along with an explicit definition of a turning point, either a downturn or upturn. Unlike those studies, we then establish a predictive relation between the individual component indicator series and the variable measuring economic activity which allows a Bayesian computation of probabilities associated with the turning point events. This parallels the developments in Zellner et al. (1988), where the focus was on forecasting turning points in economic times series. These probabilities are conditioned on the past data and the predictive probability density function (pdf) for future observations. A composite indicator is devised using a Class I, multi-process mixture model suggested in West and Harrision (1989). The composite indicator arising from this approach is an average of the individual component series, where the averaging is done over the posterior probabilities of the individual component series predictive relations. An example of the procedure is provided using the national composite leading indicator (CLI).
Theoretical Discussion of the Inverse Faraday Effect, Raman Scattering, and Related Phenomena

The inverse Faraday effect (IFE) occurs when circularly polarized light incident on a nonabsorbing crystal induces a magnetic moment proportional to the Verdet constant of that material, the proportionality constant being independent of the material. Some experimental details relating to the observation and proof of the IFE are presented. A microscopic, or quantum-mechanical, explanation of the IFE which also demonstrates its connection with the Faraday effect is given in terms of an optically induced "effective Hamiltonian" ${\mathcal{H}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$. Conventional calculations of the optical constants like the Verdet constant compute optical-frequency polarizabilities for a given electronic configuration. It is shown here that these same constants are obtained by computing the average effects that optical fields have on the atomic configuration. The optically induced ${\mathcal{H}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ is linearly dependent on the low-frequency components of $E(t)E(t)$ and one can show the thermal average ${〈{\mathcal{H}}_{\mathrm{eff}}〉}_{\mathrm{thermal}}$ is equal to the temporl average ${〈\mathbf{E}(t)\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathbf{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}(\mathbf{E}t)〉}_{\mathrm{time}}$. Both the Verdet constant and the IFE coefficient arise from a thermal average of the same term in ${\mathcal{H}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$. Similarly the Cotton-Mouton effect and its inverse arise from one other term in ${\mathcal{H}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$. Definition of ${\mathcal{H}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ is one technique for linearizing some nonlinear optical problems. Following linearization one obtains Kramers-Kronig-type dispersion relations between constants of seemingly different phenomena. For example, a Kramers-Kronig relation is obtained between the Verdet constant and the gain coefficient for stimulated Raman scattering by paramagnetic ions in a large dc magnetic field. The effective Hamiltonian is explicitly evaluated from some illustrative examples and its general phenomenological form for a paramagnetic ion in cubic symmetry is written down and discussed.
Wave phenomena in liquid jet breakup in a supersonic crossflow

The results of an experimental study of some quantitative features of the wave process that produces jet column fracture are presented. The tests were conducted in a supersonic wind tunnel at Mach 2.4-4.0 at ambient stagnation temperature and stagnation pressures of 2.7-9.5 atm with several injectants at various flow rates. Photographic observations were employed, and data describing the waves on the jet column that lead to breakup including wavelength, amplitude, frequency, and wave speed are presented. The results point toward the "acceleration '' mechanism as the mode of wave production. '
Preparation of 2-vinylcyclobutanones viam-chloroperbenzoic acid oxidation of allylidenecyclopropanes

Abstract Allylidenecyclopropanes are oxidized with mCPBA to give, after rearrangement, 2-vinylcyclobutanones in moderate to high yields; 2-aryl-, including 2-(2-furyl)-, cyclobutanones are prepared in an analogous fashion.
Mitral valve injury after blunt chest trauma

Isolated mitral valve injury after blunt chest trauma is a very rare event. This disruption, causing sudden and severe mitral regurgitation, will rapidly lead to congestive heart failure and death unless operatively corrected. A high index of suspicion coupled with appropriate diagnostic tests will provide the diagnosis and allow operative correction. We report a patient who survived this injury and review all previous reports of blunt traumatic disruption of the mitral valve.
A Learning-Based Network Selection Method in Heterogeneous Wireless Systems

With the coexistence of various wireless technologies, next generation wireless communications will likely consist of an integrated system of networks, where the Access Points (APs) and Base Stations (BSs) work together to maximize the mobile-user Quality of Service (QoS). In such heterogeneous environment where handheld devices with different access technologies are not uncommon, it should be possible to select networks and seamlessly switch from one AP/BS to another in order to elevate user performance. In this paper, this type of network selection and handover mechanism with the goal of maximizing QoS is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). An algorithm based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) is then obtained that selects the best network based not only on the current network load but also the potential future network states. This algorithm aims at balancing the number of handovers and the achievable QoS. The results illustrate that while the QoS performance of the proposed algorithm is comparable to the performance of the optimum opportunistic selection algorithm, fewer number of network handovers (on average) are required. In addition, compared to the existing predefined network selection strategies with no handover, the MDP-based algorithm offers significantly better QoS.
Unintended, Inexorable: The Production of Environmental Inequalities in Santa Clara County, California

Instead of demonstrating the existence of environmental race and class inequalities at one point in time, social scientists must now do historical studies that explain how such inequalities are gen...
Akt activation emulates Chk1 inhibition and Bcl2 overexpression and abrogates G2 cell cycle checkpoint by inhibiting BRCA1 foci

Akt is perhaps the most frequently activated oncoprotein in human cancers. Overriding cell cycle checkpoint in combination with the inhibition of apoptosis are two principal requirements for predisposition to cancer. Here we show that the activation of Akt is sufficient to promote these two principal processes, by inhibiting Chk1 activation with concomitant inhibition of apoptosis. These activities of Akt cannot be recapitulated by the knockdown of Chk1 alone or by overexpression of Bcl2. Rather the combination of Chk1 knockdown and Bcl2 overexpression is required to recapitulate Akt activities. Akt was shown to directly phosphorylate Chk1. However, we found that Chk1 mutants in the Akt phosphorylation sites behave like wild-type Chk1 in mediating G2 arrest, suggesting that the phosphorylation of Chk1 by Akt is either dispensable for Chk1 activity or insufficient by itself to exert an effect on Chk1 activity. Here we report a new mechanism by which Akt affects G2 cell cycle arrest. We show that Akt inhibits BRCA1 function that induces G2 cell cycle arrest. Akt prevents the translocation of BRCA1 to DNA damage foci and, thereby, inhibiting the activation of Chk1 following DNA damage.
“Two” Much of a Good Thing: Telomere Damage-Induced Genome Doubling Drives Tumorigenesis

Data from human tumors and mouse models suggest that tetraploidy, one example of polyploidy, can promote tumorigenesis. In this issue of Cancer Cell , Davoli and De Lange make important connections between tetraploidy, tumorigenesis, and telomere crisis—a common event during the development of human cancers.
156 DEVELOPMENTAL ALTERATIONS IN CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION DURING EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Cardiovascular parameters were evaluated in the extrauterine preterm lamb (EPL) (GR 1:107.27±.51 SE dys gestation, 1.56±.47 SE kg BW, n=11;GR II:121.40±.53 SE dys gestation, 2.54±.16 SE kg BW, n=9) at different levels of arterial oxygenation during early development. Utilizing liquid ventilation with an oxygenated and warmed fluorocarbon (RIMAR 101) effective pulmonary gas exchange (PaO2 =24-289, PaCO2 =30-45, pH=7.25-7.45) and thermal stability were achieved. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), arterial gas tensions, blood chemistry and core temperature were monitored throughout the experiments. HR and MAP in conjunction with previously reported fetal data were statistically analyzed as a function of arterial oxygen content (CaO2=4-25 vol %) and age. Neither group demonstrated a significant change in HR or MAP until CaO2, fell below 13.30 vol %. Below this level, HR increased (p< 0.01) from 201 to 250 b/min @ CaO2=6.0 vol % and little change in MAP (38 mm Hg) was seen in GR I. In contrast, GR II showed a significant decrease in HR (p< 0.01) from 195 to 140 b/min @ CaO2 =5.0 vol % and increase in MAP (p< 0.01) from 41 to 56 mm Hg is @ CaO2 =6.0 vol %. These findings expand our understanding of age-related cardiovascular compensation over a range of arterial oxygenation previously unobtainable at this early stage of development. (Supported by NIH Grant HL/HD 30525).
The design of information technology planning systems for varying organizational contexts

The conduct of IT planning processes has been a dominant managerial concern in organizations. Yet, current IT planning research offers little guidance on the types of planning actions and behaviour that are appropriate to organizational contexts. The motivation of this paper is to extend the existing literature by addressing the following major question: How should organizations design IT planning systems to manage the conduct of their IT planning processes? The paper seeks to address this question by (i) identifying key organizational forces that affect the IT planning processes, (ii) articulating some of the key dimensions of IT planning systems and (iii) elaborating upon propositions for linking designs of IT planning systems with organizational context. The concepts and the propositions are expected to provide significant guidance for further research and practice.
Comparison of hafnium silicate thin films on silicon (100) deposited using thermal and plasma enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Hafnium silicate thin films were deposited by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on Si at 400 °C using hafnium (IV) t-butoxide. Films annealed in O2 were compared to as-deposited films using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Hafnium silicate films were deposited by both thermal and plasma enhanced MOCVD using 2% SiH4 in He as the Si precursor. An O2 plasma increased Si content to as much as ∼26 at.% Si. Both thermal and plasma deposited Hf silicates are amorphous as deposited, however, thermal films exhibit crystallinity after anneal. Surface roughness as measured by atomic force microscopy was found to be 1.1 and 5.1 nm for MOCVD hafnium silicate and plasma enhanced MOCVD hafnium silicate, respectively.
Electron liquids and solids in one dimension.

Even though bulk metallic systems contain a very large number of strongly interacting electrons, their properties are well described within Landau's Fermi liquid theory of non-interacting quasiparticles. Although many higher-dimensional systems can be successfully understood on the basis of such non-interacting theories, this is not possible for one-dimensional systems. When confined to narrow channels, electron interaction gives rise to such exotic phenomena as spin–charge separation and the emergence of correlated-electron insulators. Such strongly correlated electronic behaviour has recently been seen in experiments on one-dimensional carbon nanotubes and nanowires, and this behaviour challenges the theoretical description of such systems.
2C-Methyl-d-erythritol 4-Phosphate Enhances and Sustains Cyclodiphosphate Synthase IspF Activity

There is significant progress toward understanding catalysis throughout the essential MEP pathway to isoprenoids in human pathogens; however, little is known about pathway regulation. The present study begins by testing the hypothesis that isoprenoid biosynthesis is regulated via feedback inhibition of the fifth enzyme cyclodiphosphate synthase IspF by downstream isoprenoid diphosphates. Here, we demonstrate recombinant E. coli IspF is not inhibited by downstream metabolites isopentenyl diphosphate (IDP), dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP), geranyl diphosphate (GDP), and farnesyl diphosphate (FDP) under standard assay conditions. However, 2C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP), the product of reductoisomerase IspC and first committed MEP pathway intermediate, activates and sustains this enhanced IspF activity, and the IspF-MEP complex is inhibited by FDP. We further show that the methylerythritol scaffold itself, which is unique to this pathway, drives the activation and stabilization of active IspF. Our...
Nucleic acid synthesis during and after mitosis in the slime mold, Physarum polycephalum.

Abstract During metaphase and anaphase in the plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum, incorporation of radioactivity into nuclear RNA cannot be demonstrated by autoradiography after 5 min incubations in 3H-uridine at high concentration. However, a low but still discernible level of labeling is seen over nuclei after 10 min incubations starting during mitosis. It is concluded that the rate of RNA synthesis in the nuclei declines to a level not detected by autoradiography for a period of about 5 min but less than 10 min during mitosis. Nuclear DNA and RNA synthesis are shown to start together within 5 min immediately after anaphase; thus a G1 period between anaphase and the start of nuclear DNA synthesis is not demonstrable autoradiographically in the plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum.
A plasma extract with erythropoietic activity.

SummaryAdministration to intact rats of an extract, prepared from the plasma of phenylhydrazine-treated rabbits, results in significant increases in peripheral red cell counts, hemoglobin concentra...
Cluster Points and Asymptotic Values of C 1 - and Planar Harmonic Functions

A sufficient condition for a cluster point of a C 1-functio on ℝ2 to be an asymptotic value is given, based on a partitioning into regions of constant valence. We also obtain a sufficient condition for the cluster set of a planar harmonic function to have non-empty interior. An example is given of a planar harmonic function where the image of the critical set is not closed and such that the cluster set has non-empty interior and is a proper subset of the image.
Snapshots of Student Thinking: An Exploration of Video Cases for Extending Prospective Teachers' Knowledge.

The purpose of this article is to explore the relationships between prospective teachers’ content knowledge, student understanding, and pedagogy using video cases. The emphasis was on the extent to which the participants utilized constructs of Technology Pedagogy And Content Knowledge. Ten prospective teachers viewed video cases of students solving mathematical problems to look for evidence of student understanding and determine how they could use that information to guide instruction. Findings suggest that prospective teachers may lack or ignore tools to critically think about the interdependent relationship in ways that might promote diverse methods involving technology. Also, prospective teachers may be limited to constructs of their content knowledge when evaluating student conceptions and constructing aligned pedagogical strategies. Implications for teacher education are discussed.
Maturation-Dependent Thiol Loss Increases Chondrocyte Susceptibility to Apoptosis†

The major aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the role of thiols during chondrocyte maturation and apoptosis. Using a thiol-sensitive fluorescent probe, we found that in chick growth plate chondrocytes, hypertrophy is accompanied by a decrease in the glutathione content. In this study, we show that the maturation-dependent loss of thiol, although not causing death of maturing chondrocytes, drastically increases susceptibility to apoptosis by oxidative and nitrosoactive stress. To investigate how the loss of thiol content in cultured chondrocytes affects the expression of the hypertrophic phenotype, we chemically manipulated intracellular thiol levels and analyzed the expression of important maturation markers. We found that thiol depletion causes a decrease in the expression of osteopontin, type X and type II collagen and a significant loss of alkaline phosphatase activity, suggesting that the expression of the hypertrophic phenotype is tightly regulated by redox levels in chondrocytes. Furthermore, severe thiol depletion profoundly affected cell survival under oxidative and nitrosoactive stress. It was concluded that the loss of thiol reserve is not only linked to the expression of the hypertrophic phenotype but also influenced chondrocyte survival, linking chondrocyte maturation and the activation of the apoptotic pathway.
A gossip-based approach to exascale system services

Large-scale server deployments in the commercial internet space have been using group based protocols such as peer-to-peer and gossip to allow coordination of services and data across global distributed data centers. Here we look at applying these methods, which are themselves derived from early work in distributed systems, to large-scale, tightly-coupled systems used in high performance computing.In this paper, we study Gossip protocols and their ability to aggregate data across large-scale systems in support of system services. We report accuracy and performance of these estimated results and then focus on a simulated power-capping service to show the tradeoffs of this approach in practice.
Cytologic diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma: factors associated with negative and equivocal diagnoses.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is associated with notoriously high rates of false negative and equivocal diagnoses. To identify causative factors, we reviewed the cytologic features of presurgical FNAB smears of ILC and correlated the cytologic findings with the number of passes, tumor size, mammographic findings, and the histologic characteristics of the tumor. Smear cellularity, presence of single intact epithelial cells, nuclear size, nuclear atypia, palpability of the tumor, and histologic type of ILC (classic versus nonclassic) were statistically significant in establishing an unequivocally positive diagnosis. We also found that the cytologic cellularity of the lesion does not reflect the actual cellularity of the tumor but instead is an indicator of the architectural arrangement of the neoplastic cells; tumors that form epithelial cell groups, such as in nonclassic ILC, tend to yield more cellular aspirates that are diagnostic for carcinoma. In contrast, classic ILC, in which single neoplastic cells are embedded in fibrous stroma, is more likely to yield a paucicellular smear with subtle atypia and rare single intact epithelial cells. As such, an inconclusive diagnosis in a certain percentage of classic ILC cases may be unavoidable. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2004;31:87–93. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The influence of circadian rhythms on pre- and post-prandial metabolism in the snake Lamprophis fuliginosus.

Measuring standard metabolic rate (SMR) and specific dynamic action (SDA) has yielded insight into patterns of energy expenditure in snakes, but less emphasis has been placed on identifying metabolic variation and associated energy cost of circadian rhythms. To estimate SMR, SDA, and identify metabolic variation associated with circadian cycles in nocturnally active African house snakes (Lamprophis fuliginosus), we measured oxygen consumption rates (VO2) at frequent intervals before and during digestion of meals equaling 10%, 20% and 30% of their body mass. Circadian rhythms in metabolism were perceptible in the VO2 data during fasting and after the initial stages of digestion. We estimated SMR of L. fuliginosus (mean mass=16.7F0.3 g) to be 0.68F0.02 (FSEM) mL O2/h at 25 8C. Twenty-four hours after eating, VO2 peaked at 3.2-5.3 times SMR. During digestion of meals equaling 10-30% of their body mass, the volume of oxygen consumed ranged from 109 to 119 mL O2 for SMR, whereas extra oxygen consumed for digestion and assimilation ranged from 68 to 256 mL O2 (equivalent to 14.5-17.0% of ingested energy). The oxygen consumed due to the rise in metabolism during the active phase of the daily cycle ranged from 55 to 66 mL O2 during digestion. Peak VO2, digestive scope, and SDA increased with increasing meal size. Comparisons of our estimates to estimates derived from methods used in previous investigations resulted in wide variance of metabolic variables (up to 39%), likely due to the influence of circadian rhythms and activity on the selection of baseline metabolism. We suggest frequent VO2 measurements over multiple days, coupled with mathematical methods that reduce the influence of undesired sources of VO2 variation (e.g., activity, circadian cycles) are needed to reliably assess SMR and SDA in animals exhibiting strong
Optimization of PET-MR registrations for nonhuman primates using mutual information measures: a Multi-Transform Method (MTM).

Abstract An important step in PET brain kinetic analysis is the registration of functional data to an anatomical MR image. Typically, PET–MR registrations in nonhuman primate neuroreceptor studies used PET images acquired early post-injection, (e.g., 0–10 min) to closely resemble the subject's MR image. However, a substantial fraction of these registrations (~ 25%) fail due to the differences in kinetics and distribution for various radiotracer studies and conditions (e.g., blocking studies). The Multi-Transform Method (MTM) was developed to improve the success of registrations between PET and MR images. Two algorithms were evaluated, MTM-I and MTM-II. The approach involves creating multiple transformations by registering PET images of different time intervals, from a dynamic study, to a single reference (i.e., MR image) (MTM-I) or to multiple reference images (i.e., MR and PET images pre-registered to the MR) (MTM-II). Normalized mutual information was used to compute similarity between the transformed PET images and the reference image(s) to choose the optimal transformation. This final transformation is used to map the dynamic dataset into the animal's anatomical MR space, required for kinetic analysis. The chosen transforms from MTM-I and MTM-II were evaluated using visual rating scores to assess the quality of spatial alignment between the resliced PET and reference images. One hundred twenty PET datasets involving eleven different tracers from 3 different scanners were used to evaluate the MTM algorithms. Studies were performed with baboons and rhesus monkeys on the HR+, HRRT, and Focus-220. Successful transformations increased from 77.5%, 85.8%, to 96.7% using the 0–10 min method, MTM-I, and MTM-II, respectively, based on visual rating scores. The Multi-Transform Methods proved to be a robust technique for PET–MR registrations for a wide range of PET studies.
The conquest of vitalism or the eclipse of organicism? The 1930s Cambridge organizer project and the social network of mid-twentieth-century biology.

In the 1930s, two concepts excited the European biological community: the organizer phenomenon and organicism. This essay examines the history of and connection between these two phenomena in order to address the conventional ‘rise-and-fall’ narrative that historians have assigned to each. Scholars promoted the ‘rise-and-fall’ narrative in connection with a broader account of the devitalizing of biology through the twentieth century. I argue that while limited evidence exists for the ‘fall of the organizer concept’ by the 1950s, the organicism that often motivated the organizer work had no concomitant fall – even during the mid-century heyday of molecular biology. My argument is based on an examination of shifting social networks of life scientists from the 1920s to the 1970s, many of whom attended or corresponded with members of the Cambridge Theoretical Biology Club (1932–1938). I conclude that the status and cohesion of these social networks at the micro scale was at least as important as macro-scale conceptual factors in determining the relative persuasiveness of organicist philosophy.
Comparison of single 7.5-mg dose treatment vs sequential multidose 2.5-mg treatments with nebulized albuterol in the treatment of acute asthma.

Study objectives The purpose of the current trial was to compare the relief of airway obstruction from treatment with a single dose of albuterol,7.5 mg (single-dose group), with that from three sequential doses of albuterol, 2.5 mg, spaced 20 min apart (multidose group). Design Randomized clinical trial designed to test equivalence. Setting Urban county hospital emergency department. Patients or participants Adult patients between the ages of 18 and 60 years presenting to the emergency department with acute asthma, as defined by the American Thoracic Society criteria, with FEV 1 on presentation to the emergency department of ≤ 75% of predicted were included in the study. Interventions After the initial evaluation, patients were administered either albuterol, 2.5 mg via nebulizer every 20 min for a total of three doses, or albuterol 7.5 mg via nebulizer in a single dose. Measurements and results Ninety-four patients participated, 46 in the single-dose group and 48 in the multidose group. Patients in both groups had severe obstruction on presentation to the emergency department (single-dose group pretreatment FEV 1 , 45% of predicted [SD, 16% of predicted]; multidose group pretreatment FEV 1 , 47% of predicted [SD, 17% of predicted]; p = 0.62). The primary outcome measure was the change in FEV 1 percent predicted over time. The secondary outcome measures were disposition after treatment ( ie , hospitalization or discharge to home) and the incidence of side effects. We noted a 44.5% improvement (SD, 56.2%) in pretreatment to posttreatment FEV 1 values in the single-dose group and a 38.1% improvement (SD, 37.3%) in the multidose group (p = 0.52). A similar proportion of patients in both groups required hospitalization (single-dose group, 48%; multidose group, 41%; p = 0.51). There was a trend for the patients in the singledose group to experience more side effects than patients in the multidose group (patients in the single-dose group patients, 40% [SD, 19%]; multidose group patients, 22% [SD, 10%]; p = 0.06). Conclusion A single dose of 7.5 mg nebulized albuterol and sequential doses of 2.5 mg nebulized albuterol are clinically equivalent in the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe acute asthma and result in similar dispositions from the emergency department.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charge pattern optimization for energy cost and battery longevity

This paper examines the problem of optimizing the charge pattern of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), defined as the timing and rate with which the PHEV obtains electricity from the power grid. The optimization goal is to simultaneously minimize (i) the total cost of fuel and electricity and (ii) the total battery health degradation over a 24-h naturalistic drive cycle. The first objective is calculated for a previously-developed stochastic optimal PHEV power management strategy, whereas the second objective is evaluated through an electrochemistry-based model of anode-side resistive film formation in lithium-ion batteries. The paper shows that these two objectives are conflicting, and trades them off using a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm. As a result, a Pareto front of optimal charge patterns is obtained. The effects of electricity price and trip schedule on the optimal Pareto points and the PHEV charge patterns are analyzed and discussed.
A case series using famciclovir in stem cell transplant recipients with valacyclovir hypersensitivity reactions

BackgroundHerpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus reactivation can occur in up to 32% and 40% of patients, respectively in the first year post-transplant without prophylaxis. Antiviral therapy consisting of acyclovir or valacyclovir is recommended for at least 1 year post stem cell transplant per evidence-based guidelines.ObjectiveIn the event of a contraindication or hypersensitivity reaction to either drug, an alternative is essential based on the proven efficacy in reducing clinically significant herpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus reactivations. We report two cases of successful initiation of famciclovir in stem cell transplant recipients experiencing hypersensitivity to valacyclovir or acyclovir.DiscussionIn both cases, there were no hypersensitivity reactions or breakthrough viral infections after famciclovir initiation but this observation is limited by a small patient population.ConclusionDue to the limited data available, famciclovir appears to be a reasonable option in immuno...
A 3 to 30 MHz high-resolution synthesizer consisting of a DDS, divide-and-mix modules, and a M/N synthesizer

A 3 to 30 MHz synthesizer is described that uses divide and mix modules to clean up the output of a DDS resulting in a building block signal source that generates an output at 10.7 MHz with a 4.2% tuning range. The divide and mix modules are based on a previously described narrowband design that has been modified for greater tuning range. Both the old and new designs exploit inexpensive ceramic filters that are normally used in the IF stages of radio receivers. The basic 10.7 MHz band is applied to an M/N synthesizer to produce an output band from 3 to 30 MHz. Various techniques for filtering harmonics from the frequency divider output are discussed, as well as circuit design details of the 10.7 MHz mixers and filters. A PLL version of the M/N synthesizer is described that covers the band from 240 to 700 MHz, again starting from the 10.7 MHz input.
Volumetric data analysis using Morse-Smale complexes

The 3D Morse-Smale complex is a fundamental topological construct that partitions the domain of a real-valued function into regions having uniform gradient flow behavior. In this paper, we consider the construction and selective presentation of cells of the Morse-Smale complex and their use in the analysis and visualization of scientific datasets. We take advantage of the fact that cells of different dimension often characterize different types of features present in the data. For example, critical points pinpoint changes in topology by showing where components of the level sets are created, destroyed or modified in genus. Edges of the Morse-Smale complex extract filament-like features that are not explicitly modeled in the original data. Interactive selection and rendering of portions of the Morse-Smale complex introduces fundamental data management challenges due to the unstructured nature of the complex even for structured inputs. We describe a data structure that stores the Morse-Smale complex and allows efficient selective traversal of regions of interest. Finally, we illustrate the practical use of this approach by applying it to cryo-electron microscopy data of protein molecules.