cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 15063: The Atf6-inducible Selenoprotein, Vimp, Regulates Proteostasis and Pressure Overload-induced Heart Failure

Introduction: Cardiac hypertrophy is associated with an increase in protein synthesis, which must coordinate with protein folding and degradation to allow for homeostatic growth without affecting t...
Growth and Stress Tolerance Comprise Independent Metabolic Strategies Critical for Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that leads to high morbidity and mortality. Although S. aureus produces many factors important for pathogenesis, few have been validated as playing a role in the pathogenesis of S. aureus pneumonia. To gain a better understanding of the genetic elements required for S. aureus pathogenesis in the airway, we performed an unbiased genome-wide transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) screen in a model of acute murine pneumonia. We identified 136 genes important for bacterial survival during infection, with a high proportion involved in metabolic processes. Phenotyping 80 individual deletion mutants through diverse in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that metabolism is linked to several processes, which include biofilm formation, growth, and resistance to host stressors. We further validated the importance of 23 mutations in pneumonia. Multivariate and principal-component analyses identified two key metabolic mechanisms enabling infection in the airway, growth (e.g., the ability to replicate and form biofilms) and resistance to host stresses. As deep validation of these hypotheses, we investigated the role of pyruvate carboxylase, which was important across multiple infection models and confirmed a connection between growth and resistance to host cell killing. Pathogenesis is conventionally understood in terms of the host-pathogen interactions that enable a pathogen to neutralize a host's immune response. We demonstrate with the important bacterial pathogen S. aureus that microbial metabolism influences key traits important for in vivo infection, independent from host immunomodulation. IMPORTANCE Staphylococcus aureus is an important bacterial pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality, infecting numerous bodily sites, including the respiratory tract. To identify the bacterial requirements for lung infection, we conducted a genome-wide screen in a mouse model of acute pneumonia. We discovered that metabolic genes were overrepresented in those required for lung infection. In contrast to the conventional view of pathogenesis focusing on immunomodulation, we demonstrate through phenotyping of deletion mutants in several functional assays that replicative ability and tolerance against host defenses form two key metabolic dimensions of bacterial infection. These dimensions are independent for most pathways but are coupled in central carbon metabolism and highlight the critical role of bacterial metabolism in survival against host defenses during infection.
A Sequential Task Addition Distributed Assignment Algorithm for Multi-Robot Systems

In this paper, we present a novel distributed task-allocation algorithm, namely the Sequential Task Addition Distributed Assignment Algorithm (STADAA), for autonomous multi-robot systems. The proposed STADAA can implemented in applications such as search and rescue, mobile-target tracking, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The proposed STADAA is developed by modifying an algorithm (i.e., the Task Oriented Distributed Assignment Algorithm (TODAA)) we previously developed based on the Hungarian algorithm. The STADAA employs a conflict-resolution mechanism that utilizes a slack variable, sequentially adding new admissible tasks to an admissible task list when there exists conflict in an assignment. The STADAA aims to minimize the resulting cost of the task assignments. We compare the STADAA with the Consensus-Based Auction Algorithm (CBAA), the Distributed Hungarian Based Algorithm (DHBA), and the TODAA in terms of the computational time, optimality, the number of steps to converge, and algorithmic complexity. The results show that the STADAA outperforms the CBAA and the TODAA in optimality and outperforms the DHBA in computational time.
Real-Time Bio Particle Flow Analysis Platform Based on FPGA Integrated Optofluidic ARROW Devices

Programmable, fast electronic tools are integrated with optofluidic sensors for live analysis of fluorescence signals from single particles flowing through a fluidic channel. We demonstrate real-time, high-accuracy identification of targets and determination of analyte concentration.
Inferior vena cava filter migration during the prone position for spinal surgery: a case report

Purpose Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters have been used as an alternative therapy for patients with a contraindication to anticoagulation. We present a case of an IVC filter migration to the right ventricle occurring while a trauma patient was undergoing spinal surgery in the prone position. The patient provided written consent to describe this case.
Global CO2 distributions over land from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)

January 2009 saw the successful launch of the first space-based mission specifically designed for measuring greenhouse gases, the Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). We present global land maps (Level 3 data) of column-averaged CO2 concentrations (X(sub CO2)) derived using observations from the GOSAT ACOS retrieval algorithm, for July through December 2009. The applied geostatistical mapping approach makes it possible to generate maps at high spatial and temporal resolutions that include uncertainty measures and that are derived directly from the Level 2 observations, without invoking an atmospheric transport model or estimates of CO2 uptake and emissions. As such, they are particularly well suited for comparison studies. Results show that the Level 3 maps for July to December 2009 on a lO x 1.250 grid, at six-day resolution capture much of the synoptic scale and regional variability of X(sub CO2), in addition to its overall seasonality. The uncertainty estimates, which reflect local data coverage, X(sub CO2) variability, and retrieval errors, indicate that the Southern latitudes are relatively well-constrained, while the Sahara Desert and the high Northern latitudes are weakly-constrained. A probabilistic comparison to the PCTM/GEOS-5/CASA-GFED model reveals that the most statistically significant discrepancies occur in South America in July and August, and central Asia in September to December. While still preliminary, these results illustrate the usefulness of a high spatiotemporal resolution, data-driven Level 3 data product for direct interpretation and comparison of satellite observations of highly dynamic parameters such as atmospheric CO2.
Database design for high-resolution LIDAR topography data

The advent of high-resolution mapping technologies such as airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) has revolutionized the study of processes acting on the earth's surface. However, the massive volumes of data produced by LIDAR technology pose significant technical challenges in terms of the management and web-based distribution of these datasets. This paper provides a case study in the use of relational database technology for serving large airborne LIDAR "point cloud" datasets, as part of the National Science Foundation funded OpenTopography facility. We have experimented with the use of spatial extensions in the database as well as implementation solutions from a single partition database on a supercomputer resource to a multi-partition implementation on a shared-nothing commodity cluster for management of these terabyte scale datasets. We also describe future directions being pursued to support binary data formats and for scaling to larger system configurations.
Parasitism of lizards by immature stages of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis (Acari, Ixodidae)

From 1982–1985 and 1993–1999, a total of 309 individual reptiles, mostly lizards and snakes, belonging to 12 species (American alligator, six lizard species, five snake species) was captured on St. Catherine's Island, Liberty County, Georgia, USA, and examined for ticks. Three lizard species, the broad-headed skink Eumeces laticeps, southeastern 5-lined skink Eumeces inexpectatus, and eastern glass lizard Ophisaurus ventralis, were severely infested with larvae and nymphs of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. Ticks were not found on any of the other reptile species. Overall, 80% of 65 E. inexpectatus examined were parasitized by a mean intensity of 21.5larvae and 88% were parasitized by a mean intensity of 4.8 nymphs. Corresponding figures for E. laticeps (n=56) were 93% and 51.3 for larvae and 89% and 7.4 for nymphs, and for O. ventralis (n=3) were 67% and 22.5 for larvae and 100% and 21.3 for nymphs. Larvae and nymphs attached along the lateral grooves of O. ventralis. Nymphs attached mainly behind the ears and in the foreleg axillae whereas larvae mainly attached to these sites and on the hindlegs in Eumeces spp. Seasonally, both larvae and nymphs were recorded on lizards from April through October. A unimodal larval peak was recorded in May or June. Seasonal data for nymphs did not reveal any distinct peaks but small bimodal peaks in mean intensities may have occurred (one in early summer, the other in late summer)suggesting that some ticks complete their life cycle in one year, and others in two years, on St. Catherine's Island. Potential epidemiological consequences of these findings with respect to Lyme disease in the southeastern United States are briefly addressed.
Mucin as a therapeutic target in pseudomyxoma peritonei

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is characterized by intraperitoneal dissemination of mucinous ascites. This malignancy frequently recurs despite aggressive locoregional therapies, demonstrates chemo-insensitivity and lacks targeted therapies. This review addresses some intriguing questions in PMP; what role does mucin play in this malignancy?; what genetic alterations and dysregulated signaling pathways lead to a putative goblet cell-lineage differentiation or mucin overexpression?; are targeted therapies against known transcriptional pathways for mucin production a novel therapeutic strategy in this malignancy?
Fictional Displacements: Stewart Culin's Heaven and Earth

SUMMARY “My Friend Herman” is an exoticist fiction of Chinese America that appeared anonymously in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1889. My premise is that its author is the late-19th-century anthropologist Stewart Culin, whose ethnography of Philadelphia and New York Chinese is dissimilar in tone and content. By examining this disjuncture, this article aims to suggest a new focus for the ongoing discussion of anthropological fiction: fiction not as “ethnography by other means” but as a site of displacement in anthropological lives and careers.
Transforms for Intra Prediction Residuals Based on Prediction Inaccuracy Modeling

In intra video coding and image coding, the directional intra prediction is used to reduce spatial redundancy. Intra prediction residuals are encoded with transforms. In this paper, we develop transforms for directional intra prediction residuals. In particular, we observe that the directional intra prediction is most effective in smooth regions and edges with a particular direction. In the ideal case, edges can be predicted fairly accurately with an accurate prediction direction. In practice, an accurate prediction direction is hard to obtain. Based on the inaccuracy of prediction direction that arises in the design of many practical video coding systems, we can estimate the residual covariance and propose a class of transforms based on the estimated covariance function. The proposed method is evaluated by the energy compaction property. The experimental results show that, with the proposed method, the same amount of energy in directional intra prediction residuals can be preserved with a significantly smaller number of transform coefficients.
Tibial plateau fractures: Minimally invasive fracture techniques

Fractures of the tibial plateau encompass a wide spectrum of injuries ranging from low-energy injuries in osteopenic bone to high-energy trauma with severe, associated soft-tissue damage. Techniques for gaining healing of bone have advanced remarkably to the point in which nonunion of a tibial plateau fracture is relatively rare. As treatment of the fracture has evolved, the contribution of the soft-tissue injury has been recognized as cause for poor outcome. A corresponding emphasis has been placed on developing techniques of tibial plateau management that decrease wound complications while restoring soft-tissue and joint function. Minimally invasive techniques are attractive, but they can be deceptive because what appears to be a simpler fixation is often more technically demanding. These techniques include internal fixation through percutaneous incisions assisted by arthroscopy or thin-wire external fixation. This article discusses the indications, technical applications, pitfalls, and complications of arthroscopic-assisted and hybrid external fixation of tibial plateau fractures augmented with minimally invasive internal fixation.
Passive active radio frequency identification tags

This paper describes the Passive Active RFID Tag (PART). The first innovation is an automated method to generate RFID tag controllers based on high-level descriptions of a customised set of RFID primitives. We are capable of targeting microprocessor-based or custom hardware-based controllers. The second innovation is a passive burst switch front-end to the active tag. This switch reduces power consumption by allowing the active transceiver and controller to sleep when no reader is querying the tag. When RF energy is supplied by the reader, the burst switch 'wakes-up' the tag to process the primitive. A prototype burst switch is demonstrated using a Real-Time Spectrum Analyser (RTSA) from our RFID Center for Excellence. We demonstrate the customised RFID tag controller with 40 primitives using a Xilinx Coolrunner-II requiring 1.29 mW and 50 µW of power when active and asleep, respectively. We also present a PIC-microcontroller and hardware-based Nano Tag at 2.7µW.
Role of acute trauma in development of osteoarthritis.

Two canine acute transarticular loading models have been developed to study the role of acute traumatic cartilage damage in the development of osteoarthritis. One model involves damage to a closed joint and has the advantage of maintaining normal joint biology. The second model involves impaction of an open joint with direct visualization of the cartilage and has the advantages of being able to change the placement, intensity, and geometry of the impaction. Comparison of preliminary histochemical data at 2 weeks and 3 months for the open joint model with previously published data on the closed joint model is consistent with the two models having similar initial features that include surface cracks and step fractures of the zone of calcified cartilage. The early changes include loss of proteoglycan, expression of the pro-inflammatory markers such as TNF-α and IL-1β, and the metalloprotease stromelysin. By 3 months, cloning is present. The models will be useful in evaluating two hypotheses:one, that there is a threshold of damage that must be exceeded before the lesions become progressive and two, the cracks in the zone of calcified cartilage contribute to progression of osteoarthritis by acting as sites of endochondral ossification and thereby decreasing cartilage thickness.
WireGL: a scalable graphics system for clusters

We describe WireGL, a system for scalable interactive rendering on a cluster of workstations. WireGL provides the familiar OpenGL API to each node in a cluster, virtualizing multiple graphics accelerators into a sort-first parallel renderer with a parallel interface. We also describe techniques for reassembling an output image from a set of tiles distributed over a cluster. Using flexible display management, WireGL can drive a variety of output devices, from standalone displays to tiled display walls. By combining the power of virtual graphics, the familiarity and ordered semantics of OpenGL, and the scalability of clusters, we are able to create time-varying visualizations that sustain rendering performance over 70,000,000 triangles per second at interactive refresh rates using 16 compute nodes and 16 rendering nodes.
Base Pressure Associated With Incompressible Flow Past Wedges at High Reynolds Numbers

A model is suggested to study the viscid-inviscid interaction associated with steady incompressible flow past wedges of arbitrary angles. It is shown from this analysis that the determination of the nearly constant pressure (base pressure) prevailing within the near wake is really the heart of the problem and this pressure can only be determined from these interactive considerations. The basic free streamline flow field is established through two discrete parameters which should adequately describe the inviscid flow around the body and the wake. The viscous flow processes such as boundary-layer buildup along the wedge surface, jet mixing, recompression, and reattachment which occurs along the region attached to the inviscid flow in the sense of the boundary-layer concept, serve to determine the aforementioned parameters needed for the establishment of the inviscid flow. It is found that the point of reattachment behaves as a saddle point singularity for the system of equations describing the viscous recompression process. Detailed results such as the base pressure, pressure distributions on the wedge surface, and the wake geometry as well as the influence of the characteristic Reynolds number are obtained. Discussion of these results and their comparison with the experimental data are reported.
Subretinal fibrosis in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Abstract Objective To describe subretinal fibrosis as a long-term complication of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. Design Retrospective, clinic-based, cross-sectional study and clinical correlation. Participants Ten patients with VKH disease and subretinal fibrosis were seen at two uveitis referral centers between 1977 and 1997. Intervention A review of the historical, clinical, and fluorescein angiographic features was performed. Main outcome measures The prevalence, demographic and clinical features, and time to development of subretinal fibrosis were summarized. Results Subretinal fibrosis occurred in 20 eyes of 10 patients with VKH disease, an overall prevalence of 8% between the two institutions. Patient age ranged from 16 years to 48 years, with a median of 34.5 years. Five patients were Hispanic, one was mixed Hispanic and American Indian, three were Asian or mixed Asian and Caucasian, and one was African-American. Eight of the 10 patients were men. All patients were in the chronic, recurrent phase of their disease when they had subretinal fibrosis develop, and all patients had recurrent episodes of posterior uveitis. Presenting vision ranged from 20/20 to light perception, with a median acuity of 20/200. All patients were initially treated with oral and topical corticosteroids. Four patients required additional noncorticosteroid immunosuppressive therapy. Time from diagnosis of VKH disease to development of subretinal fibrosis ranged from zero (fibrosis present at time of diagnosis) to 27 years, with a median time of 10 months. The median time from diagnosis of VKH to development of subretinal fibrosis in Hispanic patients was 6.5 months, whereas in non-Hispanic patients it was 6.5 years. Final vision ranged from 20/25 to light perception, with a median acuity of 20/60. Seven of 20 eyes had a final visual acuity of 20/40 or better, and seven eyes saw 20/200 or worse. Five of the eyes with 20/200 or worse vision had fibrosis involving the fovea. Conclusions Subretinal fibrosis occurs in a sizeable proportion of patients with VKH disease and may contribute to permanent loss of vision.
Photochemistry of ketones in solution LXXVIII: kinetics of fluorescence quenching of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene and 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene by acyclic and cyclic unsaturated ketones and the behavior of the resulting radical ions pairs☆

Abstract The rates of quenching of the fluorescence of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) and 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene by a series of cyclic conjugated ketones, acyclic homoconjugated ketones, 3,5-cycloheptadienones and 3,5-cycloheptadienols have been determined in several solvents. In general, these rates are consistent with the ability of the quenchers to act as either electron donors or acceptors toward the electronically excited anthracenes. The cycloheptadienones are unique in showing both donor and acceptor reactivity. For some of these systems, no reactions are seen under these photosensitization conditions, while in other cases typical triplet state products are observed, which can be attributed to the generation of substrate triplets from the initial radical ion pair produced in the reaction. Novel products formed on DCA-sensitized photo-oxygenation of 2,2,7,7-tetramethyl-3,5-cycloheptadienone and the corresponding alcohol in acetonitrile appear to be formed via intermediate radical cations in processes which do not involve singlet oxygen.
Discrimination in electron multipliers for atomic ions II. Comparison of yields for 61 atoms

Abstract The relative multiplier yields for the atomic ions reported in Part I are compared with those available in the literature, and with these additional data, we report yields for 62 atoms. Reproducibility is good among different investigators despite the variation in experimental apparatus and operating conditions. Various attempts are made to relate yields to physical properties of the atoms, and an empirical correlation is suggested. It is shown that the following error limits could be expected for atomic ion multiplier yields: (a) directly measured ± 5%, (b) values taken from the literature ± 10%, and (c) values derived from our normalization curve ± 20%.
A flow distribution study of laboratory scale membrane gas separation cells

Abstract Gas flows in laboratory membrane test cells are often assumed to be uniform due to the relatively small feed volumes and ideal mixing of gas mixtures such as air. Scientific literature on characterization of gas flow distribution in the feed volume above the membrane in laboratory cells is limited. Any non-uniform distribution of flow is known to impact the permeance through the membrane [V.V. Ranade, A. Kumar, Comparison of flow structures in spacer-filled flat and annular channels, Desalination 191 (2006) 236; Nikhil Kawachale, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak M. Kirpalani, Numerical Investigation of Hydrocarbon Enrichment of Process Gas Mixtures by Permeation through Polymeric Membranes, Chem. Eng. Technol. 31, (1) (2008) 58]. In this work, the conventional cell used in laboratories was first examined to determine the uniformity in flow distribution and its effects on membrane performance. Using a combination of experimental and numerical methods, the feed flow distribution in the conventional cell was found to be skewed towards the far (retentate) side of the feed volume and also resulted in short-circuiting of the gas mixture to the retentate outlet. A new design for laboratory cell was proposed and experimentally validated. This modified cell was found to have a more uniform flow distribution than the conventional cell, consequently leading to improved separation performance.
Holographic Recording with Photopolymers

Phase holograms have been recorded using several photopolymers. These photopolymer recording systems are self-developing and require only uv-light fixing. Sensitivities as high as 0.6 mJ/cm2 have been achieved with He–Ne–laser light. Reconstructions from 3000-line/mm gratings recorded on these materials have been achieved; however, the signal-to-noise ratio falls off above 1500 lines/mm. Microscopy has revealed that the hologram is recorded both on the surface and in the volume of the polymer, and that the surface modulation provides the dominant contribution to the diffraction efficiency for 25-μm-thick films.
Real-time digital optical matrix multiplication with a joint-transform correlator.

Joint-transform correlation architecture is employed for digital matrix multiplication. Real-valued matrix–vector, complex-valued matrix–vector, real-valued matrix–matrix, and complex-valued matrix–matrix multiplication operations can all be realized simply by programming of the data arrangement in the input plane of a multiple-input joint-transform correlator. The proposed method benefits from the advantages of speed because of the real-time processing capability of the joint-transform correlator and of high accuracy because of the digital representation of the multiplied numbers. Computer-simulation results are provided in which the negative binary encoding method is used to encode matrix elements.
An early specific cell-cell interaction occurs in the production of β-amyloid in cell cultures

We have earlier proposed that a cell-cell interaction, mediated by the specific binding of molecules of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) on one cell surface with molecules of presenilin (PS) on the other cell surface, is a required initial step in the ultimate production of beta-amyloid (Abeta) from beta-APP. Abeta is widely believed to be the neurotoxic agent in Alzheimer's disease. In this paper, we test this proposal by modifying cells to express surface beta-APP but no PS, and other cells to express surface PS but no beta-APP. Coculturing these two cell populations at appropriate cell densities produces substantial amounts of Abeta that appear both in cell extracts and culture media. Such Abeta production could occur only if the two cell types interacted with one another to provide the beta-APP and the PS required for the generation of Abeta. The addition to the coculture, from the start, of the soluble specific N-terminal domain of the appropriate PS significantly reduces the amount of Abeta produced. These and related experiments, therefore, suggest a very different mechanism for Abeta production than the one that is currently widely accepted.
Nanofiller-Polymer Interactions At and Above the Glass Transition Temperature

Rheological data are reported for a series of fumed silica filled PVAc samples, using fillers of different specific surface areas and surface treatments. Data at the glass transition temperature and 45 C above Tg are presented. The addition of filler systematically increases Tg, and all samples obey time-temperature superposition. However, temperature normalized and frequency normalized plots of loss modulus indicate that there is no change in the dispersion of the glass transition, with the only exception being a surface modified with covalently bonded polymer chains. Thus, contrary to expectations, an increase in filler content or change in surface treatment has no effect on the relative shape of the relaxation time spectrum at the glass transition. At 45 C above Tg, different behavior is observed. The filler concentration has a major effect on the nonlinearity of dynamic moduli vs. strain amplitude, with higher filler content reducing the strain amplitude at which nonlinear behavior is observed. Specific filler surface treatments result in major changes in the shape of the loss factor versus strain amplitude relationship. These results suggest that interfacial interactions strongly modify the far-field polymer behavior with respect to chain entanglement slippage at large strains.
Biological evaluations of zinc hexyl vanillate cement using two in vivo test methods.

Abstract The cellular and tissue responses to 3 dental cements were studied by 2 methodologies, the connective tissue implantation technique (CTI), recommended by the ADA, and the peritoneal cavity implantation technique (PCI), which has emerged as a method to quantitatively study the cellular response to implanted materials. A mixed inflammatory cell response consisting of neutrophils and macrophages occurred at most of the time periods for all the cements examined in the CTI study. Similar cell populations, including lymphocytes, were observed with the PCI study using differential staining techniques. The histopathological observations from both procedures were similar. Each cement elicited a chronic foreign body reaction containing few chronic cells and mature fibroblastic activity. The intensity of the observed tissue reactions for each cement, as determined by capsule thickness in the CTI study and the overall cell counts in the PCI study, did not differ significantly with increasing time. The cellular and connective tissue reactions to the zinc hexyl vanillate (ZHV) cement approximated those of zinc oxide-eugenol (ZOE) and zinc phosphate (ZP) cements for both methodologies utilized in this work. While similar histopathological results were obtained for the implantation of cements using both methodologies, the PCI technique offers a more thorough investigation of cellular and tissue responses to implanted materials. In addition to histopathological evaluations, the PCI techniques allows quantitative investigation of the specific cells responding to the implants, and provides a mechanism, using chemical analysis techniques, to quantify the concentration of specific degradative products within the retrieved cells and host tissue. Finally, the results from these 2 methodologies demonstrated the acceptable biological performance of ZHV cement compared with the clinically acceptable ZP and ZOE cement formulations.
The Preparation of an Antigenic Toxin from Salmonella Enteritidis

The purpose of this study was to devise a convenient method for the preparation of relatively large quantities of an antigenic endotoxin from Salmonella enteritidis in order to permit a chemical study of this interesting substance. It is not feasible to review in detail the numerous studies reported in the literature on the isolation and purification of antigenic and toxic fractions from gram-negative organisms. The reader is referred to the excellent review by Eaton' and that by Boivin and Mesrobeanu2 which give extensive bibliographies. Suffice it to say that in 1933 Boivin and Mesrobeanu3 succeeded in isolating a specific antigen (antigene somatique) from several gram-negative species of bacteria by extracting the organisms with trichloroacetic acid at a pH of about 3.5 and precipitating the active fraction by means of alcohol. The purified antigen was shown to be a carbohydratelipin complex which was highly toxic to laboratory animals. Raistrick and Topley4 at about the same time also succeeded in isolating an antigenic toxin from Salmonella aertrycke by digesting the acetone-killed bacteria with trypsin and precipitating the toxic fractions with alcohol. Their most potent preparations were quite similar, if not identical, both in chemical and in biological properties, with the toxin obtained by the French workers from the same organism. A third method of preparing specific antigenic substances was reported by Morgans who extracted acetone-killed Bacillus dysenteriae (Shiga) with diethylene glycol or other glycols and precipitated the antigenic toxin, after removal of the glycol by dialysis, from aqueous solutions by acetone or alcohol. This substance also appeared to be a carbohydrate-lipin complex with properties very similar to those shown by the substances isolated by the previous workers. All the workers mentioned employed as starting material organisms that had been grown on solid medium, washed off the agar, and killed and dehydrated by acetone or alcohol. This procedure has definite advantages, chief among them being the fact that in the actual isolation of the antigenic endotoxin from the bacterial bodies one does not have to contend with many extraneous impurities, but only with those derived from the debris of the organisms themselves.
Ethics and graphic design: a rhetorical analysis of the document design in the "Report of the Department of the Treasury on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell also known as David Koresh"

The subject of ethics in graphic design has been only lightly treated in the literature regarding issues in technical communication. Because there is great potential for deception, conscious or unconscious, through graphic design, readers and writers of technical communication should develop an ethical sense and apply it to technical design. >
A desk-model electronic analog computer

A description is given of an analog computer comparable in size to an automatic desk calculator. By combining the techniques of electronic and electric analogs, a high problem-solving capacity is achieved in a minimum of space. Nine stable high-gain dc amplifiers are provided, each of which can be made to produce a variety of functional responses. This is accomplished by allowing the operator to build up the input and feedback networks of each amplifier on a plug board, on which space is provided for additional networks involving resistors, capacitors, and crystal diodes. The plug board containing all the components and interconnections involved in a given problem can be stored in a filing cabinet when not in use. The low cost and small size of the computer make it suited for use in many situations in which an analog computer would not otherwise be used.
Structural Characterization of a Human-Type Corrinoid Adenosyltransferase Confirms That Coenzyme B12 Is Synthesized through a Four-Coordinate Intermediate†‡

ATP:cob(I)alamin adenosyltransferases (ACAs) catalyze the transfer of the 5′-deoxyadenosyl moiety from ATP to the upper axial ligand position of cobalamin in the synthesis of coenzyme B12. For the ACA-catalyzed reaction to proceed, cob(II)alamin must be reduced to cob(I)alamin in the enzyme active site. This reduction is facilitated through the generation of a four-coordinate cob(II)alamin intermediate on the enzyme. We have determined the high-resolution crystal structure of a human-type ACA from Lactobacillus reuteri with a four-coordinate cob(II)alamin bound in the enzyme active site and with the product, adenosylcobalamin, partially occupied in the active site. The assembled structures represent snapshots of the steps in the ACA-catalyzed formation of the cobalt−carbon bond of coenzyme B12. The structures define the corrinoid binding site and provide visual evidence for a base-off, four-coordinate cob(II)alamin intermediate. The complete structural description of ACA-mediated catalysis reveals the mol...
The Impact of Studying Abroad on Male Preservice Teachers: A Phenomenological Investigation.

In this article, the authors describe changes in preservice teachers’ perceptions of and attitudes regarding diversity following a semester-long study abroad experience. Phenomenological methods were used to analyze data collected from five male preservice teachers during a study abroad to Brussels, Belgium in the Fall of 2010. Changes in participants’ definition and attitudes regarding diversity and resulting implications for practice were evident.
Protection of mice from ricin poisoning by treatment with antibodies directed against ricin.

AbstractRabbit antibody directed against ricin was shown to have some beneficial effects in prolonging the life of mice given intraperitoneal inoculations of ricin, particularly if antibody was given shortly (up to 3 h) after ricin.
Kindlin-2 Tyrosine Phosphorylation and Interaction with Src Serve as a Regulatable Switch in the Integrin Outside-in Signaling Circuit

Integrin-mediated cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion is critical for control of intracellular signaling; however, the mechanisms underlying this "outside-in" signaling are incompletely understood. Here we show that depletion of kindlin-2 impairs integrin outside-in signaling. Kindlin-2 is tyrosine-phosphorylated upon cell-ECM adhesion. Furthermore, kindlin-2 binds Src in a cell-ECM adhesion-regulatable fashion. At the molecular level, the kindlin-2·Src interaction is mediated by the kindlin-2 F0 and the Src SH2 and SH3 domains. Src activation increases kindlin-2 tyrosine phosphorylation and the kindlin-2·Src interaction. Conversely, inhibition of Src reduces kindlin-2 tyrosine phosphorylation and diminishes the kindlin-2·Src interaction. Finally, disruption of the kindlin-2·Src interaction, unlike depletion of kindlin-2, impairs neither cell-ECM adhesion nor cell-ECM adhesion-induced focal adhesion kinase Tyr-397 phosphorylation. However, it markedly inhibits cell-ECM adhesion-induced paxillin tyrosine phosphorylation, cell migration, and proliferation. These results suggest that kindlin-2 tyrosine phosphorylation and interaction with Src serve as a regulatable switch downstream of focal adhesion kinase in the integrin outside-in signaling circuit, relaying signals from cell-ECM adhesion to paxillin that control cell migration and proliferation.
Kainate toxicity in energy-compromised rat hippocampal slices: differences between oxygen and glucose deprivation.

Abstract The effects of kainate (KA) on the recovery of neuronal function in rat hippocampal slices after hypoxia or glucose deprivation (GD) were investigated and compared to those of (R,S)-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA). KA and AMPA were found to be more toxic than either N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA), quinolinate, or glutamate, both under normal conditions and under states of energy deprivation. Doses as low as 1 μM KA or AMPA were sufficient to significantly reduce the recovery rate of neuronal function in slices after a standardized period of hypoxia or GD. The enhancement of hypoxic neuronal damage by both agonists could be partially blocked by the antagonist kynurenate, by the NMDA competitive antagonist AP5, and by elevating [Mg2+] in or by omitting Ca2+ from the perfusion medium. The AMPA antagonist glutamic acid diethyl ester was ineffective in preventing the enhanced hypoxic neuronal damage by either KA or AMPA. The antagonist of the glycine modulatory site on the NMDA receptor, 7-chlorokynurenate, did not block the KA toxicity but was able to block the toxicity of AMPA. 2,3-Dihydroxyquinoxaline completely blocked the KA- and AMPA-enhanced hypoxic neuronal damage. The KA-enhanced, GD-induced neuronal damage was prevented by Ca2+ depletion and partially antagonized by kynurenate but not by AP5 or elevated [Mg2+]. The results of the present study indicate that the KA receptor is involved in the mechanism of neuronal damage induced by hypoxia and GD, probably allowing Ca2+ influx and subsequent intracellular Ca2+ overload. In hypoxia, KA and AMPA appear to activate both their own receptors and the NMDA receptor; under GD conditions, KA mainly activates its own receptor.
Somatostatin and lanthanum discriminate two Ca2+ mobilizing mechanisms regulated by bombesin receptors in peptic cells

Abstract Bombesin (BB)-stimulated pepsinogen secretion from frog esophageal peptic acini was inhibited 40% by somatostatin (SS) (IC50 = 1 nM), and by 30–50% by low concentrations (10−7–10−4M) of lanthanum chloride. SS inhibited basal secretion as well as both early (0–2min) and late (2–30 min) BB-stimulated secretory phases. By contrast, LaCl3 selectively inhibited the late secretory phase and was without effect on basal secretion. SS (100 nM) and LaCl3 (30 μM) attenuated BB-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake, and the combination resulted in additive inhibition. High K+ media decreased basal secretion, abolished SS but not LaCl3 inhibition of BB-stimulated secretion, and blocked SS inhibition of BB-mediated 45Ca2+ uptake. These findings suggest the existence on peptic cells of distinct La3+-sensitive, and somatostatin-sensitive, K+ dependent, Ca2+ mobilizing mechanisms which contribute to BB receptor-mediated secretion.
Pallidal and entopeduncular intracellular responses to striatal, cortical, thalamic, and sensory inputs

Abstract Intracellular recordings were made from pallidal and entopeduncular neurons in cats. Responses were evoked by direct brain stimulation and auditory and somatosensory stimuli. Brain sites stimulated were caudate nucleus, the precruciate area of the cerebral cortex, and the central median-parafascicular region of the thalamus. The predominant synaptic response pattern for all types of stimulation was an EPSP-IPSP sequence. Thirty percent of the responses were IPSPs only. Relatively few “pure” EPSPs were recorded. These patterns of synaptic responses were compared with those evoked by comparable stimuli to caudate neurons. In particular, the relatively high percentage of “pure” IPSPs in pallidal and entopeduncular cells contrasted with the rate occurrence of “pure” IPSPs in caudate neurons. This difference in incidence of response types may be attributed to anatomical differences in the fine structure of these nuclei.
S-adenosylhomocysteine metabolism in rat hepatomas.

SummaryS-Adenosylhomocysteine synthase was present in extracts prepared from six lines of rat hepatoma. There was no apparent correlation between the specific activity of this enzyme and any of the other biological properties of the tumors. The presence of the hepatoma did not affect the activity of adenosylhomocysteine synthase in livers of host animals. Hepatic enzyme activity in both host and control rats showed an adaptive increase to an increase in dietary protein. In contrast, dietary protein failed to affect the specific activity of adenosylhomocysteine synthase in five hepatomas. Paradoxically, enzyme activity in hepatoma 7787 declined when the host rats were fed a high-protein ration.
The case for technology for developing regions

Moore's Law and the wave of technologies it enabled have led to tremendous improvements in productivity and the quality of life in the industrialized world. Yet, technology has had almost no effect on the four billion people that make less US$2000/day. In this talk I argue that the decreasing costs of computing and wireless networking make this the right time to spread the benefits of technology, and that the biggest missing piece is a lack of focus on the problems that matter, including health, education, and government. After covering some example applications that have shown very high impact, I take an early look at the research agenda for developing regions. Finally, I examine some of the pragmatic issues required to make progress on these very challenging problems. My goal is to convince high-tech researchers that technology for developing regions is an important and viable research topic.
Elevated ceramide levels in GH4C1 cells treated with retinoic acid.

Abstract Ceramide is produced in HL 60 cells in response to 1α,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 (vitamin D3) (Okazaki et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19076–19080). HL 60 cell differentiation can be mimicked by cell permeable ceramides (Okazaki et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 15823–15831). Vitamin D3 like other thyroid-steroid hormones binds to a member of the steroid hormone family. We sought to investigate whether agonists other than vitamin D3 which exert their effects through members of the steroid receptor family affect cellular ceramide levels. Treatment of GH4C1 cells with 10μM all-trans retinoic acid for 8 h caused a 230% increase in cellular ceramide content. This concentration of retinoic acid also inhibited cell proliferation as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation. Under these conditions, a 35% decrease in sn-1,2-diacylglycerol mass occurred, but no change in sphingomyclin, sphingosine or phosphatidylcholine mass was observed. To determine the mechanism of increased ceramide production by 10 μM retinoic acid, cells were labeled with [3H]palmitic acid. After a 2 h period, a 4-fold increase in the incorporation of palmitate into ceramide was observed. Hydrolysis of the labeled ceramide to sphingosine and free fatty acid demonstrated that only 6% of the label was recovered in the sphingosine backbone of cells treated with retinoic acid, whereas 20% of the label was recovered in the sphingosine backbone of cells treated with vehicle alone. The data are consistent with retinoic acid causing an increase in cellular ceramide levels in GH4C1 cells through an increase in sphingosine N-acylation.
Event-triggered output feedback control for networked control systems using passivity: Triggering condition and limitations

Most of the work on event-triggered control in the literature is based on static state-feedback controllers. In this paper, a dynamic output feedback based event-triggered control scheme is introduced for stabilization of Input Feed-forward Output Feedback Passive (IF-OFP) networked control systems (NCSs), which is a more general case compared with the passive and the OFP systems investigated in our previous work [20]. The triggering condition is derived based on the passivity theorem which allows us to characterize a large class of output feedback stabilizing controllers. We show that under the triggering condition derived in this paper, the control system is finite-gain ℒ 2 stable in the presence of bounded external disturbances. We provide some analysis on the inter-event time which reveals the difficulties of obtaining a common lower bound on the inter-event time when the full-state information of the plant is not used. Some challenges of applying event-triggered control to real time NCSs are also discussed.
Probing a hydrogen bond pair and the FAD redox properties in the proline dehydrogenase domain of Escherichia coli PutA.

Abstract The PutA flavoprotein from Escherichia coli combines DNA-binding, proline dehydrogenase (PRODH), and Δ 1 -pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH) activities onto a single polypeptide. Recently, an X-ray crystal structure of PutA residues 87–612 was solved which identified a D370–Y540 hydrogen bond pair in the PRODH active site that appears to have an important role in shaping proline binding and the FAD redox environment. To examine the role of D370–Y540 in the PRODH active site, mutants D370A, Y540F, and D370A/Y540F were characterized in a form of PutA containing only residues 86–601 (PutA86–601) designed to mimic the known structural region of PutA (87–612). Disruption of the D370–Y540 pair only slightly diminished k cat , while more noticeable affects were observed in K m . The mutant D370A/Y540F showed the most significant changes in the pH dependence of k cat / K m and K m relative to wild-type PutA86–601 with an apparent p K a value of about 8.2 for the pH-dependent decrease in K m . From the pH profile of D370A/Y540F inhibition by l -tetrahydro-2-furoic acid ( l -THFA), the pH dependency of K m in D370A/Y540F is interpreted as resulting from the deprotonation of the proline amine in the E–S complex. Replacement of D370 and Y540 produces divergent effects on the E m for bound FAD. At pH 7.0, E m values of −0.026, −0.089 and −0.042 V were determined for the two-electron reduction of bound FAD in D370A, Y540F and D370A/Y540F, respectively. The 40-mV positive shift in E m determined for D370A relative to wild-type PutA86–601 ( E m =−0.066 V, pH 7.0) indicates D370 has a key role in modulating the FAD redox environment.
Neoliberalization, Transnational Migration, and the Varied Landscape of Economic Subjectivity in the Totonacapan Region of Veracruz

Over the past two decades, many of Mexico's rural communities have been faced with significant challenges arising from two interrelated processes: the neoliberal restructuring of rural policy and citizenship, and the dramatic increase in transnational migration. The ways in which local communities experience and respond to such changes, however, are variable. We examine the intersection of neoliberal socioeconomic change and transnational migration in the Totonacapan region of Veracruz, highlighting their uneven regional impacts in the largely Mestizo coastal region and the more indigenous sierra. Drawing on in-depth interviews, we show how neoliberal change is filtered through local historical trajectories and cultural understandings that influence the development of migration in the region. We suggest how different conceptions of social responsibility influence the outcomes of migration, with some communities experiencing severe dislocation and others managing the process for the benefit of the common. ...