cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
β2-Adrenergic Receptors Increase Cardiac Fibroblast Proliferation Through the Gαs/ERK1/2-Dependent Secretion of Interleukin-6

Fibroblasts are an important resident cell population in the heart involved in maintaining homeostasis and structure during normal conditions. They are also crucial in disease states for sensing signals and initiating the appropriate repair responses to maintain the structural integrity of the heart. This sentinel role of cardiac fibroblasts occurs, in part, through their ability to secrete cytokines. β-adrenergic receptors (βAR) are also critical regulators of cardiac function in the normal and diseased state and a major therapeutic target clinically. βAR are known to influence cytokine secretion in various cell types and they have been shown to be involved in cytokine production in the heart, but their role in regulating cytokine production in cardiac fibroblasts is not well understood. Thus, we hypothesized that βAR activation on cardiac fibroblasts modulates cytokine production to influence fibroblast function. Using primary fibroblast cultures from neonatal rats and adult mice, increased interleukin (IL)-6 expression and secretion occurred following β2AR activation. The use of pharmacological inhibitors and genetic manipulations showed that IL-6 elevations occurred through the Gαs-mediated activation of ERK1/2 and resulted in increased fibroblast proliferation. In vivo, a lack of β2AR resulted in increased infarct size following myocardial infarction and impaired wound closure in a murine dermal wound healing assay. These findings identify an important role for β2AR in regulating fibroblast proliferation through Gαs/ERK1/2-dependent alterations in IL-6 and may lead to the development of improved heart failure therapies through targeting fibrotic function of β2AR.
Deconfounding with Networked Observational Data in a Dynamic Environment

One fundamental problem in causal inference is to learn the individual treatment effects (ITE) -- assessing the causal effects of a certain treatment (e.g., prescription of medicine) on an important outcome (e.g., cure of a disease) for each data instance, but the effectiveness of most existing methods is often limited due to the existence of hidden confounders. Recent studies have shown that the auxiliary relational information among data can be utilized to mitigate the confounding bias. However, these works assume that the observational data and the relations among them are static, while in reality, both of them will continuously evolve over time and we refer such data as time-evolving networked observational data. In this paper, we make an initial investigation of ITE estimation on such data. The problem remains difficult due to the following challenges: (1) modeling the evolution patterns of time-evolving networked observational data; (2) controlling the hidden confounders with current data and historical information; (3) alleviating the discrepancy between the control group and the treated group. To tackle these challenges, we propose a novel ITE estimation framework Dynamic Networked Observational Data Deconfounder (\mymodel) which aims to learn representations of hidden confounders over time by leveraging both current networked observational data and historical information. Additionally, a novel adversarial learning based representation balancing method is incorporated toward unbiased ITE estimation. Extensive experiments validate the superiority of our framework when measured against state-of-the-art baselines. The implementation can be accessed in \hrefhttps://github.com/jma712/DNDC https://github.com/jma712/DNDC.
Leading-Edge Separation of Laminar Boundary Layers in Supersonic Flow

A brief description of the flow field is given for the interaction of shock wave and laminar boundary layer on a compression corner in supersonic flow. A special sub-case—that of leadingedge laminar separation—is anafyzed by extension of Chapman's laminar mixing-laj^er theory. Results are tabulated for ranges of Mach number 1 < M0 < 10, and compression-corner angle 0 < /3 < 45°. A limited region of possible leading-edge laminar separation with an attached leading-edge shock (or in certain cases an expansion) followed by a second shock due to the reattachment flow is found to exist. Comparison with existing experimental data is found to be satisfactory in several cases.
Thermal and Alignment Analysis of the Instrument-Level Atlas Thermal Vacuum Test

This paper describes the thermal analysis and test design performed in preparation for the ATLAS thermal vacuum test. NASA's Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) will be flown as the sole instrument aboard the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). It will be used to take measurements of topography and ice thickness for Arctic and Antarctic regions, providing crucial data used to predict future changes in worldwide sea levels. Due to the precise measurements ATLAS is taking, the laser altimeter has very tight pointing requirements. Therefore, the instrument is very sensitive to temperature-induced thermal distortions. For this reason, it is necessary to perform a Structural, Thermal, Optical Performance (STOP) analysis not only for flight, but also to ensure performance requirements can be operationally met during instrument-level thermal vacuum testing. This paper describes the thermal model created for the chamber setup, which was used to generate inputs for the environmental STOP analysis. This paper also presents the results of the STOP analysis, which indicate that the test predictions adequately replicate the thermal distortions predicted for flight. This is a new application of an existing process, as STOP analyses are generally performed to predict flight behavior only. Another novel aspect of this test is that it presents the opportunity to verify pointing results of a STOP model, which is not generally done. It is possible in this case, however, because the actual pointing will be measured using flight hardware during thermal vacuum testing and can be compared to STOP predictions.
Cognitive Outcome of Febrile Seizures

Publisher Summary Although at one time febrile seizures were thought to be accompanied by a risk of later cognitive impairment, the consequences of febrile seizures have now been demonstrated to be small or nonexistent. Febrile seizures occur in 2–4% of young children, are more common than any other seizure disorder of childhood, and indicate an age-related susceptibility. An earlier series that had found that a significant number of children with febrile seizures had later intellectual dysfunction did not exclude children with prior abnormalities and acute central nervous system infection at the time of the seizures. In the National Child Development Study in Great Britain—a large prospective cohort—academic performance was not impaired in children of school age who had a history of febrile convulsions. Behavioral outcomes in children who have experienced febrile seizures have not been studied as extensively as intellectual outcomes. Intermittent prophylaxis for febrile-seizure recurrences with diazepam does not appear to lead to any long-lasting effects. Behavioral outcome seems relatively benign with the exception that the children with febrile seizures tend to have more problems with sleep and may tend to be more anxious.
Sand Ripple Dynamics on the Inner Shelf

Abstract : The goals of this work are to develop better understanding and predictive capability for the development and evolution of sand ripples in coastal oceans. We have developed two high resolution, three-dimensional, coupled hydrodynamic - sediment transport, live-bed models to simulate sand ripple growth and evolution. We are using these models to explain fundamental ripple dynamics. We aim to demonstrate the contributions from bed-load and suspended load to ripple growth and decay, and the importance of interactions between kinetic and potential energy in the sediment load. The three-dimensional models simulate the response of the seabed under oscillatory and wave-current induced boundary layer flows with considerable skill, and we are developing a simple, one-dimensional, explanation of the key physical processes based on what we have learned from the complex 3D models.
Synthesis of Nonlinear Controllers with Rate Feedback via Sinusoidal-Input Describing Function Methods

In this paper, we report on recent advances in the design of fully nonlinear controllers for amplitude-sensitive nonlinear plants using sinusoidal-input describing function methods. This work includes the development of a new nonlinear controller synthesis approach that includes derivative action in an inner-loop feedback path (nonlinear rate feedback), and its application to a motor + load model with torque saturation and stiction. This approach is capable of treaing nonlinear systems of a very general nature, with no restrictions as to system order, number of nonlinearities, configuration, or nonlinearity type; additionally, the techniques can be generalized for the design of nonlinear controllers of different structures. The end result is a closed-loop nonlinear control system that is relatively insensitive to reference-input amplitude.
Murine norovirus increases atherosclerotic lesion size and macrophages in Ldlr(-/-) mice.

Murine norovirus (MNV) is a single-strand RNA virus and belongs to the Caliciviridae family.5 MNV is widespread in SPF facilities in the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe.10,11,16,21,25,32 MNV does not cause any overt disease in mice with a competent immune system but causes serious illness in mice with specific, genetically modified immunodeficiencies.14,27 We found that MNV infection can accelerate the progression of inflammatory bowel disease in Mdr1a−/− mice, a strain that is immunocompetent yet genetically susceptible to the disease.18 In addition, interactions between dendritic and T cells were altered in MNV-infected mice.18 These findings raised the possibility that MNV, with its proclivity to infect dendritic cells and macrophages,29 might influence disease progression in murine models of other inflammatory diseases, such as obesity and atherosclerosis. We first tested this possibility by examining whether MNV infection alters phenotypes associated with obesity and diabetes in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (60% calories from fat).24 We found that MNV infection did not influence obesity- or diabetes-related phenotypes such as rate of weight gain, fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity. However, MNV-infected mice had subtle alterations in lymphoid tissue, including increased reactive hyperplasia of mesenteric lymph nodes.24 These data raised concerns that, given that MNV is endemic and prevalent in mouse colonies, MNV infection could be a potential confounding variable in murine studies of other inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis.9 Mice are naturally resistant to atherosclerosis and require genetic manipulation to increase their susceptibility. One of the most commonly used mouse models of atherosclerosis is Ldlr−/− mice. These mice become dyslipidemic due to impaired lipoprotein metabolism, resulting in the susceptibility to atherosclerosis.2,13 As a consequence, Ldlr−/− mice develop pronounced atherosclerosis when fed an atherogenic diet (high fat, high cholesterol). Here we report our studies to examine whether MNV alters the development or progression of atherosclerosis in Ldlr−/− mice. In addition, we examined whether MNV infection changes obesity- and diabetes- related phenotypes in these mice to confirm our previous findings in C57BL/6 mice.24
A decade of commitment from the NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory to nanomanufacturing and nanometrology

Advanced research in nanomanufacturing technologies and processes has continued at an accelerating rate over the past decade. Profitable niche applications such as the use of carbon nanotubes for improving battery performance and nanoparticle-enhanced chemical-mechanical polishing slurries, and the anticipation of the overall impact that nanotechnologies will provide for society, have continued to fuel interest and funding for nanomanufacturing. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) recognized the importance of nanotechnologies for U.S. industries and participated in a number of nanomanufacturing-relevant activities as early as 1999. This included numerous leadership roles regarding nanotechnologies, nanomanufacturing and nanometrology. Work at NIST in collaboration with other agencies influenced the direction of U.S. nanomanufacturing research and development. In October 2000, NIST MEL created the first Nanomanufacturing Program in order to draw interest in this growing field. Since then, the NIST MEL work in nanomanufacturing has included measurement projects that spanned nano- to micro-scale dimensions with key device or product functionality resulting from the nanometer scale features. This paper provides an overview of activities that have propelled NIST MEL to its current leadership position. The paper describes key research conducted by the MEL over the past decade as well as on-going research in nanomanufacturing and nanometrology.
Specificity of Enzyme Inhibition by DDD.

SummaryDog adrenal glucoses-phosphate dehydrogenase is inhibited by DDD feeding while the same enzyme is not changed in the adrenals of similarly treated rats. The activity of the liver enzyme is not affected in either species. Inhibition of neither purified yeast G-6-PDH, normal liver, nor adrenal enzyme could be demonstrated after addition of DDD to incubation mixtures. DDD feeding does not decrease the activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase in the liver or adrenal of either species. No effect of DDD on dog liver Cortisol reductase could be demonstrated. Direct evidence for lack of effect of this drug on rat adrenal steroid secretion rate is presented.
Scanning electron microscopy and biochemical studies on reconstituted and native chromatin fractions of Novikoff hepatoma ascites cells.

Summary Scanning electron microscopic and biochemical studies of native and the various fractions of reconstituted chromatin of Novikoff hepatoma ascites cells demonstrated structural differences between the native and reconstituted chromatins. No significant differences were detected between the transcriptional activity of native or reconstituted chromatin. However, the morphology of these two fractions differed with respect to the abundance of exposed DNA filaments. “Naked” DNA fibers were abundant in DNA-histone complexes, these complexes were transcriptionally inactive.
Optimal sufficient dimension reduction in regressions with categorical predictors

Though partial sliced inverse regression (partial SIR: Chiaromonte et al. [2002. Sufficient dimension reduction in regressions with categorical predictors. Ann. Statist. 30, 475–497]) extended the scope of sufficient dimension reduction to regressions with both continuous and categorical predictors, its requirement of homogeneous predictor covariances across the subpopulations restricts its application in practice. When this condition fails, partial SIR may provide misleading results. In this article, we propose a new estimation method via a minimum discrepancy approach without this restriction. Our method is optimal in terms of asymptotic efficiency and its test statistic for testing the dimension of the partial central subspace always has an asymptotic chi-squared distribution. It also gives us the ability to test predictor effects. An asymptotic chi-squared test of the conditional independence hypothesis that the response is independent of a selected subset of the continuous predictors given the remaining predictors is obtained.
Helix-Helix Interactions between Homo- and Heterodimeric γ-Carboxyglutamate-containing Conantokin Peptides and Their Derivatives *

The conantokins are a family of small, naturally occurring gamma-carboxyglutamate (Gla)-rich peptides that specifically antagonize the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptor. One member of this family, conantokin-G (con-G), undergoes Ca(2+)-mediated self-assembly to form an antiparallel helical dimer. Subunit interactions in this complex are incumbent upon intermolecular Ca(2+) bridging of Gla residues spaced at i, i + 4, i + 7, i + 11 intervals within the monomer. Herein, we further probe the molecular determinants governing such helix-helix interactions. Select variants were synthesized to evaluate the contributions of non-Gla residues to conantokin self-association. Con-G dimerization was shown to be exothermic and accompanied by positive heat capacity changes. Using positional Gla variants of conantokin-R (con-R), a non-dimerizing conantokin, i, i + 4, i + 7, i + 11 Gla spacing alone was shown to be insufficient for self-assembly. The Ca(2+)-dependent antiparallel heterodimerization of con-G and con-T(K7 gamma), two peptides that harbor optimal Gla spacing, was established. Last, the effects of covalently constrained con-G dipeptides on NMDA-evoked current in HEK293 cells expressing combinations of NR1a, NR1b, NR2A, and NR2B subunits of the NMDA receptor were investigated. The antiparallel dipeptide was unique in its ability to potentiate current at NR1a/2A receptors and, like monomeric con-G, was inhibitory at NR1a/2B and NR1b/2B combinations. In contrast, the parallel species was completely inactive at all subunit combinations tested. These results suggest that, under physiological Ca(2+) concentrations, equilibrium levels of con-G dimer most likely exist in an antiparallel orientation and exert effects on NMDA receptor activity that differ from the monomer.
Free-radical formation in the O+C2H2 reaction

The reaction of oxygen atoms with acetylene in a low-pressure, fast-flow system has been investigated using a photoionization mass spectrometer. The nature and sensitivity of the analytical technique permitted detection of several free radicals in the reaction zone, namely, CH2 HCCO, C3H3, C3H2, and CHO. By choosing appropriate initial conditions, it was possible to observe the steady-state concentrations of CH2 and HCCO present when both O(3P) and C2H2 concentrations were essentially constant. The concentration of CH2 was proportional to [C2H2] and independent of [O(3P)], showing that CH2 reacts rapidly with atomic oxygen. The HCCO radical concentration was also proportional to [C2H2] and independent of [O(3P)] for large oxygen-atom concentrations. However, at very low oxygen-atom concentrations, it was possible to observe the approach of [HCCO] to its steady-state value. A kinetic analysis of this growth enabled the rate constant for the reaction of O(3P) with HCCO to be measured (k4=1.2±0.3×1091 mol−1). Only a lower limit could be determined for the faster reaction of O(3P) with CH2. The stable molecules CH2CO and C3H4 were also observed as products of the O+C2H2 reaction. The dependence of the mass-42 signal on [C2H2], [O(3P)], and reaction time showed that CH2CO was formed by the initial addition of O(3P) to C2H2. The dependence of C3H4 formation on [C2H2] suggested that this product was formed by the secondary reaction of CH2 with C2H2. From the dependence of [C3H4] on [O(3P)] and [C2H2], it was possible to determine that CH2 reacts 3.1±0.2 times faster with O(3P) than with C2H2. The present findings are discussed in relation to the results of previous workers.
A Fractal Model for the Rigid-Perfectly Plastic Contact of Rough Surfaces

In this study a continuous asymptotic model is developed to describe the rigid-perfectly plastic deformation of a single rough surface in contact with an ideally smooth and rigid counter-surface. The geometry of the rough surface is assumed to be fractal, and is modeled by an effective fractal surface compressed into the ideally smooth and rigid counter-surface. The rough self-affine fractal structure of the effective surface is approximated using a deterministic Cantor set representation. The proposed model admits an analytic solution incorporating volume conservation. Presented results illustrate the effects of volume conservation and initial surface roughness on the rigid-perfectly plastic deformation that occurs during contact processes. The results from this model are compared with existing experimental load displacement results for the deformation of a ground steel surface.
Autokinetic word writing (AWT) and field-dependence

Thirty males and 30 females were divided into field independent (FI) and field dependent (FD) subgroups based on rod-and-frame test (RFT) performance. All Ss were administered the autokinetic word test (AWT) with latency of response and number of words reported constituting the response measures. FI Ss were significantly quicker to respond than FD Ss although there was no difference in the number of words reported.
Continuum model calculations of solvation free energies: accurate evaluation of electrostatic contributions

The electrostatic contributions to free energies of solvation of several small molecules have been calculated, treating the solvent as a statistical continuum. The computational method is based on solving the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the electrostatic potentials using the finite-difference scheme. A careful study of convergence indicates the importance of a fine grid spacing, as well as the short comings of rotational averaging. The computed free energies of solvation are in excellent agreement with the experimental results as well as the free energy perturbation calculations
Bacterial polysaccharide, cortisol, and acute leukemia in the rat.

SummaryK. pneumoniae polysaccharide, injected intravenously, cures rats with leukemia due to Murphy-Sturm lymphosarcoma cells. Cortisol administration markedly inhibits the anti-leukemic effect of the bacterial polysaccharide. Resistance to tumor cells follows the polysaccharide-induced recovery from leukemia.
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Men with Prostate Cancer in a Rural Setting

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among rural patients with localized prostate cancer. The study also examined the participants’ disclosure of CAM use to their physicians. Baseline and 6-month follow-up data were taken from a study examining the factors that influence treatment choice and quality of life among men diagnosed with and being treated for localized prostate cancer residing in rural southwest Georgia (N = 321). A total of 291 participants were interviewed at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Findings: At baseline, 26.4% reported ever using CAM. Among them, dietary supplements were the most commonly used (75%), and 56% of patients did not disclose their CAM use to their physicians. At 6-month follow-up, 11% of the study sample reported using CAM since starting treatment (half of these were new users). The proportions of CAM users who reported taking dietary supplements after treatment were significantly lower than the corresponding proportions before treatment. CAM use after treatment was more common among those who selected surgery and watchful waiting. While 44% of the sample disclosed using CAM to their doctors before treatment, 61% after treatment began (P = 0.05). We found that CAM use after cancer treatment in this population was markedly less common than in nationally reported data for cancer patients. In line with national patterns, younger and more educated rural patients were significantly more likely to have ever used CAM and to use it after treatment.
The chromatography of RNA and oligoribonucleotides on boronate-substituted agarose and polyacrylamide

Abstract Several boronate-containing supports for the separation of oligo- or polyribonucleotides, on the basis of their content vs lack of cis -diol groups, have been described in the literature; boronate cellulose (DBAE-cellulose) and boronate polyacrylamide are available commercially. Boronate cellulose binds macromolecular RNA, but often is not useful for trace amounts of material because of nonspecific adsorption. We have found that boronate polyacrylamide and boronate agarose (not yet commercially available) both display very low levels of nonspecific adsorption. Boronate polyacrylamide specifically binds cis -diol-containing mononucleotides or short oligonucleotides, but does not retain polyribonucleotides sufficiently tenaciously for preparative use. In contrast, boronate agarose proved suitable for the fractionation of trace amounts of macromolecular RNA, but not for mononucleotides.
Timing of ubiquitin synthesis and conjugation into protein A24 during the HeLa cell cycle.

Abstract To determine the relationship between formation of protein A24 and replication of chromatin, incorporation of 35 S methionine into ubiquitin, protein A24, histone 4 and high mobility group proteins (HMG) 1 and 2 were compared to DNA synthesis and cell division in HeLa cells synchronized by thymidine block. The biosynthesis of ubiquitin and its coupling into protein A24 occurred in parrallel and were largely interphase events rising to a maximum rate in early G1 phase and declining to a minimum during cell division. The ratio of labeling of protein A24 to histone 4 indicated that a high rate of ubiquitin-histone 2A conjugation occurred, in excess of that accounted for by histone synthesis. This additional conjugation was highest in early and late G1 phase and its distribution during the cell cycle was similar to the biosynthesis of HMG 1 and 2.
The multistage heat pipe radiator - An advancement in passive cooling technology

Mathematical models were developed for one-, two-, and three-stage radiator systems to determine optimum stage areas and system performance as a function of such parameters as insulation effectiveness, cold stage temperature, and heat load to the cold and intermediate stages. This study shows that multistage radiator systems can be optimized on the basis of weight or projected area, and that cold stage temperatures as low as 15 K are theoretically possible with present technology levels for insulation emittance. For the baseline design, analyses were performed to determine optimum radiator fin geometry and heat pipe spacing as a function of temperature, material properties, and heat pipe weight. In addition, a ground test system was designed for the baseline design with heat rejection requirements of 10 MW at 35 K on the cold stage and 100 MW at the second stage.
Interactions among beans in neighboring Faraday cages

Bean seeds, during their initial 4 h of absorption of water while in a Faraday cage, are able to interact mutually with similar absorbing beans in nearby Faraday cages. The interaction effects complementarity of response between adjacent cages to a common, fluctuating environmental factor affecting water uptake.
Biotransformations in near-critical carbon dioxide

Abstract The synthesis of butyl laurate from butanol and lauric acid has been examined in near-critical carbon dioxide using a crude lipase enzyme (Candida Lipase B). The effects of temperature, pressure, and humidity have been studied by comparing rate profiles with a standard set of conditions (T = 40°C, P = 300 bar) in a high-pressure, fixed-bed reactor. The reaction showed an optimum temperature regime of approximately 40°C. Increasing the pressure to 500 bar did not significantly affect the reaction, but a lower rate was observed on reducing the pressure to 150 bar. In the absence of added water, the performance of the enzyme in supercritical carbon dioxide is comparable with that in toluene but less than that in hexane under equivalent conditions of temperature and pressure. When loss of water from the enzyme is eliminated by saturating the supercritical fluid with water, the rate in carbon dioxide exceeds that in hexane. The enhanced reaction rate in a low-viscosity supercritical fluid can be explained in terms of more rapid diffusion of reactants in the enzyme bed.
Impact d’un protocole de deux ans de protection fluorée anti-caries sur les brackets en titane

Resume Introduction L’ion de fluor peut attaquer le titane et provoquer sa corrosion. Les patients orthodontiques etant tres susceptibles aux caries et ayant besoin de protection au fluor, le Center for Disease Control a mis au point un protocole de prevention des caries au fluor (FDP, en anglais). Le protocole comprend : six minutes de brossage quotidien des dents, suivies d’une minute de rincage de bouche en plus d’une application trimestrielle d’un gel topique au fluor administre au cabinet dentaire. Cette etude visait a evaluer par gravimetrie, par microscopie electronique a balayage (MEB) et par analyse de la mecanique de glissement, l’impact de FDP a six, 12, 18 et 24 mois sur la corrosion des brackets en titane. Methodes Cent cinquante brackets en titane ont ete repartis, de facon aleatoire, en cinq groupes de 30. Le groupe 1 etait le groupe temoin. Chacun des groupes 2, 3, 4 et 5 a recu l’equivalent de six, 12, 18 et 24 mois de traitement FDP, respectivement. Tous les groupes ont ete places dans de la salive artificielle pendant deux mois et ensuite rinces. Les brackets ont ete seches pendant 48 heures en utilisant un gel de silice dans un dessiccateur a une temperature maintenue a 37 °C en attendant le test. Resultats L’analyse par MEB a revele que le nombre et les dimensions des piqures dues a la corrosion ont progressivement augmente en passant successivement du groupe 1 au groupe 5. Les resultats gravimetriques et de mecanique de glissement n’ont pas montre de difference statistique entre les groupes1, 2 et 3. En contrepartie, il y avait une difference significative entre les groupes 4 et 5 par rapport au groupe temoin. Conclusion Des changements superficiels dus a la corrosion ont ete detectes a six et 12 mois de FDP mais n’avaient pas d’effet clinique. Cependant, l’augmentation de la resistance au glissement et la diminution du poids des brackets sont devenues significatives a 18 et 24 mois de FDP.
Tissue-protective effects of NKG2A in immune-mediated clearance of virus infection.

Virus infection triggers a CD8+ T cell response that aids in virus clearance, but also expresses effector functions that may result in tissue injury. CD8+ T cells express a variety of activating and inhibiting ligands, though regulation of the expression of inhibitory receptors is not well understood. The ligand for the inhibitory receptor, NKG2A, is the non-classical MHC-I molecule Qa1b, which may also serve as a putative restricting element for the T cell receptors of purported regulatory CD8+ T cells. We have previously shown that Qa1b-null mice suffer considerably enhanced immunopathologic lung injury in the context of CD8+ T cell-mediated clearance of influenza infection, as well as evidence in a non-viral system that failure to ligate NKG2A on CD8+ effector T cells may represent an important component of this process. In this report, we examine the requirements for induction of NKG2A expression, and show that NKG2A expression by CD8+ T cells occurs as a result of migration from the MLN to the inflammatory lung environment, irrespective of peripheral antigen recognition. Further, we confirmed that NKG2A is a mediator in limiting immunopathology in virus infection using mice with a targeted deletion of NKG2A, and infecting the mutants with two different viruses, influenza and adenovirus. In neither infection is virus clearance altered. In influenza infection, the enhanced lung injury was associated with increased chemoattractant production, increased infiltration of inflammatory cells, and significantly enhanced alveolar hemorrhage. The primary mechanism of enhanced injury was the loss of negative regulation of CD8+ T cell effector function. A similar effect was observed in the livers of mutant mice infected intravenously with adenovirus. These results demonstrate the immunoregulatory role of CD8+ NKG2A expression in virus infection, which negatively regulates T cell effector functions and contributes to protection of tissue integrity during virus clearance.
Angiographic workup of a carotid cavernous sinus fistula (CCF) or what information does the interventionalist need for treatment

It is rare that a patient with a carotid cavernous sinus fistula (CCF) is referred to the interventionalist with a good and exhaustive angiographic workup, providing all the information necessary for a therapeutic decision. The goal of this technical note is to refresh our memory on the best way to study this group of patients. It does not have the pretension to bring a new technique. As there are two types of CCFs, direct and indirect, there are also two different angiographic workups.
Deletion of hydrophobic domains of viral glycoproteins increases the level of their production in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Overexpression of glycoprotein-encoding genes in Escherichia coli sometimes results in toxicity to the host and low protein yields. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is the presence of hydrophobic amino acid (aa) domains approx. 15–20 aa in length in the overproduced protein. As an initial test of this hypothesis, regions of hydrophobicity located within the envelope glycoproteins of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 were identified by computer analysis, and subsequently deleted by site-directed mutagenesis. The parent and modified envelope genes were expressed in bacteria using both λ p L and T7 inducible expression systems. Removal of the hydrophobic domains reduced the apparent toxicity and significantly increased the accumulation of recombinant protein from undetectable levels to approx. 10–15% of total cellular protein.
Active-learning-based surrogate models for empirical performance tuning

Performance models have profound impact on hardware-software codesign, architectural explorations, and performance tuning of scientific applications. Developing algebraic performance models is becoming an increasingly challenging task. In such situations, a statistical surrogate-based performance model, fitted to a small number of input-output points obtained from empirical evaluation on the target machine, provides a range of benefits. Accurate surrogates can emulate the output of the expensive empirical evaluation at new inputs and therefore can be used to test and/or aid search, compiler, and autotuning algorithms. We present an iterative parallel algorithm that builds surrogate performance models for scientific kernels and workloads on single-core and multicore and multinode architectures. We tailor to our unique parallel environment an active learning heuristic popular in the literature on the sequential design of computer experiments in order to identify the code variants whose evaluations have the best potential to improve the surrogate. We use the proposed approach in a number of case studies to illustrate its effectiveness.
Classroom-Management-Classroom Survival: One Teacher's Story of Constructing Practice in a Computer-Equipped Foreign Language Classroom

“I volunteered to speak today, because in the midst of all this technological wizardry, I thought we should have a voice from the other side. Not all of us love computers. Not all of us have a natural bent for computers—on the contrary. I get bent out of shape. How can you visualize how they work when they have no moving parts? Why won't they tell you what's wrong when there's a problem? And my pet peeve is that there's no compromise with a computer. It always gets its way. And what I really question is the starry-eyed assumption that technology automatically, by nature of being technology, improves the language course presentation and facilitates language learning.”
Parallel image restoration with a two-dimensional likelihood-based algorithm.

We describe a pixelwise parallel algorithm for the restoration of images that have been corrupted by a low-pass optical channel and additive noise. This new algorithm is based on an iterative soft-decision method of error correction (i.e., turbo decoding) and offers performance on binary-valued imagery that is comparable to the Viterbi algorithm. We quantify the restoration performance of this new algorithm on random binary imagery for which it is superior to both the Wiener filter and the projection onto convex sets algorithms over a wide range of channels. For typical optical channels, the new algorithm is within 0.5 dB of the two-dimensional Viterbi restoration method [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 17, 265 (2000)]. We also demonstrate the extension of our new algorithm to correlated and gray-scale images using vector quantization to mitigate the associated complexity burden. A highly parallel focal-plane implementation is also discussed, and a design study is presented to quantify the capabilities of such a VLSI hardware solution. We find that video-rate restoration on 252 x 252 pixel images is possible using current technology.
Fail whaling: designing from deviance and failures in social computing

Social computing technologies are pervasive in our work, relationships, and culture. Despite their promise for transforming the structure of communication and human interaction, the complex social dimensions of these technological systems often reproduce offline social ills or create entirely novel forms of conflict and deviance. This panel brings together scholars who study deviance and failure in diverse social computing systems to examine four design-related themes that contribute to and support these problematic uses: theft, anonymity, deviance, and polarization.
Corticosteroids in chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema.

Chronic bronchitis and emphysema (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) represent a major health problem in this country. Corticosteroids have provided an important advance in the management of bronchial asthma, but the role of these drugs in the therapy for COPD has not been defined clearly. To gain further insight into this problem, an overview of the pharmacologic properties and mechanisms of action of corticosteroids on the cellular systems of the lung and a critical analysis of the 17 studies evaluating the efficacy of therapy with corticosteroids in COPD were done. There are several theoretic reasons why corticosteroids might be useful in treating COPD; however the majority of studies have not demonstrated a positive effect, yet individual patients have attained marked improvement An objectively monitored, finite trial of therapy with corticosteroids in the patient with COPD who has worsening symptoms is warranted, as the benefit is high in responsive individuals and the risk is low in nonresponders.
Faith, Delusions, and Death: A Case Study of the Death of a Psychotic Inmate as a Call for Reform

The problems of mental illness among the inmate population in the United States have increased in the past three decades, and the federal courts are increasingly faced with individual prisoners, seeking redress in the courts, who present extraordinary challenges to the system because of their mental illnesses. This article details the story of one such prisoner and the tragic consequences of his mental illness as well as his efforts to obtain court intervention to assist him in protecting what he believed, in his distorted view, were his religious rights. The article calls for a recognition of the social and economic costs of failing to provide appropriate treatment for those who are mentally ill and especially the costs to the courts and the prison system for those suffering such illnesses while in prison.
Poppr: an R package for genetic analysis of populations with clonal, partially clonal, and/or sexual reproduction.

Many microbial, fungal, or oomcyete populations violate assumptions for population genetic analysis because these populations are clonal, admixed, partially clonal, and/or sexual. Furthermore, few tools exist that are specifically designed for analyzing data from clonal populations, making analysis difficult and haphazard. We developed the R package poppr providing unique tools for analysis of data from admixed, clonal, mixed, and/or sexual populations. Currently, poppr can be used for dominant/codominant and haploid/diploid genetic data. Data can be imported from several formats including GenAlEx formatted text files and can be analyzed on a user-defined hierarchy that includes unlimited levels of subpopulation structure and clone censoring. New functions include calculation of Bruvo’s distance for microsatellites, batch-analysis of the index of association with several indices of genotypic diversity, and graphing including dendrograms with bootstrap support and minimum spanning networks. While functions for genotypic diversity and clone censoring are specific for clonal populations, several functions found in poppr are also valuable to analysis of any populations. A manual with documentation and examples is provided. Poppr is open source and major releases are available on CRAN: http://cran.r-project.org/package=poppr. More supporting documentation and tutorials can be found under ‘resources’ at: http://grunwaldlab.cgrb.oregonstate.edu/.
Variations in protein permeability in different regions of the cerebrospinal fluid

Abstract The total protein concentration was measured in three regions of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cat. Values obtained were: cortical subarachnoid fluid 53.2 mg/100 ml; cisterna magna fluid 18.0 mg/100 ml; and lumbar subarachnoid fluid 36.3 mg/100 ml. The influx of protein into these regions of CSF was measured during steady-state perfusions of artificial CSF. Corrected protein influx was highest in cortical-subarachnoid perfusions (29.4 μg/min); intermediate in ventricular perfusions (7.6 μg/min), and lowest in spinal subarachnoid perfusions (4.8 μg/min). Protein permeability in the spinal subarachnoid space was approximately four times lower than in the intracranial compartments, indicating that the high concentration of protein in the lumbar fluid results from a slower rate of removal of protein from this region. In contrast, the high concentration of protein in the cortical subarachnoid fluid resulted from a high rate of influx of protein, presumably from the adjacent brain extracellular space.
Delineamento de experimentos em genética genômica

Genetica genomica e um termo utilizado para representar o estudo de processos geneticos controladores de caracteres fenotipicos de heranca complexa, a partir da analise conjunta de informacao relativa a fenotipos, estruturas de parentesco, marcadores moleculares e expressao genica. Estudos de genetica genomica sao utilizados, por exemplo, para a estimacao da herdabilidade de niveis de transcricao, para o mapeamento de locos controladores da expressao genica (eQTL, do ingles expression Quantitative Trait Loci), e para o estudo de redes regulatorias. Genetica genomica geralmente envolve experimentos com microarrays, os quais sao ainda bastante caros e trabalhosos, limitando o tamanho amostral e consequentemente o poder estatistico de tais estudos. Desta maneira, e essencial que tais experimentos sejam otimizados do ponto de vista do delineamento, a partir de criteriosa escolha das amostras (individuos) a serem utilizadas, e do controle rigoroso dos varios fatores que podem afetar as variaveis-resposta de interesse. Outro ponto fundamental na conducao de tais experimentos refere-se a marcacao das amostras de mRNA com os fluoroforos e ao pareamento das mesmas em cada lâmina de microarray, os quais devem ser cuidadosamente planejados para que nao haja confundimento entre estes efeitos e os fatores biologicos de interesse. Nesta apresentacao serao discutidas algumas estrategias para o planejamento de estudos de genetica genomica, incluindo a selecao de individuos objetivando-se a maximizacao da dissimilaridade genetica ou do numero de eventos de recombinacao, bem como a conducao eficiente dos ensaios com microarrays para diferentes objetivos experimentais.
Glomus Tympanicum Tumors

Glomus tympanicum (GT) tumors are benign arising from paraganglion cells of the tympanic plexus in the middle ear. Although surgical resection remains the best option for definitive treatment of these tumors, the diagnostic and management algorithms have evolved considerably with the introduction of high-resolution computed tomography, MRI, and genetic testing.
Moxifloxacin Alleviates Oleic Acid-provoked Neutrophilic Respiratory Burst in the Rat Lung through the Inhibition of Cytosolic Phospholipase A2

Background: According to the notion of the immunoregulatory functions of moxifloxacin (MFX), the effect of MFX on the neutrophilic respiratory burst in conjunction with the expression of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) was investigated. Methods: The effects and possible mechanisms of MFX on neutrophilic respiratory burst in oleic acid (OA)-induced acutely injured rats lung and OA-stimulated, isolated murine neutrophils were probed, associated with the expression of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) in vivo and in vitro. Results: In the OA-induced acutely-injured lungs, neutrophils were accumulated, which was attenuated by MFX. The parameters denoting a neutrophilic respiratory burst, such as nitro blue tetrazolium reaction, cytochrome-c reduction, neutrophil aggregation, H(2)O(2) production in neutrophils revealed increased neutrophilic respiratory burst by OA, and MFX decreased all of these parameters. In addition, the enhanced expression of cPLA(2) in the lung and isolated murine neutrophils by OA were decreased by MFX. Conclusion: MFX suppresses the OA-induced neutrophilic respiratory burst by the suppression of cPLA(2) in neutrophils.
Heritabilities and Correlations of Lactation Yields and Fertility for Holsteins

Abstract First lactations from a total of 5802 cows in the North Carolina Institutional Breeding project from 1950 to 1980 were used. Heritabilities from paternal half-sisters were .05 for days open, .05 for age at first calving, .27 for lactation milk yield, and .29 for fat yield. Corresponding estimates from regressions of cow on dam were .13 for days open, .06 for age at first calving, .35 for milk yield, and .33 for fat yield. Genetic correlations between yields and days open from various methods of estimation and editings of the data were all antagonistic and ranged from .35 to .60. Genetic correlations of yield and age at first calving were favorable, ranging from −.10 to −.36. Heritabilities for days open and genetic antagonism between days open and yield were greater for cows calving prior to the hot summer months than for cows calving in the fall. Heritabilities and variance of sires increased for days open and yield traits from the 195O's to 1980. For records from 1970 to 1980, heritability from paternal half-sisters of days open was .12. Genetic increase of 1000 kg milk would result in 5 to 10 additional days open.
Assessment of myocardial viability: using coronary pressure and flow after acute myocardial infarction

Assessment of myocardial viability has been a challenge for revascularisation therapeutics in determining the effectiveness of an intervention and patient prognosis. In most cases, the current standard for viability is the recovery of function measured by left ventricular (LV) wall motion and the metabolic activity measured by positron emission tomography (PET) with the uptake of the metabolic tracer 18-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG). In this issue of Heart , Schimada and colleagues1 report how they coupled this imaging methodology of the metabolic activity of viable myocardium with other physiologic indices. In 27 patients, coronary flow and pressure were measured after successful angioplasty in patients undergoing acute myocardial infarction intervention within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms. FDG PET scan results and pressure at zero flow slope index, the SIFP, from simultaneously recorded aortic pressure and coronary flow velocity signals at peak hyperaemia, distal to the lesion in the re-canalised artery were compared. The percentage FDG uptake in the infarct myocardium was normalised for FDG uptake in …