cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Separation of live cells in different phases of the cell cycle for gene expression analysis

Background Homogeneity of cell populations is a basic requirement for gene expression analyses of the cell cycle, such as those based on microarrays. The most common approach to obtain specific populations is the use of synchronization methods that increase the number of cells representing a certain cell cycle stage. On the one hand, conventional synchronization usually causes undesirable effects. On the other hand, cell separation methods may imply loss of RNA quality, another limiting factor for expression profiling. We describe a new strategy to specifically separate live cells in different phases of the cell cycle (G1 and G2/M) to obtain good quality RNA for gene expression analyses. Methods The experimental design included sorting G1 and G2/M cells with the vital fluorochrome Hoechst 33342, followed by RNA isolation from the sorted cells. Results Sorted living G1 and G2/M cells, analyzed by immunocytochemistry and laser scanning cytometry, showed strong enrichment. The quality and specificity of the isolated RNA were demonstrated by northern blot. Conclusions This new approach has many potential applications, such as expression profiling of specific cell populations after eliminating the irrelevant data produced by cells in other stages of the cycle. Cytometry 49:170–175, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Metabolic enzyme activities across an altitudinal gradient: an examination of pikas (genus Ochotona).

SUMMARY Changes in metabolic enzyme activities were examined in three species of pikas that occur over a range of altitudes. Because these closely related mammals live in comparable ecosystems and face similar environmental factors regardless of altitude, modifications of metabolic machinery are probably due to differences in oxygen availability. Citrate synthase (CS),β -hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (HOAD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities were measured in heart, diaphragm, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Additionally, the activity levels of both M-LDH (skeletal muscle type) and H-LDH (heart type) isozymes were quantified in tissue samples. Pikas from high altitude had greater CS and HOAD activities in heart and diaphragm when compared with pikas from low altitude, while activity levels did not differ in skeletal muscles. The increase in oxidative enzyme activities in tissues with high metabolic demand is thought to enhance oxygen utilization when oxygen availability is low and may reflect greater metabolic demand on heart and diaphragm tissue. Pikas from high altitude were also found to have greater total LDH activities in all tissues examined. High altitude animals had dramatically higher H-LDH activity (2.3–3.8 times greater) while M-LDH activity was more comparable (1.8 times lower to 1.7 times greater) when compared with low altitude animals. High total LDH activity enables pikas to perform short bouts of anaerobic activity, while high levels of H-LDH isozymes may serve to enhance lactate removal and decrease recovery time in animals living at high altitude.
Woods of the Vitaceae—fossil and modern

Vitaceoxylon tiffneyi gen. et sp. nov. and Vitaceoxylon carlquistii sp. nov. from the Middle Eocene Clarno formation are the oldest known woods with characteristics of the Vitaceae. They are characterized by a tendency to two diameter classes of vessels, wide and tall rays, and a high proportion of their area is vessel. Other characteristics include septate imperforate elements, scanty paratracheal to vasicentric parenchyma, idioblasts in the rays, crowded alternate intervessel pitting, and vessel-parenchyma pits with reduced borders. Wood anatomy of the major extant genera of Vitaceae was examined and compared to the fossils. Features of secondary xylem useful for distinguishing between genera in the Vitaceae include vessel size and arrangement (two distinct diameter classes or not, radial multiples or tendency to tangential multiples), vessel pitting (scalariform or alternate), crystal type (prismatic, druses, and/or raphides) and location (in chambered parenchyma and/or ray parenchyma), cambial variants (present or absent). Wood anatomy supports the proposed close relationship of Cissus to Cayratia. Pronounced vessel dimorphism occurs in temperate Vitaceae; cambial variant structure occurs in tropical Vitaceae. Despite their conformity with Vitaceae at the family level, the two fossil woods are not comparable to any one extant genus. This contrasts with the Vitaceae seeds from Clarno, all of which are referable to extant genera. Two new combinations for fossil woods of the Vitaceae are proposed: Vitaceoxylon ampelopsoides (Schonfeld) comb. nov., and Vitaceoxylon megyazoense (Greguss) comb. nov.
Rethinking elocution: The trope of the talking book and other figures of speech

This essay reexamines the eighteenth and nineteenth century elocutionary movement from the perspective of those “others” against whom it erected its protocols of taste, civility, gentility. Elocution, “the just and graceful management of the voice, countenance, and gesture,” is redefined as the performativity of whiteness naturalized. Moving from a history of ideas approach in which the major theorists and exemplary practitioners are overwhelmingly white and privileged, elocution is relocated within a wider socio‐historical context of racial tension and class struggle. Approaching elocution from below, from the angle of working‐class and enslaved people who were excluded from this bourgeois tradition, brings into sharp focus the complex performative cultural politics of this speech tradition.
A cherry blossom moment in the history of heart valve replacement.

FIGURE 1. Lowell Edwards and Dr Albert Starr. Innovation usually occurs with the joining together of many elements across disciplines and scientific boundaries rather than the chance discovery of some new basic knowledge. The artificial valve was no exception and resulted from an intense and focused collaboration between me, then a very young heart surgeon, and Lowell Edwards, an elderly retired mechanical engineer (Figure 1). It was 1958, and our clinical open-heart program in Portland, Oregon, was in its start-up phase. We had an active animal laboratory and could take on the project. Edwards wanted to develop an artificial heart, and I suggested one valve at a time, starting with the mitral. Individual aortic leaflets were already available, but mitral valve disease was a huge unsolved problem. We started with the pooling of our knowledge and developed an inventory of what we already knew. We did not have to really invent a valve— we needed only to find the best materials and the appropriate geometry. Only a few materials were available for human implantation: Dacron and Teflon as used in vascular grafts; Silicon rubber (Silastic; Dow Corning, Midland, Mich) as used in shunts for hydrocephalus; acrylic as used in the Hufnagel valve designed for the descending aorta; and stainless steel and Stellite 21 (Vitallium; Dentsply Austenal, York, Pa) used in orthopedics. For use in animals, the start-up questions were as follows:
The production of scientific change: Richard Peterson and the institutional turn in cultural sociology☆

Abstract The production perspective posits that the content of formally produced symbol systems is shaped by the social context of their production, distribution and use. I draw on the insights of the ‘production of culture’ perspective introduced by Richard Peterson in 1974 to analyze the development and influence of that same perspective. Using a combination of intellectual history and citation analysis, I demonstrate that the production perspective rapidly acquired a central position in the new sociology of culture that emerged in the 1970s; that it became hegemonic within the sociology of art and media; and that, by the 1990s, its influence could be seen in the study of informally produced culture and in the humanities. The production perspective's success is explicable as a function of (a) its intrinsic merit in generating compelling explanations; (b) the environment into which it was introduced, which lacked seriously competitive paradigms in the areas of arts, media, and informally produced culture; (c) Peterson's use of institutions to disseminate the perspective and create an academic minisocial movement on its behalf; and (d) his framing of the perspective, which at once located it in the great tradition of sociological theory but at the same time left it sufficiently unfinished that others could appropriate it to their own uses.
Present status of the VMI and related models

Abstract This article traces the evolution of the Variable Moment of Inertia model in its relation to the shell model, the Bohr-Mottelson model and the Interacting Boson Model. The discovery of a new type of spectrum, that of “pseudomagic” nuclei (isobars of doubly magic nuclei) is reported, and an explanation for their dynamics is suggested. The type of rotational motion underlying the ground state band of an e-e nucleus is shown to depend on whether the minimum number of valence nucleon pairs of one kind (neutrons or protons) is⩽ 2 or > 2. In the former case the “alphadumbbell model” holds; in the latter the “two-fluid model.”
The cognitive mechanisms underlying perspective taking between conversational partners: Evidence from speakers with Alzheimer’s disease

Successful communication requires speakers to consider their listeners׳ perspectives. Little is known about how this ability changes in Alzheimer׳s Disease (AD) although such knowledge could reveal the cognitive mechanisms fundamental to perspective-taking ability, and reveal which cognitive deficits are fundamental to communication disorders in AD. Patients with mild to moderate AD and age and education matched controls were tested in a communicative perspective-taking task, and on measures of executive control, general cognitive functioning, and lexical retrieval. Patients׳ ability to perform the perspective-taking task was significantly correlated with performance on measures of general cognitive functioning, visual scanning and construction, response conflict and attention. Measures of lexical retrieval tended not to be correlated with performance on the communication task with one exception: semantic but not letter fluency predicted a derived score of perspective-taking ability. These findings broaden our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying perspective taking, and suggest that impairments in perspective taking in AD occur during utterance planning, and at a relatively early processing stage which involves rapid visual scanning and problem solving, rather than during retrieval of lexical items needed to speak. More broadly, these data reveal executive function and semantic deficits, but not problems with lexical retrieval, as more fundamental to the basis of cognitive changes associated with AD.
Boundary layer turbulence regarded as a driven linear system

Abstract The fluctuating flow field in the near-wall region of a turbulent boundary layer is analyzed with the aid of a linear model in which the turbulent field is treated as the linear response of the mean shear flow to nonlinear turbulent sources, assumed to be intermittent in space and time. The model is applied to the study of the evolution of coherent structures educed by the VITA conditional sampling method and is found to give good qualitative agreement with numerical simulation data. In particular, the method shows how internal shear layers form and intensity in the flow, and also demonstrates the tendency for the streamwise dimension to grow with time leading to a streaky flow structure.
Preparing Students for Assessment in the On-Line Class.

Professors with limited technological expertise or resources can use features of their existing computer networks, such as e-mail and Web postings, to communicate assessment expectations to their on-line students.
Oxygen Sensing and Osteogenesis

Osteogenesis and angiogenesis are tightly coupled during bone formation and repair. Blood vessels not only carry oxygen and nutrients to the developing bone, but also play an active role in bone formation and remodeling by mediating the interaction between osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, and vascular cells at a variety of levels. Tissue hypoxia is believed to be a major stimulus for angiogenesis by activating hypoxia-inducible factor alpha (HIFalpha) pathway, which is a central regulator of hypoxia adaptation in vertebrates. HIFalpha remains inactive under normoxic conditions through pVHL-mediated polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Activation of the HIFalpha pathway by hypoxia triggers hypoxia-responsive gene expression, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (Vegf), which plays a critical role in angiogenesis, endochondral bone formation, and bone repair following fracture. Recent work from our laboratory has shown that osteoblasts use the HIFalpha pathway to sense reduced oxygen tension and transmit signals that impinge on angiogenic and osteogenic gene programs during bone formation. Using a genetic approach, we have demonstrated that overexpression of HIFalpha in mouse osteoblasts through disruption of Vhl results in profound increases in angiogenesis and osteogenesis, which appear to be mediated by cell nonautonomous mechanisms involving VEGF. These studies suggest that VEGF exerts many of its actions on bone indirectly by stimulation of angiogenesis. Whether or to what extent this angiogenic factor functions independent of endothelial cells remains to be determined.
Overview of photonics research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

We will describe research being conducted in the following areas: high-speed, 50 ohm, phased-matched modulators and their applications to digital links; promising new research on flat-panel displays that will be full color, fast response, very thin, and have a very high resolution; all optical switches that are extremely fast, integrable and do not have the latency problems that exist with current optical switches; semiconductor optical amplifiers that are monolithically integrable, more flexible and less expensive than existing fiber amplifiers; novel, semiconductor waveguide devices; and automated packaging techniques that will lower the cost of photonics components.
Differential regulation of gene expression following CD40 activation of leukemic compared to healthy B cells

It is possible to differentiate malignant from healthy cells and to classify diseases based on identification of specific gene expression profiles. We hypothesized that gene expression profiling could also be used to identify differential activation of healthy and malignant cells, and as a model for this, we examined the molecular sequelae of CD40 activation of healthy and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. Hierarchical clustering analysis of gene expression signatures grouped samples by CD40 activation status and further subclassified CD40-activated CLL cells from healthy B cells. Supervised analyses in healthy B cells compared to CLL cells identified differential regulation of genes governing cell cycle progression and apoptosis. CD40 signaling of CLL cells increases their susceptibility to immune recognition, but promotes survival and cell cycle arrest, making these cells potentially more resistant to chemotherapy. These results illustrate the utility of gene expression profiling to elucidate the molecular sequelae of signaling in healthy cells and altered signaling pathways in malignant cells. This type of approach should be useful to identify targets of therapy of malignant diseases.
Isomeric and Substituent Effects in Some Dibenzoylbenzene-Diamine Polymers

Abstract This investigation was undertaken to determine the properties of a series of polymers based upon various aromatic diamines and several isomeric diketones. Consequently, six isomeric polymers were synthesized by the acid-catalyzed polycondensation of p- and m-dibenzoylbenzene with o-, p-, and m-phenylenediamine. Two fluorine-containing, isomeric polymers were also synthesized by condensing m-dibenzoylbenzene with tetrafluoro-m-phenylenediamine and tetrafluoro-p-phenylenediamine. Comparative thermal stabilities of the products both in air and under a nitrogen atmosphere were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. Several of the polymers exhibited a high degree of thermal stability and all of the polymers exhibited essentially the same resistance to initial thermal decomposition in the oxidative as well as the nonoxidative atmosphere. A correlation of molecular structure and geometry with thermal stability and solubility is discussed and a mechanism for initial thermal decomposition of some of ...
Performance characteristics and image fidelity of gray-scale monitors.

Gray-scale monitors are an essential element of electronic radiology, and their ability to provide images that are perceived to be identical to those available on conventional or laser-printed film is crucial to success of electronic radiology. Image fidelity is measured in physical characteristics (luminance, dynamic range, distortion, resolution, and noise) and with psychophysical techniques, including receiver operator characteristics analysis with clinical images and testing with contrast-detail patterns to determine threshold contrast. Currently, laser-printed images facilitate greater information transfer than does a gray-scale monitor because of their higher absolute luminance (500 ft-L vs 60 ft-L), greater perceived dynamic range, and better spatial resolution. In the near future, the developments of gray-scale monitors with 150-200 ft-L luminance, a display standard based on just noticeable differences, and algorithms to improve similarities between gray-scale display images and laser-printed ima...
Assessing Quality in Dentistry: Dental Boards, Peer Review Vary on Disciplinary Actions

Reported inconsistencies in entry level exams and variations in available disciplinary mechanisms suggest the need for modifications to improve these processes. A quality assurance system combining education with some sanctions is likely to engender dentist support and improve quality of care.
Enantioselective total synthesis of spirofungins A and B.

The enantioselective total synthesis of spirofungins A (1) and B (2) is reported in 14 steps over the longest linear sequence. Key steps include the use of thiazolidinethione-mediated aldol reactions to assemble the major fragments and installation of the C1−C6 side chain using a cross metathesis reaction.
Analytical and numerical modelling of jet streaks: Barotropic dynamics

Observations suggest that vortex dipoles of mesoscale dimensions may provide a simple yet realistic representation of the structure and dynamics of jet streaks in the extratropical upper troposphere. Moreover, the effects of horizontal divergence in the vicinity of jet streaks often may be of secondary dynamical importance, suggesting that a nondivergent barotropic framework may provide a logical starting point for an idealized investigation of jet streaks. Analytical solutions of barotropic vortex dipoles are shown to exhibit characteristic signatures similar to those identified in observational case-studies of jet streaks. In addition to the dipole of relative vorticity, these signatures include: (i) a localized maximum in fluid speed (i.e. a jet streak), (ii) ageostrophic flow that is directed towards lower pressure in the entrance region and towards higher pressure in the exit region of the jet streak, (iii) a four-cell pattern of ageostrophic vorticity that is cyclonic in the entrance and exit regions and anticyclonic on the flanks of the streak, and (iv) a translation speed that is significantly slower than the maximum fluid speed. On the basis of these similarities, it is suggested that vortex dipoles provide a plausible dynamical representation of the structure and motion of jet streaks. Nevertheless, vortex dipoles in isolation are unable to account for certain observed features of jet streaks, such as the anisotropy of the wind field in the along-stream direction and the asymmetry in the relative-vorticity field, in which the cyclonic vortex typically is stronger than the anticyclonic vortex. Moreover, jet streaks generally are not isolated, but are embedded in a larger-scale jet stream, which may be zonally varying or wavelike. Analytical and numerical solutions of barotropic vortex dipoles in the presence of a variety of non-uniform background flows characteristic of the large-scale extratropical circulation are shown to account for the above features absent from dipoles in isolation. These solutions are also shown to provide idealized depictions of the life cycles of jet streaks in the extratropical upper troposphere.
Algorithm to compute void statistics for random arrays of disks.

In many-particle systems, the void space (the space not occupied by the particles themselves) is of great interest because of its rich topological features and because it is key in determining the macroscopic properties of the system. Unfortunately, the complex shape and connectedness properties of the void space make precise measurements of quantities that characterize it very difficult, and such measurements must often be made by crude sampling techniques. In this paper we present a method by which void characteristics in random systems of disks can be calculated exactly, in principle. This procedure allows us to compute with very high precision ``void'' nearest-neighbor distribution functions over a wide range of disk densities. A comparison of these nearest-neighbor measurements to recent theoretical predictions reveals that the predictions are highly accurate.
Bayesian analysis of volcanic eruptions

Abstract The simple Poisson model generally gives a good fit to many volcanoes for volcanic eruption forecasting. Nonetheless, empirical evidence suggests that volcanic activity in successive equal time-periods tends to be more variable than a simple Poisson with constant eruptive rate. An alternative model is therefore examined in which eruptive rate(λ) for a given volcano or cluster(s) of volcanoes is described by a gamma distribution (prior) rather than treated as a constant value as in the assumptions of a simple Poisson model. Bayesian analysis is performed to link two distributions together to give the aggregate behavior of the volcanic activity. When the Poisson process is expanded to accomodate a gamma mixing distribution on λ, a consequence of this mixed (or compound) Poisson model is that the frequency distribution of eruptions in any given time-period of equal length follows the negative binomial distribution (NBD). Applications of the proposed model and comparisons between the generalized model and simple Poisson model are discussed based on the historical eruptive count data of volcanoes Mauna Loa (Hawaii) and Etna (Italy). Several relevant facts lead to the conclusion that the generalized model is preferable for practical use both in space and time.
Grazing incidence modeling of a metamaterial-inspired dual-resonance acoustic liner

To reduce the noise emitted by commercial aircraft turbofan engines, the inlet and aft nacelle ducts are lined with acoustic absorbing structures called acoustic liners. Traditionally, these structures consist of a perforated facesheet bonded on top of a honeycomb core. These traditional perforate over honeycomb core (POHC) liners create an absorption spectra where the maximum absorption occurs at a frequency that is dictated by the depth of the honeycomb core; which acts as a quarter-wave resonator. Recent advances in turbofan engine design have increased the need for thin acoustic liners that are effective at low frequencies. One design that has been developed uses an acoustic metamaterial architecture to improve the low frequency absorption. Specifically, the liner consists of an array of Helmholtz resonators separated by quarter-wave volumes to create a dual-resonance acoustic liner. While previous work investigated the acoustic behavior under normal incidence, this paper outlines the modeling and predicted transmission loss and absorption of a dual-resonance acoustic metamaterial when subjected to grazing incidence sound.
Interaction of 6 Mercaptopurine with Calf Thymus DNA – Deciphering the Binding Mode and Photoinduced DNA Damage

DNA is one of the major intracellular targets for a wide range of anticancer and antibiotic drugs. Elucidating the binding between small molecules and DNA provides great help in understanding drug-DNA interactions and in designing of new and promising drugs for clinical use. The ability of small molecules to bind and interfere with DNA replication and transcription provides further insight into how the drugs control the expression of genes. Interaction of an antimetabolite anticancer drug 6mercaptopurine (6MP) with calf thymus DNA was studied using various approaches like UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, CD, viscosity and molecular docking. UV-visible spectroscopy confirmed 6MP-DNA interaction. Steady state fluorescence experiments revealed a moderate binding constant of 7.48×103 M−1 which was consistent with an external binding mode. Competitive displacement assays further confirmed a non-intercalative binding mode of 6MP which was further confirmed by CD and viscosity experiments. Molecular docking further revealed the minimum energy conformation (−119.67 kJ/mole) of the complex formed between DNA and 6MP. Hence, the biophysical techniques and in-silico molecular docking approaches confirmed the groove binding/electrostatic mode of interaction between 6MP and DNA. Further, photo induced generation of ROS by 6MP was studied spectrophotometrically and DNA damage was assessed by plasmid nicking and comet assay. There was a significant increase in ROS generation and consequent DNA damage in the presence of light.
Subjective probabilities for unions of events

Ss estimated probabilities of events and of the unions of those events in three different tasks. Probability estimates for the unions were approximately equal to the sum of the estimates for the component events, a relation demanded by probability theory.
Cellular determinants of low-shear blood viscosity

Low-shear viscometry is one of the methods commonly used to estimate the degree of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation in various bloods and RBC suspensions. However, it has been previously shown that alterations in RBC morphology and mechanical behavior can affect the low-shear apparent viscosity of RBC suspensions; RBC aggregation is also sensitive to these cellular factors. This study used heat treatment (48 degrees C, 5 min), glutaraldehyde (0.005-0.02%) and hydrogen peroxide (1 mM) to modify cell geometry and deformability. Red blood cell aggregation was assessed via a Myrenne Aggregometer ("M" and "MI" indexes), RBC suspension viscosity was measured using a Contraves LS-30 viscometer, and RBC shape response to fluid shear stresses (i.e., deformability) was determined by ektacytometry (LORCA system). Our results indicate that low-shear apparent viscosity and related indexes may not always reflect changes of RBC aggregation if cellular properties are altered: for situations where RBC aggregation has been only moderately affected, cellular mechanical factors may be the major determinant of low-shear viscosity. These findings thus imply that in situations which may be associated alterations of RBC geometry and/or deformability, low-shear viscometry should not be the sole measurement technique used to assess RBC aggregation.
The stable and radio-isotope chemistry of southeastern Utah Basketmaker II burials: dietary analysis using the linear mixing model SISUS, age and sex patterning, geolocation and temporal patterning

Abstract The Bayesian linear mixing model SISUS is used to reconstruct reliance on maize and intake of animal protein from the stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values of 149 directly dated Basketmaker II burials. Maize is the primary dietary staple. δ13C values are also enriched by intake of yucca and wild C4 plant foods but these resources are of minor importance in sampled diets. Animal protein intake is low and cottontail rabbits make the greatest contribution to female diets. Adolescent diets are indistinguishable from the diets of adult females and both groups are less reliant on artiodactyls than males. The δ13C and δ18O values of bone hydroxyapatite distinguish nursing infants and oxygen isotope values identify outsider adults relative to those local to the region where their deaths occurred. Most Utah Basketmaker II burials are contemporary with Black Mesa Lolomai phase occupations, postdating the Marsh Pass, AZ, White Dog phase. All burials in both studies were recovered from sheltered rather than open sites and reliance on maize does not increase over the temporal span of the Utah study, covering the two sigma range 415 BC–AD 322.
Phase equilibria of associating fluids of spherical and chain molecules

The development of equations of state for strongly associating fluids and fluid mixtures has proved over the years to be a difficult problem. The first-order perturbation theory solution of a resummed cluster expansion has been used to investigate the effect of molecular associations on the critical and phase coexistence properties of fluids with one and two off-center attractive sites. The individual molecules are represented by hard-sphere repulsive cores with square-well attractive sites. Model systems comprising chains of hard spheres have also been examined. Isothermal-isobaric Monte Carlo simulations of hard-sphere fluids with one and two attractive sites are shown to be in good agreement with the results of the theory. A simple van der Waals mean-field term is also added to account for the dispersion forces. The critical points and phase equilibria of the associating fluids are determined for various values of the strength and range of the attractive site, as well as for different chain lengths. The theory can treat fluids with strong hydrogen-bonding associations such as the carboxylic acids the aliphatic alcohols, hydrogen fluoride, water, etc.
Insulin Administration Protects from Paraplegia in the Rat Aortic Occlusion Model

The effect of insulin induced hypoglycemia was evaluated in a rat aortic occlusion model of ischemic paraplegia. One hour before aortic occlusion, 200-250 g Sprague-Dawley rats received either 1 cc of saline or 0.5 units regular insulin in 1 cc saline. Rats were then anesthetized, intubated, and ventilated with halothane (1-1.5%). The aortic arch was exposed and snares were placed on the right and left subclavian arteries and the aorta distal to the left subclavian. The three vessels were occluded for 10 min. Lower extremity neurologic deficit was evaluated at 1, 4, 18, and 24 hr postocclusion based on a 15-point scale (0 = normal, 15 = severe deficit). Lower extremity neurologic deficit was significantly decreased in the insulin-treated group at 18 and 24 hr postocclusion (P = 0.005 and 0.006, respectively, Student's test). Blood glucose concentration was significantly lower at the time of occlusion in the insulin-treated group when compared to the saline-treated group (P = 0.001). We conclude that in this rat model of paraplegia, insulin induced hypoglycemia is associated with a reduction in lower extremity neurologic deficit produced by temporary aortic occlusion.
Stability at cooking temperatures of model chicken breast muscle emulsions.

Emulsion stability (ES) was measured on timed emulsification (TE) samples made with natural actomyosin (NAM) and exhaustively washed (EW) muscle, heated to 75°C, before using the Omni-mixer or after centrifugation. All emulsions cooked after centrifugation were found to be stable. The emulsions made with NAM showed a large decrease in ES when heated above 40°C prior to using the Omni-mixer. However, aqueous protein disappearance did not decrease significantly after TE until NAM was heated to between 60°C and 75°C. On the other hand, emulsions made with EW muscle heated prior to using the Omni-mixer showed a large decrease in both ES and aqueous protein disappearance after TE between 60°C and 75°C.
Bayesian human segmentation in crowded situations

The problem of segmenting individual humans in crowded situations from stationary video camera sequences is exacerbated by object inter-occlusion. We pose this problem as a "model-based segmentation" problem in which human shape models are used to interpret the foreground in a Bayesian framework. The solution is obtained by using an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method that uses domain knowledge as proposal probabilities. Knowledge of various aspects including human shape, human height, camera model, and image cues including human head candidates, foreground/background separation are integrated in one theoretically sound framework. We show promising results and evaluations on some challenging data.
Can precision medicine reduce overdiagnosis

Precision Medicine promises to get the right patient, the right test, the right diagnosis, the right treatment, and in the right amount. Is this hope or hype?
Lemon juice, sunlight, and tattoos.

: In folklore, tattoos are thought to fade if rubbed with lemon juice and exposed to sunlight. The authors tested this hypothesis on shaved, tattooed rats. Tattooed controls were used. Additional substances and conditions were included in the study (tretinoin gel, liquid nitrogen, and dermabrasion). The authors conclude that India ink tattoos do not fade significantly with sunlight and lemon juice nor with the application of tretinoin gel, liquid nitrogen, or combinations thereof.
A NEW LEPORINE (LAGOMORPHA: LEPORIDAE) FROM WISCONSINAN DEPOSITS OF THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT

A new genus and species of rabbit is described from late Pleistocene (mid-Wis­ consinan) deposits of Dry Cave, southeastern New Mexico. Additional specimens are known from Anthony Cave, south-central New Mexico and adjacent Texas; V-Bar Cave, extreme southwestern New Mexico; and Jimenez Cave, southern Chihuahua, Mexico. This rabbit is characterized by its small size, nearing that of the dwarf rabbit, Sylvilagus leonensis Cushing; P, enamel pattern with similarities to that of Nekrolagus progressus (Hibbard); heavily crenulated reentrant folds on the lower dentition; long mandibular diastema with incisor terminating well anterior to P3 ; and limb proportions that imply a cursorial habit similar to that of Lepus caiijornicus. A close affinity with N. progressus is indicated by characters of P3 ; however, other features in the lower dentition could imply affinity with Eurasian taxa. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new genus and species of fossil rabbit from the Chihuahuan Desert of North America.
Deep-subwavelength cylindrical waveguides with extremely low cutoff frequency

We analyze propagating plasmonic modes in deep-subwavelength coaxial metallic waveguides with a hollow core. Such modes couple to plane waves and exhibit much larger cutoff wavelengths than the TE11-mode in a conventional coaxial waveguide.
Hepatitis C: improving the quality of screening in a community hospital by implementing an electronic medical record intervention

Abstract Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) have recommended that adults born between the years of 1945-1965 should receive one-time testing for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). In fact, Governor Andrew Cuomo of the State of New York had signed a bill on October 23, 2013 which mandated NY hospitals and healthcare providers to offer HCV testing to all “Baby Boomers.” For our project, we wanted to increase our community hospital9s compliance with this law and improve the quality of patient care in doing so. An electronic medical record intervention was implemented in conjunction with our information technology services department. This intervention would flag eligible patients and would run them through a predetermined algorithm to see if they needed HCV testing. Multiple plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycles were run during the length of the study and many changes were made in order to achieve maximum effect. We ended up increasing our HCV testing rate from 47.2% (pre-intervention) to 87.9% (final month of the study), which was statistically significant with a p-value of
Shared Mycobacterium avium genotypes observed among unlinked clinical and environmental isolates.

Our understanding of the sources of Mycobacterium avium infection is partially based on genotypic matching of pathogen isolates from cases and environmental sources. These approaches assume that genotypic identity is rare in isolates from unlinked cases or sources. To test this assumption, a high-resolution PCR-based genotyping approach, large-sequence polymorphism (LSP)-mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit–variable-number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR), was selected and used to analyze clinical and environmental isolates of M. avium from geographically diverse sources. Among 127 clinical isolates from seven locations in North America, South America, and Europe, 42 genotypes were observed. Among 12 of these genotypes, matches were seen in isolates from apparently unlinked patients in two or more geographic locations. Six of the 12 were also observed in environmental isolates. A subset of these isolates was further analyzed by alternative strain genotyping methods, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and MIRU-VNTR, which confirmed the existence of geographically dispersed strain genotypes. These results suggest that caution should be exercised in interpreting high-resolution genotypic matches as evidence for an acquisition event.
Liquid dielectrophoresis on the microscale

Abstract Polarizable liquids respond to a non-uniform electric field by collecting preferentially in regions of maximum field intensity. This manifestation of dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a well-known example of the ponderomotive force, with the field acting on individual (molecular) dipoles in the liquid. When electrode dimensions are scaled down to ∼10 to 100 μm, liquid DEP makes possible a new type of high-speed, microfluidic liquid actuator. Of particular interest is that these devices can operate successfully with water-based media which are conductive. DEP microactuation is very fast; nanoliter droplets form in ∼0.1 s and transient velocities of liquid menisci exceed 5 cm/s. Joule heating is a problem, though proper electrode design and an operational mode where voltage is applied for very short time periods effectively controls temperature rise. The transient flows that occur when voltage is applied are not well understood. Capillarity strongly influences the hydrostatics and dynamics, and surface wetting, which is affected by rf discharges on the dielectric surface, is also important.
A new glycoengineered insect cell line with an inducibly mammalianized protein N-glycosylation pathway

The inability to produce recombinant glycoproteins with authentic N-glycans is a limitation of many heterologous protein expression systems. In the baculovirus-insect cell system, this limitation has been addressed by glycoengineering insect cell lines with mammalian genes encoding protein N-glycosylation functions ("glycogenes") under the transcriptional control of constitutive promoters. However, a potential problem with this approach is that the metabolic load imposed by the expression of multiple transgenes could adversely impact the growth and/or stability of glycoengineered insect cell lines. Thus, we created a new transgenic insect cell line (SfSWT-5) with an inducibly mammalianized protein N-glycosylation pathway. Expression of all six glycogenes was induced when uninfected SfSWT-5 cells were cultured in growth medium containing doxycycline. Higher levels of expression and induction were observed when SfSWT-5 cells were cultured with doxycycline and infected with a baculovirus. Interestingly, there were no major differences in the short-term growth properties of SfSWT-5 cells cultured with or without doxycycline. Furthermore, there were no major differences in the phenotypic stability of these cells after continuous culture for over 300 passages with or without doxycycline. Baculovirus-infected Sf9 and SfSWT-5 cells produced about the same amounts of a model recombinant glycoprotein, but only the latter sialylated this product and sialylation was more pronounced when the cells were treated with doxycycline. In summary, this is the first report of a lower eukaryotic system with an inducibly mammalianized protein N-glycosylation pathway and the first to examine how the presumed metabolic load imposed by multiple transgene expression impacts insect cell growth and stability.
Effects of Dietary Nitrogen Manipulation on Ammonia Volatilization from Manure from Holstein Heifers

Decomposition of livestock manure produces gaseous ammonia. Dietary manipulation is one means to reduce N in manure and ammonia volatilization. The effects of dietary crude protein concentration on N intake, N and urinary urea-N excretion, and ammonia volatilization were measured. Eight Holstein heifers (body weight = 260 to 488 kg) were fed a total mixed ration containing either 9.6 or 11.0% crude protein in a crossover design. Oatlage and concentrate were fed at 77:23 (dry matter basis), and soybean meal was used to alter total dietary crude protein. Seven-day adjustment periods preceded 5-d collection periods. Indwelling urinary catheters were inserted 2 d prior to the collection periods. Daily feces and acidified urine were collected, stirred, and subsampled for total Kjeldahl N, urinary urea N, dry matter, P, K, and ash. Urine collection tubes were split during period 2 to allow for collection of unacidified samples for urea N and total N determinations. Unacidified urine and fecal samples were combined (1:1.3) for collection of volatilized ammonia. Remaining slurries were extracted for total and urea N. Increased dietary crude protein concentration increased N intake, N excretion, urea-N excretion, and N excreted in the urine by the heifers. Dietary manipulation of N intake by reduction of 14.0% (dry matter basis) resulted in a 28.1% decrease in ammonia emission and decreases in the urea N, total N, and percentage N excreted in the urine of 29.6, 19.8, and 7.4%, respectively. Ammonia volatilization was dependent on N quantity and form in the urine.
Relationship of Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Outcome After Breast-Conservation Treatment With Radiation for Women With Early-Stage Invasive Breast Carcinoma or Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

Purpose To determine the relationship of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to outcome after breast-conservation treatment (BCT) with radiation for women with early-stage invasive breast carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ. Patients and Methods A total of 756 women with early stage invasive breast carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ underwent BCT including definitive breast irradiation during 1992 to 2001. At the time of initial diagnosis and evaluation, routine breast imaging included conventional mammography. Of the 756 women, 215 women (28%) had also undergone a breast MRI study, and 541 women (72%) had not undergone a breast MRI study. The median follow-up after treatment was 4.6 years (range, 0.1 to 13.5 years). Results For the women with a breast MRI study compared with the women without a breast MRI study, there were no differences in the 8-year rates of any local failure (3% v 4%, respectively; P = .51) or local-only first failure (3% v 4%, respectively; P = .32). There were also no diffe...
The DnaJ-related factor Mrj interacts with nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 and mediates transcriptional repression through class II histone deacetylase recruitment.

The calcium-regulated protein phosphatase calcineurin (PP2B) functions as a regulator of gene expression in diverse tissues through the dephosphorylation and activation of a family of transcription factors known as nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). Here we show that NFATc3, in addition to being calcium responsive, is regulated through an indirect recruitment of class II histone deacetylases (HDACs). Specifically, yeast two-hybrid screening with the rel homology domain of NFATc3 identified the chaperone mammalian relative of DnaJ (Mrj) as a specific interacting factor. Mrj and NFATc3 were shown to directly associate with one another in mammalian cells and in vitro. Mrj served as a potent inhibitor of NFAT transcriptional activity within the nucleus through a mechanism involving histone deacetylase recruitment in conjunction with heat shock stimulation. Indeed, Mrj was determined to interact with class II histone deacetylases, each of which translocated to the nucleus following heat shock stimulation. Mrj also decreased NFATc3 occupancy of the tumor necrosis factor-α promoter in cardiomyocytes in an HDAC-dependent manner, and Mrj blocked calcineurin-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophic growth. Conversely, small-interfering-RNA-mediated reduction of Mrj augmented NFAT transcriptional activity and spontaneously induced cardiac myocyte growth. Collectively, our results define a novel response pathway whereby NFATc3 is negatively regulated by class II histone deacetylases through the DnaJ (heat shock protein-40) superfamily member Mrj.
Die Milchstraße: Ein Spiralnebel von innen gesehen

Unsere Sonne und ihre Planeten liegen im Gebiet des Milchstrasensystems. Wer zum Mittelpunkt der Galaxis kommen wollte, muste eine Entfernung von etwa 30 000 Lichtjahren zurucklegen.
Extremally steered singular thrust-arcs for space flight in an atmosphere

Abstract This paper advances prior results on the problem of time-free, Mayer-optimal control of a blunt space vehicle's flight in an atmosphere. The extremally steered, first order, singular arc is partially singular and the Lie-bracket formalism employed previously for the totally singular case is not quite applicable. However, by differentiating the switching function, a relationship is obtained between the totally and partially singular arcs. For the special case of coplanar flight, the singular thrust control is expressed in a nonlinear state feedback form. This form indicates that the singular thrust magnitude is separable as the sum of five types of forces: one due to gravity alone, another due to centrifugal effects, a third due to drag alone, a fourth due to atmospheric density gradient, and finally a fifth due to a coupling between these forces. The extremal steering angle along the singular arc is obtained as an implicit function of the states. An explicit solution is obtained for the special case of a low-density atmosphere. For proper combinations of steering and rocket exhaust speed, the singular arc satisfies the generalized Legendre-Clebsch condition and the Goh-Robbins condition making it a strong candidate for Mayer optimality.