cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Joseph Schwab, Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices Proponent? A Personal Perspective.

Abstract The field of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices, like a number of other areas of inquiry, appears negligent in paying intellectual debt to Joseph Schwab who revolutionalized the fields of curriculum and teaching in the 1970s with his ideas about the practical. In this article, I trace my personal journey of coming to know Schwab's contributions and how I came to vicariously know Schwab as a professor who not only paved the scholarly way to self-study, but also appeared to practice a form of self-study by making his personal teaching an object of inquiry. To my way of thinking, Schwab practically and theoretically blazed a trail for the self-study of teaching and teacher education practices long before the line of research became recognized as a legitimate strand of inquiry. Furthermore, Schwab's thinking provides, for me and others, a possible plotline that could lead to renewal in the field of teaching and teacher education.
B cell biology: implications for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus

B cells are critical players in the orchestration of properly regulated immune responses, normally providing protective immunity without autoimmunity. Balance in the B cell compartment is achieved through the finely regulated participation of multiple B cell populations with different antibody-dependent and independent functions. Both types of functions allow B cells to modulate other components of the innate and adaptive immune system. Autoantibody-independent B cell functions include antigen presentation, T cell activation and polarization, and dendritic cell modulation. Several of these functions are mediated by the ability of B cells to produce immunoregulatory cytokines and chemokines and by their critical contribution to lymphoid tissue development and organization including the development of ectopic tertiary lymphoid tissue. Additionally, the functional versatility of B cells enables them to play either protective or pathogenic roles in autoimmunity. In turn, B cell dysfunction has been critically implicated in the pathophysiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies and heterogeneous clinical involvement. Thus, the breakdown of B cell tolerance is a defining and early event in the disease process and may occur by multiple pathways, including alterations in factors that affect B cell activation thresholds, B cell longevity, and apoptotic cell processing. Once tolerance is broken, autoantibodies contribute to autoimmunity by multiple mechanisms including immune-complex mediated Type III hypersensitivity reactions, type II antibody-dependent cytotoxicity, and by instructing innate immune cells to produce pathogenic cytokines including IFNα, TNF and IL-1. The complexity of B cell functions has been highlighted by the variable success of B cell-targeted therapies in multiple autoimmune diseases, including those conventionally viewed as T cell-mediated conditions. Given the widespread utilization of B cell depletion therapy in autoimmune diseases and the need for new therapeutic approaches in SLE, a better understanding of human B cell subsets and the balance of pathogenic and regulatory functions is of the essence.
MATHEMATICAL ASPECTS OF ANDERSON LOCALIZATION

This article discusses mathematical results and conjectures motivated by Anderson localization and by related problems for deterministic and nonlinear systems. Finite volume criteria for Anderson localization are explained for random potentials. Recent results on a phase transition for a hyperbolic, supersymmetric sigma model on a 3D lattice are also presented. This transition is analogous to the Anderson transition.
Femtosecond optical Kerr gating using nonlinear photonic crystal fiber

We experimentally investigated optical Kerr gating effect by co-propagating a pump beam and a weak signal beam in a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber. It is shown that optical Kerr gating can be observed by using femtosecond pump pulses with only a few milliwatts of average power.
Conformation Guides Molecular Efficacy in Docking Screens of Activated β-2 Adrenergic G Protein Coupled Receptor

A prospective, large library virtual screen against an activated β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) structure returned potent agonists to the exclusion of inverse-agonists, providing the first complement to the previous virtual screening campaigns against inverse-agonist-bound G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) structures, which predicted only inverse-agonists. In addition, two hits recapitulated the signaling profile of the co-crystal ligand with respect to the G protein and arrestin mediated signaling. This functional fidelity has important implications in drug design, as the ability to predict ligands with predefined signaling properties is highly desirable. However, the agonist-bound state provides an uncertain template for modeling the activated conformation of other GPCRs, as a dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) activated model templated on the activated β2AR structure returned few hits of only marginal potency.
A View of the Science Education Research Literature

Summary of "The Effects of Computer Animation on the Particulate Mental Models of College Chemistry Students" by Vickie Williamson and Michael Abraham.
GAI Homologues in the Hawaiian Silversword Alliance (Asteraceae-Madiinae): Molecular Evolution of Growth Regulators in a Rapidly Diversifying Plant Lineage

Accelerated evolution of regulatory genes has been proposed as an explanation for decoupled rates of morphological and molecular evolution. The Hawaiian silversword alliance (Asteraceae-Madiinae) has evolved drastic differences in growth form, including rosette plants, cushion plants, shrubs, and trees, since its origin approximately 6 MYA. We have isolated genes in the DELLA subfamily of putative growth regulators from 13 taxa of Hawaiian and North American Madiinae. The Hawaiian taxa contain two copies of DaGAI that form separate clades within the Madiinae, consistent with an allotetraploid origin for the silversword alliance. DaGAI retains conserved features that have previously been identified in DELLA genes. Selective constraint in the Hawaiian DaGAI copies remains strong in spite of rapid growth form divergence in the silversword alliance, although the constraint was somewhat relaxed in the Hawaiian copies relative to the North American lineages. We failed to detect evidence for positive selection on individual codons. Notably, selective constraint remained especially strong in the gibberellin-responsive DELLA region for which the gene subfamily is named, which is truncated or deleted in all identified dwarf mutants in GAI homologues in different angiosperm species. In contrast with the coding region, however, approximately 900 bp of the upstream flanking region shows variable rates and patterns of evolution, which might reflect positive selection on regulatory regions.
A new low-level procedure for image segmentation

A new low-level procedure for image segmentation is described. The procedure transforms a digital picture to a matrix of square arrays which can be identified as being either homogeneous or nonhomogenous. The nonhomogeneous arrays correspond to boundaries between adjacent regions and as such they represent a first approximation to the segmentation problem. The mathematics involved are related to random walks in a plane bounded by an absorbing barrier. The probabilities connected with the differences between the expected (theoretical) and the observed frequencies of reaching disjoint segments of the boundary are the clues to distinguish a homogeneous array from a nonhomogeneous array. The procedure has been implemented and two applications are shown.
Biomechanical considerations in implant prosthodontics

The dentist who uses implants in conjunction with natural abutment teeth should apply the same principles and guidelines that have proved themselves in fixed and removable prosthodontics. This article reviewed the basic biomechanical principles of span deflection and Class I lever systems as they may apply to fixed prosthodontics with and without implant abutments.
Silicon photonic integrated devices for datacenter optical networks

The evolution of computing infrastructure and workloads has put an enormous pressure on datacenter networks. It is expected that bandwidth will scale without increases in the network power envelope and total cost of ownership. Networks based on silicon photonic devices promise to help alleviate these problems, but a viable development path for these technologies is not yet fully outlined. In this paper, we report our progress on developing components and strategies for datacenter silicon photonics networks. We will focus on recent progress on compact, low-threshold hybrid Si lasers and the CWDM transceivers based on these lasers as well as DWDM microring resonator-based transceivers.
Maintenance of the placental circulation to evaluate and treat an infant with massive head and neck hemangioma.

Abstract A maternal ultrasound was obtained because of polyhydramnios at approximately 30 weeks gestation. The study identified a fetus with a large, solid mass involving the neck and left face. Because of the concern for airway obstruction, we sought an alternative to normal delivery or routine cesarean section. At 35.5 weeks gestation the mother underwent deep halothane anesthesia followed by cesarean section. Initially, only the head and neck of the fetus were delivered and a large hemangioma was noted to involve the anterior and left neck and all of the left face to the left eye. While maintaining placental and umbilical cord circulation, the infant was successfully nasotracheally intubated. The umbilical cord was divided and the delivery completed. At 1 week of age the infant underwent partial excision of that portion of the hemangioma overlying the trachea and the left external carotid artery was ligated. The infant was successfully extubated 12 days later. In the first 4 months of life she had three episodes of platelet trapping requiring high-dose systemic steroid therapy. Beginning at 8 months of age she was begun on intralesional injections of a 5050 solution of triamcinolone and betamethasone with a marked reduction in the size of the lesion. Preservation of the placental circulation during delivery resulted in the avoidance of a potential hypoxic or fatal event. Intermittent intralesional steroid injections appear to have played a role in the marked reduction in the size of this large subcutaneous head and neck hemangioma.
Propionate in heme biosynthesis in soybean nodules.

When soybean nodules are incubated with propionate-2- 14 C the heme moiety of leghemoglobin becomes labeled. The incorporation of propionate-2- 14 C into heme is linear with time and it appears that propionate is utilized without a lag period. The rate of incorporation of propionate-2- 14 C into heme is more rapid than the rate of incorporation of succinate-2- 14 C and citrate-1,5- 14 C, however, these rates of incorporation may be influenced by different sizes of endogenous pools of organic acids. Additional radioactive tracer experiments demonstrate that the supply of heme precursors from propionate is competitive with the supply of heme precursors from the citric acid cycle. When the concentration of propionate was high in the incubation mixture, the rate of succinate-2- 14 C incorporation into heme was decreased. Furthermore, when a large amount of succinate or acetate is added to the incubation mixture containing whole nodules, the rate of incorporation of propionate-2- 14 C into heme is reduced. The data support the hypothesis that propionate utilization makes possible a mechanism for the formation of succinyl-CoA in addition to that provided by the citric acid cycle. The fact that propionate is readily utilized by bacteroids suggested that this compound may be a normal metabolite in nodules. No detectable pool of propionate was found, however, in either soybean nodules or in isolated bacteroids suggesting that propionate, if present, is utilized as rapidly as it is formed. Experiments in which cell-free extracts of nodule bacteroids were used demonstrated the conversion of lactate to propionate. The cofactor requirements for these enzymic reactions are adenosine 5-triphosphate, Mg ++ and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.
An analysis of 1983 observations of facular contrast with an extreme limb photometer

Analysis of facular contrast ΔI/I qs from Extreme Limb Photometer (ELP) data of the summer of 1983 yield a mean contrast of 0.91 ± 0.19% and 1.57 ± 0.16% for apertures 1 and 2 located at μ= 0.198 and at μ = 0.111, respectively. The ratio of the mean contrast in the outer aperture (closer to the limb) to that of the inner one is 1.71 ± 0.40, indicating an increase in the mean facular contrast toward the limb. This result is in agreement with observations made in 1975, 1979, and 1982. The errors are dominated by the random presence of solar active regions. The combined results from all seasons follow an approximately μ −1 curve. Facular excess solar oblateness signals for 1983 are 33.8 ± 6.6 arc ms and 16.5 ± 2.1 arc ms for ELP apertures 1 and 2, respectively, in reasonable agreement with the 1983 excess solar oblateness results of Dicke, Kuhn, and Libbrecht (1985).
Traffic Prediction for Cognitive Networking in Multi-Channel Wireless Networks

One of the early applications of cognitive networking in wireless networks is the problem of dynamic channel selection in multi-channel wireless networks. Dynamic channel selection requires gathering past and current traffic across multiple channels and predict future traffic loads on each of the channels for deciding best channel for the Access Point (AP) to operate on for serving wireless clients. Traffic prediction can be performed by employing Multi-layer Feedforward Neural Network (MFNN) models for learning the effect of spatio-temporal-spectral parameters on traffic patterns and predicting future traffic loads on each of the channels. In this paper, we construct three kinds of traffic predictors that predict traffic at different time scales: MLP (Minute Level Prediction), MILP (Minute Interval Level Prediction), and HLP (Hourly Level Prediction) schemes and study their prediction accuracy in a campus wireless LAN environment. We found that one can simplify the cost of traffic prediction by carefully choosing input parameters of neural network model based on underlying traffic characteristics of environment under study. It is also observed that each location has its own unique traffic pattern, which makes it hard to reuse traffic predictor designed for an environment in a different environment.
Contagion effects of the bank of new England's failure

Abstract This paper considers the effects of the Bank of New England's failure on other banks. It is hypothesized that the more a bank's asset portfolio resembles that of the Bank of New England the more negative the response should be. The responses of different bank groups are considered, as a major factor in the Bank of New England's failure was a decline in real estate values which is often a regionalized phenomenon, over a series of announcements on the Bank of New England using a seemingly unrelated regression framework. The evidence indicates that some announcements cause bank share prices to decline significantly, particularly those in the New England area which may be expected to have asset portfolios which most closely resemble that of the Bank of New England. Finally, a cross-sectional regression is used to determine if the bank's responses to the announcements are related to their loan to asset or capital to asset ratios. Only the latter appear to be significant for a few announcements.
Elevated second-trimester human chorionic gonadotropin levels in association with poor pregnancy outcome

Abstract Objective: Our purpose was to determine whether abnormal pregnancy outcome is associated with elevated maternal serum human chorionic gonad otropin levels. Study Design: Maternal serum a-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin levels were measured in stored second-trimester serum obtained before scheduled genetic amniocentesis from 126 women with poor pregnancy outcomes, excluding aneuploidy and structural abnormalities (complications group), and 126 matched women with normal outcomes (control group). Results: More women with complications had elevated human chorionic gonadotropin levels (≥2.0 multiples of the median) (14%) than did control women (3%) ( p = 0.01). Both elevated human chorionic gonadotropin and maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels were significantly associated with preterm delivery and fetal death. Elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein was significantly associated with early postamniocentesis complications and fetal growth restriction, whereas elevated human chorionic gonadotropin was associated with preeclampsia. Conclusion: Elevated human chorionic gonadotropin, similar to unexplained elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein, is significantly associated with abnormal pregnancy outcomes.
Joining existing simulation programs

The main purpose of this paper is to make people (developers, users, managers, researchers) aware that there are numerous factors and issues that affect joining separate simulation models and programs. The primary content of the paper is the identification of the different factors and issues that affect joining existing simulation programs. Two fundamental ways of joining existing simulation models are identified and discussed: where none of the simulation models interact with any of the others during simulation runs and where some or all of the simulation models do interact with others during simulation runs. The concept of “amount of reusability” of simulation models and programs is introduced. Also, the need for research is discussed.
Update on perioperative evaluation and management of cardiac disease in vascular surgery patients.

Since the 1984 landmark publication by Hertzer and colleagues from the Cleveland Clinic, the co-existence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has been zealously embraced by the medical establishment. In that widely quoted study, 1000 consecutive patients undergoing operations for PAD underwent preoperative cardiac catheterizations whether or not they had symptoms of CAD. The investigators reported that only 8% of their patients (roughly divided into thirds— aortic, infrainguinal, and carotid disease) had normal coronary arteries, whereas approximately one third had severecorrectable or severe-inoperable CAD. Complications of CAD (principally myocardial infarctions [MIs], congestive heart failure [CHF], unstable angina, and arrhythmias) remain the major causes of morbidity and mortality in this patient population. This study probably overestimates the prevalence of CAD in vascular patients, in part because epidemiologic studies have shown a decline in CAD in the general US population. Approximately 25% of the reduction in the death rate occurring during the past 30 years is largely related to primary prevention and a better understanding of the events leading to coronary deaths. These decreases in the incidence of new atherosclerotic disease will be offset by the aging of the so-called “baby boomer” population; it is estimated that one fifth of our population will be 65 years old by the year 2030. The reportedly high prevalence of CAD in vascular patients has led to numerous evaluation and management algorithms. Little unanimity of opinion exists, and questions remain, including: (1) What events define coronary morbidity? (2) Which coronary artery lesions are most likely to produce adverse perioperative cardiac outcomes? (This question is of particular importance.) (3) Should the strategy for cardiac evaluation and management depend on the location of peripheral arterial atherosclerosis? (4) Is screening worthwhile, or should we assume that most vascular patients have CAD? (5) How “bad” are the adverse cardiac morbidity and mortality outcomes? (6) What is the safety and efficacy of the evaluation of and revascularization for CAD? (7) What is the role for perioperative “optimization” of patients suspected to have CAD? (8) With studies currently underway, what are our present recommendations? This review summarizes the available data and speculates on current and future research.
Nonlinear analysis of pressure oscillations in ramjet engines

Pressure oscillations in ramjet engines have been studied using an approximate method which treats the flow fields in the inlet and the combustor separately. The acoustic fields in the combustor are expressed as syntheses of coupled nonlinear oscillators corresponding to the acoustic modes of the chamber. The influences of the inlet flow appear in the admittance function at the inlet /combustor interface, providing the necessary boundary condition for calculation of the combustor flow. A general framework dealing with nonlinear multi-degree-of-freedom system has also been constructed to study the time evolution of each mode. Both linear and nonlinear stabilities are treated. The results obtained serve as a basis for investigating the existence and stabilities of limit cycles for acoustic modes. As a specific example, the analysis is applied to a problem of nonlinear transverse oscillations in ramjet engines.
Gettering of transition metals by cavities in silicon formed by helium ion implantation

We have recently completed studies which quantitatively characterize the ability of nanometer-size cavities formed by He ion implantation to getter detrimental metal impurities in Si. Cavity microstructures formed in Si by ion implantation of He and subsequent annealing have been found to capture metal impurities by two mechanisms: (1) chemisorption on internal walls at low concentrations and (2) silicide precipitation at concentrations exceeding the solid solubility. Experiments utilizing ion-beam analysis, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry were performed to quantitatively characterize the gettering effects and to determine the free energies associated with the chemisorbed metal atoms as a function of temperature. Mathematical models utilizing these results have been developed to predict gettering behavior.
An Observational Study of the South China Sea Monsoon during the 1979 Summer: Onset and Life Cycle

Abstract The onset and life cycle of the 1979 South China Sea summer monsoon were examined in the context of the 30–60- and 12–24-day monsoon modes. The former intraseasonal mode formed the northward-migrating monsoon trough/ridge, while the latter intraseasonal mode propagated westward in the South China Sea. The monsoon in this region exhibited three cycles over the summer (May–August), with the onset taking place about one cycle ahead of the onset of the Indian and Japanese monsoons. Climatologically, a summer trough line radiated out from the Indian monsoon trough region, across Indochina, to the northern South China Sea. The monsoon onset occurred when the 30–60-day monsoon trough and the 12–24-day low center arrived simultaneously at the northern South China Sea, close to the climatological summer trough line, in the middle of May. The breaks occurred when the 30–60-day monsoon ridge lines and the 12–24-day high center met near 15°–20°N in the northern South China Sea. The South China Sea monsoon wa...
Using quantum coherence to generate gain in the XUV and X-ray: gain-swept superradiance and lasing without inversion

It was shown some time ago that when the excitation of an ensemble of two-level atoms is swept in the direction of lasing, so that atoms are prepared in the excited state just as the radiation from previously excited atoms reaches them, the resulting laser amplifier is “highly anomalous” and yields superradiant emission without population inversion. We here show that transient gain in a three-level system has common features with Dicke superradiance and can yield strong extreme ultraviolet lasing in, for example, He atoms (at 58 nm) or He-like ions such as B3+ (at 6.1 nm).
Lateral line, nervous system, and maternal expression of Frizzled 7a during zebrafish embryogenesis.

We have isolated and mapped a new wnt receptor frizzled family member, zebrafish frizzled 7a. Fz7a and a previously reported zebrafish fz7 (El-Messaoudi and Renucci, 2001) make an orthologous gene pair, however, they display distinct expression patterns. Fz7a shows strong maternal as well as zygotic expression. Fz7a transcript is enriched dorsally starting with the shield stage. At the end of gastrulation, Fz7a is abundantly expressed within anterior neuroectoderm and expressed more weakly within lateral mesoderm. Fz7a is detected during somitogenesis within the central nervous system, somatic and posterior lateral mesoderm. At 24 hpf, fz7a is expressed in migrating lateral line primordium. At 48 hpf, fz7a is detected in the ear, pectoral fin bud, and within neuromasts, which had originated from the lateral line primordium. Radiation hybrid mapping using panel LN54 (Hukriede et al., 1999) places fz7a on linkage group 6, linked to the marker fi11h08 (distance 0.00cR, LOD score 14.1). To prove that fz7 and fz7a are indeed different genes we mapped fz7 as well using the same LN54 panel. Fz7 mapped to linkage group 9 with a LOD of 12.5, 27.31 cR from wnt 10a in between markers IBD2759 and fb50e04.
Decreased BMD and limb deformities in mice carrying mutations in both Lrp5 and Lrp6.

Humans and mice lacking Lrp5 have low BMD. To evaluate whether Lrp5 and Lrp6 interact genetically to control bone or skeletal development, we created mice carrying mutations in both Lrp5 and the related gene Lrp6. We found that compound mutants had dose-dependent deficits in BMD and limb formation, suggesting functional redundancy between these two genes in bone and limb development. Introduction: Lrp5 and Lrp6 are closely related members of the low density lipoprotein receptor family and are co-receptors for Wnt ligands. While Lrp5 mutations are associated with low BMD in humans and mice, the role of Lrp6 in bone formation has not been analyzed. Materials and Methods: To address whether Lrp5 and Lrp6 play complimentary roles in bone and skeletal development, we created mice with mutations in both genes. We inspected limbs of mice from the different genotypic classes of compound mutants to identify abnormalities. DXA and CT were used to evaluate the effect of mutations in Lrp5 and Lrp6 on BMD and microarchitecture. Results: Mice heterozygous for mutations in Lrp6 and either heterozygous or homozygous for a mutation in Lrp5 (Lrp6 / ;Lrp5 / or Lrp6 / ;Lrp5 / ) display limb defects with incomplete penetrance and variable expression. DXA analysis showed that BMD decreased as mice progressively were more deficient in Lrp5 and Lrp6. Lrp6 / ; Lrp5 / mice were more severely affected than Lrp6 / ;Lrp5 / mice, whereas Lrp6 / ;Lrp5 / mice had statistically higher BMD than Lrp6 / ;Lrp5 / mice and lower BMD compared with wildtype mice and mice heterozygous for either mutation alone. Conclusions: Lrp6 and Lrp5 genetically interact in limb development in mice. Furthermore, heterozygosity for an inactivating mutation in Lrp6 further reduces BMD in both male and female mice lacking Lrp5. J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:2033-2040. Published online on Sepember 13, 2004; doi: 10.1359/JBMR.040907
Properties of a 5500-year-old flood-plain in the Loup River Basin, Nebraska

Abstract Flood-plain aggradation within the Loup River Basin of central Nebraska was episodic and alternated with incision throughout much of the Holocene. A widespread episode of flood-plain stability, however, occurred about 5700–5100 cal. year BP. The purpose of this paper is to describe the properties of this buried flood-plain at six sites in the basin, to consider why the properties of the buried flood-plain vary from site to site, and to evaluate possible reasons why the Loup River flood-plains stabilized 5500 years ago. Episodic valley-bottom aggradation was common during flood-plain formation at five of the six sites. The radiocarbon ages, particle-size data, and organic-carbon data for the buried flood-plain reveal that valley-bottom aggradation generally slowed between about 5700 and 5100 cal. year BP. Erratic down-profile changes in percentages of sand, clay, and organic matter indicate flood-plain sedimentation and soil formation were often episodic. Sand and clay rarely show a steady fining-upward trend. Organic matter fluctuates with depth; at some sites multiple, incipient A horizons were buried during waning valley-bottom aggradation. At two localities, the buried flood-plain is evident as a clay-rich stratum that must have been deposited in a paleochannel. Flood-plain stabilization between 5700 and 5100 cal. year BP probably occurred in response to the effects of external climate forcing on vegetation and hydrologic changes. Flood-plains of other rivers in the central Great Plains also stabilized at this time, further supporting a climatic explanation for slowing of valley aggradation and formation of a flood-plain at this time. Recognition of buried flood-plains is important to both soil mapping in valleys and to the discovery of cultural resources in valleys.
Inhibition of Neoplastic Cell Growth by Quiescent Cells Is Mediated by Serum Concentration and cAMP Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors

We have demonstrated that confluent monolayers of the mouse fibroblast cell line C3H/10T1/2 (10T1/2) have the ability to cause reversible growth inhibition of cocultured transformed cells. This was first demonstrated for de novo transformed cells and later extended to established cell lines of proven oncogenicity in vivo. This growth inhibition could be increased by growing the 10T1/2 cells to high density in increasing concentrations of serum or by elevating intracellular concentrations of cAMP using inhibitors of phosphodiesterase (PDE). These manipulations, which in cocultures of nontransformed and transformed cells caused complete inhibition of tumor cell growth, had no effect on growth rate or saturation density of either ceil type when cultured alone, demonstrating the cooperative nature of this phenomenon. This cooperation could not be produced by transfer of culture medium, demonstrating the requirement for intimate cell contact. Inhibition of the formation of transformed foci of cells in these mixed cultures was accompanied by a decrease in the incorporation of labeled thymidine into these cultures; the kinetics of this inhibition and recovery suggested a rapidly reversible effect on cell cycle transit times. The potent inhibitor of cAMP PDE, Ro 20-1724 induced dose dependent increases in intracellular cAMP in both nontransformed and in transformed cells. However, at a concentration of 10−4 M Ro 20-1724, which inhibited tumor cell growth in mixed cultures, cAMP was elevated 30-fold in nontransformed versus only 3-fold in transformed cells. The inhibitory effects of PDE inhibitors on tumor growth have been extended to an in vivo model system, utilizing Lewis lung carcinoma cells growing as metastases in the lungs of C57B1 mice. In these mice, inoculated intravenously with a single cell suspension of Lewis lung cells, the formation of lung metastases was dramatically decreased by the twice daily administration of either isobutylmethylxanthine or Ro 20-1724; PDE inhibitors were shown to be active in vitro. The latter compound, which showed highest activity in vitro, was also substantially more potent in vivo as an inhibitor of lung tumor colony formation and doubled the life span of the tumor bearing animals. Cell cycle analysis of lung tumor colonies by the labeled mitosis method showed that both phosphodiesterase inhibitors caused a prolonged G1 phase in the cell cycle but failed to influence other phases. Although detailed analysis of host tissues is not complete, prolonged treatment with these drugs caused no statistically significant weight loss or changes in counts of red or white blood cells indicating a selective growth inhibition of transformed cells at these doses. Studies to determine the mechanism of the cellular communication and the nature of the signal are in progress.
Clustering gene expression data using adaptive double self-organizing map.

This paper presents a novel clustering technique known as adaptive double self-organizing map (ADSOM). ADSOM has a flexible topology and performs clustering and cluster visualization simultaneously...
Effects of chronic infusion of lipopolysaccharide on food intake and body temperature of the rat

Unrestrained male Sprague-Dawley rats were infused for seven days with a low (2.45 micrograms/hr) or high (9.81 micrograms/hr) concentration of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Compared to control (saline-infused) rats, food intake in the LPS-infused rats remained depressed for the entire infusion period. Despite this long-term suppression of food intake, fever was observed only during the daytime hours for the first two days of infusion. No significant increase in nighttime body temperature was observed. These data indicate that although tolerance to LPS occurred in rats with regard to its fever-inducing effect, tolerance with respect to its anorexigenic action did not occur.
Sexual and Physical Victimization as Predictors of HIV Risk Among Felony Drug Offenders

Injection and other drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors put criminal offenders at increased risk for HIV infection. Studies in other populations, especially females, have found that a history of sexual or physical victimization increases engagement in HIV-risk behaviors, and drug-involved offenders have high rates of such prior victimization. However, there has been little research among male offenders. In a sample of 247 male felony drug offenders in New York City, prior sexual victimization was related to a higher number of sex partners and lower proportion of protected sex acts in the 30 days before arrest. Prior physical abuse was related to cocaine injection, but not heroin injection or high-risk sex behaviors. These results suggest a complex relationship between sexual and physical abuse and HIV risk among male offenders. Assessing for specific prior abuse histories of offenders and providing targeted interventions may be useful for developing more effective primary and secondary HIV prevention services for this high-risk population.
Effect of verapamil on conduction delay produced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion

Abstract Changes in conduction times induced by ischemia (ΔCT) have been shown to be quantitatively related to genesis of spontaneous ischemic ventricular fibrillation (VF). We studied conduction delay encountered by premature impulses in epicardium and endocardium in both anterograde and retrograde directions during ischemia and reperfusion in eight control and in eight verapamil treated dogs. Acute myocardial ischemia was produced by single-stage ligation of left anterior descending artery below second diagonal initially, and 30 minutes later below first diagonal branch. In treated dogs, verapamil was given, 0.15 mg/kg intravenous bolus, immediately after first ligation and was followed by an infusion of 7.5 μg/kg/min. Thus post-treated segment and pretreated segment were obtained in the same animal. ΔCT was compared between control and treated dogs in four myocardial zones: (1) normal, (2) ischemic including pre- and post-treated segments, (3) reperfused, and (4) border of reperfusion or ischemia. Results showed that ischemia-induced conduction delay was significantly less in verapamil treated dogs throughout period of ischemia and reperfusion, both in epicardium and endocardium. In addition, in the border of ischemia retrograded conduction showed significantly less depression during ischemia and reperfusion. The protective effect of verapamil was impressive both in pretreated and post-treated segments of ischemic myocardium. We conclude that verapamil offers significant protective action with regard to ischemia-induced conduction delay. Since ΔCT is quantitatively related to ischemic VF, verapamil can be antiventricular fibrillatory in myocardial ischemia.
Reconstitution of Angiotensin Receptor mRNA Down-regulation in Vascular Smooth Muscle POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL CONTROL BY PROTEIN KINASE A BUT NOT MITOGENIC SIGNALING DIRECTED BY THE 5′-UNTRANSLATED REGION

Cell surface receptor activation generally leads to changes in mRNA abundance, which may involve regulatory targets in processes working at the post-transcriptional level. Many types of agonists down-regulate vascular smooth muscle angiotensin receptor (AT(1)-R) gene expression, but it is unclear which of these activate post-transcriptional mechanisms. To reconstitute faithfully the normal AT(1)-R mRNA regulatory environment, tetracycline-suppressible promoters drive highly accurate recombinant AT(1)-R mRNA mimics in vascular smooth muscle cells that co-express an endogenous AT(1)-R mRNA. Down-regulation of the latter occurs shortly after stimulating mitogenic receptors or by using forskolin, but only cAMP signaling reduces expression of the recombinant AT(1)-R mRNA. Transcription of the recombinant mRNA is unaffected by cAMP signaling. Deletions of the AT(1)-R mRNA 3'-untranslated region do not impair cAMP-mediated down-regulation. Both loss of function and gain of function mutants show the response is mediated by the 5'-untranslated region. These observations provide the first direct functional evidence for modulation of vascular AT(1)-R gene expression by a mechanism involving a protein kinase A-regulated post-transcriptional process.
A model for response latency in paired-associate learning

Abstract A 3-state model is proposed which is designed to account for both choice and latency data in paired-associate learning. Some properties of this model are derived, and some of its uses are illustrated with reference to a paired-associate experiment with 3 response alternatives and 12 stimulus items. Some empirical results not accounted for by the model are also described.
Merging monthly and quarterly forecasts: Experience with mqem

Forecasts from quarterly econometric models are typically revised on a monthly basis to reflect the information in current economic data. The revision process usually involves setting targets for the quarterly values of endogenous variables for which monthly observations are available and then altering the intercept terms in the quarterly forecasting model to achieve the target values. A formal statistical approach to the use of monthly data to update quarterly forecasts is described and the procedure is applied to the Michigan Quarterly Econometric Model of the US Economy. The procedure is evaluated in terms of both ex post and ex ante forecasting performance. The ex ante results for 1986 and 1987 indicate that the method is quite promising. With a few notable exceptions, the formal procedure produces forecasts of GNP growth that are very close to the published ex ante forecasts.
"Non-trivial pursuit of physiology".

This article describes a novel way to conduct a review session that combines interactivity, team learning, and peer-to-peer instruction. It uses the format of the familiar game “Trivial Pursuit.” T...
Blazing a trail for the 'green and narrow way'

The success of biofuels must not come at the expense of the natural world. © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Survey of prophylactic antiseizure drug use for non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage

AbstractObjective: Prophylactic antiseizure drugs (PAD) are commonly prescribed for non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) despite limited evidence for this indication. We sought to determine the current prescribing patterns of the use of a PAD for ICH.Methods: A 36-item survey was distributed to physicians who manage ICH patients soliciting details of PAD prescription in their practice.Results: A total of 199 physicians responded to the survey, all of who manage 50 or more ICH patients per year. The respondents were neurologists (32%), neurosurgeons (11%), and intensivists (57%) in academia (69%) and private practice (31%). Prophylactic antiseizure drugs prescriptions used: never (33%), 1–33% (35%), 34–66% (14%), 67–99% (9%) of the time, or always (9%). Most respondents performed electroencephalographic and serum level monitoring in at least some patients. Levetiracetam was used most often (60%), followed by fosphenytoin (37%), for a usual duration of days (36%), weeks (47%), or months (17%). Proph...
Communicating About a Relational Problem While (Not) Intoxicated: Influences on Goal Judgments and Message Features

This project considered the influence of alcohol on goal pursuit and message production during difficult relational discussions. Forty-four heterosexual dating dyads discussed a hypothetical infidelity. Males were randomly assigned to drinking condition (sober vs. 0.08 g/dl) and females to a conversational resistance condition (resistance vs. no resistance). Participants provided accounts of goals, and conversations were coded for focal center and message embellishment. Drinking influenced the content of primary goals, reduced the importance of multiple goals and reduced judgments of goal difficulty. Under resistance, drinkers had significantly longer, more self-focused and less relationally focused messages than sober participants. We apply the results to an understanding of alcohol-influenced interaction in close relationships.
Bryophyte cover estimation in a boreal black spruce forest using airborne lidar and multispectral sensors

Abstract Bryophytes are the dominant ground cover vegetation layer in many boreal forests and in some of these forests the net primary production of bryophytes exceeds the overstory. Therefore it is necessary to quantify their spatial coverage and species composition in boreal forests to improve boreal forest carbon budget estimates. We present results from a small exploratory test using airborne lidar and multispectral remote sensing data to estimate the percentage of ground cover for mosses in a boreal black spruce forest in Manitoba, Canada. Multiple linear regression was used to fit models that combined spectral reflectance data from CASI and indices computed from the SLICER canopy height profile. Three models explained 63–79% of the measured variation of feathermoss cover while three models explained 69–92% of the measured variation of sphagnum cover. Root mean square errors ranged from 3–15% when predicting feathermoss, sphagnum, and total moss ground cover. The results from this case study warrant further testing for a wider range of boreal forest types and geographic regions.
Targeted cellular adhesion at biomaterial interfaces

Abstract The interface of biomaterials must be carefully designed to elicit and eliminate specific responses when placed in contact with the body. The interaction of cells with the surfaces of biomaterials is a complex phenomenon that depends on a large number of variables. To design novel biomaterials that possess the desired characteristics, materials scientists and engineers rely heavily upon information provided by molecular biologists. Information regarding cell receptor—ligand interactions is used to understand the role of cellular adhesion in the natural environment so that synthetic biomaterials may be developed successfully. The production of new synthetic materials, understanding how native proteins mediate cellular adhesion with these materials, molecularly engineering surfaces with controlled spatial patterns for optimal responses, evaluation of mechanical properties, and analyzing bioadhesion and surface properties of these materials are topics that must be addressed when discussing targeted cellular adhesion at biomaterial surfaces.
ADAM17 cleaves CD16b (FcγRIIIb) in human neutrophils

CD16b (FcγRIIIb) is exclusively expressed by human neutrophils and binds IgG in immune complexes. Cell surface CD16b undergoes efficient ectodomain shedding upon neutrophil activation and apoptosis. Indeed, soluble CD16b is present at high levels in the plasma of healthy individuals, which appears to be maintained by the daily turnover of apoptotic neutrophils. At this time, the principal protease responsible for CD16b shedding is not known. We show that CD16b plasma levels were significantly decreased in patients administered a selective inhibitor targeting the metalloproteases ADAM10 and ADAM17. Additional analysis with inhibitors selective for ADAM10 or ADAM17 revealed that only inhibition of ADAM17 significantly blocked the cleavage of CD16b following neutrophil activation and apoptosis. CD16b shedding by ADAM17 was further demonstrated using a unique ADAM17 function-blocking mAb and a cell-based ADAM17 reconstitution assay. Unlike human CD16, however, mouse CD16 did not undergo efficient ectodomain shedding upon neutrophil stimulation or apoptosis, indicating that this mechanism cannot be modeled in normal mice. Taken together, our findings are the first to directly demonstrate that ADAM17 cleaves CD16 in human leukocytes.
Efficacy of chlorfenapyr against Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) adults exposed on concrete, vinyl tile, and plywood surfaces ☆

Abstract The insecticidal pyrrole chlorfenapyr was applied to concrete, vinyl tile, and plywood surfaces, at an application rate of 1.1 g AI m −2 . Adult Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour beetle, and adult Tribolium confusum (Du Val), the confused flour beetle, were exposed for 2 and 4 h, removed, and held without food for 7 d post-exposure. All beetles survived the initial exposures, but survival of both species decreased during the 7-d holding period, with T. confusum being the more susceptible species. Survival was generally lower on concrete than on tile or plywood, and was greatly reduced on all three surfaces after 4 h of exposure compared to 2 h. Survival of T. castaneum after 2 h of exposure on concrete, tile, and plywood was 2.5±2.5%, 25.5±15.4%, and 40.0±7.1%, respectively, after 7 d. In contrast, all T. confusum exposed on concrete and tile were dead after 4 and 5 d, respectively, while survival on plywood after 7 d was 20.0±16.8%. After 4 h of exposure, all T. castaneum and T. confusum exposed on concrete and tile were dead after 2–4 d post-exposure, while survival on plywood after 7 d was 41.5±6.4% and 0 for each species, respectively. Non-linear and linear regressions were fit to the data for both species. Results show exposure to chlorfenapyr is effective against T. castaneum and T. confusum , but efficacy will vary depending on the surface substrate.
Satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the college classroom

Fifty-eight undergraduates were interviewed to elicit classroom incidents which left them feeling satisfied and incidents which left them feeling dissatisfied.
THE WHITE DWARFS.

White dwarfs have been known for slightly more than fifty years; with their planet-like diameters, and stellar-like masses their densities are enormously much higher than those of ‘normal’ stars. They thus appear to represent a state of matter totally unknown and possibly unattainable on earth.