cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A self-learning map-seeking circuit for visual object recognition

The mammalian visual system is uniquely capable of robustly recognizing objects in its field of view regardless of their orientation, scale, or position, while learning new objects from a small number of training examples and generalizing robustly to a broad class of visually similar objects. The cortical structures that implement the visual system have been successfully emulated in several biologically-inspired synthetic vision systems. Developmental evidence lends credence to the claim that visual cortical structures emerge during development, i.e. they self-organize, when exposed to training stimulus. This paper demonstrates that a set of simple developmental rules can govern the emergence of a self-learning variant of a map-seeking circuit (SL-MSC) in a simulated visual system. The SL-MSC is capable of the same visual tasks as the original hand-crafted MSC: object recognition independent of rotation, translation, and scaling, and the ability to identify and learn new objects. The SL-MSC learns invariant visual transformations by relying on temporal association in its visual field, and is able to group the transformations into independent layers. Experimental results show that the SL-MSC can generalize the rotation, translation, and scaling transformations learned for one object to new objects, leading to learning and recognition of new objects with very few training samples.
Historic Contact: Indian People and Colonists in Today's Northeastern United States in the Sixteenth through Eighteenth Centuries

Historic Contact: Indian People and Colonists in Today's Northeastern United States in the Sixteenth through Eighteenth Centuries. Robert S. Grumet. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995. 514 pp.
Interferon induces natural killer cell blastogenesis in vivo.

Interferon (IFN), types beta and gamma, and IFN inducers polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, all stimulated the generation of blast-natural killer (NK) cells in mouse spleens, Blast-NK cells were characterized on the basis of size, 3H-thymidine uptake, and NK cell markers These data indicate that in addition to augmenting NK cell-mediated lysis, IFN may regulate NK cell proliferation in vivo.
The interrelationship between DRIM gene expression and cytogenetic and phenotypic characteristics in human breast tumor cell lines

Background In order to facilitate the identification of genes involved in the metastatic phenotype we have previously developed a pair of cell lines from the human breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-435, which have diametrically opposite metastatic potential in athymic mice. Differential display analysis of this model previously identified a novel gene, DRIM (down regulated in metastasis), the decreased expression of which correlated with metastatic capability. DRIM encodes a protein comprising 2785 amino acids with significant homology to a protein in yeast and C. elegans, but little else is currently known about its function or pattern of expression. In a detailed analysis of the DRIM gene locus we quantitatively evaluated gene dosage and the expression of DRIM transcripts in a panel of breast cell lines of known metastatic phenotype.
Interfacial mobility scale determines the scale of collective motion and relaxation rate in polymer films.

Interfacial mobility in thin polymer films is crucial for their technological applications. Here, Hanakata et al. provide computational evidence for a general relationship between the scale of interfacial mobility and collective motion within the films, which explains their glass transition behaviour.
Methotrexate cerebrospinal fluid and serum concentrations after intermediate-dose methotrexate infusion

Twenty-nine children with acute lymphocytic leukemia were given 24-hr infusions of intermediate-dose methotrexate (MTX, 1000 mg/m2) with and without intrathecal (IT) MTX (12 mg/m2), followed by leucovorin rescue. There was substantial interpatient variability in MTX systemic clearance (98.3 +/- 51 ml/min/m2), inducing total steady-state serum MTX concentrations ranging from 5.4 to 33.7 microM. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentration at the end of the infusion was 0.27 (+/- 0.1) microM when no IT-MTX was given and correlated with total steady-state (24-hr) serum concentration of MTX. By stepwise regression, the CSF MTX concentration correlated better with the nonprotein bound (free) steady-state serum MTX concentration (r = 0.66, P less than 0.01) than with total steady-state serum MTX concentration. Mean CSF: serum MTX concentration ratio was 0.023 (+/- 0.04) when no IT MTX was given. When an IT MTX dose (12 mg/m2) was given at the start of the MTX infusion, the steady-state CSF MTX concentration was 1.1 (+/- 0.4) microM, leading to a mean CSF: serum ratio of 0.073 (+/- 0.05). Despite 7-hydroxy-MTX serum concentrations exceeding MTX concentrations immediately after infusion, 7-hydroxy-MTX was not detectable in CSF of most patients (21 of 29), and was less than 50% of the concurrent MTX concentration when detectable. These data establish the substantial interpatient variability in CSF distribution of MTX after intermediate-dose MTX infusions and establish a significant correlation between steady-state free concentration of MTX in serum and CSF MTX concentration.
South Pacific tourism in the mid-1980s

Abstract The Pacific Islands have weathered the world economic recession well, but not without changes in their approach to tourism. Poor economic conditions coupled with US airline deregulation caused considerable reassessment. The fear of recession, together with optimism concerning the future resulted in new services (while others were going out of business), a spate of hotel construction plans (even in areas with low occupancy rates) and a softening of attitudes towards tourism. The possibility of a huge Pacific Basin (Rim) market strongly influenced these development policies.
Spherulitic crystallization: An analysis of inverse stefan problems in cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical coordinate systems

Spherulitic crystallization presents an inverse Stefan problem, which is solved by numerical methods using the DuFort-Frankel scheme and Lagrangian coordinate systems. The numerical solution shows excellent agreement with the analytical solution in the Cartesian coordinate system. A systematic error in the numerical solution for the spherical and cylindrical coordinate systems is examined by a material balance for the system. The systematic error was found to decrease rapidly as the dimensionless time increased and the grid spacing decreased.
Biological variability and the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

A new study demonstrates that bacterial mutation rates associated with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage most commonly linked to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are multifold higher than shown in previous studies. This discovery, when considered together with recent findings on pharmacokinetic variability in patients, leads to new models of how multidrug-resistant tuberculosis arises, with direct therapeutic implications.
Crystal Structure of the Anticancer Drug Cisplatin Bound to Duplex DNA

The X-ray crystal structure of d(CCTCTG*G*TCTCC)·d(GGAGACCAGAGG), where G*G* represents the major adduct of the antitumor drug cisplatin on a duplex DNA dodecamer, was solved to a resolution of 2.6 A (R = 0.203, R-free = 0.245). The molecule crystallizes in the space group P1, with unit cell dimensions a = 31.27 A, b = 35.46 A, c = 47.01 A, α = 79.81°, β = 84.75°, γ = 82.79°, and Z = 2. Two molecules in the asymmetric unit are related by a local two-fold symmetry axis and have very similar structures. The duplexes are bent significantly, each having a 26° roll toward the major groove at the site of the platinum intrastrand cross-link. The platinum atom binds to the N7 atoms of adjacent guanine residues, compacting the major groove and widening and flattening the minor groove. Because of the shallow roll, the platinum atom is displaced from the planes of the guanine bases by ∼1 A and is considerably strained. The overall structure of the cisplatin-modified duplex contains an unusual juxtaposition of A-like...
On the degrees of unsolvability of modal predicate logics of provability

The modal predicate logic of provability identifies the “□” of modal logic with the “Bew” of proof theory, so that, where “Bew” is a formula representing, in the usual way, provability in a consistent, recursively axiomatized theory Γ extending Peano arithmetic (PA), an interpretation of a language for the modal predicate calculus is a map * which associates with each modal formula an arithmetical formula with the same free variables which commutes with the Boolean connectives and the quantifiers and which sets (□ϕ)* equal to Bew(⌈ϕ*⌉). Where Δ is an extension of PA (all the theories we discuss will be extensions of PA), MPL(Δ) will be the set of modal formulas ϕ such that, for every interpretation *, ϕ* is a theorem of Δ. Most of what is currently known about the modal predicate logic of provability consists in demonstrations that MPL(Δ) must be computationally highly complex. Thus Vardanyan [11] shows that, provided that Δ is 1-consistent and recursively axiomatizable, MPL(Δ) will be complete , and Boolos and McGee [5] show that MPL({true arithmetical sentences}) is complete in {true arithmetical sentences}. All of these results take as their starting point Artemov's demonstration in [1] that {true arithmetical sentences} is 1-reducible to MPL({true arithmetical sentences}).The aim here is to consolidate these results by providing a general theorem which yields all the other results as special cases. These results provide a striking contrast with the situation in modal sentential logic (MSL); according to fundamental results of Solovay [8], provided Γ does not entail any falsehoods, MSL({true arithmetical sentences}) and MSL(PA) (which is the same as MSL(Γ)) are both decidable.
Sex, Aggression, and Pain: Sociobiological Implicatios for Theological Anthropology

Theological anthropology can be enriched by paying attention to insights into human behavior taken from sociobiology. The capacity for reflective self-consciousness enables the human animal to respond to basic instincts and drives in unprecedented ways. Humans follow gender-specific sexual strategies, display aggressive behavior, and respond to physical pain as do other animals. Yet human beings have the intellectual ability to express these tendencies uniquely in either destructive or constructive ways. The human being, unlike any other animal, must reckon with sexual ethics, the problem of violence, and the meaning of suffering. In developing the basic concepts of theological anthropology—good creation, natural evil, fall, sin, and image of God—sociobiological research can lead to more adequate understanding of the human.
Polysomnographic sleep patterns of non-depressed, non-medicated children with generalized anxiety disorder

Abstract Background Polysomnographic (PSG) studies of children with psychiatric illness have primarily focused on depressed samples. Children with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) report high rates of sleep problems yet investigation of objective sleep patterns in non-depressed children with GAD are unavailable. Identification of unique clinical features linking early GAD with sleep disturbance, including possible HPA activation during the pre-sleep period, is needed to inform effective treatments. Method Thirty non-medicated, pre-pubescent children (ages 7–11 years) were assessed including 15 children with GAD and 15 matched healthy controls. Anxious children had GAD as their primary diagnosis and did not meet criteria for secondary mood disorders. All participants underwent structured diagnostic assessment and laboratory-based polysomnography (PSG). State anxiety and salivary cortisol were assessed prior to light out on the PSG night. Results Children with GAD showed significantly increased sleep onset latency and reduced latency to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep compared to controls. Marginal differences in the form of reduced sleep efficiency and increased total REM sleep also were found in the GAD group. Pre-sleep anxiety and cortisol levels did not differ between the two groups. Limitations A small sample size, time-limited assessment of cortisol, and possible first night effects should be considered. Conclusions Results of this study provide initial evidence of PSG-based differences in children with GAD compared to controls. Follow-up studies are needed to explore the course of sleep alterations and whether targeting sleep problems early in the course of GAD might improve clinical outcomes.
Detection of the major non‐serum derived proteins of body fluids by immunodeletion and two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis

Commercial antisera to human serum were coupled to Sepharose 4B or Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and used as immunoadsorbents to separate the serum-derived proteins in several types of body fluids from the fluid-specific, non-serum derived proteins. Two-dimensional gel analysis of fluids after incubation with one or the other immunoadsorbent produced similar results. Cerebrospinal, prostatic and amniotic fluid each exhibited a characteristic array of probable fluid-specific protein families which were not detected in serum. Data from model experiments suggested that Sepharose 4B was a somewhat better matrix material than Staphylococcus aureus cells. Pretreatment of body fluids with anti-human serum immunoadsorbents should facilitate the detection of fluid-specific protein markers of disease in two-dimensional gels.
The role of metaphors in descriptions of emotions

Why do we use metaphors? For nearly 2000 years, the most generally accepted answer was that people only use metaphors for rhetorical purposes. Metaphorical language was thought to be merely ornamental -the seasoning of language, exploited for effect by poets and politicians 1, as compared with the cold factual language of the scientist. This view, however, is now no longer accepted (see, for example, Gentner, 1982; Boyd, 1979). It is now assumed, at least by psychologists and linguists, that metaphors, and their close cousins, analogies, are important tools of cognition and communication, providing us with unfamiliar ways of conceptualizing familiar things, and familiar ways of conceptualizing unfamiliar things (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Ortony, 1979; Vosniadou & Ortony, in preparation). Yet, what is still assumed, rather than demonstrated, is that nonliteral uses of language are sometimes necessary for accomplishing such goals, rather than merely convenient or elegant ways of doing so. In this paper we present a sort of empirical existence proof that there are some things whose descriptions appear to invoke much more use of metaphorical language than others. This, while not establishing the necessity of metaphors, certainly is a first step.
Follicular dendritic cells and human immunodeficiency virus infectivity

Large amounts of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) localize on follicular dendritic cells (FDC) in the follicles of secondary lymphoid tissues following viral infection. During clinical latency, active viral infection occurs primarily at these sites. As HIV on FDC is in the form of immune complexes, some of which may be formed with neutralizing antibody, we investigated whether HIV on FDC is infectious. We report here that HIV on FDC is highly infectious. Furthermore, FDC can convert neutralized HIV into an infectious form even in the presence of a vast excess of neutralizing antibody. Thus FDC may provide a mechanism whereby HIV infection can continue in the presence of neutralizing antibody.
VLISP: a verified implementation of Scheme

The VLISP project showed how to produce a comprehensively verified implementation for a programming language, namely Scheme. This paper introduces two more detailed studies on VLISP [13, 21]. It summarizes the basic techniques that were used repeatedly throughout the effort. It presents scientific conclusions about the applicability of the these techniques as well as engineering conclusions about the crucial choices that allowed the verification to succeed.
Comparison of the spectra of genetic damage in formaldehyde-induced ad-3 mutations between DNA repair-proficient and -deficient heterokaryons of Neurospora crassa.

The mutagenic effects of formaldehyde (FA) have been compared in DNA repair-proficient (heterokaryon 12) and DNA repair-deficient (heterokaryon 59) two-component heterokaryons of Neurospora crassa. The data from forward-mutation experiments were used to compare the spectra of FA-induced specific-locus mutations at two closely linked loci in the adenine-3 (ad-3) region and on the FA-induced inactivation of heterokaryotic conidia. Previous studies have demonstrated that specific-locus mutations at these two loci result from five major genotypic classes, namely two classes of gene/point mutations (ad-3AR and ad-3BR), and three classes of multilocus deletion mutations ([ad-3A]IR, [ad-3B]IR, and [ad-3A ad-3B]IR). Genetic analysis of ad-3 mutants recovered from both heterokaryons after FA treatment demonstrates that predominantly gene/point mutations were found in H-12 (93.2% ad-3R, 6.8% [ad-3]IR) and a significantly higher frequency of multilocus deletion mutations in H-59 (62.8% ad-3R, 37.0% [ad-3]IR). The data from our experiments with FA on H-12 demonstrate and confirm the data from other assays that FA is a weak mutagen in this DNA repair-proficient strain. However, the data from our experiments with the DNA repair-deficient strain H-59 demonstrate that comparable concentrations of FA cause more pronounced inactivation of heterokaryotic conidia and, at the highest concentration tested, about a 35-fold higher frequency of ad-3 mutations. In addition, FA induced a 5.4-fold higher frequency of ad-3 mutations resulting from multilocus deletion mutation in H-59 than in H-12. Based on our earlier studies with X-ray-induced multilocus deletion mutations, it is this class of FA-induced ad-3 mutations that might be most expected to show deleterious heterozygous effects. The implications of the present data base from our experiments with Neurospora are that the mutagenic (and possibly the carcinogenic) effect of FA exposure might well vary in different human population subgroups.
USE OF IMMOBILIZED LACTASE IN PROCESSING CHEESE WHEY ULTRAFILTRATE

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose in cottage cheese whey ultrafiltrate was investigated. Lactase of A. niger was immobilized on an alumina-silica catalyst support by the linking agent tolylene-2, 4-diisocyanate. The resulting immobilized enzyme preparation had an activity of 3 standard international units of lactase per gram at pH 4 and 37 °C. The optimum pH and temperature for hydrolysis of lactose by immobilized lactase were 3.5 and 50°C, respectively. Immobilization of the enzyme resulted in reductions of 1.1 pH units and 15°C in optimum pH and temperature, respectively. The two constants of the simple Michaelis-Menten rate expression were obtained from Lineweaver-Burk plots of the initial reaction rate data obtained at 37°C. Estimated values for Vmax and the apparent Km were 7.8 (μmoles/min-g) and 0.26 (M), respectively. Inhibition by the product galactose was measured by studying the hydrolysis reaction in a batch reactor. The inhibition constant Ki was estimated from batch reactor data to be 0.005 and 0.053 (M) at 35 and 50°C, respectively. Activation energies of 8.1 and 6.4 (kcal/gmole) were obtained for the immobilized and soluble enzyme reactions, respectively. The behavior of the batch reactor as measured in terms of a plot of conversion versus time was essentially the same for both conventional and deionized whey ultrafiltrate.
What you don't know about banking could hurt your library

Unlike the banking services many of us remember as children, the banking services offered to corporate accounts today can be of use to libraries as they streamline operations, negotiate for cost savings, and budget for both day‐to‐day operations and service to patrons. The modern bank has the ability to function as a financial partner in the successful operation of a library. While all the services they provide may not suit every library, the brief list of services included here should encourage most library managers to investigate the many options offered by their local financial institutions.
Management of Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

mTBI is a very common and underdiagnosed problem in the pediatric population. While most children who receive appropriate management recover uneventfully (80%-90%), referral to a concussion specialist is necessary for those with a complicated course. Fortunately, further improvements in identifying those children who have sustained an mTBI, coupled with strict adherence to the Return to Learn and Return to Play protocols, will ultimately lead to better long-term outcomes.
Levothyroxine therapy before brain death declaration increases the number of solid organ donations.

BACKGROUNDProtocols call for the start of hormonal therapy with levothyroxine after the declaration of brain death. As the hormonal perturbations occur during the process of brain death, the role of the early initiation of levothyroxine therapy (LT) to salvage organs is not well defined. The aim of
Aggressive crunching of extracted RC netlists

This paper presents a short-and-update technique for resistors (possibly connected to sinks) that can further crunch the RC network effectively after eliminating internal nodes [1,14]. Our method produces a realizable RC circuit and preserves the total capacitance in the network. While our technique cannot guarantee preserving the Elmore delay at each network sink node, the maximum delay error can be controlled by the user. Our method provides a smooth tradeoff between run time and delay accuracy, ranging from full retention of all resistors to complete elimination.
A validated liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of vitamins A and E in human plasma

A fast (15 min) and simple HPLC method for determination of all-trans-retinol and α-, γ- and δ-tocopherols in human plasma has been developed. The assay utilized 200 μl of plasma to which 20 μl of internal standard solution (retinol acetate) was added followed by 200 μl of water, 400 μl of ethanol and 800 μl of hexane. The hexane layer was collected, evaporated, the residue dissolved in 200 μl of methanol and analyzed on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 column using a step gradient with a polar organic mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and methanol and variable wavelength fluorescence detection. The quantification limits for all-trans-retinol and γ-tocopherol were 20 ng/ml and for α- and δ-tocopherols 500 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml, respectively. The procedure was validated and applied to the analysis of plasma samples from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
A High Speed, High Resolution, Laser Scanner Subsystem; Measurement Techniques

Techniques for testing laser scanning subsystems play an important role in their development. Testing determines how well the design was implemented, indicates whether all pertinent factors were taken into consideration during the design and error analysis, and most importantly, demonstrates system performance. This paper will discuss typical test methods for scanner subsystems designed and fabricated by the Optical Systems Department of Harris Government Communications Systems Division. Specifications for one Harris scanner are given in Table 1, and a method to test each parameter is discussed below.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
How rich is the class of multifractional Brownian motions

Abstract The multifractional Brownian motion (MBM) processes are locally self-similar Gaussian processes. They extend the classical fractional Brownian motion processes B H = { B H ( t ) } t ∈ R by allowing their self-similarity parameter H ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) to depend on time. Two types of MBM processes were introduced independently by Peltier and Levy-Vehel [Multifractional Brownian motion: definition and preliminary results, Technical Report 2645, Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et an Automatique, INRIA, Le Chesnay, France, 1995] and Benassi, Jaffard, Roux [Elliptic Gaussian random processes, Rev. Mat. Iber. 13(1) (1997) 19–90] by using time-domain and frequency-domain integral representations of the fractional Brownian motion, respectively. Their correspondence was studied by Cohen [From self-similarity to local self-similarity: the estimation problem, in: M. Dekking, J.L. Vehel, E. Lutton, C. Tricot (Eds.), Fractals: Theory and Applications in Engineering, Springer, Berlin, 1999]. Contrary to what has been stated in the literature, we show that these two types of processes have different correlation structures when the function H ( t ) is non-constant. We focus on a class of MBM processes parameterized by ( a + , a - ) ∈ R 2 , which contains the previously introduced two types of processes as special cases. We establish the connection between their time- and frequency-domain integral representations and obtain explicit expressions for their covariances. We show, that there are non-constant functions H ( t ) for which the correlation structure of the MBM processes depends non-trivially on the value of ( a + , a - ) and hence, even for a given function H ( t ) , there are an infinite number of MBM processes with essentially different distributions.
Myocardial Dysfunction in Pediatric Septic Shock

Objective To evaluate the prevalence and significance of myocardial dysfunction in children with septic shock. Study design Thirty patients with septic shock were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography within 24 hours of admission to a pediatric critical care unit. Transthoracic echocardiography evaluation included left ventricular (LV) size and function, mitral valve inflow velocities in early and late diastole, mitral valve annular velocities in systole and early and late diastole, and LV myocardial performance index. LV systolic dysfunction was defined as an ejection fraction or shortening fraction z -score z -score >2. Secondary outcomes included troponin I concentration, acute kidney injury, and 28-day mechanical ventilation–free duration. Results Mortality for the 30 patients (mean age, 9.5 ± 7 years) was 7%. The prevalence of LV systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction was 53% (16 of 30). Eleven patients (37%) had systolic dysfunction, 10 (33%) had diastolic dysfunction, and 5 (17%) had both. Systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction was significantly associated with troponin I level ( P = .007) and acute kidney injury ( P = .02), but not with ventilation-free duration ( P = .12). Kaplan-Meier analyses for pediatric critical care unit and hospital length of stay identified no differences between patients with and those without myocardial dysfunction. Conclusion Myocardial dysfunction occurs frequently in children with septic shock but might not affect hospital length of stay.
Voltage gating of VDAC is regulated by nonlamellar lipids of mitochondrial membranes

Evidence is accumulating that lipids play important roles in permeabilization of the mitochondria outer membrane (MOM) at the early stage of apoptosis. Lamellar phosphatidylcholine (PC) and nonlamellar phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids are the major membrane components of the MOM. Cardiolipin (CL), the characteristic lipid from the mitochondrial inner membrane, is another nonlamellar lipid recently shown to play a role in MOM permeabilization. We investigate the effect of these three key lipids on the gating properties of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), the major channel in MOM. We find that PE induces voltage asymmetry in VDAC current-voltage characteristics by promoting channel closure at cis negative applied potentials. Significant asymmetry is also induced by CL. The observed differences in VDAC behavior in PC and PE membranes cannot be explained by differences in the insertion orientation of VDAC in these membranes. Rather, it is clear that the two nonlamellar lipids affect VDAC gating. Using gramicidin A channels as a tool to probe bilayer mechanics, we show that VDAC channels are much more sensitive to the presence of CL than could be expected from the experiments with gramicidin channels. We suggest that this is due to the preferential insertion of VDAC into CL-rich domains. We propose that the specific lipid composition of the mitochondria outer membrane and/or of contact sites might influence MOM permeability by regulating VDAC gating.
The E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM21 negatively regulates the innate immune response to intracellular double-stranded DNA

DDX41 is a sensor of intracellular double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) that triggers a type I interferon response via the signaling adaptor STING. We identified the E3 ligase TRIM21 as a DDX41-interacting protein and found that knockdown of or deficiency in TRIM21 resulted in enhanced type I interferon responses to intracellular dsDNA and DNA viruses. Overexpression of TRIM21 resulted in more degradation of DDX41 and less production of interferon-β (IFN-β) in response to intracellular dsDNA. The SPRY-PRY domain of TRIM21 interacted with the DEADc domain of DDX41. Lys9 and Lys115 of DDX41 were the targets of TRIM21-mediated ubiquitination. TRIM21 is therefore an interferon-inducible E3 ligase that induces the Lys48 (K48)-linked ubiquitination and degradation of DDX41 and negatively regulates the innate immune response to intracellular dsDNA.
Marked recovery of functional metabolic activity and laminar volumes in the rat hippocampus and dentate gyrus following postnatal hypothyroid growth retardation: a quantitative cytochrome oxidase study.

Similar to cretinism in human children, absence or deficiency of thyroid hormones in rats and mice during early postnatal development results in marked retardation of brain development along with behavioral and cognitive deficits. Less is known about brain recovery from postnatal hypothyroidism. [Farahvar, A., Meisami, E., 2007. Novel two-dimensional morphometric maps and quantitative analysis reveal marked growth and structural recovery of the rat hippocampal regions from early hypothyroid retardation. Experimental Neurology.] found, by means of morphometric maps, that surface areas of hippocampal cortex and its CA1–CA4 regions which were significantly reduced in developing hypothyroid rats, show nearly complete growth recovery upon restoration of thyroid function. Here we explore the ability of hippocampal synapse-rich neuronal fiber layers to show recovery from early hypothyroid growth retardation. Rat pups were made hypothyroid from birth to day 25 (weaning) or up to young adulthood (day 90) by a treatment with the reversible goitrogen, PTU (n-propylthiouracil), in the drinking water. Recovery was induced by withdrawal of PTU at weaning and analysis of cytochrome oxidase (CytOx)-stained serial sections of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus at the ages of 25 and 90 days. CytOx stains the synapse-rich fiber layers of the hippocampal formation (HCF). Volumetric growth of molecular layer, stratum oriens and radiatum and dentate hilar region showed complete or nearly complete recovery from marked and significant growth retardation induced by early postnatal hypothyroidism. Also the reduced CytOx staining intensity in the hypothyroid rat HCF layers showed marked recovery following hormonal restoration. Results indicate remarkable growth plasticity of the HCF and ability of the synapse-rich fiber layers to show complete recovery of metabolic and functional neural activity from deleterious effects of early hypothyroidism. Mitochondrial CytOx is highly localized to the synapse-rich fiber layers of the HCF and its activity and histochemical staining intensity correlates positively with functional metabolic activity of neural tissue. Thus hippocampus and dentate gyrus neuronal fiber layers and their oxidative activity show remarkable ability to recover from the postnatal hypothyroid growth retardation. The results indicate that some brain regions are less vulnerable to early developmental insults and can recover.
Decentralization, Externalities, and Efficiency

In the competitive model, externalities lead to inefficiencies, and inefficiencies increase with the size of externalities. However, as argued by Coase, these problems may be mitigated in a decentralized system through voluntary coordination. We show how coordination is limited by the combination of two factors: respect for individual autonomy and the existence of private information. Together they imply that efficient outcomes can only be achieved through coordination when external effects are relatively large. Moreover, there are instances in which coordination cannot yield any improvement at all, despite common knowledge that social gains from agreement exist. This occurs when external effects are relatively small, and this may help to explain why coordination is so seldom observed in practice. When improvements are possible, we describe how simple subsidies can be used to implement second-best solutions and explain why standard solutions, such as Pigovian taxes, cannot be used. Possible extensions to issues arising in the structure of research joint ventures, assumptions in the endogenous growth literature, and the location of environmental hazards are also described.
Class In-Formation: The Intersection of Old and New Media in Contemporary Urban Social Movements

This starts out by distinguishing between communication and communication mediums when examining social movement-powered formations of collective identity and collective action. We then focus on communication mediums to examine the different ways that old and new media are utilized in urban social movements under neoliberal capitalism. Based on shifts in the political economy and correspondingly in the contemporary composition of the working class, we focus on the Media Mobilizing Project in Philadelphia to argue that contemporary urban social movements and networks utilize a multi-media platform to further class-based politics. The respective use of old or new media depends on important contextual questions, regarding technology access and geographic aspects of movement building work.
School Finance Adequacy: Implications for School Principals:

In the standards-based education reforms of today, an important question is how much it will cost for all—or almost all—students to reach state-deter mined proficiency levels ? School finance adequacy seeks to determine that cost. Four models have been developed to estimate the costs of adequacy. Two of them—the professional judgment and the evidence-based models—are designed to specifically link educational strategies that will enable students to meet performance standards with an estimate of the costs of those strate gies. Principals will face growing pressure to implement the models as described by these studies in the future, suggesting they participate in the development of adequacy analyses in their states and school districts.
Dimensionless presentation of performance data for fans and blowers

Presentation sans dimensions des caracteristiques de fonctionnement des soufflantes et des ventilateurs
THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC FLEXIBILITY

How can today's business cope with increasing uncertainty? The answer lies in opening up avenues of strategic flexibility. The authors tell how.
The effects of shell size and coil orientation on reproduction in female hermit crabs, Clibanarius vittatus

Abstract We investigated the effects of shell coil orientation and shell size on reproduction in field populations of the hermit crab, Clibanarius vittatus . Females were collected in the intertidal in Beaufort, NC. Shell parameters were measured and size (cephalothorax length) and reproductive status were determined for 70 females occupying Busycon shells. Crabs were categorized as berried (eggs on the pleopods), mature ovaries, or non-reproductive (no eggs). For berried females, the number of eggs was recorded. By offering a separate group of females access to empty shells, it was possible to calculate optimal shell size and the deficit in shell size for field-collected animals. Females that were berried were in shells closer to the optimal shell size than females with mature ovaries, both for shell weight and shell volume. And females with mature ovaries were in shells that were closer to the optimal size than females that were non-reproductive. For both categories of females without eggs on the pleopods, the majority of females were in shells that were too big (in weight and internal volume). While the percentage of berried females did not differ between dextral ( Busycon carica ) and sinistral ( Busycon sinistrum ) shells, the non-reproductive females had a much smaller deficit in volume in sinistral shells compared to dextral shells. For berried females, there was no relationship between the magnitude of their shell deficit and the number of eggs carried. Our results suggest that reproduction is inhibited when females occupy shells sufficiently greater than the optimal shell size.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-specific autoantibodies in patients with interstitial lung disease and absence of clinically apparent articular RA

The purpose of this study was to identify rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related autoantibodies in subjects with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and no articular findings of RA, supporting the hypothesis that RA-related autoimmunity may be generated in non-articular sites, such as the lung. This was a retrospective chart review utilizing clinic databases of patients with ILD to identify cases with lung disease, RA-related autoantibody positivity, and no clinical evidence of articular RA. Four patients with ILD, RF, and anti-CCP positivity and no articular findings of RA were identified. All four patients were male with a mean age at time of diagnosis of ILD of 70 years old. All had a history of smoking. Three patients died within 2 years of diagnosis of ILD and never developed articular symptoms consistent with RA; the final case met full criteria for articular RA several months after stopping immunosuppressive treatment for ILD. RF and anti-CCP can be present in smokers with ILD without clinical evidence of articular RA and in one case symptomatic ILD and autoantibody positivity preceded the development of articular RA. These findings suggest that RA-specific autoimmunity may be generated due to immunologic interactions in the lung and may be related to environmental factors such as smoking.
Annealing of a cold-worked duplex FeMnAlC alloy

Abstract The effects of cold working and aging on a two-phase (austenite and ferrite) Fe-27.3wt.%Mn-6.7wt.%Al-0.22wt.%C alloy were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and isochronal annealing at different temperatures. Reactions were detected by DSC at 145 °C, 346 °C, 531 °C and 630 °C. Both the reactions at 145 °C and 346 °C are controlled by the diffusion of carbon. The products of both reactions can be described as carbon atoms segregated to interstitial sites around manganese and aluminum atoms forming very small carbon-rich clusters which are structurally coherent with the parent solid solution and are too small to be detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The clusters formed in ferrite at 346 °C induce an internal stress causes an increase in the hardness of the ferrite. The reactions at 531 °C and 360 °C are controlled by the diffusion of manganese and aluminum. The reaction at 531 °C evidently was a homogeneous nucleation of precipitate with the same crystal structure as ferrite. At 620 °C, the latter homogeneously nucleated precipitate transforms into austenite.
Pore characterization of manufactured aggregates: recycled concrete aggregates and lightweight aggregates

Accurate characterization of aggregates plays an important role in mixture proportioning of concrete mixes. Decisions made during the concrete design phase in terms of characterization techniques adopted for quantification of specific gravity or water absorption affect the development of fresh properties during the construction phase as well as impacting the long term performance of concrete. Manufactured aggregates such as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and lightweight aggregate (LWA) are more absorptive than natural aggregate. Due to the thrust on construction of sustainable structures usage of LWA and RCA has increased significantly in the last decade. In this study, standard ASTM techniques adopted for porosity and specific gravity measurement of aggregates were compared with automated testing equipment such as the helium pycnometer and the envelope density analyzer. Porosity of different aggregates obtained using different test methods was compared with image analysis. Pore diameter characterization of different RCA was conducted using image analysis.
A whole cell patch-clamp study on the pacemaker potential in dopaminergic neurons of rat substantia nigra compacta.

Abstract A whole-cell patch-clamp recording was obtained from dopamine (DA) neurons (n = 68) in the substantia nigra compacta (SNc) in in vitro slice preparations in order to study the underlying current for pacemaker-like slow depolarization (PLSD) which was considered as a basis for rhythmic firing of DA neurons. SNc DA neurons were identified immunohistochemically after recording. Results demonstrated that: (1) Under current clamped condition in the presence of TTX, DA neurons (n = 5) displayed the oscillation of membrane potential with high threshold spikes. An application of a hyperpolarizing and depolarizing current pulse (at the membrane potential where oscillation was no longer seen) induced a prominent anomalous rectification and pacemaker-like slow depolarization (PLSD), respectively. (2) Under voltage-clamped conditions in the presence of TTX, a command pulse positive to −50 mV from a holding potential of −80 mV induced a persistent Ca2+ current which was usually preceded by either a transient K+ (n = 7) or a transient Ca2+ (n = 4) current recorded with a patch pipette containing potassium gluconate (145 mM). (3) When outward currents were suppressed by 140 mM CsCl and 10 mM EGTA intercellularly applied through the patch pipette, a command pulse positive to −50 to −40 mV induced either a persistent Ca2+ current alone (n = 4) or a persistent Ca2+ current preceded by a transient Ca2+ current (n = 11). (4) The threshold for activation of the persistent Ca2+ current (IP) was around −60 to −55 mV. The amplitude of IP produced by a command pulse stepped to −50 mV from a holding potential of −80 mV was −78 ± 42 pA (n = 23). (5) The threshold for activation of transient Ca2+ current (IT) was around −70 to −65 mV and inactivated completely at −70 to −65 mV (n = 11). The peak amplitude of IT evoked at −60 to −55 mV from a holding potential of more negative than −80 mV was 489 ± 170 pA (n =11). (6) The decay time constant of IT was 28 ± 12 ms at −60 mV (n = 8) and that of IP was 2.35 ± 1.37 s at −50 mV (n = 11) when recorded with a pipette containing 10 mM EGTA and 140 mM CsCl. (7) The decay of IP was apparently accelerated by decreasing the concentration of EGTA in the pipette solution from 10 to 1 mM. The decay time constant of IP at −50 mV was 497 ± 233 ms (n = 7) when recorded with a patch pipette containing 1 mM EGTA and 140 mM CsCl. This was significantly smaller than that recorded with a pipette containing 10 mM EGTA and 140 mM CsCl (P
Operating characteristics of a preparative-scale radial compression chromatograph in isocratic and gradient elution

The performance of a preparative-scale radial compression chromatographic unit was studied for a reversed-phase model separation with commercial packings. The effects of radial compression on column back-pressure, peak shape, efficiency and column stability were studied for isocratic and gradient elution. The application of radial compression was found to be beneficial, allowing the column to be operated with efficiencies comparable to those obtained with analytical-scale equipment and stably over long periods of time.
Effects of warm acclimation on Na+,K+-ATPase α-subunit expression in chloride cells of Antarctic fish

The teleosts Trematomus bernacchii thrive in southern oceanic waters with temperatures below 0 degrees C. These fish have serum osmolalities almost double those found in fish of temperate waters, thereby lowering their serum's freezing point and the energy needed for ionic homeostasis. Upon warm acclimation to 4 degrees C, T. bernacchii decrease their serum osmolality and increase the Na+,K+-ATPase activity in their gills. Na+,K+-ATPase alpha1-, alpha2-, and alpha3-subunit isoforms are expressed in the gills of T. bernacchii and it is thought that Na+,K+-ATPase subunit composition in chloride cells changes with warm acclimation. Using immunohistochemistry, we compared the number of chloride cells expressing various alpha-isoforms of the Na+,K+-ATPase in the gills of cold- and warm-acclimated T. bernacchii. We found no change in the number of alpha2- or alpha3-immunopositive cells in warm-acclimated fish gills or in the number of cells immunopositive for the Na+,K+,2Cl- cotransporter. However, the number of pan-alpha-immunopositive (recognizing all three alpha-isoforms) and alpha1-immunopositive cells both increased in warm-acclimated fish. This suggests that changes in the number of alpha1-isoform-expressing chloride cells could contribute to the increased Na+,K+-ATPase activity that occurs with warm-acclimation.
Information Sharing in Global Supply Chain Systems

AbstractWith increasing frequency the effective management and coordination of supply chains requires the sharing of a wide range of data. But the challenge, both technically and socially, to share information increases when customers and suppliers are spread throughout the geographic regions of the world. It is this challenge that is addressed here. First a conceptual framework is built. This framework classifies the stages of information sharing within a supply chain and proposes seven variables that affect the flow of information between customers and their suppliers. These variables include industry, market and competitive environment, national culture, corporate IT culture, size, IT infrastructure, and country IT support. The results are generalized and summarized in a Supply Chain IT Linkage Capability Model. Case studies of four organizations are presented and analyzed to validate the role of these variables in data sharing strategies. The paper concludes with several implications for global inform...
URPC: A Toolkit for Prototyping Remote Procedure Calls

Many new remote procedure calls (RPC) systems are being built to meet different application requirements, and much development effort has been spent on redoing significant parts of the RPC system. This paper describes URPC, a toolkit for prototyping new RPC systems. It allows programmers to provide high-level implementations of RPC semantics and to customize supporting RPC services, such as stub generation and name service, to match the requirements of different RPC semantics. This approach increases flexibility in constructing new RPC systems and greatly reduces coding effort. In addition, this approach allows application-specific optimization by increasing the semantic content of individual RPC calls through customization, as well as by allowing programmers to import protocol machine implementations. Thus, the generated prototype RPC implementations can perform as fast as native RPCs.