cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insight into the complex and dynamic process of activation of matrix metalloproteinases.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important hydrolytic enzymes with profound physiological and pathological functions in living organisms. MMPs are produced in their inactive zymogenic forms, which are subsequently proteolytically activated in an elaborate set of events. The propeptide in the zymogen blocks the active site, with a cysteine side-chain thiolate from this propeptide achieving coordination with the catalytically important zinc ion in the active site. Molecular dynamics simulations, ab initio calculations, and wet chemistry experiments presented herein argue for the critical importance of a protonation event at the coordinated thiolate as a prerequisite for the departure of the propeptide from the active site. Furthermore, a catalytically important glutamate is shown to coordinate transiently to the active-site zinc ion to "mask" the positive potential of the zinc ion and lower the energy barrier for dissociation of the protonated cysteine side chain from the zinc ion. In addition, a subtle conformational change by the propeptide is needed in the course of zymogen activation. These elaborate processes take place in concert in the activation process of MMPs, and the insight into these processes presented herein sheds light on a highly regulated physiological process with profound consequences for eukaryotic organisms. Proper interactions of eukaryotic cells with the extracellular matrix (ECM) are important for the normal functions within a tissue. ECM-cell interactions are regulated by a family of at least 27 zinc-dependent endopeptidases known as matrix met- alloproteinases (MMPs), the functions of which have profound consequences in organ development, tissue remodeling, em- briogenesis, wound healing, and angiogenesis. 1 Because of the critical functions of these enzymes in many physiological processes, their activities are strictly regulated. 2 Each is produced as an inactive zymogen form (pro-MMP), which requires activation for generation of the catalytically competent enzyme. The process of zymogen activation appears to be complicated. 3,4 A second level of control of MMP activity is exerted by inhibition of the active enzymes by a group of four specific proteins known as the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases ("TIMPs"). When these elaborate regulatory processes fail, the
An alternative numerical method for initial value problems involving the contact nonlinear Hamiltonians

Abstract We suggest a new difference scheme for dealing with contact nonlinear Hamiltonians. The scheme has two parts. First, the system is transformed to the interaction picture of quantum mechanics using the time-independent Hamiltonian H 0 . This reduces the problem to a system of ordinary differential equations in time. Subsequently, the system is integrated in time for a time step Δ t and then transformed back to the initial representation. Standard time integration schemes make it possible to eliminate explicit use of transformation operators, thus significantly reducing the number of calculations. We give explicit expressions for integration using the Runge–Kutta scheme. We consider three applications of the method and illustrate the behavior of the norms of the resulting wave functions after many time steps. The method is compared to the standard split-step method, and we show that our method has five N ( u 0 (τ)) more calculations in a single step of the scheme, for the simplest case of one time and one spatial dimension. Here N ( u 0 (τ)) is the number of calculations needed to apply the evolution operator u 0 (τ) to the wave function, where u 0 is defined in terms of the (time-independent) Hamiltonian. This increase in the number of steps is offset by at least one order higher accuracy of the method. Its implementation is straightforward. It uses a unique arrangement of the steps of the split-step method.
Spatial Distribution of U.S. Household Carbon Footprints Reveals Suburbanization Undermines Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Urban Population Density

Which municipalities and locations within the United States contribute the most to household greenhouse gas emissions, and what is the effect of population density and suburbanization on emissions? Using national household surveys, we developed econometric models of demand for energy, transportation, food, goods, and services that were used to derive average household carbon footprints (HCF) for U.S. zip codes, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas. We find consistently lower HCF in urban core cities (∼40 tCO2e) and higher carbon footprints in outlying suburbs (∼50 tCO2e), with a range from ∼25 to >80 tCO2e in the 50 largest metropolitan areas. Population density exhibits a weak but positive correlation with HCF until a density threshold is met, after which range, mean, and standard deviation of HCF decline. While population density contributes to relatively low HCF in the central cities of large metropolitan areas, the more extensive suburbanization in these regions contributes to an overall net incre...
Production theory, technological change, and the demand for imports

Aggregate import demand functions for Switzerland 1948–1976, are estimated jointly with the supply and/or demand functions for domestic outputs and inputs. Joint estimation not only yields more efficient estimates than single-equation methods, but it also ensures that the derived demand and supply functions are consistent with the underlying technology. Two specifications are examined, one of them stressing the smallness and openess of the Swiss economy as well as its flexible immigration policy; the Generalized-Leontief functional form is used in both cases. Special attention is devoted to the interpretation of the estimated price elasticities, and various hypotheses of technological change are tested for.
Behavior and binding: Correlations between α1-adrenergic stimulation of acoustic startle and α1-adrenoceptor occupancy and number in rat lumbar spinal cord

The relationship between alterations in alpha 1-adrenoceptors and behavioral effects of alpha 1-adrenergic agonists were investigated in a localized region of the rat central nervous system. Direct infusion of the alpha 1-adrenergic agonists, D-amphetamine or phenylephrine. into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar cord (intrathecal administration) increased the amplitude of the acoustic startle reflex, The magnitude of this behavioral facilitation correlated highly with the degree of alpha 1-adrenoceptor occupation measured by [3H]prazosin binding in lumbar spinal tissue. Using an in vitro estimate of receptor occupation, maximal potentiation of startle occurred following approximately 30% occupation of the receptors, using either D-amphetamine or phenylephrine. Intrathecal administration of 6-OHDA produced a 95% decrease in spinal norepinephrine and markedly enhanced the behavioral response to intrathecal phenylephrine as well as the number of alpha 1-adrenoceptors. The correlation between the time course of the behavioral and binding changes was 0.99. No change in receptor affinity (KD) or receptor occupation by phenylephrine was found after 6-OHDA. The data indicate that receptor binding parameters do have predictive value for behavior, especially if localized regions of the nervous system, critical to the behavior, are analyzed.
INCIDENTAL MORTALITY OF NORTHERN SEA LIONS IN SHELIKOF STRAIT, ALASKA

The incidental catch of northern sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) joint-venture fishery in Shelikof Strait, Alaska, was studied during 1982–1984 to assess the nature and magnitude of the catch. Data were obtained by placing U.S. observers on foreign processing vessels. Dead sea lions recovered from trawl nets were counted, sexed and measured, teeth were removed for age determination by dental laminae; and stomach contents were analyzed. Although the fishery has continued to expand both in number of boats and estimated total catch (74,136 metric tons [t] in 1982 to 171,539 t in 1984), the estimated incidental catch of northern sea lions has declined (ranging from 958 to 1,436 in 1982, 216 to 324 in 1983 and 237 to 355 in 1984). Of the sea lions processed, 73 percent were caught between 2000 and 0500 h, probably during net retrieval. Most caught sea lions were females ranging in age from 1–25 yr with a mean age of 6.43 yr; 79 percent of the females were sexually mature and probably part of the reproducing population. Males had a mean age of 4.8 yr and only 12 percent were old enough to obtain and defend territories. Analysis of stomach contents showed that the sea lions consumed pollock the same size as that taken by the commercial fishery. The impact of the incidental catch on the Gulf of Alaska sea lion population is unknown.
Aortic valve leaflet sparing and salvage surgery: evolution of techniques for aortic root reconstruction.

Summary Over the past 20 years, a series of procedures have been designed to reconstruct the aortic root of patients with aortic insufficiency, in whom the pathology and hence the surgery spares the valve leaflets. Such techniques have various names. Usually ‘valve sparing’ is used in context with chronic aortic dissection or aortic root aneurysm as in patients with Marfan’s syndrome. ‘Aortic valve salvage’ tends to be the term of choice for similar surgical reconstruction in the setting of aortic dissection. ‘Aortic valve repair’ is often chosen when direct surgical procedures are performed on the leaflets themselves. All of the techniques have evolved based upon an increased understanding of the functional anatomy of the aortic root complex. The different technical approaches, their applications and results need to be understood by the cardiology community. The failure modes for such techniques are specific and different from prosthetic valve failure modes, but are adequately followed with echocardiography. Over two-thirds of patients remain free of re-development of significant aortic insufficiency at 8 ‐ 10 years following surgery. The overall patient survival is more dependent upon the underlying cardiovascular status of the patient than the surgical technique itself. Perioperative mortalities vary between 0 and 6% and are comparable to composite valve þ graft techniques and isolated aortic valve replacement, in which the operative mortality approximates 3.3‐ 4%. Long-term results are good to excellent and spare the patient anticoagulation and prosthetic valve disease. q 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
How Does a Gold Nanorod Melt

Structural transformation of gold nanorods are investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy after they have been exposed to low-energy femtosecond and nanosecond laser pulses in colloidal solution. The pulse energies were below the gold nanorod melting threshold, but allowed early stage shape transformation processes. It is found that while the as-prepared nanorods are defect-free, laser-irradiation induces point and line defects. The defects are dominated by (multiple) twins and stacking faults (planar defects), which are the precursor that drives the nanorods to convert their {110} facets into the more stable {100} and {111} facets and hence minimize their surface energy. These observations suggest that short-laser pulsed photothermal melting begins with the creation of defects inside the nanorods followed by surface reconstruction and diffusion, in contrast with the thermal melting of the rods or the bulk material, where the melting starts at the surface.
Economic Benefits of an Effective Infection Control Program: Case Study and Proposal

An economic model of the 981 nosocomial infections that occurred in 1985 at the University of Virginia Medical Center was developed. It was determined that $2,401,709 in excess charges and $2,111,753 in excess variable costs were saved in 1985 as a result of having an effective infection control program in place. If a nominal per diem patient fee ($5) were billed to each patient or third-party carrier for preventive services rendered by the infection control team and channeled to infection control for the 196,141 patient-days in 1985, income of $980,705 would have been generated, leaving net income of $812,979 after the deduction of infection control operating costs. In addition, patients, third-party payers, and the hospital would have still saved $1,421,004 in excess charges, or $1,131,048 in excess variable costs, in prevented infections. Infection control programs are extremely cost effective, and if preventive care is to be encouraged, financial incentives for value received for infection control services are needed.
Endogenous β3-adrenoreceptor activation contributes to left ventricular and cardiomyocyte dysfunction in heart failure

The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that endogenous β3-adrenoreceptor (AR) activation contributes to left ventricular (LV) and cardiomyocyte dysfunction in heart failure (...
The University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women Science Inspired by Women’s Stories

Research in the violence against women area has been undertaken for more than 30 years, but individual researchers who have made these scholarly contributions have not been advantaged by adequate attention, funding, or organizational structure within the university setting. This article offers a detailed description of a model of an interdisciplinary research center designed to provide an academic architecture within which research on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other forms of violence against women can flourish and advance. The article describes the impetus for creation of the University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women, its current mission, organizational structure, financial operations, and initiatives related to research, education, and public service. Practical strategies for establishing and sustaining a center of this type are offered.
Increased Fitness of Rice Plants to Abiotic Stress Via Habitat Adapted Symbiosis: A Strategy for Mitigating Impacts of Climate Change

Climate change and catastrophic events have contributed to rice shortages in several regions due to decreased water availability and soil salinization. Although not adapted to salt or drought stress, two commercial rice varieties achieved tolerance to these stresses by colonizing them with Class 2 fungal endophytes isolated from plants growing across moisture and salinity gradients. Plant growth and development, water usage, ROS sensitivity and osmolytes were measured with and without stress under controlled conditions. The endophytes conferred salt, drought and cold tolerance to growth chamber and greenhouse grown plants. Endophytes reduced water consumption by 20–30% and increased growth rate, reproductive yield, and biomass of greenhouse grown plants. In the absence of stress, there was no apparent cost of the endophytes to plants, however, endophyte colonization decreased from 100% at planting to 65% compared to greenhouse plants grown under continual stress (maintained 100% colonization). These findings indicate that rice plants can exhibit enhanced stress tolerance via symbiosis with Class 2 endophytes, and suggest that symbiotic technology may be useful in mitigating impacts of climate change on other crops and expanding agricultural production onto marginal lands.
Hepatic glutamic dehydrogenase in diabetes and following excess glucagon.

The finding that hepatic glutamic dehydrogenase (GDH) varies directly with the level of glucocorticoids prompted the investigation of this enzyme in the catabolic conditions associated with alloxan diabetes and during the administration of excess glucagon. In both conditions GDH activity per mg N was elevated significantly. Insulin administration or adrenalectomy prevented this response in diabetic rats. Adrenalectomy also prevented the response to glucagon. GDH activity in glucagon-treated adrenalectomized rats was only slightly above the low level in adrenalectomized controls. The combined administration of glucagon and cortisol, however, effected significant increases in hepatic GDH activity. Thus, in these catabolic states the presence of intact adrenal glands is necessary for the enhanced hepatic GDH activtivity. (Endocrinology 79: 997, 1966)
Concurrent planning and execution for autonomous robots

The task control architecture (TCA) provides communication and coordination facilities to construct distributed, concurrent robotic systems. The use of TCA in a system that walks a legged robot through rugged terrain is described. The walking system, as originally implemented, had a sequential sense-plan-act control cycle. Utilizing TCA features for task sequencing and monitoring, the system was modified to concurrently plan and execute steps. Walking speed improved by over 30%, with only a relatively modest conversion effort. >
Adaptive multiple subtraction with non-stationary helical shaping filters

P 167 ADAPTIVE MULTIPLE SUBTRACTION WITH NON-STATIONARY HELICAL SHAPING FILTERS 1 SUMMARY JAMES RICKETT ANTOINE GUITTON AND DOUGLAS GRATWICK Department of Geophysics Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA We suppress surface-related multiples with a smart adaptive least-squares subtraction scheme in the time-space domain after modelling multiples with a very fast but approximate modelling algorithm. The subtraction scheme is based on using a linear solver to estimate a damped non-stationary shaping filter. Convergence is improved by the preconditioning with a space domain helical roughening filter. Dragoset and Jericevic (1998) describe a two-step multiple elimination process: prediction followed by subtraction with an
Value-added indicators of school performance: A primer

Abstract The indicators commonly used to assess school performance-average and median test scores-are highly flawed. They tend to be contaminated by student mobility and by nonschool factors that contribute to student achievement (e.g. student, family, and community characteristics and prior t achievement). They also reflect information about school performance that tends to be grossly out of date. The conceptually-appropriate indicator of school performance is the value-added indicator. The value-added indicator measures school performance using statistical model that includes, to the extent possible, of all the nonschool factors that contribute to growth in student achievement. The objective is to statistically isolate the contribition of schools to student achievement growth from these other factors. The paper defines two types of value-added indicators, the total school and intrinsic school performance indicators. The two indicators are appropriate for purposes of school choice and school accountability, respectively.
Membrane adaptation in phospholipids and cholesterol in the widely distributed, freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica

Maintaining proper membrane phase and fluidity is important for preserving membrane structure and function, and by altering membrane lipid composition many organisms can adapt to changing environmental conditions. We compared the phospholipid and cholesterol composition of liver and brain plasma membranes in the freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica, from southern Ohio and Interior Alaska during summer, fall, and winter. We also compared membranes from winter-acclimatized frogs from Ohio that were either acclimated to 0, 4, or 10 °C, or frozen to −2.5 °C and sampled before or after thawing. Lipids were extracted from isolated membranes, separated by one-dimensional thin-layer chromatography, and analyzed via densitometry. Liver membranes underwent seasonal changes in phospholipid composition and lipid ratios, including a winter increase in phosphatidylethanolamine, which serves to increase fluidity. However, whereas Ohioan frogs decreased phosphatidylcholine and increased sphingomyelin, Alaskan frogs only decreased phosphatidylserine, indicating that these phenotypes use different adaptive strategies to meet the functional needs of their membranes. Liver membranes showed no seasonal variation in cholesterol abundance, though membranes from Alaskan frogs contained relatively less cholesterol, consistent with the need for greater fluidity in a colder environment. No lipid changed seasonally in brain membranes in either population. In the thermal acclimation experiment, cold exposure induced an increase in phosphatidylethanolamine in liver membranes and a decrease in cholesterol in brain membranes. No changes occurred during freezing and thawing in membranes from either organ. Wood frogs use tissue-specific membrane adaptation of phospholipids and cholesterol to respond to changing environmental factors, particularly temperature, though not with freezing.
An Initial Appraisal of the Clinical Significance of Roseomonas Species Associated with Human Infections

We reviewed laboratory, clinical, and epidemiologic data on 35 patients from whom organisms belonging to the genus Roseomonas, a pink-pigmented gram-negative coccobacillus, were isolated over a 22-year period (1972-1994). Roseomonas strains were most commonly isolated from middle-aged women with one of several underlying conditions, including cancer and diabetes. Roseomonas was most commonly isolated from the blood, in association with clinical signs of sepsis. Approximately 60% of all isolates were judged to be of possible clinical significance, either as primary or secondary pathogens ; 75% of all strains were recovered in pure culture. Roseomonas gilardii was the most frequently isolated species and was significantly associated with septicemia and underlying immunocompromised conditions ; the species of 29% of all Roseomonas isolates could not be unequivocally identified with presently available differential tests. Genomospecies 5, currently an unnamed taxon within the genus Roseomonas, was primarily recovered as a commensal from young adults attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic. The findings suggest that although this genus appears to have an overall low pathogenic potential for humans, Roseomonas species-in particular, R. gilardii-may be significant pathogens in persons with underlying medical complications.
osr1 Is Required for Podocyte Development Downstream of wt1a

Odd-skipped related 1 (Osr1) encodes a zinc finger transcription factor required for kidney development. Osr1 deficiency in mice results in metanephric kidney agenesis, whereas knockdown or mutation studies in zebrafish revealed that pronephric nephrons require osr1 for proximal tubule and podocyte development. osr1-deficient pronephric podocyte progenitors express the Wilms' tumor suppressor wt1a but do not undergo glomerular morphogenesis or express the foot process junctional markers nephrin and podocin. The function of osr1 in podocyte differentiation remains unclear, however. Here, we found by double fluorescence in situ hybridization that podocyte progenitors coexpress osr1 and wt1a. Knockdown of wt1a disrupted podocyte differentiation and prevented expression of osr1. Blocking retinoic acid signaling, which regulates wt1a, also prevented osr1 expression in podocyte progenitors. Furthermore, unlike the osr1-deficient proximal tubule phenotype, which can be rescued by manipulation of endoderm development, podocyte differentiation was not affected by altered endoderm development, as assessed by nephrin and podocin expression in double osr1/sox32-deficient embryos. These results suggest a different, possibly cell- autonomous requirement for osr1 in podocyte differentiation downstream of wt1a. Indeed, osr1-deficient embryos did not exhibit podocyte progenitor expression of the transcription factor lhx1a, and forced expression of activated forms of the lhx1a gene product rescued nephrin expression in osr1-deficient podocytes. Our results place osr1 in a framework of transcriptional regulators that control the expression of podocin and nephrin and thereby mediate podocyte differentiation.
Self-powered IC-compatible DC bias for electrostatic resonators

Electrostatic micro actuators require DC bias, for electromechanical coupling. This paper presents an IC compatible self-powered voltage bias generator that uses radioactive /sup 63/Ni thin film and a tunneling oxide-diode. The relatively high voltage bias (10-20 volts) is achieved, by charging a tunneling oxide diode with electrons from a beta particle-emitting thin film. Constant voltage is obtained when the rate of beta particle collection equals the rate of electrons leaking through the oxide diode. Shifts in a clamped-clamped beam resonator are measured as the bias voltage is applied under the resonator.
Normative Data of Shoulder Activity Level by Age and Sex

Background:The shoulder activity score is a valid and reliable shoulder-specific questionnaire that measures a patient’s shoulder activity level over the previous year. No age- and sex-based normative data exist for the shoulder activity score.Hypothesis:The hypothesis was that age is inversely related to the shoulder activity score in patients with no history of shoulder symptoms or treatment for a shoulder condition. The authors also tested the hypothesis that in the same population of patients, men are more active with their shoulders than women.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Participants in 8 age/sex groups, composed of adults aged 18 years and older in the United States, were surveyed via the Internet by a marketing research firm. Participants completed the shoulder activity score and reported their age, sex, and any history of shoulder symptoms or treatment. The survey was sent to 2773 people, with 2403 people completing the entire survey. Participants with a histor...
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute febrile illness transmitted to man by ticks infected with Rickettsia rickettsii. Usually sudden in onset, it is characterized by chills, headache, and fever lasting 2 or more weeks. A characteristic rash appears on the extremities on about the 4th febrile day and, later, on the trunk. The exanthem and other anatomical manifestations result from focal areas of endangiitis scattered throughout the body. Central nervous system manifestations of delirium and coma as well as shock and renal failure occur in the severely ill. Serum antibodies to Proteus organisms and specific rickettsial antigens appear during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of illness. Chloramphenicol and the tetracyclines are highly specific therapeutically.
Estimation of relative PET system sensitivity based on image noise

The aim of this study is to investigate if image noise can be used to estimate the relative system sensitivity under different imaging conditions. Image noise was determined in a uniform cylindrical phantom, a Jaszczak phantom with fillable lesions (0.5-20 ml), with varying lesion to background ratios, ranging from 3-1 to 10-1, and an anthropomorphic torso phantom. In the torso phantom, fillable spheres were added to simulate lesions (5-1 lesion to background ratio). The phantoms were all scanned on a 2-D BGO system and an LSO 3-D system. Image noise was estimated using the bootstrap method. For each data set, 250 sinogram replicates were generated, which were reconstructed using FBP and OSEM (2i8s). The images were filtered to a final image resolution of 7 mm. From the reconstructed image sets, mean and SD images were generated. The relative sensitivities based on scatter corrected count rates from a 20 cm uniform cylinder is 5.4:1 (3D-LSO:2D-BGO). Based on the scan time resulting in equivalent noise levels in the uniform cylinder images, the relative system sensitivity reduced to approximately 4.1:1. A further reduction was seen when comparing the %SD in the spheres in the Jaszczak and the torso phantoms, at 3.1:1 and 2.6:1 at sphere to background ratio of 10-1, and 5:1, respectively. These results indicate that image noise may be a better measure to estimate relative system performance since it includes all factors contributing to the final image quality.
Reduced rank formulation for increased computational efficiency in medical ultrasound model-based beamforming

Recently, we have developed a model-based adaptive beamforming algorithm, entitled dTONE, which significantly increases both image contrast and resolution by conducting a global optimization based on a model of a sparse set of hypothetical source locations. Due to the global nature of this optimization, a single bright source from an un-modeled location can cause significant degradation of the resulting image. As a result, the entire space from which signal may be received must be finely sampled, requiring a model of very large scale and computational complexity. We have developed a method that uses a reduced rank formulation of a subset of the hypothetical source locations to reduce the computational complexity of dTONE by several orders of magnitude with minimal degradation in image quality. Computation times were reduced by anywhere from 3.7 to 18.3 times while maintaining an image contrast and resolution far superior to that of conventional beamforming.
Impact Of Precedence Enabled Per Hop Behaviors on TCP Flows

In the Department of Defense's (DoD) Global Information Grid (GIG) transport network, packet handling must provide preferential transport to high Precedence traffic under all networking conditions, specifically conditions of resource scarcity, e.g., network overload conditions, while simultaneously satisfying packet scheduling required to meet application Quality of Service (QoS) needs. Our approach to this duality is to enhance Active Queue Management (AQM) techniques to provide Precedence and Preemption (P&P) capabilities and rely upon standard, well studied QoS Per Hop Behavior (PHB), e.g., Weighted Round Robin, Class-Based Fair Queuing, etc., for handling QoS requirements. In this way, when operating under engineered loads, the well known scheduling algorithms support high quality QoS for applications. Under network congestion situations, the enhanced AQM layer provides the necessary P&P preferential packet handling favoring high Precedence-Level (P-L) information. Our scheme allows low order queues (within the context of QoS handling) to plead up to the next higher order queue for help in alleviating queue congestion under periods of communication link overload. We refer to our scheme as the Cross Queue-AQM (CQ-ACM) Scheme. Our scheme can be extended to higher numbers of queues and any type of scheduler in a straightforward manner. Through extensive simulation studies and analytical modeling, we investigate the performance of our CQ-AQM scheme under heavy traffic limits, where Preemption is required. The performance metrics of interest to our analysis are packet delay, packet loss and throughput as a function of the packet QoS class and P&P level.
Dopaminergic differentiation using pluripotent stem cells

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. The motor symptoms of PD are caused by the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of mesencephalon. The causes for death of DA neurons are not well understood, but the strongest risk factor is increasing age. There is no cure currently available for PD, and treatment is limited to management of PD symptoms in patients. Primary DA neurons are virtually unobtainable from living patients and animal studies have proven inadequate for studying the mechanism of PD development. Pluripotent stem cells (PSC) are primary self-renewing cells capable of differentiating into all cell types of an organism, including DA neurons. PSCs represent an abundant source of cells that can be genetically modified or isolated from patients with complex diseases, enabling the production of large quantities of DA neurons for disease modeling, drug screening, and gene function studies. Furthermore, since PD arises as a result of deterioration of DA neurons in a specific brain region, it has been suggested that a relatively small number of cells could restore normal function. PSCs could provide a source of DA neurons for cell replacement therapy. In this Prospects article, we focus on the development and in vitro derivation of DA neurons from PSCs, as well as current applications of the technological advances, with the emphasis on future directions and efforts in the field. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 3610–3619, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
THE CULTURAL TRANSMISSIVE FUNCTION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

What is the cultural transmissive function of a high school physical education class? Research which I conducted in northeastern Utah' suggests that one function of participation in such a class (i.e., the extent to which students played basketball during the winter of 1972) was to display information about one's social identity. The participants were displaying information to members of their own community cultural group (in this case, either Anglo-Mormons or Ute Indians) that they were, in fact, members of that group, while to members of the other group they were providing displays that they were not members of that other group. In effect, the high school physical education class functioned to maintain two community cultures by providing an opportunity for Utes and Anglos alike to display to each other who they were, and who they were not. These conclusions resulted from a six-month field study in Roosevelt, Utah, during which time I observed, participated in, and investigated value orientations related to basketball in the Anglo community, the Ute community, and the high school.2 Union High School was populated predominantly by Anglo-Mormons. Ute Indians students represented approximately 20% of the total school population. These figures include the school staff which was exclusively Anglo with the exception of one Ute woman who was a liaison between the school and the Ute community. The interactional patterns in the school reflected the bicultural nature of the community, and were similar to the interactional patterns found by Kimball et al. in a southern urban environment.3 There were times and places where Ute and Anglo students met and talked (classes, clubs, etc.), but outside of those constrained situations the students and staff kept to their own cultural group. Ute students and their Anglo counterparts congregated in different places within the school. The community outside the school wa's similarly structured. There were times and places where Ute and Anglo residents came into interactive contact with one another-markets, banks, clothing stores, livestock auctions, movie houses, recreational facilities, churches, schools, and the like. But for the most part, the two communities maintained independent interactional structures: the Anglos interacted with Anglos, and the Utes interacted with Utes.
Evolutionary Divergence of an Elongation Factor 3 from Cryptococcus neoformans

Elongation factor 3 (EF3) is considered a promising drug target for the control of fungal diseases because of its requirement for protein synthesis and survival of fungi and a lack of EF3 in the mammalian host. However, EF3 has been characterized only in ascomycete yeast. In order to understand the role of EF3 in a basidiomycete yeast, we cloned the gene encoding EF3 from Cryptococcus neoformans (CnEF3), an important fungal pathogen in immunocompromised patients, including those infected with human immunodeficiency virus. CnEF3 was found to encode a 1,055-amino-acid protein and has 44% identity with EF3 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YEF3). Expressed CnEF3 exhibited ATPase activity that was only modestly stimulated by ribosomes from S. cerevisiae. In contrast, CnEF3 showed tight binding to cryptococcal ribosomes, as shown by an inability to be removed under conditions which successfully remove Saccharomyces EF3 from ribosomes (0.5 M KCl or 2 M LiCl). CnEF3 also poorly complemented a YEF3 defect in a diploid null mutant and two temperature-sensitive mutants which have been shown previously to be complemented well by EF3 from other ascomycetes, such as Candida albicans. These data clearly identify the presence of a functioning EF3 in the basidiomycete yeast C. neoformans, which demonstrates an evolutionary divergence from EF3 of ascomycete yeast.
Complexities of Early Teleostei and the Evolution of Particular Morphological Structures through Time

The subclass Teleostei Muller was erected in 1845 to contain all fishes possessing intermuscular bones (e.g., epineurals and epipleurals) and two arterial valves (in the conus arteriosus), and that are characterized also by the absence of muscles at the basal arteria (ventral aorta). Since these characters proved difficult for diagnosing fossils, the content of Teleostei was problematic from the start. These three characters are valid and uniquely derived, but the recognition of the taxon Teleostei sensu Muller has been ignored for most of the past 150 years, and the content of the group has changed numerous times. Additionally, a polyphyletic concept of Teleostei was the predominant idea for most of the last century. It was only during the 1970s that the monophyly of Teleostei was demonstrated. Although its monophyly is accepted, its content and phylogenetic relationships have been a subject of disagreement, with only some recent consensus between morphologists and molecular biologists. Understanding the...
Enhancement of Near-Infrared-to-Visible Upconversion Luminescence Using Engineered Plasmonic Gold Surfaces

An engineered plasmonic gold surface, specifically designed to couple with 980 nm radiation, is shown to enhance near-infrared-to-visible upconversion luminescence from a monolayer of β-NaYF4: 17%Yb, 3%Er nanocrystals in poly(methyl methacrylate) on that gold surface. Confocal imaging of upconversion luminescence from the surface is used to characterize the nature of the enhancement. It is shown that the luminescence data were acquired below the so-called “high power limit” for excitation, but some saturation was evident, as the observed power dependence was less than quadratic. Over the range of excitation power densities used, the intrinsic enhancement factor for upconversion from the patterned surface was greater than a factor of 3 but decreased slowly with increasing excitation power. The red and green upconversion were enhanced by similar factors, which would support the intensification of the excitation field by the plasmonic surface as being the mechanism of enhancement. In the absence of other enh...
Aerodynamic performance of the NREL Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment (Phase IV) twisted rotor

A great deal of experimental data has been obtained from operation of the Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. This paper presents the results of analyzing data taken during Phase IV (1997) of the experiment in order to determine the baseline aerodynamic performance of the Phase IV twisted rotor. Plots of normal force coefficient versus angle of attack show that the performance of the twisted rotor at low angle of attack is similar to that predicted by wind tunnel tests. However, as the angle of attack is increased beyond the static stall angle there is significant overshoot in the lift. Measurements of the flow angle by five-hole pressure probes demonstrated that the angle of attack remains relatively uniform along the span of the rotor, and that there is a significant spanwise component of the flow over the rotor. A preliminary investigation into the occurrence of dynamic stall on the rotor indicates that the frequency of dynamic stall events significantly less on the twisted rotor as compared to the Phase II untwisted blade.
Further data on effects of aggressive activation and symbiotic merging on ego functioning of schizophrenics.

This study reported further data on the effects of subliminally presented aggressive and symbiotic stimuli on the ego functioning of schizophrenics. The main positive findings were that the aggressive stimulus had an adverse effect on self-concept while the stimulation of the theme of symbiotic merging, as it had in earlier experiments, led to a reduction in pathological manifestations.
Growth Inhibition of Penicillium expansum by Several Commonly Used Food Ingredients

Several compounds (cinnamon oil, cinnamaldehyde, clove oil, eugenol, and potassium sorbate) were assayed to evaluate their potential as inhibitors of Penicillium expansum growth on apples and in apple juice. The effectiveness of inhibitor was dependent on the apple cultivar treated. Both 0.1% cinnamon oil and 0.5% potassium sorbate decreased spoilage as measured by lesion diameter in most of the cultivars studied. Patulin was not detected in apple juice containing 0.3% cinnamon oil or 0.5% sorbate after incubation with P. expansum for 7 d at 25°C. The addition of benomyl (0.5-5 ppm) increased patulin production by P. expansum grown in apple juice. These results indicate that surface application of cinnamon oil or potassium sorbate might be an effective postharvest treatment for apples, and addition of these compounds to apple juice products that do not receive additional heat treatment, such as 'fresh' apple cider, would prevent patulin production by P. expansum .
Rapid Cycling in Children

Presence of rapid cycling appears to be the rule rather that the exception in children with bipolar disorder, although there is not much data to support this clinical notion. Geller and colleagues studied 93 pediatric patients with bipolar disorder, mean age 10.9 years. They found that 87% had rapid cycling defined as ≥4 episodes/year and 77% had ultradian cycling, defined as >365 episodes/year. In addition, Findling and colleagues studied 90 bipolar patients with a mean age of 10.8 years and found that 50% had rapid cycling by veteran CV criteria. (The study did not look at ultra-rapid or ultradian cycling.) Finally, using clinical interviews to study children with affective illness, Schraufnagel and colleagues found that 41% experienced >365 cycles/year (Slide 6).It is difficult to figure out the difference between a cycle and an episode when children are cycling so quickly. Tillman and Geller proposed that any kind of mood switching constitutes a cycle. An episode, they proposed, is defined as having ≥2 weeks of mood symptoms with either onset and offset of one mood state within that 2 weeks, or onset and offset of a period of ultra-rapid or ultradian cycling. It appears that with younger age comes more rapid cycling and more mixed states, which can be confused with ultra-rapid cycling. In turn, the older the child gets, the less rapid cycling occurs, and the more episodic the disorder becomes with more euphoria and less irritability. However, this tendency has not been well studied.
Public policy in respect to location

This chapter focuses on public policy in the United States as it relates to industrial plant location. Public policy in the United States has increasingly turned toward equalizing industrial growth of the principal regions of the country. Present US federal policy has been to reduce economic barriers between regions and to improve services and facilities in areas that have made little progress. Public research facilities make some patents available to industry with location contingencies. Public facilities are refused industry in some areas, and promised in others, thereby shifting the pattern of industry. Agencies such as the National Research Policy Board (NRPB), the National Research Board (NRB), and the National Science Council (NSC) have, from time to time, indicated plant dispersal as a requirement for assistance in obtaining federal aid or defense contracts. This chapter discusses about the subject of state and local taxes and services. A brief review of legislation of planning for development is also presented. The chapter also explains evaluation of existing plants and specific problems in plant location.
Bismuth incorporation into gallium phosphide

Gallium phosphide bismide (GaP1-xBix) epilayers with bismuth fractions from 0.9% to 3.2%, as calculated from lattice parameter measurements, were studied with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) to directly measure bismuth incorporation. The total bismuth fractions found by RBS were higher than expected from the lattice parameter calculations. Furthermore, in one analyzed sample grown by molecular beam epitaxy at 300 °C, 55% of incorporated bismuth was found to occupy interstitial sites. We discuss implications of this high interstitial incorporation fraction and its possible relationship to x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements of GaP0.99Bi0.01.
XRobots: A flexible language for programming mobile robots based on hierarchical state machines

This paper introduces a domain-specific language for programming mobile robots that is based on hierarchical state machines. Following Brooks, we refer to states as behaviors. A novelty of this language is that behaviors are treated as first class objects in the language and thus they can be passed as arguments to other parameterized behaviors. The language has template behaviors which allow generalized behaviors to be customized and instantiated. This makes the language quite flexible in terms of programming styles. An example of its flexibility are presented, followed by a description of the challenges in the language design.
Metabolite Channeling and Multi-enzyme Complexes

The assembly of cooperating enzymes into multicatalytic complexes, also known as “metabolons,” has become a well-accepted concept in cellular metabolism, at least in principle. There are still relatively few examples where the existence of such systems is supported by solid experimental evidence and even fewer where there is evidence for “channeling” of metabolites through the complex. However, proteomic approaches are providing new evidence for the pervasiveness of this type of organization, while structural biology is offering insights into how these systems are constructed and regulated. New and improved technologies for analyzing protein interactions and assemblies, both in vitro and in intact cells, are opening the doors to explo-ring the intracellular organization of a growing number of metabolic complexes in plants and other organisms. There is also an increasing appre-ciation of the surprising scale of many protein interaction networks, the multiple functions of individual proteins, and the importance (and challenges) of compartmentalization. As a result, the concept of enzyme complexes is gaining wider acceptance and becoming an increasingly important consideration in efforts to engineer metabolism.
Sleeve gastrectomy revision by endoluminal sleeve plication gastroplasty: a small pilot case series.

The necessity for reoperation due to insufficient weight loss after bariatric surgery has led to a novel endoluminal plication of the gastric sleeve using a endoscopic suturing device. Advances in endoluminal endoscopy and other minimally invasive bariatric surgeries have inspired innovative techniques and have produced reliable suturing tools for gastric volume reduction. Retrospective pilot case series of 5 patients with an enlarged gastric sleeve. The data show a sustained weight loss for all patients ranging from 19 to 36 lbs at 1 year, with the greatest average weight loss (27 lbs) observed at 6 months. At 1 year post-op, the mean body mass index was 33 kg/m2. Four of the patients were considered successful, with a excess weight loss (EWL) sustained at 1 year post-procedure, ranging from 21 to 61% with a mean of 38%. One patient experienced a EWL of only 13%, which was attributed to failed lifestyle modification. The mean EWL of the series is 33%. The percent total weight loss (%WL) ranged from 6.7 to 17.2%. The endoluminal approach with an endoscopic suturing device for sleeve revision by plication is showing early promising results and expands the management of weight gain following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. This simple approach may offer a significant option for these patients as an interventional strategy in the early phases of weight regain, and prior to reaching a BMI of 40 kg/m2, such as the traditional surgical approach.