cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TDAG51 is not essential for Fas/CD95 regulation and apoptosis in vivo.

Fas/CD95 is a key regulator of apoptotic signaling, which is crucial for the maintenance of homeostasis in peripheral lymphoid organs. TDAG51 has been shown to play critical roles in the up-regulation of Fas gene expression and T-cell apoptosis in vitro. In order to identify the role of TDAG51 in vivo, we generated TDAG51-deficient (TDAG51−/−) mice. Northern blotting revealed no expression of TDAG51 in TDAG51−/− mice, indicating that the TDAG51 gene was successfully targeted. TDAG51−/− mice were healthy and showed no gross developmental abnormalities. While Fas-deficient mice display marked lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and lymphocytosis, TDAG51−/− mice had no apparent defects in secondary lymphoid organs. Although TDAG51 is required for up-regulation of Fas expression in T-cell hybridomas, TDAG51−/− mice expressed normal levels of Fas and had normal T-cell apoptosis. Therefore, we conclude that TDAG51 is not essential for Fas up-regulation and T-cell apoptosis in vivo. There are several known homologs of TDAG51, and these homologs may substitute for TDAG51 in TDAG51−/− mice.
Co-Conserved MAPK Features Couple D-Domain Docking Groove to Distal Allosteric Sites via the C-Terminal Flanking Tail

Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) form a closely related family of kinases that control critical pathways associated with cell growth and survival. Although MAPKs have been extensively characterized at the biochemical, cellular, and structural level, an integrated evolutionary understanding of how MAPKs differ from other closely related protein kinases is currently lacking. Here, we perform statistical sequence comparisons of MAPKs and related protein kinases to identify sequence and structural features associated with MAPK functional divergence. We show, for the first time, that virtually all MAPK-distinguishing sequence features, including an unappreciated short insert segment in the β4-β5 loop, physically couple distal functional sites in the kinase domain to the D-domain peptide docking groove via the C-terminal flanking tail (C-tail). The coupling mediated by MAPK-specific residues confers an allosteric regulatory mechanism unique to MAPKs. In particular, the regulatory αC-helix conformation is controlled by a MAPK-conserved salt bridge interaction between an arginine in the αC-helix and an acidic residue in the C-tail. The salt-bridge interaction is modulated in unique ways in individual sub-families to achieve regulatory specificity. Our study is consistent with a model in which the C-tail co-evolved with the D-domain docking site to allosterically control MAPK activity. Our study provides testable mechanistic hypotheses for biochemical characterization of MAPK-conserved residues and new avenues for the design of allosteric MAPK inhibitors.
Ultrawideband for Automated Real-Time Three-Dimensional Location Sensing for Workforce, Equipment, and Material Positioning and Tracking

Management of construction resources, such as workforce, equipment, and material, is critical to project success. Completion of work tasks on schedule, safely and within the proposed budget requires a coordinated planning effort that allocates adequate availability of project resources. Because this task alone can become a challenging and time-consuming effort for many field personnel, several existing technologies are reviewed for their benefits and limitations in keeping oversight of resource location and status at job sites. To ensure the optimal solution using the right resources, such knowledge becomes even more meaningful when optimizing construction logistics and safety at the same time. This paper introduces an emerging sensing technology called ultrawideband (UWB) that is capable of determining three-dimensional resource location information in object-cluttered construction environments in real time (up to 60 Hz). The use of UWB is explained in a variety of construction applications including sim...
Determination of sedimentation potentials of canine erythrocytes

Abstract A knowledge of sedimentation potentials of blood elements is of value in obtaining their interfacial electrical characteristics. An apparatus was designed to determine sedimentation potentials. It was tested by measuring sedimentation potentials of silver iodide powder and glass powder in distilled water and in some aqueous electrolytes by varying the weight of sediment in the liquid. Sedimentation potentials of canine erythrocytes in Krebs solution and in plasma were determined as a function of weight of sediment in each media. Linear relationships between the sedimentation potential (E) and weight of particles (W) were obtained in all the cases. Further, negative sedimentation potentials were obtained indicating that the surfaces of silver iodide particles, glass particles, and canine erythrocytes are negatively charged. The slopes of these lines ( dE dW ) for canine red blood cells in Krebs solution and in plasma were approximately the same, showing that non-ionic constituents in plasma have no influence on the interfacial electrical characteristics of erythrocytes. By a comparison of the results of erythrocytes with glass powder, it was concluded that the zeta potential of erythrocytes in Krebs solution or in plasma is about 70 mV.
Construction and cost analysis of an FRP reinforced concrete bridge deck

Abstract This paper describes the use of FRP materials as reinforcements and formwork for a concrete highway bridge deck. It describes the construction process and provides a cost analysis of the project. A continuing research program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is developing concepts for bridge decks reinforced with fiber reinforced polymers (FRP). This project involved the implementation of one of these concepts in a major highway bridge. Three forms of FRP reinforcing were combined to reinforce the concrete deck: FRP stay-in-place (SIP) forms, deformed FRP reinforcing bars (rebars), and a special prefabricated pultruded FRP reinforcing grid. The research project, supported by the Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program (IBRC) in the United States, resulted in the construction of a two-span highway overpass on US Highway 151 in Wisconsin. Based on the analysis of the short-term material and labor costs it appears that given the savings in construction time and their potential long-term durability and maintenance benefits, FRP reinforcements for bridge decks may be cost-effective, notwithstanding their currently high initial costs. Optimization of FRP stay-in-place formwork is recommended to decrease the cost of the FRP reinforcing system in the future.
A stripe character in Anopheles albimanus (Diptera: Culicidae) and its linkage relationships to sex and dieldrin resistance.

A strain of Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann with a mutant character involving a dorsal white stripe on the thorax and abdomen of larvae, pupae and adults was selected from field populations originating in Haiti. Genetic crosses with a nonstriped strain indicated that the stripe character is controlled by a single semidominant autosomal gene, varying in expressivity in the heterozygote in width of the stripe and intensity of white pigmentation. Toxicological tests with dieldrin on the larvae provided evidence that the genes for stripe and dieldrin resistance are situated on the same chromosome.
Ceramidase activity in porcine epidermis.

Abstract This report presents the first demonstration of a ceramide-hydrolyzing activity in mammalian epidermis. An assay using fractions derived from porcine epidermis and synthetic [3H]ceramide is described, and it is shown that under the conditions used, the Km for ceramide is 110 μM and hydrolysis is linear for up to 2 h. The enzyme activity is maximal at pH 8-9. The specific activity of ceramide hydrolase decreases as the protein concentration in the assay mixture increases, suggesting the possibility of a dissociable inhibitor. Also, the activity can be inhibited by added palmitic acid. Ceramide hydrolysis may be an important regulatory mechanism in the epidermis due to the ability of the liberated free sphingosine to modulate the activity of protein kinase C.
REIMAGING MORALITY: A MATTER OF METAPHORS

La metaphore la plus classique imageant la morale est celle de la Loi. Elle a ete employee et developpee des l'epoque de Thomas d'Aquin. Selon cette conception traditionnelle, la moralite est une affaire d'actes, regulee par des normes, fondee sur la nature et connue par la raison. Dans son developpement, l'A. propose une autre metaphore, celle de la creation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF MULTIANGULAR RELATIONSHIPS OF THE INITIATION OF CHILD ANALYSIS: An Overview

The literature in child analysis contains frequent references to the lack of participation of the child in the decision to have him enter treatment. This observation is often made within the context of the old debates about the necessity, desirability, or feasibility of making the parent an ally of the analyst. There has been some discussion of transference and countertransference problems related to the nature of adult empathy with children. There are occasional passing considerations given to the effect upon the child of having the decision to enter treatment made for him; that is, how he views the relationship of his parents and the stranger employed ostensibly to “cure” him of what has been generally acknowledged to be most often the concern of the parents, and not of the child himself. Discussions of the analyst’s response to the circumstances under which the patient comes to treatment have been relatively absent from the literature; and there have been no efforts made to date, to my knowledge, to conceptualize and juxtapose the multiple confluent interactions in an organized overview. This presentation means to be part of such an effort. As I noted, there are a few discussions of the analyst’s “countertransference” feelings (Christ, 1964; Panel, 1965; Sharpe, 1927) toward patients, and other general papers about adult empathy with
Dietary and morphometric variation in some Peruvian rodent communities: the effect of feeding strategy on evolution

This study examines the relationship between feeding strategy and the evolutionary radiation of three genera of broadly sympatric cricetid rodents (Phyllotis, Akodon, Calomys) found in the Andes of southern Peru. Stomach contents from 13 species reveal that although food habits are variable, both intra- and interspecifically, there are two general feeding strategies: diurnal insectivory and nocturnal herbivory-omnivory. Intraspecific variation in diet was sometimes correlated with altitude. Patterns which might suggest competitive exclusion or ecological release were generally not observed. Interspecific dietary variation is related to morphological variation in both size and shape as revealed by regression and discriminant function analyses. There is a significant negative relationship between the degree of insectivory and body size (wt). The existence of correlated patterns of dietary variation with environment and morphology supports the hypothesis that feeding strategy is adaptive and has been a factor in the evolutionary radiation of these groups. We propose that both phyllotines and akodonts arose from small, insectivorous ancestors. In conjunction with shifts toward herbivory, most phyllotines have evolved larger size plus tooth and jaw modifications. Calomys sorellus is atypical of other phyllotines; it is small, and insectivorous. Most Peruvian Akodon are also small and insectivorous; A. jelskii is an exceptional akodont being large and principally herbivorous.
Toward optimally seeded airflow on hypersonic vehicles using control theory

Abstract Following the renewed interest in hypersonic flight and the significant advances made recently, it is now the time to start looking at ways to optimize hypersonic vehicle designs in an efficient manner. Since the medium, in a hypersonic flow, can be locally ionized, it is possible to use electromagnetic actuators that induce an acting force to optimally control the flow. The local injection of substances that have a considerably lower ionization temperature than air into the airflow – flow seeding – leads to stronger local ionization levels at relatively low hypersonic speeds, amplifying the magnetic effects for the same imposed magnetic field intensity. Because much has been devoted to the analysis of such problems but no formal design approach as been persued to date, the main motivation for this work is to provide an efficient design framework built around high-speed magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) prediction capabilities that can be used in hypersonic control applications using magnetic effects. In particular, the design framework should provide information that leads to an optimal airflow seeding strategy in conjunction with an imposed magnetic field. The proposed framework is based on control theory, which implies developing an adjoint solver aimed to efficiently provide sensitivity analysis capability in arbitrary complex hypersonics MHD flows. Automatic differentiation tools are selectively used to develop the discrete adjoint, which make for a much shorter implementation time and greatly reduce the probability of programming errors. A generic hypersonic vehicle is used to demonstrate the sensitivity analysis capability of the implemented MHD adjoint solver. The precision of the computed adjoint-based sensitivities is established and the performance of the adjoint solver is analyzed. A sample design problem is included using a gradient-based optimizer.
INTRAMOLECULAR ANODIC OLEFIN COUPLING REACTIONS : THE CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGED BICYCLIC RING SKELETONS

Abstract Intramolecular anodic olefin coupling reactions have been used to construct both bicyclo[3.2.1]octane and bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane ring systems. The effect of substituents on the stereochemistry about the newly generated carbon-carbon bond was examined.
Where we have been: A history of Native American higher education

This chapter provides an overview of the three eras in the history of Native American higher education in the United States: the colonial, federal, and self-determination eras.
Chemical modification with dihydro-4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate reveals the distance between K480 and K501 in the ATP-binding domain of the Na,K-ATPase.

Abstract Dihydro-4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonate (H 2 DIDS) inactivates the renal Na,K-ATPase in an ATP- and K-preventable fashion; inactivation results in the covalent incorporation of a single [ 3 H 2 ]DIDS molecule into the Na pump α-subunit. K + protection is observed at low concentrations ( m ) and reversed at higher concentrations. The biphasic effect is also seen with Rb + , to a lesser extent by Cs + , and not at all by Na + or choline. After extensive tryptic digestion of 3 H 2 DIDS-inactivated enzyme, a single radiolabeled peptide is seen in 16.5% Tricine gels. N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed two sequences 470 IVEIPFNSTNxYQLS and 495 HLLVMxGAPER, the unidentified residues were K 480 and K 501 , respectively. These data provide suggestive evidence of cross-linking by H 2 DIDS between the two lysines. CNBr digestion of 3 H 2 DIDS-labeled α-subunit produced a single radioactive band of the predicted 15-kDa mass for cross-linking between K 480 an K 501 produced by cleavage at known methione residues. The 15-kDa band combined two N-terminal sequences 464 RDRYAKIVEI and 501 xGAPERILDR which include K 480 and K 501 . Thus K 480 and K 501 are within approximately 14 A of each other in the Na-bound form of the enzyme and information about the occupancy of the cation binding domain is transmitted to the ATP binding loop of the Na,K-ATPase.
Development and the influence of nurse egg allotment on hatching size in Searlesia dira (Reeve, 1846) (Prosobranchia : Buccinidae)

The reproductive biology of the intertidal prosobranch Searlesia dira (Reeve, 1846) was examined with special attention given to variability in the nurse egg to embryo ratio among capsules, among clutches and among geographically isolated populations. Embryos and nurse eggs were distributed among the capsules in a manner consistent with the hypothesis that nurse eggs were genetically predetermined, that each female had a genetically defined nurse egg to embryo ratio, and that each capsule represented a random sample of that ratio. The binomial distribution of embryos and nurse eggs among the capsules resulted in some capsules receiving many more embryos per nurse egg than others. The number of nurse eggs an embryo succeeded in eating was proportional to the number of capsule-mates sharing a capsule. Embryos eating more nurse eggs hatched out at a larger size. Differences in the nurse egg to embryo ratios among capsules in the same clutch were much larger than that of the mean ratios among clutches. Among-site differences in the mean nurse egg to embryo ratios suggest that selection pressure for different mean hatching sizes may have acted on the mean nurse egg to embryo ratios. In contrast to the predictions of optimal hatching size theory, hatching size varied widely within clutches as a consequence of differences in nurse egg to embryo ratios among capsules. This variance may be adaptive for species that lay their eggs months before juveniles emerge into an unpredictable environment, or simply be a consequence of an imperfect mechanism for increasing hatching size.
Effect of an ac electric field on phase coherence in thin metal films.

We have studied the effect of a high-frequency (9 GHz) electric field on electron phase coherence in thin Sb and AuPd films. The phase coherence is monitored through the effect of weak localization on the conductance. We find that, as predicted theoretically, an ac field disrupts phase coherence, and hence quenches weak localization. For Sb, our results are in good agreement with the theory. However, for AuPd the theory predicts a smaller effect than is observed experimentally.
Do Students' Expectancies Affect their Course Evaluations?

Relationships between students' expectancies of their introductory psychology class and their midterm and final course evaluations were investigated. Course evaluation forms administered at the ver...
A Parallel Digital VLSI Architecture for Integrated Support Vector Machine Training and Classification

This paper presents a parallel digital VLSI architecture for combined support vector machine (SVM) training and classification. For the first time, cascade SVM, a powerful training algorithm, is leveraged to significantly improve the scalability of hardware-based SVM training and develop an efficient parallel VLSI architecture. The presented architecture achieves excellent scalability by spreading the training workload of a given data set over multiple SVM processing units with minimal communication overhead. Hardware-friendly implementation of the cascade algorithm is employed to achieve low hardware overhead and allow for training over data sets of variable size. In the proposed parallel cascade architecture, a multilayer system bus and multiple distributed memories are used to fully exploit parallelism. In addition, the proposed architecture is rather flexible and can be tailored to realize hybrid use of hardware parallel processing and temporal reuse of processing resources, leading to good tradeoffs between throughput, silicon overhead and power dissipation. Several parallel cascade SVM processors have been designed with a commercial 90-nm CMOS technology, which provide up to a $561\times $ training time speedup and a significant estimated $21\,859\times $ energy reduction compared with the software SVM algorithm running on a 45-nm commercial general-purpose CPU.
Interaction framework for home environment using speech and vision

In this article we describe an interaction framework that uses speech recognition and computer-vision to model new generation of interfaces in the residential environment. We outline the blueprints of the architecture and describe the main building blocks. We show a concrete prototype platform where this novel architecture has been deployed and tested at the user field trials. The work is co-funded by EC as part of ''HomeTalk'' IST-2001-33507 project.
Crystal Structure and Conformation of a 10-Thiabilirubin

A crystal structure determination of a bilirubin analog with a sulfur instead of a C(10)–CH2 linking the two dipyrrinones is reported. Conformation-determining torsion angles and key hydrogen bond distances and angles are compared to those obtained from molecular dynamics calculations as well as to the corresponding data from X-ray determinations and molecular dynamics calculations of bilirubin. Like other bilirubins, the component dipyrrinones of the analog are present in the bis-lactam form with (Z)-configurated double bonds at C(4) and C(15). Despite the large differences in bond lengths and angles at –S–vs.–CH2–, the crystal structure shows considerable similarity to bilirubin: both pigments adopt a folded, intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded ridge-tile conformation stabilized by six hydrogen bonds – although the interplanar angle of the ridge-tile conformation of the title compound is smaller (∼ 86°) than that of bilirubin (∼ 98°). The collective data indicate that even with long C–S bond lengths and a smaller C–S–C bond angle at the pivot point on the ridge-tile seam, intramolecular hydrogen bonding persists.
Single-Crystal X-ray and Solution 13C NMR Study of Fluoro(p-nitrophenyl)bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II). Are There Effects of Through-Conjugation?†

The Pd−F and Pd−C bond distances in the X-ray structure of trans-fluoro(p-nitrophenyl)bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II), 1, are shorter by ca. 0.036 and 0.013 A, respectively, than those in the ...
Outside the ‘comfort zone’: impacts of interdisciplinary research collaboration on research, pedagogy, and disciplinary knowledge production

We present a case study centered on an engineering design initiative in which engineers invite scientists to participate in an interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at designing an unmanned, underwater robot. Our interviews of faculty and student project participants were the central focus of our analysis, while the knowledge products produced by the participants in the form of journal articles played a role in our formulation of an open-ended interview question set. Boundary objects in the form of fish and their bio-robotic replications emerged as having played a central role in facilitating the negotiation of epistemological challenges, which were instantiated as differing experimental practices, theories, and concepts. Our analysis of the interview data pays particular attention to the role of boundary objects and epistemological challenges in shaping research and pedagogical practices and in bringing about disciplinary knowledge gains. We propose that interdisciplinary research processes operate via b...
Influence of renewable integration on frequency dynamics

Southern California Edison (SCE) is planning to integrate more than 7 GW renewable into their grid by year 2020. As transmission operator, they need to know whether their system can handle this big amount of renewable without compromising system frequency stability. Wind and solar generators connect to power grid via power electronics converters; they are not supplying system with inertia or governor response, which is different with traditional synchronous generators. The influence of renewable generations on system frequency control is investigated in this paper, including reduced inertia and primary control. Besides this, the interaction between frequency stability and voltage stability is analyzed including load modeling characteristics. The ramp down of renewable is studied together with loss of one big plant. Simulation results are demonstrated to validate the analysis. Suggestions for future research and studies will be identified.
Selective uterine artery embolization as primary treatment for symptomatic leiomyomata uteri.

Abstract Study Objective. To analyze initial experience with uterine artery embolization for treatment of symptomatic leiomyomata. Design. Prospective, longitudinal study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Setting. Private practice, university-affiliated hospital. Patients. Three hundred five women (age 26–52 yrs). Interventions. Uterine artery embolization, performed over 2 years by a single radiologist working in collaboration with a single gynecology practice. Measurements and Main Results. Embolization was technically successful in 96% of patients. No major complications occurred. Average reduction in uterine volume was 48%. Control of menorrhagia was reported by 86% of patients at 3 months, 85% at 6 months, and 92% at 12 months after the procedure. Bulk symptoms were satisfactorily controlled in 64% of patients at 3 months, 77% at 6 months, and 92% at 12 months. Six women subsequently underwent hysterectomy and five had myomectomy. Conclusion. Uterine artery embolization appears to be a highly effective treatment for symptomatic uterine leiomyomata. Its impact on fertility and pregnancy remain to be investigated fully.
Reactions of atomic carbon with π-bonded inorganic molecules

Abstract Atomic carbon (11C) produced by nuclear transformations has been reacted with O2, CO, CO2, SO2, N2, N2O, NO and NO2. With O2, CO, CO2, and SO2, 11CO is the only significant product. This is true even in liquid oxygen where there is no three-body restriction on CO2 formation. These findings suggest that the dominant mode of attack is “end-on” rather than by the usual “sideways π-complex” mode. An examination of the molecular orbitals involved indicates that this should in general be the preferred mechanism of carbon atom attack on π-bonded inorganic molecules. With N2, N2O, and NO the carbon atom can form a strong bond at either end of the molecule. In accordance with this both 11CO and 11CN are observed as major products. With NO2, 11CO is the major product, again as required by the “end-on” attack mechanism. These reactions occur with both hot and thermalized carbon atoms. Thus both hot and thermal 11C can undergo the exoergic reactions with O2 to form 11CO and with N2O to give 11CO and 11CN. By contrast the endoergic process in which 11C combines with N2 to form 11CN occurs only with hot atoms.
Volume, Nucleic Acid and Nitrogen Contents of Strains of Green and i Colorless Englena gracilis and of Astasia longa*

SYNOPSIS. Nucleic acid, the nitrogen content per cell, and cell and nuclear volume were determined in 4 green and 2 heat-induced colorless strains of Euglena gracilis and one strain of Astasia longa. All strains of Euglena were identical in cell and nuclear volume. The deoxyribonucleic acid content per cell of the apoplastidic strains was higher than that of the corresponding green strains by I1/, times. Although their nuclei were not enlarged, Feulgen staining of the colorless strains was also more intense. The significance of the increase in DNA in experimentally induced apoplastidy is discussed. As for N total nucleic acid P, and pentosenucleic acid—the dir between the strains reflected previously established morphological and physiological relationships between them. The single strain of Astasia studied was identical in stru: and size with the apoplastidic Euglena stnMH Hownner. it was quite unlike them in all the biochemical characteristic; examined.
Estimation of supercapacitor energy using a linear capacitance for applications in wireless sensor networks

Abstract Supercapacitor-based energy storage systems have been developed for many applications. For wireless sensor network applications, supercapacitor energy is a critical parameter for system design and power management. However, estimation of supercapacitor energy using the rated capacitance may result in a significant error. To reduce the error, this paper proposes to use a linear capacitance for supercapacitor energy estimation based on the supercapacitor physics. A linear capacitance composed of a constant capacitance and a voltage-dependent capacitance is determined by conducting a constant power charge or discharge test. Evaluation results for a variety of supercapacitor samples with different rated capacitance and voltage demonstrate that using the proposed linear capacitance is more accurate than using the rated capacitance to estimate supercapacitor energy. Moreover, the results show that using the linear capacitance determined through a high power charge experiment can minimize the energy estimation error. This observation can serve as a guideline to design the experiment in a way that the determined linear capacitance results in the minimum supercapacitor energy estimation error.
Interplay of Permanent Charge and Hydrophobicity in the Electrospray Ionization of Glycans

The analysis of N-linked glycans by mass spectrometry (MS) has been characterized by low signal-to-noise ratios and high limits of detection due to their hydrophilicity and lack of basic sites able to be protonated. As a result, every step in glycan sample preparation must be thoroughly optimized in order to minimize sample loss, contamination, and analytical variability. Importantly, properties of glycans and their derivatized counterparts must be thoroughly studied in order to exploit certain characteristics for enhancing MS analysis. Herein, the effectiveness of the incorporation of a permanent charge is studied and determined to hamper glycan analysis. Also, a procedure for glycan hydrazone formation is optimized and outlined where a large number of variables were simultaneously analyzed using a fractional factorial design (FFD) in order to determine which conditions affected the reaction efficiency of the hydrazone formation reaction. Finally, the hydrophobic tagging of glycans is shown to be a viabl...
Dendritic cell responses to self‐assembled monolayers of defined chemistries

Biomaterial contact triggers dendritic cell (DC) maturation, to an extent depending on the biomaterial, ultimately enhancing an immune response toward associated antigens, implying a role for biomaterials as adjuvants. Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of alkanethiols on titanium/gold-coated surfaces presenting different chemistries were used to study effects of biomaterial surface chemistry on DC maturation. Although DCs treated with OH, COOH, or NH(2) SAMs showed modest maturation, those treated with CH(3) SAMs were least mature, all based on cytospins, allostimulatory capacity, or maturation marker expression. Surprisingly, DCs treated with CH(3) SAMs secreted highest levels of proinflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or interleukin-6 (IL-6) but were least mature. Secretion of anti-inflammatory mediators by DCs treated with CH(3) SAMs was not responsible for mitigating DC maturation under these conditions. Interestingly, elevated levels of apoptotic markers were measured associated with DCs and T cells upon CH(3) SAMs contact. Since phagocytosis of apoptotic DCs has strong immunosuppressive effects on DCs, more apoptotic DCs on CH(3) SAMs may account for lower DC maturation. Finally, higher expression of cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen receptor-4 (CTLA-4) on T cells may imply a mechanism of T cell inhibition on CH(3) SAMs.
Examining the Student Newspaper: An Opportunity to Teach Research Methods

This article provides a case study of an innovative approach to teaching quantitative methods to journalism students. By posing questions that inspire curiosity, this method suggests that we can mo...
In silico approaches to study mass and energy flows in microbial consortia: a syntrophic case study

Three methods were developed for the application of stoichiometry-based network analysis approaches including elementary mode analysis to the study of mass and energy flows in microbial communities. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages suitable for analyzing systems with different degrees of complexity and a priori knowledge. These approaches were tested and compared using data from the thermophilic, phototrophic mat communities from Octopus and Mushroom Springs in Yellowstone National Park (USA). The models were based on three distinct microbial guilds: oxygenic phototrophs, filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs, and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Two phases, day and night, were modeled to account for differences in the sources of mass and energy and the routes available for their exchange. The in silico models were used to explore fundamental questions in ecology including the prediction of and explanation for measured relative abundances of primary producers in the mat, theoretical tradeoffs between overall productivity and the generation of toxic by-products, and the relative robustness of various guild interactions. The three modeling approaches represent a flexible toolbox for creating cellular metabolic networks to study microbial communities on scales ranging from cells to ecosystems. A comparison of the three methods highlights considerations for selecting the one most appropriate for a given microbial system. For instance, communities represented only by metagenomic data can be modeled using the pooled method which analyzes a community's total metabolic potential without attempting to partition enzymes to different organisms. Systems with extensive a priori information on microbial guilds can be represented using the compartmentalized technique, employing distinct control volumes to separate guild-appropriate enzymes and metabolites. If the complexity of a compartmentalized network creates an unacceptable computational burden, the nested analysis approach permits greater scalability at the cost of more user intervention through multiple rounds of pathway analysis.
Raman-shifted eye-safe aerosol lidar (REAL) in 2010: instrument status and two-component wind measurements

This paper and corresponding seminar given on 20 September 2010 at the 16th International School for Quantum Electronics in Nesebar, Bulgaria, will describe the key hardware aspects of the Raman-shifted Eye-safe Aerosol Lidar (REAL) and recent advances in extracting two-component wind vector fields from the images it produces. The REAL is an eye-safe, ground-based, scanning, elastic aerosol backscatter lidar operating at 1.54 microns wavelength. Operation at this wavelength offers several advantages compared to other laser wavelengths including: (1) maximum eye-safety, (2) invisible beam, (3) superior performance photodetectors compared with those used at longer wavelengths, (4) low atmospheric molecular scattering when compared with operation at shorter wavelengths, (5) good aerosol backscattering, (6) atmospheric transparency, and (7) availability of optical and photonic components used in the modern telecommunations industry. A key issue for creating a high-performance direct-detection lidar at 1.5 microns is the use of InGaAs avalanche photodetectors that have active areas of at most 200 microns in diameter. The small active area imposes a maximum limitation on the field-of-view of the receiver (about 0.54 mrad full-angle for REAL). As a result, a key requirement is a transmitter that can produce a pulsed (>10 Hz) beam with low divergence ( 150 mJ), and short pulse-duration (<10 ns). The REAL achieves this by use of a commercially-available flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser and a custom high-pressure methane gas cell for wavelength shifting via stimulated Raman scattering. The atmospheric aerosol features in the images that REAL produces can be tracked to infer horizontal wind vectors. The method of tracking macroscopic aerosol features has an advantage over Doppler lidars in that two components of motion can be sensed. (Doppler lidars can sense only the radial component of flow.) Two-component velocity estimation is done by computing two-dimensional cross-correlation functions (CCFs) and noting the displacement of the peak of the CCF with respect to the origin. Motion vectors derived from this method are compared with coincident sonic anemometer measurements at 1.6 km range. Preliminary results indicate the method performs best when the atmosphere is stable with light winds.
Nuclear gene products required for translation of specific mitochondrially coded mRNAs in yeast

Abstract Several nuclear mutations of yeast block the expression of specific mitochondrial genes post-transcriptionally. Analyses of mitochondrial mutations that suppress three of these nuclear mutations suggest that the nuclear gene products act on the 5′-untranslated leaders of specific mitochondrial mRNAs to promote their translation.
Fledgling regimes: Is the case of inter‐war Germany generalizable?

This paper formulates a three‐phase model of regime change, domestic conflict, and interstate conflict inspired by the case of Germany between the First and Second World Wars. In the first phase of the German case, democratization during the Weimar regime was followed by chronic political instability and conflict. During the second phase, a weak Weimar regime set the stage for the emergence of the National Socialists and the erosion, and subsequent elimination, of democracy under the dictatorship of Adolph Hitler. In the third phase, automatization of the German state was followed by an increasingly aggressive foreign policy during the late 1930s ‐ the prelude to the Second World War. I examine whether this familiar, if spectacular, example of democratization, instability, democratic erosion, and aggressive foreign policy is generalizable across a larger spatial and temporal domain. Testing hypotheses derived from the model's three phases, I draw the following primary conclusions. First, new democracies a...
Robot navigation with model predictive equilibrium point control

An autonomous vehicle intended to carry passengers must be able to generate trajectories on-line that are safe, smooth and comfortable. Here, we propose a strategy for robot navigation in a structured, dynamic indoor environment, where the robot reasons about the near future and makes a locally optimal decision at each time step.
Jeremiah's Scribes: creating sermon literature in Puritan New England

Imagine seeing your class lectures through student notes. One student, you observe, has tried to get every word down, copied out a few phrases, given up, then reentered near the end: the result is ...
Subvisual cirrus: what it is and where you find it

Extremely low column density ice clouds (subvisual cirrus) have significant impacts on passive IR remote sensing of both the atmosphere and the Earth. In this paper I review the physical properties of subvisual cirrus and discuss their detection and global distribution.
The Management of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in Teenaged Patients

While thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is known to afflict teenaged patients, reported data are limited to small groups or individual cases. Management of TOS in teenagers presents many issues, including performing surgery in patients whose skeletal growth may not be completed. Additionally, surgical intervention may result in loss of school time. The aim of this study was to assess our results with a large series of young TOS patients in order to provide insight toward achieving optimal care. Via a retrospective chart review, we identified all patients <20 years of age undergoing first rib resection for TOS during an 11-year period (August 1994-September 2005) at a single university hospital. History, indication, operative details, and pertinent follow-up were obtained from the records. There were 18 patients <20 who underwent first rib resection in the study period (all but one via a transaxillary approach). Ages ranged 13-19 years. Twelve patients had disabling neurogenic (NG) TOS, and six presented with Paget-Schroetter syndrome (PS). Seventy-two percent of patients were female. Most students (14/18) were forced to take a leave from school due to severity of symptoms. Eighty-five percent of female patients presented with NG TOS, whereas PS TOS affected 80% of male patients. All PS TOS patients were involved in high-intensity athletics, while 75% of NG TOS patients were student athletes. Follow-up ranged from 30 days to over 12 years. There were no significant operative complications in either group. Forty-two percent of NG patients experienced continued symptoms leading to anterior scalenectomy. All PS patients had successful lysis of their thrombotic processes. Overall, 25% of NG TOS patients also required postoperative trigger point injections. All patients eventually recovered and were able to resume academic as well as competitive athletic activities. TOS can be effectively and safely treated in the teenage years. PS responds well to standard thrombolysis and surgical decompression. NG TOS presenting in these young patients appears more likely to require extensive surgical decompression (both rib resection and total scalenectomy) in order to achieve optimal results. Given the psychosocial and academic implications of this disease, careful diagnosis and appropriate treatment are imperative.
The effects of totigestational exposure to ethchlorvynol on development and behavior.

Abstract The chemical relationship (i.e., the HCHCHCl moiety) existing between ethchlorvynol and vinyl chloride in addition to renewed interest by the FDA on the effects ethchlorvynol has on development served as the basis for these studies. Offspring of totigestationally exposed females had no readily detectable effect on organ system function as detected by clinical chemistry or hematological evaluations. Likewise, there were no significant differences in overall weight gain, in organ-to-body weight ratios or in gross or histopathology associated with treatment. The major treatment-related effects observed in the offspring of ethchlorvynoltreated dams were seen as an increased duration of adherence to the inclined screen, increased open-field activity, increased running in the activity wheel, altered random activity during shock avoidance learning, and an increased sleeping time. In general young animals showed a more marked treatment effect than did the older animals. Male-female differences were observed and in many instances treatments effects in the male offspring tended to resemble the normal female response suggesting that treatment may be influencing the impact of the female sex steroids during early postnatal development. In many instances the 20 mg/kg treatment offspring deviated from control to a greater degree than the 80 mg/kg group. A reason for the absence of a positive dose response is not explainable at this time.
The living cell as an ecosystem: Hierarchical analog and symmetry.

Abstract Biology has benefited from a number of analogies and metaphors, in its attempt to rationalize the hierarchical structure of life's manifestations. Oft-cited is the comparison of a living organism to a society. Phenomenological similitude between the two extremes of the biological spectrum — the microscale of the cell and the macroscale of socioecosystems — has become strikingly evident, with the recent accumulation of empirical information on the metabolic infrastructure of the living cell. From the universal perspective of ‘physiological determinism' reciprocal (or symmetric) relations are apparent at both levels of complexity. Unification of the biological hierarchy may follow a similar epistemological course to that in contemporary physics.
Books without pages

Computer Graphics has been a vector oriented high technology for interaction and its images have been those of a silent movie. Current trends toward raster scan in general are bringing together the previously disjoint communities of image processing, broadcast television and computer graphics. Present implementations in video format are making computer graphics ubiquitous. Jointly, these events are leading to broader definitions of man-machine interaction and more generalized applications of computer resources. The user community is growing to include people like: presidents of companies, housewives, six year old children.In this light, this paper is about not throwing away the message with the medium while offering new technological opportunities for communication. In many regards the old fashioned book remains the best random access information resource we have, but new opportunities include: personalization, sound synchronization, spatial data access.
Commanding Intentions and Prize-Winning Decisions

It is widely held that any justifying reason for making a decision must also be a justifying reason for doing what one thereby decides to do. Desires to win decision prizes, such as the one that figures in Kavka’s toxin puzzle, might be thought to be exceptions to this principle, but the principle has been defended in the face of such examples. Similarly, it has been argued that a command to intend cannot give one a justifying reason to intend as commanded. Here it is argued that ordinary agents in ordinary cases can have justifying reasons for deciding that are not and will not be justifying reasons for doing what, in making those decisions, they come to intend to do. The paper concludes with some brief observations on the functions of decision-making.
MinD and MinE Interact with Anionic Phospholipids and Regulate Division Plane Formation in Escherichia coli

The Min proteins (MinC, MinD, and MinE) form a pole-to-pole oscillator that controls the spatial assembly of the division machinery in Escherichia coli cells. Previous studies identified that interactions of MinD with phospholipids positioned the Min machinery at the membrane. We extend these studies by measuring the affinity, kinetics, and ATPase activity of E. coli MinD, MinE, and MinDE binding to supported lipid bilayers containing varying compositions of anionic phospholipids. Using quartz crystal microbalance measurements, we found that the binding affinity (Kd) for the interaction of recombinant E. coli MinD and MinE with lipid bilayers increased with increasing concentration of the anionic phospholipids phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin. The Kd for MinD (1.8 μm) in the presence of ATP was smaller than for MinE (12.1 μm) binding to membranes consisting of 95:5 phosphatidylcholine/cardiolipin. The simultaneous binding of MinD and MinE to membranes revealed that increasing the concentration of anionic phospholipid stimulates the initial rate of adsorption (kon). The ATPase activity of MinD decreased in the presence of anionic phospholipids. These results indicate that anionic lipids, which are concentrated at the poles, increase the retention of MinD and MinE and explain its dwell time at this region of bacterial cells. These studies provide insight into interactions between MinD and MinE and between these proteins and membranes that are relevant to understanding the process of bacterial cell division, in which the interaction of proteins and membranes is essential.
Isolation and characterization of soluble electron transfer proteins from Chromatium purpuratum

Several soluble electron transfer proteins were isolated and characterized from the marine purple-sulfur bacterium Chromatium purpuratum. The C. purpuratum flavocytochrome c is similar in molecular mass (68 kDa) and isoelectric point (6.5) to flavocytochromes isolated from other phototrophs. Redox titrations of the flavocytochrome c hemes show two components with midpoint potential values of +15 and −120 mV, behavior similar to that observed with the flavocytochrome isolated from the thermophilic Chromatium tepidum. Moreover, N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of both the flavin and the cytochrome subunit indicates substantial homology to the primary structure of the flavocytochrome c of Chromatium vinosum. In contrast, the C. purpuratum high-potential iron−sulfur protein (HiPIP) differs from those isolated from other photosynthetic bacteria in its relatively high midpoint potential (+390 mV) and the possibility that it exists as a dimer in solution. Two low molecular mass c-type cytochromes were als...