cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Label-Retaining, Putative Mesenchymal Stem Cells Contribute to Murine Myometrial Repair During Uterine Involution

Uterine remodeling during pregnancy is a fundamental, dynamic process required for successful propagation of eutherian species. The uterus can increase in size up to 40-fold during pregnancy, which is largely attributed to expansion of the myometrium by hyperplasia and hypertrophy. After pregnancy, the uterus repairs the remodeled or "damaged" tissue during uterine involution (INV). Little is known about this repair process, particularly the role of mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize putative mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells in the murine myometrium using a combination of label retention and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) marker expression and a pregnancy and uterine INV model. Tet-off transgenic mice with the Cre-lox system were used to specifically label mesenchymal cells (ie, myometrial and endometrial stromal cells) within the uterus while avoiding other cell types (eg, epithelial, immune, and endothelial cells) to identify slowly dividing cells and assess their stem cell qualities. We identified myometrial label-retaining cells (LRCs) that persisted for at least 3 months, expressed CD146 and CD140b (MSC markers), and proliferated at a higher rate during uterine INV compared with nonlabeled cells. The LRCs did not appear to express either estrogen receptor alpha or progesterone receptor, nor did the number of LRCs change at different estrous stages or in response to exogenous estradiol or progesterone administration, suggesting that LRCs were not involved in normal estrous cycling. The results from this study provide important insight into putative stem/progenitor cells in the myometrium and their possible role in uterine physiology.
Defining Gender-Responsive Services in a Juvenile Court Setting

Scholars have documented the importance of developing gender-responsive services for girls in order to address their unique needs and reasons for entering the juvenile justice system. Although rese...
Memory improvement in African Americans with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Objective Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) has an uncertain course. Valid methods to evaluate memory change will best identify predictors of course. This issue is especially relevant to older persons in minority groups, who may have encountered life course factors that adversely affect cognition. Methods/design Growth curve mixture models were used to identify trajectories of memory test scores obtained every 6 months over 2 years in 221 African Americans with aMCI. Results Participants sorted into two classes, with clinically and statistically significant differences in memory scores over time. Class 1 (n = 28 [14.7%]) had sustained improved scores. Class 2 (n = 162 [85.3%]) scores remained low, fluctuated, or declined. Class 1 had better baseline cognition and daily function than class 2. Conclusions The observed rate of improved memory is lower than reported reversion rates from aMCI to normal cognition. Evaluating trajectories of memory test scores rather than changes in categorical diagnoses of aMCI, which may depend on recalling (or not recalling) one or two words, may yield a more valid indicator of cognitive change. These approaches require further study in minority groups.
Insubordination: Validation of a Measure and an Examination of Insubordinate Responses to Unethical Supervisory Treatment

Research that examines unethical interpersonal treatment has received a great deal of attention from scholars and practitioners in recent years due to the remarkable impact of mistreatment in the workplace. However, the literature is incomplete because we have an inadequate understanding of insubordination, which we define as “subordinates’ disobedient behaviors that intentionally exhibit a defiant refusal of their supervisors’ authority.” In our study, we integrate social exchange theory and the advantageous comparison component of moral disengagement within the integrative model of experiencing and responding to mistreatment at work. Then, we explain why subordinates disengage from moral control as they balance experiencing abusive supervision with perpetrating insubordination within negative supervisor–subordinate social exchange relationships. In Studies 1–4, we validate a five-item measure of insubordination and demonstrate its content, convergent, discriminant, criterion-related, and predictive validity. In Study 5 (n = 287), we demonstrate that there is a positive indirect effect of abusive supervision on insubordination through negative social exchange relationship quality that strengthens for subordinates who perceive higher levels of supervisors’ task performance than others. Overall, our study advances the conversation in the business ethics literature by creating a solid conceptual, empirical, and theoretical foundation for a cohesive program of insubordination research that meaningfully builds on prior findings in unethical interpersonal treatment research.
SkinnyPower: enabling batteryless wearable sensors via intra-body power transfer

In this work, we present SkinnyPower, a technology for Intra-Body Power Transfer (IBPT) that wirelessly transfers power through human skin to operate batteryless wearable sensors. We envision a scenario, in which batteryless sensors placed on small body parts (e.g., on-finger, in-ear, and in-mouth) can obtain operating power from another body-worn energy sources (e.g., already existing battery-powered wearable devices such as a smartwatch or a BandAid-like battery patch attached to the neck). The key technical challenges in realizing this vision include 1) providing a robust return path in the body channel - where the forward (power signal) and return (ground) paths are not explicitly defined - using implicit capacitances formed between the devices and earth ground, and 2) achieving reliable operation despite variations in capacitive coupling between the skin and devices, devices and earth ground, and conductance of the subdermal layer. We identify and optimize critical system design parameters to maximize the power transfer between a transmitter and a receiver with the capacitively coupled return path. To demonstrate and validate the concept of IBPT, we implemented a prototype consisting of 1) a wrist-worn, battery-equipped power transmitter that sends alternating current through the human body and 2) a finger-worn, batteryless sensor device that operates solely on body-transferred power. Evaluations on five subjects show that we can reliably support the power of approximately 1 mW, which can be used to operate an embedded system, continuously collect sensor (e.g. accelerometer) data, and wirelessly transfer the collected data in real-time using Bluetooth Low Energy. Moreover, we achieve a power transfer rate of 14.5% between the transmitter and receiver, which is significantly higher than other wireless power transfer techniques such as RFID. We believe that the proposed system has great potential to transform current architectures and designs for body-area networks, promoting the development of innovative on-body sensors that would otherwise not be possible with on-device batteries.
The Effects of an Intensive Summer Literacy Intervention on Reader Development.

Summer is a critical time for students with or at-risk for reading difficulties. This study examines the added benefit of a one-on-one intensive reading intervention presented during a school-based...
Elimination of a Retinal Riboflavin Binding Protein Exacerbates Degeneration in a Model of Cone-Rod Dystrophy.

Purpose Riboflavin and its cofactors are essential for cellular energy generation, responses to oxidative stress, and overall homeostasis. Retbindin is a novel retina-specific riboflavin binding protein essential for the maintenance of retinal flavin levels, but its function remains poorly understood. To further elucidate the function of retbindin in retinal health and disease, we evaluated its role in retinal degeneration in a cone-rod dystrophy model associated with the R172W mutation in the photoreceptor tetraspanin Prph2. Methods We performed structural, functional, and biochemical characterization of R172W-Prph2 mice with and without retbindin (Rtbdn-/-/Prph2R172W). Results Retbindin is significantly upregulated during degeneration in the R172W model, suggesting that retbindin plays a protective role in retinal degenerative diseases. This hypothesis was supported by our findings that R172W mice lacking retbindin (Rtbdn-/-/Prph2R172W) exhibit functional and structural defects in rods and cones that are significantly worse than in controls. Retinal flavin levels were also altered in the Rtbdn-/-/Prph2R172W retina. However, in contrast to the Rtbdn-/- retina which has reduced flavin levels compared to wild-type, Rtbdn-/-/Prph2R172W retinas exhibited elevated levels of riboflavin and the flavin cofactor FMN. Conclusions These results indicate that retbindin plays a protective role during retinal degeneration, but that its function is more complex than previously thought, and suggest a possible role for retbindin in protecting the retina from phototoxicity associated with unbound flavins. This study highlights the essential role of precisely regulated homeostatic mechanisms in photoreceptors, and shows that disruption of this metabolic balance can contribute to the degenerative process associated with other cellular defects.
Implementing 360 Video to Increase Immersion, Perceptual Capacity, and Teacher Noticing

Although it is a relatively new innovation, 360 videos have gained commercial and public popularity. Given their novelty, there is a relative dearth of studies on their effectiveness. Most of the existing research is published as technical articles dealing with standards and specifications, as theoretical pieces promoting the potential value, or as descriptive experiences and resulting factors. Such work is arguably needed, but the field lacks deep research basis for justifying and clarifying the implementation of 360 video into practice. This article reports on a study exploring 360 videos for improving elementary mathematics teacher education. The results of the empirical study show improved immersion, presence, and video evaluation from using 360 video. Additionally, participants who viewed the videos on virtual reality headsets demonstrated increased attention to mathematical strategies in the context of teaching, demonstrating the potential usefulness of 360 headsets for perceptual capacity and teacher noticing.
A Fiery Gospel: The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the road to righteous war: by Richard M.. Gamble, Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 2019, 283 pp., $28.95

In A Fiery Gospel: The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Road to Righteous War, Richard M. Gamble examines both Julia Ward Howe’s composition of “Battle Hymn” and the work’s subsequent and enduri...
Insights into the Relationships between Personnel Control, Action Control, and Intrinsic Motivation

While literature is clear on the relationship between results control, incentives, and extrinsic motivation, there is little evidence on how (or whether) management controls are associated with intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence on this relationship since intrinsic motivation is critical to the persistence of long-term performance effects and desirable behaviors, such as learning and creativity. Using survey data from 196 employees, we examine whether personnel and action controls positively influence intrinsic motivation by increasing individuals’ perceptions of autonomy. We find that both of the personnel controls, feedback and training, and one of the action controls, visual management, influence performance through perceptions of autonomy and the extent to which respondents find work activities to be challenge motivating. The results show that the second type of action control, standard operating procedures, is not associated with autonomy but instead has a direct positive association with the extent to which respondents find their work activities enjoyment motivating, and, in turn, with performance. We also find that our results depend on length of tenure with the organization.
Infrared inhibition impacts on locally initiated and propagating action potentials and the downstream synaptic transmission

Significance: Systematic studies of the physiological outputs induced by infrared (IR)-mediated inhibition of motor nerves can provide guidance for therapeutic applications and offer critical insights into IR light modulation of complex neural networks. Aim: We explore the IR-mediated inhibition of action potentials (APs) that either propagate along single axons or are initiated locally and their downstream synaptic transmission responses. Approach: APs were evoked locally by two-electrode current clamp or at a distance for propagating APs. The neuromuscular transmission was recorded with intracellular electrodes in muscle cells or macro-patch pipettes on terminal bouton clusters. Results: IR light pulses completely and reversibly terminate the locally initiated APs firing at low frequencies, which leads to blocking of the synaptic transmission. However, IR light pulses only suppress but do not block the amplitude and duration of propagating APs nor locally initiated APs firing at high frequencies. Such suppressed APs do not influence the postsynaptic responses at a distance. While the suppression of AP amplitude and duration is similar for propagating and locally evoked APs, only the former exhibits a 7% to 21% increase in the maximum time derivative of the AP rising phase. Conclusions: The suppressed APs of motor axons can resume their waveforms after passing the localized IR light illumination site, leaving the muscular and synaptic responses unchanged. IR-mediated modulation on propagating and locally evoked APs should be considered as two separate models for axonal and somatic modulations.
RNA Interference Targeting Liver Angiopoietin-Like Protein 3 Protects from Nephrotic Syndrome in a Rat Model Via Amelioration of Pathologic Hypertriglyceridemia

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is associated with metabolic perturbances including profound dyslipidemia characterized by hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. A major underlying mechanism of hypertriglyceridemia in NS is lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency and dysfunction. There is emerging evidence that elevated angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3), an LPL inhibitor that is primarily expressed and secreted by hepatocytes, may be in part responsible for these findings. Furthermore, there is evidence pointing to the contribution of ANGPTL3 to the pathogenesis of proteinuria in NS. Therefore, we hypothesized that inhibition of hepatic ANGPTL3 by RNA interference will ameliorate dyslipidemia and other symptoms of NS and pave the way for a new therapeutic strategy. To this end, we used a subcutaneously delivered, GalNAc (N-Acetylgalactosamine)-conjugated small interfering RNA (siRNA) to selectively target and suppress liver Angptl3 in rats with puromycin-induced NS, which exhibits clinical features of NS including proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hyperlipidemia, and renal histologic abnormalities. The study demonstrated that siRNA-mediated knockdown of the liver Angptl3 relieved its inhibitory effect on LPL and significantly reduced hypertriglyceridemia in nephrotic rats. This was accompanied by diminished proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia, which are the hallmarks of NS, and significant attenuation of renal tissue inflammation and oxidative stress. Taken together, this study confirmed the hypothesis that suppression of Angptl3 is protective in NS and points to the possibility that the use of RNA interference to suppress hepatic Angptl3 can serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for NS. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The current standard of care for mitigating nephrotic dyslipidemia in nephrotic syndrome is statins therapy. However, the efficacy of statins and its safety in the context of impaired kidney function is not well established. Here, we present an alternate therapeutic approach by using siRNA targeting Angptl3 expressed in hepatocytes. As the liver is the major source of circulating Angptl3, siRNA treatment reduced the profound hypertriglyceridemia in a rat model of nephrotic syndrome and was also effective in improving kidney and cardiac function.
Validation of the HWRF-POM and HWRF-HYCOM hurricane forecasting systems during Hurricane Dorian using glider observations

Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas in August 2019 when it underwent rapid intensification and transitioned from a category 4 to a category 5 storm. The operational hurricane forecasting models consistently under predicted the intensity evolution of Dorian. It has been shown that an accurate representation of the upper ocean processes that affect air-sea heat fluxes in coupled atmospheric-ocean models is necessary for an accurate hurricane intensity forecast. In this work, we evaluate several ocean surface metrics that are relevant to air-sea heat fluxes in one of NOAA's operational hurricane forecasting systems during the 2019 hurricane season: HWRF2019-POM initialized from climatology, and two experimental hurricane forecasting models: HWRF2020-POM and HWRF2020-HYCOM, both initialized from the Real Time Ocean Forecasting System (RTOFS). For this, we use temperature and salinity data from a fleet of autonomous underwater gliders, dedicated to hurricane research and operations, during the passage of Hurricane Dorian through the Caribbean. We contrast our results with estimates from a data assimilative model, the Global Ocean Forecasting System (GOFS 3.1). We found that even though all the models have a good skill in predicting temperature and salinity over the full water column, the model's skill considerably deteriorates for the ocean surface metrics evaluated. We also found that of the three hurricane forecasting models, HWRF2020-HYCOM is the model with the highest skill for the ocean surface metrics. All the models also show a cold bias in the mixed layer temperature and a deficit in the ocean heat content with respect to the glider observations. These results demonstrate that the implementation of HYCOM as the ocean model underneath the hurricane forecasting models, will significantly improve the representation of key quantities that are important for the air-sea heat fluxes during tropical cyclones.
Machine Learning, Ethics, and Change Management: A Data-Driven Approach to Improving Hospital Observation Unit Operations

This case discusses a process improvement project aimed at maximizing the use of hospital capacity as the flu season looms. Dr. Erin Kelly heads the observation unit and turns to predictive models ...
PL02 Behavioural Economics examples for STI control

Human behavior sits on the final common pathway to health. Our best medical advances often require a clinician to prescribe them and our best health or health care promoting measures require a patient to accept them. Yet, the dominant approach to improving health behaviors not only starts with educating clinicians and patients, but ends there. Can we improve on that? We would like patients and clinicians to behave rationally—weighing the risks and benefits of their behaviors toward choices most likely to lead to the health outcomes they seek. But that thinking seems to ignore the substantial evidence we have that humans don’t always behave rationally. Our decisions are subject to emotion, and framing, and social context. Behavioral economics has helped develop new approaches to improving patient outcomes by seeing past the rational ways we would like people to behave and toward the ways we actually behave much of the time. Once we understand how people are irrational, we are in a much better position to help them.
Green's Function for Axisymmetric Poroelasticity and Coupled Thermoelasticity

This paper derives Green’s functions of a ring source in an infinite poroelastic (or analogously, a. coupled thermoelastic) medium. The starting point of the solution is the axisymmetric source solution for the diffusion equation by Wrobel and Brebbia. The poroelastic solutions are found through formulae similar to those for a thermoelastic potential. The solutions are presented in both a mathematically rigorous and a computationally efficient series form.
Comparison of the shell design methods for cylindrical liquid storage tanks

Abstract The three methods for determining the shell thickness of steel cylindrical liquid storage tanks designed in conformance with API Standard 650, Welded Tanks for Oil Storage (API 650) are: (1) one-foot method (1FM), (2) variable-design-point method (VDM) and (3) linear analysis. We compared the shell designs based on these three methods for different tank properties: diameter, height and allowable stress. For linear analysis, we developed a stiffness–flexibility matrix method based on thin shell theory that gives the theoretical displacements and stresses at each shell course without any approximation or simplification. Results show that shell designs using VDM may produce overstressed shell courses for some of the large steel liquid storage tanks when VDM is permissible to use. Linear analysis would give more accurate shell designs for those cases.
Solution of the Space-Dependent Reactor Kinetics Equations in Three Dimensions

A general class of two-step alternating-direction semi-implicit methods is proposed for the approximate solution of the semi-discrete form of the space-dependent reactor kinetics equations. An expo...
Validation of SWMF magnetic field and plasma

[1] The Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF), using the coupled BATSRUS model, the Rice Convection Model, and an ionosphere electrodynamics solver, is used to simulate 10 space weather events. The simulations are completed in near real time using a limited amount of computational resources. Satellite-specific magnetic field, plasma energy-density spectra, and integrated particle density and temperature are compared against in situ measurements to validate the coupled system. Results are examined both qualitatively and quantitatively to assess model performance. The results show that the system is adept at reproducing large-scale magnetic field variations and predicts plasma temperature and density at values near to the measured mean. Smaller-scale features, such as dipolarizations of the magnetic field at geosynchronous locations, are not reproduced well. Lack of cold particle sources in the inner magnetosphere causes the particle results to suffer. This work is part of a larger effort to thoroughly validate the SWMF.
Stability of Glaciers and Ice Sheets Against Flow Perturbations

A stability equation is derived for a model glacier of initially uniform thickness and of infinite extent transverse to the primary flow flowing without slip down an inclined plane. A stress-dependent power-law viscosity is wholly incorporated into the equations of motion. Stability of the glacier is tested against long-wavelength surface perturbations. Results for this initial formulation indicate that the glacier is stable against infinitesimal amplitude surface perturbations, although for certain variations of model parameters, the decay-rate of the disturbance becomes very slow, approaching neutral stability. Results are presented in terms of decay-rate magnitudes over a large range of perturbation wavelengths for many model glaciers in which bed slope, ice thickness, and ice rheology parameters are varied. For all models, the maximum decay-rate of the perturbation occurs at disturbance wavelengths of roughly three to six times the glacier thickness. Infinite-wavelength perturbations are found to be only neutrally stable. Long-wavelength perturbations propagate at a faster rate down-glacier than do the intermediate- or shorter-wavelength ones which tend to remain fixed on the glacier surface andride down-glacier with the primary flow as they decay.
Contributions of long-distance dust transport to atmospheric P inputs in the Yucatan Peninsula

[1] Atmospheric deposition is not typically considered in conceptual models of P cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, but in P-limited tropical forests that receive significant inputs of dust, it may play an important role in sustaining ecosystem productivity. We used models and observations to quantify total atmospheric P inputs and the contribution of long-distance dust transport to tropical dry forests in the Yucatan peninsula over a 10 year period. Total atmospheric P input was estimated from atmospheric bulk deposition sampling in the southern Yucatan peninsula in 2007 and 2010–2011, and P input from dust deposition was estimated using two independent methods: zonal dust flux divergence based on MODIS AOD retrievals, and MATCH atmospheric transport modeling. Total atmospheric P input was 265 ± 80 g P ha-1 yr-1, and dust P input was 46 ± 12 g P ha-1 yr-1. There was significant seasonal and interannual variation, with local biomass burning accounting for high P inputs in April and May, and dust transport from June through August. We found that MATCH underestimates P deposition from dust to the Yucatan because of underestimation of dust transport relative to MODIS remote sensing. Dust accounted for 25% of total atmospheric P inputs in the Yucatan, indicating local sources dominate atmospheric inputs. However, dust is still an important source of P for tropical dry forests in the Yucatan since it is a new input of P that occurs during the early growing season of the forest, and is large enough to offset leaching and erosional losses from soils.
Edith B. Jackson, M.D.

Edith Jackson, one of the true pioneers in the fields of behavioral pediatrics and child psychiatry, died at the age of 82 on June 5, 1977, in Denver, in her sleep. She had been thoroughly active and well until her death. Edith Jackson was born in 1895, and received her B.A. from Vassar in 1916 and an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1921. After a two-year internship, first in medicine and then in pediatrics, she was prominent with Dr. Martha Eliot in developing the New Haven rickets study for the U.S. Children9s Bureau between 1923 and 1928 while she held the rank of an instructor in pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine.
"How Did I End Up Here?": Dynamic Cartography in Dinaw Mengestu's The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

This article considers the principle of relation in Dinaw Mengestu’s The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears in order to suggest that the novel brings narrative and mapping practices closer together. I develop this relational reading by connecting Edouard Glissant’s work on the poetics of relation to David Harvey’s conception of relational spacetime, arguing that the novel’s fragmented and elliptical narrative embodies these principles. As a result, it generates what I call dynamic cartography, a mode of space-writing characterized by fluidity, mobility, and disjunction. Reading this text through the framework of relation shows how Beautiful Things deploys maps and other cartographic ephemera to negotiate and mediate geographical upheavals such as diaspora and gentrification; more broadly, it reveals how the literature of globalization functions as a form of cartography, a representation of space that conditions our understanding of the world. Ultimately, this reading suggests that as space becomes increasingly dynamic and disjunctive, so too do the forms that represent that space.
Low-frequency variability of the North Pacific Ocean: The roles of boundary- and wind-driven baroclinic Rossby waves

(1) The effects of the sea level variability along the eastern boundary of the North Pacific Ocean, including those associated with El Nino Southern Oscillation, have been considered an important factor in determining the low-frequency large-scale variability of the ocean interior through Rossby waves generated at the eastern boundary. This hypothesis is examined in this study using 8 years worth of the sea surface height observations made by the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The timescales of interest are longer than 90 days with the annual cycle removed. The results indicate that the influence of the eastern boundary of the North Pacific Ocean has limited offshore extent, varying from 3000-4000 km at 10� N to 200-300 km at 50� N. The variability in the ocean interior is primarily driven by wind with only a minor influence from the boundary. Simulations of a linear two-layer model of the ocean driven by wind stress curl are correlated with the observations. The effects of wind forcing accumulate along the characteristics of long nondispersive Rossby waves in the time-longitude domain. These wind-driven Rossby waves overwhelm the boundary-driven waves in the ocean interior, where there are only some small residual effects of the boundary-driven waves, however. These small effects become clearer after the simulated wind-driven variability is removed from the observations. INDEX TERMS: 4556 Oceanography: Physical: Sea level variations; 4504 Oceanography: Physical: Air/sea interactions (0312); 4215 Oceanography: General: Climate and interannual variability (3309); KEYWORDS: Rossby waves, satellite altimetry, El Nino, North Pacific, eastern boundary
Negation in Palenquero: Synchrony

A conspicuous feature of Palenquero (P) morphosyntax is the unusual, though by no means unique, often clause-final or sentence-final placement of the predicate negator nu 'not', e.g., i [NU] kele bae aya NU 'I don't want to go there'. Previous descriptions, often cited in the literature, present oversimplified (and, therefore, misleading) accounts of the data. This paper attempts to rectify the descriptions found in Bickerton & Escalante [B&E] (1970), Lewis (1970), Friedemann & Patino Rosselli [F&P] (1983), and Megenney (1986).Based on an extensive corpus of informal spoken data, it is demonstrated that Palenqueros (Ps) systematically use not one but two basic creole negation patterns — preverbal and postverbal nu — and that the selection of construction signals important discourse pragmatic information. The study goes beyond earlier accounts by providing evidence that the syntax of postverbal nu is not, as generally claimed, utterance-final. The frequent placement of this negator at the end of a clause or sentence depends rather on the absence of constructions which occur infrequently. Such facts, together with the argument that a preverbal negation strategy cannot be viewed as a simple case of interference from Spanish (S), show that, contrary to the opinion of previous investigators, P negation exhibits virtually no signs of decreolization.
Bioengineering of human thyrotropin superactive analogs by site-directed "lysine-scanning" mutagenesis. Cooperative effects between peripheral loops.

We have previously engineered the first superactive analogs of human thyrotropin (hTSH) by using a novel design strategy. In this study, we have applied homology comparisons focusing on the αL3 loop of the common α-subunit of human glycoprotein hormones. Seven highly variable amino acid residues were identified, and charge-scanning mutagenesis revealed three previously unrecognized modification permissive domains and four gain-of-function lysine substitutions. Such gain-of-function mutations were hormone- and receptor-specific and dependent on location and basic charge. Cooperativity of individual substitutions was established in double and triple lysine mutants. In combinations of the most potent αL3 loop analog with two previously characterized loop analogs, a higher degree of cooperativity for the αL3 loop analog compared with both the αL1 loop analog and the hTSH-βL3 loop analog was observed. We demonstrated that spatially distinct regions of the common α-subunit contribute differentially to the interaction of hTSH with its receptor and that combinations of two modified loops on the same and on opposite sides of the hTSH molecule display similar increases in in vitro biopotency. In addition, combination of all three superactive loops showed cooperativity in receptor binding and activation resulting in the most potent hTSH superactive analog described to date.
Prostaglandin E and 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate Are Negative Modulators of Retinoic Acid Synthesis

Although retinoic acid is an important modulator of gene transcription that affects diverse processes during embryonic development and in the adult, no regulators of retinoic acid synthesis have been identified. This work will show that deletion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) from the defined medium of confluent Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells increased retinoic acid synthesis from retinol as much as twofold. Omitting any one of the other four growth factors (cortisol, insulin, transferrin, triiodothyronine) had no effect. Adding PGE1 to confluent cells maintained in its absence caused 71 +/- 17% (mean +/- SE, 10 experiments) inhibition of the conversion of retinol into retinoic acid. The ED50 of PGE1 was 70 nM and a maximum effect was observed by 1.5 h. 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13- acetate (TPA), an inducer of PGE synthesis in MDCK cells, decreased retinoic acid synthesis by 73 +/- 14% (mean +/- SE, 10 experiments). The ED50 of TPA was 5 nM and at least 4 h were required for a maximum effect. TPA inhibited the first and rate-limiting step, the conversion of retinol into retinal, and did not decrease either the conversion of retinal into retinoic acid or the elimination t1/2 of retinoic acid. PGE1 and TPA did not inhibit retinoic acid synthesis completely, nor were their actions additive or synergistic, consistent with more than one pathway of retinoic acid synthesis. Indomethacin did not prevent the TPA effect, suggesting that TPA acts independently of prostaglandin generation. MDCK cells expressed mRNA for retinoic acid receptor-alpha and retinoic acid receptor-beta constitutively, and neither was induced by retinoic acid, consistent with an advanced state of differentiation. These data identify two antagonists of retinoid action, TPA and PGE, as modulators of retinoic acid synthesis in a retinoic acid-responsive cell. They also demonstrate the utility of MDCK cells for studying interactions among retinoic acid synthesis, the mechanism(s) of retinoic acid action, and the effects of TPA on retinoic acid synthesis and action.
Dose distribution homogeneity in two TBI techniques-Analysis of 208 irradiated patients conducted in Stanislaw Leszczynski Memorial Hospital, Katowice.

Abstract Background To analyze and compare dose distribution homogeneity in selected points (especially in the chest wall region) for patients irradiated with two different TBI techniques to achieve a uniform total dose (excluding lungs area) specified in the range of 11.4–14.0 Gy. Material and methods From August 2000 to December 2009, a group of 158 patients was treated by the use of 15 MV photon irradiation consisting of six fractions: four opposed lateral and two anterior–posterior/posterior–anterior (AP/PA). Patients were irradiated with the fraction dose of 2 Gy twice a day for 3 consecutive days. The prescribed dose to PC point (specified at intersection of the beam axis with the mid-plane of the patient irradiated laterally) was 12 Gy. Since January 2010 until closing the study, another group of 50 patients was treated according to a modified protocol. The treatment was carried out in six lateral fractions only, twice a day, for three following days and a lateral lung shield was used for a part of total irradiation time. The measurements of doses in 20 selected points of patient's body were carried out by means of MOSFET detectors. Results The modified TBI technique allows to achieve an expected homogenous dose in the points of interest similar to that obtained by using the initial protocol. The calculated and measured in vivo doses met the specified range of 11.4–14 Gy for both applied TBI protocols. Conclusions Our results indicate that for all patients the homogenous dose distribution in the specified range was achieved.
Design of Marine Pipelines for Areas of Unstable Sediment

Burial of marine pipelines is the preferred method of improving long-term performance. Embedment is achieved with a jet sled that erodes a trench of the desired depth whereby natural processes fill the trench. Specifications usually require that embedment exceed 3 ft at water depths of 200 ft or less. The objectives of burial are to isolate the line from anticipated hazards such as wave forces, fish trawl damage, and erosion. This solution assumes that the seabed provides a stable, rigid protective coating for the pipeline, an assumption that is often erroneous. Over the length of a pipeline there are many geological processes that are capable of influencing the performance of a pipeline. The processes occur at varying rates and may be intermittent or continuous in nature. Site surveys are usually performed to detect there processes. However, a brief survey may not reveal significant processes that occur over a 10-yr to 20-yr span. Nevertheless, an understanding of the mechanisms that lead to overstressing of pipelines and long-term failure can lead to improved design and instillation methodology for unstable areas. This analysis is concerned with the mechanism of sediment mass movement on the magnitude of pipeline tension.
Unique Synergistic Effects produced by the Principal Sex Attractant Compounds of Ips confusus (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

THERE is a powerful assembling scent or sex attractant in the frass produced by the male of Ips confusus boring in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)1. These attractants evoke the concentration flight or mass attack by individuals of both sexes2, but the females are much more responsive than the males3,4. When the insects arrive at the source of the attractant, they take part in boring, feeding, mating and oviposition.
Diffusive crystal dissolution

Crystal dissolution may include three component processes: interface reaction, diffusion and complications due to convection. We report here a theoretical and experimental study of crystal dissolution in silicate melt without convection. A reaction-diffusion equation is developed and numerically solved. The results show that during non-convective crystal dissolution in silicate melt, the interface melt composition reaches a constant or stationary “saturation” composition in less than a second, hence interface reaction is not the rate-determining step and crystal dissolution in silicate melt is usually diffusion-controlled. Crystal dissolution experiments (designed to suppress convection) show that the concentration profiles of all components propagate into the melt according to the square root of run duration, and that the dissolution distance is also proportional to the square root of run duration. Thus our experiments confirm that the dissolution is diffusion controlled, which is consistent with our numerical calculations. For some principal equilibrium-determining components, concentration profiles conform approximately to the analytical solution of the diffusion equation with a constant effective binary diffusion coefficient. Diffusive dissolution rates (which are inversely proportional to square root of time) can thus be predicted from the phase equilibria and the effective binary diffusion coefficients. To predict steady-state convective dissolution rates, the thickness of the boundary layer must be known. If the convective compositional boundary layer thickness around a dissolving crystal aggregate or near the wall of a magma chamber during convection is about 2 cm or larger, then convective dissolution would rarely result in any significant alteration of original melt. Our dissolution experiments also illustrate the complexity of the diffusion process. Uphill diffusion is common, especially during olivine dissolution into andesitic melt where a majority of the components show the effect of diffusion up their own concentration gradients. Uphill diffusion has implications to the understanding of crystal zoning, and suggests caution is required in applying least squares mass balance analysis to magmatic rocks affected by processes involving diffusion.
Improving the efficiency of aerodynamic shape optimization

The computational efficiency of an aerodynamic shape optimization procedure that is based on discrete sensitivity analysis is increased through the implementation of two improvements. The first improvement involves replacing a grid-point-based approach for surface representation with a Bezier-Bernstein polynomial parameterization of the surface. Explicit analytical expressions for the grid sensitivity terms are developed for both approaches. The second improvement proposes the use of Newton's method in lieu of an alternating direction implicit methodology to calculate the highly converged flow solutions that are required to compute the sensitivity coefficients. The modified design procedure is demonstrated by optimizing the shape of an internal-external nozzle configuration. Practically identical optimization results are obtained that are independent of the method used to represent the surface. A substantial factor of 8 decrease in computational time for the optimization process is achieved by implementing both of the design procedure improvements.
Speaking of the City: Establishing Urban Expertise in the Arab Gulf

The Arab Gulf remains a marginalized, even unfashionable, area of research in the Middle East academy. In spite of�or maybe because of�this marginality, the region offers an interesting vantage point for reflecting on the production of knowledge about geographic and cultural regions. The frame of knowledge production casts into relief discourses of �the city� in Middle East, and particularly Gulf, studies over the past decade.
Observation of Pure Rotational Transitions in the HBr+Molecular Ion by Laser Magnetic Resonance

A molecular ion (H${\mathrm{Br}}^{+}$) has been observed for the first time by laser magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Pure rotational transitions have been detected with five different far-infrared laser lines. Assignment of the hyperfine patterns has produced values for the magnetic hyperfine constants.
Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor Antagonism within the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus Reduces Social Anxiety-Like Behavior after Early-Life Social Isolation

Social isolation of rats during the early part of development increases social anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. Furthermore, early-life social isolation increases the levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors in the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (dRN) of adult rats. Interactions between serotonin and CRF systems are thought to mediate anxiety behavior. Therefore, we investigated the effects of CRF receptor antagonism within the dRN on social anxiety-like behavior after early-life social isolation. Male rats were reared in isolation or in groups from weaning until midadolescence, and rehoused in groups and allowed to develop into adulthood. Adult rats underwent surgery to implant a drug cannula into the dRN. After recovery from surgery and acclimation to the testing arena, rats were infused with vehicle or the CRF receptor antagonist d-Phe-CRF((12-41)) (50 or 500 ng) into the dRN before a social interaction test. Isolation-reared rats pretreated with vehicle exhibited increased social anxiety-like behavior compared with rats reared in groups. Pretreatment of the dRN with d-Phe-CRF((12-41)) significantly reduced social anxiety-like behaviors exhibited by isolation-reared rats. Overall, this study shows that early-life social stress results in heightened social anxiety-like behavior, which is reversed by CRF antagonism within the dRN. These data suggest that CRF receptor antagonists could provide a potential treatment of stress-related social anxiety.
Synthesis of the First Fluorinated Bilirubin.

A symmetrical difluorinated bilirubin analog, 8,12-bis(2-carboxy-2-fluoroethyl)-3,17-diethyl-2,7,13,18-tetramethyl-10H,21H,23H,24H-biline-1,19-dione (9), was synthesized from methyl 3-[2,4-dimethyl-5-(methoxycarbonyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl] propionate (1) in nine steps. Fluorine was introduced by reaction of an intermediate methyl 3-[1-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2,4-dimethyl-5-(methoxycarbonyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]-2-hydroxypropionate (5), with (diethylamino)sulfur trifluoride (DAST). The fluorinated rubin exhibited the expected IR, UV−vis, and NMR spectroscopic properties, similar to those of the unfluorinated parent, mesobilirubin XIIIα. However, the solubility properties unexpectedly differed, with the fluorinated rubin being less soluble in organic solvents than its parent. While this phenomenon may be attributed to the much increased acidity of the carboxylic acid hydrogens in 9, it probably also arises from less effective intramolecular hydrogen bonding due to a decreased basicity of the propionic acid carbonyl groups.
Analysis of a class of direct sampling receiver architectures from signal processing and system perspective

A class of radio frequency (RF) sampling receiver architectures has been in the focus of research in the past, as it proved to be competitive in the key performance metrics to analog RF architectures. In a first step this paper derives a generalized signal flow representation to describe this class of receivers. In a next step the parameters of the signal domain are mapped back to the circuit domain to estimate the cost of a realization. In a last step the parasitic features of a circuit representation are taken into account, resulting in an overview over the system design space that can be covered with this class of architectures. Validation of signal theoretical model to circuit representation is done by transistor level simulation in a 65 nm environment.
Locating Peace Through Commerce in Good Global Governance

Peace Through Commerce (PTC) is expanding its influence on the formulation of business strategies for responding to challenges found in conflict and post-conflict zones. A review of practical guidance available on successful PTC business practices shows it is more general than particular and short on detailed recommendations. In addition, such recommendations say little about how globalization is transforming the forms and processes of global governance and their implications for PTC strategies. An assessment of the changing landscape of global governance suggests that implementation of successful PTC strategies will face even greater challenges. However, the emergence of a ‘global governance broker’ model as an innovative, multi-sector, voluntary approach to organizing global governance suggests a new method for businesses to implement their PTC policies and programs. The ‘global governance broker’ approach is described and its implications for business as an alternative approach to formulating their PTC strategies and implementing their PTC policies and programs are considered.
Central pattern generation involved in oral and respiratory control for feeding in the term infant

Purpose of review Drinking and eating are essential skills for survival and benefit from the coordination of several pattern generating networks and their musculoskeletal effectors to achieve safe swallows. Oral-pharyngo-esophageal motility develops during infancy and early childhood, and is influenced by various factors, including neuromuscular maturation, dietary and postural habits, arousal state, ongoing illnesses, congenital anomalies, and the effects of medical or surgical interventions. Gastroesophageal reflux is frequent in neonates and infants, and its role in neonatal morbidity including dysphagia, chronic lung disease, or apparent life-threatening events is not well understood. This review highlights recent studies aimed at understanding the development of oral feeding skills, and cross-system interactions among the brainstem, spinal, and cerebral networks involved in feeding.