cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
β-Arrestin 2: A Receptor-Regulated MAPK Scaffold for the Activation of JNK3

β-Arrestins, originally discovered in the context of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) desensitization, also function in internalization and signaling of these receptors. We identified c-Jun amino-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) as a binding partner of β-arrestin 2 using a yeast two-hybrid screen and by coimmunoprecipitation from mouse brain extracts or cotransfected COS-7 cells. The upstream JNK activators apoptosis signal–regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 4 were also found in complex with β-arrestin 2. Cellular transfection of β-arrestin 2 caused cytosolic retention of JNK3 and enhanced JNK3 phosphorylation stimulated by ASK1. Moreover, stimulation of the angiotensin II type 1A receptor activated JNK3 and triggered the colocalization of β-arrestin 2 and active JNK3 to intracellular vesicles. Thus, β-arrestin 2 acts as a scaffold protein, which brings the spatial distribution and activity of this MAPK module under the control of a GPCR.
Chemical dissolution of the galena (001) surface observed using electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract The chemical dissolution of galena(001) surfaces immersed in acidic and neutral sulfate electrolyte solutions was investigated using Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (ECSTM). The nanometer-scale detail provided by the STM in this investigation provides new mechanistic information regarding surface dissolution processes at the mineral/water interface. In acidic solutions (pH = 2.7), we observe that dissolution occurs by selective removal of step edge species. This process is crystallographically anisotropic, resulting in steps with 〈110〉 orientations. Under neutral pH conditions (pH = 7), the dissolution rate is significantly lower, and no preferential step edge orientation is observed. The anisotropy observed in acidic solutions is attributed to different kinetic rates of dissolution along the 〈110〉 and 〈100〉 directions. Furthermore, we propose that the rate limiting step in the dissolution mechanism is the desorption of hydrosulfide (HS−) from step edges. The origin of the crystallographic anisotropy is discussed in terms of possible atomic structures of the step edges.
A Theory of Adiabatic, Homogeneous Explosion from Initiation to Completion

Abstract The complete reaction history of a spatially homogeneous, adiabatic system composed of a combustible mixture of fuel and oxidizer is described for the case of large activation energy. The time history of the temperature rise and fuel consumption is calculated for the ignition period, the rapid reaction (explosion) phase and for the approach to the final equilibrium state. A detailed estimate of the explosion time scale is found. The limitations of classical ignition theory are discussed.
Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to an Inactivated Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine in Children

Two doses of inactivated Mycoplasma pneumoniae vaccine were administered 77 days apart to 12 antibody-negative and six antibody-positive children. Few or no rises in CF or growth-inhibiting antibody were detected in the 12 subjects who were initially antibody-negative, and minimal increases were observed in children with preexisting antibody. Peripheral lymphocytes obtained before immunization from antibody-negative children were not stimulated by M. pneumoniae antigen in vitro, but five of the six immune subjects had reactive lymphocytes. Antigenreactive lymphocytes appeared in 58% of the antibody negatives after the first inoculation and in 91% after the booster dose. These data suggest that inactivated M. pneumoniae vaccine may be inadequate for primary immunization; rises in antibody, when elicited, may be due to anamnestic stimulation of naturally acquired immunity. Sensitization of lymphocytes, in the absence of production of antibody, has not been reported previously, and its significance in these and other recipients of killed vaccines is unknown.
A tight worst case bound for the performance ratio of heuristics for the minimum rectilinear steiner tree problem

We derive in this paper a tight worst case upper bound for the performance ratio of the most efficient heuristics known in the literature for the minimum rectilinear Steiner tree problem.
Upregulation of PAI-1 is mediated through TGF-β/Smad pathway in transplant arteriopathy

Abstract Background Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is the primary physiologic inhibitor of plasminogen activator in vivo. Increased PAI-1 expression is associated with arteriosclerosis. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) induces PAI-1 production via Smads. Methods In vivo, TGF-β receptors (TβRs), Smad2, Smad3, and Smad4, PAI-1, and Smad2 phosphorylation were examined by immunohistochemistry in 3 native aortas, 14 rat aortic syngrafts, and 19 allografts collected at 15, 30, and 45 days post-transplantation. In vitro, phosphorylation of Smad2 and induction of PAI-1 mRNA in human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in response to TGF-β treatment were detected by Western blot and by TaqMan real-time RT-PCR, respectively. Results Immunohistochemical staining revealed that vascular parenchymal cells contained TβRI, TβRII, Smad2, Smad3, and Smad4, known signaling transducers for TGF-β/Smad pathway, in all samples. Intense staining for phospho-Smad2 was observed in 94% of endothelial cells (ECs), 86% of intimal cells, 27% of medial SMCs, and 38% of adventitial cells at all 3 time points in all aortic allografts, but only in 5% of ECs in syngrafts. PAI-1 immunoreactivity was detected in similar number of cells, and from consecutive sections, phospho-Smad2 colocalized with PAI-1, in the aortic allografts. Low basal level PAI-1 expression was observed in aortic syngrafts and native vessels. Smad2 phosphorylation and time-dependent PAI-1 induction were detected in cultured SMCs upon TGF-β treatment. Conclusions Phospho-Smad2 staining in aortic allografts indicates the activation of TGF-β signaling in allo-transplantation; and co-localization of PAI-1 and phospho-Smad2 suggests that PAI-1 upregulation is mediated mainly by TGF-β/Smad pathway in aortic allografts.
Comparison of 2D and 3D gamma analyses

Purpose: As clinics begin to use 3D metrics for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance, it must be noted that these metrics will often produce results different from those produced by their 2D counterparts. 3D and 2D gamma analyses would be expected to produce different values, in part because of the different search space available. In the present investigation, the authors compared the results of 2D and 3D gamma analysis (where both datasets were generated in the same manner) for clinical treatment plans. Methods: Fifty IMRT plans were selected from the authors’ clinical database, and recalculated using Monte Carlo. Treatment planning system-calculated (“evaluated dose distributions”) and Monte Carlo-recalculated (“reference dose distributions”) dose distributions were compared using 2D and 3D gamma analysis. This analysis was performed using a variety of dose-difference (5%, 3%, 2%, and 1%) and distance-to-agreement (5, 3, 2, and 1 mm) acceptance criteria, low-dose thresholds (5%, 10%, and 15% of the prescription dose), and data grid sizes (1.0, 1.5, and 3.0 mm). Each comparison was evaluated to determine the average 2D and 3D gamma, lower 95th percentile gamma value, and percentage of pixels passing gamma. Results: The average gamma, lower 95th percentile gamma value, and percentage of passing pixels for each acceptance criterion demonstrated better agreement for 3D than for 2D analysis for every plan comparison. The average difference in the percentage of passing pixels between the 2D and 3D analyses with no low-dose threshold ranged from 0.9% to 2.1%. Similarly, using a low-dose threshold resulted in a difference between the mean 2D and 3D results, ranging from 0.8% to 1.5%. The authors observed no appreciable differences in gamma with changes in the data density (constant difference: 0.8% for 2D vs 3D). Conclusions: The authors found that 3D gamma analysis resulted in up to 2.9% more pixels passing than 2D analysis. It must be noted that clinical 2D versus 3D datasets may have additional differences—for example, if 2D measurements are made with a different dosimeter than 3D measurements. Factors such as inherent dosimeter differences may be an important additional consideration to the extra dimension of available data that was evaluated in this study.
Phenomena, data and theories: a special issue of Synthese

The papers collected here are the result of an INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM: “Data · Phenomena · Theories: What’s the notion of a scientific phenomenon good for?” held in Heidelberg in September 2008. The event was organized by the research group “Causality, Cognition, and the Constitution of Scientific Phenomena” in cooperation with Philosophy Department at the University of Heidelberg (Peter McLaughlin and Andreas Kemmerling) and the IWH Heidelberg. The symposium was supported by the “Emmy-Noether-Programm der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft” and by “Stiftung Universitat Heidelebrg”. The workshop was held in honor of Daniela Bailer-Jones, who died on 13 November 2006 at the age of 37 (cf. my 2007 “Daniela Bailer-Jones”). Bailer-Jones was an Emmy Noether fellow, and the symposium was arranged and run by those who were working in her research group at the time of her death: Monika Dullstein, Jochen Apel, and Pavel Radchencko. To them goes the credit for the conception, planning, and carrying out of the symposium.
Economic development in rural Utah: is wilderness recreation the answer?

Surveys of wilderness users in four selected wilderness areas and proposed wilderness areas in Utah indicated that expenditures by these visitors, while similar to other outdoor recreation participants, are not sufficiently large to significantly influence the local county economies. The application of input-output multipliers to these expenditures suggests that wilderness users contribute significantly less than 1% of total sales to most of these counties, and not more than 2.5% in any county studied.
Controlling uncoupled resonances in photonic crystals through breaking the mirror symmetry

We show that modes in a photonic crystal slab that are uncoupled to outside radiation in a symmetric structure can be excited by breaking the mirror symmetry through introducing a protrusion on the side of the photonic crystal holes. We show that coupling to these resonances can be controlled by the strength of this asymmetry, and that it is also possible to choose among modes to couple to, through the shape of the asymmetry introduced. We provide simple theoretical arguments that explain the effect, and present eigenmode simulations and time-domain simulations. We confirm this predicted behavior with measurements on a photonic crystal with a broken mirror symmetry that exhibits an additional sharp resonant feature with a linewidth of 0.5 nm, in agreement with both calculated and simulated predictions.
Measurement of the Top Quark Mass in the Lepton+Jets Channel using DØ Run II Data

We present a measurement of the top quark mass, using lepton+jets events collected in collisions at at the Fermilab Tevatron using the DO detector. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of approximately 160 pb-1 collected between April 2002 and November 2003. We use a template method for measuring the top quark mass using a kinematic fitting technique. We measure the top quark mass to be:
A technique for weak lensing with velocity maps : Eliminating ellipticity noise in H I radio observations

Weak-lensing surveys have become a powerful tool for mapping mass distributions and constraining the expansion history of our universe, but continuum surveys must average over a large number of galaxies to average down the ellipticity noise due to the unknown ellipticity and orientation of the lensed galaxies. This Letter presents a technique for measuring weak lensing with velocity maps that avoids the ellipticity noise. By studying the inherent noise characteristics, we argue this new technique could rival or exceed the sensitivity of traditional continuum observations for upcoming H I radio surveys.
Magneto-hot-electron transport for GaAs- Ga 1 − x Al x As heterojunction in the extreme quantum limit

By use of the method of nonlinear force and energy balance equations in steady state for an electron-phonon-impurity system which we developed recently, the longitudinal electric field ${E}_{x}$ and electron temperature ${T}_{e}$ are calculated as functions of current density J for the GaAs-${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathrm{x}}$As heterojunction under a strong magnetic field, when Fermi energy lies on the gap region between Landau levels n=0 and n=1. Our result shows that a breakdown effect of the dissipationless transport occurs and our ${E}_{x}$-J curve is quantitatively comparable with the experimental measurement of Ebert et al. in the quantum Hall regime.
Energy and Angular Distributions of Electrons Ejected from Hydrogen and Helium by 100- to 300-keV Protons

Measurements have been made of the differential cross sections for ejection of electrons of various energies at various angles from hydrogen and helium gases bombarded by 100- to 300- keV protons. After electrostatic analysis, individual electrons were counted using an electron-multiplier detector. Measurements were made at nine angles from 10\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 160\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and at electron energies down to 2 eV. Comparison is made with Born-approximation calculations using hydrogen wave functions but with the results scaled to molecular hydrogen and to helium. The Gryzi\ifmmode \acute{n}\else \'{n}\fi{}ski classical theory is also used to calculate cross sections and these are compared with the Born approximation and with the experimental values. A simple semi-empirical equation has been found which fits the energy distributions fairly well at low and intermediate energies.
ON THE DERIVATION OF EVOLUTION EQUATIONS FOR INTERFACIAL WAVES

A general method-for deriving evolution equations for long interfacial waves in two-phase flow is presented. Particular attention is paid to the form of the stress conditions in curvilinear coordinates. The method is applied to a class of film flows in which the interface is stress-free. The resulting evolution equations are presented for both planar and cylindrical film flows and the simple “conservation“ form of these equations is discussed and exhibited.
Computational design alternatives with microprocessor-based systems

This paper examines and characterizes four elemental hardware computational design alternatives (CDA's) and presents a structured approach to computational section design which incorporates a rigorous, theoretic foundation. The DIRECT CDA incorporates a single microprocessor (μP) and memory. The AU CDA contains a μP, memory, and arithmetic unit. A μP, memory, and calculator chip comprise the CALC CDA. Finally, several μP's and memories in a Master/Slave arrangement implement the multiple-μP mμP CDA. A common set of attributes — precision, speed and cost — facilitates comparison. Using these attributes, Multiattribute Utility Theory assesses a numeric quantity, the utility, to represent each CDA's relative usefulness. Thus, design involves selecting the CDA with the greatest utility.
A Unified Analysis of Several Mixed Methods for Elasticity with Weak Stress Symmetry

We give a unified error analysis of several mixed methods for linear elasticity which impose stress symmetry weakly. We consider methods where the rotations are approximated by discontinuous polynomials. The methods we consider are such that the approximate stress spaces contain standard mixed finite element spaces for the Laplace equation and also contain divergence free spaces that use bubble functions.
Definition of the Interaction Domain for Cytochrome con Cytochrome c Oxidase: I. BIOCHEMICAL, SPECTRAL, AND KINETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SURFACE MUTANTS IN SUBUNIT II OF RHODOBACTER SPHAEROIDESCYTOCHROME aa 3

To determine the interaction site for cytochromec (Cc) on cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), a number of conserved carboxyl residues in subunit II of Rhodobacter sphaeroides CcO were mutated to neutral forms. A highly conserved tryptophan, Trp143, was also mutated to phenylalanine and alanine. Spectroscopic and metal analyses of the surface carboxyl mutants revealed no overall structural changes. The double mutants D188Q/E189N and D151Q/E152N exhibit similar steady-state kinetic behavior as wild-type oxidase with horse Cc and R. sphaeroides Cc2, showing that these residues are not involved in Cc binding. The single mutants E148Q, E157Q, D195N, and D214N have decreased activities and increased K m values, indicating they contribute to the Cc:CcO interface. However, their reactions with horse and R. sphaeroides Cc are different, as expected from the different distribution of surface lysines on these cytochromes c. Mutations at Trp143 severely inhibit activity without changing theK m for Cc or disturbing the adjacent CuA center. From these data, we identify a Cc binding area on CcO with Trp143 and Asp214 close to the site of electron transfer and Glu148, Glu157, and Asp195 providing electrostatic guidance. The results are completely consistent with time-resolved kinetic measurements (Wang, K., Zhen, Y., Sadoski, R., Grinnell, S., Geren, L., Ferguson-Miller, S., Durham, B., and Millett, F. (1999) J. Biol. Chem.274, 38042–38050) and computational docking analysis (Roberts, V. A., and Pique, M. E. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 38051–38060).
An experimental approach to the ecology of the harpacticid Leptastacus constrictus Lang

Abstract Leptastacus constrictus Lang, an interstitial harpacticoid copepod was found in large numbers at Eagle Cove, Washington, U.S.A. The species was found to be localized in a narrow band on the shore. Its vertical distribution in sand was found to be determined by a negative geotactic response and a photonegative response, mutually acting to keep the animal just below the sand surface. L. constrictus refuses sands finer than 104 μ particle diameter and it is not gregarious. In multiple choice experiments, L. constrictus preferred sands that had contained large numbers of animals in nature. This attractive property could be destroyed by chemical treatments and be reconstituted on soaking in sea water. Bacteria isolated from natural sand were found to restore the attractive property to unattractive sterilized sand. In multiple choice experiments L. constrictus chose certain species of bacteria in preference to others. The localizations of populations of L. constrictus is thus presumed to be related to the presence of certain attractive species of bacteria localized in narrow areas of the beach.
Initial nucleation site formation due to acoustic droplet vaporization

Acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) is the selective vaporization of liquid microdroplets using ultrasound, resulting in gas bubbles. The ADV process has been proposed as a tool in biomedical applications such as gas embolotherapy, drug delivery, and phase-change contrast agents. Using a 7.5 MHz focused transducer, the initial gas nucleus formed in perfluorocarbon microdroplets was directly visualized using ultra-high speed imaging. The experimental results of initial nucleation site location were compared to a 2D axisymmetric linear acoustic model investigating the focal spot of the acoustic wave within the microdroplets. Results suggest a wavelength to droplet diameter dependence on nucleation site formation.
Supratherapeutic vancomycin levels after trauma predict acute kidney injury and mortality

Abstract Introduction High-dose vancomycin is increasingly prescribed for critically ill trauma patients at risk for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia. Although trauma patients have multiple known risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI), a link between vancomycin and AKI or mortality has not been established. We hypothesize that high vancomycin trough concentration (VT) after trauma is associated with AKI and increased mortality. Methods This was a retrospective analysis from a single institution Level I trauma center. Data were reviewed for all adult trauma patients who were admitted between 2006 and 2010. Patients were included if they received intravenous vancomycin, had serum creatinine levels before and after vancomycin administration, and had at least one recorded VT. Patients were stratified by VT into four groups: VT1 = 0–10 mg/L, VT2 = 10.1–15 mg/L, VT3 = 15.1–20 mg/L, VT4 >20 mg/L. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the association between VT, AKI, and mortality. Results Of the 6781 trauma patients reviewed, 263 (3.9%) fit inclusion criteria. Ninety-seven (36.9%) patients developed AKI and 25 (9.5%) died. AKI and mortality increased progressively with VT. Ninety-one patients (34.6%) had troughs >20 mg/L and VT4 was independently associated with AKI (AOR 4.7, P Conclusion AKI is common in trauma patients who receive intravenous vancomycin. A supratherapeutic trough level of >20 mg/L is an independent predictor of AKI and mortality in trauma patients.
STUDIES ON THE PROPAGATION IN VITRO OF POLIOMYELITIS VIRUSES I. VIRAL MULTIPLICATION IN TISSUE CULTURES EMPLOYING MONKEY AND HUMAN TESTICULAR CELLS

Poliomyelitis virus was propagated in vitro successfully in extraneural tissues. Suspended tissue fragment cultures and combined plasma clot-suspended tissue fragment cultures of monkey or human testicular tissues were employed. Five strains representative of poliomyelitis virus were maintained for from 36 to 263 days in the suspended tissue fragment type of culture. The dilution factors calculated by tissue replacements for the eight serial passages ranged from 107.8 to 1044.5 and when assessed by fluid replacements, from 1015 to 1095.3. The LD50 for each strain of Type 2 virus was determined for selected transfers. The identify of each strain of virus was established by neutralization tests and histopathological findings in monkeys dead from the injection of tissue culture virus. Control experiments and other tests made known that propagation of poliomyelitis virus did not occur in the absence of viable testicular cells and that an extraneous virus was not inadvertently acquired during the course of these studies.
Horizontal Workplace Violence

Home Health Care Management & Practice / December 2007 / Volume 20, Number 1, 82-83 DOI: 10.1177/1084822307305723 © 2007 Sage Publications When we think of workplace violence, we most often think of nurses experiencing abusive behavior from clients, families, or physicians; however, in reality the health care workplaces are laden with dysfunctional nurse-to-coworker behavior referred to as horizontal violence (Baltimore, 2006). The distinction of this workplace violence is that it is performed by nurse colleagues or coworkers. Horizontal violence makes nurses feel uncomfortable, so there is a tendency to “sweep it under the carpet” and for supervisors to “look the other way.” When this abusive behavior is tolerated, it becomes accepted, which has allowed nurses to continue this selfand professionaldefeating behavior. It is endemic in the workplace culture and is an unacceptable and destructive phenomenon (Hastie, 2002). Even though horizontal violence has been reported in the nursing literature for more than 20 years, it has only been recently that it has received a heightened attention (Dunn, 2003; Fudge, 2006).
The Effect of Active Noise Reduction Technology on Noise Induced Pilot Fatigue and Associated Cognitive Performance Decrements

Fatigue in the general aviation cockpit is caused by a variety of factors including cockpit noise. Active Noise Reduction (ANR) headsets have been proposed as a method to decrease cockpit noise and thereby decrease fatigue and the cognitive performance decrements associated with fatigue. The present study contrasted the subjective fatigue and cognitive performance of Certified Flight Instructors (CFI) during a day of in-air flight instruction with ANR headsets versus conventional headsets. CFIs exhibited increased subjective fatigue and a pattern of more rapid but less accurate cognitive performance at the end of an instructional day. However, subjective fatigue and cognitive performance changes did not differ as a function of type of headset worn. The results suggest that subjective fatigue increases and cognitive performance changes occur during a day of flying but they provide no evidence that the use of ANR headsets modify these changes.
Zeolite-Promoted Oxidations of 1,1-Diarylethylenes

The intrazeolite photooxygenations of four diarylethylenes have been examined. Several intermediates, including an epoxide, have been identified by comparison to independently synthesized samples. Aldehyde intermediates were shown to undergo intrazeolite Norrish type I cleavages in competition with a novel new photooxygenation/autoxidation reaction. [reaction: see text]
MOVPE growth of AlGaN/GaN superlattices on ZnO substrates for green emitter applications

GaN epilayers and AlGaN/GaN superlattice structures have been deposited on (0001) ZnO substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) using GaN and AlN buffer layers. The growth conditions were first optimized on GaN templates using N2 as carrier gas at relatively low temperature (<800 °C), which is suitable for GaN growth on a ZnO substrate. Experimental results show that high interfacial quality can be achieved in the superlattice by using TMIn as a surfactant. The optimized growth conditions were subsequently transferred to ZnO substrates. The influence of growth temperature on the material quality was studied. A proper growth temperature for both GaN cover layer and AlGaN/GaN superlattice can improve the structural and optical properties of the structures on ZnO. This improvement is verified using x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence characterizations. The growth temperature must be chosen with these two factors in mind, with too low a growth temperature leading to poor quality material and too high a temperature causing reactions at the GaN/ZnO interface that degrade quality. AlN buffer layers on ZnO were also studied to increase subsequent GaN epilayer quality. Effects of buffer layer growth conditions on optical and structural quality were studied.
Epimerization of isotactic polystyrene

A procedure for epimerizing isotactic polystyrene and a Monte-Carlo computer program for simulating polymer epimerization reactions have been developed. The 300 MHz methine proton resonance patterns of partially epimerized isotactic polystyrene and of free radical initiated polystyrene have been analyzed. The latter polymer is essentially atactic (σ=0.45±0.05) and has the same nmr spectrum as completely epimerized polystyrene. Conventional polystyrene therefore seems to be at stereochemical equilibrium.
COMMENT ON: CONSISTENCY, AMPLITUDES, AND PROBABILITIES IN QUANTUM THEORY

In a recent article [Phys. Rev. A 57, 1572 (1998)] Caticha has concluded that ``nonlinear variants of quantum mechanics are inconsistent.'' In this note we identify what it is that nonlinear quantum theories have been shown to be inconsistent with.
GABA Regulates Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Levels in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus in Newborn Mice

Abstract The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is a major regulator of stress responses via release of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) to the pituitary gland. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is characteristic of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). Postmortem data from individuals diagnosed with MDD show increased levels of CRH mRNA and CRH immunoreactive neurons in the PVN. In the current study, an immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis revealed increased levels of CRH in the PVN of newborn mice lacking functional GABA B receptors. There was no difference in the total number of CRH immunoreactive cells. By contrast, there was a significant increase in the amount of CRH immunoreactivity per cell. Interestingly, this increase in CRH levels in the GABA B receptor R1 subunit knockout was limited to the rostral PVN. While GABAergic regulation of the HPA axis has been previously reported in adult animals, this study provides evidence of region-specific GABA modulation of immunoreactive CRH in newborns.
Early Education, Children's Lives, and the Transition from Home to School in Italy and the United States

Child care policies adopted in many countries in Western Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s have generally evolved as part of broad based civic communities in which the federal, regional and local governments, voluntary organizations, and families work together to support children and families. In this paper I focus on child care and early education in Italy as a case study in this trend. I first examine how initial legislation calling for primarily custodial care of preschool children developed into a highly progressive early education system in which the goal is to provide a bridge for children's transition from the family to the elementary school and Italian community life more generally. I then go on to report on my ethnographic work in an Italian scuola materna to capture how early child care and education policies directly affect the lives of Italian children. The paper concludes with brief speculation regarding how U.S. policies regarding child care and early education would benefit from the adoption of some elements of the Italian model.
Notes on Life Table Analysis in Correlated Observations

In multicenter studies, because patients from the same hospitals are likely of similar characteristics and tested by the same laboratory, the times of response to a treatment within hospitals tend to be positively correlated. A life table analysis without taking this intraclass correlation into account can be misleading. To account for the intraclass correlation between the times of response within hospitals, we employ the Dirichlet-multinomial distribution. By use of the multivariate delta method, we have derived an asymptotic generalized variance of the estimated survival distribution, which includes Greenwood's variance formula as a special case when the intraclass correlation equals 0. Furthermore, we have applied the Multivariate Central Limit Theorem together with the variance derived here to develop two closed-form interval estimators of the survival distribution. One interval estimator is obtained by simply using an asymptotically unbiased point estimator of the underlying survival distribution plus and minus an appropriate percentile of the standard normal distribution times the square root of the generalized variance, and the other is derived from a quadratic equation proposed here. On the basis of Monte Carlo simulation, we have evaluated the finite-sample performance of the interval estimator using Greenwood's formula and the two interval estimators developed here. We note that the coverage probability of the interval estimator using Greenwood's formula can be seriously less than the desired confidence level when both the intraclass correlation and the number of patients per hospital are large. We further note that the estimator with direct use of the square root of the generalized variance derived here, which improves the performance of the interval estimator using Greenwood's formula, may still produce an interval estimate with the coverage probability less than the desired confidence level. On the other hand, except for estimation of a small right tail of the survival distribution, we have demonstrated that the estimator derived from the proposed quadratic equation can perform reasonably well in a variety of situations considered in this paper.
Initial Steps of Colicin E1 Import across the Outer Membrane of Escherichia coli

Data suggest a two-receptor model for colicin E1 (ColE1) translocation across the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. ColE1 initially binds to the vitamin B(12) receptor BtuB and then translocates through the TolC channel-tunnel, presumably in a mostly unfolded state. Here, we studied the early events in the import of ColE1. Using in vivo approaches, we show that ColE1 is cleaved when added to whole cells. This cleavage requires the presence of the receptor BtuB and the protease OmpT, but not that of TolC. Strains expressing OmpT cleaved ColE1 at K84 and K95 in the N-terminal translocation domain, leading to the removal of the TolQA box, which is essential for ColE1's cytotoxicity. Supported by additional in vivo data, this suggests that a function of OmpT is to degrade colicin at the cell surface and thus protect sensitive E. coli cells from infection by E colicins. A genetic strategy for isolating tolC mutations that confer resistance to ColE1, without affecting other TolC functions, is also described. We provide further in vivo evidence of the multistep interaction between TolC and ColE1 by using cross-linking followed by copurification via histidine-tagged TolC. First, secondary binding of ColE1 to TolC is dependent on primary binding to BtuB. Second, alterations to a residue in the TolC channel interfere with the translocation of ColE1 across the TolC pore rather than with the binding of ColE1 to TolC. In contrast, a substitution at a residue exposed on the cell surface abolishes both binding and translocation of ColE1.
AN ACID-SOLUBLE RIBONUCLEIC ACID FROM HELA CELLS.

Abstract An RNA soluble in 10% perchloric acid has been found in HeLa cells. Its base ratio is similar to that of HeLa cell ribosome RNA. It is labeled very rapidly with either uridine or phosphate, suggesting that it may be a precursor to other cellulr RNA's.
Isolation of the B and C chains from S-sulfonated α-chymotrypsin☆

Abstract The 3 polypeptide chains which are formed during the conversion of chymotrypsinogen A to α-chymotrypsin have been separated from each other by reaction with sulfite. The S-sulfonated chymotrypsin was solubilized in 7 M urea and 0.035 M sodium dodecyl sulfate soution and the B chain precipitated with 0.4 M trichloroacetic acid. The S-sulfo C chain remained in solution with the A chain and could be freed of the latter by dialysis and Sephadex gel filtration. Amino acid analyses and amino- and carboxyl-terminal groups of the isolated S-sulfo B and C chains are in excellent agreement with those previously reported by other laboratories. The S-sulfo C chain was shown to contain all of the radioactivity of [32P]diisopropylphosphoryl-α-chymotrypsin and to give rise to the radioactive peptides previously shown to be associated with the [32P]diisopropylphosphorylserine.
Extreme values of autocorrelated sequences

The extreme values of a sequence of autocorrelated random variables are examined. Specifically, the distribution function of the maximum value in a sequence of n autocorrelated random variables has been derived for the case where certain assumptions about the nature of the autocorrelation and about the distribution of the underlying random variables are made. These results also lead to the definition of an equivalent number of independent observations for estimating the maximum value of such a sequence. This parameter quantities the effective reduction in sample size, or number of observations, which occurs due to the autocorrelation. Selected moments of the distribution of the maximum value also are determined. Other results presented yield a method for calculating certain properties of interest about the maximum value in a dependent sequence (e.g., probabilities, mean, and variance) as a function of selected statistical descriptors of the underlying random variables, and the sample size.
Embryogenesis: anchors away!

Summary It has long been appreciated that the oocyte cortex plays a key role in regulating fertilization and establishing embryonic polarity. Recent studies have identifed the anti-phosphatase EGG-3 as a cortical anchor for regulatory proteins required for launching embryogenesis in Caenhorhabditis elegans .
Mitotic Response of Roach Hemocytes to Certain Pathogenes in the Hemolymph

During a series of determinations of percentages of mitotically dividing cells in hemolypmh of normal (6) and molting (7) specimens of the roach, Blatta orientalis, a number of individuals with high bacterial populations in the hemocoelic fluid were encountered. These insects were isolated and samples of their hemolymph were more closely examined. Mitotically dividing cell (M. D. C.) counts were found to be consistently higher than in the normal uninfected roaches. This paper is a report of these findings, accompanied by results from some attempts to inoculate normal roaches with these pathogenic bacteria.
Regulating plant tissue growth by mineral nutrition

The objective of this study was to determine if the growth of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck cv. ‘Valencia’) nonembryogenic callus could be regulated and controlled via the mineral nutrient components of the medium. The 14 salts comprising Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium were subdivided into five component groups. These five groups constituted the independent factors in the design. A five-dimensional hypervolume constituted the experimental design space. Design points were selected algorithmically by D-optimality criteria to sample of the design space. Growth of the callus at each design point was measured as % increase of fresh weight at 14 d. An analysis of variance was conducted and a response surface polynomial model generated. Model validation was conducted by mining the polynomial for design points to two regions—“MS-like” growth and MS + 25% growth and comparing callus growth to predicted growth. Five of the eight selected MS-like points and three of the six MS + 25% growth points validated, indicating regions within the design space where growth was equivalent to MS, but the salt combinations were substantially different from MS, and a smaller region where growth exceeded MS by greater than 25%. NH4NO3 and Fe were identified as important factors affecting callus growth. A second experiment was conducted where NH4NO3 and Fe were varied, thus creating a two-dimensional slice through the region of greatest callus growth and provided increased resolution of the response.
Experiences in Designing and Using Formal Specification Languages for Embedded Control Software

For the past ten years, I have been designing formal specification languages for specifying software requirements on complex systems. In order to understand what is needed in such languages, my students and I have been applying our ideas to real systems and using what we have learned to generate new hypotheses about what is needed to make such languages both useful and used. This research is part of a larger effort to assist in developing safety-critical embedded systems.
Listening to Cybernetics Music, Machines, and Nervous Systems, 1950-1980

Scholars have explored the influence of the field of cybernetics on scientific thought and disciplines. However, from the inception of the field, ‘‘cyberneticians’’ had explicitly envisioned applic...
Use of collagen conduits in management of painful neuromas of the foot and ankle.

Background:Painful neuromas of the foot and ankle frequently pose a treatment dilemma due to persistent pain or recurrence after resection. The purpose of this survey was to evaluate the clinical a...
Wall motion influences flow pattern in the outflow tract of the chick embryonic heart tube

The outflow tract (OFT) of the chick embryonic heart offers a good model system to study the association between blood flow dynamics and cardiac morphogenesis in early heart development. At early stages, the chick heart is a looped tube without valves. The OFT, the distal region of the heart, functions as a primitive valve [1]. The OFT is a slightly curved tube with three-layered wall (Fig. 1 (A) and (B)): the myocardium, an external muscle layer that actively contracts; the endocardium, an inner endothelial layer that directly contacts blood; in between the cardiac jelly, an extracellular matrix layer. The OFT undergoes complex morphogenesis, eventually leading to the development of semilunar valves, and this morphogenesis is sensitive to blood flow dynamics.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Intra-bus crosstalk estimation using word-level statistics

We propose two high-level techniques to estimate the probability of crosstalk events on the signal lines of a system bus:(1) Given an input data stream, the first technique simply estimates the number of crosstalk events on each line of the bus. The main drawback of this technique is that the execution time is proportional to the stream length. This is overcome by the second technique.(2) Given the word-level statistical parameters, namely mean, standard deviation, and lag-one temporal correlation coefficient, we estimate the bit-level crosstalk probability. Experimental results for data streams from different data environments, compared against detailed HSPICE simulations, are presented. Average errors of less than 9% and 7% are obtained for the first and second techniques respectively while the execution times are significantly reduced.
Decay of an old orogen: Inferences about Appalachian landscape evolution from low-temperature thermochronology

The Appalachian Mountains (eastern United States) are the archetypal old, long-decaying orogen from which major theories for long-term landscape evolution have been derived. However, given the variability of relief and topographic correlation with geologic and tectonic history, it is difficult to describe the orogen as old and uniformly decaying. Long-term and short-term estimates suggest slow and steady erosion at ∼20 m/m.y.; however, intermediate-time-scale data like sediment accumulation rates and river incision suggest unsteadiness, which we assess using apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology. All cooling ages from the central Appalachian hinterland in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and from the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina are pre-Cenozoic, which places an upper limit on the volume of sediment that could have been sourced from these regions in connection with the documented large accumulation of Miocene siliciclastics offshore. Interpreting the timing and processes governing landscape evolution in these regions was hindered by complex age relations between neighboring samples and considerable age dispersion within individual samples. Through experiments with physical abrasion using two representative samples from the Blue Ridge Mountains, we find that variable zonation of U and Th in conjunction with radiation damage–induced differences in helium diffusivity is the source of age dispersion. Abraded grains produced a strong correlation between age and effective uranium concentration (eU) that was not observed for untreated grains and is expected as a result of grain-specific accumulation of radiation damage during slow cooling. Cooling histories derived from inverse modeling of the eU-age relationship of the abraded grains suggests that for a period of ∼60 m.y. during the Late Cretaceous, valley floors were exhuming at nearly twice the rate of neighboring ridge tops, generating relief equivalent to the modern landscape. This result illustrates that at least portions of the modern landscape are not a direct erosional remnant of long-dead orogenic processes and suggests that significant modifications of the Appalachian landscape can occur within the framework of slow long-term average erosion rates.
Design and Tests of an Adaptive Triggering Method for Capturing Peak Samples in a Thin Phytoplankton Layer by an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Thin layers of phytoplankton have an important impact on coastal ocean ecology. The high spatial and temporal variability of such layers makes autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) ideal for their study. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI, Moss Landing, CA), the authors have used an AUV for obtaining repeated high-resolution surveys of thin layers in Monterey Bay, CA. The AUV is equipped with ten “gulpers” that can capture water samples when some feature is detected. In this paper, the authors present an adaptive triggering method for an AUV to capture water samples at chlorophyll fluorescence peaks in a thin layer. The algorithm keeps track of the fluorescence background level and the peaks' baseline in real time to ensure that detection is tuned to the ambient conditions. The algorithm crosschecks for concurrent high values of optical backscattering to ensure that sampling targets true particle peaks and not simply physiologically controlled fluorescence peaks. To let the AUV capture the thin layer's peak without delay, the algorithm takes advantage of the vehicle's sawtooth (i.e., yo-yo) trajectory: in one yo-yo cycle, the vehicle makes two crossings of the thin layer. On the first crossing, the vehicle detects the layer's fluorescence peak and saves the peak height; on the second crossing, as the fluorescence measurement reaches the saved peak height (plus meeting additional timing and depth conditions), a sampling is triggered. Based on the thin layer's vertical position in the vehicle's yo-yo profiles, the algorithm selects the pair of detection and triggering crossings so as to minimize the spacing between them. We use the algorithm to postprocess a data set of 20 AUV missions in the 2005 Layered Organization in the Coastal Ocean (LOCO) Experiment in Monterey Bay, CA, and compare its performance with that of a threshold triggering method. In October 2009, the presented method was field tested in an AUV mission in northern Monterey Bay, CA.
The power of connectivity: identity preserving transformations on visual streams in the spike domain.

Abstract We investigate neural architectures for identity preserving transformations (IPTs) on visual stimuli in the spike domain. The stimuli are encoded with a population of spiking neurons; the resulting spikes are processed and finally decoded. A number of IPTs are demonstrated including faithful stimulus recovery, as well as simple transformations on the original visual stimulus such as translations, rotations and zoomings. We show that if the set of receptive fields satisfies certain symmetry properties, then IPTs can easily be realized and additionally, the same basic stimulus decoding algorithm can be employed to recover the transformed input stimulus. Using group theoretic methods we advance two different neural encoding architectures and discuss the realization of exact and approximate IPTs. These are realized in the spike domain processing block by a “switching matrix” that regulates the input/output connectivity between the stimulus encoding and decoding blocks. For example, for a particular connectivity setting of the switching matrix, the original stimulus is faithfully recovered. For other settings, translations, rotations and dilations (or combinations of these operations) of the original video stream are obtained. We evaluate our theoretical derivations through extensive simulations on natural video scenes, and discuss implications of our results on the problem of invariant object recognition in the spike domain.
Real time optical correlator using a magnetooptic device applied to particle imaging velocimetry.

An optical correlator was constructed and tested for use in the data reduction of particle imaging velocimetry photographs. The optical correlator uses a LIGHT MOD, which is a 128 x 128-pixel magnetooptic spatial light modulator array, as the frequency plane filter. Results from both a computer simulation and an experimental optical correlator setup are discussed.