cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
850 The Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Il-17 in Neonates

Introduction: Neonates, and more so preterms, are known to have deficient adaptive immune responses, critical for host defense mechanisms against pathogens. Adaptive immune responses are mediated by the activation of pathogen-specific T helper type 1 (Th1), Th2 lymphocytes and, the recently indentified, Th17 cells. Th17 lymphocytes produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17 which provides protection against mainly extra-cellular pathogen infections. However IL-17 release has been hardly studied in neonates. The aim of our study was to investigate the expressions of IL-17 in the serum of term and preterm newborns and compare them to those of adults. Patients and methods: Thirteen (13) healthy preterm neonates [birth weight (BW): 1740g (1500-2200), gestational age (GA): 32,5wk (31-34)] and 13 healthy term neonates [(BW: 2960g (2500-4310), GA: 37,5wk (37-39)] were studied. Six (6) healthy adults were used as controls. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from neonates during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of life. IL-17 levels were measured in the serum by ELISA. Results: Serum IL-17 levels did not differ between preterm and term neonates. However, IL-17 levels were significantly lower in both preterm and term neonates, as compared to those of adults (p > 0,001 for both terms and preterms). Conclusion: Our data reveal dramatically decreased IL-17 release in the serum of neonates compared to adults, mirroring the immaturity of the neonatal immune responses. Importantly, our findings suggest that deficient IL-17 release in neonates may hamper their host defense against extracellular pathogens often leading to overwhelming septicemia and death.
Studies on the Camphor Basil, Ocimum Kilimandscbaricum Gürke

Detailed descriptions of the histology of the stem, leaf, bracts, and flowering parts of the Camphor Basil are presented. The yield of camphor is also recorded.
Genetic transfer of the wobbler gene to a C57BL/6J x NZB hybrid stock: natural history of the motor neuron disease and response to CNTF and BDNF cotreatment.

Abstract Preclinical diagnosis of motor neuron disease (MND) in the wobbler mouse (wr/wr) has been impossible until recently. However, with the development of a new hybrid, the C57BL/6J × New Zealand Black (B6NZB)wr/wrmouse, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be used to establish the preclinical diagnosis. We compared the clinical and histological features of MND and the effects of neurotrophic factor cotreatment between the hybrid B6NZB-wr/wrand the congenic C57BL/6J-wr/wrmice. Clinical assessments of body weight, grip strength, running speed, paw position, and walking pattern were made weekly from age 2 weeks through 8 weeks (n = 10, B6NZB-wr/wr; n = 15, C57BL/6J-wr/wr). Survival was analyzed (n = 7, each strain) as was C5 and C6 spinal cord motoneuron morphology and ventral root histometry (n = 7, each strain). For cotreatment, 8 B6NZB-wr/wrand 7 C57BL/6J-wr/wrmice received subcutaneous ciliary neurotrophic factor (1 mg/kg) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (5 mg/kg) on alternate days, 6 days/week for 4 weeks. B6NZB-wr/wrmice could be distinguished from C57BL/6J-wr/wrmice at age 3 weeks by a more abnormal paw position (P
Contributions to the theory of imitative behavior: The number of political parties as determined by biological and social factors

The theory of imitative behavior as applied tow mutually exclusive behavior patterns (N. Rashevsky,Mathematical Biology of Social Behavior, Rev. Ed., 1959; The University of Chicago Press) leads to the possibility of any numberw of different behavior patterns existing in a social group. Mutually inhibitory effects suppress the effectiveness of behavior of groups that are very small numerically. The manner in which the different biological and social parameters that enter into the theory of imitative behavior determine the number of different effective behaviors is discussed. The results are applied to the problem of what determines the number of political parties in different countries. This number is expected to increase with increasing spread of the distribution curves for the tendencies towards different behaviors, with decreasing imitation factors, and with increasing instability of psychophysical judgments of the average individuals.
Fish abundance and community composition in native and non‐native plants following hydrilla colonisation at Lake Izabal, Guatemala

Fish community composition was assessed among six macrophyte habitats, including hydrilla, Hydrilla verticillata (L.F.) Royle, common native species (bulrush, Scirpus spp., muskgrass, Chara spp., eelgrass, Vallisneria americana Michx. and Illinois pondweed, Potamogeton illinoensis Morong) and no-plants, to assess potential impacts of recent hydrilla colonisation on the littoral fish community at Lake Izabal, Guatemala. Fish biomass was significantly different among habitats, with hydrilla supporting the highest fish biomass. Fish density did not differ significantly among habitats. Total fish species richness was similar (12-15 species) among habitats, but community composition changed with macrophyte presence. Biomass of mojarra, Cichlasoma maculicauda Regan, which supported the most important subsistence fishery at the lake, was significantly different among habitats and had the greatest biomass in the hydrilla habitat. Although hydrilla may adversely affect native plants, lake access and other uses, it provided useful fish habitat and likely was not detrimental to the Lake Izabal fish community composition.
The inVEST volcanic concept survey: Assessment of conceptual knowledge about volcanoes among undergraduates in entry-level geoscience courses

A growing body of geoscience education research suggests that many students in the American K-12 system do not fully understand key geoscience concepts. Moreover, early misunderstandings appear to persist even at the introductory undergraduate level. This thesis focuses on exploring the understanding of volcanic systems among American undergraduates via a new assessment instrument, the Volcanic Concept Survey (VCS), which has collected over 600 student responses from a diverse sample of undergraduates across the country. Initial results show that student understanding of volcanic processes is rather limited. Specifically, students tended to possess only basic content knowledge, while concepts requiring the use of higher thinking skills were not well understood. Further explorations of demographic data for the student population reveal that, among other factors, the students’ source of knowledge about volcanoes can significantly impact the quality of their understanding. Students who learned from non-traditional film and media sources did not score as highly on the VCS instrument as their peers. The severity of this problem underscores a need for change. Thus, to promote deep and robust learning, new strategies may be necessary when teaching volcanology in the modern introductory geoscience classroom. While simulations will never fully rival the experience of fieldwork, VCS results are being applied to optimize the pedagogical value of an upcoming highly interactive and visually stimulating Virtual Volcano teaching tool.
Effect of Temperature on Host Response to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in the Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa)

The pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes the disease chytridiomycosis, has been implicated in declines of amphibian populations throughout the world, including declines and extinctions of local populations of mountain yellow-legged frogs, Rana muscosa, in the California Sierra Nevada. Previous studies have shown B. dendrobatidis achieves its maximum growth rate in culture in the temperature range of 17–25 C, and exposure to very high temperatures can clear frogs of B. dendrobatidis infection. Here we present the results of a laboratory experiment in which experimentally infected R. muscosa tadpoles were followed through metamorphosis at temperatures of 17 and 22 C. All infected animals developed clinical disease within a similar time frame. However, frogs housed at 22 C exhibited a significantly lower mortality than those housed at 17 C. Within 35 days after metamorphosis, 50% of the frogs housed at 22 C died, while 95% of the frogs housed at 17 C died. Clinical signs sub...
The Drosophila neuropeptides PDF and sNPF have opposing electrophysiological and molecular effects on central neurons

Neuropeptides have widespread effects on behavior, but how these molecules alter the activity of their target cells is poorly understood. We employed a new model system in Drosophila melanogaster to assess the electrophysiological and molecular effects of neuropeptides, recording in situ from larval motor neurons, which transgenically express a receptor of choice. We focused on two neuropeptides, pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) and small neuropeptide F (sNPF), which play important roles in sleep/rhythms and feeding/metabolism. PDF treatment depolarized motor neurons expressing the PDF receptor (PDFR), increasing excitability. sNPF treatment had the opposite effect, hyperpolarizing neurons expressing the sNPF receptor (sNPFR). Live optical imaging using a genetically encoded fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based sensor for cyclic AMP (cAMP) showed that PDF induced a large increase in cAMP, whereas sNPF caused a small but significant decrease in cAMP. Coexpression of pertussis toxin or RNAi interference to disrupt the G-protein Gαo blocked the electrophysiological responses to sNPF, showing that sNPFR acts via Gαo signaling. Using a fluorescent sensor for intracellular calcium, we observed that sNPF-induced hyperpolarization blocked spontaneous waves of activity propagating along the ventral nerve cord, demonstrating that the electrical effects of sNPF can cause profound changes in natural network activity in the brain. This new model system provides a platform for mechanistic analysis of how neuropeptides can affect target cells at the electrical and molecular level, allowing for predictions of how they regulate brain circuits that control behaviors such as sleep and feeding.
The pad readout electronics of the SLD Warm Iron Calorimeter

Abstract The design of the pad readout electronics of the Warm Iron Calorimeter for the SLD detector at SLAC, consisting of about 9,000 analog channels, is described. Results of various tests performed during the construction, installation and commissioning of the electronics mounted on the detector are presented.
Property, Rights, and Freedom*

William Perm summarized the Magna Carta thus: “First, It asserts Englishmen to be free; that's Liberty. Secondly, they that have free-holds, that's Property.” Since at least the seventeenth century, liberals have not only understood liberty and property to be fundamental, but to be somehow intimately related or interwoven. Here, however, consensus ends; liberals present an array of competing accounts of the relation between liberty and property. Many, for instance, defend an essentially instrumental view, typically seeing private property as justified because it is necessary to maintain or protect other, more basic, liberty rights. Important to our constitutional tradition has been the idea that “[t]he right to property is the guardian of every other right, and to deprive a people of this, is in fact to deprive them of their liberty.” Along similar lines, it has been argued that only an economic system based on private property disperses power and resources, ensuring that private people in civil society have the resources to oppose the state and give effect to basic liberties. Alternatively, it is sometimes claimed that only those with property develop the independent characters that are necessary to preserve a regime of liberty. But not only have liberals insisted that, property is a means of preserving liberty, they have often conceived of it as an embodiment of liberty, or as a type of liberty, or indeed as identical to liberty. This latter view is popular among contemporary libertarians or classical liberals. Jan Narveson, for instance, bluntly asserts that “Liberty is Property,” while John Gray insists that “[t]he connection between property and the basic liberties is constitutive and not just instrumental.”
An accurate solution to line harmonic distortion produced by AC/DC converters with overlap and DC ripple

The author presents a direct method for determining steady-state voltage and current waveforms of an AC/DC converter circuit with overlap and DC ripple. The exact values of individual harmonic magnitudes are calculated easily from waveform discontinuity points by using algebraic additions instead of integrations. The total harmonic distortion of the line voltage at the coupling point is expressed in closed form. The expressions derived can be used with confidence to investigate accurate harmonic levels produced by converter-fed DC drives. >
Retroviral Immunotoxin Gene Therapy of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in Mice Using Cytotoxic T Cells Transduced with an Interleukin 4/Diphtheria Toxin Gene

The potential benefit of immunotoxin (IT) for cancer therapy has mostly been limited by the fact that only a small portion of injected dose ever reaches the cancer target. Thus, we set out to determine whether antigen-specific CTLs would be suitable vehicles to deliver IT to the site of cancer cells in vivo . A retroviral vector was constructed for gene therapy with (interleukin 4) IL-4 positioned downstream of its 20-amino-acid leader sequence that permitted cotranslational protein synthesis of IT along with truncated diphtheria toxin (DT). IL-4 was chosen as a ligand based on the expression of IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) on most acute myeloid leukemia cases. The first-time expression and secretion of a cytokine/DT fusion toxin was accomplished in mammalian NIH.3T3 cells, and then a retroviral vector was assembled. The retroviral IT was used to transiently transduce T15, a CD8+ CTL T cell line that specifically recognized C1498 (a lethal murine acute myeloid leukemia cell line). Transduced T15 T cells expressed intracellular DT and IL-4 as determined by immunofluorescence. Secreted IT supernatants collected from T15 had enzymatic activity and killed IL-4R+ C1498 cells, but not IL-4R− EL4 cells. Intravenous injection of transduced T15, but not nontransduced T15, into mice with s.c. tumors significantly inhibited tumor growth. In contrast, systemic therapy with a bacterial preparation of the same IL-4 IT given at its maximum tolerated dose did not protect. Retroviral IT-treated mice showed no sign of the renal or hepatic toxicity that is common to this class of IT. Together, these data indicate that retroviral IT may solve problems relating to systemic IT therapy by delivering reagent more directly to the site of cancer in vivo and may impart new anticancer defense mechanisms to antigen-specific T cells.
Role of GRP78 in promoting therapeutic-resistant breast cancer

Over 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed annually within the USA. Recurrent breast cancer remains a mostly incurable disease with drug resistance, tumor latency and distant metastases driving breast tumor recurrence and morbidity. Understanding drug resistance is a critical component of combating breast cancer. Recently, the protein chaperone GRP78 and the unfolded protein response were implicated as drivers of drug resistance. Preclinical studies show inhibiting GRP78 can reverse drug resistance. Furthermore, drugs developed to target GRP78 show clinical promise in several ongoing clinical trials.
Urea-temperature phase diagrams capture the thermodynamics of denatured state expansion that accompany protein unfolding.

We have analyzed the thermodynamic properties of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) A3 domain using urea-induced unfolding at variable temperature and thermal unfolding at variable urea concentrations to generate a phase diagram that quantitatively describes the equilibrium between native and denatured states. From this analysis, we were able to determine consistent thermodynamic parameters with various spectroscopic and calorimetric methods that define the urea-temperature parameter plane from cold denaturation to heat denaturation. Urea and thermal denaturation are experimentally reversible and independent of the thermal scan rate indicating that all transitions are at equilibrium and the van't Hoff and calorimetric enthalpies obtained from analysis of individual thermal transitions are equivalent demonstrating two-state character. Global analysis of the urea-temperature phase diagram results in a significantly higher enthalpy of unfolding than obtained from analysis of individual thermal transitions and significant cross correlations describing the urea dependence of DH 0 and DC 0 that define a complex temperature dependence of the m-value. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy illustrates a large increase in secondary structure content of the urea-denatured state as temperature increases and a loss of secondary structure in the thermally denatured state upon addition of urea. These structural changes in the denatured ensemble make up ~40% of the total ellipticity change indicating a highly compact thermally denatured state. The difference between the thermodynamic parameters obtained from phase diagram analysis and those obtained from analysis of individual thermal transitions illustrates that phase diagrams capture both contributions to unfolding and denatured state expansion and by comparison are able to decipher these contributions.
Other Drug Use

Unhealthy alcohol users are much more likely than the general population to have concurrent tobacco and illicit drug use. This chapter gives an overview of what clinicians need to know about recognizing other drug use and its attendant comorbidities, and providing preventive care and substance use interventions. Substance use is most likely to be uncovered through routine screening, which should be followed by an assessment that determines the degree and severity of use. Medical providers should be aware of common medical and psychiatric problems among tobacco and other drug users. They should be prepared to provide focused preventive care, and to educate patients on harm reduction strategies, including use of sterile injection equipment and overdose prevention. Importantly, medical providers can intervene directly to help patients reduce or stop using tobacco and other drugs, through pharmacotherapy coupled with counseling. Addressing tobacco and other drug use among patients with unhealthy alcohol use can enhance the success of alcohol interventions, and improve overall patient care by helping the provider to identify and treat associated medical conditions, avoid potentially harmful drug interactions, understand and improve adherence to treatment, and build trust.
To Test or Not To Test: Colon Cancer Pharmacogenetics and Predisposition Genetics

Copyright: © 2011 Manace LC. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The challenge in pharmacogenetics is not only finding good markers, but also if and when to use them. In the case of colon cancer management, there are well-established genomic, proteomic and pharmacogenetic markers predicting efficacy of medical therapy and informing prognosis. The question before physicians and health care organizations is whether this testing has sufficient clinical utility-which is to say what individuals are appropriate to test, whether the testing is cost-effective, and if there is ultimately improved clinical outcome.
QUARK - PARTON MODEL PREDICTIONS FOR HADRONIC CHARGE RATIOS IN INCLUSIVE LEPTON INDUCED REACTIONS

We investigaie the predictions of the quark-parton model for hadronic charge ratios in ihe current-fragmentation region in inclusive lepton-induced reactions. We use parton distribution functions given by please delete the above abstract no. 22528====
A rotating torus phantom for assessing color Doppler accuracy.

A rotating torus phantom was designed to assess the accuracy of color Doppler ultrasound. A thin rubber tube was filled with blood analog fluid and joined at the ends to form a torus, then mounted on a disk submerged in water and rotated at constant speeds by a motor. Flow visualization experiments and finite element analyses demonstrated that the fluid accelerates quickly to the speed of the torus and spins as a solid body. The actual fluid velocity was found to be dependent only on the motor speed and location of the sample volume. The phantom was used to assess the accuracy of Doppler-derived velocities during two-dimensional (2-D) color imaging using a commercial ultrasound system. The Doppler-derived velocities averaged 0.81 ± 0.11 of the imposed velocity, with the variations significantly dependent on velocity, pulse-repetition frequency and wall filter frequency (p < 0.001). The torus phantom was found to have certain advantages over currently available Doppler accuracy phantoms: 1. It has a high maximum velocity; 2. it has low velocity gradients, simplifying the calibration of 2-D color Doppler; and 3. it uses a real moving fluid that gives a realistic backscatter signal.
Israel's Borders under International Law

Israel cannot obtain legal title to any territory by conquest. Thus Israel's borders were legally established by the United Nations Partition Resolution of 1947, which ended Great Britain's power as a trustee on condition that an Arab State and a Jewish State would be established with borders as demarkated in the text of the resolution. Those borders remain the legal boundary of the State of Israel.
Statistical image reconstruction for hybrid fluorescence optical tomography and positron emission tomography

We have developed a hybrid system for imaging small animals using fluorescence optical tomography (FOT) and positron emission tomography (PET) simultaneously. This paper presents a statistical method for reconstructing spatial distribution of dual-labeled tracers from the combined PET and FOT data. We use the Poisson likelihood function for the PET data and Gaussian distribution for the FOT data. The log-posterior density function is maximized by an optimization transfer algorithm. Computer simulations show that the hybrid reconstruction using combined PET-FOT data can achieve a better bias versus standard deviation performance than reconstructions using either PET or FOT data alone.
A robust two-degree-of-freedom control design technique and its practical application

This paper introduces a new robust two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) control design technique that extends the concepts of active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control in new directions. The straightforward tuning of one or two parameters gives the technique its practicality. Together with ADRC, these techniques form a set of powerful design tools for direct use in industrial control applications. A method for controlling systems with finite zeros is also proposed. A simulation performed on an actual motion control platform provides verification and insight.
A Review of: “Sperry, L., Carlson, J., & Peluso, P. R. (2006)” Couples therapy: Integrating theory and technique (2nd ed.). Denver, CO: Love Publishing. (ISBN #0-89108-315-4)

Sperry, Carlson, and Peluso (2006) have not so much updated an earlier edition of their work as they have created a whole new textbook for couples therapy. From my point of view, it is easily the b...
Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States

Trees remove air pollution by the interception of particulate matter on plant surfaces and the absorption of gaseous pollutants through the leaf stomata. However, the magnitude and value of the effects of trees and forests on air quality and human health across the United States remains unknown. Computer simulations with local environmental data reveal that trees and forests in the conterminous United States removed 17.4 million tonnes (t) of air pollution in 2010 (range: 9.0-23.2 million t), with human health effects valued at 6.8 billion U.S. dollars (range: $1.5-13.0 billion). This pollution removal equated to an average air quality improvement of less than one percent. Most of the pollution removal occurred in rural areas, while most of the health impacts and values were within urban areas. Health impacts included the avoidance of more than 850 incidences of human mortality and 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms.
NPP ATMS sensor model using fractional Brownian motion and thermal vacuum data

Radiometric digital count data are required to test the operational software of the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) prior to its launch in 2011 to verify effective calibration procedures and optimize performance. These data, however, do not exist prior to launch, thus necessitating a method to build a model of the ATMS that synthesizes realistic data as though the sensor were space-borne. A method to build such a model is described in this paper. The procedure and application are specific to the ATMS but could be applied to other passive microwave radiometers as well.
Success with the project-intensive model for an undergraduate software engineering course

There is a tremendously increasing need for software in all areas of society (the software crisis) and hence a need for increased numbers of software engineers as well as increased productivity of the current software engineers [1]. Improving the productivity of software engineers necessitates new ways of viewing software, better procedures for creating it, and most importantly, better education of current and prospective software engineers regarding the development process [2]. Software engineering is thus rapidly being incorporated into undergraduate and graduate computer science curricula and is emerging as a separate discipline. In particular, the senior level project course has received much attention as a way to provide a software engineering experience at the undergraduate level. Project teams in such courses usually consist of two to four students. This paper describes a project-intensive software engineering course in which twenty-three students worked effectively as a single project team.
A Systematic Review of Esophageal MicroRNA Markers for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Barrett's Esophagus.

Esophageal epithelial microRNAs may be used to diagnose Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and possibly monitor its progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). We reviewed studies that have investigated this to identify microRNAs with high biomarker potential for screening and disease monitoring in BE. PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for studies that quantified esophageal epithelial microRNAs. Publications reporting microRNA comparisons of normal, non-dysplastic BE, BE with high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and EAC tissues using both unbiased discovery and independent validation phases were reviewed. Eleven studies on microRNA expression differences between normal epithelium and non-dysplastic BE (seven studies), HGD (4) or EAC (7), or between non-dysplastic BE and HGD (3) or EAC (6) were identified, and the findings of their validation phase were analyzed. Increased miR-192, -194, and -215, and reduced miR-203 and -205 expression in BE compared to normal was noticed by all 4–6 of the seven studies that examined these microRNAs. In heterogeneity tests of the reported fold-change values, the I 2 statistics were 7.9–17.1 % (all P < 0.05). Elevated miR-192, -194, and -215, and diminished miR-203 and -205 levels were also noted for comparisons of HGD or EAC against normal. In contrast, a consistent microRNA expression difference was absent for the comparisons of HGD or EAC against BE. MicroRNAs miR-192, -194, -203, -205, and -215 are promising tissue biomarkers for diagnosing BE. Cross-sectional data suggest that microRNAs may have a limited role in separating BE from HGD/EAC epithelia but need further testing in longitudinal follow-up studies.
Hematopoietic neoplasms in Prkar2a-deficient mice

Protein kinase A (PKA) is a holoenzyme that consists of a dimer of regulatory subunits and two inactive catalytic subunits that bind to the regulatory subunit dimer. Four regulatory subunits (RIα, RIβ, RIIα, RIIβ) and four catalytic subunits (Cα, Cβ, Cγ, Prkx) have been described in the human and mouse genomes. Previous studies showed that complete inactivation of the Prkar1a subunit (coding for RIα) in the germline leads to embryonic lethality, while Prkar1a–deficient mice are viable and develop schwannomas, thyroid, and bone neoplasms, and rarely lymphomas and sarcomas. Mice with inactivation of the Prkar2a and Prkar2b genes (coding for RIIα and RIIβ, respectively) are also viable but have not been studied for their susceptibility to any tumors. Cohorts of Prkar1a +/− , Prkar2a +/− , Prkar2a −/− , Prkar2b +/− and wild type (WT) mice have been observed between 5 and 25 months of age for the development of hematologic malignancies. Tissues were studied by immunohistochemistry; tumor-specific markers were also used as indicated. Cell sorting and protein studies were also performed. Both Prkar2a −/− and Prkar2a +/− mice frequently developed hematopoietic neoplasms dominated by histiocytic sarcomas (HS) with rare diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL). Southern blot analysis confirmed that the tumors diagnosed histologically as DLBCL were clonal B cell neoplasms. Mice with other genotypes did not develop a significant number of similar neoplasms. Prkar2a deficiency predisposes to hematopoietic malignancies in vivo. RIIα’s likely association with HS and DLBCL was hitherto unrecognized and may lead to better understanding of these rare neoplasms.
Complement Fixation with Cell Nuclei and DNA in Lupus Erythematosus

Summary1. Sera from patients with active lupus erythematosus fixed complement with a wide variety of nuclei from different organs and species, with calf thymus nucleoprotein, and in two instances with histone. Isolated calf thymus, salmon sperm, human leukocyte and pneumococcal DNA also fixed complement with many of these sera. Similar reactions were not encountered in a limited control series including normal individuals and other pathological states. 2. Most active L.E. sera fixed complement with both nuclei and DNA in roughly parallel titer. However, exceptions were encountered and one serum reacted strongly with nuclei but failed to react with DNA. Cross-absorption experiments with nuclei and DNA suggested the presence of 2 distinct serum factors. 3. The L.E. factor appeared to be related to the factor responsible for complement fixation with nuclei but distinct from that responsible for DNA fixation. 4. The significance of these findings with respect to antibodies against nuclear constituents is disc...
The Biuret and Ninhydrin Tests for Proteins as Measured with Hardy's Spectrophotometer:

Color tests for proteins have long been in use, although in most cases the chemistry involved is not clearly understood. One method of attack upon this problem is to analyse the transmission spectra of the colored solutions with the aid of Hardy's recording photoelectric spectrophotometer. This has been done for the ninhydrin and biuret reactions.The ninhydrin test was performed according to Koch1 by adding 2.5 cc. 0.1 % ninhydrin to 10 cc. protein solution, and boiling for one minute. The cloudy blue to red solutions were filtered before measuring their transmission of light in the various regions of the spectrum. For the ninhydrin test on 10% bacto-peptone (Fig. 1, upper curve) the percent transmission of light by the colored solution increases continuously from 2% at a wavelength of 400 mμ to 88% at 700 mμ. A very similar curve is obtained for the ninhydrin test on 20% casein (Hammarsten). Digestion of these 2 proteins by 0.25% trypsin (Fairchild and Foster) at about pH 8 and at 50°C. caused very littl...
An Endogenous Basis for Differential Migration in the Dark-Eyed Junco

Male and female Dark-eyed Juncos, Junco hyemalis hyemalis, partially segregate along a latitudinal gradient in North America during winter. The sex ratio favors males in the north and females in the south. The sexes differ, not only in their midwinter distribution, but also in the timing of fall migration, with females passing through stopover sites earlier than males. To investigate the basis for these differences in migration patterns, several measures of migratory behavior, including the date of onset and the duration of migratory activity (Zugunruhe), were compared in captive adult male and female juncos. When held under the same photoperiod and given free access to food, females initiated fall Zugunruhe twelve days earlier than males and continued to be active after the males stopped. This resulted in females showing, on average, 21 more days of migratory activity. There was no difference between the sexes in the proportion of nights during the migration period spent exhibiting migratory activity or in the average amount of activity per bird for the season. Females briefly showed higher migratory activity in early September. Both sexes exhibited a significant increase in body fat at the onset of migratory activity but there was no significant difference between the two groups at any time during the sampling period. Although differences in social status, physiological constraints, and/or importance of early arrival have been proposed as both past and current factors influencing differential migration in many species, these data illustrate sufficient endogenous sex-related differences that can result in differential migration in Dark-eyed Juncos.
Effect of aortic constriction on experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits.

Summary and conclusionsRabbits subjected to bilateral lumbar sympathectomy and fed a high cholesterol diet developed severe atherosclerosis in the lumbar aorta and iliac arteries. When an aortic constriction was concomitantly produced, atherogenesis distal to the constriction was diminished. This was accompanied by a decreased systolic and diastolic pressure, a diminished pulse pressure, and absence of visible aortic pulsation below the constriction.
Targeting Time in Metabolic Therapeutics

One of the most predictable aspects of conscious life is the daily sleep-wake cycle, which is programmed by an internal clock that exerts broad effects on behavior and physiology. Studies of He et al. (2016) identify a small molecule clock modulator that improves metabolism, revealing that enhancing circadian function benefits health.
Integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of the Integral Calculus

The purpose of this chapter is to define integrals, to establish their principal properties, and to describe some of their applications. Integrals are the limits of certain types of finite sums. As shown in elementary calculus, the problem of finding the area under a curve leads to these finite sums and to integrals. Intuitively, the area under the curve y = f(x) in Figure 34.1 is approximately
Markov chain Monte Carlo in Bayesian models for testing gamma and lognormal S-type process qualities

The process capability index Cpu is widely used to measure S-type process quality. Many researchers have presented adaptive techniques for assessing the true Cpu assuming normality. However, the quality characteristic is often abnormal, and the derived techniques based on the normality assumption could mislead the manager into making uninformed decisions. Therefore, this study provides an alternative method for assessing Cpu of non-normal processes. The Markov chain Monte Carlo, an emerging popular statistical tool, is integrated into Bayesian models to seek the empirical posterior distributions of specific gamma and lognormal parameters. Afterwards, the lower credible interval bound of Cpu can be derived for testing the non-normal process quality. Simulations show that the proposed method is adaptive and has good performance in terms of coverage probability.
Determination of the partition equilibrium of light hydrocarbons in solar oil by gas chromatography

A method was developed for the determination of the partition equilibrium coefficients of light hydrocarbons using solar oil as a partitioning phase. The data obtained were employed for the calculation of absorption-desorption columns, The basis of the method is that the equilibrium coefficient of a component can be related to the retention volume measured for the same component on a gas chromatographic column containing the washing oil as the stationary phase. The error of the measurement depends on the precision of the temperature, and pressure control and the retention measurement; it does not exceed 5% relative. The advantage of the method is that the measurements can be carried out up to pressures 1 to 20 atm (abs) and in a temperature range of 20 to 300°C, a conventional laboratory gas chromatography may be used, the measurement does not require pure model substances, the quantity of the sample required is only several millilitres and the time requirement is well below that of other methods.
Utility of Chest Radiography in Emergency Department Patients Presenting with Syncope

Background: Syncope has myriad etiologies, ranging from benign to immediately life threatening. This frequently leads to over testing. Chest x-rays are among these commonly performed tests despite their uncertain diagnostic yield. Objectives: To quantify the distribution of normal and abnormal chest x-rays in patients presenting with a chief complaint of syncope, stratified by those who did or did not have an adverse event at thirty days. Methods: Prospective cohort of consecutive patients presenting to an urban tertiary care academic medical center with a chief complaint of syncope from 2003-2006. The frequency and findings for each CXR were reviewed, as well as ED and hospital discharge diagnoses as well as thirty-day outcome. Results: There were 575 total subjects, 39.7% were male, and the mean age was 57.2 (SD 24.6). Of the 575 total subjects, 403 (70.1%) had chest x-rays performed, and 116 (20.2%) had an adverse event after their syncope. Of the 116 people who had an adverse event, 15 (12.9%) had a positive CXR, 81 (69.8%) had a normal CXR, and 20 (17.2%) did not have a CXR as part of the initial evaluation. Among the 459 people who did not have an adverse event 3 (0.7%) had a positive CXR, 304 (66.2%) had a normal CXR, and 152 (33.1%) did not have a CXR performed. Conclusions: Among patient who had an adverse event after their syncope, the majority of patients had a normal CXR. More data is needed to validate this conclusion.
Sex Differences in Childhood Bullying Victimization and Trajectories of Substance Use From Adolescence to Adulthood

Recent research has found that repeated bullying victimization increases the risk of developing several unhealthy habits later in life including periodic substance use. Comparatively less research,...
Contraband: Smuggling and the Birth of the American Century. By Andrew Wender Cohen. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 2015. Pp. x, 376. $27.95.)

With vignettes and notable characters ranging from congressmen, pirates, and a presidential assassin, the author of this book spins a colorful story of smuggling intertwined in US history. His book...
Fault location using a new composite control technique, multiple classifier, and artificial neural network

The aim of this project is to locate fault in the high voltage transmission line (TL) by adopting an accurate fault localization algorithm. First, the fault location was conducted using the conventional method of Ohm's law. Second, the algorithm was implemented by combining a multiple classifier along with Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Finally, the location of the fault was carried out by using Digital Signal Processing (DSP) based on the windowing technique and ANN. Source of input data is from the metering devices sampled using DSP technique. The collected data is then used to train the ANN, to locate the fault in order to reduce outage time, and minimize the cost of fixing the problem. Furthermore, all possible types of faults and locations were considered and tested to verify the proposed algorithm. Validation of these methods were done by using different types of real data networks that were saved in the MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Probabilistic temporal reasoning

Reasoning about change requires predicting how long a proposition, having become true, will continue to be so. Lacking perfect knowledge, an agent may be constrained to believe that a proposition persists indefinitely simply because there is no way for the agent to infer a contravening proposition with certainty. In this paper, we describe a theory of causal reasoning under uncertainty. Our theory uses easily obtainable statistical data to provide expectations concerning how long propositions are likely to persist in the absence of specific knowledge to the contrary. We consider a number of issues that arise in combining evidence, and describe an approach to computing probabilistic assessments of the sort licensed by our theory.
Abstract P128: Intensive Blood Pressure Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: An Analysis of the SPRINT Dataset

Introduction: Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) determined that among non-diabetic patients with increased CV risk, intensive management of systolic blood pressure (SBP) to a targ...
THE POETRY OF THE POETRIA NOVA: THE NUBES SERENA AND PEREGRINATIO OF METAPHOR

Geoffrey of Vinsauf's Poetria nova must be studied as a poem in its own right as thoroughly as it has been studied as a technical rhetorical treatise; although many scholars have acknowledged the brilliance of his style, few analyses thereof exist. This imbalance in criticism limits our understanding of his ideas and the appeal they held for medieval poets. This study, therefore, focuses on two images in the section on ornatus graves, or weighty ornamentation, the category of figures defined by its reliance on transumptio. In describing its moving effects, Geoffrey uses the imagery of a pilgrimage (peregrinatio) and of a “clear cloud” (nubes serena). Both help him explain how transumptive language at first displaces or hides meaning beneath something that is deceptively ordinary. When that meaning becomes clear to the reader, however, the recognition can be delightful, intoxicating, or even wondrously transporting. The images are not original to Geoffrey, nor are they drawn from the discourse of formal rhetoric. Rather, peregrinatio and the nubes serena have a rich history in liturgical drama, biblical commentary, and iconography where they signify a kind of spiritual transport remarkably similar to Geoffrey's conception of transumptio in terms of process and quality. Thus, the Poetria nova leverages the spiritual significance of the images to make a decisively literary point about the wondrous power of subtle, transumptive language. Only by recognizing the resonance of these images can we fully appreciate just how highly Geoffrey values transumptio. Approaching the Poetria nova with a poet's eye expands the range and scope of likely influences on the treatise and, more importantly, deepens our appreciation for his remarkable commitment as a poet to the affective potential of transumptive language.
Characterizing the Microarchitectural Implications of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) Execution on GPUs

GPUs have become a very popular platform for accelerating the processing involved in deep learning applications. One class of popular variants, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), have been widely deployed to run on GPUs. In many application settings, a GPU has sufficient computing power and memory space to accommodate the dense matrix operations performed during CNN training. However, few characterization studies have considered how CNNs can impact microarchitectural structures in a GPU. In this paper, we perform a characterization of one selected CNN workload as run on two different NVIDIA GPUs from distinct microarchitecture families, highlighting the impact that microarchitecture plays on this important class of workload. First, we analyze the performance implications of a CNN model using microarchitectural details on a layer-by-layer basis, and characterize the memory access behavior in the context of a typical GPU memory hierarchy, considering hardware resource utilization associated with each primitive in the CNN model. We identify major bottlenecks by considering the potential limits of using a single GPU. Additionally, we evaluate a number of optimization approaches, such as L1 cache bypassing and kernel fusion. L1 cache bypassing can achieve up to a 6.2% speedup for a single layer, but manipulating L1 cache provides very limited benefits in terms of application speedup, while kernel fusion provides an overall application speedup of 4.0%, on average.
Black Girl Pedagogies: Layered Lessons on Reliability.

This essay highlights and extends the distinct and critical work of Black Girlhood Studies. With a particular focus on how it differentially engages Black girls and Black girlhood, it takes readers on a journey of rumination through my exploration of coming to understand reliability as taught to me by Black girls and Black girl celebratory spaces. Utilizing poetics and reflexive writing, this essay names and elucidates three facets of reliability – tracing, collective grounding, and embracing paradox. Overall this essay describes reliability as an important Black girl pedagogy and articulates the cultural and educational importance of Black girlhood and Black girl celebratory spaces.
The Origin of Indexical Species

Two primary characteristics of Index in ontogeny are intentionality of use, and the emergence of visual representation in memory. Demonstration of intentionality in indexical gestures requires the apprehension of source, path, and goal according to Piaget’s model, upon which Lakoff and Johnson’s model is constructed.
Comparison of Two Otitis Media Models for the Study of Middle Ear Antimicrobial Pharmacokinetics

We compared two models of acute otitis media that estimate middle ear antimicrobial pharmacokinetics. Using a crossover study design, we compared a systemic drug administration model with a diffusion model we devised that measures the disappearance of antimicrobials from the middle ear. We induced acute otitis media in 14 chinchillas by inoculating S. pneumoniae into the middle ear, then administered 3 antimicrobials: amoxicillin, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole. Next we collected middle ear fluid samples to analyze drug concentrations and compare rate constants for the systemic and diffusion models by analysis of variance. We found that amoxicillin K values were not affected by model testing sequence (p = 0.827) or model type (systemic versus diffusion, p = 0.310), nor were sulfamethoxazole K values: model testing sequence (p = 0.917), model type (p = 0.963). Trimethoprim K values were also not affected by model testing sequence (p = 0/760), but were by model type (p = 0.0001). Trimethoprim elimination from the diffusion model was faster (K = 0.33 ± 0.17 versus 0.57 ± 0.09 hr−1) than from the systemic model, although it appears this was caused by sampling before drug distribution into the middle ear was complete. In conclusion, it appears K values derived from either systemic antimicrobial administration or direct middle ear instillation are similar for assessing middle ear anitmicrobial pharmacokinetics, and these models can be used interchangeably to study factors affecting otitis media treatment response.