cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A lipidomics demonstration of the importance of single cell analysis

Typical lipidomics data are obtained from collective cell lysis encompassing the digestion of large groups of cells or tissues, leading to inaccuracies and averaging of sample data. Here we describe a novel approach of obtaining single cell information with results demonstrating the importance of single cell analysis. We report obtaining distinct heterogeneity of adipocytes in vitro using nanomanipulation-coupled nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry of living individual cells from the same culture plate.
Competent transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II in cell-free extracts from xeroderma pigmentosum groups B and D in an optimized RNA transcription assay

Abstract The human autosomal recessive disease, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), can result from mutations in any one of seven genes, designated XPA through XPG . Of these, the XPB and XPD genes encode proteins that are subunits of a general transcription factor, TFIIH, involved in both nucleotide excision repair (NER) and initiation of mRNA transcription by RNA polymerase II. In humans, mutation of the XPB or XPD gene impairs NER, resulting in hyper-sensitivity to sunlight and greatly increased skin tumor formation. However, no transcription deficiency has been demonstrated in either XP-B or XP-D. We have employed an optimized cell-free RNA transcription assay to analyze transcription activity of XP-B and XP-D. Although the growth rate was normal, the XP-B and XP-D cells contained reduced amounts of TFIIH. Extracts prepared from XP-B and XP-D lymphoblastoid cells exhibited similar transcription activity from the adenovirus major late promoter when compared to that in extracts from normal cells. Thus, we conclude that the XP-B and XP-D lymphoblastoid cells do not have impaired RNA transcription activity. We consider the possible consequences of the reduced cellular content of TFIIH for the clinical symptoms in XP-B or XP-D patients, and discuss a `conditional phenotype' that may involve an impairment of cellular function only under certain growth conditions.
Expanding Our View of Support Groups as Open Systems

The open systems model of support groups (Schopler & Galinsky, 1993) provides the organizing concepts for the articles in this volume. Support groups are conceived as the center of a continuum of supportive group interventions, overlapping with self-help groups at one end and treatment groups at the other. The open systems model of support groups is a framework for understanding the factors that affect support groups, for guiding interventions, and for evaluating their outcomes. The major conceptual dimensions addressed by the model are environmental conditions, participant characteristics, group conditions, and outcomes. An overview of major concepts is followed by a discussion of the contribution of each of the articles to an expanded view of support groups.
A systematic review of tobacco smoking among nursing students

This study was conducted to systematically and critically evaluate the large number of academic publications which have investigated tobacco smoking among nursing students in recent years. It was performed as a state-of-the-art examination of all modern literature published in peer-reviewed, English-language journals since 1990. Although smoking appears to be fairly common among nursing students, its prevalence and distribution varies widely depending on the country of study and time period during which the research was undertaken. Although there is some evidence to suggest that smoking rates increase by year of study in the nursing course, not all research has shown a clear association in this regard. Similarly, the value of anti-smoking interventions for nursing students appears to be limited, based on currently available information. Given these conflicting issues, further research which helps to ascertain why student nurses do not wish to give up their habit is clearly needed both locally and internationally. The development of an international smoking questionnaire may also be useful to help standardize future research on tobacco usage among this vulnerable demographic.
Polarized Distribution and Delivery of Plasma Membrane Proteins in Thyroid Follicular Epithelial Cells

Thyroid follicular cells coordinate several oppositely located surface enzyme activities. Recent studies have raised questions about the basic mechanisms used to achieve thyroid surface polarity. We investigated these mechanisms in primary thyroid epithelial monolayers cultured on porous filters. In the steady state, most Na+/K+-ATPase and aminopeptidase N were available for surface biotinylation, and these proteins exhibited physiological distributions (basolateral and apical, respectively). Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins were also apically distributed. By pulse-chase, newly synthesized transmembrane proteins exhibited polarized surface delivery that was oriented similarly to that observed at steady state. Little time elapsed between acquisition of Golgi-specific processing and cell surface arrival. Interestingly, when either newly synthesized or steady state-labeled thyroid peroxidase was similarly analyzed, only ∼30% of the enzyme was ever detected at the cell surface. Of this, the majority was localized apically. The data suggest that most thyroid peroxidase remains intracellular in these monolayers, consistent with the possibility of intracellular iodination activity in addition to apical extracellular iodination. Nevertheless, in filter-polarized thyrocytes, most newly synthesized plasma membrane proteins appear to be sorted in the Golgi complex for direct delivery to apical and basolateral domains.
Dynamic-energy-budget-driven fruiting-body formation in myxobacteria

We develop an interacting particle model to simulate the life cycle of myxobacteria, which consists of two main stages--the swarming stage and the development (fruiting body formation) stage. As experiments have shown that the phase transition from swarming to development stage is triggered by starvation, we incorporate into the simulation a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) called the dynamic energy budget, which controls the uptake and use of energy by individuals. This inclusion successfully automates the phase transition in our simulation. Only one parameter, namely, the food density, controls the entire simulation of the life cycle.
Skeletal adenylate cyclase: effect of Mg2+, Ca2+, and PTH

Plasma membranes were prepared from mineralized guinea pig bone in order to study Mg2+ and Ca2+ modulation of skeletal adenylate cyclase. Plasma membrane preparation was accomplished by crushing the bone in liquid N2 and subsequent multiple washings in buffer containing EGTA to remove all Ca2+ prior to adenylate cyclase assay. Skeletal adenylate cyclase was found to be dependent on GTP and Mg2+ and responsive to bovine 1-34 PTH. Ca2+ caused a competitive inhibition of Mg2+ -activated skeletal adenylate cyclase. The apparent KaMg was 1.9 +/- 0.3 in the presence of 0.2 microM Ca2+ but increased to a mean of 7.2 +/- 1.3 in the presence of 5.0 microM Ca2+. Analysis of the Ca2+ inhibition curves at concentrations from .05 microM-1.0 mM were consistent with the presence of two Ca2+ inhibition sites, one with an apparent Ki of 1-2 microM and the other with an apparent Ki of approximately 500 microM. Lowering the Mg2+ concentration increased the contribution of the high affinity Ca2+ binding site to the overall Ca2+ inhibition, and raising the Mg2+ concentration had the opposite effect. While bPTH 1-34 enhanced adenylate cyclase activity, it did not increase the affinity of Mg2+ for skeletal adenylate cyclase nor did it alter the KiCa or the pattern of Ca2+ inhibition. These data may explain the skeletal resistance to PTH during Mg deficiency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Monovalent and Divalent Salt Effects on Electrostatic Free Energies Defined by the Nonlinear Poisson−Boltzmann Equation: Application to DNA Binding Reactions

We have extended the finite-difference Poisson−Boltzmann (FDPB) equation method to incorporate the treatment of mixed salts (i.e. NaCl/MgCl2). In this context, we have derived an expression for the total electrostatic free energy for mixed salt systems. We use the theory to study nonspecific mixed salt effects on the binding free energies of the minor groove binding antibiotic DAPI, and λ repressor, with DNA. We find that in a pure salt solution the electrostatic contribution to binding varies linearly with log[Mn+], (where Mn+ represents an n-valent cation) and that the effect is uncorrelated with either the valence of the binding ligand or the number of counterions in the binding site. In mixed salt solution, the monovalent and divalent counterions “compete” for the immediate vicinity of the DNA. As experimentally observed in mixed salt solutions, a pronounced curvature appears in the plot of the electrostatic binding free energy vs log[Mn+]. The curvature for DAPI−DNA binding in mixed salts reflects th...
From the urban to the civic: the moral possibilities of the city.

Relating bioethics to the philosophy of the city creates the possibility for developing the field along paths not yet explored. In the Western tradition, the city has been understood as the venue for two quite different forms of activity and two different types of moral possibility. In one guise, the city is an urbs, a center of commerce, market exchange, and social individualism. In another guise, the city is a civitas or polis, the space of active democratic citizenship, equality under law, and civic virtue. As civitas, classical philosophers regarded the city as the place of moral growth and full human self-realization. These two possibilities of human moral and political experience in the city have given rise to distinct traditions of political theory—liberalism and vivic republican and democratic theory. This article traces these conceptual configurations into the domain of contemporary bioethics, arguing that most work in the field has drawn on the liberal tradition and hence has been insufficiently critical of the moral paradigm of market individualism and unduly inattentive to the values of civitas and the civic tradition. It argues for the creation of a form of civic bioethics and explores some of the theoretical foundations that type of bioethics would require.
Uncertainty and variability in health-related damages from coal-fired power plants in the United States.

The health-related damages associated with emissions from coal-fired power plants can vary greatly across facilities as a function of plant, site, and population characteristics, but the degree of variability and the contributing factors have not been formally evaluated. In this study, we modeled the monetized damages associated with 407 coal-fired power plants in the United States, focusing on premature mortality from fine particulate matter (PM2.5). We applied a reduced-form chemistry-transport model accounting for primary PM2.5 emissions and the influence of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions on secondary particulate formation. Outputs were linked with a concentration-response function for PM2.5related mortality that incorporated nonlinearities and model uncertainty. We valued mortality with a value of statistical life approach, characterizing and propagating uncertainties in all model elements. At the median of the plant-specific uncertainty distributions, damages across plants ranged from $30,000 to $500,000 per ton of PM2.5, $6,000 to $50,000 per ton of SO2, $500 to $15,000 per ton of NOx, and $0.02 to $1.57 per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated. Variability in damages per ton of emissions was almost entirely explained by population exposure per unit emissions (intake fraction), which itself was related to atmospheric conditions and the population size at various distances from the power plant. Variability in damages per kilowatt-hour was highly correlated with SO2 emissions, related to fuel and control technology characteristics, but was also correlated with atmospheric conditions and population size at various distances. Our findings emphasize that control strategies that consider variability in damages across facilities would yield more efficient outcomes.
Computed tomographic demonstration of enlarged, ectatic basilar artery associated with obstruction of the anterior third ventricle

Abstract Ectasia of the vertebrobasilar system can be diagnosed on cranial computed tomography. It may be associated with hypertension, but often is of no clinical significance. Previous reports have implicated vertebrobasilar ectasia as a cause of cranial nerve syndromes. We wish to report a patient in whom vertebrobasilar ectasia appeared to obstruct the anterior third ventricle causing obstructive hydrocephalus.
Disease and the brain's dark energy

Brain function has traditionally been studied in terms of physiological responses to environmental demands. This approach, however, ignores the fact that much of the brain's energy is devoted to intrinsic neuronal signaling. Recent studies indicate that intrinsic neuronal activity manifests as spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) signal. The study of such fluctuations could potentially provide insight into the brain's functional organization. In this article, we begin by presenting an overview of the strategies used to explore intrinsic neuronal activity. Considering the possibility that intrinsic signaling accounts for a large proportion of brain activity, we then examine whether the functional architecture of intrinsic activity is altered in neurological and psychiatric diseases. We also review a clinical application of brain mapping, in which intrinsic activity is employed for the preoperative localization of functional brain networks in patients undergoing neurosurgery. To end the article, we explore some of the basic science pursuits that have been undertaken to further understand the physiology behind intrinsic activity as imaged with BOLD fMRI.
The historical fuel efficiency characteristics of regional aircraft from technological, operational, and cost perspectives

Abstract To develop approaches that effectively reduce aircraft emissions, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that have enabled historical improvements in aircraft efficiency. This paper focuses on the impact of regional aircraft on the US aviation system and examines the technological, operational and cost characteristics of turboprop (TP) and regional jet (RJ) aircraft. Regional aircraft are 40–60% less fuel efficient than their larger narrow- and wide-body counterparts, while RJs are 10–60% less fuel efficient than TPs. Fuel efficiency differences can be explained largely by differences in aircraft operations, not technology. Direct operating costs per revenue passenger kilometer are 2.5–6 times higher for regional aircraft because they operate at lower load factors and perform fewer miles over which to spread fixed costs. Further, despite incurring higher fuel costs, RJs are shown to have operating costs similar to TPs when flown over comparable stage lengths.
Blocking PD-1 in cancer immunotherapy

The PD-1 pathway is emerging as an important tumor-evasion mechanism. In this issue of Blood, 3 independent groups report that PD-1 is highly expressed by tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in hematologic and nonhematologic malignancies, and is associated with impaired T-cell function.
Lassa-Vesicular Stomatitis Chimeric Virus Safely Destroys Brain Tumors

High grade tumors in the brain are among the deadliest of cancers. Here, we took a promising oncolytic virus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and tested the hypothesis that the neurotoxicity associated with the virus could be eliminated without blocking its oncolytic potential in the brain by replacing the neurotropic VSV glycoprotein with the glycoproteins from one of five different viruses including Ebola, Marburg, LCMV, rabies, and Lassa. Based on in vitro infections of normal and tumor cells, we selected two viruses to test in vivo. Wild type VSV was lethal when injected directly into the brain. In contrast, a novel chimeric virus (VSV-LASV-GPC) containing genes from both Lassa and VSV showed no adverse actions within or outside the brain, and targeted and completely destroyed brain cancer, including high grade glioblastoma and melanoma, even in metastatic cancer models. When mice had two brain tumors, intratumoral VSV-LASV-GPC injection in one tumor (glioma or melanoma) led to complete tumor destruction; importantly, the virus moved contralaterally within the brain to selectively infect the second non-injected tumor. A chimeric virus combining VSV genes with the gene coding for the Ebola glycoprotein was safe in the brain, and also selectively targeted brain tumors, but was substantially less effective in destroying brain tumors and prolonging survival of tumor-bearing mice. A tropism for multiple cancer types combined with an exquisite tumor-specificity opens a new door to widespread application of VSV-LASV-GPC as a safe and efficacious oncolytic chimeric virus within the brain. IMPORTANCE. Many viruses have been tested for their ability to target and kill cancer cells. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has shown substantial promise, but a key problem is that if it enters the brain, it can generate adverse neurologic consequences including death. We tested a series of chimeric viruses containing genes coding for VSV, together with a gene coding for the glycoprotein from other viruses including Ebola, Lassa, LCMV, rabies, and Marburg which was substituted for the VSV glycoprotein gene. Ebola and Lassa chimeric viruses were safe in the brain, and targeted brain tumors. Lassa-VSV was particularly effective, showed no adverse side effects even when injected directly into the brain, and targeted and destroyed two different types of deadly brain cancer including glioblastoma and melanoma.
The Downside of Solidarity

Rational Extremism: The Political Economy of Radicalism. By Ronald Wintrobe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 298 pp., $75.00 (ISBN: 0-521-85964-6). The purpose of Ronald Wintrobe's Rational Extremism: The Political Economy of Radicalism is to explain extremist politics and the violent means that extremist groups use to achieve their goals. In making these explanations, Wintrobe in this provocative book lays a new rational foundation for extremism. The principal innovation presented in Rational Extremism —the concept of the “solidarity multiplier”—addresses the supply side of extremist action. It helps answer why rational agents would supply their bodies as human “missiles” in order to promote a future that they will not live to enjoy. Wintrobe's model asserts, first, that individuals can trade their autonomy for solidarity and, second, that the marginal returns to solidarity increase each time a group member trades his or her autonomy for more of it. Based on this foundation, Wintrobe shows how people can become completely loyal to an organization—adopting its goals as their own and making extreme sacrifices to fulfill those goals. Wintrobe examines how incorporating social solidarity into economic models can make sense of extraordinary behavior that standard rationalist approaches otherwise fail to explain. Rationalist approaches to crime, for instance, which look only at the cost and probability of punishment, miss the importance of social ties nurtured in prisons. Similarly, standard rationalist approaches to Third World lending ignore local trust networks and thereby underestimate the profitability of microfinance projects. As for suicide missionaries, Wintrobe shows that his solidarity model is superior to standard rational choice accounts. The latter approaches model suicide missions as a contract between God (who offers virgins in paradise) and a supplicant (who offers his life to fulfill God's fundamentalist goals). However, this contract is clearly …
Design and performance evaluation of an adaptive resource management framework for distributed real-time and embedded systems

Achieving end-to-end quality of service (QoS) in distributed real-time embedded (DRE) systems require QoS support and enforcement from their underlying operating platforms that integrates many real-time capabilities, such as QoS-enabled network protocols, real-time operating system scheduling mechanisms and policies, and real-time middleware services. As standards-based quality of service (QoS) enabled component middleware automates integration and configuration activities, it is increasingly being used as a platform for developing open DRE systems that execute in environments where operational conditions, input workload, and resource availability cannot be characterized accurately a priori. Although QoS-enabled component middleware offers many desirable features, however, it historically lacked the ability to allocate resources efficiently and enable the system to adapt to fluctuations in input workload, resource availability, and operating conditions. This paper presents three contributions to research on adaptive resource management for component-based open DRE systems. First, we describe the structure and functionality of the resource allocation and control engine (RACE), which is an open-source adaptive resource management framework built atop standards-based QoS-enabled component middleware. Second, we demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of RACE in the context of a representative open DRE system: NASA's magnetospheric multiscale mission system. Third, we present an empirical evaluation of RACE's scalability as the number of nodes and applications in a DRE system grows. Our results show that RACE is a scalable adaptive resource management framework and yields a predictable and high-performance system, even in the face of changing operational conditions and input workload.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE FECUNDITY OF AEDES TRISERIATUS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)

Laboratory experiments were designed to determine the effects of blood source, blood amount, body size, body weight, mating, and age on the fecundity of Aedes triseriatus (Say). This study indicates that these factors affect the number of eggs laid. More eggs were laid when fed on warm-blooded than on cold-blooded animals. The number of eggs laid showed a positive correlation with the amount of blood ingested from 0.6 mg to 3.0 mg. An amount of 0.6 mg was necessary to initiate ovulation, but amounts in excess of 3.0 mg did not affect fecundity. Body size and weight were also positively correlated with the number of eggs produced. The virgin females laid fewer eggs and the duration of their oviposition period was considerably greater than that of the mated ones. In this study, age also proved to be an important factor in determining fecundity; females older than 15 days laid significantly fewer eggs than younger females. Zusammenfassung BEOBACHTUNGEN UBER DIE FRUCHTBARKEIT VON AEDES TRISERIATUS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) In Laborversuchen wurde die Wirkung von Blutquelle, Blutmenge, Korpergrosse, Korpergewicht, Paarung und Alter auf die Fruchtbarkeit von Aedes triseriatus untersucht. Diese Faktoren erwiesen sich als wichtig fur eine Vorhersage der Zahl abgelegter Eier. Nach Saugen an Warmblutern wurden mehr Eier abgelegt als an Kaltblutern (an Mensch aber wie an Kaltblutern!). Bei Blutaufnahme zwischen 0,6-3,0 mg war die Zahl der Eier positiv korreliert mit der Blutmenge, unter 0,6 mg keine Eibildung, uber 3,0 mg keine Erhohung der Fruchtbarkeit mehr. Korpergrosse und Gewicht waren ebenfalls positiv korreliert mit der Fruchtbarkeit. Virginale Weibchen legten weniger Eier, die Dauer der Ovipositionsperiode war betrachtlich grosser als bei begatteten. Auch das Alter war ein wichtiger Faktor: uber 15 Tage alte Weibchen legten signifikant weniger Eier als jungere.
One-Dimensional Inversion of Three-Component Induction Logging In Anisotropic Media

Summary Many hydrocarbon reservoirs are composed of electrically anisotropic formations. Three-component induction tools are under development in order to resolve anisotropy and threedimensional complexity of these types of formations. This paper present a one-dimensional inversion method for inverting data collected by three-component induction tools for deviated wells within one-dimensional, dipping, anisotropic sequences.
GENDER AND CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS FOR MASTERY, PERSONAL, AND INTERPERSONAL EVENTS

In two studies, achievement was conceptualized as consisting of affiliative as well as mastery events. Participants wrote about a recent achievement, provided causal attributions, and assessed the degree to which that achievement involved mastery, personal, and interpersonal themes in the first study. A second study randomly assigned participants a theme and asked them to assess the involvement of traditional correlates of achievement. Results indicated that individuals viewed achievement as consisting of mastery, personal, and interpersonal activities. These activities differed, however, in their associated pattern of correlates and attributions. Mastery events were characterized by public standards, high expectations, a process focus, completed time frame, and attributions to ability and effort. Interpersonal events were characterized by internal standards, lower expectations, an outcome focus, ongoing time frame, and attributions to luck. Characteristics reported for personal events varied as a functio...
Increased work in cardiac trabeculae causes decreased mitochondrial NADH fluorescence followed by slow recovery

The oxidative phosphorylation rate in isolated mitochondria is stimulated by increased [ADP], resulting in decreased [NADH]. In intact hearts, however, increased mechanical work has generally not been shown to cause an increase in [ADP]. Therefore, increased [NADH] has been suggested as an alternative for stimulating the phosphorylation rate. Such a rise in [NADH] could result from stimulation of various substrate dehydrogenases by increased intracellular [Ca2+] (e.g., during increased pacing frequency). We have monitored mitochondrial [NADH] in isolated rat ventricular trabeculae, using a novel fluorescence spectroscopy method where a native fluorescence signal was used to correct for motion artifacts. Work was controlled by increased pacing frequency and assessed using time-averaged force. At low-pacing rates (approximately 0.1 Hz), [NADH] immediately decreased during contraction and then slowly recovered (approximately 5 s) before the next contraction. At higher rates, [NADH] initially decreased by an amount related to pacing rate (i.e., work). However, during prolonged stimulation, [NADH] slowly (approximately 60 s) recovered to a new steady-state level below the initial level. We conclude that 1) during increased work, oxidative phosphorylation is not initially stimulated by increased mitochondrial [NADH]; and 2) increased pacing frequency slowly causes stimulation of NADH production.
Lactose malabsorption in recurrent abdominal pain of childhood

In order to evaluate the role of lactose malabsorption in children with recurrent abdominal pain, we performed a prospective controlled double-blinded study in 40 children with RAP of at least three months' duration. Children were studied for lactose malabsorption by breath hydrogen determinations after ingestion of lactose (2 gm/kg of body weight; maximum 50 gm). Lactose malabsorbers were retested with 12.5 gm lactose; lactose absorbers were retested with lactulose for ability to produce hydrogen. All children underwent a dietary trial which included two lactose elimination periods. Although 12 children (30%) were lactose malabsorbers, only three malabsorbed part of the smaller, more physiologic, lactose load. Improvement rates of lactose malabsorbers and absorbers during lactose elimination were not significantly different as judged by their physicians and as determined by a 50% or more decrease in pain frequency. These results suggest that lactose malabsorption is of little importance in children with RAP.
Successful Telemedicine Programs in Otolaryngology

This article discusses the types of telemedicine technologies that are currently in place and being used successfully in otolaryngology. It examines how these technologies have been applied in several different otolaryngology telemedicine programs and discusses their relative merits and successes.
Combined Ionospheric Campaign 1: Ionospheric tomography and GPS total electron count (TEC) depletions

Results from the June 1998 combined ionospheric campaign (CIC) are presented. The CIC represents an attempt to focus a large number of different instruments on one interesting geophysical region. The Center for Ionospheric Research (CIR) at Applied Research Laboratories, the University of Texas at Austin (ARL:UT), has had several computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT) receivers deployed in the Caribbean region since July 1997. In this paper we compare CIT data, GPS TEC data and data from the incoherent scatter radar at Arecibo to try to obtain an understanding of the temporal and spatial distribution of ionospheric structure observed during the campaign. We use the three data sets as inputs to the 3DVAR tomography algorithm developed at CIR and present results of the 3DVAR “objectively analyzed” electron density field. An ionization wall was found near 40° latitude in agreement with previous Millstone Hill and DMSP observations in high Kp. Several elongated density depletions were also detected.
Clarence Edwin Ayres and John Kenneth Galbraith: from instrumental institutionalism to the new industrial state

Aims to describe and to explicate the economic thought of two creative and profound scholars who are in the tradition of institutionalism: Clarence Edwin Ayres and John Kenneth Galbraith. Analyses the major scholarly works of each of these insightful interpreters of the contemporary social and political economy and compares and contrasts them in such a manner as to reveal the similarities and differences between their respective systems of economic thought. Divides into five parts: the introduction, a section on the theories of Ayres and one on the theories of Galbraith, a comparison of the respective works of Ayres and Galbraith in which the similarities and differences are specified, and the conclusion.
Inhibition of Cytokine Activation Processes In Vitro by Tenidap, a Novel Anti-Inflammatory Agent

Tenidap is a novel anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic agent that lowers intracellular pH and suppresses anion transport when applied to cells in vitro. Both of these parameters are known to influence pro-inflammatory cell function. To investigate whether tenidap can modulate cellular responses to cytokine stimulation, several in vitro cytokine-driven assays were characterized with respect to their tenidap sensitivity. Human monocytes treated with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) demonstrated an increased production of IL-6 as well as an increased total translational activity. Tenidap dose-dependently inhibited both cytokine-induced responses; the effect on IL-6, however, occurred at lower tenidap concentrations than those required to prevent the increase in total translational activity. In contrast, the known translational inhibitor cycloheximide did not demonstrate selectivity for IL-6; this agent decreased the GM-CSF-induced increase in total translational activity in parallel with its effects on IL-6. GM-CSF-treated monocytes also produced greater amounts of IL-1 beta in response to LPS stimulation than did non-GM-CSF-treated cells, and tenidap again suppressed this cytokine-induced activation. Human Hep3B cells treated with a combination of interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-6 demonstrated an acute phase-type of response. These hepatoma cells increased production of the positive acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) while they decreased production of a negative acute phase protein human serum albumin (HSA). Tenidap dose-dependently inhibited the cytokine-induced increase in SAA production without effecting synthesis of HSA or total TCA-precipitable macromolecules. Importantly, the ability of tenidap to alter these various cytokine responses was not shared with piroxicam, a potent cyclooxygenase inhibitor. Finally, human neutrophils treated with either GM-CSF or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha demonstrated an increased chloride conductance as measured by the loss of radioactive chloride from 36Cl-loaded cells. When tenidap was included within the medium during cytokine stimulation, loss of radioactive chloride was prevented. Thus, tenidap inhibited the cytokine-induced increase in anion transport. Together, these results indicate that tenidap can suppress cellular activation processes induced by a variety of cytokines. This functional antagonism is not dependent on cyclooxygenase inhibition but, rather, appears to link to tenidap's unique ability to alter ionic homeostasis. These in vitro observations, therefore, may help to explain how this novel anti-inflammatory agent acts to lower acute phase proteins and IL-6 levels in man.
An L2 writing group: Task and social dimensions

Abstract Although peer writing groups are frequently used in ESL writing classes, little research has been conducted on what actually occurs in these groups. This study examined two aspects of L2 writing groups: the task dimension and the social dimension. Using a case-study methodology, we videotaped one L2 writing group for six consecutive weeks. The data collected included (a) the videotapes, (b) transcripts of the videotapes, (c) student compositions, (d) student dialogue journals, and (e) student interviews. Using transcripts of the six videotapes, coders divided the participants' utterances into thought groups. Using a modified version of Fanselow's (1987) classroom observation instrument, we then coded their thought groups using the following categories: study of language, life general knowledge, life personal knowledge, procedure, and format. Two trained raters independently coded the transcripts. An intercoder reliability of .91 was determined by comparing their ratings. Results indicated that the percentage of utterances relating to study of language ranged from 70% to 80% and increased slightly across the six sessions. These findings suggest that students stayed on task by discussing each other's texts. To examine the group's social dimension (i.e., group dynamics), all data were examined. The literature on writing groups tends to idealize writing group interactions as writers constructively helping each other. This present analysis suggests otherwise. For example, one student was characterized by the group as the attacker because of her sharp, negative comments. Due, in part, to the attacker's critical comments, another student expressed dissatisfaction with the writing group.
The influence of pH on arsenazo III.

Abstract We have investigated the effects of small changes in pH on the absorbance of arsenazo III, a calcium indicator dye. For physiological pH values, we find that arsenazo III is much more sensitive to changes in [H + ] than to changes in [Ca 2+ ], Furthermore, for a dye solution containing calcium, the absorbance changes caused by pH increments cannot be distinguished from those caused by calcium additions. We also find that the response of arsenazo III to calcium is influenced by the other ionic constituents in the solution, such as Na + and K + . Thus, arsenazo III must be calibrated in a solution which approximates the experimental system as closely as possible. Under such conditions, its response to changes in pH, at constant buffer and total calcium, or to small changes in [Ca 2+ ], at constant buffer and pH, is linear.
Longitudinal diffusion in retinal rod and cone outer segment cytoplasm: the consequence of cell structure.

Excitation signals spread along photoreceptor outer segments away from the site of photon capture because of longitudinal diffusion of cGMP, a cytoplasmic second messenger. The quantitative features of longitudinal diffusion reflect the anatomical structure of the outer segment, known to be profoundly different in rod and cone photoreceptors. To explore how structural differences affect cytoplasmic diffusion and to assess whether longitudinal diffusion may contribute to the difference in signal transduction between photoreceptor types, we investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, the longitudinal diffusion of small, hydrophilic molecules in outer segments. We developed a new theoretical analysis to explicitly compute the longitudinal diffusion constant, Dl, in terms of outer segment structure. Using time-resolved fluorescence imaging we measured Dl of Alexa488 and lucifer yellow in intact, single cones and validated the theoretical analysis. We used numerical simulations of the theoretical model to investigate cGMP diffusion in outer segments of various species. At a given time interval, cGMP spreads further in rod than in cone outer segments of the same dimensions. Across all species, the spatial spread of cGMP at the peak of the dim light photocurrent is 3–5 μm in rod outer segments, regardless of their absolute size. Similarly the cGMP spatial spread is 0.7–1 μm in cone outer segments, independently of their dimensions.
Duration of chronic inflammation alters gene expression in muscle from untreated girls with juvenile dermatomyositis

To evaluate the impact of the duration of chronic inflammation on gene expression in skeletal muscle biopsies (MBx) from untreated children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) and identify genes and biological processes associated with the disease progression, expression profiling data from 16 girls with active symptoms of JDM greater than or equal to 2 months were compared with 3 girls with active symptoms less than 2 months. Seventy-nine genes were differentially expressed between the groups with long or short duration of untreated disease. Genes involved in immune responses and vasculature remodelling were expressed at a higher level in muscle biopsies from children with greater or equal to 2 months of symptoms, while genes involved in stress responses and protein turnover were expressed at a lower level. Among the 79 genes, expression of 9 genes showed a significant linear regression relationship with the duration of untreated disease. Five differentially expressed genes – HLA-DQA1, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, clusterin, plexin D1 and tenomodulin – were verified by quantitative RT-PCR. The chronic inflammation of longer disease duration was also associated with increased DC-LAMP+ and BDCA2+ mature dendritic cells, identified by immunohistochemistry. We conclude that chronic inflammation alters the gene expression patterns in muscle of untreated children with JDM. Symptoms lasting greater or equal to 2 months were associated with dendritic cell maturation and anti-angiogenic vascular remodelling, directly contributing to disease pathophysiology.
Marketing as a management style

Abstract It seems like we have made great strides during the past few years in building a system aimed at better satisfying our external customers…. The problem is that we still don't do a real good job of satisfying our internal customers…. It's a real problem for us that requires a serious change of management philosophy and practice.
The important role of the phosphorus lone pair in phosphole aromaticity

Calculations on phosphole systems using the G3MP2B3 model chemistry show that the phosphorus lone pair is critical to the system's aromaticity. Protonation of the lone pair results in antiaromatic molecules as measured by homomolecular homodesmotic reactions. Attempts to separate out effects of hyperconjugation on the butadiene portion of the system are unsuccessful with current practices. Because these hyperconjugation effects will tend to cancel each other in the phosphole systems, analyses using the unmodified homomolecular homodesmotic reactions are considered reasonable measures of their aromaticity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:754–758, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20364
In silico analysis of the two tandem somatomedin B domains of ENPP1 reveals hints on the homodimerization of the protein.

The homodimerization of ENPP1 is mediated by the two somatomedin B (SMB) domains of the protein through a mechanism that is yet unknown at the atomistic level. The tandem arrangement of these domains without an intermediate spacer implies their possible packing into a functional assembly, which we explored by rigid docking. To exclude potential bias in the docking search we assessed the absence of flexible protein regions by evaluating the normalized B-factors calculated from the Cα atom displacements derived from molecular dynamics simulations. After filtering the docking results exploiting the criterion that residues located at the inter-domain interfaces are more conserved than non-interface residues, the resulting best model of the tandem SMB domains revealed the presence of two large conserved surface patches not engaged in the inter-domain contact. The largest patch is flat and contains all the invariant positively charged residues characterized by fully solvent-exposed side chains within the tandem SMB domains, suggesting as a possible role its interaction with the negative phospholipids on the cell surface. We envisage that an ENPP1 monomer bound to the cell membrane via the transmembrane segment can also interact with the cell surface through the largest conserved patch favoring a specific geometry of the tandem SMB module on the cell that optimally exposes the second conserved patch for the symmetric interaction with another membrane-bound ENPP1 monomer, finally promoting the homodimerization. Biological implications of this model and insights into the effects of the K173Q variant associated with insulin resistance and related abnormalities are presented. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 3566–3574, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Single-beam laser technique for measurement of droplet concentrations

Abstract An inexpensive system for measuring the concentration of micrometer-sized droplets using a single-beam laser detection system was developed. This technique allows sample volumes with dimensions on the order of a millimeter and measurements within a millimeter of surfaces and does not disturb any flow fields. Equations are derived for optical geometry, effective sample volume, and concentration calculations. Also the effects of droplet size distribution, detection threshold, and droplet concentration on measurement accuracy are described. Specific equipment and geometries are detailed for a situation where this technique was applied.
Discovering task constraints through observation and active learning

Effective robot collaborators that work with humans require an understanding of the underlying constraint network of any joint task to be performed. Discovering this network allows an agent to more effectively plan around coworker actions or unexpected changes in its environment. To maximize the practicality of collaborative robots in real-world scenarios, humans should not be assumed to have an abundance of either time, patience, or prior insight into the underlying structure of a task when relied upon to provide the training required to impart proficiency and understanding. This work introduces and experimentally validates two demonstrationbased active learning strategies that a robot can utilize to accelerate context-free task comprehension. These strategies are derived from the action-space graph, a dual representation of a Semi-Markov Decision Process graph that acts as a constraint network and informs query generation. We present a pilot study showcasing the effectiveness of these active learning algorithms across three representative classes of task structure. Our results show an increased effectiveness of active learning when utilizing feature-based query strategies, especially in multi-instructor scenarios, achieving better task comprehension from a relatively small quantity of training demonstrations. We further validate our results by creating virtual instructors from a model of our pilot study participants, and applying it to a set of 12 more complex, real world food preparation tasks with similar results.
the grammar of consciousness and the consciousness of grammar

Symbolic values borrowed from Spanish into Mexicano (Nahuatl) usage simultaneously express differences in ritual status internal to peasant communities in central Mexico, but have also come to symbolize the threat to the peasant mode of production from a hostile peripheral-capitalist marketplace. A system for examining the interaction of “voices” developed by Bakhtin applied to Mexicano discourses shows how examination of language use can contribute to the study of consciousness among proletarianizing peasant groups. [consciousness, Nahuatl, Mexico, Bakhtin, purism in language]
Chromatin and transcription: histones continue to make their marks.

Chromatin architecture is modulated by a large number of enzymes, resulting in the proper regulation of transcription, replication, cell cycle progression, DNA repair, recombination and chromosome segregation. The structure, regulation and coordination of these enzymatic activities were the main topics of discussion at The Enzymology of Chromatin and Transcription Keystone Symposium held in Santa Fe, NM (March 10–16, 2003).
Elastic and shear moduli of coal measure rocks derived from basic well logs using fractal statistics and radial basis functions

Abstract Gamma ray, density, sonic and core logs obtained from two boreholes drilled over a longwall panel in Southwestern (SW) Pennsylvania were analyzed for formation boundaries, log-derived porosities and densities and for rock elastic properties from sonic transit times. Gamma ray (GR) and density logs (DL) were analyzed using univariate statistical techniques and fractal statistics for similarity and ordering of the log data in depth. A Fourier transformation with low-pass filter was used as a noise elimination (filtering) technique from the original logs. Filtered data was tested using basic univariate and fractal statistics, rescaled range (R/S) and power spectrum (PS) analysis to compare the information characteristics of the filtered logs with the original data. The randomness of log data in depth was analyzed for fractional Gaussian noise (fGn) or fractional Brownian motion (fBm) character. A new prediction technique using radial basis function (RBF) networks was developed to calculate shear and Young's moduli of the formations when sonic logs are not available. For this approach, the filtered logs were used as input to an RBF based upon a combination of supervised and unsupervised learning. The network was trained and tested using rock elastic properties calculated from the sonic log of one of the boreholes. The network was used to predict the elastic and shear moduli of the coal-measure rocks over a longwall coal mine in SW Pennsylvania. This approach demonstrated that it could be used for prediction of elastic and shear moduli of coal-measure rocks with reasonable accuracy.
Multiband radiometer for field research

A multiband radiometer for field research with 8 bands between 0.4 and 12.5 micrometers is described. The data acquisition system will record the results from the radiometer, a precision radiation thermometer, and ancillary sources. The radiometer and data handling systems will be adaptable to helicopter, truck, to tripod platforms; the system will also be suitable for portable hand-held operation. The general characteristics of this system are that it will be (1) inexpensive to acquire, maintain, and operate, (2) simple to calibrate, (3) complete with data handling hardware and software, and (4) well-documented for use by researchers.