cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dopamine D1 receptor density in the mPFC responds to cognitive demands and receptor turnover contributes to general cognitive ability in mice

In both humans and mice, performance on tests of intelligence or general cognitive ability (GCA) is related to dopamine D1 receptor-mediated activity in the prelimbic cortex, and levels of DRD1 mRNA predict the GCA of mice. Here we assessed the turnover rate of D1 receptors as well as the expression level of the D1 chaperone protein (DRiP78) in the medial PPC (mPFC) of mice to determine whether rate of receptor turnover was associated with variations in the GCA of genetically heterogeneous mice. Following assessment of GCA (aggregate performance on four diverse learning tests) mice were administered an irreversible dopamine receptor antagonist (EEDQ), after which the density of new D1 receptors were quantified. GCA was positively correlated with both the rate of D1 receptor recovery and levels of DRiP78. Additionally, the density of D1 receptors was observed to increase within 60 min (or less) in response to intense demands on working memory, suggesting that a pool of immature receptors was available to accommodate high cognitive loads. These results provide evidence that innate general cognitive abilities are related to D1 receptor turnover rates in the prefrontal cortex, and that an intracellular pool of immature D1 receptors are available to accommodate cognitive demands.
Individual Branding: How the Rise of Individual Creation and Distribution of Cultural Products Confuses the Intellectual Property System

Much of the current intellectual property system can be explained as meeting the needs of a culture industry based on individual authors who look to corporate entities to mass produce and distribute cultural products. Today, however, as digital technology decreases the cost of both the production and distribution of cultural products, individuals have taken on previously corporate roles. Authors now seek copyright and trademark protection for their work in ways that expand authorial control at the expense of the intellectual property system as a whole. In this essay I argue that these new modes of generating value may require protection but that the current intellectual property system is not equipped to provide such protection without upsetting the balance between creators and users. This essay seeks to map authors’ new interests as a way to show where the intellectual property system can meet these new needs or where it must change. Given the speed with which technology and this type of production evolves, I offer that the law may not best way to manage many of these interests at all.
Creativity and Reinforced Variability

Campbell (1960) argued that random variations are essential for creativity because, if an act is truly novel or original, it cannot be anticipated or preformulated. A random process implies, according to Campbell, that generation of variations cannot be accounted for by knowledge of prior environmental events. (Ultimately the environment selects from among the variations [see Donahoe, this volume], but Campbell’s focus, and that of the present paper, is on the variation process itself.) Campbell was convincing that variability is necessary for creativity—replication is not creative—but contemporary research shows that the process by which variations are generated is in fact influenced by the environment. Variable versus repetitive actions, levels of variability, the set of possible variants, and the probability of unlikely combinations; all of these are directly affected by consequences. Stated simply, behavioral variability can be reinforced. To the extent that variability is necessary, creativity may wither in the absence of environmental support. This claim is both controversial, because many believe that reinforcement is detrimental to creativity, a claim to which I shall return, and important, because it indicates a direction for educational and social policy.
Children with Specific Language Impairment

Specific language impairment (SLI) has been described as a significant language impairment that has no obvious cause and that cannot be attributed to anatomical, physical, or intellectual problems. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the nature, diagnostic criteria, and the possible causes of SLI. This chapter also focuses on the characteristic language profiles of SLI, associated problems, the developmental course, theoretical orientations, and cultural and linguistic considerations in the assessment and treatment of SLI.
A Simple Relaxation Scheme for Polar Codes

In this paper, a simple relaxation scheme to reduce the encoding and decoding complexity of polar codes is introduced. Unlike the conventional relaxation schemes, the proposed technique relies on selecting relevant encoding/decoding nodes based on initialized relaxation attribute values and their extension to the remainder of the encoder and decoder stages. We show that the proposed relaxation scheme provides comparable BLER performance to the conventional polar codes by numerical simulations, while having significant complexity reduction.
A History of Grounding and Earthing Practices in the United States: Part 2: Continuing From the 1930s Onward

In the January 2019 issue of IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, the first part of this article discussed the 270-year history of using earth as an electrical conductor for man-made electricity. Starting with the 1930s, this second part of the article continues that discussion. For the first 140 years of man-made electricity, scientists and engineers used earth as a conductor to return the continuous flowing electric current back to the source. However, Edison realized the possible physical health hazards this practice entailed for humans and animals. For a brief quarter of a century, earth was not used as a conductor, and, in hindsight, perhaps it was the lack of knowledge of man-made electricity that enabled what seemed to be the correct action at the time but would later prove to be harmful to living things. The fascinating history of using the earth for conducting man-made electricity illuminates a bright future.
Responding to identity theft: A victimization perspective

Abstract This study examines victims' responses to identity theft and antecedents to their responses. Drawing upon the victimization and coping literature, we recognize an emotional response called perceived distress and a portfolio of four behavioral responses including refraining from online transactions, refraining from information disclosure, emotional adjustment, and self-protection such as subscription to identity theft protection services. We conduct an empirical test on the antecedents to the responses. Based on a survey of 197 self-reported identity theft victims, we find that perceived victimization severity, which is determined by the magnitude of financial loss, the extent of misuse of personal information, and the amount of time spent resolving the issue, has a positive impact on perceived distress, and perceived distress has a positive impact on the behavioral responses. In addition, time elapsed since the incident negatively influences perceived distress, and past use of online services negatively influences the behavioral responses. This study highlights the central role of perceived distress in mediating the impact of perceived victimization severity on behavioral responses, calling for more attention to emotional responses of victims.
Comparison of the isotopic composition of fish otolith-bound organic N with host tissue

The 15N/14N ratio of the fish-native organic matter preserved in fish otoliths (or δ15Noto) may allow for reconstruction of fish trophic history and changes in food webs. To support this applicatio...
Health Related Quality of Life a Predictor of 30 Day Hospital Readmission among Heart Failure Patients

Background Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospital readmission among patients, age 65 years and older with the prevalence increasing 46% from 2012 to 2030, resulting in more than 8 million Americans affected. As defined by Healthy People 2020, health related quality of life measures, the way in which HF diagnosis could affect the physical, emotional, mental and social dimensions of the patient's life. Quality of life refers to patients subjective perceptions of the effect of HF on their activity of daily living. Overall quality of life is subjective and individualized. Research is limited regarding the prediction of 30 day hospital readmissions and the use of self-reporting tools among Heart failure (HF). It is important to understand the variables associated with health- related quality of life (HRQOL). Purpose The purpose of this project was to examine the relationship between self-reported Health related quality of life (HRQOL) to 30 day hospital re-admission rates among patients with HF as measured by the Minnesota Living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHQ). The independent variables in this study is quality of life; the dependent variable is 30-day hospital readmission rate. Research Question What is the relationship between health related quality of life to 30 day hospital readmission rates among patients with diagnosis of heart failure? Hypothesis There will be a positive correlation between increase in health related quality of life challenges as measured by the Minnesota Living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHQ) and 30 day hospital readmissions. Methods A quantitative, descriptive co-relational research design (n=66) was used to examine the correlation between the predictor variable, Health related quality of life, to 30-day hospital readmission rates among patients with HF. The Minnesota Living with Heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ) was utilized as a self- reporting tool to assess quality of life scores. IRB was obtained from the institution of study, participants who volunteered to participate in the study and met the eligibility criteria were consented and requested to complete the MLHFQ as a self - reported tool. Results A total of seventy participants were recruited to the study, of which four participants were excluded due to mortality, lack of contactable phone number or having opted for palliative care. An independent sample t-test done to test for relationship between health quality of life and readmission was significant (p Conclusions The results of this study provide Health care providers information about predictors of readmissions among participants diagnosed with HF.
A two-factor learning model for private sector industrial firms

The Cobb–Douglas form of the two-factor learning curve model has been the conventional choice in empirical studies of the relative importance of R&D versus capacity expansion for cost reduction in ...
What knowledge and attitudes inform public librarians’ interactions with library patrons in crisis?:

Using a thematic analysis, this article explores the knowledge and attitudes that inform public librarians’ interactions with people in crisis. Through five focus groups with 22 librarians at a lar...
Online Engagement of Commuter Students in a General Chemistry Course During COVID-19

This paper summarizes the author’s experiences with transitioning from face-to-face to online General Chemistry Zoom sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition to online teaching during ...
Rapid Implementation of a Vaccination Superstation

This Viewpoint details lessons learned from a county-private-university collaboration in San Diego to stand up a coronavirus vaccine superstation to immunize 4500-5000 people daily, detailing optimization of patient throughput and ways to monitor adverse events and document vaccine administration at scale [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association is the property of American Medical Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
Small-Animal SPECT, SPECT/CT, and SPECT/MRI

Abstract In this chapter, we provide an overview of small-animal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) applications and instrumentation. To reflect the recent expansion of both research and commercial activity in SPECT, SPECT/CT, and SPECT/MRI devices for small animals, the chapter has been organized to provide some history and a basic overview of applications and commercial instruments followed by a description of basic hardware and image formation methods in SPECT. Design trends in small-animal SPECT devices are then discussed, and the chapter concludes with a brief discussion of future directions in the field.
Sewage sludge loading rates for wheat production in an arid environment.

A greenhouse study was conducted at Tucson, Arizona in 1987 and 1988 to evaluate the effects of sewage sludge loading rates on growth, yield, and heavy metal content of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) grown in Brazito sandy loam soil. Wheat fertilized with the recommended rate of inorganic N and equivalent amounts of plant-available N from sewage sludge was similar in vegetative growth, grain yield, and straw yield. Sewage sludge rates higher than the recommended plant-available N level resulted in slight increases in grain yield and number of days to heading. Sludge rates higher than three times the recommended plant-available N level decreased the stand during the seedling stage. The loss of stand was compensated for, later in the season, by higher tillering. Cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) accumulations in wheat grain and straw and in the soil following each harvest were low and similar for all fertilizer treatments.
Analysis of cellular adhesion in cultured cells.

Publisher Summary Many cell adhesion molecules have been identified and characterized from Drosophila . This chapter describes a cell culture assay that adds a new tool for the analysis of cellular adhesion in Drosophila . Cell adhesion interactions can be classified as either hemophilic—that is, an adhesive interaction between two molecules of the same species, or heterophilic—that is, an interaction between different protein species. The chapter discusses the procedures developed for the analysis of cellular adhesion in cultured Drosophila cells. The procedures are described as if homophilic adhesion molecules are being assayed. The assays for heterophilic interactions require separate cell lines expressing both molecular components of the interaction. A distinction should be drawn between cell adhesion and the possible secondary effects of cell adhesion. Cell adhesion is a simple strengthening of the physical association between two cells. Some studies suggest that the binding of cell adhesion molecules may be accompanied by the generation of intracellular signals that can initiate changes in the participant cells.
The Oxygen-Conserving Potential of the Trigeminocardiac Reflex

Stimulation of the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve can trigger a complex response known as the diving response (DR). Universally expressed in all animals, the DR is targeted to enable them to survive anoxic conditions. In the response, severe hypoxia or anoxia, complex multisystem and multilevel changes diminish oxygen consumption and activate endogenous protective mechanisms. The salient features of the DR are apnea, bradycardia, and peripheral vasoconstriction. Bradycardia decreases myocardial oxygen consumption, peripheral vasoconstriction limits both the blood supply and oxygen use by “nonvital” organs. Although the brain’s blood supply remains stable, neurogenic mechanisms diminish brain activity in order to decrease brain metabolism. Along with the slowing of oxygen consumption, neurogenic neuroprotective mechanisms are activated to increase the brain’s tolerance of hypoxia at system and cellular levels.
Induction of MCP-1 expression in airway epithelial cells: Role of CCR2 receptor in airway epithelial injury

The repair of an injured bronchial epithelial cell (BEC) monolayer requires proliferation and migration of BECs into the injured area. We hypothesized that BEC monolayer injury results in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production, which initiates the repair process. BECs (BEAS-2B from ATCC) were utilized in this study. MCP-1 interacts with CCR2B receptor (CCR2B), resulting in cell proliferation, haptotaxis, and healing of the monolayer. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed to verify the presence of CCR2B. CCR2B was not merely present but also inducible by interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We demonstrated by immunohistochemistry that BECs express MCP-1 after injury and that receptor expression can be regulated by exposure to IL-2 and LPS. Haptotactic migration of cells was enhanced in the presence of MCP-1 and reduced in the presence of CCR2B antibody. This enhanced or depressed ability of the BECs to perform haptotactic migration was shown to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) when compared to controls. Finally, BECs proliferate in response to MCP-1 as proven by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) technology. MCP-1-specific antibodies were shown to neutralize the MCP-1-mediated BEC proliferation. This cascade of events following injury to the bronchial epithelium may provide insight into the mechanism of the repair process.
Maternal—Fetal relation: II. Further characterization of an immunologic blocking factor that develops during pregnancy

Abstract An IgG blocking factor previously described to be present in the serum of normal multigravid women inhibits the production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) by maternal lymphocytes responding to paternal antigens. In the present study, this blocking factor was detected in primigravid women during 12–26 weeks of gestation. The factor was found to block MIF production as well as lymphocyte proliferation induced by an allogeneic stimulus. Blocking activity was detected at about the same time during gestation when measured in either assay. In addition, IgG fractions isolated from placental eluates were found to suppress maternal MIF production to the same extent as serum blocking activity. Like serum blocking activity, the placental IgG suppressed MIF in a specific manner (autologous placental IgG suppressed MIF but not homologous placental IgG). In an attempt to study the antigenic nature of the trophoblast, we observed that solubilized trophoblast membranes were able to stimulate maternal mononuclear cells to produce MIF; MIF production in response to trophoblast membranes was antigen specific in that autologous but not homologous membranes were stimulatory. HLA-A,B,C and DR typing of normal gravid women and women with idiopathic spontaneous abortions revealed similar degrees of matching and mismatching in both groups of subjects for these antigens. There was no significant increase or decrease in any HLA-A,B,C, antigens in the group of chronic aborters. Thus, the biologic significance of an IgG antibody that develops during pregnancy has been further characterized and its role in the maintenance of normal-term pregnancy discussed.
Compile-Time Based Performance Prediction

In this paper we present results we obtained using a compiler to predict performance of scientific codes. The compiler, Polaris [3], is both the primary tool for estimating the performance of a range of codes, and the beneficiary of the results obtained from predicting the program behavior at compile time. We show that a simple compile-time model, augmented with profiling data obtained using very light instrumentation, can be accurate within 20% (on average) of the measured performance for codes using both dense and sparse computational methods.
Multiple-View Object Recognition in Smart Camera Networks

We study object recognition in low-power, low-bandwidth smart camera networks. The ability to perform robust object recognition is crucial for applications such as visual surveillance to track and identify objects of interest, and overcome visual nuisances such as occlusion and pose variations between multiple camera views. To accommodate limited bandwidth between the cameras and the base-station computer, the method utilizes the available computational power on the smart sensors to locally extract SIFT-type image features to represent individual camera views. We show that between a network of cameras, high-dimensional SIFT histograms exhibit a joint sparse pattern corresponding to a set of shared features in 3-D. Such joint sparse patterns can be explicitly exploited to encode the distributed signal via random projections. At the network station, multiple decoding schemes are studied to simultaneously recover the multiple-view object features based on a distributed compressive sensing theory. The system has been implemented on the Berkeley CITRIC smart camera platform. The efficacy of the algorithm is validated through extensive simulation and experiment.
Sources and chemical character of dissolved organic carbon across an alpine/subalpine ecotone, Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, United States

ascending limb of the snowmelt hydrograph, with the higher concentrations at the two subalpine sites. Seasonally, the chemical fractionation of DOC showed that there was a large range (29–72%) in the fulvic acid content of DOC at the four sites, with the highest fulvic acid percentages on the ascending limb of the hydrograph. Yields of DOC at the two gauged sites ranged from 10 to 11 kg ha � 1 over the season with between 45 and 50% of the yield occurring as fulvic acid DOC and the remainder as nonhumic material. The fluorescence properties of DOC from all four sites indicated that during peak runoff, DOC was derived primarily from terrestrial precursor material. However, seasonal changes in the fluorescence properties of fulvic acids at the highest elevation sites suggest that DOC derived from algal and microbial biomass in the lakes is a more important source of DOC above tree line during late summer and fall. We hypothesize that much of the
Welcome to the New International Journal

Global Education Review is a publication of The School of Education at Mercy College, New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Posamentier, Alfred S. (2014). Welcome to the new international journal. Global Education Review, 1 (1). 1-2. Welcome to the New International Journal
Diversity in Natural Resource Science Professions

I read and re-read Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac, but never felt the connection that others in my natural resource classes seemed to find. Perhaps it was because I was not from the Midwest; it...
Antifungal Drug Interactions

The risk of an adverse effect with a drug interaction is further increased in patients with advanced age, malnutrition, malabsorption, chronic illness, hepatic or renal dysfunction, polypharmacy, or concomitant use of drugs with a narrow therapeutic index or in patients whose care is provided by multiple specialists or prescribers. As many or all of these risk factors are present in the patient populations predisposed to invasive fungal infections, drug interactions should be anticipated in any patient receiving systemic antifungal therapy for invasive aspergillosis. This chapter focuses on mechanisms and clinical implications of pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions in the patient with aspergillosis. The density of P-gp expression in the gastrointestinal tract exhibits wide intra- and interpatient variability that is affected by diet, underlying disease, drug therapy, and genetics. Some chemotherapy agents and immunosuppressants used in solid organ or hematopoetic stem cell transplantation are extensively cleared through CYP3A4 biotransformation. Management of these interactions focuses on preventative measures to limit the severity of the reaction and careful monitoring and supplementation of electrolyte deficiencies. Patients with invasive aspergillosis have multiple risk factors for potentially harmful drug interactions. Although some drug interactions may be trivial or have minor effects, interactions that enhance the metabolism of antifungals used to treat Aspergillus infection, interactions that affect drugs with a narrow therapeutic index (i.e., immunosuppressants, chemotherapy, antiretrovirals), and interactions that increase cardiac QT prolongation should always be considered important and managed in a proactive fashion.
Applications of stochastic particle models to oceanographic problems

Three Markovian particle models are reviewed, providing a hierarchy of increasingly detailed descriptions of particle motion and dispersion. Model 1 assumes that the scales of turbulent motion are infinitesimal, and it is equivalent to the advection-diffusion equation. Model 2 introduces a finite scale T for the turbulent velocity,, and model 3 introduces an additional scale for the acceleration, T a < T. The models are compared with oceanographic data from drifting buoys, which satisfactorily approximate the motion of ideal particles in mesoscale turbulent fields. Model 2 appears to provide a satisfactory description of the second order particle statistics in the upper ocean. Model 3 appears to be applicable to deep ocean data with some questions still remaining open. Some examples of analytical calculations of dispersion using the models are shown for some simple oceanographie flows. The results indicate that the introduction of finite scales of turbulence plays an important role not only at initial times, t < T, but also for dispersion at longer times if the mean flow is strongly dependent on space and time, so that the scales of the mean flow and of the turbulence are of the same order. In these situations, which are characteristics of important current systems in the ocean, the advection-diffusion equation is not accurate, and the use of stochastic models such as 2 and 3 is especially indicated. Two different classes of applications for the models are reviewed: “direct” applications, where the models are directly integrated to compute dispersion, and “inverse” applications where the models are used to extract information about the velocity field from the Lagrangian data. A discussion is also provided on future applications of the models to study more general classes of oceanic flows including coherent structures.
The Organization and Functions of Anglo-American Merchant Bankers, 1815–1860

PRIOR to the Civil War in the United States much of the economic development of the country was financed by means of European credit, extended for both short and long terms. The flow of capital was chiefly from England and considerable Continental capital moved through England to the United States. A few firms in England were the chief instruments in this process of financing American trade and marketing American securities. These Anglo-American merchant bankers are the subject of this paper.' Certainly any light that can be shed upon the history of international private finance should be a welcome addition to our historical knowledge. In almost any period that might be mentioned the man in the street has regarded the banker, especially the international banker, as offering no service except a repository for the inflowing shekels. Even economic historians have tended to consider the functions of AngloAmerican houses as primarily of a banking nature. This paper constitutes little more than a sketch of the organization and functions of these merchant bankers, but details and qualifications of generalizations must await more extensive publications at a later date. Before going further perhaps I should answer the question, "What is meant by the term, 'merchant banker' ?" This entire paper is intended to answer that question, but at this juncture I refer to a small group of firms, located chiefly in London, which performed a large variety of services in forwarding American business enterprise, both domestic and foreign, in the period under discussion. The firms, all doing business under the label of "merchants," belonged to at least two categories. One type specialized in financing the export of some particular product from the United States: Dennistoun and Company of Liverpool, predominantly concerned in moving American cotton to northern English consumers, is an example of this kind of business enterprise. In contrast, the group of firms discussed in this
In situ measurement of cluster mass fraction in supersonic gas jets by frequency domain holography

We determine cluster mass fraction f c in supersonic gas jets by measuring femtosecond evolution of the jet's refractive index by single-shot frequency domain holography. Variations of f c with time, position and backing pressure are measured.
Family Environments and Self-Consciousness in Early Adolescence

Modified versions of Epstein and McPartland's Family Decision-Making Scale were administered to upper elementary and junior high school children to assess their perceptions of the degree to which the child shares power and authority with parents and the degree to which the child participates in making decisions at home. Support was found for the hypothesis that parent-child authority relationships are systematically related to children's self-consciousness in various spheres of experience. Children from highly Authoritarian families reported greater self-consciousness in the math classroom, amongst peers, and in sports settings; they also reported a greater overall tendency to avoid situations in which the self was salient. In contrast children from families offering opportunities for self-direction reported an opposite pattern. Finally children's self-consciousness was differentially related to children's selfesteem and self-concept of ability in math, social, and sports domains. The authors conclude tha...
Quantum dot-amphipol nanocomplex for intracellular delivery and real-time imaging of siRNA.

A new generation of nanoparticle carrier that allows efficient delivery and real-time imaging of siRNA in live cells has been developed by combining two distinct types of nanomaterials, semiconductor quantum dots and amphipols. An important finding is that, although amphipols are broadly used for solubilizing and delivering hydrophobic proteins into the lipid bilayers of cell membrane, when combined with nanoparticles, they offer previously undiscovered functionalities, including cytoplasm delivery, siRNA protection, and endosome escape. Compared with the classic siRNA carriers such as Lipofectamine and polyethyleneimine, this new class of nanocarrier works in both serum-free and complete cell culture media, which is advantageous over Lipofectamine. It also outperforms polyethyleneimine in gene silencing under both conditions with significantly reduced toxicity. Furthermore, the intrinsic fluorescence of quantum dots provides a mechanism for real-time imaging of siRNA delivery in live cells. This new mult...
Role of Sox2 in the development of the mouse neocortex

The mammalian neocortex is established from neural stem and progenitor cells that utilize specific transcriptional and environmental factors to create functional neurons and astrocytes. Here, we examined the mechanism of Sox2 action during neocortical neurogenesis and gliogenesis. We established a robust Sox2 expression in neural stem and progenitor cells within the ventricular zone, which persisted until the cells exited the cell cycle. Overexpression of constitutively active Sox2 in neural progenitors resulted in upregulation of Notch1, recombination signal-sequence binding protein-J (RBP-J) and hairy enhancer of split 5 (Hes5) transcripts and the Sox2 high mobility group (HMG) domain seemed sufficient to confer these effects. While Sox2 overexpression permitted the differentiation of progenitors into astroglia, it inhibited neurogenesis, unless the Notch pathway was blocked. Moreover, neuronal precursors engaged a serine protease(s) to eliminate the overexpressed Sox2 protein and relieve the repression of neurogenesis. Glial precursors and differentiated astrocytes, on the other hand, maintained Sox2 expression until they reached a quiescent state. Sox2 expression was re-activated by signals that triggered astrocytic proliferation (i.e., injury, mitogenic and gliogenic factors). Taken together, Sox2 appears to act upstream of the Notch signaling pathway to maintain the cell proliferative potential and to ensure the generation of sufficient cell numbers and phenotypes in the developing neocortex.
Stimulation of Paracrine Pathways With Growth Factors Enhances Embryonic Stem Cell Engraftment and Host-Specific Differentiation in the Heart After Ischemic Myocardial Injury

Background— Growth factors play an essential role in organogenesis. We examine the potential of growth factors to enhance cell engraftment and differentiation and to promote functional improvement after transfer of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells into the injured heart. Methods and Results— Green fluorescent protein (GFP)–positive embryonic stem cells derived from 129sv mice were injected into the ischemic area after left anterior descending artery ligation in allogenic (BALB/c) mice. Fifty nanograms of recombinant mouse vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF) was added to the cell suspension. Separate control groups were formed in which only the growth factors were given. Echocardiography was performed 2 weeks later to evaluate heart function (fractional shortening [FS]), end-diastolic diameter, and left ventricular wall thickness). Hearts were harvested for histology (connexin 43, α-sarcomeric actin, CD3, CD11c, major histocompatabil...
Oral mucosal wetness in hypo- and normosalivators

After a person swallows, a film of residual saliva covers the oral hard- and soft-tissue surfaces. Here, the thickness of this film was measured at 11 selected mucosal surfaces on each side of the mouth (22 sites total) in two groups of dry-mouth and one group of normal individuals. Each group contained 25 individuals; one of the dry-mouth groups had resting flow rates < or = 0.1 ml/min while the other and the normal had flow rates above that. Residual saliva thickness was determined by placing frying-pan-shaped filter-paper strips (Sialopaper) against the mucosa at each site for 5 s and measuring the saliva volume collected with a modified Periotron 6000 micro-moisture meter; the thickness was then calculated by dividing the collected saliva volume by the strip area. The two groups with dry-mouth symptoms had mean resting (unstimulated) saliva flow rates of 0.04 and 0.19 ml/min and mean mucosal saliva thicknesses of 22.4 and 27.8 microns, respectively. The control group had a higher mean saliva flow rate of 0.39 ml/min and mucosal saliva thickness of 41.8 microns. As was observed in a previous study on normosalivators, the various sites had a characteristic pattern of wetness, with the hard palate and lips the least moist regions. In this study, these observations, were also true in the two dry-mouth groups. Lower resting saliva flow rates were associated with lower mucosal thickness of saliva and with dryness symptoms becoming evident when hyposalivation was below about 0.1-0.2 ml/min. The characteristic pattern of mucosal wetness was not affected by saliva flow rate. As saliva readily collects in the floor of the mouth and is then spread over other mucosal surfaces upon swallowing, it was suggested that hyposalivation could also lead to the dryness symptoms because there was not enough saliva to cover the various oral surfaces, especially the palate and the lips. In this regard, a critical level of moisture was proposed as necessary to protect vulnerable mucosal surfaces from becoming dry. Lower resting saliva flow rates and correspondingly lower mucosal wetness were also associated with a more acidic salivary pH, which was shown earlier to be associated with lower dental plaque pH.
Murine HIP/L29 Is a Heparin-binding Protein with a Restricted Pattern of Expression in Adult Tissues

Abstract Heparin/heparan sulfate (Hp/HS)-binding proteins are implicated in a variety of cell biological processes including cell adhesion, modulation of blood coagulation, and cytokine/growth factor action. Hp/HS-interacting protein (HIP) has been identified in various adult tissues in humans. HIP supports high affinity, selective binding to Hp/HS, promotes cell adhesion, and modulates blood coagulation activities via Hp/HS-dependent mechanisms. Herein, a murine ortholog of human HIP is described that is 78.8% identical to human HIP and 99.8% identical at the cDNA level and identical at the amino acid level to a previously described murine ribosomal protein, L29. Western blot analyses and immunohistological staining with affinity-purified antibodies generated against two distinct peptide sequences of murine HIP/L29 indicate that HIP/L29 is differentially expressed in adult murine tissues and cell types. In the normal murine mammary epithelial cell line, NMuMG, HIP/L29 is enriched in the 100,000 × g particulate fraction. HIP/L29 can be solubilized from the 100,000 × g particulate fraction with 0.8 m NaCl, suggesting that it is a peripheral membrane protein. HIP/L29 directly binds 125I-Hp in gel overlay assays and requires 0.75 m NaCl for elution from Hp-agarose. In addition, recombinant murine HIP expressed inEscherichia coli binds Hp in a saturable and highly selective manner, compared with other glycosaminoglycans including dermatan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid. Collectively, these data indicate that murine HIP/L29, like its human ortholog, is a Hp-binding protein expressed in a restricted manner in adult tissues.
Improved profile fitting and quantification of uncertainty in experimental measurements of impurity transport coefficients using Gaussian process regression

The need to fit smooth temperature and density profiles to discrete observations is ubiquitous in plasma physics, but the prevailing techniques for this have many shortcomings that cast doubt on the statistical validity of the results. This issue is amplified in the context of validation of gyrokinetic transport models (Holland et al 2009 Phys. Plasmas 16 052301), where the strong sensitivity of the code outputs to input gradients means that inadequacies in the profile fitting technique can easily lead to an incorrect assessment of the degree of agreement with experimental measurements. In order to rectify the shortcomings of standard approaches to profile fitting, we have applied Gaussian process regression (GPR), a powerful non-parametric regression technique, to analyse an Alcator C-Mod L-mode discharge used for past gyrokinetic validation work (Howard et al 2012 Nucl. Fusion 52 063002). We show that the GPR techniques can reproduce the previous results while delivering more statistically rigorous fits and uncertainty estimates for both the value and the gradient of plasma profiles with an improved level of automation. We also discuss how the use of GPR can allow for dramatic increases in the rate of convergence of uncertainty propagation for any code that takes experimental profiles as inputs. The new GPR techniques for profile fitting and uncertainty propagation are quite useful and general, and we describe the steps to implementation in detail in this paper. These techniques have the potential to substantially improve the quality of uncertainty estimates on profile fits and the rate of convergence of uncertainty propagation, making them of great interest for wider use in fusion experiments and modelling efforts.
Surface Modification in Polycrystalline Y2O3 Under High-Pressure/High-Temperature Processing Conditions

A pressure-induced phase transformation is used to refine the grain size of polycrystalline Y2O3, by a factor of 3000. A surface modification effect accompanies the observed grain refinement, which becomes more apparent with increasing holding time under high pressure. The surface-modified layer exhibits lower hardness and lower oxygen content relative to the underlying material. Moreover, it possesses columnar-grained structure with cubic symmetry, whereas the interior has a monoclinic structure.
Fiber-types of sarcomeric proteins expressed in cultured myogenic cells are modulated by the dose of myogenin activity

The myogenic basic helix-loop-helix regulatory factors (MRFs) maintain commitment of proliferating cells to the skeletal myogenic lineage, and contribute to activation of transcription of muscle-specific genes in myocytes and muscle fibers. A clear role for any or all of the MRFs in muscle fiber-type determination, however, has not emerged from expression or genetic studies. During fetal, neonatal and adult life, diversification of muscle fiber types, and the dynamics of slow or fast fiber type adaptation and growth, are controlled by exogenous factors, including innervation, work load, and hormonal signaling. In contrast, stereotypical development of muscle fibers preferentially expressing slow or fast isoforms of sarcomeric proteins in the embryo occurs in the absence of these factors, and appears to be mediated both by input from the surrounding interstitial milieu, as well by cell autonomous mechanisms. We report here that diversification of myogenic cells in culture towards the expression of fast or slow skeletal muscle fiber types can be determined by the activity and dose of at least one MRF, myogenin. The dose of myogenin is modulated by two parameters: the phosphorylation state of the transcriptional activation domains, and the level of expression. Low doses of myogenin promoted a fast phenotype, whereas higher doses promoted a slow phenotype, and further studies suggested that diversification is mediated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. The potential for dose or numeration signaling by basic helix-loop-helix regulators has been revealed by studies in Drosophila melanogaster, while the present results support the notion that this mechanism may be more commonly employed to generate subdiversity among developing cell types.
On becoming a process-enabled organization: How to seed a culture of quality in a postacquisition environment

Misaligned processes and disparate cultures can plague MA its successful application in a postacquisition environment; and organizational considerations, including influence models and the role of sponsors and champions, for shepherding an organization toward greater process quality and rigor. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Natural killer (NK) cells in domestic animals: phenotype, target cell specificity and cytokine regulation

A comprehensive review of NK cells in animals of veterinary medical importance has not been previously published. However, these cells have a high level of immunological/medical relevance due to their role in tumour cell destruction and B-cell regulation, as well as their inhibitory activities against various parasites and bacteria. In the present review, NK cells from agriculturally important animals are characterized. Cell phenotype descriptions have shown that for each species, unique (i.e. non-cross-reactive with anti-human CD antibodies) and different monoclonals are required to identify NK cells. These cells lyse certain tumour and virus transformed target cells and, as might be expected from the diverse species compared in this review, analysis of the tissue distribution of NK cells gives highly varied results. NK cell morphology differs in these species from small agranular to large granular lymphocytes. The final area considered relates to studies on the effects of cytokines on NK function and to research identifying which cytokines (if any) are produced by NK cells during activation responses. The largest quantity of available data concerns functional and descriptive studies in these animals. However, it is appropriate to consider this research as a starting point on which to build comparative and molecular studies of the roles of NK cells in immunosurveillance and immunoregulation.
A Study on the Structure of the Egg of the Walking-Stick, Diapheromera Femorata Say; and the Biological Signifcance of the Resemblance of Phasmid Eggs to Seeds.

A detailed description of the eggs of the walking-stick is essential because in the systematic work on the Phasmidae, the eggs are said to be a very valuable auxiliary means of identification, since their form, “fur die Genera charakteristisch ist.” (Brunner von Wattenwyl†). Kaup (8) even remarks, “Vielleicht wird man spater die Arten durch die Eier schneller unterscheiden lernen als durch die Thiere selbst!”
EX CORDE UNIVERSITATIS: FROM THE HEART OF THE UNIVERSITY

This paper explores the place of religion within the assumptions of the modern research university. The issue for Christianity is essentially epistemic: Given the criteria for truth or plausibility that prevail in advanced academic communities, what are the warrants for Christian belief? Are the prevailing criteria defined such that Christian claims can have no epistemic standing? The modern-day clash between Christianity and academic discourse go to the heart of the differing projects. For the academy, issues are admitted at arm's length, while Christianity moves beyond discussion to decision, to trust and to faith. This paper is not another screed against the modern university. Instead, the author regards the modern university as one of the great inventions of the human mind, and the university today can boast of its humanistic ideology. The author considers the sciences and arts as marvels of human ingenuity and emotional insight. The place of Christian belief within academic humanism is pondered.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Hydrogen Bond Interactions Based on Local Vibrational Modes

Local stretching modes for 69 different DH single bonds and 58 H···A H-bonds are calculated at the ωB97X-D/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory to describe the changes in donor D and acceptor A upon forming the hydrogen-bonded complex. The intrinsic strength of the DH and AH interactions is determined utilizing the properties of a well-defined set of local, uncoupled vibrational modes. The local mode stretching force constant ka(HA) provides a unique measure of bond strength for both covalently and electrostatically bonded complexes. Generally applicable bond orders are derived, which can be related to the binding energies of the hydrogen bonded complexes. Although the red shifts in the DH stretching frequencies can be used to detect hydrogen bonding, they are not sufficient to assess the strength of hydrogen bonding. It is demonstrated that the calculated BSSE-corrected binding energies of hydrogen bonded complexes are related to the sum of bond order changes caused by hydrogen bonding. The covalent character of charge assisted hydrogen bonds is explained. Because local mode frequencies can also be derived from experimental normal mode frequencies, a new dimension in the study of hydrogen bonding is gained. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The frontier of high energy physics and the large hadron collider

High Energy Physics explores the most fundamental questions about the nature of the universe, e.g., basic building blocks of matter and energy, existence of the smallest sub-atomic particles, dark matter, dark energy etc. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the most powerful accelerator on earth located near Geneva, Switzerland. It recreates the conditions just after the Big Bang by colliding two proton beams head-on at very high energy every 25-50 nanosecond. With the recent discovery of Higgs boson, the LHC is firmly marching on to explore the TeV energy scale.
New Isotopic Age Measurements from the McMurdo Sound Area, Antarctica

SUBSEQUENT to the publication1,2 of potassium/argon dates from basement rocks of the McMurdo Sound area, a few additional dates have been obtained. As shown in Table 1, the potassium/argon dates now available represent a variety of igneous and metamorphic rock types. Each reported date is based on an average of two or three determinations of radiogenic argon content.