cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modularly assembled porous cell-laden hydrogels

Porous cell-laden hydrogels have been modularly assembled to address the challenges in 3-dimensional tissue engineering. Microgels photolithographically fabricated from solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate are assembled into large porous constructs in the presence of a polypeptide-based, physically bonded cross-linker. The assembly occurs through a physiologically permissive Michael-type addition reaction between the acrylate groups on the surface of the microgels and the thiol groups on the cross-linker. The constructs assembled from star-shaped microgels exhibit higher porosity, permeability, and pore interconnectivity than those formed from circle- and square-shaped microgels. The correlation between the properties of assembled constructs and the morphological features of microgels suggests the possibility for bottom-up modulation of the construct properties. The high pore interconnectivity revealed on the level of individual microgels suggests that these constructs are suitable for tissue engineering. Cells remain viable inside centimeter-sized constructs when cultured under perfusion. These constructs have the combined advantages of preformed porous scaffolds and in situ forming hydrogels in allowing enhanced mass transfer, uniform cell seeding, and protection of cells from excessive, non-physiological shear stress. Large constructs can be assembled in one step and have no limitations in size. This method will provide opportunities to create large 3-dimensional tissue engineered products.
Magnetization‐prepared MR angiography with fat suppression and venous saturation

Magnetization-prepared magnetic resonance (MR) angiography (MPMRA) is an inflow-based two-dimensional (2D) imaging sequence in which a preparation phase precedes rapid image acquisition. For maximal blood/tissue contrast, an inversion-recovery preparation nulls signal from static tissue. If needed, a second inversion suppresses signal from fat. Fully magnetized blood flows in after the inversion pulse (s), providing high signal intensity. The centric phase-encoding order, which ensures that the initial contrast is reflected in the image set, requires the use of a modified venous saturation technique. The sequence is described and its performance assessed with regard to (a) depiction of in-plane flow, (b) fat suppression, and (c) venous saturation. Phantom and volunteer studies showed good performance in all three areas. MPMRA images, acquired in just 2–4 seconds per image, had a blood/tissue contrast-to-noise ratio nearly twice that of standard 2D time-of-flight MR angiograms, acquired in 5–7 seconds. The technique is promising for restless patients and in anatomic areas plagued by motion degradation.
Role of neonatal androgens in sexual differentiation of brain structure, scent marking, and gonadotropin secretion in gerbils

Gerbils display a sexually dimorphic scent marking behavior that responds to testosterone (T) in adulthood and develops under the influence of testosterone perinatally. A complex of cell groups between the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus of the gerbil brain is also sexually dimorphic and responsive to testosterone. One of these cell groups, the sexually dimorphic area pars compacta (SDApc), usually exists only in males. Even when given testosterone, adult female gerbils rarely have an SDApc. To determine if the SDApc develops under the influence of testosterone, male gerbils were castrated or given sham operations on the day they were born or 1 day later, or were not manipulated. Female gerbils were injected subcutaneously with 0, 50, or 100 micrograms testosterone propionate (TP) on the day after birth. When given ovarian transplants as adults, neonatally castrated males scent marked at low levels typical of females. Neonatally androgenized females given testosterone as adults scent marked at high levels typical of males. Neonatal castration did not affect the probability that the SDApc would develop, but neonatal androgenization did. Half the females given either dose of TP as neonates had SDApcs bilaterally. The sizes of the SDApcs present in females depended on the dose of testosterone given neonatally. The larger dose produced larger SDApcs. The 100-micrograms dose of TP also defeminized gonadotropin secretion, but the 50-micrograms dose did not. The castration of males neonatally prevented the defeminization normally caused by endogenous testosterone. Both groups of neonatally castrated males formed corpora lutea in their ovarian transplants, but control males did not.
Cryogenic Boiling and Two-Phase Flow during Pipe Chilldown in Earth and Reduced Gravity

For many industrial, medical and space technologies, cryogenic fluids play indispensable roles. An integral part of the cryogenic transport processes is the chilldown of the system components during initial applications. In this paper, we report experimental results for a chilldown process that is involved with the unsteady two-phase vapor-liquid flow and boiling heat transfer of the cryogen coupled with the transient heat conduction inside pipe walls. We have provided fundamental understanding on the physics of the two-phase flow and boiling heat transfer during cryogenic quenching through experimental observation, measurement and analysis. Based on the temperature measurement of the tube wall, the terrestrial cryogenic chilldown process is divided into three stages of film boiling, nucleate boiling and single-phase convection that bears a close similarity to the conventional pool boiling process. In earth gravity, cooling rate is non-uniform circumferentially due to a stratified flow pattern that gives rise to more cooling on the bottom wall by liquid filaments. In microgravity, there is no stratified flow and the absence of the gravitational force sends liquid filaments to the central core and replaces them by low thermal conductivity vapor that significantly reduces the heat transfer from the wall. Thus, the chilldown process is axisymmetric, but longer in microgravity.
Ca2+ influx through L-type ca2+ channels controls the trailing tail contraction in growth factor-induced fibroblast cell migration

Growth factor-induced cell migration underlies various physiological and pathological processes. The mechanisms by which growth factors regulate cell migration are not completely understood. Although intracellular elevation of Ca2+ is known to be critical in cell migration, the source of this Ca2+ elevation and the mechanism by which Ca2+ modulates this process in fibroblast cells are not well defined. Here we show that increase of cellular Ca2+ through Ca2+ influx, rather than Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, is essential for growth factor-induced fibroblast cell migration. Voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels, previously known to exist in excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells, are shown here to be present in fibroblasts as well. Furthermore, these channels are responsible for the Ca2+ influx. L-type Ca2+ channel inhibitors block growth factor-induced Ca2+ influx and fibroblast cell migration. One mechanism by which Ca2+ signals control cell migration is to regulate the contraction of the trailing edge of migrating fibroblasts; this process is controlled by the small GTPase Rho in fast migrating cells such as leukocytes. Downstream of Ca2+, both calmodulin and myosin light chain kinase, but not calcineurin, are involved leading to phosphorylation of the myosin light chain at the trailing end. Thus, trailing edge contraction is critically regulated by Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels in growth factor-induced fibroblast cell migration.
Stability for a cap body inequality

There are inequalities of Favard and Minkowski in which equality holds for cap bodies in E d. By obtaining a lower bound for the first area measure, we show that if the Favard deficit is small for some body, then that body must be close, in terms of the Hausdorff metric, to a cap body. For d=3, the inequality of Minkowski is strengthened, and a weak stability result follows.
Diazepam Use by Patients in a Methadone Program – How Serious A Problem?

(1975). Diazepam Use by Patients in a Methadone Program – How Serious A Problem? Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 373-379.
SYSTEMIC EXPOSURE TO IRRADIATED APOPTOTIC CELLS INDUCES AUTOANTIBODY PRODUCTION

During apoptotic cell death, cell surface ligands initiate phagocytosis of the dying cell. Clearance of these apoptotic cells is thought to occur without an immune response. Since a number of autoantigens are located at the cell surface or within apoptotic blebs, we examined whether exposure of mice to syngeneic apoptotic cells by the intravenous route could induce autoantibody production. Normal mice injected with syngeneic apoptotic thymocytes developed antinuclear autoantibodies and anticardiolipin and anti-ssDNA antibodies. The autoantibody levels were generally lower than those observed in MRL/Fas lpr mice and were transient. Surprisingly, six out of six immunized mice demonstrated immunoglobulin G deposition in the glomeruli several months after immunization. These findings indicate that systemic exposure to apoptotic cells can induce an immune response in normal mice, and may help to explain antigen selection and initiation of the immune response in diseases characterized by increased rates of apoptosis such as AIDS and, possibly, systemic lupus erythematosus.
Secondary ion mass spectrometry of small-molecule solids at cryogenic temperatures. V [1]. Oxygen

Abstract Positive secondary ion mass spectra of neat solid O2 and O2 diluted with argon at 15–20K were measured as a function of the nature and energy of the primary ions (He+, Ar+, Kr+, 0.5–4.0 keV). With He+, the spectrum of solid O2 is dominated by O2 and O+ peaks, with Ar+ and Kr+, it is dominated by an intense cluster series O+3n+2, n = 0,1,2….
The effect of aging on anticipatory postural control

The aim of the study was to investigate the differences in anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) between young and older adults and its effect on subsequent control of posture. Ten healthy older adults and thirteen healthy young adults were exposed to predictable external perturbations using the pendulum impact paradigm. Electromyographic activity of the trunk and leg muscles, the center of pressure (COP), and center of mass (COM) displacements in the anterior-posterior direction were recorded and analyzed during the anticipatory and compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs) phases of postural control. The effect of aging was seen as delayed anticipatory muscle activity and larger compensatory muscle responses in older adults as compared to young adults. Moreover, in spite of such larger reactive responses, older adults were still more unstable, exhibiting larger COP and COM peak displacements after the perturbation than young adults when exposed to similar postural disturbances. Nonetheless, while APAs are impaired in older adults, the ability to recruit muscles anticipatorily is largely preserved; however, due to their smaller magnitudes and delayed onsets, it is likely that their effectiveness in reducing the magnitude of CPAs is smaller. The outcome of the study lends support toward investigating the ways of improving anticipatory postural control in people with balance impairments due to aging or neurological disorders.
Demonstration of Bistatic Radar for Ocean Remote Sensing Using Communication Satellite Signals

Remote sensing of ocean roughness using reflected signals from digital communication satellites is demonstrated in an airborne experiment. Transmitted data are approximated as an infinitely long sequence of random bits, which is experimentally a hypothesis confirmed for the S-band XM radio signal. On July 2, 2010, a signal recorder was flown at an altitude of 3.17 km off the coast of Virginia, collecting ocean-reflected signals from both geostationary satellites identified as “Rhythm” and “Blues,” which were broadcasting the XM radio signal. Direct and reflected signals from the same channel were cross-correlated, producing a waveform that agreed well with a model generated at the 7.5-m/s wind speed reported from the Chesapeake Lighthouse. Adjusting this model to fit the experimental data produced an optimal estimate of 6 m/s. A Monte Carlo approach predicted errors of 0.5% from the simulated reflected XM radio signals and 2%-10% from simulated reflected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS-R) signals. This improvement was attributed to the higher ( ~ 30 dB) power in the XM radio signal. The availability of communication satellite transmissions, in all frequency bands used for remote sensing, opens the possibility of using signals of opportunity as low-cost alternatives to radiometry or scatterometry.
Ironstone bodies of the Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa: Products of a Cenozoic hydrological system, not Archean hydrothermal vents!

Irregular bodies of goethite and hematite, termed ironstone pods , in the Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa, have been previously interpreted as the Earth9s most ancient submarine hydrothermal vent deposits and have yielded putative evidence about Archean hydrothermal systems, ocean composition and temperature, and early life. This report summarizes geologic, sedimentological, and petrographic evidence from three widely separated areas showing that the ironstone was deposited on and directly below the modern ground surface by active groundwater and spring systems, probably during periods of higher rainfall in the Pleistocene. The deposits include a recently active spring terrace and outflow system containing iron oxide–encrusted microbial filaments, shallow subsurface groundwater areas showing ironstone deposited between chert blocks and replacing chert, degraded spring and outflow deposits, and goethite-cemented Pleistocene landslide breccias and regolith. The predominance of goethite, a thermally unstable iron oxide; widely developed slope-parallel stratification; abundant primary open cavities, some with vertical goethite dripstone; and the lack of structural deformation collectively indicate that these bodies formed during relatively recent time. Veins and displaced masses of coarsely crystalline quartz show corrosion and represent relict Archean vein and cavity-fill quartz after iron oxide replacement of surrounding chert. Iron was sourced by Archean sideritic sedimentary units that hold up high ridges on which the ironstone bodies occur. Siderite was dissolved by circulating groundwater, and the iron deposited as oxides within the shallow subsurface groundwater system and around springs where the Fe-rich water flowed onto the surface. These deposits represent a remarkable iron oxide–depositing Quaternary hydrologic system but provide no information about conditions or life on the early Earth.
A Cycle-Based Decomposition Method for Burst-Mode Asynchronous Controllers

In this paper, a systematic and automated methodology is proposed for decomposing an asynchronous burst-mode (BM) controller into smaller sub-controllers, where each resulting sub-controller is activated on a communication channel. The proposed approach consists of a new decomposition algorithm, control micro-architecture and inter-controller communication protocol. This method has also been broadened to handle extended burst- mode (XBM) controllers. For both controller types, only a moderate amount of auxiliary hardware is required, and optimizations are proposed to eliminate or simplify this hardware. Initial runtime results for both burst-mode and extended burst- mode controllers are promising. Two of the largest BM benchmarks (dean-cache, scsi) were run using the Minimalist CAD tool and an optimized script. While the original controllers each timed out after 10 hours, the decomposition runs each completed in under 84 seconds. Further attempts to synthesize the original controllers using a suboptimal script succeeded, but with 16-200x greater runtime. Several XBM benchmarks were synthesized using the 3D CAD tool; one large complex controller (cdp-pl) was unable to complete while the decomposed run succeeded in under 197 seconds.
Apomorphine and Alzheimer Aβ: roles for regulated α cleavage, autophagy, and antioxidation?

In this issue, Himeno and colleagues1 describe a new, exciting – and potentially therapeutically important – regulatory event in the life cycle of the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the fragments of APP generated by proteolytic processing. At the outset, before diving deeply into the cell biology of APP and Aβ metabolism, it should be noted that, if confirmed, the effect identified by Himeno et al 1 would constitute an important addition to the experimental Aβ–lowering armamentarium currently being martialed against the cerebral amyloidosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). About half of the over 65 population has measurable cerebral accumulation of fibrillar Aβ as defined by PET scans employing Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) as tracer2. By extension, at the time of diagnosis, patients with clinically apparent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early AD are bound to have a substantial cerebral burden of both fibrillar (detectable on PiB scan) and oligomeric Aβ (undetectable on PiB scan). All current experimental therapies are more effective as prophylaxis than as treatment3,4,5. The potential breakthrough from Himeno et al is the suggestion that something as simple and drug-like as apomorphine – through some pathway that is not immediately obvious – can activate clearance of Aβ from the brain. Because of this potential clinical implication, it is important to try to make sense of the new data in light of the current conventional wisdom about APP metabolism.
‘Deep Approach’ in Translation Project Supervision

Abstract Final-year translation projects (English–Chinese and Chinese–English) are found in all of the undergraduate translation programmes in Hong Kong, and most teachers of translation have been supervisors in this area. As a student-centred mode of learning, the projects serve as an important stage for students to put translation theories into full practice. In order to promote students’ learning outcomes, teachers of translation should use more effective teaching approaches. This paper offers insights from the perspective of surface and deep learning approaches, two opposite forms of learning adopted by students. Based on actual experience, this study establishes that while most students that undertake the translation project already adopt the deep approach in learning, this tendency can be enhanced and reinforced by certain methods the supervisor can adopt in the process.
Identification and characterization of genomic rearrangements of MSH2 and MLH1 in Lynch syndrome (HNPCC) by novel techniques.

It has recently been suggested that large genomic rearrangements account for 10-20% of all MSH2 mutations, and a lower proportion of all MLH1 mutations, among individuals with Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, HNPCC). These rearrangements are notoriously difficult to detect; moreover, for clinical purposes, simple tests must be devised to screen family members at risk. Here we used the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) method to screen for MSH2 and MLH1 deletions in 70 patients whose colorectal or endometrial tumors were MSI positive, yet no mutation had been found by genomic exon-by-exon sequencing of MSH2, MLH1, and MSH6. We identified five candidates with four different MSH2 deletions (exons 1-2, exons 1-6, exons 1-7 and exon 8) and one candidate with an MLH1 deletion (exons 3-6). To confirm the screening results and to characterize the breakpoints of these genomic deletions precisely, we used diploid-to-haploid conversion and inverse PCR as well as long-range PCR. In each case, we were able to pinpoint the breakpoint and design a simple diagnostic PCR. The procedures we used appear to be sensitive, specific, and simple enough for clinical use. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dynamic pricing by software agents

Abstract We envision a future in which the global economy and the Internet will merge, evolving into an information economy bustling with billions of economically motivated software agents that exchange information goods and services with humans and other agents. Economic software agents will differ in important ways from their human counterparts, and these differences may have significant beneficial or harmful effects upon the global economy. It is therefore important to consider the economic incentives and behaviors of economic software agents, and to use every available means to anticipate their collective interactions. We survey research conducted by the Information Economies group at IBM Research aimed at understanding collective interactions among agents that dynamically price information goods or services. In particular, we study the potential impact of widespread shopbot usage on prices, the price dynamics that may ensue from various mixtures of automated pricing agents (or “pricebots”), the potential use of machine-learning algorithms to improve profits, and more generally the interplay among learning, optimization, and dynamics in agent-based information economies. These studies illustrate both beneficial and harmful collective behaviors that can arise in such systems, suggest possible cures for some of the undesired phenomena, and raise fundamental theoretical issues, particularly in the realms of multi-agent learning and dynamic optimization.
Successful Voluntary Grasp and Release Using the Cookie Crusher Myoelectric Hand in 2-Year-Olds

We examined the ability of two 2-year-old children with limb deficiency to demonstrate grasp and release while using the cable-operated voluntary opening hook-hand and the externally powered single-site myoelectric Cookie Crusher system. The Cookie Crusher circuit is an electronic package that causes the prosthetic hand to open in response to muscle contraction and closes (as if crushing a cookie) when the muscle is relaxed. Both children were consistently good prosthetic wearers, beginning with their initial passive devices and progressing through their cable-operated hooks and hands. However, before they began to use the Cookie Crusher (Subject 1 at 25 months, Subject 2 at 30 months), neither had developed voluntary grasp or release in spite of 3 to 12 months' use of cable-operated voluntary opening prehensors. Both children developed a voluntary grasp and release for the first time within minutes of starting to use the Cookie Crusher. The more adept of the two children, a girl with a traumatic above-elbow amputation, showed prehensile function with the Cookie Crusher during play. The spontaneous use of the Cookie Crusher may be related to the predominance of associated reactions in young children. As children play bimanually, associated movements of the nondominant extremity often occur and, in the case of children with limb deficiencies fitted with Cookie Crusher prehensors, these associated reactions result in successful grasp and release. We will continue to follow the choice of effective control schemes in these children as they mature.
Radiation Effects on InGaN Quantum Wells and GaN Simultaneously Probed by Ion Beam-Induced Luminescence

InGaN quantum well structures on GaN epilayers were exposed to 500 keV alpha particles to fluences above 1014 cm2 to probe the relative radiation tolerance of the epilayer and wells. Performance was estimated by the intensity of ion-beam induced luminescence. Two separate types of quantum well structures emitted at 470 and 510 nm prior to irradiation, and only small wavelength shifts were observed even with the highest alpha fluences. Complementary cathodoluminescence experiments showed that luminescence in the quantum wells is strongly influenced by charges injected deep into the GaN epilayer. The 500 keV alpha penetration depth was ~ 1 mum, so that defects were created at a faster rate in GaN compared to InGaN as alpha particles slowed and stopped within a minority carrier diffusion length of the quantum wells. However, the rate of luminescent decay was similar for both materials. Taken together with the cathodoluminescence data, this ion-beam induced luminescence comparison indicates that the quantum well luminescence decay rate is dominated by radiation-induced defects in the GaN epilayer. InGaN quantum wells are then demonstrated to be not more than a factor of ten more radiation sensitive than GaN, and may be substantially less sensitive than this upper bound.
An incompleteness theorem for βn-models

Let n be a positive integer. By a n-model we mean an !-model which is elementary with respect to 1 formulas. We prove the following n-model version of Godel's Second Incompleteness Theorem. For any recursively axiomatized theory S in the language of second order arith- metic, if there exists a n-model of S, then there exists a n-model of S + \there is no countable n-model of S." We also prove a n-model version of Lob's Theorem. As a corollary, we obtain a n-model which is not a n+1-model.
Level-Tuned Neurons in Primary Auditory Cortex Adapt Differently to Loud versus Soft Sounds

The responses of auditory neurons tuned to stimulus intensity (i.e., nonmonotonic rate-level responders) have typically been analyzed with stimulus paradigms that eliminate neuronal adaptation to recent stimulus statistics. This procedure is usually accomplished by presenting individual sounds with long silent periods between them. Studies using such paradigms have led to hypotheses that nonmonotonic neurons may play a role in amplitude spectrum coding or level-invariant representations of complex spectral shapes. We have previously proposed an alternate hypothesis that level-tuned neurons may represent specialized coders of low sound levels because they preserve their sensitivity to low levels even when average sound level is relatively high. Here we demonstrate that nonmonotonic neurons in awake marmoset primary auditory cortex accomplish this feat by adapting their upper dynamic range to encode sounds with high mean level, leaving the lower dynamic range available for encoding relatively rare low-level sounds. This adaptive behavior manifests in nonmonotonic relative to monotonic neurons as 1) a lesser amount of overall shifting of rate-level response thresholds and (2) a nonmonotonic gain adjustment with increasing mean stimulus level.
Ultra-wideband signal detection using photonic signal preprocessing

Photonic time-stretch processor can be used to slow down electrical ultra-wideband waveform before it is captured by an electronic digitizer. Using this technique, a real-time transient digitizer with a record one-tera-sample/sec sampling rate is demonstrated.
Quixotic Communication The Case of Expert Witness Testimony

When social science knowledge is passed from the frame of reference of social scientist to the frame of reference of the problem-solving professional, a transformation in meaning of the knowledge o...
Frustration at the Factory: Employer Perceptions of Workforce Deficiencies and Trainging Needs

This article examines the results of nearly a dozen employer-based education and training needs assessments conducted by the author for various higher education clients over the past eight years. The paper begins with a discussion of the foundations of education and training as a tool for increasing productivity and economic development, as well as competitiveness. The next sections of the article present results from the various needs assessments. The final section of the article highlights some of the implications that can be derived from the needs assessments.
Cooperative search and rescue with a team of mobile robots

We present an implemented algorithm for a distributed team of autonomous mobile robots to search for an object. When one robot finds it, they all gather around it, and then manipulate ("rescue") it. The algorithm exploits parallelism, with all robots searching concurrently, and also teamwork, because the manipulation is performed cooperatively. Our algorithm is fully distributed; the robots communicate with each other, and there is no central server or supervisor. Applications include hazardous waste cleanup, bomb detection and removal, materials delivery, and eventually the rescue of survivors of accidents or disasters. The search and rescue program was written using MOVER, a programming system for distributed tasks. The system provides high-level programming constructs for task distribution across robots. Finally, MOVER encourages code re-use because the task distribution mechanism can synchronize any set of procedures (without rewriting), allowing the programmer of a distributed task to access libraries of robot software written for single-robot tasks.
Paraoxonase cluster polymorphisms are associated with sporadic ALS

Background: Paraoxonases (PONs) are involved in the detoxification of organophosphate pesticides and chemical nerve agents. Due to a reported possible twofold increased risk of ALS in Gulf War veterans and the associations of PON1 polymorphisms with the neurologic symptom complex of the Gulf War syndrome, the authors investigated the association between sporadic ALS (SALS) and PON gene cluster variants in a large North American Caucasian family–based and case-control cohort (N = 1,891). Methods: Clinically definite and probable ALS was diagnosed according to the revised El Escorial criteria, exclusion of family history of ALS, and SOD1 mutation analysis. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping was done using Taq Man assays on ABI7900HT. Data were analyzed using SPSS, Haploview, FBAT, and THESIAS. Results: A haploblock of high linkage disequilibrium (LD) spanning PON2 and PON3 was associated with SALS. The SNPs rs10487132 and rs11981433 were in strong LD and associated with SALS in the trio (parents-affected child triad) model. The association of rs10487132 was replicated in 450 nuclear pedigrees comprising trios and discordant sibpairs. No association was found in case-control models, and their haplostructure was different from that of the trios with overall reduced LD. Resequencing identified an intronic variant (rs17876088) that differentiated between detrimental and protective SALS haplotypes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates evidence of significant association of variants in the Paraoxonase gene cluster with sporadic ALS and is compatible with the hypothesis that environmental toxicity in a susceptible host may precipitate ALS.
Streptococci and Rheumatic Fever

Rheumatic fever occurs as a delayed sequel to group A streptococcal infection. The disease is usually manifested as an inflammation of the joints or heart, but symptoms of chorea, subcutaneous nodules, or erythema marginatum may be present. The importance of rheumatic fever is due to the involvement of the heart in the disease, which can be fatal in the acute stage or can lead to chronic rheumatic heart disease with scarring and deformity of the heart valves. Although rheumatic fever has declined in decades past, the current resurgence of the disease has kept us aware of its presence. The pathogenesis of the disease is related to the host immune response made simultaneously against the streptococci and the heart and host tissues. During the past decade, progress has been made in our understanding of rheumatic fever as an autoimmune disease. Figure 1 highlights the components of the disease. The target antigens in the heart, including cardiac myosin, have been identified, and the streptococcal M protein epitopes recognized by antimyosin antibodies in acute rheumatic fever have been determined. The class I M protein epitope was found on group A streptococcal M protein serotypes that were associated with acute rheumatic fever outbreaks. Antibodies against the streptococcal group A carbohydrate antigen were shown to persist in valvulitis, and antistreptococcal antibodies have been shown to recognize epitopes on the heart-cell surface or valve endothelium.
Cerebral artery sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores and contractility: changes with development

To test the hypothesis that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ stores play a key role in norepinephrine (NE)-induced contraction of fetal and adult cerebral arteries and that Ca2+ stores change with ...
Alcohol and cardiovascular health: recent findings.

This review is focused on recent studies published since 1997 that have contributed toward our current thinking about the association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies reinforce the consistent finding of a J-shaped inverse association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, primarily due to an underlying association between alcohol and coronary heart disease (CHD). Despite the methodological difficulties of studying alcohol consumption, epidemiological studies are surprisingly consistent in showing that light to moderate alcohol intake has an inverse association with the risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality compared with those who do not drink at all. The depth and width of the J-shaped inverse association is largely dependent upon the underlying lowered risk of CHD. Alcohol likely reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease through increases in plasma high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Further support for the HDL-C hypothesis comes from the lack of a differential effect of alcohol by beverage type, suggesting that ethanol is responsible for the protective effect. While other mechanisms for a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease by alcohol have been suggested — including hemostatic markers and improvements and insulin sensitivity — evidence remains preliminary. The current recommendation set forth by the American Heart Association and other groups to limit alcohol intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women appear justified but must be cautiously promoted. Although the association of alcohol and cardiovascular disease is likely to be causal, these recommendations must consider the complexity of the metabolic, physiological, and psychological effects of alcohol. In general, maximal benefits and safety appear to be at the level of approximately 1 drink per day. Limited data suggest that the level for optimal benefit and safety may be slightly lower for women. From a public policy standpoint, whether the benefits for cardiovascular disease persist at heavier drinking levels or are attenuated, may not be relevant since clear harm in terms of overall mortality would likely outweigh any benefits in the reduction of cardiovascular disease.
Pseudo-immortalization of postnatal cochlear progenitor cells yields a scalable cell line capable of transcriptionally regulating mature hair cell genes.

The mammalian cochlea is a highly specialized organ within the inner ear. Sensory hair cells (HC) in the cochlea detect and transduce sound waves into electrical impulses that are sent to the brain. Studies of the molecular pathways regulating HC formation are hindered by the very sparse nature of HCs, where only ~3300 are found within an entire mouse cochlea. Current cell lines mimic certain aspects of HCs but lack terminal HC marker expression. Here we successfully “pseudo-immortalized” cochlear progenitor cells using the “conditional reprogramming” technique. These cells, termed “Conditionally Reprogrammed Otic Stem Cells” (CR-OSC), are able to bypass the senescence inherent to cochlear progenitor cells without genetic alterations, allowing for the generation of over 15 million cells from a single cochlea. These cells can be differentiated and up-regulate both early and terminal differentiation genes associated with HCs, including the terminal HC differentiation marker prestin. CR-OSCs also respond to known HC cues, including upregulation of HC genes in response to Atoh1 overexpression, and upregulation of prestin expression after thyroid hormone application. Overall, we describe the creation of a HC line capable of regulated expression of HC genes that can easily be recreated in any laboratory from any mouse of interest.
Experimental and Numerical Simulation of Limit States in Base Isolated Buildings Including Pounding

Base isolated buildings are typically important facilities expected to remain functional after a major earthquake. However, their behavior under extreme ground shaking is not well understood. A series of earthquake simulator experiments were performed to assess performance limit states of seismically isolated buildings under strong ground motions, including pounding against a moat wall. The test setup consists of a quarter scale three-story frame isolated at the base with Friction Pendulum Bearings (FPS) and a simulated moat wall. The building model is scaled from a professionally designed isolated three-story steel Intermediate Moment Resisting Frame (IMRF). An effort was made to properly scale the strength and stiffness of the frame relative to the bearings properties so that realistic yielding mechanisms can be obtained. The moat wall was modeled as either a rigid triangle steel stopper or a concrete wall of various thicknesses with soil backfill. The moat wall gap was set to various displacement increments to examine the sensitivity of this parameter and also to assess the effects of impact on the superstructure at different velocities. The test results indicate that pounding can induce yielding in the superstructure and is largely dependent on the gap distance and wall flexibility. Numerical model is proposed that can capture the nonlinear structural response and pounding interface behavior. The pounding interface is modeled by two spring elements in series that separately account for the material response at the contact interface and the flexibility of the moat wall.
Silenced Sisters: Dewey's Disciples in a Conservative New South, 1900-1940

This story of Dewey's disciples in the New South presents two major themes rarely seen in current literature about the South or about the Progressive Era: the influence of educational philosopher John Dewey in the region and the struggles of his disciples—the southern women educators who were major influential forces in reshaping the area's educational systems. These themes come together to produce an unusual and instructive story about these female leaders of southern educational reform during the Progressive Era. In an attempt to correct what educational historian Clarence Karier calls an “inexcusable omission,” this paper showcases two women who were not silenced during their leadership tenure but have since become so, by time and by the masculine interpretation of educational history.
Macrophage IKKα Deficiency Suppresses Akt Phosphorylation, Reduces Cell Survival, and Decreases Early Atherosclerosis.

Objective—The IκB kinase (IKK) is an enzyme complex that initiates the nuclear factor κB transcription factor cascade, which is important in regulating multiple cellular responses. IKKα is directly associated with 2 major prosurvival pathways, PI3K/Akt and nuclear factor κB, but its role in cell survival is not clear. Macrophages play critical roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, yet the impact of IKKα signaling on macrophage survival and atherogenesis remains unclear. Approach and Results—Here, we demonstrate that genetic IKKα deficiency, as well as pharmacological inhibition of IKK, in mouse macrophages significantly reduces Akt S473 phosphorylation, which is accompanied by suppression of mTOR complex 2 signaling. Moreover, IKKα null macrophages treated with lipotoxic palmitic acid exhibited early exhaustion of Akt signaling compared with wild-type cells. This was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in the resistance of IKKα−/− monocytes and macrophages to different proapoptotic stimuli compared...
A Computer-Based Automated Algorithm for Assessing Acinar Cell Loss after Experimental Pancreatitis

The change in exocrine mass is an important parameter to follow in experimental models of pancreatic injury and regeneration. However, at present, the quantitative assessment of exocrine content by histology is tedious and operator-dependent, requiring manual assessment of acinar area on serial pancreatic sections. In this study, we utilized a novel computer-generated learning algorithm to construct an accurate and rapid method of quantifying acinar content. The algorithm works by learning differences in pixel characteristics from input examples provided by human experts. HE-stained pancreatic sections were obtained in mice recovering from a 2-day, hourly caerulein hyperstimulation model of experimental pancreatitis. For training data, a pathologist carefully outlined discrete regions of acinar and non-acinar tissue in 21 sections at various stages of pancreatic injury and recovery (termed the "ground truth"). After the expert defined the ground truth, the computer was able to develop a prediction rule that was then applied to a unique set of high-resolution images in order to validate the process. For baseline, non-injured pancreatic sections, the software demonstrated close agreement with the ground truth in identifying baseline acinar tissue area with only a difference of 1% ± 0.05% (p = 0.21). Within regions of injured tissue, the software reported a difference of 2.5% ± 0.04% in acinar area compared with the pathologist (p = 0.47). Surprisingly, on detailed morphological examination, the discrepancy was primarily because the software outlined acini and excluded inter-acinar and luminal white space with greater precision. The findings suggest that the software will be of great potential benefit to both clinicians and researchers in quantifying pancreatic acinar cell flux in the injured and recovering pancreas.
The membrane proximal external regions of gp41 from HIV-1 strains HXB2 and JRFL have different sensitivities to alanine mutation.

The transmembrane subunit (gp41) of the HIV envelope protein complex (Env) mediates the viral fusion step of HIV entry. The membrane proximal external region (MPER), one of the functional domains of gp41, has been the focus of a great deal of research because it is a target for neutralizing antibodies. In this study, we examined 23 amino acid residues in the MPER (660–683) in both a CXCR4 coreceptor-utilizing strain (HXB2) and a CCR5-utilizing strain (JRFL) by alanine scanning mutagenesis. Despite the high degree of gp41 sequence conservation, the effects of alanine mutation in the MPER were different between the two strains. Most mutations in HXB2 had fusogenicity and protein expression levels not less than 50% of that of the wild type in the case of cell–cell fusion. However, ∼30% of the mutants in HXB2 showed a severe defect in fusogenicity in viral entry. Mutations in the MPER of strain JRFL had more dramatic effects than that in HXB2 in cell–cell fusion and viral entry. The fact that there are large ...
Oncologic outcomes of surgically treated early-stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Background The purpose of this study was to characterize oncologic outcomes in early (T1–T2, N0) and intermediate (T1–T2, N1) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) after surgery. Methods Patients with oropharyngeal SCC treated with surgery were identified from 2 academic institutions. Results Of 188 patients, 143 met the inclusion criteria. Eighty-six (60%) had T1 to T2 N0 and 57 (40%) had T1 to T2 N1 disease. Sixty-five patients (45%) underwent a robotic-assisted resection, whereas the remaining had transoral (n = 60; 42%), mandible-splitting (n = 11; 8%), or transhyoid approaches (n = 7; 5%). Human papillomavirus (HPV) status was known for 97 patients (68%), and 54 (55%) were HPV positive. Three-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 82% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75–0.89). Since 2008, HPV infection was protective of recurrence (log-rank p = .0334). A single node did not increase the risk of recurrence (p = .467) or chance of a second primary (p = .175). Conclusion Complete surgical resection is effective therapy for early and intermediate oropharyngeal SCC. HPV-negative patients were at increased risk for locoregional recurrence or second primary disease. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2016
Effect of recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6) and rhIL-3 on hematopoietic regeneration as demonstrated in a nonhuman primate chemotherapy model.

Using a recently developed hepsulfam-induced pancytopenia model in rhesus macaques, we have studied the effects of recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6) and rhIL-3 on marrow regeneration. Control animals were given hepsulfam (1.5 g/m2 by a single 30-minute intravenous [i.v.] injection, n = 4), while study animals received hepsulfam followed by rhIL-6, rhIL-3, or a combination of rhIL-6 and rhIL-3 (n = 3 per study group). Each cytokine was administered by once- daily subcutaneous (SC) injection (15 micrograms/kg/d) for 3 weeks beginning the day after chemotherapy (days 2 through 22). Mean platelet counts in control animals were
Uncertainty quantification in (α,n) neutron source calculations for an oxide matrix

Abstract We present a methodology to propagate nuclear data covariance information in neutron source calculations from (α,n) reactions. The approach is applied to estimate the uncertainty in the neutron generation rates for uranium oxide fuel types due to uncertainties on 1) 17,18 O(α,n) reaction cross-sections and 2) uranium and oxygen stopping power cross sections. The procedure to generate reaction cross section covariance information is based on the Bayesian fitting method implemented in the R-matrix SAMMY code. The evaluation methodology uses the Reich-Moore approximation to fit the 17,18 O(α,n) reaction cross-sections in order to derive a set of resonance parameters and a related covariance matrix that is then used to calculate the energy-dependent cross section covariance matrix. The stopping power cross sections and related covariance information for uranium and oxygen were obtained by the fit of stopping power data in the α-energy range of 1 keV up to 12 MeV. Cross section perturbation factors based on the covariance information relative to the evaluated 17,18 O(α,n) reaction cross sections, as well as uranium and oxygen stopping power cross sections, were used to generate a varied set of nuclear data libraries used in SOURCES4C and ORIGEN for inventory and source term calculations. The set of randomly perturbed output (α,n) source responses, provide the mean values and standard deviations of the calculated responses reflecting the uncertainties in nuclear data used in the calculations. The results and related uncertainties are compared with experiment thick target (α,n) yields for uranium oxide.
Teaching Reform of Material Specialty English and its Practice

To cultivate students of material majors' applied ability in English,we should correctly deal with the relationship between fundamental English and English of material specialty,attach importance to the training of non-intelligent factors,and reform classroom teaching method to realize quality education in the process of material specialty English.