cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of disease-modifying effect of saracatinib (AZD0530), a Src/Fyn tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in the rat kainate model of temporal lobe epilepsy

Abstract We have recently demonstrated the role of the Fyn-PKCδ signaling pathway in status epilepticus (SE)-induced neuroinflammation and epileptogenesis in experimental models of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). In this study, we show a significant disease-modifying effect and the mechanisms of a Fyn/Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor, saracatinib (SAR, also known as AZD0530), in the rat kainate (KA) model of TLE. SAR treatment for a week, starting the first dose (25 mg/kg, oral) 4 h after the onset of SE, significantly reduced spontaneously recurring seizures and epileptiform spikes during the four months of continuous video-EEG monitoring. Immunohistochemistry of brain sections and Western blot analyses of hippocampal lysates at 8-day (8d) and 4-month post-SE revealed a significant reduction of SE-induced astrogliosis, microgliosis, neurodegeneration, phosphorylated Fyn/Src-419 and PKCδ-tyr311, in SAR-treated group when compared with the vehicle control. We also found the suppression of nitroxidative stress markers such as iNOS, 3-NT, 4-HNE, and gp91phox in the hippocampus, and nitrite and ROS levels in the serum of the SAR-treated group at 8d post-SE. The qRT-PCR (hippocampus) and ELISA (serum) revealed a significant reduction of key proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1β mRNA in the hippocampus and their protein levels in serum, in addition to IL-6 and IL-12, in the SAR-treated group at 8d in contrast to the vehicle-treated group. These findings suggest that SAR targets some of the key biomarkers of epileptogenesis and modulates neuroinflammatory and nitroxidative pathways that mediate the development of epilepsy. Therefore, SAR can be developed as a potential disease-modifying agent to prevent the development and progression of TLE.
Declarative Memory Predicts Phonological Processing Abilities in Adulthood.

Individual differences in phonological processing abilities have often been attributed to perceptual factors, rather than to factors relating to learning and memory. Here, we consider the contribution of individual differences in declarative and procedural memory to phonological processing performance in adulthood. We examined the phonological processing, declarative memory, and procedural memory abilities of 79 native English-speaking young adults with typical language and reading abilities. Declarative memory was assessed with a recognition memory task of real and made-up objects. Procedural memory was assessed with a serial reaction time task. For both tasks, learning was assessed shortly after encoding, and again after a 12-hour, overnight delay. We regressed phonological processing ability with memory performance on both days. We found that declarative memory, but not procedural memory, was highly predictive of phonological processing abilities. Specifically, declarative memory scores obtained shortly after learning were associated with nonword repetition performance, whereas declarative memory scores obtained after the overnight delay were associated with phonological awareness. Procedural memory was not associated with either of the phonological processing measures. We discuss these findings in the context of adult participants with mature phonological systems. We examine possible implications for the relationship between declarative memory and phonological processing in adulthood.
Ants and Termites As Food

Many mammals, ranging from antelope to elephant shrews, eat ants and termites. The specialized mammalian myrmecophages (ant- and termite-eaters) such as aardvarks and pangolins have long drawn attention, but little work has been done on general predator-prey relationships between mammals and ants and termites.
Characterization and transport modeling of uranium particle from Fernald area tree bark

Non-natural uranium (U) isotopic compositions have been reported in tree bark from southwest Ohio. Atmospheric releases of U from the nearby former Fernald Feed Materials Processing Center are thought to be the source (GSA Abstr progr 45:78612, 2013). This study employed scanning electron microscopy equipped with backscatter detection and energy dispersive absorption X-ray spectrometry to identify and chemically characterize a 14 µm U-rich particle found in tree bark growing within 1 km of the FFMPC. Simple atmospheric dispersion calculations demonstrate that a ~5 µm diameter U-rich particle can be transported up to 38 km by wind.
On the co-creation of classical and modern physics.

Abstract While the concept of “classical physics” has long framed our understanding of the environment from which modern physics emerged, it has consistently been read back into a period in which the physicists concerned initially considered their work in quite other terms. This essay explores the shifting currency of the rich cultural image of the classical/modern divide by tracing empirically different uses of “classical” within the physics community from the 1890s to 1911. A study of fin‐de‐siecle addresses shows that the earliest general uses of the concept proved controversial. Our present understanding of the term was in large part shaped by its incorporation (in different ways) within the emerging theories of relativity and quantum theory—where the content of “classical” physics was defined by proponents of the new. Studying the diverse ways in which Boltzmann, Larmor, Poincare, Einstein, Minkowski, and Planck invoked the term “classical” will help clarify the critical relations between physicists’...
The thumb's knuckle: Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase

We have solved the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase (RNAP) in an orthorhombic crystal by molecular replacement with the T7 RNAP structure determined from a monoclinic crystal. The structure of the protruding "thumb" subdomain of the polymerase appears very different in these two crystals apparently because of differences in packing contacts made by the thumb subdomain. These observations support the proposal that the thumb subdomain is flexible and can wrap around bound template to obstruct polymerase: template dissociation during processive synthesis.
Genomic Relatedness of Xanthomonas campestris Strains Causing Diseases of Citrus

Xanthomonas campestris strains that cause disease in citrus were compared by restriction endonuclease analysis of DNA fragments separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and by DNA reassociation. Strains of X. campestris pv. citrumelo, which cause citrus bacterial spot, were, on average, 88% related to each other by DNA reassociation, although these strains exhibited diverse restriction digest patterns. In contrast, strains of X. campestris pv. citri groups A and B, which cause canker A and canker B, respectively, had relatively homogeneous restriction digest patterns. The groups of strains causing these three different citrus diseases were examined by DNA reassociation and were found to be from 55 to 63% related to one another. Several pathovars of X. campestris, previously shown to cause weakly aggressive symptoms on citrus, ranged from 83 to 90% similar to X. campestris pv. citrumelo by DNA reassociation. The type strain of X. campestris pv. campestris ranged from 30 to 40% similar in DNA reassociation experiments to strains of X. campestris pv. citrumelo and X. campestris pv. citri groups A and B. Whereas DNA reassociation quantified the difference between relatively unrelated groups of bacterial strains, restriction endonuclease analysis distinguished between closely related strains.
Chapter 2 Waterborne Gastroenteritis Viruses

Publisher Summary Many human viruses capable of causing gastroenteritis can be transmitted via water. Gastroenteritis is a communicable disease of sudden onset characterized by fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. In developed areas of the world viral gastroenteritis is predominantly self-limiting with very low mortality. In developing areas of the world however, viral gastroenteritis can cause significant mortality, predominantly due to dehydration compounded by lack of rehydration therapy. In developed areas of the world, the overwhelming majority of waterborne viral gastroenteritis illness originates from ingestion of human calicivirus (predominantly noroviruses), with rotavirus, astrovirus, adenovirus, emerging viruses, and enteroviruses also contributing to the cases of waterborne gastroenteritis. In developing areas of the world, rotavirus is a major contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality with the aforementioned viruses also causing considerable morbitity. The lack of standardized viral recovery and detection techniques has severely limited the understanding of the magnitude of the potential public health threat of waterborne viruses that cause gastroenteritis.
Breathing Secondhand Smoke: Gatekeeping for “Good Education," Passive Democracy, and the Mass Media. An Interview with Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky and I dialogue about various topics grounded in the context of the mass media, democracy, and the neoliberal privatization of education. The topics discussed were understood in terms of dichotomies (i.e., at ends of a spectrum) related to paradigms with different purposes of education, different conceptions and functions of democracy, and different types of thinking that are ingrained in our patterns of thought. These patterns serve the function of gatekeeping by imposing constraints on thinking that is “supportive of power that just becomes second nature. Just like the air you breathe, so you can’t question it.” Thus, this dialogue works to clear the air of secondhand smoke clogging our potential to reach what it might do to think about “bad education”—that is, to maximizing the air (advantage) of the least advantaged in society.
The Dependency Manager: a base service for transactional workflow management

The management of long lived applications is a great challenge to transaction processing systems. On the other side, workflow management systems (WFMS) provide mechanisms for basic navigation and synchronization of activities in workflows. However, WFMS do not allow reliable execution of transactional workflows since they have no provisions for activity coordination. We introduce the dependency manager (DM) which implements a mechanism for reliable synchronization and coordination of the state transitions of generic activities. The DM is designed as a new component of an extended X/Open architecture, which offers its services to both workflow management and transaction processing systems.
The Answer Is Out There: Online Q&A Sites

A diverse set of online question and answer sites has emerged for users seeking information beyond simple search queries.
Imaging photonic Bloch functions with plasmon-coupled leakage radiation

We report results on imaging photonic Bloch wavefunctions in plasmonic crystals using plasmon-coupled leakage radiation. The surface images of the crystals are the result of an incoherent superposition of photonic Bloch wavefunctions.
Oxidative phosphorylation by an electron transport particle from beef heart.

Abstract A stable phosphorylating electron transfer particle has been isolated from beef heart mitochondria which retains the capacity for oxidatice phosphorylation almost unimpaired. Some new aspects of the mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation have been recognized.
A 3D Finite-Volume Scheme for the Euler Equations on Adaptive Tetrahedral Grids

The paper describes the development and application of a new Euler solver for adaptive tetrahedral grids. Spatial discretization uses a finite-volume, node-based scheme that is of central-differencing type. A second-order Taylor series expansion is employed to march the solution in time according to the Lax-Wendroff approach. Special upwind-like smoothing operators for unstructured grids are developed for shock-capturing, as well as for suppression of solution oscillations. The scheme is formulated so that all operations are edge-based, which reduces the computational effort significantly. An adaptive grid algorithm is employed in order to resolve local flow features. This is achieved by dividing the tetrahedral cells locally, guided by a flow feature detection algorithm. Application cases include transonic flow around the ONERA M6 wing and transonic flow past a transport aircraft configuration. Comparisons with experimental data evaluate accuracy of the developed adaptive solver.
Attitudes of OhioLINK Librarians Toward Google Scholar

Almost three years after Google Scholar's inception, only a third of Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) member libraries link to it from their Web sites. This article reports the results of a July 2007 survey of OhioLINK academic librarians, conducted to find out about their attitudes and current practices regarding promotion of Google Scholar. It compares the findings about placement of Google Scholar on Web sites and inclusion in library instruction with previous research, and includes recommendations for libraries about Google Scholar.
Ligand promoted reductive elimination from Zr(IV). The preparation of zirconacycles from alkylzirconium(IV) hydrides and alkynes

Abstract Alkynes induce reductive elimination of alkane from Cp 2 Zr(H)(R); zirconacyclopentadienes are formed as well.
Safety of dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms

Dobutamine stress echocardiography has been increasingly used for the preoperative assessment of patients who undergo major vascular surgery. The safety of this modality has been well documented in various patient subgroups, including patients with aneurysms of the aorta. No previous reports, however, have addressed the safety of this form of stress testing in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. After reviewing the experience of 2 institutions, we identified 40 patients who underwent dobutamine stress echocardiography while harboring at least 1 unruptured intracranial aneurysm, and found no evidence of aneurysm instability in relation to the dobutamine infusion. Although vasodilator stress modalities should intuitively be the non-exercise stress technique of choice in these patients, stress echocardiography with the use of dobutamine appears to be safe and represents an acceptable option when used for diagnostic purposes or preoperative risk stratification in this patient population.
Approximation and analysis of a call center with flexible and specialized servers

This paper describes a decomposition algorithm to estimate the performance of a call center with two types of customers and two server categories. In this system specialized servers can process only one customer type, while flexible servers handle both types. The algorithm divides the system’s state space into regions, and simple approximate models find the conditional system performance within each region. While the procedure described here is tailored for a system with a priority queue discipline and two customer classes, it can be adapted for systems with FCFS queue disciplines and for systems with more than two customer types. Performance measures generated by the procedure are sufficiently accurate for many service system design decisions, such as setting telephone call center staffing levels and long-term capacity planning. The procedure is also extremely fast, and its computational requirements do not grow with system congestion. Numerical tests demonstrate that its running time is significantly lower than traditional numerical methods for generating approximations. As an example of its use, we employ the procedure to demonstrate the benefits of server flexibility in a particular telephone call center.
Evolution of dnaQ, the gene encoding the editing 3′ to 5′ exonuclease subunit of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme in Gram‐negative bacteria

The nucleotide sequences of the dnaQ genes from Salmonella typhimurium and Buchnera aphidicola, encoding the epsilon-subunit of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, have been determined. The Salmonella typhimurium dnaQ protein consists of 243 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 27224. The Buchnera aphidicola dnaQ protein contains 233 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 27170. A multiple sequence alignment of the amino acid sequences of the dnaQ proteins and those of DNA polymerase IIIs from Gram-positive bacteria produced six homologous segments. These homologous segments contain highly conserved amino acid sequence motifs involved in catalytically important metal ion bindings (ligands 1, 2 and 3). However, metal ligand 4 is found to be altered in the 3'-5' exonuclease domain of the family C DNA polymerases and dnaQ proteins in Gram-negative bacteria. From these results, we propose that the last common ancestor of the dnaQ gene of Gram-negative bacteria and the DNA polymerase III gene (pol C gene) of Gram-positive bacteria was a single gene containing both 3'-5' exonuclease and DNA polymerase domains and then the dnaQ gene separated from the polymerase gene in Gram-negative bacteria.
Variable denaturation of ovalbumin by incorporation of amino acid analogs

Abstract Denaturation of hen ovalbumin synthesized in a cell-free system was assayed by examining its sensitivity to trypsin. The native ovalbumin resisted digestion by trypsin, and it remained resistant to digestion when some amino acid analogs, including azetidine-2-carboxylic acid and meta-flourotyrosine, were incorporated into its peptide chain. However, when other amino acid analogs such as β-hydroxyleucine and 4-thiaisoleucine were incorporated during protein systhesis, ovalbumin became very lablie to trypsin. These experiments demonstrate a sensitive system for detecting protein denaturation and suggest a variable effect of different amino acid analogs on the native conformation of a protein.
Neonatal nephrotic presentation of a child with heterozygous NPHS1 mutation

Congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type, due to homozygous mutation of NPHS1, is the most common form of congenital nephrotic syndrome. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and prostaglandin synthesis inhibition along with supportive albumin infusion therapy, with or without unilateral nephrectomy, has allowed management of the disease without dialysis until transplantation in some cases of congenital nephrotic syndrome. Reported here is a case of heterozygous NPHS1 mutation, with normal NPHS2 gene structure, presenting during prenatal screening and developing nephrotic syndrome within days of birth. The patient has responded well to very low doses of ACE inhibitors and indomethacin alone. This case illustrates the importance of an initial trial of conservative medical therapy in milder presentations of the congenital nephrotic syndrome, especially given the current limitations of diagnostic testing and our inadequate knowledge of the complete spectrum of disorders of podocyte proteins.
CD47 plays a critical role in T-cell recruitment by regulation of LFA-1 and VLA-4 integrin adhesive functions

CD47 plays an important but incompletely understood role in the innate and adaptive immune responses. CD47, also called integrin-associated protein, has been demonstrated to associate in cis with β1 and β3 integrins. Here we test the hypothesis that CD47 regulates adhesive functions of T-cell α4β1 (VLA-4) and αLβ2 (LFA-1) in in vivo and in vitro models of inflammation. Intravital microscopy studies reveal that CD47(-/-) Th1 cells exhibit reduced interactions with wild-type (WT) inflamed cremaster muscle microvessels. Similarly, murine CD47(-/-) Th1 cells, as compared with WT, showed defects in adhesion and transmigration across tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-activated murine endothelium and in adhesion to immobilized intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1) under flow conditions. Human Jurkat T-cells lacking CD47 also showed reduced adhesion to TNF-α-activated endothelium and ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. In cis interactions between Jurkat T-cell β2 integrins and CD47 were detected by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. Unexpectedly, Jurkat CD47 null cells exhibited a striking defect in β1 and β2 integrin activation in response to Mn(2+) or Mg(2+)/ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid treatment. Our results demonstrate that CD47 associates with β2 integrins and is necessary to induce high-affinity conformations of LFA-1 and VLA-4 that recognize their endothelial cell ligands and support leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration.
Analysis of free drug fractions by ultrafast affinity extraction: Interactions of sulfonylurea drugs with normal or glycated human serum albumin

Abstract Ultrafast affinity extraction and a multi-dimensional affinity system were developed for measuring free drug fractions at therapeutic levels. This approach was used to compare the free fractions and global affinity constants of several sulfonylurea drugs in the presence of normal human serum albumin (HSA) or glycated forms of this protein, as are produced during diabetes. Affinity microcolumns containing immobilized HSA were first used to extract the free drug fractions in injected drug/protein mixtures. As the retained drug eluted from the HSA microcolumn, it was passed through a second HSA column for further separation and measurement. Items that were considered during the optimization of this approach included the column sizes and flow rates that were used, and the time at which the second column was placed on-line with the HSA microcolumn. This method required only 1.0 μL of a sample per injection and was able to measure free drug fractions as small as 0.09–2.58% with an absolute precision of ±0.02–0.5%. The results that were obtained indicated that glycation can affect the free fractions of sulfonylurea drugs at typical therapeutic levels and that the size of this effect varies with the level of HSA glycation. Global affinity constants that were estimated from these free drug fractions gave good agreement with those predicted from previous binding studies or determined through a reference method. The same approach could be utilized with other drugs and proteins or modified binding agents of clinical or pharmaceutical interest.
Multivariate analysis of near-infrared spectra using the G-programming language

“Real-time” chemometrics as envisioned by the union of instrument control, data acquisition, and chemometric analysis with a single software platform can provide substantial benefits to manufacturing concerns that require process control. Some of these benefits include faster generation of information and improved quality control. This paper describes a series of chemometric routines written in LabVIEW and demonstrates their use in predicting six properties of diesel fuel. In particular, near-infrared spectral data were used to predict the boiling point at 50% recovery, cetane number, density, freezing temperature, total aromatics, and viscosity for a series of diesel fuels.
Abnormal lymphocyte function in scleroderma: A study on identical twins

This paper describes immunologic studies on a set of identical twins discordant for the presence of scleroderma. The affected twin had a low absolute T-cell count, low numbers of T4 helper/inducer cells, and an increase in the T8 suppressor/cytotoxic cell count. The T cells of the patient responded poorly to mitogens and to allogeneic and autologous stimuli. By contrast, T-cell-helper activity for pokeweed mitogen-induced IgM synthesis was markedly enhanced in the patient. Furthermore, activated mononuclear cell supernatants from the patient markedly enhanced the synthesis of collagen by normal cultured fibroblasts. The unaffected twin by contrast displayed normal responses in these assays. The results suggest that the immunologic defects in scleroderma are not entirely genetically determined.
Does low bone mineral density cause a broken heart

Osteoporosis, with its attendant fractures, is one of the most common and heart-breaking conditions in our aging society. In the United States, 2 million osteoporotic fractures occur each year, of which some 600,000 are in men [(1)][1]. These skeletal events cause significant pain, disability, and
Gas-pressure, Radiation-pressure, and Entropy in the Interior of a Star

IN the simplest form of Eddington's theory of stellar constitution (vide papers in Mon. Not. R.A.S.; and Astrophysical Journal, 48, 205, 1918), the assumption is made that a certain quantity, β, is constant throughout a given star; β turns out to be the ratio of the gas-pressure to the total pressure (which is the sum of the gas-pressure and the radiation-pressure). The present note shows that the second law of thermodynamics provides a theoretical background for this assumption of Eddington's—justification of which has been largely empirical heretofore.
The human LON protease binds to mitochondrial promoters in a single-stranded, site-specific, strand-specific manner.

LON proteases, which are ATP-dependent and exhibit ATPase activity, are found in bacteria, yeast, and humans. In Escherichia coli, LON is known to regulate gene expression by targeting specific regulatory proteins for degradation. The yeast and human LON proteins are encoded in the nucleus but localize to the mitochondrial matrix. In yeast, LON has been shown to be essential for the maintenance of the integrity of the mitochondrial genome. E. coli Lon has long been known to bind DNA, but we have only recently demonstrated that it binds preferentially to a specific TG-rich double-stranded sequence. We now show that human LON recognizes a very similar site in both the light and heavy chain promoters of the mitochondrial genome, in a region which is involved in regulating both DNA replication and transcription. Unlike E. coli Lon, however, human LON specifically binds to the TG-rich element only when it is presented in the context of a single DNA strand. These findings suggest that the human LON protease mig...
Immunotoxin targeting CD133 + breast carcinoma cells

CD133 expression enriches for tumor-initiating cells and is a negative prognostic factor in numerous cancers. We previously developed an immunotoxin against CD133 by fusing a gene fragment encoding the scFv portion of an anti-CD133 antibody to a gene fragment encoding deimmunized PE38KDEL. The resulting fusion protein, dCD133KDEL, demonstrated potent antitumor activity following intratumoral delivery into head neck cell carcinoma xenografts. However, the efficacy against other tumors and the tolerability of systemic administration remained unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of dCD133KDEL in a systemic human breast carcinoma model. Time course viability studies showed that dCD133KDEL selectively inhibited MDA-MB-231 ductal breast carcinoma cells that contained a minority CD133+ subpopulation, implicating CD133+ cells as a source for self-renewal within this cell line. Furthermore, systemic administration of dCD133KDEL caused regression or inhibition of tumor growth in mice bearing an intrasplenic MDA-MB-231 tumor challenge as a model for metastatic disease. In the same model, combined therapy with dCD133KDEL and another immunotoxin designed to target the bulk tumor mass was the most effective therapy, supporting the idea that such combination therapies might better address tumor heterogeneity. dCD133KDEL shows promise as a therapeutic agent and as a biologic tool to study cancer stem cells.
Tungsten-Promoted Dearomatization of Heterocycles: Uncovering the Latent 2-Azadiene Character of Pyrimidines

A tungsten pyrimidine complex exists in equilibrium with an undetected amount of an η2-bound isomer, which is found to be a potent diene for Diels−Alder cycloaddition reactions.
A finger motion model for reach and grasp

Abstract This study aimed to develop a model that describes human finger motion for simulation of reach and grasp for selected objects and tasks. Finger joint angles and timing of their changes were measured for six subjects as they reached 20–40 cm and grasped cylindrical handles (1.3–10.2 cm D) of varying orientation (vertical/axial). The empirical results from multiple regression analyses served as inputs to allow a fourth order polynomial to predict motion of each finger joint. The proposed model showed good fit with observations, with high coefficients of determination from 0.54 to 1 and reasonable errors from 0.04° to 5.44° for all conditions considered. The proposed finger motion model was implemented in an existing kinematic hand model to employ a contact algorithm for refined prediction of grip posture and to illustrate its predictive power by graphically displaying the opening and closing of the hand. Relevance to industry Finger joint motions during reach and grasp are needed for prediction of (1) tendon excursions for study of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, (2) required space for the hand, (3) finger locations on work objects, and (4) hand grip postures and strength.
Distribution of cell areas in normal and transplanted corneas

Endothelial cell areas in normal corneas and in transplanted corneas were examined with the clinical specular microscope. For each eye, the area of each of six cells on each of three slides was measured by planimetry. In a separate study on the same slides, the area of each of ten cells was measured with the MOP-III computer. In both normal and transplanted corneas, cell areas seem to follow the log-normal frequency distribution. Thus, the logarithm of the cell area is the appropriate measure of cell size and the mean log-area should be used to describe such a cell population. When log-area is examined and normal controls are compared to transplanted corneas, we find that the variability in mean log-area is much greater among transplanted corneas than among normals, that cell areas vary from one region of the central endothelium to another for transplants though not for normals, and that the variability of log-cell area on a single slide is the same for normals and for transplants. These findings have implications for the design and analysis of clinical studies and for the physiological processes that occur when endothelial cell loss is compensated by the growth of remaining cells. Based on these observations, we find that the common practice of describing endothelial cell populations by cell density is inappropriate. Rather, the mean log-area (or the geometric mean) should be so used.
Semi-invariants for quivers with relations

For a given quiver Q and a dimension vector β , let SI(Q,β) be the ring of semi-invariants for β-dimensional representations. Schofield defined in [S] for any α-dimensional representation V with 〈α,β〉 = 0 a semi-invariant c ∈ SI(Q,β). We recall that we proved in [DW] that the ring of semi-invariants SI(Q,β) is generated by such Schofield semi-invariants. In this note we generalize the results of [DW] to quivers with relations, in the case when the base field has characteristic zero. We make this assumption throughout the paper. Let Q be a quiver and let I be an ideal generated by admissible relations. The variety Rep(Q/I,β) of representations of Q satisfying the relations from I does not have to be irreducible. We are interested in the generators of rings of semiinvariants on the irreducible components of Rep(Q/I,β). It is clear that the ring of semi-invariants on such components will be generated by the restrictions of the semi-invariants c where V is a representation of Q. However, such description is not very useful. We might have a case when the quiver Q with relations I is of a finite or tame type, but Q is wild. In such case one would still like to describe the semi-invariants of Q/I explicitly, but the description of indecomposable representations of Q is impossible. Therefore it
The Effects of Music and a Coxswain on Attentional Focus, Perceived Exertion, Motivation, and Performance During a 1,000 m Ergometer Rowing Sprint

Music has often been portrayed as a dissociative (i.e., distracting) mechanism. This study demonstrates that music may not be unifunctional in regards to attentional focus; that is, external concentration on music can coexist with task-relevant thoughts. Female intercollegiate rowers (N = 26) performed four 1,000 m sprints on a rowing ergometer at maximal effort under music, coxswain, combined music and coxswain, and control conditions. Findings indicate that during the 1,000 m rowing sprint, both external and task-relevant dimensions of attentional focus can exist simultaneously. This implies a new consideration of music as either dissociative or associative based on task-related factors.
Software defined federated cyber-infrastructure for science and engineering

Scientific applications are moving towards dynamic and data-driven workflows with changing resource requirements. Oftentimes, these workflows combine dynamically changing resource requirements and very large computational and throughput demands. Federated computing has been explored in various contexts and has been demonstrated to be an attractive and viable model for effectively harnessing the power offered by distributed resources. However, resources themselves may also exhibit dynamic behavior with varying capabilities, capacities, and availability over time. Hence, being able to provision an appropriate computational environment at the right time is a challenging issue that cannot be solved using classic federation models where a user is presented with a fixed set of resources. In this paper we argue that an elastic execution infrastructure based on the dynamic federation of resources can help with varying application requirements. In particular, we propose a federation architecture that combines cloud abstractions with ideas from software-defined environments to offer users an integral solution for solving large scale problems in dynamically federated cyber-infrastructure.
A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE LAW OF VAGRANCY

For more than two decades William Chambliss's analysis of vagrancy law has provided criminologists with historical evidence to support class-based explanations for the development of criminal law. Chambliss's use of the historical record, however, is suggestive more than it is conclusive, and recent studies of vagrancy law have exposed important shortcomings in his model. In fact, a systematic examination of the history of vagrancy law reveals that Chambliss's analysis is flawed. Thus. Criminologists should not continue to cite Chambliss's article as an authoritative source on the historical development of criminal law.
Kinetic mechanism of the beta-lactam synthetase of Streptomyces clavuligerus.

Streptomyces clavuligerus β-lactam synthetase (β-LS) was recently demonstrated to catalyze an early step in clavulanic acid biosynthesis, the ATP/Mg2+-dependent intramolecular closure of the β-amino acid N2-(carboxyethyl)-l-arginine (CEA) to the monocyclic β-lactam deoxyguanidinoproclavaminic acid (DGPC). Here we investigate the steady-state kinetic mechanism of the β-LS-catalyzed reaction to better understand this unprecedented secondary metabolic enzyme. Initial velocity patterns were consistent with a sequential ordered bi-ter kinetic mechanism. Product inhibition studies with PPi and DGPC demonstrated competitive inhibition versus their cognate substrates ATP and CEA, respectively, and noncompetitive inhibition against their noncognate substrates. To clarify the order of substrate binding, the truncated substrate analogue N2-(carboxymethyl)-l-arginine was synthesized and demonstrated uncompetitive inhibition versus ATP and competitive patterns versus CEA. These data are consistent with ordered substra...
Antioxidant Properties of Chitosan Coatings on Frozen Atlantic Salmon Fillet Portions

Atlantic salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids, which play important roles in promoting human health but are highly susceptible to oxidation. Chitosan has been shown to have antioxidant properties which could be beneficial in extending the shelf life of Atlantic salmon; however, the effects of chitosan molecular size on oxidation of salmon fillets have not been reported. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chitosan coatings on lipid oxidation of Atlantic salmon fillet portions during 5 months frozen storage. The effects of chitosan molecular weight (high molecular weight, low molecular weight, and enzymatically degraded chitosan), concentration (0.5 and 1.0%), and the addition of 1% ascorbic acid to the chitosan coating were evaluated. Chitosan molecular weight significantly affected oxidation as evaluated by propanal levels and changes in L* values of the fillet portions. The chitosan treatment with added ascorbic acid resulted in the lowest propanal levels during 5 months of ...
The fertility of women after cervical laser surgery.

Objective: To retrospectively survey our population of women who had undergone cervical laser surgery to determine if it adversely affected their ability to conceive or to carry a pregnancy to term. Methods: Women who had undergone laser surgery during the period 1979–1989 were contacted and surveyed regarding each of their pregnancies. Information obtained included their age at the time of each pregnancy, pregnancy outcome, how long they were trying to conceive, and their use of contraception. The post-laser experience of the study group was matched individually for age and parity with a control population taken from the pre-laser interval of the same patients. Results: We contacted 1069 women; 512 responded to the survey and 433 were matched with controls. The mean study interval was 3.8 years. The study group had significantly more total pregnancies (277 versus 177 for controls, P P P P Conclusions: Cervical laser surgery does not appear to impair a woman's ability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term. There is no difference in the effect on fertiligy between laser vaporization and laser excisional cone biopsies.
Achieving positive protein balance in the immediate postoperative period in neonates undergoing abdominal surgery.

Objectives To determine whether neonates undergoing major abdominal surgical procedures in the first day of life could achieve a positive protein balance without protein toxicity in the immediate perioperative period by using parenteral amino acids and fentanyl analgesia. Study design Newborns undergoing major surgery for gastroschisis in the first 24 hours of life (n = 13) were alternately allocated to immediate postoperative parenteral administration of 1.5 g/kg −1 /day −1 versus 2.5 g/kg −1 /day −1 amino acids. Protein balance was determined at 1.6 to 2.6 days postoperatively with both nitrogen balance and leucine stable isotope methodology. Statistical analyses were conducted with the unpaired t test and linear regression. Results Protein balance was significantly different in the 2 groups with both nitrogen balance and leucine stable isotope methodology. There was no evidence of protein toxicity as determined with blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and ammonia concentrations. Conclusions Neonates undergoing the metabolic stress of abdominal surgery shortly after birth are able to achieve a net positive protein balance with parenteral amino acid administration without evidence of protein intolerance.
Periodic Solutions for Spinning Asymmetric Rigid Bodies with Constant Principal-Axis Torque

We analyze themotion of a spinning asymmetric rigid body subject to constant torque along one of the principal axes. Periodic solutions for the angular velocity vector and the corresponding kinematic parameters are given in terms of Fourier series expansions. Three semi-analytic solution methods are presented: one-period integration, Newton’s method, and a perturbationmethod. These are compared for computationalef ciency with a given error bound.The solutions apply to arbitrarily large attitudemotions.Whenmultipleperiod solutions are desired, these methods always prove more ef cient than straightforward numerical integration. The techniques may be applied to onboard computations, maneuver analysis, and maneuver optimization.
Analysis of nuclear proteins interacting with a wheat α/β-gliadin seed storage protein gene

The promoter region (−524 to −46) of the wheat α/β-gliadin seed storage protein gene was analyzed for interactions with nuclear proteins from developing wheat seeds. Six complexes were detected within the first 165 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site. One of the proteins was a non-sequence specific AT-binding protein. The remaining five proteins bound in a sequence specific manner. One (CABP) mapped to a conserved CA-rich element at −134 to −112 while another (PalBP) mapped to an adjacent, palindromic sequence at −112 to −106. Three proteins (CTBPs 1–3) formed complexes at two, independent homologous sites. The activities of four of the binding proteins, CTBPs 1–3 and CABP, exhibited similar patterns of expression during seed development: they first appeared at early to mid stages, reached a maximum at mid stage and subsequently decreased, paralleling the pattern of gliadin mRNA accumulation. The non-specific AT-binding protein was detected at relatively high levels only at mid development. PalBP activity, on the other hand, first appeared at mid stage and was present at a constant level throughout later stages of development. The results suggest that the binding proteins may regulate gliadin expression in an antagonistic manner.
Fabrication Effects Upon the Structure and Properties of Solid Solution Strengthened High Temperature Alloys

Samples from production sheets of several solid-solution strengthened high temperature alloys were strained by 10 percent and 20 percent and then heat treated at 1040°C (1900°F) and 1120°C (2050°F) to simulate conditions experienced during the manufacture of hardware items. The alloys used in the study were HASTELLOY® alloy X, HAYNES® alloy No. 230, HAYNES alloy No. 188 and INCONEL® alloy 617. Mechanical properties were measured and compared to those of solution annealed material. The microstructure associated with each fabrication cycle was characterized based upon optical microscopy. The variations observed are reported herein.Copyright © 1985 by ASME
Spectral reflectance of the seagrasses: Thalassia testudinum, Halodule wrightii, Syringodium filiforme and five marine algae

Spectral reflectance of three Western Atlantic subtropical/tropical dominant benthic seagrasses (Thalassia testudinum, Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme) measured in the laboratory by UNIspec Spectral Analysis system over 400-1000 nm are compared to five Western Atlantic dominant benthic and intertidal algae (Fucus vesiculosus, Ulva lactuca, Halimeda incrassata, Udotea flabellum and Penicillus capitatus). Thalassia spectra are also compared to previously studied forest species, showing that the spectral reflectance signature of Thalassia was of the same general shape as forest species, but of lesser peak height (18% vs 28-50%) in the 750-759 nm range. For marine plants, near-infrared reflectance of Thalassia, Syringodium and Halodule was intermediate (18%) between the ubiquitous green alga Ulva (15%) and the temperate brown alga, Fucus (27%). The brown alga had a unique spectral signature in the first difference spectrum (three secondary peaks at differing spectral values than the other species' secondary peaks). Comparisons between Halodule, Syringodium and Thalassia near-infrared peaks and Halimeda (58%), Penicillus (29%) and Udotea (42%), subtropical/tropical algae, were also carried out. Halimeda differed most from the other green algae in terms of numerous oscillations from 450 to 700 nm seen in the first difference spectrum. The three seagrasses were similar in spectral reflectance curve shape to one another but differed somewhat in peak height. The first difference spectrum was helpful in pointing out subtle differences among the species and between algae and seagrass. Spectral reflectance data such as those presented here appear potentially useful for remote sensing of shallow habitats, and may additionally be used to monitor their health.
Frontiers of Nutritional Intervention

It is increasingly recognized that nutritional intervention holds great potential for the management of modern chronic disease. Understanding the relationship between nutrient metabolism and disease development is an important foundation for nutritional intervention. To maximize the utility of nutritional intervention, it is critical that we identify the factors underlying chronic disease that can be modulated by nutrients. Based on recent research, I consider the following three areas to be among the frontiers of nutritional intervention: chronic low-grade inflammation, gut microbiota, and epigenetics. Chronic low-grade inflammation is known to be a common mechanism underlying the pathology of many chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases [1] . Interventions that suppress the development of chronic lowgrade inflammation could therefore be of great utility in addressing these diseases. In fact, much of the current research on the prevention and treatment of these diseases has targeted chronic inflammation. Inflammatory response involves multiple processes, including lipid mediator formation, cytokine expression, immune cell migration, etc., which can be modulated directly or indirectly by nutrients and/or their metabolites in differential manners. Certain nutrients exhibit opposing effects on inflammation. For example, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their metabolites generally promote inflammatory processes, while omega-3 fatty acids and their metabolites largely suppress them [2] . Thus, a full understanding of the specific nutrients’ effect on chronic inflammation should be an important area of nutritional research. Given the complexity of the diet and the numerous interactions that occur between nutrients in different compositions, there remains much to be investigated about the overall effect of a diet on chronic low-grade inflammation. Future studies to elucidate how the steps of chronic low-grade inflammation are influenced by the type and quantity of nutrients and their metabolites will allow us to formulate effective interventions to modulate chronic low-grade inflammation. The gut microbiota, which is highly variable among individuals, has recently been shown to play a key role in human health and disease [3] . More and more studies have shown that alterations in the gut microbiota can influence many physiological and pathological processes, Published online: April 4, 2014
570 DECLINING LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (LBW) IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECLINING SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC RISK

Cross-sectional studies have shown numerous sociodemographic risk factors for LBW (<2500g). We studied changes over time in LBW rates and risk factors by analyzing two North Carolina birth cohorts a decade apart totaling over 350,000 births. Whites and non-whites showed nearly identical improvements in the percentage of deliveries < 36 weeks, but whites showed more improvement in LBW rates (mean 16% decline in LBW compared to 11% for non-whites). Maternal age and birth order distributions and educational attainments generally improved for both racial groups. Births to unwed mothers increased, however, especially among non-whites. Linear regression analysis of geographic- and race-specific sub-populations confirmed the association between 11 known risk factors and LBW for whites. Significant correlations existed for only 4 of the same factors for non-whites. We also found correlations between trends in 8 of the stronger risk factors and trends in LBW over time for whites; the only such association demonstrable for non-whites was with the change in fetal death ratio. Conclusions: (1) LBW rates declined in N.C., 1968-1980, more for whites than non-whites; (2) declines over time in the known risk factors for LBW correlated with declines in LBW; (3) traditional risk factors for LBW are better predictors for whites than for non-whites, suggesting that these traditional indicators fail to capture important social, environmental or medical risks that continue to place non-whites at much higher risk for LBW.