cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diurnal Variations in Plasma Insulin and Growth Hormone Associated with Two Stages of Lactation in High Producing Dairy Cows

Plasma concentrations of GH, insulin, glucose, and FFA were measured in high yielding dairy cows at periods of peak milk production and later during periods of increased feed intake. During each period, five cows were prepared with indwelling juHgular catheters, and blood was sampled at 10-min intervals for 24 h, followed by hourly sampling for an additional 24 h. During early lactation (30 days post partum), the plasma GH concentration was elevated (13.2 ng/ml) compared to that in later lactation (90 days post partum; 9.8 ng/ml). This increased GH status was due to a greater magnitude of individual secretory spikes (27.3 vs. 20.2 ng/ml) rather than a difference in the frequency of spikes or in baseline plasma levels of GH. As lactation progressed from 30–90 days post partum, milk yield decreased, feed intake increased, and overall plasma concentration of insulin increased (17.3 vs. 29.3 μU/ml),refkecting both an elevated magnitude of hormone secretory spikes (30.2 vs. 55.2 μU/ml) and an elevated baseline...
Paleoindians in beringia: evidence from arctic alaska.

Excavations at the Mesa site in arctic Alaska provide evidence for a Paleoindian occupation of Beringia, the region adjacent to the Bering Strait. Eleven carbon-14 dates on hearths associated with Paleoindian projectile points place humans at the site between 9,730 and 11,660 radiocarbon years before present (years B.P.). The presence of Paleoindians in Beringia at these times challenges the notion that Paleoindian cultures arose exclusively in mid-continental North America. The age span of Paleoindians at the Mesa site overlaps with dates from two other cultural complexes in interior Alaska. A hiatus in the record of human occupation occurs between 10,300 and 11,000 years B.P. Late Glacial climatic fluctuations may have made northern Alaska temporarily unfavorable for humans and spurred their southward dispersal.
A Self-Excited Synchronous Generator for Isolated Power Supply

This paper describes an engine-driven self-excited synchronous generator with a minimal air gap and a static voltage regulator, which has been designed for mobile or isolated power systems. There is no exciter. Voltage buildup is provided by the residual magnetism of hard-steel field-pole laminations. The field current is provided by a set of silicon rectifiers, supplied in part from the generator voltage and in part from the line current, with a circuit designed to hold constant volts per cycle, regardless of load changes. Test data are given which show that the generator has high efficiency, good overload capacity, and remarkably high motor starting ability.
The Use of β,γ-Methyleneadenosine 5′-Triphosphate to Determine ATP Competition in a Scintillation Proximity Kinase Assay

Abstract A novel method for characterizing the kinetics of protein kinase inhibitors is described. This method uses glycogen synthase kinase β as the model protein kinase and looks at the shift in IC50 of inhibitors using the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, β,γ-methyleneadenosine 5′-triphosphate, also known as AMP-PCP. Due to its inability to be hydrolyzed, AMP-PCP is being used to characterize known glycogen synthase kinase inhibitors by determining the shift in IC50 at concentrations above its calculated Ki of 490 μM. The assay format for the detection of inhibition is a scintillation proximity assay which is robust and reproducible at very low levels of [γ-33P]ATP. The use of AMP-PCP coupled with the use of the scintillation proximity assay allows this characterization of inhibition without increasing [γ-33P]ATP and without significantly diluting the overall assay signal. We have used this method in kinetic analyses to demonstrate that we can detect a significant shift in IC50 with the known ATP competitive inhibitors, staurosporine, Ro 31-8220, and olomoucine. The IC50 for glycogen synthase peptide and lithium chloride, which has been reported to be uncompetitive, remains unchanged.
Fabrication of 3D silicon photonic crystal structures using conventional micromachining technology

In this paper, we present a novel method for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal structures using conventional planar silicon micromachining technology. It overcomes the disadvantages of the methods hitherto reported in the literature for the fabrication of 3D photonic crystal devices, which include high complexity of multi-step processes, tight alignment tolerances, long turnaround times, and incompatibility with an integrated photonics platform. The method utilizes a single planar etch mask coupled with time multiplexed sidewall passivating deep anisotropic reactive ion etching along with isotropic etch process to create three-dimensional photonic crystal devices. In the process, anisotropic etching is followed by isotropic etching leading to the formation of sphere like voids. This step is followed by sidewall polymer deposition and local removal of the polymer from the bottom of the spheres that allows the etch process to be repeated and produce many layers. For the etch mask initially patterned with a square lattice, the etch sequence methodology explained above yields a 3D structure with simple cubic symmetry. Theoretical calculations predict that this structure should possess a complete photonic band gap. Optimization of the photonic band gap can be achieved by using different lattices (square, triangular, hexagonal) as the etch mask to produce photonic crystals with different crystalline structures. Further, by utilizing this fabrication scheme, photonic crystals over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum ( 300Thz) can be fabricated by scaling the etch times and the mask dimensions.
Outcome Measures in Late-Life Depression.

The constructs and suggested measures listed here are recommended for inclusion in clinical treatment trials of late-life depression to optimize the return on the significant effort involved in these studies. The suggested measures have shown utility in studies documenting outcomes in depression studies; however the measures listed are by no means to be interpreted as exhaustive. The authors propose that consistent use of a broad set of outcome measures will assist clinicians and policymakers in the identification of appropriate treatments for older, depressed patients.
Influence of Telomeric Heterochromatin Loss on Growth and Development of the Early Embryo and Endosperm in Triticale

The influence of telomeric heterochromatin on early embryo and endosperm development and the production of aberrant endosperm nuclei were investigated using eight triticale (×Tritocmecale Wittmack) lines homozygous for the presence or absence ol blocks of telomeric heterochromatin from rye chromosome arms 1RL, 2RS, (SRS, and 7RL. The loss of heterochromatin from two chromosomes (6R, 7R) produced a significantly lower percentage of aberrant endosperm nuclei than did the loss from one chromosome (6R). Deletion of a third block had a significant additional effect in only one of four lines. The differences between lines for rales of embryo and endosperm development were significant even within a karyotypc, presumably because of genetic variation. The onset of cellularization of the endosperm tended to obscure the detection of aberrancy, and since it evidently occurred at different times in different lines, may have been largely responsible for the apparent reduction in aberrant nuclei in lines with less heterochromatin.
The unimportance of phase in speech enhancement

The importance of Fourier transform phase in speech enhancement is considered. Results indicate that a more accurate estimation of phase is unwarranted in speech enhancement at the S/N ratios where the intelligibility scores of unprocessed speech range from 5 to 95 percent, if the phase estimate is used to reconstruct speech by combining it with an independently estimated magnitude or to reconstruct speech using the phase-only signal reconstruction algorithm.
L'effet de l'incertitude et des stratégies de détermination des besoins de l'utilisateur sur les projets d'informatisation

The objective of the early phases of information systems (IS) development projects is to determine users' information requirements. Systems analysts' primary concern is to secure information requirements that are stable over the duration of the project. The reality of the profession has shown that obtaining information requirements which reflect users' true information requirements and which remain stable over time is not always an easy matter. In this study, we attempted to validate an information requirements determination (IRD) theoretical model. Developed by Naumann and Davis (1978), this model defines the best IRD strategy as a function of the uncertainty present in the project. Three hypotheses were derived from the model and tested using data collected on 67 IS projects. Established measures were used to measure the variables of the model. Statistical tests led to the rejection of the hyptheses relating project size, task structure, and the congruence variable to user satisfaction. The results obtained show that human factors are the most important in an information system development project. Resume Le but des premieres phases du developpement d'un systeme d'information est de determiner les besoins reels que le systeme doit satisfaire. Le souci des analystes d'application est d'obtenir des besoins qui soient stables tout au long du developpement du systeme. La realite de la profession des analystes veut qu'obtenir des besoins qui soient a la fois stables et reels releve de la gageure. Dans cette etude, nous avons tente de tester la validite d'un modele de determination des besoins de l'utilisateur. Ce modele, developpe par Naumann et Davis (1978), definit la meilleure strategie de determination des besoins de l'utilisateur en fonction de l'incertitude presente dans le projet. Trois hypotheses ont ete degagees du modele et testees sur des donnees recueillies sur 67 projets. Des mesures preexistantes ont ete utilisees. Les tests statistiques effectues ont conduit au rejet des hypotheses reliant la taille du projet, la structure de la tache et la congruence a la satisfaction de l'utilisateur. Parmi les resultats degages, les facteurs les plus importants dans un projet semblent ětre les facteurs humains relatifs aux parties engagees dans le projet de deloppement des systemes d'application.
Modelling for control of induction plasma deposition

Plasma torches are used in a variety of different applications including forming corrosion and wear resistant coatings, near net shape manufacture, and production of metal matrix composites. A low order nonlinear dynamic model of the induction plasma deposition process has been developed and analyzed to obtain insight into developing an appropriate control structure.
How Binding of the Signal Peptide Unlocks the Translocon

In all organisms, many of the proteins newly synthesized by the ribosome are targeted to the SecY/Sec61 translocon for secretion or incorporation into the lipid membrane. Targeting of secreted proteins is generally encoded in a ∼20 amino acids extension of the N-terminus of the nascent protein, denoted as the signal peptide. The translocon opens upon binding of the signal peptide and the ribosome (or the SecA motor). To understand how SecY/Sec61 opens, it is essential to know the structure and dynamics of the translocon:signal peptide complex in a hydrated lipid membrane. Molecular dynamics simulations of the SecY translocon from M. janaaschii with proOmpA signal peptide reveal that the structure and dynamics of both the translocon and the signal peptide change significantly upon formation of the complex. It appears that inside the translocon the signal peptide has a preferred location in which it interacts with water molecules and with highly conserved SecY amino acids whose mutation causes translocation defects. Binding of the signal peptide induces changes in the relative orientation of transmembrane helices of the translocon, and also affects the structure and interactions with water and the rest of the protein of the plug segment that closes the periplasmic vestibule of the translocon in the closed state. The structure and dynamics of the translocon and signal peptide are coupled: mutating the translocon induces changes in the structure and dynamics not only of the translocon, but also of the signal peptide.This research was supported in part by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM-74637 to S.H.W) and the National Science Foundation (CHE-0750175 to D.J.T.), and an allocation of computer time from the National Science Foundation through the TeraGrid resources at TACC (Ranger).
Time-Dependent Tracheal Deformation in Fetal, Neonatal, and Adult Rabbits

Summary: Sequential magnitude and the rate of change in tracheal mechanics after application of intermittent positive pressure (IPP), and the time constant, τ, of this deformation were determined in fetal (21 and 27 days gestation), neonatal (term, 31 days gestation) and adult rabbits. In vitro tracheal mechanics were determined by liquid plethysmography before and after IPP, (25 cm H2O at 30 cycles/min) of 20, 40, 60, and 120 min duration. A sequential decrease in tracheal compliance was documented at all ages. This was associated with increased values of τ as the maturational age advanced. Further, the rate of tracheal deformation was 0.008 cm H2O min-1 at 21 days gestation compared to 0.00025 cm H2O min-1 at adulthood. The decrease in rate of deformation was related to the gestational maturity and duration of IPP. The rate of deformation, as predicted by calculated deformation time constants, appears to be a function of structural elastic and viscoelastic properties of the trachea as well as the duration and magnitude of applied pressure. Speculation: The deformation time constant may be defined as a useful index to predict the rate of airway deformation. Utilizing the rabbit model, this provides a measure of comparing barotrauma with different modes of ventilation in preterms.
The effects of inter-stimulus interval and prime modality in a semantic priming task

Background: Semantic priming studies are employed in order to examine how various semantic contexts can influence visual word recognition processes. Although research has shown numerous factors can have an influence on the magnitude of the semantic priming effects found in lexical decision tasks, the majority of these factors have been related to the prime–target relationship itself. However, other factors have also been shown to alter the priming effect. Two such factors are the inter-stimulus interval (ISI) and presentation modality. The inter-stimulus interval may be used to independently assess automatic and strategic processes, whereas presentation modality is typically used to assess the different processing time courses that occur with spoken or written words. These factors have not been adequately investigated in the normal population. A more in-depth understanding of the relationships between prime modality, inter-stimulus interval, and word recognition processes in a sample of individuals with t...
A survey of construction and manipulation of octrees

Abstract The octree representation of three-dimensional objects based on the principle of recursive subdivision is a generalization of two-dimensional quadtrees. It has been studied for use in many application areas such as solid modeling, computer graphics, computer-aided design/manufacturing, computer vision, image processing, and robotics. Many algorithms related to octrees have been developed in these application areas. In this paper, we divide these algorithms into two categories, construction and manipulation of octrees, and give a detailed survey of them.
Matrices and finite biquandles

Wedescribeawayofrepresentingfinitebiquandleswithnelements as 2n ◊ 2n block matrices. Any finite biquandle defines an invariant of virtual knots through counting homomorphisms. The counting invariants of non-quandle biquandles can reveal information not present in the knot quandle, such as the nontrivialityofthevirtualtrefoilandvariousKishinoknots.Wealso exhibitanorientedvirtualknotwhichisdistinguishedfromboth its obverse and its reverse by a finite biquandle counting invariant.Weclassifybiquandlesoforder2,3and4andprovideaURL for our Maple programs for computing with finite biquandles.
Back to Revolutionary Theory Through Racialized Poverty: The McGee Family's Utopian Struggle for Milwaukee∗

In this article, I consider possible political action that can reverse deepening racialized poverty in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At its core, this article uses the efforts of the McGee family, an important activist family spanning three generations within Milwaukee, to offer insights into conceptualizing alternative strategies for confronting racialized poverty in Milwaukee. I also use the McGees's story to reconsider the ways geographers might generate revolutionary theory. The article is based on more than thirty interviews and several focus groups with a mixed array of people related to a broad temporal, spatial, and political research project on poverty, race, and inequality within Milwaukee.
The economics of gay and lesbian couples: Introduction to a special issue on gay and lesbian households

This article presents a simple conceptual framework integrating three couple-related outcomes analyzed in this volume: wage differentials in earnings related to couple formation, household formation (including cohabitation and registration as Registered Domestic Partnership), and intra-household allocation of income. It also discusses some of the articles’ main findings.
The Mediated Metropolis as Medium and Message

Cities and communication have been historically inseparable, and the new communication technologies and globalization are changing the boundaries of multicentered, multicultural and multimediated urban regions. The `communicative city' is a medium with a traditional local and internal geographic space and place, while conveying its message into a virtual external cyberspace. The impact of social divergence and media convergence on urban identity raises questions about consensus, community and the `communicative' function of the city if it is digitized, dematerialized and deterritorialized in a new urban geography.
Phytophage effects on primary production, nutrient turnover, and litter decomposition of young Douglas-fir in western Oregon

Abstract We tested the effect of defoliating and sap-sucking phytophages on young Douglas-fir at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in western Oregon. Experimental trees were subjected to manipulated abundances of a sap-sucking insect at 0–1 insect g−1 foliage or a defoliating insect at 0 –0.06 g−1 foliage. Tree mass, throughfall, litterfall, litter decomposition, and N, K and Ca turnover were measured for each tree over a 3 year period. Herbivore abundance had no effect on calculated tree growth or nutrient content. These data suggest compensatory growth and replacement of lost nutrients. Herbivory also did not significantly affect decomposition rate for exogenous Douglas-fir needle litter. Throughfall volume, N, K and Ca content, and litterfall mass were positively related (P The results of this study support results from an eastern deciduous forest. Our study relates nutrient turnover rates to herbivore abundances, a prerequisite for modeling phytophage effects on nutrient flows.
How to use animation in computer assisted learning

While animation has been used in some form since the beginning of microcomputer-based instruction, there has been only limited research concerning appropriate strategies for integrating this instructional option with a specific lesson. The author provides a summary of research on the effectiveness of animation as an instructional tool, suggests general guidelines concerning methods for implementing animation within specific materials delivered by computer, and lists a number of examples where the use of this strategy is warranted.
Intercellular transfer regulation of the paracrine activity of GPI-anchored Cripto-1 as a Nodal co-receptor

Cripto-1 (CR-1) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein which acts as an obligate co-receptor of a TGFβ family ligand, Nodal. Previous studies have demonstrated that CR-1 functions in a paracrine fashion by a cellular mechanism which has not been fully described. This paracrine activity was observed only when CR-1 was expressed as a membrane-bound form and was abolished when CR-1 was expressed in a soluble form. In the current study, we found that there were few biochemical differences in post-translational modifications between membrane-anchored and soluble forms of CR-1. Flow cytometric analysis revealed an intercellular transfer of the membrane-bound form of CR-1 between cells. CR-1-expressing cells formed unique membrane extensions, generated more membrane fragments than control cells, and exhibited enhanced cellular adhesion. Thus, expression of CR-1 may alter the physiochemical properties of the plasma membrane resulting in an enhancement of intercellular transfer of cellular signaling components which may account for the paracrine activity of CR-1.
Adaptive control of time‐varying plants: Simple examples

The design and properties of an adaptive model reference scheme and an adaptive pole placement control scheme for linear time-varying plants are demonstrated via two simple examples. The two new schemes combine new control laws that are appropriate for time-varying plants with estimators that can utilize any available a prior; information on the structure of the parameter variations and are applicable to plants which are not necessarily slowly time-varying. As illustrated by simulations, the new adaptive controllers exhibit good performance even in cases of fast plant parameter variations.
Resolution and interpolation of multichannel long wave infrared camera data

We evaluate the performance of a multiple aperture camera with a target projector testbed and compare it to a single lens LWIR camera with a similar field of view and pixel count. We measure a noise equivalent temperature difference of 131 mK for the multiple aperture camera and 121 mK for the conventional camera which uses similar uncooled 25 μm pixel technology. Spatial frequency response is analyzed using a collection of 4-bar targets with different periods. After characterization, we remove aliasing from the multiple aperture data to resolve targets as high as 0.192 cy/mrad.
Instrumentation of an Automatic Capsule-Filling Machine

Techniques similar to those used in instrumenting tablet presses were applied to an automatic capsule-filling machine. The dosing unit was modified to allow the bonding of strain gauges to the compression piston. The gauges formed the arms of a Wheatstone bridge circuit. Thus, compression and ejection events were monitored by measuring the bridge unbalance voltage using a suitable amplifier-recording system. The instrumented piston was calibrated in a physical testing machine. Dosing unit rotation required the interposing of a mercury contact swivel between the amplifier and instrumented piston. The instrumentation system required only one minor, permanent modification to the machine, a cut in the dosator tube. Since the same dosator piston sensed both compression and ejection, only one of the two dosing units was instrumented and the other was removed from the machine. A solenoid switching system was devised which only permitted the feeding of empty gelatin shells into the filling cycle for the instrumented piston. Representative fillers were run at constant powder bed and piston heights. Oscilloscope tracings showed two stages in slug formation: (a) “precompression,” representing the force sensed during dipping of the dosator into the powder before actual compression, and (b) actual piston compression. Generally, the maximum slug compression force fell to zero rapidly on retraction of the piston, but in some cases a retention force was noted, possibly due to elastic rebound of the slug against the retracted piston. A negative deflection due to binding of the piston also was observed in tracings of one material. Lubricated batches exhibited ejection forces of less than 1 kg. ·
Uncertainties of GPM DPR Rain Estimates Caused by DSD Parameterizations

AbstractA framework based on measured raindrop size distribution (DSD) data has been developed to assess uncertainties in DSD models employed in Ku- and Ka-band dual-wavelength radar retrievals. In this study, the rain rates and attenuation coefficients from DSD parameters derived by dual-wavelength algorithms are compared with those directly obtained from measured DSD spectra. The impact of the DSD gamma parameterizations on rain estimation from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM) Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) is examined for the cases of a fixed shape factor μ as well as for a constrained μ—that is, a μ–Λ relation (a relationship between the shape parameter and slope parameter Λ of the gamma DSD)—by using 11 Particle Size and Velocity (Parsivel) disdrometer measurements with a total number of about 50 000 one-minute spectra that were collected during the Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) experiment. It is found that the DPR-like dual-wavelength techniques provide fairly accurate est...
The “calm before the storm” in CIR/magnetosphere interactions: Occurrence statistics, solar wind statistics, and magnetospheric preconditioning

[1] Intervals of extreme geomagnetic calm just prior to recurring high-speed-stream-driven storms are noted and studied. These calm intervals may be important for preconditioning the magnetosphere for the ensuing storms. It is argued that this preconditioning causes (1) a decay of the number density of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt, (2) a mass loading of the convection of the middle magnetosphere during the early phase of the storms, (3) dumping of the outer electron radiation belt by the formation of a plasmaspheric drainage plume at the onset of the storm, and (4) a contribution to the inner plasma sheet and ring current by the convection of cool dense plasma into the dipole. Calm intervals tend to occur when uncompressed slow wind passes the Earth immediately prior to the CIR. Using 73 years of geomagnetic data, it is shown that the occurrence rate of calms before recurring storms is substantially greater than random occurrence probability would predict, even though the properties of the wind that drives calms before storms are statistically similar to the properties of the wind that drives quiet intervals during solar minimum. The recurrence of storms and calms are studied and it is found that both tend to recur with a 27-day period (strongest during declining phase) and that the persistence of calm recurrence (∼3 solar rotations) is greater than the persistence of storm recurrence (∼2 solar rotations). An argument is given as to why there is a tendency for calms to occur just prior to high-speed-stream-driven storms.
Water movement across nephron segments involved with the countercurrent multiplication system.

The ability of the kidney to serve as the primary excretory organ for solute and water is its main function. During hydropenia the kidney is able to conserve the bulk of the water that is presented to it, while in clinical states characterized by water excess, the kidney is capable of excreting large amounts of dilute urine. This regulatory capacity for water excretion is the consequence of the countercurrent multiplication system. Most epithelia are indiscriminately permeant to water; however, the countercurrent multiplication system, composed of several nephron segments and capillary endothelia, is unique in that each of its major components possesses a different and well-defined set of characteristics for water permeation. During the past decade considerable progress has been made toward advancing our understanding of those specific properties of the individual segments of the nephron which dictate their water permeability characteristics. The primary purpose of the present paper is to discuss the various mechanisms for water permeation which are operative in those nephron segments which participate in the overall operation of the countercurrent multiplication system.
Elevated basal AP-1 DNA binding activity in developing rat brain

Nuclear extracts from hippocampi, striata and hypothalami of postnatal day (P) 7 rats contained elevated basal levels of AP-1 DNA binding activity and c-jun protein, which decreased to the low basal levels observed in the adult by P21. In contrast to the AP-1 DNA binding complex in the adult brain, the fos-related antigens were not a major component of the P7 AP-1 DNA binding activity.
Targeted Pressure Management During CO2 Sequestration: Optimization of Well Placement and Brine Extraction

Large-scale pressure increases resulting from carbon dioxide (CO2) injection in the subsurface can potentially impact caprock integrity, induce reactivation of critically stressed faults, and drive CO2 or brine through conductive features into shallow groundwater. Pressure management involving the extraction of native fluids from storage formations can be used to minimize pressure increases while maximizing CO2 storage. However, brine extraction requires pumping, transportation, possibly treatment, and disposal of substantial volumes of extracted brackish or saline water, all of which can be technically challenging and expensive. This paper describes a constrained differential evolution (CDE) algorithm for optimal well placement and injection/ extraction control with the goal of minimizing brine extraction while achieving predefined pressure contraints. The CDE methodology was tested for a simple optimization problem whose solution can be partially obtained with a gradient-based optimization methodology. The CDE successfully estimated the true global optimum for both extraction well location and extraction rate, needed for the test problem. A more complex example application of the developed strategy was also presented for a hypothetical CO2 storage scenario in a heterogeneous reservoir consisting of a critically stressed fault nearby an injection zone. Through the CDE optimization algorithm coupled to a numerical vertically-averaged reservoir model, wemore » successfully estimated optimal rates and locations for CO2 injection and brine extraction wells while simultaneously satisfying multiple pressure buildup constraints to avoid fault activation and caprock fracturing. The study shows that the CDE methodology is a very promising tool to solve also other optimization problems related to GCS, such as reducing ‘Area of Review’, monitoring design, reducing risk of leakage and increasing storage capacity and trapping.« less
Connective tissue growth factor in tubulointerstitial injury of diabetic nephropathy.

Connective tissue growth factor in tubulointerstitial injury of diabetic nephropathy. Background Chronic interstitial fibrosis, which follows the onset of glomerular proteinuria, importantly contributes to progressive renal failure in diabetic nephropathy. The present studies examine the potential role of tubular connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Methods The expression of CTGF was examined in rats with diabetic nephropathy. Regulation and actions of CTGF were studied in in vitro cell culture models. Results CTGF mRNA levels were increased in the renal cortex of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes compared with controls. Immunohistology indicated that CTGF was expressed in renal cortex of diabetic rats, in contrast to controls in some tubular cross-sections, particularly dilated-appearing proximal tubules, in which it tended to colocalize with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Glomerular ultrafiltrate from diabetic rats, which contained bioactive transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), induced increased CTGF expression in tubular cells. TGF-β1 and, to a lesser extent, HGF also raised CTGF expression in cultured proximal tubular cells. In contrast, high glucose (25 mmol/L) did not increase the secretion of CTGF. In cultured tubular cells, rhCTGF moderately increased fibronectin but not collagen (Col) type I and type III expression. In NRK-49F renal interstitial fibroblasts, CTGF raised Col α1III and thrombospondin-1 levels. CTGF has an IGF-binding domain and binds to IGF-I. In NRK-49F cells, IGF-I increased the activity of CTGF towards the expression of Col α1III. Conclusions CTGF is expressed and regulated downstream from TGF-β and HGF in proximal tubular cells, is induced by diabetic rat glomerular ultrafiltrate, and has moderate profibrogenic activity in tubular cells and renal interstitial fibroblasts, where its activity is IGF-I dependent. By these means, CTGF may act downstream of TGF-β and HGF and may contribute to chronic tubulointerstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy.
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase isolated from cowpea chlorotic mottle virus-infected cowpeas is specific for bromoviral RNA.

Abstract An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity capable of synthesizing full length double-stranded RNA products only in the presence of bromoviral RNA templates has been isolated from cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV)-infected Cowpeas. No comparable discrete products were obtained when a nonbromoviral (cowpea mosaic virus) RNA was used as template. Heterodisperse, ribonuclease-sensitive products were obtained in reactions catalyzed by similar extracts from mock-inoculated (uninfected) plants in the presence of added CCMV RNA. The extraction procedure was identical to that used for obtaining virus-specific polymerase from brome mosaic virus-infected barley (Bujarski, Hardy, Miller, and Hall, Virology 119 , 465–473,1982). Comparison of the activities of the barley- and cowpea-derived enzymes provides further evidence for our contention that a virus-encoded polypeptide is an integral component of these replicases.
Value of proximal diversion and ureteral stenting in management of penetrating ureteral trauma.

Abstract Cases of penetrating ureteral trauma (17 gunshot wounds and 4 stab wounds) seen at two New York City hospitals over a nine-year period were reviewed. Early urologic complications (defined as urine drainage from the wound for > 2 weeks or need for a second operation) occurred in 50 percent of patients with a proximal ureteral injury but were less common when a nephrostomy and stent were used in the repair. A similar beneficial effect of stenting was seen in published cases, with a 91 percent complication rate for unstented repairs and a 15 percent rate when stenting and nephrostomy drainage were both used. The effect of stenting on midureteral repairs was less obvious, but the rate of urologic complications was lower in stented cases. None of the patients with distal ureteral injuries suffered a urologic complication. Stenting with and without a nephrostomy tube also produced good results in 2 patients with proximal ureteral injuries diagnosed late. We conclude that repair of penetrating ureteral injuries should include stenting and nephrostomy tube drainage in cases of proximal injuries, as well as generous debridement and water-tight closure. Midureteral injuries accompanied by gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and major vascular injuries should be stented and proximal diversion considered when prosthetic materials are used for vascular repairs.
Security test and evaluation for multilevel-mode accreditation: Lessons learned

MITRE's experience and lessons learned in performing security test and evaluation (ST&E) for SPADOC 4B are described. ST&E drew on contractual testing but involved extensive government testing of the system. ST&E included testing in a representative stressed environment and in failure situations. ST&E also involved verification of safeguards from security disciplines other than COMPUSEC, including procedural and physical security. SPADOC 4B has been accredited to operate in multilevel mode. >
From the combat medic to the forward surgical team: the Madigan model for improving trauma readiness of brigade combat teams fighting the Global War on Terror.

Background Medics assigned to combat units have a notable paucity of trauma experience. Our goal was to provide intense trauma refresher training for the conventional combat medic to better prepare them for combat casualty care in the War on Terror. Materials and methods Our Tactical Combat Casualty Care Course (TC3) consisted of the following five phases: (1) One and one-half-day didactic session; (2) Half-day simulation portion with interactive human surgical simulators for anatomical correlation of procedures and team building; (3) Half-day of case presentations and triage scenarios from Iraq/Afghanistan and associated skills stations; (4) Half-day live tissue lab where procedures were performed on live anesthetized animals in a controlled environment; and (5) One-day field phase where live anesthetized animals and surgical simulators were combined in a real-time, field-training event to simulate realistic combat injuries, evacuation problems, and mass casualty scenarios. Data collection consisted of surveys, pre- and posttests, and after-action comments. Results A total of 1317 personnel participated in TC3 from October 2003 through May 2005. Over the overlapping study period from December 2004 to April 2005, 327 soldiers participated in the formal five-phase course. Three hundred four (94%) students were combat medics who were preparing for combat operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. Of those completing the training, 97% indicated their confidence and ability to treat combat casualties were markedly improved. Moreover, of those 140 medics who took the course and deployed to Iraq for 1 year, 99% indicated that the principles taught in the TC3 course helped with battlefield management of injured casualties during their deployment. Conclusion The hybrid training model is an effective method for training medical personnel to deal with modern battle injuries. This course increases the knowledge and confidence of combat medics deploying and fighting the Global War on Terrorism.
Mindfulness: Reconnecting the Body and Mind in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology

Derived from Buddhism, mindfulness is a unique approach for understanding human suffering and happiness that has attracted rapidly growing interest among health care professionals. In this article I describe current thinking about the concept of mindfulness and elaborate on why and how mindfulness-based interventions have potential within the context of geriatric medicine and gerontology. Upon reviewing definitions and models of the concept, I give attention to the unique role that the body plays in cultivating mindfulness and the advantages that this focus has for older adults because they have aging biological systems and may experience chronic disease, pain, and disability. In the final section I discuss why mindfulness may be particularly useful in promoting physical activity among older adults and how physical activity may be used as a vehicle to promote mindfulness.
Reconstruction of Nasal Defects 1.5 cm or Smaller

Objectives To review the repair of smaller nasal defects (≤1.5 cm) and their associated complications, elaborating on nasal obstruction and techniques to avoid it, and to determine outcomes with functional cartilage grafting. Methods The medical records of patients requiring nasal reconstruction for Mohs defects 1.5 cm or smaller were reviewed. Variables analyzed included defect location, defect size, use of cartilage, flap design, smoking status, and postoperative complications (nasal obstruction and flap/graft necrosis). Results A total of 208 patients with 213 nasal defects 1.5 cm or smaller were identified. The most common location was the alar subunit, followed by the tip, dorsum, and sidewall. Ninety-eight of the defects (46.0%) used cartilage grafts for reconstruction. Seventy-three of 84 alar defects (86.9%) were reconstructed with cartilage as a composite or batten graft. The sidewall and dorsum were the least likely to require cartilage grafting: 1 of 15 (6.7%) and 0 of 21, respectively. Ten patients (4.8%) had a postoperative complication: 6 of 19 smokers (31.6%) and 4 of 189 nonsmokers (2.1%). Overall, nasal obstruction was an infrequent complication (1.4%). Conclusions Regardless of defect size, defect location, and flap design, smokers were at higher risk for postoperative complications. Subtle modifications in the classic flap design and liberal use of cartilage grafting reduce the risk of postoperative nasal obstruction.
Robust tumor immunity to melanoma mediated by interleukin-9-producing T cells

Interleukin-9 (IL-9) is a T cell cytokine that acts through a γC-family receptor on target cells and is associated with inflammation and allergy. We determined that T cells from mice deficient in the T helper type 17 (T(H)17) pathway genes encoding retinoid-related orphan receptor γ (ROR-γ) and IL-23 receptor (IL-23R) produced abundant IL-9, and we found substantial growth inhibition of B16F10 melanoma in these mice. IL-9-blocking antibodies reversed this tumor growth inhibition and enhanced tumor growth in wild-type (WT) mice. Il9r(-/-) mice showed accelerated tumor growth, and administration of recombinant IL-9 (rIL-9) to tumor-bearing WT and Rag1(-/-) mice inhibited melanoma as well as lung carcinoma growth. Adoptive transfer of tumor-antigen-specific T(H)9 cells into both WT and Rag1(-/-) mice suppressed melanoma growth; this effect was abrogated by treatment with neutralizing antibodies to IL-9. Exogenous rIL-9 inhibited tumor growth in Rag1(-/-) mice but not in mast-cell-deficient mice, suggesting that the targets of IL-9 in this setting include mast cells but not T or B cells. In addition, we found higher numbers of T(H)9 cells in normal human skin and blood compared to metastatic lesions of subjects with progressive stage IV melanoma. These results suggest a role for IL-9 in tumor immunity and offer insight into potential therapeutic strategies.
Birds as Models of Aging in Biomedical Research

The remarkably long lives of birds have been recognized for centuries (Bacon 1638). Like mammals, birds exhibit a rough positive correlation between body mass and maximum recorded life span (Sacher 1959; Lindstedt and Calder 1976). However, at any specific body mass, birds average some 2 to 3 times the longevity of mammals (Holmes and Austad 1995a,b). Specific avian groups are even longer-lived than this overall average. Even the shortest-lived bird species, the common quail (Coturnix coturnix), survives 7 to 8 years in captivity (Woodard and Abplanalp 1971; Ottinger and others 1983), which is longer than at least 20% of described mammal species (Austad unpublished data). Long-lived birds such as macaws, which weigh 500 to 1000 g, may occasionally live as long as 100 years (Etchepare 1990). Recently it has become apparent that birds achieve these remarkable life spans despite possessing several traits that modern theories of aging suggest should make them substantially shorter-lived than mammals. First, reactive oxygen species, which are highly damaging molecules produced as a normal by-product of aerobic metabolism, are now thought to contribute substantially to the generalized degenerative changes of aging across a wide spectrum of species (recent reviews in Sohal 1993; Martin and others 1996). An index of exposure to such molecules is thought to be lifetime oxygen consumption per cell in an organism. Yet oxygen consumption per unit time per cell of birds can range as high as 2 to 2.5 times that of mammals (Calder 1984). So when this level of oxygen consumption is combined with the long lives of birds, one may postulate that lifetime exposure to reactive oxygen species in long-lived avian cells may be 10 to 20 times that of short-lived mammals such as mice and 2 to 5 times that of even long-lived mammals such as humans (Table 1). Clearly birds have evolved some type of especially effective mechanisms for protecting against the accumulation of oxidative damage. The details of these protective measures remain elusive. It may be that because of more effective electron scavenging in avian mitochondria, birds produce fewer reactive oxygen species per unit of oxygen
Knockdown of the Transforming Growth Factor-β Type III Receptor Impairs Motility and Invasion of Metastatic Cancer Cells

The transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling pathway plays dual roles in epithelial cell tumorigenesis. TGF-beta is initially growth inhibitory, but as tumorigenesis progresses, TGF-beta becomes prometastatic. Although the role of the types I and II TGF-beta receptors is fairly well established, the role of the ubiquitously expressed TGF-beta type III receptor (TbetaRIII) in tumorigenesis is less defined. To examine the role of TbetaRIII in breast cancer cells, we stably expressed short hairpin RNAs specific to TbetaRIII in MDA-231 human breast cancer cells and mouse mammary carcinoma cells expressing the polyomavirus middle T oncogene (PMTLuc). MDA-231 and PMTLuc cells with down-regulated TbetaRIII expression (231-kd; PMTLuc-kd) exhibited decreased growth rate, motility, and invasion into Matrigel, as well as an increase in apoptosis, compared with control cells. MDA-231 xenografts established in nude mice metastasized, whereas tumors made by 231-kd cells did not. Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity, which is known to regulate cell growth and motility, was lower in the MDA-231 and PMTLuc knockdown cells compared with control cells. Transfection of an expression vector encoding constitutively active IKK2 into the 231-kd cells restored the ability of TbetaRIII-deficient cells to invade Matrigel and decreased their basal level of apoptosis. These data indicate that TbetaRIII differentially regulates cell growth, motility, and invasion in tumorigenic MDA-231 and PMTLuc cells and that these growth changes occur through the modulation of NF-kappaB activity.
Social and Didactic Parenting Behaviors and Beliefs Among Japanese American and South American Mothers of Infants.

Mothers of Japanese or South American ancestry living in the United States participated. Similarities and differences in mothers' social and didactic parenting behaviors and beliefs, and direct relations between behaviors and beliefs in these 2 domains of interaction, are reported. In accordance with a common collectivist orientation, Japanese American and South American mothers reported that they engaged in more social than didactic interactions with their infants, and South American mothers more than Japanese American mothers. However, in actuality, both of these acculturating groups engaged in more didactic than social behaviors with their infants and did so for longer periods of time. Not surprisingly, no belief-behavior relations emerged in either group.
Disability and (Auto)Ethnography Riding (and Writing) the Bus with My Sister

Disabled people have largely been ignored by ethnographers, arguably to the detriment of both disabled people and the discipline of anthropology. But although disability communities are ripe for ethnographic investigation, disabled people, long subjected both to marginalization and objectifying examination, may resent and resist such attention. Indeed, disability ethnography faces some of the same ethical challenges as ethnography involving populations subjected to classic Western imperialism. Although not ethnography by a strict definition, Rachel Simon’s Riding the Bus with My Sister, an account of sharing the life of her mildly retarded sister, who spends most of her waking hours riding the buses in her Pennsylvania hometown, exemplifies disability life narrative that approaches ethnography in its method and that suggests what disability and ethnography have to offer each other.
A Modular Distributed Video Surveillance System Over IP

We present an automated and distributed real-time video surveillance system which can be used for the detection of objects and events in a wide range of applications. Video feeds are captured from multiple sources, processed and streamed over the Internet for viewing and analysis. Components of the system can be interconnected in several manners, thus forming flexible systems. The experimental results show a system that handles multiple video feeds, running on standard computers and yielding fluid video. Several interconnected clients can view multiple feeds simultaneously, as well as the event listing.