cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exercise preconditioning ameliorates inflammatory injury in ischemic rats during reperfusion

There is evidence that physical activity is associated with decreased brain injury resulting from transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. We investigated whether exercise could reduce stroke-induced brain inflammatory injury and its associated mediators. Sprague Dawley rats (3 months old) were subjected to 30 min exercise on a treadmill each day for 1-3 weeks. Stroke, in exercised and non-exercised animals, was then induced by a 2-h MCA occlusion followed by 48 h of reperfusion using an intraluminal filament. Endothelial expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and leukocyte infiltration were determined by immunocytochemistry. Expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and ICAM-1 mRNA were detected using a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in ischemic rats with or without exercise, and in non-ischemic control rats following exercise. Expression of TNF-alpha increased after exercise for 2 and 3 weeks. The overexpression of TNF-alpha was not further elevated in 3-week exercised rats subjected to a transient MCA occlusion and 6 or 12 h of reperfusion, as compared to that in non-exercised rats. Furthermore, ICAM-1 mRNA expression remained at significantly (P<0.01) low levels in exercised animals during ischemia/reperfusion. Pre-ischemic exercise significantly (P<0.01) reduced numbers of ICAM-1-positive vessels and infiltrating leukocytes in the frontoparietal cortex and dorsolateral striatum in ischemic rats after 48 h of reperfusion. Exercised ischemic rats demonstrated an 11+/-7% infarct volume of contralateral hemisphere as compared to a 52+/-3% volume in non-exercised ischemic rats. The data suggests that exercise inhibits inflammatory injury (i.e., decreased expression of inflammatory mediators and reduced accumulation of leukocytes) during reperfusion, leading to reduced brain damage. Chronically increased expression of TNF-alpha during exercise prevent the same downstream inflammatory events as does acutely elevated TNF-alpha after ischemia/reperfusion.
Complex DNA nanostructures from oligonucleotide ensembles.

The first synthetic DNA nanostructures were created by self-assembly of a small number of oligonucleotides. Introduction of the DNA origami method provided a new paradigm for designing and creating two- and three-dimensional DNA nanostructures by folding a large single-stranded DNA and ‘stapling’ it together with a library of oligonucleotides. Despite its power and wide-ranging implementation, the DNA origami technique suffers from some limitations. Foremost among these is the limited number of useful single-stranded scaffolds of biological origin. This report describes a new approach to creating large DNA nanostructures exclusively from synthetic oligonucleotides. The essence of this approach is to replace the single-stranded scaffold in DNA origami with a library of oligonucleotides termed “scaples” (scaffold staples). Scaples eliminate the need for scaffolds of biological origin and create new opportunities for producing larger and more diverse DNA nanostructures as well as simultaneous assembly of dis...
Lean Processes for Sustainable Project Delivery

Facility owners and project teams often struggle to engage “green” or “sustainable” requirements on building projects and can incur additional project costs as a result. Although “investments” in high performance building features can be paid back through operational savings, the project delivery methods currently adopted by most teams are laden with process waste. Lean production principles have been proven to reduce waste and improve process performance in highly complex development and production environments. Adopting these lean principles, this paper reports a study that identified the presence of value and waste in a sustainable building project. Through an empirical investigation of the Real Estate and Facilities Division of Toyota Motor Sales, Toyota’s capital facility delivery process was mapped to identify both the steps in project delivery critical for success (value) and those that are waste. The investigation focused on the South Campus Facility, which received U.S. Green Building Council’s L...
Antilymphoma effects of anti-HLA-DR and CD20 monoclonal antibodies (Lym-1 and Rituximab) on human lymphoma cells.

Aim: Anti-HLA-DR and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been effective for immunotherapy and radioimmunotherapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The aim of our study was to compare the ant...
905-60 Preoperative Assessment of Contractile Reserve at Exercise Echocardiography Predicts Left Ventricular Function After Mitral Valve Repair

Postoperative (postop) left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) after surgery for mitral regurgitation (MR) is difficult to predict using preoperative (preop) markers of resting LV function. To determine whether exercise (EX) parameters are more predictive, we compared LV volume and EF responses to EX with postop EF measured at predischarge echo in 27 patients (74% male, age 58 ± 12 y) without coronary disease undergoing valve repair for MR. Postop EF was also correlated with resting end-systolic and end-diastolic volume index (ESVI and EDVI) and EF, and resting dP/dT (measured from CW Doppler of the MR jet in 19 pts with adequate signals) Results Preop resting EF and EF EX were 61 ± 10% and 63 ± 13%; postop EF was 53 ± 14%. Change in resting EF postop could be predicted from EF change with EX using the equation; EF change postop = O.9EF change postex-9.5 (r = 0.75, p l 0.001). In pts with EF increase g 10% with EX, rest EF was preserved postop (sensitivity 83%, specificity 100%). Preop rest ESVI and ESVI EX were 28 ± 12 and 23 ± 10 ml/m 2 , postop EF correlated with ESVI EX ; (r = 0.75, pl 0.001). Thus, ESV EX of l 27 ml/m 2 identified pts whose postop EF was g 50% (sensitivity 83%, specificity 100%). Resting dP/dT of g 1000 mmHg/sec was 60% sensitive and 67% specific for predicting post-repair EF g 50%. Preoperative resting EDVI (r = -0.35), ESVI (r = -0.36), rest EF (r = 0.14) and EDVI EX (r = -0.35) were not predictive of postop EF. Download high-res image (45KB) Download full-size image Conclusions LV contractile reserve measured as EF EX and ESV EX with exercise echo can be used to predict postop LV function in pts undergoing valve repair for MR.
Are interface theories equivalent to contract theories

Contract-based design is emerging as a unifying compositional paradigm for the specification, design and verification of large-scale complex systems. Different contract frameworks are currently available, but we lack a clear understanding of the relations between them. In this paper, we investigate the relation between interface theories (specifically, relational interfaces) and assume-guarantee (A/G) contracts. We introduce a natural transformation of interfaces to A/G contracts represented by linear temporal logic. Then, we analyze differences and correspondences between key operators and relations in the two theories (i.e. composition, refinement and conjunction), by studying their preservation properties under the proposed transformation. We show that the transformation preserves refinement, but does not generally preserve serial composition and conjunction. Then, we present an assumption-projection operator to make it possible to preserve serial composition and compatibility checking. Finally, we provide illustrative examples that shed light on the effectiveness of both frameworks for requirement formalization, early detection of integration errors, and use of abstraction-refinement.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells and anti-tumor T cells: a complex relationship.

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSC) are immature myeloid cells that are potent inhibitors of immune cell function and which accumulate under conditions of inflammation, especially cancer. MDSC are suggested to promote the growth of cancer by both enhancement of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis and also inhibition of antitumor immune responses. The presence of deficient and/or defective antitumor adaptive and innate immune responses, coincident with accumulation of MDSC in lymphoid organs and tumor parenchyma, supports the notion of a causal relationship. The potent ability of MDSC to inhibit several components and phases of immune response highlights the likelihood that targeting the inhibitory functions of MDSC may maximize the therapeutic potential of antitumor immunotherapy. In order to guide the rational development of immunotherapeutic strategies that incorporate inhibition of MDSC activity and enzymatic functions, thorough understanding of the role of MDSC in antitumor immune responses is requi...
The degenerative dysarthrias: a window into critical clinical and research issues

Although diversity of symptoms and urgency of needs pose many challenges, management of the degenerative dysarthrias is a crucial aspect of clinical practice. The purpose of this article is to review current research literature on selected degenerative dysarthrias including those associated with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These dysarthrias are prevalent yet represent distinct patterns of underlying neuropathology, symptoms, age of onset, and rate of progression. Literature searches including the period 1997-2006 yielded 148 different studies reporting data on communication issues related to dysarthria. By far the largest category of studies was that which provided a basic description of speech production including the neurophysiologic, acoustic, or perceptual properties of dysarthria. Other categories included management (assessment and treatment) and the psychosocial consequences of dysarthria. While the topic of management of degenerative dysarthria is a focused one, it provides a window into many issues critical to the field of communication disorders including fundamental properties of speech production, development of evidence-based treatment techniques, the staging of these techniques into an effective management sequence, and the psychosocial consequences of communication disorders along with techniques to maintain communicative participation in the face of degenerative conditions.
Multi-objective optimization to identify key players in social networks

Identification of a set of key players in a given social network is of interest in many disciplines such as sociology, politics, finance, and economics. Each of the current algorithms for this task addresses a single objective, but does not perform well from the perspective of other objectives. In real life applications, we need a set of key players which can perform well with respect to multiple objectives of interest. In this paper, we propose a new perspective for key player identification, based on optimizing multiple objectives of interest, and illustrate its applicability. In addition we propose an algorithm to select the most suitable sets of key players when the user can identify a subset of objectives as important. We apply these algorithms to the Eventual Influence Limitation problem and show that our multi-objective approach outperforms previous approaches.
Coal and nuclear technologies: creating a false dichotomy for American energy policy

The American electric utility industry is entering a moment of transition. Once viewed as a stable and secure consortium of publicly regulated monopolies that produce and distribute electricity, the industry has weathered market restructuring only to face the ever-present risk of natural disasters, price fluctuations, terrorist attacks, and blackouts. This paper uses five criteria—technical feasibility, cost, negative externalities, reliability, and security—to evaluate the broad portfolio of energy technologies available to American electricity policymakers. Upon close inspection, energy efficiency practices, renewable energy systems, and small-scale distributed generation technologies appear to offer many advantages over large and centralized nuclear and fossil fueled generators. Contrary to the mimetic commentary produced by the media, these three approaches would present policymakers a superior alternative for curbing electricity demand, minimizing the risk of fuel interruptions and shortages, helping improve the fragile transmission network, and reducing environmental harm
Software piracy: an analysis of protection strategies

Software piracy by users is generally believed to harm both software firms through lower profits and buying customers through higher prices. Thus, it is thought that perfect and costless technological protection would benefit both firms and consumers. The model developed here suggests that in some circumstances, even with significant piracy, not protecting can be the best policy, both raising firm profits and lowering selling prices. Key to the analysis is joining the presence of a positive network externality with the fact that piracy increases the total number of program users. The network externality exists because consumers have an incentive to economize on post-purchase learning and customization costs.
Single-reference, size-extensive, non-iterative coupled-cluster approaches to bond breaking and biradicals

Abstract We propose the non-iterative, completely renormalized (CR) coupled-cluster (CC) approaches, including the CR-CC(2, 3) method which offers considerable improvements over the CCSD(T) approach without a significant increase in the computer effort. The CR-CC(2, 3) method, in which the CCSD (CC singles and doubles) energy is corrected for the effect of triples, is size extensive, competitive with CCSD(T) in calculations for non-degenerate states, and as accurate as the expensive CC approach with singles, doubles, and triples in the bond-breaking region. Calculations of the activation enthalpy for the thermal isomerizations of cyclopropane involving trimethylene suggest that CR-CC(2, 3) may be applicable to biradicals.
Dynamitin Controls β2 Integrin Avidity by Modulating Cytoskeletal Constraint on Integrin Molecules

Dynamitin, a subunit of the microtubule-dependent motor complex, was implicated in cell adhesion by binding to MacMARCKS (Macrophage-enriched myristoylated alanine-rice C kinase substrate). However, how dynamitin is involved in cell adhesion is unclear despite the fact that both MacMARCKS and microtubules regulate beta(2) integrin activation. We report that dynamitin regulates beta(2) integrin avidity toward iC3b by modulating the lateral mobility of beta(2) integrin molecules. Using the single particle tracking method, we found that integrin molecular mobility in cells expressing the fusion protein CFP (cyan fluorescent protein)-dynamitin or CFP-MB (the MacMARCKS binding domain peptide of dynamitin) increased 6-fold over the control cells, suggesting that disturbing dynamitin function dramatically altered the cytoskeletal constraint on beta(2) integrin molecules. Further mechanistic studies revealed that overexpression of dynamitin stimulated the phosphorylation of endogenous MacMARCKS protein, which lead to the enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin. This effect of dynamitin correlates with the observation that higher concentration of PKC inhibitor is required to block beta(2) integrin mobility in dynamitin-expressing cells. Although dynamitin acts at the point of MacMARCKS phosphorylation, it is upstream of RhoA, because its effect was blocked by RhoA inhibitor. Thus, we conclude that dynamitin is a part of the cytoskeletal constraint that locks beta(2) integrin in the inactive form.
Changes in Mitral Valve Annular Geometry After Repair: Saddle-Shaped Versus Flat Annuloplasty Rings

Background Saddle-shaped annuloplasty rings are being increasingly used during mitral valve (MV) repair to conform the mitral annulus to a more nonplanar shape and possibly reduce leaflet stress. In this study utilizing three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography we compared the effects of rigid flat rings with those of the saddle rings on the mitral annular geometry. Specifically we measured the changes in nonplanarity angle (NPA) before and after MV repair. Methods Geometric analysis on 38 patients undergoing MV repair for myxomatous and ischemic mitral regurgitation with full flat rings (n = 18) and saddle rings (n = 18) were performed. The acquired three-dimensional volumetric data were analyzed utilizing the "Image Arena" software (TomTec GmBH, Munich, Germany). Specifically, the degree of change in the NPA was calculated and compared before and after repair for both types of rings. Results Both types of annuloplasty rings resulted in significant changes in the geometric structure of the MV after repair. However, saddle rings lead to a decrease in the NPA (7% for ischemic and 8% for myxomatous MV repairs) (ie, made the annulus more nonplanar), whereas flat rings increased the NPA (7.9% for ischemic and 11.8% for myxomatous MV repairs) (ie, made the annulus less nonplanar); p value 0.001 or less. Conclusions Implantation of saddle-shaped rings during MV repair surgery is associated with augmentation of the nonplanar shape of the mitral annulus (ie, decreases NPA). This favorable change in the mitral annular geometry could possibly confer a structural advantage to MV repairs with the saddle rings.
Cryogenic Microcracking of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites: Influences of Fiber-Matrix Adhesion

The impact of fiber-matrix adhesion on the transverse microcracking of fiber reinforced polymeric materials thermally cycled at cryogenic temperatures was investigated using symmetric cross-ply carbon fiber/epoxy laminates containing fibers with different surface treatments. Past research explored the role of fiber-matrix adhesion in determining the room temperature properties of composite materials, but this work is original in that it examined how fiber-matrix adhesion affected the behavior of composite materials at cryogenic temperatures. Three fiber surfaces were used: Unsized but exposed to an oxidative surface treatment, epoxy sized, and surfactant sized. Modifications of the fiber surfaces changed the adhesion of the matrix to the fibers as determined by interlaminar shear strength and dynamic mechanical analysis. The extent of microcracking in the laminates exhibited a dependence on fiber-matrix adhesion, with high levels of adhesion corresponding to decreased microcracking.
Exchange of Retinol Between IRBP and CRBP

Abstract During a bleach, all-trans-retinol passes from the photoreceptor outer segments to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), where retinol is found associated with cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP). Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) is thought to facilitate this exchange, but the transfer of retinol between IRBP and CRBP has not been explored. In this study we used a mixture of purified IRBP and CRBP as a model system to measure the amount and rate of retinol transfer between the two proteins. When retinol is transferred from IRBP to CRBP, its absorbance maximum shifts from 330 to 350 nm. By monitoring the increase in absorbance at 350 nm after mixing CRBP with IRBP-bound retinol, we measured the amount and time course of retinol transfer from IRBP to CRBP. To complement the absorbance measurements, the IRBP and CRBP in these mixtures were subsequently separated by size-exclusion HPLC and individuaIly analysed for retinol content by scanning the effluent with a multiple-diode-array detector. As determined by measuring the change in absorbance at 350 nm, the mean percentage of IRBP-bound retinol transferred to CRBP was 103 ± 11% ( n = 9). The mean half-time of the transfer was 4·2 ± 17middot;3 sec; time to reach equilibrium was 30-60 sec. IRBP that was separated from the mixture by HPLC contained little or no retinol, while the isolated CRBP was nearly saturated with retinol. No detectable transfer from CRBP to IRBP was observed. The distribution of retinol between these two proteins was consistent with the nearly 100-fold higher affinity of CRBP for retinol compared with IRBP. Both the degree and time-course of transfer support the idea that this difference in affinity contributes to the flow of retinol to the RPE during a bleach in vivo and, therefore, may play a role in the physiological regeneration of rhodopsin.
Dihydrolipoamide Acyltransferase Is Critical for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pathogenesis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has evolved to persist in host macrophages, where it faces a nutrient-poor environment and is exposed to oxidative and nitrosative stress. To defend itself against oxidative/nitrosative stress, M. tuberculosis expresses an NADH-dependent peroxidase and peroxynitrite reductase that is encoded by ahpC, ahpD, lpd, and dlaT. In addition to its central role in the peroxynitrite reductase complex, dlaT (Rv2215) also encodes the E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Here we demonstrate that inactivation of dlaT in the chromosome of H37Rv resulted in a mutant (H37RvDeltadlaT) that displayed phenotypes associated with DlaT's role in metabolism and in defense against nitrosative stress. The H37RvDeltadlaT strain showed retarded growth in vitro and was highly susceptible to killing by acidified sodium nitrite. Mouse macrophages readily killed intracellular H37RvDeltadlaT organisms, and in mice dlaT was required for full virulence.
HPLC Analysis of Reduced and Oxidized Coenzyme Q10 in Human Plasma

Background: The percentage of reduced coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10H2) in total coenzyme Q10 (TQ10) is decreased in plasma of patients with prematurity, hyperlipidemia, and liver disease. CoQ10H2 is, however, easily oxidized and difficult to measure, and therefore reliable quantification of plasma CoQ10H2 is of clinical importance. Methods: Venous blood was collected into evacuated tubes containing heparin, which were immediately placed on ice and promptly centrifuged at 4 °C. The plasma was harvested and stored in screw-top polypropylene tubes at −80 °C until analysis. After extraction with 1-propanol and centrifugation, the supernatant was injected directly into an HPLC system with coulometric detection. Results: The in-line reduction procedure permitted transformation of CoQ10 into CoQ10H2 and avoided artifactual oxidation of CoQ10H2. The electrochemical reduction yielded 99% CoQ10H2. Only 100 μL of plasma was required to simultaneously measure CoQ10H2 and CoQ10 over an analytical range of 10 μg/L to 4 mg/L. Intra- and interassay CVs for CoQ10 in human plasma were 1.2–4.9% across this range. Analytical recoveries were 95.8–101.0%. The percentage of CoQ10H2 in TQ10 was ∼96% in apparently healthy individuals. The method allowed analysis of up to 40 samples within an 8-h period. Conclusions: This optimized method for CoQ10H2 analysis provides rapid and precise results with the potential for high throughput. This method is specific and sufficiently sensitive for use in both clinical and research laboratories.
Calcium Additives and Sprouted Wheat Effects on Phytate Hydrolysis in Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat bread loaves were subjected to treatments of different fermentation periods, different sources and levels of calcium, and the addition of sprouted wheat. Phytate losses increased with increased fermentation time. Increasing the calcium level inhibited phytate hydrolysis when the calcium was provided by nonfat dry milk, CaCl2, or nonfat yogurt, whereas phytate hydrolysis in loaves supplemented with CaCO3 remained nearly constant. Milk-derived calcium exerted the greatest inhibition of phytate hydrolysis. The addition of sprouted wheat decreased absolute phytate losses. A comparison of phytate losses in yeasted vs nonyeasted loaves suggested that endogenous wheat phytase was quantitatively more important than yeast phytase during breadmaking.
Biochemical Effects of Fatty Acid and its Derivatives on L-Glutamic Acid Fermentation

It has been found that although Brevibacterium lactofermentum No. 2256 is incapable of accumulating l-glutamic acid in a biotin sufficient medium, it produces a large quantity of the acid in the presence of sucrose fatty acid ester. In a biotin deficient medium, however, the ester brought the unfavorable diminution of l-glutamic acid accumulation caused by the decrease of glucose consumption in an incubation period. The undesirable effects were practically lost when the ester was added to the culture medium after more than eight hours in the course of incubation. This fact suggests that the ester is concerned with the growth of microorganism. It is very interesting to elucidate the interrelation between sucrose fatty acid ester and biotin. For the maximum accumulation of l-glutamic acid corresponding increase in amount of the ester to the increasing concentration of biotin was necessary. The proportional relation did not extend to excedingly high levels of the two implicating factors. The further observat...
The Day the United States Defaulted on Treasury Bills

Because of severe technical difficulties, the U.S. government was unable to repay investors in Treasury bills (T-bills) in late April through early May, 1979. This incident led to a 60 basis point increase in T-bill rates at the initial occurrence of the default. Unlike other information effects of that era, such as Henry Kaufman's predictions or Paul Volcker's “Saturday night special,” this increase in rates was not offset by a subsequent decrease in rates after the Treasury cured the default. The default apparently warned investors that Treasury issues were not completely riskless, which translates into a $12 billion annual increase in federal interest payments as a result of the 60 basis point permanent increase in interest rates.
Progressive parenting behavior in wild golden lion tamarins

Young primates in the family Callitrichidae (the marmosets and tamarins) receive extensive and relatively prolonged care from adults. Of particular note, callitrichid young are routinely provisioned until well after weaning by parents and helpers, which is in stark contrast to typical juvenile primates, who must acquire most of their food independently once they are weaned. Adults of some callitrichid species produce a specialized vocalization that encourages immature group members to take proffered food from the caller. Here, I report that wild adult golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) not only used this food-offering call to encourage young, mobile offspring to approach and take captured prey from them, but as the young began to spend significant time foraging for themselves and to acquire prey by independent means, the frequency of these vocalizations in the context of food transfer declined. Adults then began to use food-offering calls in a novel context: to direct juveniles to foraging sites that contained hidden prey that the adults had found but not captured. During the period of these most frequent adult-directed prey captures, the independent prey-capture success rates of juveniles improved. Thus, adults modified their provisioning behavior in a progressive developmentally sensitive manner that may have facilitated learning how to find food. I hypothesize that as a result of these demonstrations by adults, juveniles either may be encouraged to continue foraging despite low return rates or to learn the properties of productive prey-foraging substrates in a complex environment. Key words: golden lion tamarin, infant development, parenting behavior, prey foraging, provisioning, teaching. [Behav Ecol]
Last Word on Perspectives “Guidelines for reporting statistics in journals published by the American Physiological Society: the sequel”

we appreciate all comments, past ([13][1], [15][2]) and present ([2][3], [14][4], [16][5], [17][6]), on our guidelines ([6][7]) for reporting statistics in journals published by the American Physiological Society (APS). In 2004 we wrote that the guidelines embodied fundamental concepts in statistics
The 2012 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference

The 2012 International Stroke Conference was held in New Orleans (LA, USA)between the 1st and 3rd of February. The conference maintained a focus on young investigators and career advice, including a session by the NIH/NINDS on how to get funding, with additional special sessions and lunches devoted to stimulating young investigators. Another focus of the meeting was on translational science. The performance of a number of outstanding scientists was recognized. Here we list several highlights from the meeting in more detail.
Reversible and Efficient Activation of HIV-1 Cell Entry by a Tyrosine-Sulfated Peptide Dissects Endocytic Entry and Inhibitor Mechanisms

HIV-1 membranes contain gp120-gp41 trimers. Binding of gp120 to CD4 and a coreceptor (CCR5 or CXCR4) reduces the constraint on metastable gp41, enabling a series of conformational changes that cause membrane fusion. An analytic difficulty occurs because these steps occur slowly and asynchronously within cohorts of adsorbed virions. We previously isolated HIV-1JRCSF variants that efficiently use CCR5 mutants severely damaged in the tyrosine-sulfated amino terminus or extracellular loop 2. Surprisingly, both independent adaptations included gp120 mutations S298N, F313L, and N403S, supporting other evidence that they function by weakening gp120's grip on gp41 rather than by altering gp120 binding to specific CCR5 sites. Although several natural HIV-1 isolates reportedly use CCR5(Δ18) (CCR5 with a deletion of 18 N-terminal amino acids, including the tyrosine-sulfated region) when the soluble tyrosine-sulfated peptide is present, we show that HIV-1JRCSF with the adaptive mutations [HIV-1JRCSF(Ad)] functions approximately 100 times more efficiently and that coreceptor activation is reversible, enabling synchronous efficient entry control under physiological conditions. This system revealed that three-stranded gp41 folding intermediates susceptible to the inhibitor enfuvirtide form slowly and asynchronously on cell surface virions but resolve rapidly, with virions generally forming only one target. Adsorbed virions asynchronously and transiently become competent for entry at 37°C but are inactivated if the CCR5 peptide is absent during their window of opportunity. This competency is conferred by endocytosis, which results in inactivation if the peptide is absent. For both wild-type and adapted HIV-1 isolates, early gp41 refolding steps obligatorily occur on cell surfaces, whereas the final step(s) is endosomal. This system powerfully dissects HIV-1 entry and inhibitor mechanisms. IMPORTANCE We present a powerful means to reversibly and efficiently activate or terminate HIV-1 entry by adding or removing a tyrosine-sulfated CCR5 peptide from the culture medium. This system uses stable cell clones and a variant of HIV-1JRCSF with three adaptive mutations. It enabled us to show that CCR5 coreceptor activation is rapidly reversible and to dissect aspects of entry that had previously been relatively intractable. Our analyses elucidate enfuvirtide (T-20) function and suggest that HIV-1 virions form only one nonredundant membrane fusion complex on cell surfaces. Additionally, we obtained novel and conclusive evidence that HIV-1 entry occurs in an assembly line manner, with some steps obligatorily occurring on cell surfaces and with final membrane fusion occurring in endosomes. Our results were confirmed for wild-type HIV-1. Thus, our paper provides major methodological and mechanistic insights about HIV-1 infection.
Synesthesia Affects Verification of Simple Arithmetic Equations

To investigate the effects of color-digit synesthesia on numerical representation, we presented a synesthete, called SE, in the present study, and controls with mathematical equations for verification. In Experiment 1, SE verified addition equations made up of digits that either matched or mismatched her color-digit photisms or were in black. In Experiment 2A, the addends were presented in the different color conditions and the solution was presented in black, whereas in Experiment 2B the addends were presented in black and the solutions were presented in the different color conditions. In Experiment 3, multiplication and division equations were presented in the same color conditions as in Experiment 1. SE responded significantly faster to equations that matched her photisms than to those that did not; controls did not show this effect. These results suggest that photisms influence the processing of digits in arithmetic verification, replicating and extending previous findings.
Why Attractive People are Harder to Remember

People judged as highly attractive are more typical in appearance than people who are judged as less attractive. They are liked better but are harder to recognize because they are more similar to each other. This constellation of results is consistent with current views about the nature of category structure.
Similarity Measures Between Strings Extended to Sets of Strings

Similarity measures between strings (finite-length sequences of symbols) are extended to apply to sets of strings in an intuitive way which also preserves some of the desired properties of the initial similarity measure. Two quite different measures are used in the examples: the first for applications where numerical computation of pointwise similarity is needed; the second for applications which depend more heavily on substring similarity. It is presumed throughout that alphabets may be nondenumerable; in particular, the unit interval [0, 1] is used as the alphabet in the examples.
A Formation Flying Technology Vision

Formation Flying is revolutionizing Earth and Space science and the way the space community conducts science missions. This technological transformation provides new, innovative techniques in spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control, and how the science community gathers and shares information between space vehicles and the ground. These technologies will also expedite the human exploration of space. Once fully matured, this technology will result in swarms of space vehicles flying as virtual platforms or distributed space systems and sensor webs which gather significantly more and better science data than is possible today. Formation flying will be enabled through the development and deployment of automated spaceborne guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) systems integrated with intrasatellite communications infrastructure. Innovative spacecraft autonomy techniques, such as differential Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, optical, and vision-based navigation and celestial navigation allow autonomous navigation while other technologies provide for the autonomous control methods to maintain and optimize these formations. This paper provides a vision of the future of space exploration in the context of GN&C technology, and an overview of the current status of NASA technology development and its partnerships with the Department of Defense (DoD), Industry, and University to bring formation flying technology to the forefront as quickly as possible. We address the impediments that need to be overcome to achieve the distributive spacecraft vision and NASA GSFC's approach to transfer this technology to space. We will also describe some of the formation flying testbeds, such as the on-orbit Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) University Nanosats, and Orion test beds and ground based GSFC Formation Flying Test Bed, which are being developed to demonstrate and validate innovative position sensing and formation control technologies.
Characterizing and hindcasting ripple bedform dynamics: Field test of non-equilibrium models utilizing a fingerprint algorithm

Abstract Ripple bedform response to near bed forcing has been found to be asynchronous with rapidly changing hydrodynamic conditions. Recent models have attempted to account for this time variance through the introduction of a time offset between hydrodynamic forcing and seabed response with varying success. While focusing on temporal ripple evolution, spatial ripple variation has been partly neglected. With the fingerprint algorithm ripple bedform parameterization technique, spatial variation can be quickly and precisely characterized, and as such, this method is particularly useful for evaluation of ripple model spatio-temporal validity. Using time-series hydrodynamic data and synoptic acoustic imagery collected at an inner continental shelf site, this study compares an adapted time-varying ripple geometric model to observed field observations in light of the fingerprint algorithm results. Multiple equilibrium ripple predictors are tested within the time-varying model, with the algorithm results serving as the baseline geometric values. Results indicate that ripple bedforms, in the presence of rapidly changing high-energy conditions, reorganize at a slower rate than predicted by the models. Relict ripples were found to be near peak-forcing wavelengths after rapidly decaying storm events, and still present after months of sub-critical flow conditions.
An automated method for the determination of the TEX86 and U37K′ paleotemperature indices

Abstract The relative abundances of archaeal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) compounds (TEX86) and alkenone lipids ( U 37 K ′ ) are commonly used paleoceanographic proxies for temperature. These proxies are analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) methods, respectively, and traditionally, the peaks corresponding to the individual compounds are integrated by hand. Here, we introduce a MATLAB software package called ORIGAmI (ORganIc Geochemistry peAk Integration) that allows for automated, reproducible determination of these indices and quantification of lipid concentrations. The method is based on modeling the peaks with individual Gaussian curves. Comparisons with manually integrated data demonstrate that the method is accurate and precise. Furthermore, automating the peak detection and quantification process reduces both analysis time and user error.
Genome-Wide Architecture of Disease Resistance Genes in Lettuce

Genome-wide motif searches identified 1134 genes in the lettuce reference genome of cv. Salinas that are potentially involved in pathogen recognition, of which 385 were predicted to encode nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat receptor (NLR) proteins. Using a maximum-likelihood approach, we grouped the NLRs into 25 multigene families and 17 singletons. Forty-one percent of these NLR-encoding genes belong to three families, the largest being RGC16 with 62 genes in cv. Salinas. The majority of NLR-encoding genes are located in five major resistance clusters (MRCs) on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 and cosegregate with multiple disease resistance phenotypes. Most MRCs contain primarily members of a single NLR gene family but a few are more complex. MRC2 spans 73 Mb and contains 61 NLRs of six different gene families that cosegregate with nine disease resistance phenotypes. MRC3, which is 25 Mb, contains 22 RGC21 genes and colocates with Dm13. A library of 33 transgenic RNA interference tester stocks was generated for functional analysis of NLR-encoding genes that cosegregated with disease resistance phenotypes in each of the MRCs. Members of four NLR-encoding families, RGC1, RGC2, RGC21, and RGC12 were shown to be required for 16 disease resistance phenotypes in lettuce. The general composition of MRCs is conserved across different genotypes; however, the specific repertoire of NLR-encoding genes varied particularly of the rapidly evolving Type I genes. These tester stocks are valuable resources for future analyses of additional resistance phenotypes.
Electroplated and Plasma Enhanced Magnetron Sputtered Ta and Cr Coatings for High Temperature and High Pressure Operation

For A723 steel large caliber gun barrel applications, high pressure (∼700MPa), rapid cyclic heating-cooling (∼1250°C), and aggressive propellant gases (CO, CO2, H2O, H2, N2, NH3, CH4, H2S etc) operational environment can cause severe wear and erosion damages to the bore, reducing the service life of the component. Refractory bore coatings can help protect the steel bore to extend service life. Cr electroplating process is currently being widely used in industry and in the military, but toxic wastes from the process are difficult and expensive to dispose. Plasma enhanced magnetron sputtering techniques are being developed for potential replacement of the Cr electroplating process. In this work, we compared A723 steel specimens coated with electroplated Cr and plasma enhanced magnetron sputtered Ta and Cr coatings. The specimens were subjected to analytical testing, including scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, metallography; and adhesion testing, including groove test, a pulsed laser heat test to simulate cyclic thermal environment of the bore, and actual firing test. Steel samples electroplated with HC (high contraction) Cr showed extensive pre-deposition cracks, it also showed cohesive failures under groove adhesion test. When subjected to cyclic high pressure and temperature operation, gas-metal interactions led the as-deposited cracks to grow wider and new cracks to develop, allowing hot pressurized propellant gases to penetrate the cracks and erode the steel substrate. Plasma enhanced sputtered Ta and Cr coatings on steel were harder and denser compared to conventional magnetron sputtered coatings. Under groove testing, they showed no cracks, no cohesive and no adhesive failures. When subjected to cyclic pulsed laser heating simulation at 1490°K, thick sputtered Ta showed no crack, no delamination, and no failures. A heat affected zone was observed in steel, which was caused by tempered to untempered martensite conversion. Our data also showed that Ta sputtered in Ar consisted of minimum interface meta-stable tetragonal Ta fingers, which converted to bcc Ta in the heat affected zone; Ta sputtered in Kr consisted of 100% stable bcc Ta under similar experimental conditions.
Group Structure and Intergroup Relations in Global Terror Networks: Further Explorations

Studies have begun to look at the potentially crucial impacts of group decentralization and inter-group global networking in accounting for the extent and severity of violence in insurgencies and terrorism. Groups may be able to survive more effectively, evade anti-terror or counter-insurgency strategies, and inflict greater damage or more civilian attacks by operating under more or less centralized leadership, or by making use of the resources of other like-minded groups scattered across borders. While some analysts have examined each of these possibilities, few if any have done so simultaneously with both structural and networking indicators or examined the joint effects of these indicators. We propose to do so in this study by combining existing datasets on terrorist structure and networks. Hypotheses and findings in prior studies have indicated that structural decentralization may lead to more civilian attacks if not more destruction since local cells are freer to act on their own, and that group size...
Active Thermochemical Tables: Sequential Bond Dissociation Enthalpies of Methane, Ethane, and Methanol and the Related Thermochemistry.

Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) thermochemistry for the sequential bond dissociations of methane, ethane, and methanol systems were obtained by analyzing and solving a very large thermochemical network (TN). Values for all possible C–H, C–C, C–O, and O–H bond dissociation enthalpies at 298.15 K (BDE298) and bond dissociation energies at 0 K (D0) are presented. The corresponding ATcT standard gas-phase enthalpies of formation of the resulting CHn, n = 4–0 species (methane, methyl, methylene, methylidyne, and carbon atom), C2Hn, n = 6–0 species (ethane, ethyl, ethylene, ethylidene, vinyl, ethylidyne, acetylene, vinylidene, ethynyl, and ethynylene), and COHn, n = 4–0 species (methanol, hydroxymethyl, methoxy, formaldehyde, hydroxymethylene, formyl, isoformyl, and carbon monoxide) are also presented. The ATcT thermochemistry of carbon dioxide, water, hydroxyl, and carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms is also included, together with the sequential BDEs of CO2 and H2O. The provenances of the ATcT enthalpies o...
Leaf carbon and nutrient assimilation and conservation in species of differing successional status in an oligotrophic Amazonian forest

1. Leaf gas exchange and nutrition were measured in 13 woody species ranging from slash-and-burn crops and colonizing weeds through early, mid- and late-secondary successional species in an oligotrophic rain-forest ecosystem. All species were located on tierra firme sites near San Carlos de Rio Negro, Venezuela, in the north central Amazon basin. 2. Net photosynthetic capacity (A max ), maximum leaf diffusive conductance (g), specific leaf area (SLA) and foliar calcium (Ca) and magnesium concentration were highest in the earliest successional species and lower in species common to each latter successional stage. Leaf life span and an index of leaf toughness increased with successional habit. Mass-based A max (A mass ) and leaf life span were both highly correlated (r 2 = 0.97 and 0.93, respectively) with the time during secondary succession when individual species are most common. These patterns were consistent with observed decreases in light and nutrient availability during secondary succession. However, although leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were greater in the crop and the earliest colonizers than all other species, they did not differ among subsequent early, mid- and late-successional species, despite the continuing decline in A max , g, SLA and leaf Ca. 3. Variation among species was 60-fold for leaf Ca (from 13.5 to 0.2 mg g −1 ), 30-fold for leaf life span (1.5-50 months), 10-fold for A mass (470-47 nmol g −1 s −1 ) and threeto fourfold for area-based A max (A area , 18-6 μmol m −2 s −1 ), SLA, and foliar N and P concentrations. Leaf Ca concentrations in late successional species were among the lowest values on record. 4. Retranslocation prior to leaf fall was greater for P (average of 62%) than N (43%) in all species. Retranslocation of N was higher in the crop and earliest colonizer species (average of 53%) than in the other early (45%) or late successional species (34%). Species with high A per leaf N (A leaf N ) had high N retranslocation and these two measures of N use were well correlated (r 2 = 0.80). 5. Net photosynthetic capacity was significantly correlated with both leaf N and P, especially among early successional species across a broad range of N and P. For roughly half of the data restricted to leaves of lower leaf N, P and Ca concentrations, A mass was strongly correlated with leaf Ca concentrations but not with either N or P
Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma masquerading as pulmonary embolism: role of cardiac MRI

A 49-year-old healthy man presented with 2 months history of progressive shortness of breath and hemoptysis. Physical examination was remarkable for new systolic heart murmur. Chest X-ray revealed a small opacity in the right lower lobe, and non-contrast computed tomography (CT) demonstrated two sub-pleural masses at the right lung base. Computed tomography-guided biopsy showed benign tissue with extensive necrosis and inflammation. To evaluate the heart murmur, echocardiogram was done and showed moderate pulmonary hypertension with flow acceleration in the main pulmonary artery (PA). Contrast CT revealed a large filling defect in the main PA …
Bilateral renal parenchymal malacoplakia: a case report.

AbstractHistological examination of the radical nephrectomy and renal biopsy specimens in a 49-year-old woman revealed bilateral renal malacoplakia. The literature reports bilateral renal malacoplakia to be uniformly fatal. The preoperative diagnosis is based upon patient presentation and imaging studies. Insights into the bacterial etiology of this systemic disease are presented.