cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeting PfRh5 on Merozoites to Prevent Basigin Binding.

The goal of the research study was to shed light on a promising research area which may prove to be a safer more specific vaccine candidate; PfRH5 on merozoites. Erythrocyte invasion is paramount to the pathogenesis of P. falciparum requiring a series of extracellular recognition between the erythrocyte receptors and merozoites ligands. Of the known receptor-ligand interactions, one has been found essential to erythrocyte invasion in all P. falciparum strains; P. falciparum reticulocyte-binding protein homologue, PfRh5. This ligand binds to erythrocytes via basigin, an Ok blood group antigen and a type I integral membrane receptor consisting of many ligands. Basigin, also known as CD147, is a protein receptor on red blood cells, and a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily (Crosnier et al. 2011). It has further been found that a cysteine-rich protein called P. falciparum Rh5 interacting protein, PfRipr, forms a complex with PfRh5 on merozoites, where one study found antibodies to PfRipr1 to effectively inhibit merozoites attachment and invasion in erythrocytes (Chen et al. 2011). The most effective targeting strategy seems to be preventing PfRh5 on merozoites from binding the receptor basigin on red blood cells (RBC). This receptor is essential for Plasmodium falciparum to enter RBC by binding basigin via PfRh5 protein on the malaria parasite. Basigin is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, a group of cell surface soluble proteins involved in the binding, adhesion, and recognition processes of cells. Since PfRH5 is specific to merozoites, a vaccine based on PfRh5 would not affect RBCs or other parts of the body, likely not initiating an auto-immune response. This presents the best opportunity due to the specificity of PfRH5 which makes it a “safe” and effective vaccine targeting strategy. Due to the specificity of the attack method used by P. falciparum, it seems evident that the vaccine must target a specific receptor of one of the parasites many stages. The focus of the study is to shed light on this newly found research and to create a vaccine in the future that develops antibodies against the parasite ligand of Basigin, Rh5, since PfRh5 protein on the parasite binds to basigin. Due to the need of merozoites to enter and replicate in RBC, this seems like the most plausible vaccine development. Since humans are both the carriers and “spreaders” to mosquitos, it is paramount to find a vaccine for humans to stop the spread of gametocytes to mosquitos which would prevent sporozoites formation and the re-infection of other humans. The author believes that developing antibodies against the parasite ligand for basigin will prevent merozoites invasion into erythrocytes.
Phase diagram of one-dimensional electron-phonon systems. II. the molecular-crystal model

We study the nature of the ground state of a one-dimensional electron-phonon model for molecular crystals: The phonons are assumed dispersionless and couple to the local electronic density. We consider the half-filled-band sector and discuss the stability of the Peierls-dimerized ground state as a function of the phonon frequency ($\ensuremath{\omega}$), electron-phonon coupling constant ($\ensuremath{\lambda}$), and number of components of the electron spin ($n$). First, we discuss the properties of the model in the limiting cases of zero frequency and infinite frequency. We then perform a strong coupling expansion which maps the system onto a spinless fermion model with nearest-neighbor repulsion for both spinless and spin-\textonehalf{} electrons, but with different parameters in both cases. Finally, we perform a numerical study of the system using a Monte Carlo technique. We study the behavior of the order parameter and of correlation functions for various points in parameter space. We also perform a finite-size---scaling analysis of the numerical data. The conclusions of our study are the following: For the case of spinless electrons, there exists always a disordered phase for small coupling constant, and the system undergoes an infinite-order transition to a Peierls-dimerized state as the coupling constant increases beyond a critical value. The phase diagram is divided between a disordered and an ordered region by a line that connects the points ($\ensuremath{\omega}=0$, $\ensuremath{\lambda}=0$) and ($\ensuremath{\omega}=\ensuremath{\infty}$, $\ensuremath{\lambda}=\ensuremath{\infty}$). For the case of spin-\textonehalf{} electrons, the system is dimerized for arbitrary $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and $\ensuremath{\omega}$ except in the limit $\ensuremath{\omega}=\ensuremath{\infty}$.
Primary Invagination of the Vegetal Plate During Sea Urchin Gastrulation

The initial phase of echinoid gastrulation, primary invagination, involves an inpocketing of a monolayered epithelium. To gain information about the nature of the mechanical forces that are responsible for primary invagination, several experimental approaches have been taken, using the transparent embryos of the sea urchin, Lytechinus pictus , as the principal material. Vegetal plates isolated microsurgically well before the onset of gastrulation will invaginate normally, demonstrating that the forces responsible for primary invagination are generated by the cells in the vegetal ⅓ to ½ of the embryo. As shown by serial reconstructions of L. pictus embryos, relatively few cells (about 100) take part in primary invagination. Both the number of cells and the total volume of tissue in the wall of the archenteron increase with time. Even so, it can be shown that very little movement of cells over the lip of the blastopore takes place during primary invagination, and this process is best viewed as a simple inpocketing of the vegetal epithelium. The cells in the wall of the archenteron have a distinctive shape; they are elongated along their apico-basal axes and frequently have enlarged, rounded, basal ends. However, they do not undergo any dramatic changes in shape during primary invagination. In particular, there is only a slight decrease in the height of the cells (length along the apico-basal axis), a result that is inconsistent with the hypothesis that invagination is due to cell rounding (Gustafson and Wolpert, 1967). Examination of L. pictus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus gastrulae by transmission electron microscopy reveals that cells in the wall of the archenteron continue to be joined by typical junctional complexes during primary invagination. In addition, the morphology of the junctional complex at the gastrula stage is more elaborate than previously described. Sparse bands of micronlaments are associated with the plasma membrane at the level of the junctional complexes in both endodermal and ectodermal cells. These and other relevant data on early echinoid gastrulation are discussed in relation to several possible mechanisms of epithelial morphogenesis.
Decrease in caudate glutamatergic concentrations in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients taking paroxetine.

ABSTRACT Objective To measure in vivo neurochemical changes in the caudate nucleus in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) before and after treatment. Method Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic ( 1 H-MRS) examinations of the left caudate were conducted in 11 psychotropic drug-naive children, aged 8 to 17 years, with OCD before and after 12 weeks of monotherapy with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine (10-60 mg/day) and 11 healthy children aged 8 to 17 years. A different sample of 8 pediatric OCD patients and 8 healthy children had a 1 H-MRS examination of occipital cortex. Results Caudate glutamatergic concentrations (Glx) were significantly greater in treatment-naive OCD patients than in controls but declined significantly after paroxetine treatment to levels comparable with those of controls, Decrease in caudate Glx was associated with decrease in OCD symptom severity. Occipital Glx did not differ between OCD patients and controls. Conclusions These preliminary findings provide new evidence of Glx abnormalities in the caudate nucleus in pediatric OCD and suggest that paroxetine treatment may be mediated by a serotonergically modulated reduction in caudate Glx.
Assessing rural community resources for health care: The use of health services catchment area economic marketing studies

A relatively simple method for estimating the ability of rural communities to support health provider personnel services, the utilization of this tool is described and illustrated. Special aspects of the approach include: (1) its application on a systematic basis to an entire state, utilizing identified economic marketing areas and local determination of data; (2) the use of the finished product, or study, as a focus for community discussion and decision making; (3) its use as a recruitment device for physicians as well as communities; and (4) its use for long term state health and educational planning. Within this broad approach, the specific figures and conclusions are less important than the interpretation, application and use of the method.
Dirac's New Classical Theory of Electrons

Similarities are pointed out between Dirac's theory and certain equations belonging to the projective theory of relativity. The latter include an electromagnetic potential of fixed gauge and are such that if one reduces them to special relativity in the conventional way by taking ${g}_{\mathrm{ab}}$ to be Galilean, one can extract from them equations closely corresponding to those of Dirac's theory. However, it is shown that taking ${g}_{\mathrm{ab}}$ to be Galilean ignores quantities that may not be negligible relative to Dirac's gauge-fixing constant ${k}^{2}=\frac{{m}^{2}}{{e}^{2}}$; thus, effects arising from non-Galilean ${g}_{\mathrm{ab}}$ may be important in a theory of the type proposed by Dirac. When ${g}_{\mathrm{ab}}$ is not Galilean one apparently loses the central characteristic of Dirac's theory that all electric currents have $\frac{m}{e}$ of electronic value. Equations of motion are still present, however. And since the gauge-fixed electromagnetic potential can be zero without contradicting the field equations, one need not postulate an ether for the reasons that arise from Dirac's theory.
Geochemical Markers of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Event at Brazos River, Texas, USA

The Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sites around the Gulf of Mexico are close to the Chixculub impact site and are relatively well studied, yet much remains to be learned about them. Therefore, the first integrated study of carbon, soot, and fullerenes in a Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary section was undertaken at the Brazos-1 site on the Brazos River in Texas at the most complete section of end Cretaceous and basal Paleocene deposits on the Texas segment of the Gulf Coast area. Up to 409 ppm of native sulfur (So) were serendipitously discovered in a spherule-bearing unit of the BR-1 section, and lesser amounts were found in spherule-bearing units of nearby Brazos riverbed sections in a section on Darting Minnow Creek. The isotopic composition, δ33S = −12.97‰, δ34S = −24.89‰, and δ36S = −46.4‰, implies that this So cannot have come to Earth by the impactor that formed the Chicxulub crater, but, most likely, was produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria during a local, transient bacterial bloom for which the sulfate was provided by CaSO4-bearing spherules. Carbon and soot were determined in twelve samples representing all units of BR-1 from the Cretaceous Corsicana/Kemp Formation to the Tertiary Kincaid Formation. A significant increase of C and soot contents, up to 2.2×104 ppm and 1.4×104 ppm, respectively, occurs in a sandy bed at the top of the KT complex. Fullerenes were determined in fifty-four samples from all units of the same BR-1 section. Less than 1 ppb was reliably detected at the same sandy bed where the strongest Ir anomaly of the section is known to occur. It is suggested here that the Chicxulub impact 65 Ma ago ignited local wildfires that produced C, soot, and fullerene, which settled onshore, or near-shore, whence they were transported to the Brazos site by coastal flooding and associated sediment-laden water plumes moving offshore.
Guilds, Merchants, and Ulama in Nineteenth-Century Iran

Guilds, Merchants, and Ulama in Nineteenth-Century Iran, Willem Floor, Washington, DC: Mage, 2009, ISBN 1-9338-2331-3, xi + 264 pp.; Labor and Industry in Iran, 1850–1941, Willem Floor, Washington ...
Recovery of the electro-oculogram after total ablation of the retina in monkeys.

Abstract 1. 1. Electrical (RC and DC) recordings of predictable ocular movements, such as calorically induced nystagmus and passive pulling under anesthesia, were obtained from monkeys before and after removal of the cornea, retina and choroid and placement of an intrascleral plastic implant. 2. 2. Immediately after surgery the EOG of nystagmus was flat for 2–3 days. Thereafter it recovered progressively and approached normal amplitude 2–4 weeks later. Passive eye movements between the extreme right and left positions produced a 1 mV deflection both in the normal monkey and in the same animal about one month after eye evisceration. 3. 3. These results indicate that the EOG and consequently the bioelectric field of the eye on which it depends, may recover to normal values after total excision of the contents of the globe. Findings raise questions regarding the relative contribution of extraretinal mechanisms in the origin of the resting potential of the eye.
Issues and solutions in the development of rapidly reconfigurable immersive human-operated systems for distributed virtual environments

Rapidly reconfigurable systems in distributed virtual environments (DVEs) have the promise of reducing development, operational, and training facilities costs for human-operated entities in the DVE. Rapid reconfigurability can reduce costs through reuse of many components of the modeled systems and from the economies of scale achieved by procuring large numbers of identical systems. Our research is intended to develop system requirements and an adaptable software architecture for rapid reconfigurability and, as a spin-off, gauge the limits of rapid reconfigurability supported by current technology. To develop a system in support of rapid reconfigurability among modeled systems, a number of issues must be addressed. These issues include presentation of the controls for the system, support of interaction with the system's controls, physical motion fidelity for all modeled systems, the system software architecture, and achieving correct performance. Because the modeled systems exist in the real world, these issues must be resolved in a way that preserves the training value and fidelity of the modeled systems. We addressed these issues in the context of developing a prototype rapidly reconfigurable photorealistic virtual cockpit (VC). The paper describes the system controls, interaction support, aerodynamics model, and software architecture we used to achieve acceptable system fidelity for the rapidly reconfigurable photorealistic virtual cockpit. In addition, we document the performance of the current system and suggest avenues for further research.
The Party Elite and China's Trajectory of Change

China's path of political and economic change has diverged sharply from the experience of virtually all other state socialist regimes. Distinguishing it are its rapidly growing economy and expansion of higher education, deep engagement with the world economy and radical shift towards educational attainment in Party recruitment. These signs of political revitalisation portend a quiet transformation of China's elite, and may reinforce a stable evolution towards effective and less authoritarian forms of government. The greatest threat to this scenario would be state sector reform via privatisation that leaves large percentages of state assets in the hands of elite families.
Rainforest Endophytes and Bioactive Products

An increase in the number of people in the world having health problems caused by certain cancers, drug-resistant bacteria, parasitic protozoans, and fungi has caused alarm. An intensive search for newer and more effective agents to deal with these problems is now underway. Endophytes are a potential source of novel chemistry and biology to assist in helping solve not only human health, but plant and animal health problems also. Endophytes reside in the tissues between living plant cells. The relationship that they establish with the plant varies from symbiotic to bordering on pathogenic. Of all of the world's plants, it seems that only a few grass species have had their complete complement of endophytes studied. As a result, the opportunity to find new and interesting endophytes among the myriad of plants is great. Sometimes extremely unusual and valuable organic substances are produced by these endophytes. These compounds may contribute to the host-microbe relationship. The initial step in dealing with endophytic microorganisms is their successful isolation from plant materials. Then, the isolation and characterization of bioactive substances from culture filtrates is done using bioassay guided fractionation and spectroscopic methods. Some of the more interesting compounds produced by endophytic microbes with which we have dealt are taxol, cryptocin, cryptocandin, jesterone, oocydin, isopestacin, the pseudomycins and ambuic acid. This review discusses an approach for bio-prospecting the rainforests, not only to harvest their endophytic microorganisms, but to eventually build a better understanding of the importance and value they have to humankind.
On the relationship between the east's transitions and European integration

This paper provides crucial elements of the backdrop for better coming to grips with the uneasy relationship between the European Union (EU) and the transition economies (TEs), especially those that covet full membership. Expectations on both sides differed widely and on all too many occasions continue to run separate courses, thus hindering a more constructive rapprochement between the TEs and the EU. After a brief summary of the various strands that informed the EU's integration movement, the paper briefly restates the economic, political, and social situation in the EU on the eve of the east's transitions. Then it provides the essential ingredients of the two intergovernmental conferences (IGCs) organized in 1990-1991. Thereafter it examines the essential elements of the Maastricht Treaty and the 1996IGC. The latter s outcome and the subsequent high-level EU deliberations are analyzed in light of the east's expectations with regard to entering the EU.
Hydrodynamic interaction for time‐dependent motions: Steady rotation of a rigid dumbbell

An expression for the flow field resulting from a time-dependent force with time-dependent point of action is derived from the linearized Navier-Stokes equations. The result is written as a sum of terms, the first of which is the “slow-change limit” corresponding to a stationary force acting at a stationary position. The application to the steady rotation of a dumbbell shows that this sum corresponds to a series expansion in powers of (L2|Ω|/v)1/2 where 2L is the length of the dumbbell, Ω is its angular velocity, and v is the kinematic viscosity of the liquid. It is pointed out that the results obtained are relevant to the problem of rotatory Brownian motion and to that of non-Newtonian viscosity.
Orientalism and Crusader Art: Constructing a New Caanon

This article argues that we need to question the Orientalist ideology that draws boundaries between the study of crusader art and that of the neighboring Muslim states. Two unusual Ayyubid glass beakers, now in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, are shown to contain Christian images. These images are placed within a landscape showcasing the major monuments in Jerusalem: the Dome of the Rock, the Holy Sepulchre, and the Tower of David, to highlight the significance of the sites for the viewer/patron. When these two beakers are compared with rnetalwork made in an Islamic style but depicting Christian scenes, it becomes clear that they were not as rare as we may think. Indeed, they prompt us to rethink our preconsumptions about daily life in the crusader kingdoms and to reassess the workings of the multiethnic market spaces of the Levant. The beakers may have served a foreign clicntele, but most probably were made for local Christian communities. Furthermore, these pieces allow us to study the processes of transference of tastes and techniques to the West.
Evolution of nonclassical MHC-dependent invariant T cells

TCR-mediated specific recognition of antigenic peptides in the context of classical MHC molecules is a cornerstone of adaptive immunity of jawed vertebrate. Ancillary to these interactions, the T cell repertoire also includes unconventional T cells that recognize endogenous and/or exogenous antigens in a classical MHC-unrestricted manner. Among these, the mammalian nonclassical MHC class I-restricted invariant T cell (iT) subsets, such as iNKT and MAIT cells, are now believed to be integral to immune response initiation as well as in orchestrating subsequent adaptive immunity. Until recently the evolutionary origins of these cells were unknown. Here we review our current understanding of a nonclassical MHC class I-restricted iT cell population in the amphibian Xenopus laevis. Parallels with the mammalian iNKT and MAIT cells underline the crucial biological roles of these evolutionarily ancient immune subsets.
Transient generation of displaced single-stranded DNA during nick translation

Abstract We show that displaced single-stranded overhangs are transiently generated and destroyed during nick translation by E. coli DNA polymerase I. Evidence that hyper- rec mutants have an increased frequency of such overhang structures is discussed. The transient generation of overhangs may be significant for general recombination. The 5′ → 3′ exonuclease activity of polymerase I specifically hydrolyzes such overhangs to yield a nick. Overhangs are generated by polymerization, but after every polymerization step, either polymerase or exonuclease can act— 55% of the time, polymerization occurred first. At this frequency overhangs of ⩾12 nucleotides are generated every 1300 nucleotides polymerized. We suggest that many DNA strand discontinuities are displaced single-strand overhangs, rather than gaps or simple nicks.
Conformational dynamics of loop 262-274 in G- and F-actin

According to the original Holmes model of F-actin structure, the hydrophobic loop 262-274 stabilizes the actin filament by inserting into a pocket formed at the interface between two protomers on the opposing strand. Using a yeast actin triple mutant, L180C/L269C/C374A [(LC)(2)CA], we showed previously that locking the hydrophobic loop to the G-actin surface by a disulfide bridge prevents filament formation. We report here that the hydrophobic loop is mobile in F- as well as in G-actin, fluctuating between the extended and parked conformations. Copper-catalyzed, brief air oxidation of (LC)(2)CA F-actin on electron microscopy grids resulted in the severing of thin filaments and their conversion to amorphous aggregates. Disulfide, bis(methanethiosulfonate) (MTS), and dibromobimane (DBB) cross-linking reactions proceeded in solution at a faster rate with G- than with F-actin. Cross-linking of C180 to C269 by DBB (4.4 A) in either G- or F-actin resulted in shorter and less stable filaments. The cross-linking with a longer MTS-6 reagent (9.6 A) did not impair actin polymerization or filament structure. Myosin subfragment 1 (S1) and tropomyosin inhibited the disulfide cross-linking of phalloidin-stabilized F-actin. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements with nitroxide spin-labeled actin revealed strong spin-spin coupling and a similar mean interspin distance ( approximately 10 A) in G- and in F-actin, with a broader distance distribution in G-actin. These results show loop 262-274 fluctuations in G- and F-actin and correlate loop dynamics with actin filament formation and stability.
Muscle activation and the slow component rise in oxygen uptake during cycling.

SAUNDERS, M. J., E. M. EVANS, S. A. ARNGRIMSSON, J. D. ALLISON, G. L. WARREN, and K. J. CURETON. Muscle activation and the slow component rise in oxygen uptake during cycling. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 12, 2000, pp. 2040 -2045. Purpose: During constant-rate high-intensity exercise, a steady state for oxygen uptake (VO2) is not achieved and, after the initial rapid increase, VO2 continues to increase slowly. The mechanism underlying the slow-component rise in VO2 during high-intensity exercise is unknown. It has been hypothesized that increased muscle use may be a contributing factor, but only limited electromyograph (EMG) data are available supporting this hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is an association between the VO2 slow component and muscle use assessed by contrast shifts in magnetic resonance images (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Methods: The VO2 slow component was measured in 16 subjects during two 15-min bouts of cycling performed at high and low intensities. EMG and MRI transverse relaxation times (T2) were obtained after 3 and 15 min to determine muscle activity at each intensity. Results: Low-intensity cycling produced no VO2 slow component, and no increases in muscle activity, except for a small increase (P , 0.05) in the T2 of the vastus lateralis. During high-intensity cycling, VO2, T2 of the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris and whole leg, and EMG activity and median power frequency of the vastus lateralis rose significantly (P , 0.05) from 3 to 15 min. Percent increases in VO2 and muscle T2 were related during high-intensity cycling (r 5 0.63), but not during low-intensity cycling (r 5 0.00). Conclusion: We conclude that increased muscle use is in part responsible for the slow component rise in oxygen uptake. The results support the hypothesis that during constant-rate exercise at intensities above lactate threshold, progressively greater use of fast-twitch motor units increases energy demand and causes concomitant progressive increases in VO2 and lactate. Key Words: MRI, OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, OXYGEN UPTAKE KINETICS, V ˙O2 SLOW COMPONENT
Brainstorming for Japan: rapid distributed global collaboration for disaster response

Tragic events struck northern Japan in March-April 2011. This note presents a case study of rapid distributed brainstorming for disaster response, involving 275 contributors from 23 countries within a three-day period, conducted among the staff in a multinational company. Factors that appear to have contributed to the success of this brainstorming include: Social media that could be easily appropriated; and employee familiarity with large-scale brainstorming. The formation of this "flash-community" joins other CHI reports to point toward a new genre of rapid large-scale responses to disasters through social media.
Islamic Religiosity and Regime Preferences Explaining Support for Democracy and Political Islam in Central Asia and the Caucasus

Does religion or religiosity affect Muslims’ regime preferences? Developing constructivist and ideational approaches, we theorize why and how religiosity shapes regime preferences. We test our hypotheses on our novel survey data from Azerbaijan in the Caucasus and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. Our findings question civilizationist, rationalist, and modernizationist theories by showing that religiosity among Muslims strongly affects regime preferences for various types of democracy and political Islam. Religious affiliation, however, does not. Finally, we challenge standard measurements of democratic support among Muslims and argue for more nuanced definitions; our surveys generate significant improvements in data for studying these issues.
Exploring the Impact of Language Services on Utilization and Clinical Outcomes for Diabetics

Background Significant health disparities exist between limited English proficient and English-proficient patients. Little is known about the impact of language services on chronic disease outcomes such as for diabetes. Methods/Principal Findings To determine whether the amount and type of language services received during primary care visits had an impact on diabetes-related outcomes (hospitalization, emergency room utilization, glycemic control) in limited English proficient patients, a retrospective cohort design was utilized. Hospital and medical record data was examined for 1425 limited English proficient patients in the Cambridge Health Alliance diabetes registry. We categorized patients receiving usual care into 7 groups based on the amount and combination of language services (language concordant providers, formal interpretation and nothing) received at primary care visits during a 9 month period. Bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression were used to determine relationships between language service categories and outcomes in the subsequent 6 months. Thirty-one percent of patients (445) had no documentation of interpreter use or seeing a language concordant provider in any visits. Patients who received 100% of their primary care visits with language concordant providers were least likely to have diabetes-related emergency department visits compared to other groups (p<0001) in the following 6 months. Patients with higher numbers of co-morbidities were more likely to receive formal interpretation. Conclusions/Significance Language concordant providers may help reduce health care utilization for limited English proficient patients with diabetes. However, given the lack of such providers in sufficient numbers to meet patients' communication needs, strategies are needed to both increase their numbers and ensure that the highest risk patients receive the most appropriate language services. In addition, systems serving diverse populations must clarify why some limited English proficient patients do not receive language services at some or all of their visits and whether this has an impact on quality of care.
On the retrieval of lava-flow surface temperatures from infrared satellite data

The dual-band method has been widely used as the basis for determining lava surface temperatures from infrared satellite data; the method is based on the assumption that such surfaces can be described in terms of two end-member thermal components—hot cracks within a thermally homogeneous crust. The recent launch of the first orbiting hyperspectral imaging system, Hyperion, on- board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite heralds a new era of space-based hy- perspectral data collection that will allow more detailed models of lava-flow surface temperatures to be developed and parameterized. To this end, we have analyzed thermal images of active pahoehoe lava flows collected on Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, by using a forward- looking infrared (FLIR) 595 PM ThermaCAM, in order to assess the number of thermal components required to characterize the surface temperatures of active lava-flow surfaces. The FLIR images show that an active lava-flow surface comprises a contin- uum of temperatures that define distinctive temperature distribu- tions. Numerical model results reveal that the two-component dual- band method fails to resolve any of the major properties of the temperature distributions contained in these data (i.e., mode, skew, range, or dispersion). However, modeling five to seven thermal components allows all significant properties of the subpixel tem- perature distributions contained within the FLIR images to be de- termined. Thus, although the hyperspectral data provided by the EO-1 Hyperion yield as many as 66 wavebands in the 0.5-2.5 mm atmospheric window, useable data in 9-13 of these should be suf- ficient to perform accurate temperature characterization of active lava-flow surfaces from space.
Analysis of the Alfalfa Root Transcriptome in Response to Salinity Stress

Salinity is one of the major abiotic factors affecting alfalfa productivity. Identifying genes that control this complex trait will provide critical insights for alfalfa breeding programs. To date, no studies have been published on a deep sequencing-based profiling of the alfalfa transcriptome in response to salinity stress. Observations gathered through research on reference genomes may not always be applicable to alfalfa. In this work, Illumina RNA-sequencing was performed in two alfalfa genotypes contrasting in salt tolerance, in order to estimate a broad spectrum of genes affected by salt stress. A total of 367,619,586 short reads were generated from cDNA libraries originated from roots of both lines. More than 60,000 tentative consensus sequences (TCs) were obtained and, among them, 74.5% had a significant similarity to proteins in the NCBI database. Mining of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from all TCs revealed 6,496 SSRs belonging to 3,183 annotated unigenes. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the expression of 1,165 genes, including 86 transcription factors (TFs), was significantly altered under salt stress. About 40% of differentially expressed genes were assigned to known gene ontology (GO) categories using Arabidopsis GO. A random check of differentially expressed genes by quantitative real-time PCR confirmed the bioinformatic analysis of the RNA-seq data. A number of salt-responsive genes in both tested genotypes were identified and assigned to functional classes, and gene candidates with roles in the adaptation to salinity were proposed. Alfalfa-specific data on salt-responsive genes obtained in this work will be useful in understanding the molecular mechanisms of salinity tolerance in alfalfa.
An Assessment of Tactical Surface-to-Air Missile Midcourse Guidance Technology

This paper provides an assessment of current surface-to-air tactical misslle guidance and control technology. The use of midcourse guidance followed by a relatively short period of terminal homing offers a significant improvement in fire power and missile intercept coverage at the expense of the inclusion of the sensors and data links necessary for implementation. Advanced midcourse guidance laws explored include Explicit Guidance and Kappa Guidance.
Time-reversal space-time coding for doubly-selective channels

We consider the transmission of space-time block codes (STBC) over doubly-selective channels, which are encountered in highly mobile environments or high-frequency (HF) communications. In particular, we propose two extensions of time-reversal STBC with superior performance under these fast-fading conditions, and compare these schemes for various decision-feedback equalizers. The tradeoffs between performance and complexity are illustrated, and simulation results for the severely doubly-selective HF-channel corroborate our analysis
The State of the Archaeological Debate at Qumran

This article surveys the present state of archaeological research at Qumran. The article first examines those explorers who came to Qumran prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and interpr...
Fabrication of microstructures using aluminum anodization techniques

A promising technique for the fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microstructures, presented by Tan et. al. at MEMS-95, takes advantage of the highly ordered pore structure of anodic metal oxides. In this work, we have extended and simplified this method. This process is capable of producing high-aspect-ratio microstructures oriented normal to a nonplanar substrate. Unlike the original process in which the aluminum substrate was anodized to the desired depth, masked and subsequently etched, the modified process involves performing the masking lithography prior to anodization. Patterned areas of an aluminum substrate are masked with a 0.6/spl mu/m layer of sputtered silicon dioxide. The SiO/sub 2/ layer prevents anodization in masked areas while the oxide grows in unmasked areas. In this paper, we present preliminary results using this local anodization process on aluminum substrates and discuss the use of the process for fabricating structures on nonplanar substrates.
Neuronal Sirt3 Protects against Excitotoxic Injury in Mouse Cortical Neuron Culture

Background Sirtuins (Sirt), a family of nicotinamide adenine nucleotide (NAD) dependent deacetylases, are implicated in energy metabolism and life span. Among the known Sirt isoforms (Sirt1-7), Sirt3 was identified as a stress responsive deacetylase recently shown to play a role in protecting cells under stress conditions. Here, we demonstrated the presence of Sirt3 in neurons, and characterized the role of Sirt3 in neuron survival under NMDA-induced excitotoxicity. Methodology/Principal Findings To induce excitotoxic injury, we exposed primary cultured mouse cortical neurons to NMDA (30 µM). NMDA induced a rapid decrease of cytoplasmic NAD (but not mitochondrial NAD) in neurons through poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) activation. Mitochondrial Sirt3 was increased following PARP-1 mediated NAD depletion, which was reversed by either inhibition of PARP-1 or exogenous NAD. We found that massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced under this NAD depleted condition mediated the increase in mitochondrial Sirt3. By transfecting primary neurons with a Sirt3 overexpressing plasmid or Sirt3 siRNA, we showed that Sirt3 is required for neuroprotection against excitotoxicity. Conclusions This study demonstrated for the first time that mitochondrial Sirt3 acts as a prosurvival factor playing an essential role to protect neurons under excitotoxic injury.
Using closed captions as supervision for video activity recognition

Recognizing activities in real-world videos is a difficult problem exacerbated by background clutter, changes in camera angle & zoom, and rapid camera movements. Large corpora of labeled videos can be used to train automated activity recognition systems, but this requires expensive human labor and time. This paper explores how closed captions that naturally accompany many videos can act as weak supervision that allows automatically collecting 'labeled' data for activity recognition. We show that such an approach can improve activity retrieval in soccer videos. Our system requires no manual labeling of video clips and needs minimal human supervision. We also present a novel caption classifier that uses additional linguistic information to determine whether a specific comment refers to an ongoing activity. We demonstrate that combining linguistic analysis and automatically trained activity recognizers can significantly improve the precision of video retrieval.
HCO3-stimulated Cl efflux in the gulf toadfish acclimated to sea water.

Unidirectional efflux of Cl was examined in the Gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta, in artificial seawater solutions with modified concentrations of Cl and HCO3. Removal of Cl and HCO3 reduced Cl efflux. Addition of HCO3 at typical seawater concentrations stimulated Cl efflux, independent of changes in the transepithelial potential. This active, HCO3-stimulated Cl efflux is saturable, with a Km of 2.4 mM, typical of the concentration of HCO3 found in sea water, and independent of external pH. Active extrusion of Cl offsets the net diffusional and oral gain of Cl faced by O. beta in sea water.
The in-vivo metabolism of propetamphos by insecticide-resistant and susceptible strains of the housefly, Musca domestica

The metabolism of propetamphos by insecticide-resistant and susceptible houseflies, in vivo, was investigated. Two major pathways of propetamphos degradation were found. The first is the major route of detoxification for both resistant and susceptible strains at low doses and involves a hydrolysis of the P–O-vinyl bond, ultimately resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide. The second major pathway involves conjugation. As the dose increases, so does the importance of this pathway. Those strains of houseflies with greater conjugative capacity are able to tolerate greater doses of propetamphos than those strains with lesser conjugative capacity. The properties exhibited by this conjugate are consistent with those of glutathione conjugates. This is further supported by a parallel between reported values of glutathione S-transferase activity in the houseflies tested and tolerance to propetamphos.
Disruption Mutations of ADA2b and GCN5 Transcriptional Adaptor Genes Dramatically Affect Arabidopsis Growth, Development, and Gene Expression

We previously identified Arabidopsis genes homologous with the yeast ADA2 and GCN5 genes that encode components of the ADA and SAGA histone acetyltransferase complexes. In this report, we explore the biological roles of the Arabidopsis ADA2b and GCN5 genes. T-DNA insertion mutations in ADA2b and GCN5 were found to have pleiotropic effects on plant growth and development, including dwarf size, aberrant root development, and short petals and stamens in flowers. Approximately 5% of the 8200 genes assayed by DNA microarray analysis showed changes of expression in the mutants, three-fourths of which were upregulated and only half of which were altered similarly in the two mutant strains. In cold acclimation experiments, C-repeat binding factors (CBFs) were induced in the mutants as in wild-type plants, but subsequent transcription of cold-regulated (COR) genes was reduced in both mutants. Remarkably, nonacclimated ada2b-1 (but not gcn5-1) mutant plants were more freezing tolerant than nonacclimated wild-type plants, suggesting that ADA2b may directly or indirectly repress a freezing tolerance mechanism that does not require the expression of CBF or COR genes. We conclude that the Arabidopsis ADA2b and GCN5 proteins have both similar and distinct functions in plant growth, development, and gene expression and may be components of both a common coactivator complex and separate complexes with distinct biological activities.
Joint rate distortion optimal shape and texture coding

In this paper, the problem of joint shape and texture coding in video compression is considered. The shape is approximated using polygons or higher order curves. The texture is encoded using the shape adaptive discrete cosine transform (SA-DCT). The solution is optimal in the operational rate distortion sense i.e. given a coding setup, the solution will guarantee the smallest possible total rate for a given distortion for both shape and texture coding or the smallest possible distortion for a given rate. Both a fixed-width and a variable width distortion band for shape coding were considered. The variable width of the distortion band is a function of the texture profile i.e. the width is inversely proportional to the magnitude of the image gradient. We present experimental results using the "Kids" and "Bream" sequences.
Path planning for minimal energy curves of constant length

In this paper we present a new path planning technique for a flexible wire. We first introduce a new parametrization designed to represent low-energy configurations. Based on this parametrization we can find curves that satisfy endpoint constraints. Next, we present three different techniques for minimizing energy within the self-motion manifold of the curve. We introduce a local planner to find smooth minimal energy deformations for these curves that can be used by a general path planning algorithm. Using a simplified model for obstacles, we can find minimal energy curves of fixed length that pass through specified tangents at given control points. Finally, we show that the parametrization introduced in this paper is a good approximation of true minimal energy curves. Our work has applications in surgical suturing and snake-like robots.
Family Stress and Social Support among Caregivers to Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease

Despite the current emphasis on “productive” and “successful” aging, the fact remains that many elderly people spend the last part of their lives suffering from chronic debilitating ailments. Moreover, contrary to deep-seated societal fears about the abandonment of the aged by their relatives, responsibility for caring for impaired elderly persons is usually assumed by kin. Although families have cared for the aged throughout recorded history, only in the past three decades has the topic become a vigorous and rapidly expanding area of research interest.
When Violence Pays: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Aggressive Behavior in Animals and Humans

An optimization analysis of human behavior from a comparative perspective can improve our understanding of the adaptiveness of human nature. Intra-specific competition for resources provides the ma...
Free-text speaker identification over long distance telephone channel using hypothesized phonetic segmentation

Experimental investigation of a free-text speaker identification method based on long-term statistics was conducted on a widely used long-distance telephone database. On a 26-speaker subset, an average correct identification of 93.3% was obtained; on the complete 51-speaker set, 67.6% correct identification is obtained. Speaker verification experiments on the database provided receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) comparable to or better than the ones available in open literature. >
High efficiency and low toxicity of polyethyleneimine modified Pluronics (PEI–Pluronic) as gene delivery carriers in cell culture and dystrophic mdx mice

A series of low molecular weight polyethyleneimine (LPEI) conjugated Pluronic copolymers (PCMs) were synthesized and evaluated in C2C12 myoblasts and CHO cells in vitro and in dystrophic mdx mice in vivo as gene delivery carriers. Pluronics with different molecular weights (Mw) and hydrophilic–lipophilic-balance (HLB), and two LPEIs (Mw: 0.8k, 1.2k Da) as composition of PCMs have been synthesized, and the dynamics between the structures and properties were investigated. The conjugation efficiency of PEI ranged from 77.5–95.4% with relatively higher levels of PEI conjugation to the Pluronic size in PCMs, with the Pluronics of smaller size achieving relatively higher levels of PEI conjugation. Almost all of the PCM polymers were able to bind and condense plasmid DNA effectively into particles of approximately 200 nm in solution at the polymer/DNA ratio of 2 and above. The PCMs composed of relatively moderate size (Mw: 2000–5000 Da), intermediate HLB (12–23) of Pluronics, and LPEI produce much higher gene delivery efficacy and less cytotoxicity as compared with PEI 25k in C2C12 myoblasts and CHO cells in vitro. The PCMs were also able to enhance gene delivery in mdx mice in vivo, indicating their potential as biocompatible gene delivery carriers.
Head and neck solitary fibrous tumors: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Head and neck solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are quite rare, with <200 cases reported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to analyze the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of this rare disease while reporting the largest head and neck case series. Study Design: Retrospective review. Methods: Between 1991 and 2011, 13 cases of head and neck SFTs from the pathology database were identified. Demographic, clinical, radiologic, and pathologic data were then abstracted and compiled for review. Results: SFT presented nearly equally as asymptomatic slow-growing masses or with local symptoms due to compression. All tumors imaged by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging with contrast showed a well-defined strongly enhancing mass. Two patients had evidence of bone erosion on imaging, but no histopathologic features of malignancy. Treatment consisted of surgical resection and in two cases postoperative radiation. Two patients had pathologic findings of malignancy, but are alive without recurrence at 26 and 51 months follow-up. Two patients had recurrence, one with paraspinal disease and grossly positive surgical margins, and another with endoscopic resection and poor margin control. Conclusions: SFTs of the head and neck are exceedingly rare and those with aggressive behavior even more so. Diagnosis is often difficult and not definitive until morphologic and immunohistochemical evaluation is performed. In most cases, complete surgical excision is the only necessary treatment. Although in patients with malignant components or positive surgical margins, adjuvant radiation may be beneficial. Regardless, all patients require close clinical follow-up for several years. Laryngoscope, 2012