cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aggregation of sponge cells: Cell-linking macromolecules and their role in the formation of multicellular systems

A macromolecular material has been obtained from live sponge cells which specifically enhances their aggregation. Some of the structural, chemical, and functional properties of this material are described. Materials which specifically enhance aggregation of embryonic chick cells have been isolated from embryonic chick cells. Similarities between the two systems are discussed with reference to general considerations of cell ligants and the role of specific extracellular materials in histogenetic aggregation of cells.
A Gene Similar to PKD1 Maps to Chromosome 4q22: A Candidate Gene for PKD2

Abstract We report a partial cDNA sequence that encodes a protein, dubbed “polycystwin,” with 21% identity and 46% similarity to amino acids 3688–4109 of the carboxyl terminus of polycystin, the gene product of the autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease locus located on chromosome 16 at band p13 (PKD1). Northern analysis demonstrates that the R48321 gene is expressed in all tissues examined, including both adult and fetal kidneys. Finally, in situ hybridization studies localize this novel gene to 4q22, where PKD2, the second most common locus for ADPKD, is known to map. Therefore, R48321 is an excellent candidate gene for PKD2.
Interventional endoscopy in the diagnosis and staging of upper gastrointestinal malignancy

Increased population longevity as well as an emphasis on earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of cancer have created an environment for new technologies and techniques to flourish. Some of the endoscopic entities discussed in this article have not been fully validated in clinical practice. Innovative spectroscopic modalities hold a great deal of promise, but are years away from general applicability. In contrast, many interventional endoscopic techniques are currently available and confer heightened levels of diagnostic and staging accuracy for gastric and esophageal malignancies. Earlier diagnosis can identify patients who may be eligible for less-invasive treatment options such as EMR. Minimally invasive treatment options and maximum staging accuracy are more important for patients who are marginal surgical candidates and for accurate comparison of clinical trials studying treatment options. Our challenge for the future is to properly integrate these technologic advances with the science of good medical practice.
Studies in the expanded word association test. I. Effects of cerebral dysfunction.

Summary The effects of cerebral dysfunction upon responses to the Expanded Word Association Test were studied among psychiatric patients. Psychiatric patients suffering from impairments in cerebral functioning showed significantly (p < .001) more blocking, multi-words and repetitions, irrespective of the type of stimulus word, than psychiatric patients judged free of such impairment. By weighing these variables with discriminant function coeficients it was possible to effectively discriminate between the groups, with only four misclassifications out of ninety patients. The results were discussed in relation to a previous experiment where similar findings had been obtained, and to the use of the test as a clinical tool.
Postsocialism? Reflections on “socialism with Chinese characteristics”

In the discussion below, I consider the interpretive possibilities of a conceptualization of Chinese socialism that is primarily deconstructive in intention, although it may also provide an occasio...
Influence of Agonists and Antagonists on the Segmental Motion of Residues near the Agonist Binding Pocket of the Acetylcholine-binding Protein

Using the Lymnaea acetylcholine-binding protein as a surrogate of the extracellular domain of the nicotinic receptor, we combined site-directed labeling with fluorescence spectroscopy to assess possible linkages between ligand binding and conformational dynamics. Specifically, 2-[(5-fluoresceinyl)aminocarbonyl]ethyl methanethiosulfonate was conjugated to a free cysteine on loop C and to five substituted cysteines at strategic locations in the subunit sequence, and the backbone flexibility around each site of conjugation was measured with time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy. The sites examined were in loop C (Cys-188 using a C187S mutant), in the β9 strand (T177C), in the β10 strand (D194C), in the β8-β9 loop (N158C and Y164C), and in the β7 strand (K139C). Conjugated fluorophores at these locations show distinctive anisotropy decay patterns indicating different degrees of segmental fluctuations near the agonist binding pocket. Ligand occupation and decay of anisotropy were assessed for one agonist (epibatidine) and two antagonists (α-bungarotoxin and d-tubocurarine). The Y164C and Cys-188 conjugates were also investigated with additional agonists (nicotine and carbamylcholine), partial agonists (lobeline and 4-hydroxy,2-methoxy-benzylidene anabaseine), and an antagonist (methyllycaconitine). With the exception of the T177C conjugate, both agonists and antagonists perturbed the backbone flexibility of each site; however, agonist-selective changes were only observed at Y164C in loop F where the agonists and partial agonists increased the range and/or rate of the fast anisotropy decay processes. The results reveal that agonists and antagonists produced distinctive changes in the flexibility of a portion of loop F.
Marginalized Experiences of Hispanic Females in Youth‐Based Religious Groups

As part of a larger ethnographic study on the role of religion in the lives of youth in the United States, data collected through fieldwork at Protestant evangelical ministries in the Chicago area show an emerging pattern of marginalized experiences for "at-risk" teenaged and college-aged Hispanic females who are involved in youth-based religious groups and activities. We suggest a contradiction emerging from our findings: churches desire to save youth from risky behaviors, thus accommodating their ministries to meet the needs of the at-risk youths; yet, the churches simultaneously promote traditional gender roles that foster feelings of oppression. This forces the young women into a difficult position: conform and maintain the connectedness to the ministry, or resist the traditional expectations and forfeit what a youth group provides to at-risk youth.
Risky business: IV complications

Abstract Ninety percent of hospitalized patients will receive some form of IV therapy during their stays. All forms of venous access have the potential for serious complications. Health care providers need to be able to recognize IV complications and risk factors. This poster illustrates basic venous anatomy and venous access devices. Images of complications accompany descriptions and suggested interventions.
Instability of a Mechanical System Induced by an Impinging Fluid Jet

Critical load and instability of smooth and mesh surface mechanical systems subjected to impinging fluid jet, noting static buckling and flutter effects
Ruggedness Testing-Part I: Ignoring Interactions.

A straightfoward explanation of the statistical technique of ruggedness testing is presented. Efficient Plackett-Burman designs are used in ruggedness tests. These designs involve the simultaneous change of levels of a number of variables. The designs allow the ruggedness test user to determine the effect of the separated variables on the measurement process. This paper (Part I) deals with the common situation where two-factor and higher order interactions can be safely ignored. A method is presented for evaluating the experimental uncertainties. A detailed example of glass electrode measurements of pH of dilute HCl solutions is used to illustrate ruggedness testing procedures.
Motion Control Algorithms for Sensor-Equipped Robots

This paper deals with the development of kinematic algorithms for the control of sensor-equipped robots. The kinematics is solved in the sensor coordinate system, which reduces the computation efforts, and allows the elimination of the first joint encoder. Simplification of the algorithms can be obtained when approximations are used to solve the inverse kinematics. Three control algorithms based on approxima­ tions are presented. However, with these algorithms, convergence to the target is not always guaranteed. A Theorem which specifies the sufficient conditions required for a trajectory to converge to a target point is proved. Based on this Theorem robot parameters can be selected in the design stage of the manipulator. This is illustrated for several types of manipulators. This paper deals with kinematical features of intelligent robots having a sensor located at the arm. A typical sensor might be a force-torque transducer or a camera located at the wrist section. With such robots, the motion commands are generated by the sensor and the robot must execute them in real time. This requires that the robot algorithms include con­ trol in sensor-oriented coordinates, rather than in world coor­ dinates as in conventional robots. It is claimed that control in sensor (or object) oriented coordinates may be comparable in complexity to that required in conventional robots [1], In this paper, it is shown that sensor-oriented control may be much simpler, and also much faster, compared with the control in world coordinate system. Based upon a kinematic analysis, the paper proposes mo­ tion algorithms for sensor-equipped robots. Simplification of the algorithms can be obtained when approximations are used to solve the inverse kinematics. However, when using the ap­ proximations the robot might diverge from the target point. Therefore, sufficient conditions which guarantee the con­ vergence in this case must be found. The kinematic approach in this paper is based upon the resolved motion rate control method [2, 3] in which the re­ quired velocity of the end effector, s, is related to the joint variables 0, by the equation
Irregular grid volume rendering with composition networks

Volumetric irregular grids are the next frontier to conquer in interactive 3D graphics. Visualization algorithms for rectilinear 2563 data volumes have been optimized to achieve one frame/second to 15 frames/second depending on the workstation. With equivalent computational resources, irregular grids with millions of cells may take minutes to render for a new viewpoint. The state of the art for graphics rendering, PixelFlow, provides screen and object space parallelism for polygonal rendering. Unfortunately volume rendering of irregular data is at odds with the sort last architecture. I investigate parallel algorithms for direct volume rendering on PixelFlow that generalize to other compositing architectures. Experiments are performed on the Nasa Langley fighter dataset, using the projected tetrahedra approach of Shirley and Tuchman. Tetrahedral sorting is done by the circumscribing sphere approach of Cignoni et al. Key approaches include sort-first on sort-last, world space subdivision by clipping, rearrangeable linear compositing for any view angle, and static load balancing. The new world space subdivision by clipping provides for efficient and correct rendering of unstructured data by using object space clipping planes. Research results include performance estimates on PixelFlow for irregular grid volume rendering. PixelFlow is estimated to achieve 30 frames/second on irregular grids of 300,00 tetrahedra or 10 million tetrahedra per second.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fluctuation dynamics of block copolymer vesicles.

X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy was used to characterize the wave-vector- and temperature-dependent dynamics of spontaneous thermal fluctuations in a vesicle (L4) phase that occurs in a blend of a symmetric poly(styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene) triblock copolymer with a polystyrene homopolymer. Measurements of the intermediate scattering function reveal stretched-exponential behavior versus time, with a stretching exponent slightly larger than 2/3. The corresponding relaxation rates show an approximate q{sup 3} dependence versus wave vector. Overall, the experimental measurements are well described by theories that treat the dynamics of independent membrane plaquettes.
Amplitude and Q of 0S0 from the Sumatra Earthquake as Recorded on Superconducting Gravimeters and Seismometers

It has been known for some time that superconducting gravimeters (SGs) can provide excellent recordings of the seismic normal modes. Studies by Banka and Crossley (1999) and van Camp (1999) established the low noise level of SGs in the seismic normal mode band, especially at periods longer than 100 s. In an extensive study of all the currently operating SGs (about 18), Rosat et al. (2003) showed that the best SGs have lower noise than the New Low Noise Model (Peterson 1993) at periods longer than 1,000 s. Also, several studies have compared the performance of SGs and broadband seismometers at long periods and shown that the correction of meteorological influence on the SGs can be more effective than on seismometers (Freybourger et al. 1997; Hinderer et al. 2002). Zurn and Widmer-Schnidrig (2006) demonstrated the need to correct seismometers for pressure effects at long periods. In the frequency domain the sensitivity of SGs reaches 1 nanogal (10–11ms–2) or less, especially at periods longer than 100 s. Widmer-Schnidrig (2003) summarized the advantages of using SGs for long-period seismology, noting that in addition to sensitivity the SGs are calibrated to DC with an amplitude accuracy of better than 0.1%. Here we combine and compare, for the first time, seismic data from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Management System and data from SGs contributing to the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) (Crossley et al. 1999). The 26 December 2004 Sumatra earthquake is the largest event to be recorded both by the Global Seismographic Network (GSN) and SGs, with a magnitude larger than 9.0. It therefore provides a very good opportunity to test the calibration levels of our instruments (Davis et al. 2005; Park, Song, et al. 2005). Rosat et al. (2007).recently published a study that …
Lymphocyte transformation in malignant lymphoma

The PHA response of lymphocytes from lymph nodes and peripheral blood of patients with well differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma was studied over a period of time. A single control was used to provide a cross-index of these responses for the purpose of comparing the clinical state of the patients. In almost all instances the response was lower than normal. The results fail to indicate any constant relationship between PHA responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes and the extent of clinical disease. It is suggested that there may be alterations in the microcirculation of lyrhphoid and other organs which determine the random accumulation of lymphocytes seen in this disease.
Does non-traded input necessarily deepen the international non-diversification puzzle I?: The one-good case

Abstract This paper shows that, with non-traded inputs and only one good, the optimal portfolio should contain a larger share of foreign assets than domestic. It deepens the international non-diversification puzzle.
Compressed-gas-induced plasticization of polymers

Abstract The glass transition in polystyrene-ethylene at pressures up to 78 atm has been studied using a Tian-Calvet heat-flow calorimeter. The glass transition temperature Tg decreases with an increase in ethylene pressure, the largest depression being 67°C at 78 atm. The plasticization effect of ethylene is found to be almost the same as that of CO2, and is predicted well by the statistical thermodynamical formulation of the glass transition in polymer-diluent systems. The plasticization of amorphous poly(aryl ether ether ketone), PEEK, with CO2 at 100°C and 100 atm results in induction of about 17% crystallinity in a high molecular weight sample. Overall crystallinity values as high as 44% are observed in the case of a low molecular weight PEEK sample.
Realism in quantum mechanics

We first present a realistic framework for quantum probability theory based on the path integral formalism of quantum mechanics and illustrate this framework by constructing a model that describes a quantum particle evolving in a discrete space-time lattice. We then present a finite model for describing the internal dynamics of “elementary particles” and show that this model gives the standard particle classification scheme and successfully predicts particle masses.
Understanding thermal energy and mass transport in major volcanic centers

An understanding of the thermal regions of the earth's interior and their associated dynamic processes is of central importance, not only to basic science but to a number of national priorities including resource and the mitigation of volcanic and earthquake hazards. Major thermal anomalies over large regions of the continent are associated with intraplate rifts and transform faults (e.g., the Salton Trough and the Rio Grande Rift), distributed extensional tectonics (e.g., the Basin and Range Province), and plate margins (e.g., the Cascade Range). However, it is clear that of all classes of volcanic phenomena within the conterminous United States, the major intraplate silicic caldera complexes (e.g., Yellowstone, the Valles Caldera, the Long Valley/Mono Craters volcanic complex) appear to have, according to present estimates, the highest accessible geothermal resource base and the greatest destructive power during major eruptive phases. In addition, the exhumed fossil analogs of these systems are associated with extensive mineralization and economic ore deposits. What is lacking, however, is a predictive scientific theory describing the fundamental physio-chemical processes responsible for the development and longterm sustenance of these major volcanic centers in space and time.
HST/ACS imaging of a Balmer-dominated shock in Kepler’s supernova remnant

Optical images of Kepler’s supernova remnant obtained at two epochs, in 1987 at Las Campanas Observatory and in 2003 with the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys, show the motion of the Balmer-dominated forward shock. The measured proper motion, combined with estimates of the shock velocity, is used to derive a distance of 3.9-0.9+1.4 kpc to the remnant. The optical shock is clearly identified in the 0.2–0.65 keV band Chandra X-ray image of the remnant. However, there is no correlation between the optical filaments and features seen in 4–6 keV continuum dominated X-ray emission.
Plasma concentration and urinary excretion kinetics of acetyl strophanthidin.

The pharmacokinetics of acetyl strophanthidin (AS) were studied in dogs and human subjects by the use of a newly developed radioimmunoassay. This method has a sensitivity of 0.1 ng of AS per ml and is applicable to direct measurement of AS in unextracted plasma, urine, or bile. After administration of a single intravenous (i.v.) dose of 1.0 mg of AS to 17-25-kg mongrel dogs, the principal exponential decline of plasma AS concentration began 20-60 min after the injection and had a mean half-life (T½) of 83 ± 19 min (sd). Mean total urinary excretion of AS was 13.3 ± 4.8% of the i.v. dose and occurred with a mean T½ of 79 ± 10 min. Biliary excretion of AS accounted for only 1.5-2.1% of the i.v. dose. After i.v. administration of 1.0 mg of AS to seven human subjects, the principal exponential decline of plasma AS concentration began 10-30 min after the infusion and had a mean T½ of 2.3 ± 0.2 hours. Urinary excretion of AS, studied in two patients, accounted for an average of 21.8% of the i.v. dose and occurr...
Missing covariates in generalized linear models when the missing data mechanism is non-ignorable

We propose a method for estimating parameters in generalized linear models with missing covariates and a non-ignorable missing data mechanism. We use a multinomial model for the missing data indicators and propose a joint distribution for them which can be written as a sequence of one-dimensional conditional distributions, with each one-dimensional conditional distribution consisting of a logistic regression. We allow the covariates to be either categorical or continuous. The joint covariate distribution is also modelled via a sequence of one-dimensional conditional distributions, and the response variable is assumed to be completely observed. We derive the E- and M-steps of the EM algorithm with non-ignorable missing covariate data. For categorical covariates, we derive a closed form expression for the E- and M-steps of the EM algorithm for obtaining the maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs). For continuous covariates, we use a Monte Carlo version of the EM algorithm to obtain the MLEs via the Gibbs sampler. Computational techniques for Gibbs sampling are proposed and implemented. The parametric form of the assumed missing data mechanism itself is not `testable' from the data, and thus the non-ignorable modelling considered here can be viewed as a sensitivity analysis concerning a more complicated model. Therefore, although a model may have `passed' the tests for a certain missing data mechanism, this does not mean that we have captured, even approximately, the correct missing data mechanism. Hence, model checking for the missing data mechanism and sensitivity analyses play an important role in this problem and are discussed in detail. Several simulations are given to demonstrate the methodology. In addition, a real data set from a melanoma cancer clinical trial is presented to illustrate the methods proposed.
Unified Wien's Displacement Law in Terms of Logarithmic Frequency or Wavelength Scale

I T IS well known that Wien’s displacement law takes a different formwhenPlanck’s lawisexpressedintermsoffrequencythanthat in terms of wavelength (in vacuum) [1,2]. This can be explained by the different functional relationships because the wavelength is inversely proportional to the frequency of electromagnetic radiation. By introducing a logarithmic frequencyorwavelength scale, aunified Wien’s displacement law is obtained regardless of whether the frequency or wavelength is used as the independent variable. The new characteristic wavelength is approximately 26.6% longer than the conventional Wien’s displacement law in terms of wavelength.
Sugar and Fluoride Content of Various Forms of Tobacco

The possible relationship between use of tobacco and incidence of caries is investigated by identifying the total sugar and the fluoride concentrations in different forms of tobacco from 11 areas of the United States. Variations were found within as well as between the different forms of tobacco.
Modeling of risk factors for the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells after ischemia/reperfusion in rats: effects of age, caloric restriction, diabetes, pigmentation, and glaucoma.

SPECIFIC AIMSWe have used a rat model of ischemia/reperfusion injury of the retina to study various risk factors that are relevant to neural injury in the human central nervous system (CNS). We have determined whether age, diet, diabetes, the presence of pigment, or chronic moderately elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) influence the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).PRINCIPAL FINDINGSIn all experiments, quantitation was by retrograde labeling of RGCs with Fluoro-Gold and counting of RGCs in retinal flat mounts. Ischemia/reperfusion was by anterior chamber cannulation and elevation of the IOP above systolic blood pressure.1. Effect of aging on RGC survivalThere is an inherent loss of RGCs with age. The density of RGCs is less in the older animals at equivalent retinal positions. In 2-year-old animals, the number of RGCs in the central retina (781 +/− 35 cells/field; mean +/− se) is 25% less than in 2-month-old animals (1037 +/− 75 cells/field; P < 0.05). In the peripheral retina, 2-year-old an...
Direct retrieval of line‐of‐sight atmospheric structure from limb sounding observations

Optimal estimation of atmospheric temperature and composition from limb sounding observations is extended to the direct retrieval of line-of-sight atmospheric structure that can be obtained in certain limb viewing geometries. The approach is to divide the dataset into slightly overlapping chunks of several atmospheric profiles and retrieve estimates for all profiles concurrently. The method is made efficient due to the sparse nature of the matrices involved. In the case where the number of radiance measurements is significantly larger than the length of the state vector, the computational effort scales linearly with the number of profiles in the chunk. Prototype simulations, done for the EOS MLS experiment, show that application of this method can give significant improvements in accuracy.
A Sodium Transport Inhibitory Factor in the Saliva of Patients with Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas

A Sodium Transport Inhibitory Factor in the Saliva of Patients with Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas
The effect of infarction on magnitude and orientation of electrical events in the heart.

Abstract Records of the heart's electrical activity have been derived from data showing the sequence of ventricular excitation. The methods employed had definite limitations, but the study yielded several generalizations which may be useful guides in further experimental, clinical, and pathologic studies. The most significant findings are enumerated below. 1. 1. The most marked changes in electrical activity occurred with infarcts involving subendocardial and intramural portions of the free wall, and subepicardial portions of the anterior wall, of the left ventricle. These lesions produced ECG findings which were considered to be characteristic of infarction by present standards. 2. 2. Subepicardial infarction of the posterior walls had a special tendency to decrease the magnitude of late electrical events and to leave their orientation relatively unaffected. 3. 3. Septal infarction decreased the magnitude of initial vectors directed toward the right and increased the magnitude of, and shifted leftward, vectors in the mid-portion of the excitation process. 4. 4. In general, subepicardial and septal infarctions did not alter the ECG in a manner diagnostic of infarction by present standards, but the consistent effect of these lesions on spatial magnitude is a promising finding that curves of this quantity may be helpful in the recognition of infarction. 5. 5. A limited number of clinical and pathologic observations were consistent with the theoretical findings.
The effects of barotrauma on the catch-and-release survival of southern California nearshore and shelf rockfish (Scorpaenidae, Sebastes spp.)

Two experiments were used to assess the effects of barotrauma on initial capture survival and short-term postrecompression survival of line-caught (range 18–225 m) southern California rockfish (Seb...
Multi-layer modeling and simulation of the effects of ionospheric scintillation on service availability of the GPS augmentation systems

This paper describes a multi-layer technique using modeling and simulation to assess the impact of ionospheric scintillation on satellite navigation systems. It is well known that GPS receivers in low- and high-latitude regions may suffer from rapid amplitude and phase fluctuations and signal scatter due to scintillation, causing loss of lock and cycle slips to dual as well as single frequency users. Scintillation poses a challenge to the GPS augmentation service providers including Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) and Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS) to provide a high probability of navigational service availability in affected regions. Over the recent decades, many studies and data analyses have been conducted to understand effect of scintillation which affects users of satellite based navigation systems. Some significant data has been translated into modeling and simulation tools to help characterize scintillation effects and the world-wide scintillation environment.
Micro-scale strain transfer in fiber-reinforced native tissues and cell-seeded aligned nanofibrous scaffolds

Mechanical signals are essential in regulating cell functions such as viability, differentiation, proliferation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in load-bearing tissues. However, the current understanding of how macroscopic tissue level strain is transferred to cells is confounded by the highly variable strain fields that arise within the ECM of both native and cell-seeded nanofibrous scaffolds. Moreover, it is unclear how these transmission mechanisms relate to native load bearing tissues. The current study investigates how applied macroscopic tensile strain is transferred to the intercellular ECM and cell nuclei in meniscus, tendon, single lamellar AF, and MSC-seeded scaffolds. The mean microscopic Lagrangian and principal strains in the loading direction (E 22 and e 2 ) of all native tissues and scaffolds were attenuated from the applied strains by 50% and 30–40% respectively. In aligned scaffold, a significant correlation was observed between the mean nuclear strain and E 22 (r2=0.98), where 100% of E 22 transferred to nuclei. Less pronounced strain attenuation in scaffolds compared to native tissues is likely due to more homogeneous microstructure and lack of ECM. In addition, the presence of pericellular matrix in native tissues, along with dense ECM, may shield and regulate strain transfer from the ECM to the subcellular space.
Electric uterine morcellation.

Drs Kho and Nezhat1 discussed the risks associated with electric morcellation of uterine tissue within a patient’s abdomen, a practice that is common in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. The authors suggested that current evidence is insufficient to estimate the harm that results from dissemination of an occult uterine leiomyosarcoma when morcellation is used for presumed fibroids. The authors also stated that devices that allow surgeons to perform electric morcellation inside an endoscopic bag are “being developed.” I would like to discuss both points.
Increased sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to interleukin 1 after long-term incubation with dexamethasone

Abstract Cytokines may act as chemical messengers in the central nervous system and affect trophic, immune, and neuroendocrine functions. However, little is known about the regulation of cytokine production in nervous system tissue, although it has been demonstrated recently that glucocorticoids augment interleukin 1 (IL 1) receptor expression in the glioblastoma cell line, U87MG. Here, the effects of glucocorticoids on IL 1-induced interleukin 6 (IL 6) production are determined in the same cell line. During short-term incubations of U87MG cells (6 h) in the presence of IL 1β and dexamethasone (DEX), DEX inhibited IL 1β-stimulated IL 6 production over the entire range of the dose-response curve. However, when cells were preincubated in the presence of DEX for 15 h and then challenged with IL 1β or IL 1β and DEX, there was a left-shift in the IL 1,B dose-response curve, suggesting an increased sensitivity of the cells to respond to IL 1 and produce IL 6. In fact, the ED 50 for IL 1β-stimulated IL 6 production was about 1.3 p M in cells not preincubated with DEX, but was reduced to 0.25 p M in cells that were preincubated with DEX. However, maximum IL 6 production at high doses of IL 1β was inhibited in cells cultured in the presence of DEX during the IL 1 challenge. Thus, the results suggest the possibility that when glucocorticoids are elevated for extended periods, and concentrations of IL 1 are low because of steroid suppression of IL 1 production, actions of IL 1 may be maintained or even augmented due to up-regulated IL 1 receptor expression in particular cell types. This would allow for glucocorticoid-targeted actions of IL-1 to be maintained in particular cell types that up-regulate IL 1 receptors in response to glucocorticoid, whereas in those cell types that do not up-regulate IL 1 receptor number, IL 1 actions are suppressed.
1,1-DIARYLHYDRAZINES

(1970). 1,1-DIARYLHYDRAZINES. Organic Preparations and Procedures: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 125-128.
Isolation of lactate dehydrogenase-elevating viruses from wild house mice and their biological and molecular characterization

Lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) was first identified as a contaminant of transplantable mouse tumors that were passaged in laboratory mice. It has been assumed that these LDVs originated from LDVs endemic in wild house mouse populations. In order to test this hypothesis and to explore the relationships between LDVs from wild house mice among each other and to those isolated from laboratory mice, we have isolated LDVs from wild house mice and determined their biological and molecular properties. We have screened for LDV tissues of 243 wild house mice that had been caught in various regions of North, Central and South America between 1985 and 1994. We were able to isolate LDVs from the tissues of four mice, three had been caught in Baltimore, MD and one in Montana. We demonstrate that the phenotypic properties (ability to establish a long-term viremic infection, low immunogenicity of the neutralization epitope, high resistance to antibody neutralization and lack of neuropathogenicity) of the four wild house mouse LDVs are identical to those of the primary LDVs isolated from transplantable tumors (LDV-P and LDV-vx), which are distinct from those of the neuropathogenic LDV-C. Furthermore, ORF 5 and ORF 2 and their protein products (the primary envelope glycoprotein VP-3P, and the minor envelope glycoprotein, respectively) of the wild house mouse LDVs were found to be closely related to those of LDV-P and LDV-vx. The LDVs caught in Baltimore, MD were especially closely related to each other, whereas the LDV isolated in Montana was more distantly related, indicating that it had evolved independently. The ectodomain of VP-3P of all four wild house mouse LDVs, like those of LDV-P and LDV-vx, possess the same three polylactosaminoglycan chains, two of which are lacking in the VP-3P ectodomain of LDV-C. These results further strengthen the conclusion that the three polylactosaminoglycan chains are the primary determinants of the phenotypic properties of LDV-P/vx.
Enzymatic formation of an isopeptide bond involving the ε-amino group of lysine

Abstract Bacterial protease and lipase act as regioselective preparative catalysts of peptide bond synthesis in anhydrous organic solvents: when a derivative of lysine is used as the amino component, only its e-NH2 group reacts (to give an isopeptide linkage).
The C. elegans male exercises directional control during mating through cholinergic regulation of sex-shared command interneurons.

Background: Mating behaviors in simple invertebrate model organisms represent tractable paradigms for understanding the neural bases of sex-specific behaviors, decision-making and sensorimotor integration. However, there are few examples where such neural circuits have been defined at high resolution or interrogated. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we exploit the simplicity of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to define the neural circuits underlying the male’s decision to initiate mating in response to contact with a mate. Mate contact is sensed by male-specific sensilla of the tail, the rays, which subsequently induce and guide a contact-based search of the hermaphrodite’s surface for the vulva (the vulva search). Atypically, search locomotion has a backward directional bias so its implementation requires overcoming an intrinsic bias for forward movement, set by activity of the sex-shared locomotory system. Using optogenetics, cell-specific ablation- and mutant behavioral analyses, we show that the male makes this shift by manipulating the activity of command cells within this sex-shared locomotory system. The rays control the command interneurons through the male-specific, decision-making interneuron PVY and its auxiliary cell PVX. Unlike many sex-shared pathways, PVY/PVX regulate the command cells via cholinergic, rather than glutamatergic transmission, a feature that likely contributes to response specificity and coordinates directional movement with other cholinergic-dependent motor behaviors of the mating sequence. PVY/PVX preferentially activate the backward, and not forward, command cells because of a bias in synaptic inputs and the distribution of key cholinergic receptors (encoded by the genes acr-18, acr-16 and unc29) in favor of the backward command cells. Conclusion/Significance: Our interrogation of male neural circuits reveals that a sex-specific response to the opposite sex is conferred by a male-specific pathway that renders subordinate, sex-shared motor programs responsive to mate cues. Circuit modifications of these types may make prominent contributions to natural variations in behavior that ultimately bring about speciation.
In Situ FT-IR Studies of Oxide and Oxynitride Sol-Gel-Derived Thin Films

A high-temperature infrared cell was developed to study the gel-to-glass conversion of sol-gel-derived thin films. FT-IR spectra of matched thin-film borosilicate sol-gel samples were taken as the samples were heated at 100°C intervals to 700°C in either air or ammonia. The gels were converted to oxide and oxynitride glasses, respectively, by these heat treatments. The gel-to-glass conversion could be followed and compared for these two treatments by monitoring changes in the vibrational bands present in the spectra. Comparisons between the infrared spectra of NH3-treated and air-treated films heated above 500°C reveal the appearance of new B-N bonds at the expense of B-O-Si bonds for the NH3-fired films. These spectra also exhibit changes which may indicate the formation of Si-N bonds. Thus, ammonolysis reactions can result in thin-film oxynitride glass formation at relatively low temperatures.
Poisson factor models with applications to non-normalized microRNA profiling

Motivation: Next-generation (NextGen) sequencing is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative for transcriptional profiling, as is the case for micro RNAs (miRNA) profiling and classification. miRNAs are a new class of molecules that are regulated in response to differentiation, tumorigenesis or infection. Our primary motivating application is to identify different viral infections based on the induced change in the host miRNA profile. Statistical challenges are encountered because of special features of NextGen sequencing data: the data are read counts that are extremely skewed and non-negative; the total number of reads varies dramatically across samples that require appropriate normalization. Statistical tools developed for microarray expression data, such as principal component analysis, are sub-optimal for analyzing NextGen sequencing data. Results: We propose a family of Poisson factor models that explicitly takes into account the count nature of sequencing data and automatically incorporates sample normalization through the use of offsets. We develop an efficient algorithm for estimating the Poisson factor model, entitled Poisson Singular Value Decomposition with Offset (PSVDOS). The method is shown to outperform several other normalization and dimension reduction methods in a simulation study. Through analysis of an miRNA profiling experiment, we further illustrate that our model achieves insightful dimension reduction of the miRNA profiles of 18 samples: the extracted factors lead to more accurate and meaningful clustering of the cell lines. Availability: The PSVDOS software is available on request. Contact: ddittmer@med.unc.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
New York v. United States - An Essay on the Uses and Misuses of Precedent, History, and Policy in Determining the Scope of Federal Power

In this Essay, I criticize the United States Supreme Court’s decision in New York v. United States, which invoked principles of federalism to invalidate the so-called “take title” provisions of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 because they “commandeered the legislative processes of the States by directly compelling them to enact and enforce a federal regulatory program.” It is my view that the rule thus established rests on a misapplication of constitutional principles of federalism. The Court’s opinion, authored by Justice O’Connor, relies on a distorted reading of precedent and framers’ intent to support a sweeping and absolute rule against legislation compelling states to implement federal policy. Although such measures do present serious federalism-based concerns, these problems should be addressed in a case-specific manner more sensitive to the particular federalism issues raised by a particular federal program.I begin by reviewing constitutional principles of federalism to provide the necessary background for consideration of the decision in New York v. United States. I then describe and criticize the Court’s opinion in some detail to demonstrate that the justifications offered for the rule against “commandeering” simply do not hold water. Instead, they rest on a distorted reading of the Court’s precedent that ignores critical aspects of the prior cases to suggest that the rule against commandeering was established by prior decisions that - when read fairly - provide no support for the rule and arguably reject it. In addition, the opinion misreads contemporaneous statements of the framers, which reflect the intent to give the federal government authority to enact directly applicable legislation, but are at best ambiguous as to a corresponding intent to prevent the federal government from requiring states to enact laws. Likewise, from a policy perspective, the assumption that commandeering is incompatable with state sovereignty fails to address important ways in such laws may preserve a greater degree of state sovereignty than direct regulation by the federal government. Thus, although compelling states to implement federal policies may impede state sovereignty in some circumstances, the dangers presented by such arrangements do not warrant an absolute constitutional prohibition, but rather can and should be addressed through a more flexible analysis.
Introducer method of percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy and antegrade continence enema by use of the Chait Trapdoor cecostomy catheter in patients with adult neurogenic bowel

Background Previous reports on percutaneous endoscopic cecostomy (PEC) for the delivery of antegrade continence enema (ACE) in adults have been presented in the form of case reports. Heretofore the tubes used in the pull method of PEC have been thick bolster catheters. The author performed PEC by using the introducer method (IM) with 10 F Chait Trapdoor cecostomy catheters (CTCC) in adult cases. Objective Report author experience with a new method of PEC in adults. Design Case series. Setting Single institution in Japan. Patients Five patients with bowel obstruction and 15 patients with chronic severe constipation. Interventions The interventions were the pull method or IM of PEC and drainage or ACE. In 5 cases, PEC was performed by the pull method with the use of an 18 F to 24 F bolster catheter for decompression of dilated intestine. In 15 patients with chronic constipation, PEC was performed with the IM method using a balloon catheter (11 F or 15 F) and CTCC. ACE was performed every other day. Results PEC was successful and effective (decompression and evacuation) in all patients. In patients with IM of PEC, 5 patients were placed with a 15 F balloon catheter and 10 patients were placed with an 11 F balloon catheter. Immediate bleeding occurred in 1 case. Balloon rupture occurred during the first month or on average at the 1 month period. Nine of 10 patients who had the 11 F catheters were changed to CTCC. The advantages of CTCC were prevention of accidental balloon rapture, decreased leakage and granulation tissue, and ease of exchange compared with bolster catheter. Limitations Retrospective, single-institution. Conclusions PEC with IM is a safe and useful method. CTCC is advantageous on a long-term basis for ACE.
Testing and modeling of lithium-ion ultracapacitors

The main problem of renewable energy sources is their intermittency. Integration of energy storage devices with renewable energy systems can offer solution to this problem simply by storing excess produced energy for utilization when needed later on. Energy storage devices are also essential for other applications such as automotive. Accurate knowledge of the electrical attributes and expected response of an energy storage device is of high importance when it is utilized in any power system in order to attain proper charging/discharging without inflicting damages. In this paper, a relatively new type of energy storage device, Li-ion ultracapacitor, is thoroughly studied. This type of ultracapacitors has high energy density, high power density, high efficiency, and long cycle life. Testing, analysis, and modeling of this energy storage device are presented in detail. A series of DC and AC tests has been conducted to develop an electrical model, which has been verified for accuracy by simulation and comparison with test results.
Penguin in a new suit: a tale of how de novo entrants emerged to harness free and open source software communities

A growing body of literature has explored the motivations for individuals to take part in free and open source software (FOSS), yet how firms participate is largely an unattended research area. Building on information from an extensive dataset of secondary sources and 30 in-depth interviews, I show that de novo entrants have emerged in conjunction with a changing institutional infrastructure and a more pragmatic attitude toward firms that focus on technological benefits rather than ideology. To understand how these firms try to harness the work of these communities, I use the empirical data to derive a 2*2 matrix of different approaches. The X axis reflects whether or not the firms initiated a new community or relied on communities founded by peers, whereas the Y axis represents the degree of participation of the firm in the community. This taxonomy illustrates how de novo entrant are initiating new forms of communities or joining communities established by peers. This suggests that while many of the central pillars of FOSS remains, de novo entrants have emerged to find new ways of making business resulting in various implications for firm strategies and knowledge disclosure. Copyright 2007 , Oxford University Press.
Correlated Gene Expression and Target Specificity Demonstrate Excitatory Projection Neuron Diversity

The neocortex contains diverse populations of excitatory neurons segregated by layer and further definable by their specific cortical and subcortical projection targets. The current study describes a systematic approach to identify molecular correlates of specific projection neuron classes in mouse primary somatosensory cortex (S1), using a combination of in situ hybridization (ISH) data mining, marker gene colocalization, and combined retrograde labeling with ISH for layer-specific marker genes. First, we identified a large set of genes with specificity for each cortical layer, and that display heterogeneous patterns within those layers. Using these genes as markers, we find extensive evidence for the covariation of gene expression and projection target specificity in layer 2/3, 5, and 6, with individual genes labeling neurons projecting to specific subsets of target structures. The combination of gene expression and target specificity imply a great diversity of projection neuron classes that is similar to or greater than that of GABAergic interneurons. The covariance of these 2 phenotypic modalities suggests that these classes are both discrete and genetically specified.