cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neocortical spreading depression provokes the expression of c-fos protein-like immunoreactivity within trigeminal nucleus caudalis via trigeminovascular mechanisms.

The effects of neocortical spreading depression (SD) on the expression of immunoreactive c-fos protein were examined within the superficial laminae of trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC), a brainstem region processing nociceptive information. KCl was microinjected into the left parietal cortex at 9 min intervals over 1 hr, and SD was detected by a shift in interstitial DC potential within adjacent frontal cortex. The stained cells in lower brainstem and upper cervical spinal cord were counted on both sides after tissues were sectioned (50 microns) and processed for c-fos protein-like immunoreactivity (LI) using a rabbit polyclonal antiserum. C-fos protein-LI was visualized in the ventrolateral TNC, chiefly in laminae I and Ilo and predominantly within spinal segment C1-2 (e.g., -1.5 to -4.5 mm from obex) ipsilaterally. SD significantly increased cell staining within ipsilateral TNC. The ratio of cells in laminae I and Ilo on the left: right sides was 1.32 +/- 0.13 after 1 M KCl, as compared to 1.06 +/- 0.05 in control animals receiving 1 M NaCl instead of KCl microinjections (p < 0.01). The ratio was reduced to an insignificant difference after chronic surgical transection of meningeal afferents and recurrent SD (1.09 +/- 0.11). Pretreatment with intravenous sumatriptan, a 5-HT1-like receptor agonist that selectively blocks meningeal C-fibers and attenuates c-fos protein-LI within TNC after noxious meningeal stimulation, also reduced the ratio to an insignificant difference (1.10 +/- 0.09). Sumatriptan or chronic surgical transection of meningeal afferents, however, did not reduce the ability of KCl microinjections to induce SD. On the other hand, combined hyperoxia and hypercapnia not only reduced the number of evoked SDs from 6.3 +/- 1.0 to 2.5 +/- 1.2 after 0.15 M KCl microinjection, but also significantly (p < 0.01) reduced associated c-fos protein-LI in TNC. These data indicate that multiple neocortical SDs activate cells within TNC. The increase in c-fos protein-LI, observed predominantly ipsilaterally, was probably mediated by SD-induced stimulation of ipsilaterally projecting unmyelinated C-fibers innervating the meninges. If true, this is the first report demonstrating that neurophysiological events within cerebral cortex can activate brainstem regions involved in the processing of nociceptive information via trigeminovascular mechanisms.
Pollinator-mediated competition between two co-flowering Neotropical mangrove species, Avicennia germinans (Avicenniaceae) and Laguncularia racemosa (Combretaceae).

†Background and Aims Three ecological relationships are possible between co-flowering plant species; they may have no effect on one another, compete for pollination services, or facilitate one another by attracting more pollinators to the area. In this study, the pollinator-mediated relationship between two mangrove species with overlapping flowering phenologies was investigated in one south Florida community. †Methods Pollinator observations were recorded between 0900 h and 1700 h during June and July, 2008‐2010. Insect visitation rates to Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa were estimated from 522 observation intervals of 10 min during three phenological time periods, when each species flowered alone and when they coflowered. The number of timed intervals varied between years due to differences in flowering phenology, from four to 42 for A. germinans and from nine to 94 for L. racemosa. †Key Results Avicennia germinans began flowering first in all years, and insect visitation rates were significantly greater to A. germinans than to L. racemosa (P,0.001). Flowers of both species received visits from bees, wasps, flies and butterflies; Apis mellifera was the most common floral visitor to both species. Visitation rates to L. racemosa increased significantly when A. germinans stopped flowering (P,0.001). However, there was no significant change in visitation rates to A. germinans after L. racemosa began flowering (P¼0.628). †Conclusions When they co-flowered, A. germinans outcompeted L. racemosa for pollinators. Laguncularia racemosa hermaphrodites self-pollinate autogamously when not visited by insects, so reduced visitation to L. racemosa flowers reduced the frequency of outcrossing and increased the frequency of selfing. Reduced outcrossing limits male reproductive success in this androdioecious species, which could lead to changes in the breeding system. The degree of overlap in flowering phenologies varied between years, so the effect on the mating and breeding system may differ between years.
Binding Specificity of the Porphyromonas gingivalis Heme and Hemoglobin Receptor HmuR, Gingipain K, and Gingipain R1 for Heme, Porphyrins, and Metalloporphyrins

Previous genetic and biochemical studies have confirmed that hemoglobin and hemin utilization in Porphyromonas gingivalis is mediated by the outer membrane hemoglobin and heme receptor HmuR, as well as gingipain K (Kgp), a lysine-specific cysteine protease, and gingipain R1 (HRgpA), one of two arginine-specific cysteine proteases. In this study we report on the binding specificity of the recombinant P. gingivalis HmuR protein and native gingipains for hemoglobin, hemin, various porphyrins, and metalloporphyrins as assessed by spectrophotometric assays, by affinity chromatography, and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Protoporphyrin, mesoporphyrin, deuteroporphyrin, hematoporphyrin, and some of their iron, copper, and zinc derivatives were examined to evaluate the role of both the central metal ion and the peripheral substituents on binding to recombinant HmuR and soluble gingipains. Scatchard analysis of hemin binding to Escherichia coli cells expressing recombinant membrane-associated six-His-tagged HmuR yielded a linear plot with a binding affinity of 2.4 x 10(-5) M. Recombinant E. coli cells bound the iron, copper, and zinc derivatives of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) with similar affinities, and approximately four times more tightly than PPIX itself, which suggests that the active site of HmuR contains a histidine that binds the metal ion in the porphyrin ring. Furthermore, we found that recombinant HmuR prefers the ethyl and vinyl side chains of the PPIX molecule to either the larger hydroxyethyl or smaller hydrogen side chains. Kgp and HRgpA were demonstrated to bind various porphyrins and metalloporphyrins with affinities similar to those for hemin, indicating that the binding of Kgp and HRgpA to these porphyrins does not require a metal within the porphyrin ring. We did not detect the binding of RgpB, the arginine-specific cysteine protease that lacks a C-terminal hemagglutinin domain, to hemoglobin, porphyrins, or metalloporphyrins. Kgp and HRgpA, but not RgpB, were demonstrated to bind directly to soluble recombinant six-His-tagged HmuR. Several possible mechanisms for the cooperation between outer membrane receptor HmuR and proteases Kgp and HRgpA in hemin and hemoglobin binding and utilization are discussed.
Modeling and experimentation of bone drilling forces

Prediction and control of bone drilling forces are critical to the success of many orthopaedic operations. Uncontrolled and large forces can cause drill-bit breakage, drill breakthrough, excessive heat generation, and mechanical damage to the bone. This paper presents a mechanistic model for prediction of thrust forces and torques experienced during bone drilling. The model incorporates the radially varying drill-bit geometry and cutting conditions analytically, while capturing the material and friction properties empirically through a specific energy formulation. The forces from the chisel edge are modeled by considering the indentation process that occurs in the vicinity of the drill-bit axis. A procedure is outlined to calibrate the specific energies, where only a small number of calibration experiments are required for a wide range of drilling conditions and drill-bit geometry. The calibration parameters for the cortical portions of bovine tibia are identified through drilling tests. Subsequently, a series of validation tests are conducted under different feed rates and spindle speeds. The thrust forces and torques were observed to vary considerably between bones from different animals. The forces from the model were seen to match well with those from the experimentation within the inherent variations from the bone characteristics. The model can be used to select favorable drilling conditions, to assist in robotic surgeries, and to design optimal orthopaedic drill bits.
Features for phoneme independent speaker identification

This paper describes a unique cross-phoneme speaker identification experiment, using deliberately mismatched phoneme sets for training and testing. The underlying goal is to identify features that represent broad individually unique characteristics rather than those that represent phonetic differences, as are more typical of modern speaker identification and verification systems. A wide range of features are proposed and evaluated within this context using a Gaussian Mixture Model framework. The results show that log-area ratio has better phonetic independence than MFCCs, that residual phase carries substantial speaker information, and identifies several other features that also have usefulness for speaker identification independent of phonetic content.
Non-Invasive Imaging of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) hold tremendous therapeutic potential in a variety of diseases. Over the last decade, non-invasive imaging techniques have proven to be of great value in tracking transplanted hESCs. This review article will briefly summarize the various techniques used for non-invasive imaging of hESCs, which include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bioluminescence imaging (BLI), fluorescence, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and multimodality approaches. Although the focus of this review article is primarily on hESCs, the labeling/tracking strategies described here can be readily applied to other (stem) cell types as well. Non-invasive imaging can provide convenient means to monitor hESC survival, proliferation, function, as well as overgrowth (such as teratoma formation), which could not be readily investigated previously. The requirement for hESC tracking techniques depends on the clinical scenario and each imaging technique will have its own niche in preclinical/clinical research. Continued evolvement of non-invasive imaging techniques will undoubtedly contribute to significant advances in understanding stem cell biology and mechanisms of action.
Preschoolers' use of dynamic facial, bodily, and vocal cues to emotion.

In daily experience, children have access to a variety of cues to others’ emotions, including face, voice, and body posture. Determining which cues they use at which ages will help to reveal how the ability to recognize emotions develops. For happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, preschoolers (3–5 years, N = 144) were asked to label the emotion conveyed by dynamic cues in four cue conditions. The Face-only, Body Posture-only, and Multi-cue (face, body, and voice) conditions all were well recognized (M > 70%). In the Voice-only condition, recognition of sadness was high (72%), but recognition of the three other emotions was significantly lower (34%).
Performance of Steers Supplemented with Zinc During Grazing and Receiving at the Feedlot12

Abstract A study was conducted to compare the effects of three supplemental zinc sources on beef steers grazing winter annual pasture and during receiving in a feedlot. In southern Arkansas, 84 steers were weighed (BW = 216 ± 1.5 kg), bled via jugular puncture, and randomly assigned to 12 bermudagrass pastures (0.81 ha each) that had been overseeded with wheat, rye, and annual ryegrass (7 steers per pasture; 116 d of grazing) on January 15; the steers were allowed to graze until May 11. Steers were fed 0.45 kg daily of corn-based supplement containing 103 mg zinc from ZnSO 4 , zinc amino acid complex ( ZnAA ), or zinc polysaccharide ( ZnPOL ) during the entire grazing period. On May 12, steers were shipped to a research feedlot (14 h; 1,016 km; 6.9% BW shrink) in northeast New Mexico. In the feedlot, the same groups of steers were fed a receiving diet (steam-flaked milo) that contained the same zinc sources as fed during the grazing period. Dietary concentrate was increased from 75 to 85% of dietary DM weekly. Data were analyzed as a completely random design; least squares means were separated using contrast. Steer BW on d 28 and 84 of the grazing period were greater (P 4 ; however, ADG over the 116 d of grazing and ending BW did not differ (P>0.28) among zinc sources. In the feedlot, steer BW, ADG, and feed efficiency did not differ (P>0.05) among zinc sources. Serum zinc concentrations did not differ (P>0.05) among zinc sources at any point in time. We conclude that early in the grazing period, ZnAA and ZnPOL improved steer BW compared with ZnSO 4 ; however, no differences were noted among zinc sources later in the grazing period or during receiving in the feedlot.
Voiding Chain Cystourethography: Assessing A Historical Test's Role in Selection for Urethrolysis

Objective: To analyze the benefit of voiding chain cystourethrography (VCC) [placing a radiographic opaque chain into the urethra and bladder and asking the patient to void under fluoroscopy] in the urodynamic evaluation of female bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Materials and Methods: Females with post anti-incontinence operation voiding dysfunction who underwent urodynamic evaluation augmented with VCC and later had urethrolysis were identified. Six diagnostic criteria for obstruction were applied to each patient: (1) VCC ( obstructed: chain was angulated and could not be voiding out) (2) Video urodynamic study (VUDS) (detrusor contraction combined with radiographic obstruction) (3) maximum flow (Q max ) ≤ 15 cc/sec, detrusor pressure (pDet)@ Q max ≥ 20 cm H 2 0 (4) Q max ≤ 11 cc/sec, pDet@ Q max ≥ 25 cm H 2 0 (5) Q max ≤ 12 cc/sec, pDet@ Q max ≥ 25 cm H 2 0 (6) Blaivas-Groutz (B-G) nomogram. Urethrolysis results were reviewed. Agreement in assessment of BOO criteria was assessed by estimating the proportion of pair-wise agreements along with an exact binomial 95% confidence interval (CI) and by estimating kappa along with a 95% CI. Results: Twenty-one patients were identified. Twenty of the 22 urethrolyses (91%) were clinically successful. Diagnosis of BOO was most common for VCC (86%) and then B-G Nomogram (67%). Agreement with the VCC was relatively poor for each of the five other methods (14%-62%) with the video urodynamic study (VUDS) being the best. Three patients with successful urethrolysis were diagnosed only by the VCC. All of kappa values regarding agreement with the VCC were low; the highest value of 0.15 was observed for VUDS. Conclusion: VCC may augment selection criteria for urethrolysis.
How Politics Become Personal: Sociohistorical Events and their Meanings in People's Lives

Major social and political events occurring in adolescence and young adulthood can create politicized identities in particular age cohorts, but within a generation, the experiences and results may differ as a function of different social identities based on (for example) race and gender. We explore the recollections in middle age of experiences in adolescence and young adulthood of four 1968 high school graduates, one from each intersection of race (African American and White) and gender. Most were strongly affected by the civil rights and women's movements, and the Vietnam War—but in ways that reflected both commonalities and distinctive features. The results support existing theories of generational identity and intersectionality, while at the same time suggesting more fine-grained questions for future research.
The trade‐off between thermal tolerance and behavioural dominance in a subtropical South American ant community

Summary 1. The distribution, ecology, and behaviour of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is profoundly influenced by environmental stress and competition. As in plants, trade-offs in adaptations to these factors are the basis for functional classifications of ant taxa and communities at a global scale. 2. Theory predicts a trade-off between stress tolerance and competitive dominance in both plants and ants. In ants, low temperature is thought to be stressful, so I hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between temperature and behavioural dominance. I evaluated this relationship in a South American, Chaco ant community. 3 The activity and behaviour of ground-foraging, omnivorous ants were examined at baits in open and closed, forested habitats during different seasons and times of day to characterize the responses of ant taxa to variation in microclimate and competitors. 4. Behaviourally dominant ants were most active at moderately high temperatures, whereas subordinate species were active at extreme temperatures, when they had virtually exclusive access to resources. 5. The patterns presented here and those observed in other studies suggest that there is a general trade-off between behavioural dominance and thermal tolerance in ants. This trade-off creates a linear relationship between temperature use and dominance for ants up to ≈ 35 °C, but extremely high temperatures may also be stressful such that the full relationship is actually unimodal.
Coherent phase-locked synchronous oscillator (graphical design technique)

The synchronous oscillator (SO) is reviewed briefly and the operation of a coherent-phase-locked SO (CPSO) is explained. The CPSO is compared to the SO as well as to the phase lock loop (PLL). The graphical design of a CPSO is analyzed in detail. >
Options on federal funds futures and interest rate volatility

This study examines the response of the spot and futures interest rates on the fed funds, Eurodollar, and Libor to the listing of CME fed funds options. With the exception of the Libor futures, the introduction of options is associated with a decrease in the conditional volatility of the interest rates in the sample. There is also evidence that the volume of options trading has a negative effect on the fed funds and the Eurodollar spot rates. In contrast, the fed funds and the Eurodollar futures rates respond positively to the volume of options trading. Overall, strong generalization of the effects of options listing and options trading across the markets is not possible. These results remain robust even after controlling for several exogenous variables including changes in the Fed's target for the fed funds rate, the TED spread, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and day-of-the-week effects.
REGIONAL ANESTHESIA FOR OBSTETRICS

This article is intended for readers seeking an update on current obstetric analgesic/anesthetic techniques, and selected problems and controversies currently of interest to those committed to improving their ability to provide safe and effective maternal analgesia and anesthesia for labor, vaginal and instrumental delivery, and related obstetric procedures. It is assumed that the reader has familiarity with fundamental obstetric anesthetic techniques and principles. Practitioners who provide obstetric anesthesia should be familiar with several important recently published documents. The most recent standards for obstetric anesthesia care are included in a joint statement from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, approved in 1998, entitled "Optimal Goals for Anesthesia Care in Obstetrics," and in the ASA's "Guidelines for Regional Anesthesia in Obstetrics," last amended in 1991. These may be obtained from the ASA directly or via http://www.asahq.org/standards. Another important document is the report prepared by the ASA Task Force on Obstetrical Anesthesia, entitled "Practice Guidelines for Obstetrical Anesthesia."46
Temporal and Spatial Development of Sorghum Anthracnose in Arkansas

Development of sorghum anthracnose in time and space on susceptible ('BTx623' and 'Pioneer 8313') and resistant ('Cargill 888Y') sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cultivars was investigated in field plots inoculated with a mixture of three strains (T430-SW, Ar54-SW, and ArSS-1SW) of Colletotrichum sublineolum in 2001 and 2002. After slow development during early growth stages, sorghum anthracnose developed rapidly after flowering. The logistic model provided a good statistical fit for disease progress curves for sorghum anthracnose in Arkansas. Compared to susceptible cultivars, the resistant cultivar had significantly lower values for the standard area under the disease progress curve, a lower upper asymptote, and delayed epidemic onset. However, there were no significant differences in infection rate and the time of the inflection points, the times at which the disease proportion equaled values of one-half of upper asymptotes, among the three cultivars. The negative exponential model more closely described disease gradients of sorghum anthracnose than the inverse power law model. There were significant differences in intercepts but not in slopes and half-distance between the resistant and susceptible cultivars. The slopes of disease gradients were significantly lower at 78 days after inoculation (DAI) than at 57 DAI on the three cultivars. The results could provide epidemiological components of sorghum anthracnose to help evaluate sorghum cultivars and breeding lines under field conditions.
A Flexible DSP Architecture for MIMO Sphere Decoding

This paper presents the architecture and circuit design of a sphere decoder for agile multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication systems. Algorithm and architecture co-design is used to reduce hardware complexity, which enables the proposed sphere decoder to support larger antenna-array sizes and higher order modulations. The proposed architecture is also capable of processing multiple frequency subcarriers for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) based systems. A 20 times area reduction is achieved, even without interleaving of subcarriers compared to the direct-mapped architecture. The sphere decoder supports multiple configurations: antenna arrays from 2 times 2 to 16 times 16, constellation sizes from binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) to 64-QAM (quadrature-amplitude modulation), and 16-128 subcarriers. The peak estimated data rate exceeds 1.5 Gbits/s of ideal throughput in a 16-MHz bandwidth. The core area is estimated at 0.31 mm2 in a standard 90-nm CMOS technology. The estimated power consumption is 33 mW in the 16 times 16 64-QAM mode at 256 MHz from a 1-V supply voltage.
Temporal analyses of the neuropathogenesis of a West Nile virus infection in mice.

A West Nile virus (WNV) infection in humans can produce neurological symptoms including acute flaccid paralysis, encephalitis, meningitis and myelitis. To investigate the pathogenesis of WNV in the peripheral and the central nervous system (PNS and CNS), the authors used a murine footpad inoculation model of WNV infection. Survival curves of virus-infected animals of ages 4- to 6-weeks-old demonstrated age-dependent mortality where older animals (6-weeks-old) had a higher mortality rate compared to younger animals (4- and 5-weeks-old). The mice that survived the virus infection formed WNV-reactive antibodies, confirming viral infection and clearance. The localization of viral RNA (vRNA) and antigen in infected murine tissues was investigated using TaqMan and immunohistochemistry (IHC) respectively. During a nine day infection, vRNA levels in the spinal cord and brainstem fluctuated, suggesting early viral clearance from these tissues by days 3–4 p.i. with later re-introduction. Viral antigens detected using IHC were primarily observed in three main regions of the brain: cortex, hippocampus and brainstem. Additionally, the dorsal root ganglion neurons of the PNS stained positive for viral antigens. These data are consistent with multiple routes of neuroinvasion following a peripheral inoculation of virus and do not preclude the previous observation that virus-infected peripheral neurons can introduce virus into the CNS by a retrograde transport mechanism.
Insulin activates epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) via phosphoinositide 3-kinase in mammalian taste receptor cells

Diabetes is a profound disease that results in a severe lack of regulation of systemic salt and water balance. From our earlier work on the endocrine regulation of salt taste at the level of the ep...
Arteriography Changes after Partial Ileal Bypass

This paper on atherosclerosis progression and regression will confine itself to the role of the partial ileal bypass operation and arteriographic assessment. Specifically, we will report a prospective study of serial coronary arteriograms in a cohort of our hyperlipidemia patients who have undergone partial ileal bypass operation.
NEW METABOLIZABLE IMMUNOLOGIC ADJUVANT FOR HUMAN USE. I. DEVELOPMENT AND ANIMAL IMMUNE RESPONSE.

SummaryA new immunologic adjuvant, adjuvant 65, is described and the results of extensive tests of polyvalent influenza virus vaccine in the adjuvant are presented. The vaccine consists of a water-in-oil emulsion in which the adjuvant portion consists of peanut oil, mannide monooleate and aluminum monostearate. The adjuvant effect measured in terms of hemagglutination-inhibition antibody responses 28 days after vaccination in mice or guinea pigs is roughly equal to that obtained with Freund's incomplete mineral oil adjuvant. Adjuvant 65 influenza vaccine showed striking enhancement and long-term persistence of antibody in guinea pigs, rabbits and monkeys compared with the corresponding aqueous vaccines. The findings in histomorphologic-pathologic studies in animals and the clinical and serologic results obtained in large-scale studies in man are presented elsewhere. Adjuvant 65 shows promise of meeting the present urgent need for a safe and effective adjuvant for enhancing immunologic responses to viral a...
Posttraumatic Chondrocyte Apoptosis in the Murine Xiphoid.

Objective. To demonstrate posttraumatic chondrocyte apoptosis in the murine xiphoid after a crush-type injury and to ultimately determine the pathway (i.e., intrinsic or extrinsic) by which chondrocytes undergo apoptosis in response to mechanical injury. Design. The xiphoids of adult female wild-type mice were injured with the use of a modified Kelly clamp. Postinjury xiphoid cartilage was analyzed via 3 well-described independent means of assessing apoptosis in chondrocytes: hematoxylin and eosin staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, and activated caspase-3 staining. Results. Injured specimens contained many chondrocytes with evidence of apoptosis, which is characterized by cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, and the liberation of apoptotic bodies. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of chondrocytes undergoing apoptosis in the injured specimens as compared with the uninjured specimens. Conclusions. Chondrocytes can be stimulated to undergo apoptosis as a result of mechanical injury. These experiments involving predominantly cartilaginous murine xiphoid in vivo establish a baseline for future investigations that employ the genetic and therapeutic modulation of chondrocyte apoptosis in response to mechanical injury.
Susceptibility to insect growth regulators and cuticle deposition of the cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) as a function of age.

Wandering larval, pharate pupal, pupal, and pharate adult stages of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), were identified by examination of cuticular cross sections via scanning electron microscopy. Visible morphological characteristics of each stage were identified and described. Various stages of the flea throughout metamorphosis were exposed to juvenile hormone mimics and insect developmental inhibitors. Wandering larvae treated with juvenile hormone mimics were unable to pupate, whereas treated pharate pupae ecdysed to the pupal stage but were unable to enclose. Pupae and pharate adults did not succumb to juvenile hormone mimic exposure, even at concentrations 3 orders of magnitude greater than those that killed 100% of the wandering larvae and the pharate pupae. Adult females were more susceptible to juvenile hormone mimics than males. Possible explanations for the variation in tolerance to juvenile hormone mimics of the differing stadia are discussed. None of the stages were susceptible to insect developmental inhibitor exposure. Analysis of catecholamines that are precursors of cuticle sclerotization and melanization were measured in the wandering larval through the pharate adult stages of the cat flea. N-acetyldopamine concentration was highest in the pupa stage when the flea had a hard, clear cuticle; N-beta-alanyldopamine concentration was highest during the production of the hard, dark cuticle of the pharate adult; and dopamine fluctuated throughout development but was highest in the pupal stage.
Government, Companies, and National Defense: British Aeronautical Experience, 1918–1945 as the Basis for a Broad Hypothesis

Through examination of the procedural relations of British aircraft companies and the State, Professor Higham suggests broader hypotheses regarding the process of government-business interaction.
Research development of infant formulas based on hydrolyzed cow's milk protein

Cow's milk protein allergy(CMPA) is the main type of food allergy in infants.It is reported that about 2.5% infants who experienced CMPA in their first year of life.Feeding with infant formulas based on hydrolyzed cow's milk protein is recommended as the first choice of management of CMPA in infants because of their lower allergenity compared with cow's milk protein.Partially hydrolysed formula(pHF) could induce oral tolerance to prevent food allergy and atopic dermatitis in infants with high-risk factors developing allergy diseases.Extensive hydrolysed formulas(eHF) are used to treat food allery for the patients without failure to thrive.Whereas the food allergy infants who have already presented with failure to thrive need amino acid formulas(AAF) for treatment.
Monitoring immune responses in the tumor microenvironment

Immune monitoring in the tumor microenvironment allows for important insights into immune mechanisms of response and resistance to various cancer treatments; however clinical challenges exist using current strategies. Significant questions remain regarding monitoring of archival versus fresh tissue, assessment of static versus dynamic markers, evaluation of limited tissue samples, and the translation of insights gained from immunologically 'hot' tumors such as melanoma to other 'cold' tumor microenvironments prevalent in other cancer types. Current and emerging immune monitoring strategies will be examined herein, and genomic-based assays complementing these techniques will also be discussed. Finally, host genomic and external environmental factors influencing anti-tumor immune responses will be considered, including the role of the gut microbiome. Though optimal immune monitoring techniques are in evolution, great promise exists in recent advances that will help guide patient selection as far as type, sequence, and combination of therapeutic regimens to enhance anti-tumor immunity and clinical responses.
Using Quantitative Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction to Validate Gene Regulation by PTTG

Pituitary tumor transforming gene is an important gene which is involved in many cellular functions including cell division, DNA repair, organ development, expression, and secretion of various angiogenic and metastatic factors. Overexpression of this gene has also been reported in many cancers. Understanding the molecular pathways induced by this oncogene is therefore important not only to understand the development of the disease but also for proper diagnosis and treatment. Gene profiling is an excellent tool to identify the genetic mechanisms, networks, and pathways associated with a particular disease. Oligo-nucleotide microarrays can be everybody's choice as a first step to identify the global expression of genes involved in the study of interest. Each technique has its own limitation. Therefore, further confirmation of the results with a different technique is always necessary. Quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is one of the widely used and best described techniques to confirm the microarray data. Here, we describe the qRT-PCR techniques for gene profiling studies and the methods used for the analysis of the output data for further studies.
Genomic alterations in small cell lung cancer and their clinical relevance.

We thank Karachaliou et al. for their insightful editorial (1) regarding genomic studies on small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which included analysis of our own recent study (2). They raise several interesting points, such as the potential use of ARID1A mutations and alterations in the PIK3-AKT-mTOR pathway as biomarkers for response to PARP inhibition, that support the idea that real therapeutic progress against this cancer can be gained from genomic studies. The authors specifically pointed out two of our results, however, which they found inconsistent with previous genomic studies of SCLC. The first was our finding that only 58% of our patient cohort carried exome mutations in RB1 .
Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality

There is much emerging information surrounding the impact of sleep duration and quality on food choice and consumption in both children and adults. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of dietary patterns and specific foods on nighttime sleep. Early studies have shown that certain dietary patterns may affect not only daytime alertness but also nighttime sleep. In this review, we surveyed the literature to describe the role of food consumption on sleep. Research has focused on the effects of mixed meal patterns, such as high-carbohydrate plus low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets, over the short term on sleep. Such studies highlight a potential effect of macronutrient intakes on sleep variables, particularly alterations in slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep with changes in carbohydrate and fat intakes. Other studies instead examined the intake of specific foods, consumed at a fixed time relative to sleep, on sleep architecture and quality. Those foods, specifically milk, fatty fish, tart cherry juice, and kiwifruit, are reviewed here. Studies provide some evidence for a role of certain dietary patterns and foods in the promotion of high-quality sleep, but more studies are necessary to confirm those preliminary findings.
Recent Trends in Blood Utilization After Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Blood conservation strategies have evolved greatly over the last 5 years. There is a paucity of large blood utilization studies of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) that include recently performed surgery. The purpose of this study was to use a large database to evaluate trends in blood transfusion after THA and TKA, including 2015 data. Methods The Humana data set was reviewed from 2007 to the third quarter of 2015 for all patients undergoing primary THA and TKA. Rates and type of postoperative blood transfusion were trended through the years of the data set. Further subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of patients' age, gender, geographic location, and obesity on the incidence of blood transfusion using standard statistical techniques. Results In total, 69,350 THA patients and 139,804 TKA patients were analyzed. Overall transfusion rate was 18.2% and 12.7% after TKA and THA, respectively. The most common type of blood transfused was allogeneic packed red blood cells (88% of all transfusions) followed by perioperative collected autologous blood (12% of all transfusions). There were no transfusions of preoperatively collected autologous blood. Transfusion rates decreased significantly from 21.3%-8.7% and 17.3%-4.4% for THA and TKA, respectively, over the years 2007-2015 ( P Conclusion Rates of blood transfusion after primary THA and TKA have fallen precipitously since 2010 and are now down to 9% and 4% for THA and TKA, respectively. Blood management strategies instituted over the last 5 years have had a large impact on transfusion rates after joint arthroplasty.
Thoughts on Treasury's White Paper on EU State Aid

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on August 24 issued a White Paper that expresses its concerns about the European Commission’s efforts to apply the European Union’s State aid restrictions to multinational enterprises’ profit-shifting structures. This article comments on two aspects of the white paper that are technically correct, but require a little more explanation for readers to understand their significance. These two aspects are:First, the article clarifies that the general comments that the White Paper makes about “call[ing] into question the ability of Member States to honor their bilateral tax treaties” might be true, but the specifics of the various targets of the Commission's investigations involve no U.S. treaties. This is because the U.S. MNCs concerned are using profit shifting structures that use tax haven companies and not U.S. companies that could claim the benefits of U.S. tax treaties.Second, the White Paper states that there may be an effective transfer of tax revenues from the U.S. to the EU. Yes, there is the “possibility” that additional foreign taxes paid as a result of these state aid investigations could merely shift tax revenues from the US to the EU. However, the article shows that this is simply not a serious or real possibility.
Microscopic Analysis of Pigments Extracted from Spalting Fungi

Pigments that are currently available in the market usually come from synthetic sources, or, if natural, often need mordants to bind to the target substrate. Recent research on the fungal pigment extracts from Scytalidium cuboideum, Scytalidium ganodermophthorum, Chlorociboria aeruginosa, and Chlorociboria aeruginascens have been shown to successfully dye materials, like wood, bamboo, and textiles, however, there is no information about their binding mechanisms. Due to this, a microscopic study was performed to provide information to future manufacturers interested in these pigments. The results of this study show that S. ganodermophthorum and C. aeruginosa form an amorphous layer on substrates, while S. cuboideum forms crystal-like structures. The attachment and morphology indicate that there might be different chemical and physical interactions between the extracted pigments and the materials. This possibility can explain the high resistance of the pigments to UV light and color fastness that makes them competitive against synthetic pigments. These properties make these pigments a viable option for an industry that demands natural pigments with the properties of the synthetic ones.
U.S. teachers' conceptions of the purposes of assessment

Abstract Teachers' conceptions about assessment influence their classroom assessment practices. In this investigation, we examined 179 K-12 teachers' conceptions of the purposes of assessment from a person-centered perspective. An exploratory factor analysis of teachers' responses to the Conceptions of Assessment Instrument yielded a three-factor model: assessment as valid for accountability, improves teaching and learning, and as irrelevant. Next, we used cluster analysis to identify belief profiles of teacher groups: Cluster-1: Moderate, Cluster-2: Irrelevant, Cluster-3: Teaching and Learning. Within and across cluster comparisons revealed significant differences indicating that these are distinct profiles: teachers can, and do, hold multiple beliefs about assessment simultaneously.
Chorioamnionitis-Induced Immunological Changes and Neonatal Outcome

Chorioamnionitis is inflammation of the fetal membranes (chorion and amnion) which could be of microbial or nonmicrobial etiology. It is a common complication of pregnancy with significant implications for both mother and infant. It represents a spectrum of diseases, which range from histological but subclinical chorioamnionitis to funisitis and chorionic vasculitis with multiorgan involvement in the fetus. Chorioamnionitis results in the activation of the fetal innate immune system known as the fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS). FIRS with or without evidence of microbial presence initiates an inflammatory cascade that has been implicated in the mechanisms responsible for the fetal injury. Such injury can result in adverse neonatal outcomes involving multiple organ systems with high perinatal and long-term morbidity and mortality. While antimicrobial treatment of chorioamnionitis is beneficial to the mother, it is unclear whether the same holds true for the fetus as the damage may already be done by the production of proinflammatory cytokines. This article reviews the immunological changes and their consequences in neonates born to mothers with chorioamnionitis.
Statistical Learning of Melodic Patterns Influences the Brain's Response to Wrong Notes

The theory of statistical learning has been influential in providing a framework for how humans learn to segment patterns of regularities from continuous sensory inputs, such as speech and music. This form of learning is based on statistical cues and is thought to underlie the ability to learn to segment patterns of regularities from continuous sensory inputs, such as the transition probabilities in speech and music. However, the connection between statistical learning and brain measurements is not well understood. Here we focus on ERPs in the context of tone sequences that contain statistically cohesive melodic patterns. We hypothesized that implicit learning of statistical regularities would influence what was held in auditory working memory. We predicted that a wrong note occurring within a cohesive pattern (within-pattern deviant) would lead to a significantly larger brain signal than a wrong note occurring between cohesive patterns (between-pattern deviant), even though both deviant types were equally likely to occur with respect to the global tone sequence. We discuss this prediction within a simple Markov model framework that learns the transition probability regularities within the tone sequence. Results show that signal strength was stronger when cohesive patterns were violated and demonstrate that the transitional probability of the sequence influences the memory basis for melodic patterns. Our results thus characterize how informational units are stored in auditory memory trace for deviance detection and provide new evidence about how the brain organizes sequential sound input that is useful for perception.
Infrared Detection of Internal Feeders of Deciduous Tree Fruits

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a worldwide pest of apple and pear. Due to the severity of codling moth in agroecosystems, it is a quarantine pest in countries whe...
Vegetation water content of crops and woodlands for improving soil moisture retrievals from coriolis windsat

Estimation of vegetation water content (VWC) by shortwave infrared remote sensing improves soil moisture retrievals. The largest unknown for predicting VWC is stem water content; for woodlands, stem water content is expected to be proportional to stem height. Airborne imagery were acquired and photogrammetric structure-from-motion point clouds were used to estimate heights for mixed conifer and deciduous hardwood woodlands in eastern Maryland. The calculated stand heights were only weakly correlated with measured data. The normalized difference infrared index (NDII) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from both Landsat 8 Operational Line Imager and WorldView 3 were used to estimate canopy water contents. There were no relationships between canopy water contents and spectral indices, which suggested an allometric approach may not be feasible for woodlands. However, VWC was linearly correlated with crop canopy water contents, and provides an approach for remote sensing of VWC.
Variant Intestinal-Cell Kinase in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Abstract Background In juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, data are limited on the genetic basis of networks promoting convulsions with diffuse polyspikes on electroencephalography (EEG) and the subtle microscopic brain dysplasia called microdysgenesis. Methods Using Sanger sequencing, we sequenced the exomes of six members of a large family affected with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and confirmed cosegregation in all 37 family members. We screened an additional 310 patients with this disorder for variants on DNA melting-curve analysis and targeted real-time DNA sequencing of the gene encoding intestinal-cell kinase (ICK). We calculated Bayesian logarithm of the odds (LOD) scores for cosegregating variants, odds ratios in case–control associations, and allele frequencies in the Genome Aggregation Database. We performed functional tests of the effects of variants on mitosis, apoptosis, and radial neuroblast migration in vitro and conducted video-EEG studies in mice lacking a copy of Ick. Results A variant, K305T (...
XD Metrics on Demand Value Analytics: Visualizing the Impact of Internal Information Technology Investments on External Funding, Publications, and Collaboration Networks

Many universities invest substantial resources in the design, deployment, and maintenance of campus-based cyberinfrastructure. To justify the expense, it is important that university administrators and others understand and communicate the value of these internal investments in terms of scholarly impact as measured by external funding, publications, and research collaborations. This paper introduces two visualizations and their usage in the Value Analytics (VA) module for Open XD Metrics on Demand (XDMoD). The VA module was developed by Indiana University’s (IU) Research Technologies division in conjunction with IU’s Cyberinfrastructure for Network Science Center (CNS) and the University at Buffalo’s Center for Computational Research (CCR). It interrelates quantitative measures of information technology (IT) usage, external funding, and publications in support of IT strategic decision making. This paper details the data, analysis workflows, and visual mappings used in the two VA visualizations that aim to communicate the value of different IT usage in terms of NSF and NIH funding, resulting publications, and associated research collaborations. To illustrate the feasibility of measuring IT values on research, we measured its financial and academic impact from the period between 2012 and 2017. The financial return on investment (ROI) is measured in terms of the funding, totaling $ 21,016,055 for NIH and NSF projects, and the academic ROI constitutes 1,531 NIH and NSF awards and 968 publications associated with 83 NSF and NIH awards. In addition, the results show that Medical Specialties, Brain Research, and Infectious Diseases are the top three scientific disciplines ranked by their publication records during the given time period.