cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microglial Neuropilin-1 trans-regulates oligodendrocyte expansion during development and remyelination

NG2 glia or oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are distributed throughout the gray and white matter and generate myelinating cells. OPCs in white matter proliferate more than those in gray matter in response to platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGF AA), despite similar levels of its alpha receptor (PDGFRalpha) on their surface. Here we show that the type 1 integral membrane protein Neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) is expressed not on OPCs but on amoeboid and activated microglia in white but not gray matter in an age- and activity-dependent manner. Microglia-specific deletion of Nrp1 compromised developmental OPC proliferation in white matter as well as OPC expansion and subsequent myelin repair after acute demyelination. Exogenous Nrp1 increased PDGF AA-induced OPC proliferation and PDGFRalpha phosphorylation on dissociated OPCs, most prominently in the presence of suboptimum concentrations of PDGF AA. These findings uncover a novel mechanism of regulating oligodendrocyte lineage cell density that involves trans-activation of PDGFRalpha on OPCs via Nrp1 expressed by adjacent microglia.
Wearable device for remote monitoring of transcutaneous tissue oxygenation

Wearable devices have found widespread application in recent years as consumer electronics for sports and health tracking. A metric of health which is overlooked in currently available technology is the measurement of oxygen in living tissue, a key component in the cellular energy production. We report on the development of an optical wireless wearable prototype for transcutaneous oxygen monitoring based on the phosphorescence emission of a highly breathable oxygen sensing film. The device is truly wearable, weighs under 20 grams,is completely self-contained, requires no external readout electronics and is highly sensitive to oxygen in the physiological range.
Bilateral Kienböck's disease.

Kienbock's disease has been a well-recognized disorder of the wrist since it was first described in 1910. It has not been reported to occur bilaterally. We have recently treated two men who presented with bilateral Kienbock's disease.
Driving assessment results in patients with a diagnosis of dementia.

Many patients are actively driving when they are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. Elderly persons generally self-police their driving activities and cut back or cease driving when they develop deficits. Those with dementia frequently do not, and may be vehement in their refusal to stop driving. Obtaining an objective assessment of driving skills can be of assistance to the primary care physician or the family member who is counseling a patient in this circumstance, providing a solid platform from which recommendations can be made. The patients themselves may be illogical and unmoved by a report from such an assessment, but it is easier for families and professionals to insist upon or initiate changes if they have objective documentation of the loss of skills.Formal Driving Assessment programs are not widely available in spite of the value of such testing; nor are primary care offices uniformly using office-based screening such as the “ADReS”
From movements to parties in Latin America : the evolution of ethnic politics

1. Introduction: toward a comprehensive theory of ethnic party formation and performance 2. Institutions, party systems, and social movements 3. 'A reflection of our motley reality': Bolivian Indians' slow path to political representation 4. 'We are the government': Pachakutik's rapid ascent to national power 5. 'It is not a priority': the failure to form viable ethnic parties in Peru 6. Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela: unlikely cases of ethnic party formation and success 7. Conclusions and Implications.
BENEFITS OF CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION FOR OLDER ADULTS

Resumen en: STEC, M. J.; RAWSON, E. S. Benefits of creatine supplementation for older adults. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity, v. 4, n. 4, p. 215-226, 2010. Decrea...
Unconditionally stable explicit time-domain methods

This paper presents an overview of recent developments on explicit and unconditionally stable time-domain methods.
Diesel exhaust aerosol particle size distributions: comparison of theory and experiment

Particle size distributions have been measured in the exhaust of a single cylinder Onan diesel engine using an electrical aerosol analyzer. These measurements give volume mean diameter for the exhaust particles of about 0.1 ..mu..m. Other investigators have shown that the particles found in diesel exhaust consist of agglomerates of very small primary particles (about 0.025 ..mu..m diameter) and may contain condensed hydrocarbons. A mathematical model has been constructed to determine the particle size distributions which will result from the growth of the primary particles by coagulation. The coagulation equation was solved numerically for an expanding stratified system. The model indicates that the inhomogeneity characteristic of stratified combustion can explain the rapid growth of the primary particles into the larger particles observed in diesel exhaust.
Predicting Sediment Toxicity at Former Manufactured Gas Plants Using Equilibrium Partitioning Benchmarks for PAH Mixtures

This study was conducted to examine the application of Equilibrium Partitioning Sediment Benchmarks (ESBs) for assessing the toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments at former manufactured gas plant (MGP) and coke sites. Samples of freshwater sediment from four MGP and coke sites in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest were analyzed for 34 individual PAHs, total organic carbon, “black” carbon (potentially composed of pitch, soot, and other forms of pyrogenic carbon), and sediment toxicity (28-day Hyalella azteca toxicity test). The sum of the Toxic Units in each sample was calculated from a one-phase model that accounts for sorption of PAHs to total sediment organic carbon, and a two-phase model that accounts for sorption to black carbon as well as to natural organic carbon. Although both the one-phase and two-phase models accurately predicted concentrations of PAHs that were not toxic to aquatic invertebrates, the two-phase model was more often in agreement with results of sediment toxi...
The Behavioral Neuroscience of Adolescence

Linda Spear provides a detailed and illuminating overview of the genetic, hormonal, and neurological developments that take place during adolescence, and shows how these changes, along with influential sociocultural factors, interact to produce distinctly adolescent behaviors and thought processes. The tension between taking risks, impulsivity, and self-control-a struggle evinced by many adolescents, especially those in therapeutic treatment-is also examined for its sources within the brain. The result is a fascinating overview of the adolescent brain, with profound implications for the clinical treatment of adolescents.
October–November 2003's space weather and operations lessons learned

[1] The Sun-Earth space weather related to sunspots NOAA 484, 486, and 488 affected a number of NASA spacecraft and instruments between mid-October and early November 2003. Information available from Earth and space science missions indicate that about 59% of the spacecraft and about 18% of the instrument groups experienced some effect from the solar activity. This paper summarizes the impacts on spacecraft, instruments, and science data. The database that the paper is based on describes spacecraft and instrument effects observed as well as mission operators' preventive actions from 34 reporting missions. The database is Appendix A and provides additional material that could be of interest and that could be useful to satellite developers, operators, instrument managers, and scientists. The types of environmental effects observed were electronic upsets, housekeeping and science noise, proton degradation to solar arrays, upper atmosphere–induced changes to orbit dynamics, high levels of accumulated radiation, and proton heating. The paper develops best practices that are intended to foster continued and expanded feedback on the space environment in all mission phases, to promote designing to the mission's observing mode so that planning is appropriate to mission science goals, to distribute operational experience and lessons learned widely among both developing and operating missions, and to uniformly apply the developed knowledge base among NASA's missions.
Central and Peripheral Administration of Antisense Oligonucleotide Targeting Amyloid-β Protein Precursor Improves Learning and Memory and Reduces Neuroinflammatory Cytokines in Tg2576 (AβPPswe) Mice

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. The World Health Organization estimates that there are currently 18 million people worldwide living with AD and that number is expected to double by early 2025. Currently, there are no therapies to stop or reverse the symptoms of AD. We have developed an antisense oligonucleotide (OL-1) against the amyloid betaprotein precursor (AβPP) that can decrease AβPP expression and amyloid beta protein (Aβ) production. This antisense rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier, reverses learning and memory impairments, reduces oxidative stress and restores brain-to-blood efflux of Aβ in SAMP8 mice. In the current study, we examined the effects of this AβPP antisense in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. The Tg2576 overproduces human Aβ, develops age-related learning and memory deficits, and exhibits oxidative damage in the brain. First, we administered the AβPP antisense centrally into the lateral ventricle 3 times at 2 week intervals. Seventy-two hours after the third injection, we tested learning and memory in T-maze foot shock avoidance. In the second study, we injected the mice with AβPP antisense 3 times at two week intervals via the tail vein. Seventy-two hours later, we tested learning and memory T-maze foot shock avoidance, novel object recognition and elevated plus maze. At the end of behavioral testing, mice were sacrificed and brain tissue was collected for evaluation of AβPP, Aβ, and expression of cytokines and chemokines. AβPP antisense administered centrally improved acquisition and retention of T-maze foot shock avoidance. AβPP antisense administered via tail vein improved learning and memory in both T-maze foot shock avoidance and novel object-place recognition. In the elevated plus maze the mice which received OL-1 AβPP antisense spent less time in the open arms and had fewer entries into the open arms indicating reduced disinhibitation. Biochemical analyses reveal significant reduction of AβPP signal and a reduction of measures of neuroinflammation. The current findings support the therapeutic potential of OL-1 AβPP antisense.
Age Effects in Implicit Memory: The Role of Response Competition Induced by Relative Word Frequency

Background/Study Context: This study examined the effect of age and response competition on implicit memory performance.Methods: Younger and older adults studied high- and low-frequency words and took a word stem completion test that could be completed with multiple solutions. To manipulate response competition, the test list consisted of word stems that could be completed with target low-frequency words, as well as multiple other solutions with higher frequencies than the target (the high response competition condition) and word stems that could be completed with target high-frequency words, as well as multiple other solutions with lower frequencies than the target (the low response competition condition).Results: Relative to younger adults, older adults showed reduced levels of priming only under conditions of high response competition (low-frequency targets with high-frequency competitors).Conclusion: In support of a response competition mechanism, older adults were more likely to complete stems with n...
Vpu-induced degradation of CD4 : requirement for specific amino acid residues in the cytoplasmic domain of CD4

Two functions have been attributed to the product of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vpu open reading frame: it increases virion release from infected cells and induces rapid degradation of CD4 shortly after its synthesis. In the absence of Vpu, newly synthesized gp160 and CD4 associate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), forming a complex whose further maturation is blocked and which is eventually degraded. In studies using NL4-3-based expression vectors, it has been previously shown that Vpu induces the release of gp160 from the complex that it forms with CD4 in the ER. This release, which appears to be due to the rapid degradation of CD4 induced by Vpu, allows gp160 to transit to the Golgi, where it matures further. We investigated which regions of CD4 are important for its susceptibility to Vpu-induced degradation by transfecting HeLa cells with isogenic vpu-positive and vpu-negative proviruses and vectors expressing various truncated or mutated CD4 molecules. The results suggested that the cytoplasmic domain of CD4 contains a determinant lying within amino acids 418 to 425 that is critical for susceptibility to Vpu-induced degradation. Neither the phosphorylation sites in the cytoplasmic domain nor the Lck interaction region was required for the effect. Vpu-induced degradation was specific for CD4, since CD8, even when retained in the ER, was not degraded. In addition, under conditions of high-level Vpu expression, CD4 degradation could be observed in the absence of gp160 or other means of retaining CD4 in the ER.
Thermus aquaticus gen. n. and sp. n., a Nonsporulating Extreme Thermophile

The isolation of a new thermophilic bacterium, Thermus aquaticus gen. n. and sp. n., is described. Successful enrichment requires incubation at 70 to 75 C, and the use of nutrient media relatively dilute with respect to the organic components. Strains of T. aquaticus have been isolated from a variety of thermal springs in Yellowstone National Park and from a thermal spring in California. The organism has also been isolated from man-made thermal habitats, such as hot tap water, in geographical locations quite distant from thermal springs. Isolates of T. aquaticus are gram-negative nonsporulating nonmotile rods which frequently form long filaments at supraoptimal temperatures or in the stationary phase. All isolates form a yellow cellular pigment, probably a carotenoid. A characteristic structure formed by all isolates is a large sphere, considerably larger than a spheroplast. These large spheres, as well as lysozyme-induced spheroplasts, are resistant to osmotic lysis. Deoxyribonucleic acid base compositions of four strains were determined by CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation and found to be between 65.4 and 67.4 moles per cent guanine plus cytosine. The growth of all isolates tested is inhibited by fairly low concentrations of cycloserine, streptomycin, penicillin, novobiocin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol. Nutritional studies on one strain showed that it did not require vitamins or amino acids, although growth was considerably faster in enriched than in synthetic medium. Several sugars and organic acids served as carbon sources, and either NH4+ or glutamate could serve as nitrogen source. The organism is an obligate aerobe and has a pH optimum of 7.5 to 7.8. The optimum temperature for growth is 70 C, the maximum 79 C, and the minimum about 40 C. The generation time at the optimum is about 50 min. The possible relationships of this new genus to the myxobacteria, flexibacteria, and flavobacteria are discussed.
Correlation between acid—base status, concentrations of lactate and of pyruvate in blood and cerebrospinal fluid in patients treated in an intensive care unit

Abstract Results of examinations of 41 patients treated in an intensive care unit are reported. The patients were divided into three groups and examined on the first and twelfth days of treatment. In the first group were 15 patients who had received circulatory resuscitation, the second group was 13 patients with lesions of the central nervous system of traumatic or vascular origin and the third group was 13 patients with acute respiratory insufficiency of toxic or infective origin. The cerebrospinal fluid of patients in the second group showed the lowest pH (mean pH 7.28) and bicarbonate concentration (19.05 mequiv./1); this group also had the lowest P 0 2 values. Moderate respiratory alkalosis was observed in the arterial blood of patients with lesions of the central nervous system. Concentrations of lactate in the cerebrospinal fluid were increased in all three groups of patients although blood lactate concentrations were normal. The lactate/pyruvate concentration ratio was highest in the resuscitated patients.
Dose-dependent separation of Cotesia congregata-associated polydnavirus effects on Manduca sexta larval development and immunity

Abstract Cotesia congregata eggs were dissected from the reproductive tracts of adult female wasps, washed extensively to remove polydnavirus particles, and injected into fourth instar Manduca sexta larvae. Parasites developed and emerged when washed eggs were recombined with polydnavirus-containing filtered calyx fluid, indicating that the washed eggs were viable. In contrast, washed eggs injected alone invariably were encapsulated. Larvae injected with washed eggs grew abnormally large, wandered late, and rarely pupated successfully, indicating that even though the parasites failed to develop, neither did the host. We attribute this phenomenon to effects caused by a trace of polydnavirus (PDV) remaining associated with the washed eggs, as detected by results obtained using Western slot blots with polyclonal anti-virus antibodies used to detect the PDV. Injecting small amounts (0.01-0.001 wasp equivalents) of filtered calyx fluid alone caused similar disruptive effects on larval development, suggesting that the effects on development are likely to be polydnavirus-mediated. These results show that progressive dilution of filtered calyx fluid separates the effects of polydnavirus on host immunity and development. While relatively large dosages of filtered calyx fluid appeared essential for blocking encapsulation of parasitoid eggs, as little as 0.001 wasp-equivalents of PDV was sufficient to alter larval appearance and behaviour, and to arrest development prior to or during the larval-pupal transition at metamorphosis. Thus, very small doses of virus disrupt development many days following PDV injection, while relatively larger doses are needed to block encapsulation within a short time-frame following parasitization. The mechanisms by which the polydnavirus acts to disrupt development may involve the brain-neurosecretory axis or factors affecting regulation of the JH titer.
Banks, systematic risk, and industrial concentration: theory and evidence

Abstract We find evidence in an international cross-section that bank-based financial systems and various measures of vulnerability to real exchange rate fluctuations are highly significant macroeconomic determinants of industrial concentration. We argue that these results can be explained by bank risk-management practices: asymmetric contracts make it impossible for banks to protect themselves against systematic risk (e.g. real exchange rate fluctuations) by diversifying across borrowers; managing the risk requires instead that banks lend to already diversified borrowers, who internalize losses and gains from a shock.
A POMDP framework for heterogeneous sensor selection in wireless body area networks

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) are emerging as a powerful tool for health management, emergency response, military personnel wellness as well as sports and entertainment. In contrast to traditional sensor networks for, say, environmental sensing, WBANs are often characterized by a modest number of heterogeneous sensors wirelessly coupled to a fusion center such as a mobile phone. Based on an actual implementation of a prototype WBAN, energy efficiency at the fusion center has proven to be one of the critical roadblocks to long-term deployment of WBANs. To this end, a novel formulation based on stochastic control tools is devised to model the sensor selection process. Sensors are heterogeneous both in their discrimination capabilities as well as their energy cost, further challenging sensor selection. The goal is to maximize the WBAN's lifetime while optimizing the performance of a physical state detection application. To this end, an optimal dynamic programming algorithm is derived. However, due to the prohibitive complexity of the optimal method, a low-cost approximation scheme, T3S, is designed. The low complexity design is based on several key properties of the cost functional. The proposed T3S scheme is evaluated on real-world data collected from an implemented WBAN and observed to offer near optimal performance with significantly lower complexity.
Affect and personality correlates of the Iowa Gambling Task

The present study examined the relationship of personality, Behavioral Inhibition Scale/Behavioral Activation scale (BIS/BAS scale) and affect, Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in a nonclinical sample (n = 87). Results showed that both negative affect and BAS were related to riskier performance on the IGT; BAS Fun Seeking was still related to IGT even after controlling for negative affect. Cluster analytic group analyses showed that individuals highest in BAS Fun Seeking performed worst on IGT, relative to individuals low on BAS scales and individuals high on only BAS Drive and Reward. Although both negative affect and Fun Seeking were related to IGT performance, there was no interaction between mood and personality. Results suggest that both state mood (particularly negative affect) and personality (particularly Fun Seeking) are independently related to risky performance on IGT. Results suggest a need to assess both affect and personality dimensions when attempting to explain poor IGT performance, particularly in clinical populations.
On the functional forms of activity coefficients and their properties

Abstract A complete system of partial differential equations is obtained for the logarithms of activity coefficients of real chemical mixtures. All solutions of these equations are obtained under mild regularity conditions and the conditions that the limit of ln ( f α ), as n α / n tends to unity, is equal to zero. It is shown that all of the functions ln ( f α ) can be determined if any one of them is a known function of temperature, pressure and the independent mole fractions. These results are used to compute the deviations of partial and total volume, entropy and specific heats at constant pressure, and the laws of mass action from what would be given for ideal mixtures. Conditions for static and dynamic stability of equilibrium are obtained, and a forward time integration procedure is given for satisfaction of the laws of mass balance and the full form of the laws of mass action.
Behavior, length, and sex ratio of seaward-migrating juvenile American shad and blueback herring in the Connecticut river

Abstract The fall downstream migrations of juvenile American shad Alosa sapidissima and blueback herring Alosa aestivalis were monitored for 3 years in the Connecticut River at Holyoke Dam, Massachusetts. Decreasing water temperature—not increasing river flow—determined the time migration began and ended for both species. The migration of blueback herring began in September as water temperature declined to 21°C, peaked at 15–14°C, and ended in late October or early November at 10°C. The American shad migration began at 19°C, peaked at 14–9°C, and ended at 10–8°C. Most movement peaks were centered on quarter-moon periods; seven were centered on a new moon and none was centered on a full moon. The diel pattern of migration varied among the 3 years. In general, however, blueback herring were active throughout the 24-h period (peak activity at 1800 hours), and American shad moved in the afternoon and evening (peak activity between 1800 and 2200 hours). The migration of juvenile American shad may be mediated b...
Expression of common fluorescent reporters may modulate virulence for Mycobacterium marinum: dramatic attenuation results from Gfp over-expression.

Abstract Mycobacterium marinum is an established surrogate pathogen for Mycobacterium tuberculosis because of its strong conservation of thousands of orthologous genes, lower risk to researchers and similar pathology in fish. This pathogen causes TB-like chronic disease in a wide variety of fish species. As in human TB, the microbe grows within the host macrophages, can mount life-long chronic infections and produces granulomatous lesions in target organs. One of the fish species known to manifest chronic “fish TB” is the small laboratory fish, Japanese ricefish (medaka; Oryzias latipes). Our laboratory is currently characterizing the disease progression in medaka using fluorescent reporter systems that are introduced into engineered strains of M. marinum. While conducting these studies we observed differences in growth, plasmid stability, and virulence depending on which fluorescent reporter construct was present. Here, we describe large negative effects on virulence and organ colonization that occurred with a commonly used plasmid pG13, that expresses green fluorescent protein (Gfp). The studies presented here, indicate that Gfp over-expression was the basis for the reduced virulence in this reporter construct. We also show that these negative effects could be reversed by significantly reducing Gfp expression levels or by using low-expression constructs of Rfp.
Preschoolers' and adults' scale translation and reconstruction of spatial information acquired from maps

This research investigated the ability of preschoolers (ages 4 and 5) and adults to memorize the configuration of objects depicted on simple maps and to reconstruct the configurations from memory, in a room. Successful performance required that subjects both mentally represent the spatial relations on the maps and coordinate the scale relation between the maps and the room. The task therefore provided information about children's representational skills and undertstanding and use of scale relations. The reconstructions of most subjects were systematically related to the specific configurations that were depicited on the maps; subjects demonstrated knowledge of the angular relations among objects in the configurations. However, children were significantly more likely than adults to commit scale errors, which involved systematically reconstructing a configuration at a size that was larger or smaller than the target configuration. Taken together, the results suggest that preschoolers' reconstructions can preserve important elements of the original configuration, but that knowledge and use of scale relations may develop later than the ability to represent the relations among a set of objects in a configuration.
Sexuality and Contemporary Issues in Black Parenting

Negotiating the burgeoning sexuality of adolescent children is an age-old challenge for parents of every cultural background. Contemporary parents must also manage increasingly sexualized social media that allow children and adolescents to be sexually engaged in unprecedented ways. For Black parents, this quandary is exacerbated by racism and internalized racism-often expressed through the hypersexualization of African American males and females in music, videos, advertising, and popular culture in general. Additionally, as more diversity regarding sexual orientation in African American families emerges, the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) Black adolescents must be addressed This article will outline a conceptual framework for consideration of these issues and make recommendations to assist Black parents in successfully guiding Black adolescents through the development of safe and healthy sexuality.
HEALTH POLICY AS COUNTER‐TERRORISM: HEALTH SERVICES AND THE PALESTINIANS

Counter‐terrorism and health policies converge in the complex world of Middle East politics. Hamas, labeled a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and Europe, is also a major participant in the health sector of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Hamas gains important legitimacy and political support with its social services. Palestinian policies directed at these services can be part of a counter‐terrorism strategy as long as violence is part of the Hamas agenda. This paper describes the Palestinian health sector using cross‐sectional bivariate regressions. It then discusses the role of stronger public institutions to help thwart terrorism and promote peace and prosperity in the region.
Spin-Glass Behavior in LaFexCo2–xP2 Solid Solutions: Interplay Between Magnetic Properties and Crystal and Electronic Structures

To explore the evolution of magnetic properties from ferromagnetic LaCo2P2 to paramagnetic LaFe2P2 (both of ThCr2Si2 structure type) a series of mixed composition LaFexCo2–xP2 (x ≤ 0.5) has been comprehensively investigated by means of single-crystal and powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, magnetization and heat capacity measurements, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and electronic band structure calculations. The Curie temperature decreases from 132 K in LaCo2P2 to 91 K in LaFe0.05Co1.95P2. The ferromagnetic ordering is suppressed at higher Fe content. LaFe0.1Co1.9P2 and LaFe0.2Co1.8P2 demonstrate spin-glass-like behavior, which was also confirmed by the absence of characteristic features of long-range magnetic ordering, namely, a λ-type anomaly in the heat capacity, a hyperfine splitting in the Mossbauer spectrum, and magnetic reflections in the neutron diffraction pattern. Finally, both LaFe0.3Co1.7P2 and LaFe0.5Co1.5P2 exhibit paramagnetic behavior down to 1.8 K. The unit cell parameters of the mixed compoun...
Some Rheological Characteistics of Soy Extrudates in Tension

Experimental soy flour extrudates, prepared under different processing conditions were tested in tension by an Instron Universal Testing Machine. All the extrudates exhibited a nonlinear stress-strain relationship that is indicative of progressive development of structural failure. Complementary relaxation curves at three prefailure deformation levels were linearized and used for calculation of asymptotic relaxed moduli (also called equilibrium moduli). The relationship between the module and the strain or the initial stress indicated that both the break elongation and the ultimate strength could independently be estimated from the relaxation data. A mathematical and computer procedure for such predictions is described and its applicability demonstrated with experimental results.
Adding Regulation to Cross-Bridge Muscle Models

For over fifty years, cross-bridge models have helped us understand muscle contraction. These models describe both steady state and transient force measurements. Being computationally efficient, they allow parameter estimation from data fits. Unfortunately, they only apply to maximal activation. At sub-maximal activation, tropomyosin inhibits myosin binding. If a myosin molecule binds to actin, it locally displaces tropomyosin thereby facilitating the binding of adjacent myosin. Since myosin and actin are arranged in filaments, cooperativity violates the mean-field approximation. This approximation is fundamental to any cross-bridge model, so models of activation typically use Monte-Carlo methods. Such models, though useful for some applications, are orders of magnitude slower than cross-bridge models and so parameter estimation is difficult. To address this problem, we have developed a method to efficiently incorporate activation into cross-bridge models.The basis of our theory is that, at sub-maximal activation, some parts of the thin filament are locally active, while the rest is inactive. A set of differential equations can keep track of these locally activated regions as they form, grow, shrink and disappear. Inside these active regions, myosin obeys a cross-bridge model; outside these active regions, myosin remains unbound. We have validated this model by comparisons to Monte-Carlo simulations. The model successfully fits both steady state and transient experiments at all levels of activation. We have compared the model to measurements of in vitro motility at low calcium and low ATP (rigor activation), showing that the model reproduces the measurements, and can estimate parameters of activation. This parameter estimation is possible because the model is roughly 10,000-fold faster than Monte-Carlo simulations. We are now fitting the model to experiments performed under conditions of variable calcium and ATP. This work represents a step toward a complete multi-scale description of muscle contraction.
Island growth kinetics during the vapor deposition of gold onto TiO2(110)

Abstract Vapor deposition of Au on the TiO 2 (110) surface at 150–300 K has been examined using X-ray photon spectroscopy and low energy ion scattering. Two-dimensional islands are initially formed up to a certain average critical coverage ( θ cr ). At coverages above θ cr , added Au mainly goes on top of these, forming three-dimensional islands. Even though thermodynamically the islands would prefer to form three-dimensional islands from the onset of growth, kinetic limitations constrain the growth initially to two-dimensional islands. The critical coverage is found to decrease with temperature, showing an apparent activation energy of −2.2 kJ mol −1 , but is independent of Au vapor flux. The critical coverage was also seen to increase with the defect density of the TiO 2 surface. This behavior is explored using a kinetic model which includes surface energetic parameters for Au atom migration.
Comparison of Thermal Techniques for Determining Boundary-Layer Transition in Flight

Theme T techniques for determining boundary-layer transition in flight have been compared using data from the NASA Re-entry F experiment. The methods define transition from a rise either in the temperature history at a given sensor location or in the laminar heating-rate distribution at a given altitude. Since there are no previous comparisons of these techniques, the results of this study are considered to be a major contribution to the state-of-the-art.
Signal transduction and transcriptional regulation by glucocorticoid receptor-LexA fusion proteins

The glucocorticoid receptor regulates transcriptional initiation upon binding to its cognate hormone. A series of fusion genes was constructed to examine the mechanism of hormone-regulated transcriptional enhancement. The DNA binding domain of the bacterial LexA repressor was fused to receptor derivatives lacking the region that is necessary and sufficient for specific DNA binding and transcriptional enhancement at glucocorticoid response elements (GRE's). The resultant hybrid proteins activated transcription from promoters linked to the lex operator. Enhancement still required hormone binding by the hybrid receptor regardless of the exact positioning of the LexA binding domain within the protein. Thus, the unliganded hormone binding domain of the receptor acts as a strong but reversible inhibitor of receptor activity in a manner that is independent of the means by which the receptor recognizes DNA. The results also show directly that the receptor contains at least one "enhancement domain" other than that overlapping the GRE binding region; the second domain, enh2, occupies a region near the receptor amino terminus.
Leadership, Collective Efficacy and Team Performance: A New Paradigm for the Next Generation

In this paper, the author examines the effect of leader attributes on the collective efficacy of a group of members of Generation Next, and the interrelation of leadership and collective efficacy on the team's performance. A case study approach was implemented by 3 teams of business students participating in a national business competition between the years 2009-2011. Results indicate transformational leadership qualities inspire greater levels of collective efficacy. Moreover, teams demonstrating higher collective efficacy also performed better in the competition, suggesting a positive relationship between collective efficacy and team performance. Implications of these findings are discussed and a scope for future research is offered.
New views on primate origins

Most primates live in trees, and many of them have strikingly human-like hands and faces. Scientists who study primate evolution agree that these two facts must be connected in some way. The details, however, are a matter of debate. Early theories explained the human-like peculiarities of primates simply as arboreal adaptations. More recent accounts have traced the origins of these peculiarities to more specific ways of arboreal life, involving leaping locomotion, shrub-layer foraging, visually guided predation on insects, or fruit-eating.
Glutamine stimulates γ-aminobutyric acid synthesis in synaptosomes but other putative astrocyte-to-neuron shuttle substrates do not

GABAergic neurons require a supply of precursor glutamate for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesis to maintain their GABA levels. Because neurons lack the anaplerotic enzymes necessary for net synthesis of glutamate from glucose, they depend on astrocytes to supply compounds that can be metabolized to glutamate and ultimately used for GABA production. To test the effect of putative astrocytic shuttle metabolites on GABA synthesis, we used synaptosomes prepared from substantia nigra, an area rich in GABAergic terminals. The low number of glutamatergic endings in the nigral preparation allows a more accurate measurement of glutamate present in GABAergic endings. GABA synthesis by nigral synaptosomes was stimulated 3.1-fold when 500 microM glutamine was added to the incubation medium. Glutamate amounts also increased. In contrast, the possible precursor metabolites. 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), malate and citrate, failed to stimulate GABA synthesis over the rate observed with control medium. Unlike malate and citrate. 2-OG reduced the decline in total glutamate observed when synaptosomes were incubated in control. In contrast to glutamine the production of synaptosomal glutamate from 2-OG, malate, and citrate is not great enough to stimulate GABA synthesis.
Transport of L-Amino Acids by Brush Border Membrane Vesicles from Bovine Small Intestine

Abstract Amino acid transport was studied using brush border membrane vesicles from bovine small intestine. Initial influxes of L-forms of alanine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, and proline were stimulated by the presence of a Na + gradient (outside>inside). A relatively large proportion of total influx was by diffusion (e.g., as much as 50% of methionine and 62% of phenylalanine). Kinetic analyses indicated a single mediated transport system for alanine influx in the presence of Na + . This system had an apparent affinity for alanine of .67m M with maximum flux of 129 pmol/mg protein/s. Mutual inhibition experiments indicated proline mediated transport is probably separate from the neutral amino acids. Alanine, methionine, and phenylalanine probably share common transport system(s), but in addition, methionine is also transported by a system(s) independent of alanine and phenylalanine. In general, methionine was a potent inhibitor of influx of other amino acids.
A Physiologic–Based Approach to the Evaluation of a Patient With Hyperphosphatemia

Phosphate is required for skeletal mineralization, cellular energy regulation, synthesis of cell membranes and nucleic acids, and a variety of cell signaling pathways. Extracellular serum phosphate concentration is determined by the balance of gastrointestinal phosphate absorption, skeletal turnover, distribution in intracellular compartments, and renal phosphate excretion. An integrated system of hormones, receptors, and phosphate transporters regulates phosphate homeostasis, and a variety of hereditary and acquired perturbations in these regulators can result in hyperphosphatemia. Although kidney failure is the most common cause of hyperphosphatemia encountered by nephrologists, hyperphosphatemia that presents in patients with early stages of chronic kidney disease or normal kidney function should prompt a detailed evaluation that can be diagnostically challenging. In this teaching case, we describe a case of hyperphosphatemia out of proportion to the degree of decrease in glomerular filtration rate. We present a practical parathyroid hormone–based diagnostic approach that illustrates the current understanding of phosphate regulation in clinically meaningful terms for the practicing nephrologist. Finally, we illustrate how measurement of fibroblast growth factor 23 could be integrated in the future when the test becomes more widely available.
Probability, evidence, and the coherence of the whole truth

The coherence of the whole truth is a presupposition of any holistic coherence theory of justification that postulates a positive connection between justification and truth, for unless the whole truth is itself systemically coherent there is no reason to look for systemic coherence when deciding whether one is justified in accepting a given body of beliefs as true. This paper develops a formal model of holistic evidential coherence and uses this model to formalize and defend the claim that the whole truth must be coherent in an evidential sense.
Interactive visualization of object-oriented programs

We describe a novel approach to runtime visualization of object-oriented programs. Our approach features: visualizations of execution state and history; forward and reverse execution; interactive queries during program execution; and advanced drawing capabilities involving a combination of compile-time and runtime-analysis. Our methodology is realized in a software tool called JIVE, for Java Interactive Visualization Environment.
Vertical laryngeal position during continuous and discrete vocal frequency change.

Six young adult male subjects produced sustained phonation throughout their vocal frequency ranges: first, in a glissando or continuous frequency change maneuver, and second, in discrete intervals ...
Expression patterns of aquaporins in the inner ear: evidence for concerted actions of multiple types of aquaporins to facilitate water transport in the cochlea

Water transport between the perilymph and endolymph is important in regulations of volume and osmotic pressure of the inner ear labyrinth. It is now known that expression of water channels (aquaporins or AQPs) in the cell membrane dramatically increases the ability of water to cross epithelial cells. The aims of the current study were to investigate the cellular localization of AQPs by immunolabeling, and to study the developmental expression and relative abundance of various subtypes of AQPs. We report here that AQP3, AQP7 and AQP9 were expressed in the inner ear. Specific subtypes of AQPs were found in discrete regions expressed by both epithelial cells and fibrocytes in cochlear and vestibular organs. Semi-quantitative measurements showed that AQP4 and AQP1 were the two most abundantly expressed AQP subtypes in the inner ear, and their expressions were dramatically upregulated during development. These data showed a highly localized and largely non-overlapping distribution pattern for different subtypes of AQPs in the inner ear, suggesting the existence of regional subtype-specific water transport pathways, and global regulation of water transport in the inner ear may require concerted actions of multiple types of AQPs.
Computers, Prophecy, and Experience: A Historical Perspective.

Although the opportunity for empirical investigation of the influence of computers on social norms, roles, and expectations in specific settings is relatively recent, the potential social impacts of the computer have been debated for 30 years. The foundations of discussions of the social effects of computers were founded on prophecies. These prophecies were influenced by an unrealistic perception of the computer as a “thinking machine,” value judgments about computing, and concurrent sociocultural concerns. Experience, meaning both the collective experience of participants in computing as well as a sprinkling of empirical studies, tended to disconfirm prophecies and to expose other issues related to the social context in which computers were used. Privacy, education, and employment issues are discussed as examples demonstrating this pattern. Informed choices about the use of computers in social contexts involve increasing the number and diversity of people participating in computer use and discussions about computing, developing criteria for making choices about how computers should be used, and undertaking systematic research.
Vapor pressure of liquid cesium by a Knudsen-effusion radiotracer technique

Abstract The vapor pressure of liquid cesium has been measured over the temperature range 327 to 459 K using a Knudsen-effusion radiotracer technique. The vapor pressure over this temperature range is ( R cal th K −1 mol −1 ) ln ( p atm ) = −(16493±522) ( K T )+(16.02±1.38) The third-law enthalpy for the reaction Cs(c) = Cs(g) obtained from the present results is ΔHo(298.15 K) = (18.44 ± 0.36) kcalth mol−1. The second-law result is ΔHo(298.15 K) = (17.31 ± 0.52) kcalth mol−1. Standard thermodynamic functions for Cs2(g) are computed using a spectroscopically derived CsCs bond distance. The entropy of Cs2(g) is computed to be So(298.15 K) = 68.053 calth K−1 mol−1, 0.2 calth K−1 mol−1 higher than the previously reported value. Literature vapor pressures above 500 K are re-evaluated and compared with the present and literature low-temperature vapor pressures. On the basis of this evaluation, the vaporization enthalpy is chosen to be ΔHo(298.15 K) = (18.33±0.36) kcalth mol−1.
Boundary recognition in sensor networks by topological methods

Wireless sensor networks are tightly associated with the underlying environment in which the sensors are deployed. The global topology of the network is of great importance to both sensor network applications and the implementation of networking functionalities. In this paper we study the problem of topology discovery, in particular, identifying boundaries in a sensor network. Suppose a large number of sensor nodes are scattered in a geometric region, with nearby nodes communicating with each other directly. Our goal is to find the boundary nodes by using only connectivity information. We do not assume any knowledge of the node locations or inter-distances, nor do we enforce that the communication graph follows the unit disk graph model. We propose a simple, distributed algorithm that correctly detects nodes on the boundaries and connects them into meaningful boundary cycles. We obtain as a byproduct the medial axis of the sensor field, which has applications in creating virtual coordinates for routing. We show by extensive simulation that the algorithm gives good results even for networks with low density. We also prove rigorously the correctness of the algorithm for continuous geometric domains.
Trabecular involution in femoral heads of a prehistoric (X-group) population from Sudanese Nubia.

An analysis of trabecular bone in the head of the femur of 33 males and 40 females from a prehistoric X-Group population from Sudanese Nubia indicates that as age increases from 17 to 50+ years loss of trabecular bone in males (16.01%) is greater than loss in females (13.47%). These results differ from previous studies of cortical bone and ash density of femoral head trabeculae which demonstrate a greater loss in females. An analysis of the differential reaction in the two trabecular systems reveals that principal tensile group trabeculae decrease in thickness with age while principal compressive group trabeculae show an increase with age.