cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene Expression Programs of Mouse Endothelial Cells in Kidney Development and Disease

Endothelial cells are remarkably heterogeneous in both morphology and function, and they play critical roles in the formation of multiple organ systems. In addition endothelial cell dysfunction can contribute to disease processes, including diabetic nephropathy, which is a leading cause of end stage renal disease. In this report we define the comprehensive gene expression programs of multiple types of kidney endothelial cells, and analyze the differences that distinguish them. Endothelial cells were purified from Tie2-GFP mice by cell dissociation and fluorescent activated cell sorting. Microarrays were then used to provide a global, quantitative and sensitive measure of gene expression levels. We examined renal endothelial cells from the embryo and from the adult glomerulus, cortex and medulla compartments, as well as the glomerular endothelial cells of the db/db mutant mouse, which represents a model for human diabetic nephropathy. The results identified the growth factors, receptors and transcription factors expressed by these multiple endothelial cell types. Biological processes and molecular pathways were characterized in exquisite detail. Cell type specific gene expression patterns were defined, finding novel molecular markers and providing a better understanding of compartmental distinctions. Further, analysis of enriched, evolutionarily conserved transcription factor binding sites in the promoters of co-activated genes begins to define the genetic regulatory network of renal endothelial cell formation. Finally, the gene expression differences associated with diabetic nephropathy were defined, providing a global view of both the pathogenic and protective pathways activated. These studies provide a rich resource to facilitate further investigations of endothelial cell functions in kidney development, adult compartments, and disease.
Cases of shell disease in the giant oyster Crassostrea gigas (Bivalvia) cultivated in the Black Sea

This paper presents the first description of shell disease in the Crassostrea gigas oyster cultivated in the Black Sea. The shell margin, hinge and the site of adductor muscle attachment are affected by a fungus. The oyster’s exhaustion caused by excessive sedimentation results in high susceptibility to disease. It is suggested that spores of the fungus Ostracoblabe implexa were found in the silt. The disease was discovered in oysters that were lacking growth zones or that had died. Microphotos show the fungus’s ramified hyphae, 1.5–3 μm in diameter, with nodes and septa located in the fragments of affected oyster nacre matrix. They also show the close contact between two hyphae and the presence of “suckers” spreading from the mycelium to the bells of aragonite. We discuss the issue of a temporary symbiosis between the fungus and the microalga Coccolithus pelagicus, which could explain the adaptability of the fungus and the fact that its life cycle continues after the death of infected oysters.
Association of quasars and galaxies in the field of the Virgo cluster

Abstract Association between quasars and galaxies is examined using the two-point correlation function for the quasar sample in the Large Bright Quasar Survey and the Binggeli-Sandage-Tammann galaxy catalog of the Virgo cluster. Statistically significant association is found at angular separations between 5′ and 40′ for the member galaxies of the Virgo cluster, but not for the background galaxies. Relation of the association and the apparent magnitude of the objects is also examined.
ANOMALOUS TRANSPORT OF HIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAYS IN GALACTIC SUPERBUBBLES. I. NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS

We present a simple continuous-time random-walk model for the transport of energetic particles accelerated by a collection of supernova explosions in a galactic superbubble, developed to simulate and highlight signatures of anomalous transport on the particles' evolution and their spectra in a multi-shock context. We assume standard diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) theory for each shock encounter. The superbubble (an OB stars association) is idealized as a heterogeneous region of particle sources and sinks bounded by a random surface. The model is based on two coupled stochastic differential equations and is applied for protons and alpha particles. Using characteristic values for a typical bubble, our simulations suggest that acceleration and transport in the bubble may be sub-diffusive. In addition, a spectral break in the particles' evolution and spectra is evident located at ≈1015 eV for protons and ≈3 × 1015 eV for alphas. Our simulations are consistent with a bubble's mean magnetic field strength of ≈1 μG and a shock separation distance ~0.1 × the characteristic radius of the bubble. The simulations imply that the diffusion coefficient (for the elementary shock acceleration process) is 1027 cm2 s–1 at 1 GeV/c. While the sub-diffusive transport is readily attributed to the stochastic nature of the acceleration time according to DSA theory, the spectral break appears to be an artifact of transport in a finite medium. These simulations point to a new and intriguing phenomenon associated with the statistical nature of collective acceleration of high-energy cosmic rays in galactic superbubbles.
Managing Local Intergovernmental Revenues: The Imperative of Diversification

Abstract Municipal governments have employed a variety of strategies to address their ongoing revenue crises throughout the past several decades. One such strategy that has been employed with great consistency is the use of intergovernmental revenues (IGR). Given this trend, coupled with the fact that we know little about the dynamics of IGR, this paper presents one of the first multi‐year examinations of its use at the local level. Using data from 76 villages and cities in Cook County, IL (greater Chicago) for 1996–2000, we examine IGR use from the perspective of revenue diversification. The analysis indicates that during this period, local governments in Cook County (1) diversified their own‐source revenues and decreased dependence on the property tax; (2) maintained a consistent dependence on IGR; and (3) diversified and significantly altered their IGR structures. We also examine the demographic and organizational correlates of IGR diversification, and find it to be unrelated to characteristics such as...
A Generic Sensor Fusion Problem: Classification and Function Estimation

A generic fusion problem is studied for multiple sensors whose outputs are probabilistically related to their inputs according to unknown distributions. Sensor measurements are provided as iid input-output samples, and an empirical risk minimization method is described for designing fusers with distribution-free performance bounds. The special cases of isolation and projective fusers for classifiers and function estimators, respectively, are described in terms of performance bounds. The isolation fusers for classifiers are probabilistically guaranteed to perform at least as good as the best classifier. The projective fusers for function estimators are probabilistically guaranteed to perform at least as good as the best subset of estimators.
CCDs and camera electronics for the NASA CONTOUR mission

This paper addresses the imager designs for an upcoming NASA mission to examine comets at distances from the sun fairly similar to that of the earth. The general constraints on design typical to a small spacecraft such as low mass and operation in vacuum apply. In addition the transient nature of the data which are presented as spacecraft moves by the comet at high speed must be considered. Two imagers with different tasks to perform will be flown on this mission. Design choices for electronics and selection of charge coupled device image sensors are discussed. Some early results from breadboard tests are presented.
Improvements to and applications of analysis of stressed speech using glottal waveforms

A continuation of the authors' previous research (1990) in the area of statistical analysis and modeling of glottal waveforms of emotionally stressed speech is presented. A simple glottal model is defined which, by varying four parameters, can be used to model the glottal excitation of many styles of speech. An algorithm which automatically decouples these model glottal waveforms from the vocal tract information in a given speech segment is presented. Several applications of decoupling the model glottal waveforms are discussed. In particular, a method of automatic formant tracking of stressed speech which is superior to traditional formant tracking procedures is described. Also, a method of modifying the style of speech by removing some of the effects of stress on the speech waveform is presented. >
Evaluating properties of variable sampling interval control charts

Standard fixed sampling interval (FSI) control charts take samples from a process at fixed length sampling intervals for purposes of detecting changes in the peocess that may affect the quality of the output. Variable sampling interval (VSI) control charts vary the sampling interval as a function of what is observed from the process and can detect process changes faster than FSI control charts. Evaluation of properties of VSI control charts requires extensions of methods that have been developed for FSI control Control charts. A unified treatment of two widely used methods, the Markov chain method and the integral equation method. is given for VSI control charts.This unified treatment includes some results which are new in the FSI case. The new methods are used for the numerical evaluation of propertics of exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and cumulative sum (CUSUM) control charts.Some general optimality results for the choice fo the sampling intervals are also given.
Temperature effects on the nucleation mechanism of protein folding and on the barrierless thermal denaturation of a native protein

Recently, the authors proposed a kinetic model for the nucleation mechanism of protein folding where a protein was treated as a heteropolymer with all the bonds and bond angles equal and constant. As a crucial idea of the model, an overall potential around a cluster of native residues in which a protein residue performs a chaotic motion is considered to be a combination of three potentials: effective pairwise, average dihedral, and confining. The overall potential as a function of the distance from the cluster center has a double well shape which allows one to determine the rates with which the cluster emits and absorbs residues by using a first passage time analysis. One can then develop a kinetic theory for the nucleation mechanism of protein folding and evaluate the protein folding time. In the present paper we evaluate the optimal temperature at which the protein folding time is the shortest. A method is also proposed to determine the temperature dependence of the folding time without carrying out the time consuming calculations for a series of temperatures. Using Taylor series expansions in the formalism of the first passage time analysis, one can calculate the temperature dependence of the cluster emission and absorption rates in the vicinity of some temperature T0 if they are known at T0. Thus one can evaluate the protein folding time tf at any other temperature T in the vicinity of T0 at which the folding time tf is known. We also present a model for the thermal denaturation of a protein occurring via the decay of the native structure of the protein. Due to a sufficiently large temperature increase or decrease, the rate with which a cluster of native residues within a protein emits residues becomes larger than the absorption rate in the whole range of cluster sizes up to the size of the whole protein. This leads to the unfolding of the protein in a barrierless way, i.e., as spinodal decomposition. Knowing the cluster emission and absorption rates as functions of temperature and cluster size, one can find the threshold temperatures of cold and hot barrierless denaturation as well as the corresponding unfolding times. Both proposed methods are illustrated by numerical calculations for two model proteins, one consisting of 124 amino acids, the other consisting of 2500 residues. The first one roughly mimicks a bovine pancreatic ribonuclease while the second one is a representative of the largest proteins which are extremely difficult to study by straightforward Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics simulations.
EXPERIMENTAL SYPHILIS IN THE RABBIT : VII. AFFECTIONS OF THE EYES.

From the study of a number of instances of eye infection in the rabbit, it was found that a variety of affections might occur following scrotal or testicular inoculations of Treponema pallidum. Those observed included ciliary injection, conjunctivitis, keratitis, and iritis which might occur separately or in combination with one another, except that keratitis and iritis were always accompanied by a reaction in the ciliary vessels and usually by a conjunctivitis. Several forms of each of these affections were described, and while some of them were regarded as presenting a very characteristic picture, it was recognized that the conditions present in other cases were not sufficiently distinctive to permit of a clinical diagnosis. With a few exceptions, however, the pathology of the lesions was sufficient to identify them as processes of a syphilitic nature. It was also found that this group of lesions usually arose from a common focus of infection which was located in the episcleral tissues immediately surrounding the cornea. From this point, the infection tended to spread to the conjunctiva and the cornea, or toward the canal of Schlemm and the spaces of Fontana and thence to the ciliary body, the iris, and the choroid. The localization of the lesion and the mode of extension were held to be responsible for the combination of manifestations usually observed. From an analysis of the circumstances under which affections of the eyes occurred, it was found that the great majority of them occupied a definite position in the scheme of tissue reactions, being the only generalized lesions developed or the last type of lesion to appear. These facts, together with the unusual frequency of relapse in these affections, were believed to indicate that a low degree of protection was conferred upon these tissues by reactions taking place elsewhere and that the protection afforded by the local reaction was of a feeble character. This deduction was in part confirmed by the fact that it was found to be possible to increase or decrease the incidence of eye lesions by the use of experimental means which varied the scheme of reaction in animals inoculated with a given strain of Treponema pallidum.
Escherichia coli SufE sulfur transfer protein modulates the SufS cysteine desulfurase through allosteric conformational dynamics.

Fe-S clusters are critical metallocofactors required for cell function. Fe-S cluster biogenesis is carried out by assembly machinery consisting of multiple proteins. Fe-S cluster biogenesis proteins work together to mobilize sulfide and iron, form the nascent cluster, traffic the cluster to target metalloproteins, and regulate the assembly machinery in response to cellular Fe-S cluster demand. A complex series of protein-protein interactions is required for the assembly machinery to function properly. Despite considerable progress in obtaining static three-dimensional structures of the assembly proteins, little is known about transient protein-protein interactions during cluster assembly or the role of protein dynamics in the cluster assembly process. The Escherichia coli cysteine desulfurase SufS (EC 2.8.1.7) and its accessory protein SufE work together to mobilize persulfide from l-cysteine, which is then donated to the SufB Fe-S cluster scaffold. Here we use amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to characterize SufS-SufE interactions and protein dynamics in solution. HDX-MS analysis shows that SufE binds near the SufS active site to accept persulfide from Cys-364. Furthermore, SufE binding initiates allosteric changes in other parts of the SufS structure that likely affect SufS catalysis and alter SufS monomer-monomer interactions. SufE enhances the initial l-cysteine substrate binding to SufS and formation of the external aldimine with pyridoxal phosphate required for early steps in SufS catalysis. Together, these results provide a new picture of the SufS-SufE sulfur transferase pathway and suggest a more active role for SufE in promoting the SufS cysteine desulfurase reaction for Fe-S cluster assembly.
Resonant two-magnon Raman scattering in antiferromagnetic insulators

Abstract We report the experimental results and propose a theory of resonant two-magnon Raman scattering from antiferromagnetic insulators. On the experimental side, we present the first measurements on YBa2Cu3O6.1 at T = 4 K, and find the resonant frequency at higher photon energies than previously believed. On the theoretical side, we argue that the conventional Loudon-Fleury theory does not work in the resonant regime, in which the energy of the incident photon is close to the gap between the conduction and valence bands, and identify the most relevant contribution to Raman intensity. We find good agreement between the theoretical prediction for the power-law behavior of the strength of the two-magnon scattering and the data. We argue that this agreement is evidence for the existence of coherent quasiparticle states in these materials.
Net and gross O2 production in the southern ocean from measurements of biological O2 saturation and its triple isotope composition

Abstract Mixed layer seawater samples from the Southern Ocean were analyzed for the triple oxygen isotope composition (δ17O and δ18O) of dissolved O2 and the ratio of [O2] to [Ar]. δ17O and δ18O together constrain the mass independent anomaly in O2, and hence the fraction of photosynthetic O2 in the dissolved O2 pool. Assuming oxygen in the mixed layer is at steady state, we calculate ratios of the gross photosynthetic O2 production rate to the O2 air–sea gas exchange rate, and ratios of net to gross O2 production rates. With estimates of the O2 gas exchange rate from a wind speed parameterization, we determine absolute in situ rates of gross and net O2 production. Based on the net/gross production ratios and δ18O of dissolved O2, we calculate a value for the 18O fractionation factor associated with marine respiration in the Southern Ocean mixed layer of 0.978 (an isotope effect of 22‰). The study regions cover latitudes between ∼45°S and the ice edge at: (1) 175°E in December 1999, (2) 145°E in December 2000, and (3) 145°E in January 2001. At both meridians, gross O2 production decreases to the south. At 145°E, rates of net O2 production follow the same pattern, while at 175°E these rates are consistently low at all latitudes. In December, gross and net O2 production rates are both higher at 145°E than at 175°E. Gross O2 production at 145°E was similar in December and January, but net O2 production decreased by ∼50%. Net/gross C production ratios, calculated by scaling O2 production rates, are lower than estimates of the 15N f-ratio, determined as the ratio of 15NO3− uptake to 15NO3−+15NH4+ uptake in 15N incubations. They are also lower than ef-ratios predicted by the model of Laws et al. (Global Biogeochem. Cycles 14 (2000a) 1231) at the temperatures of the Southern Ocean. The differences in the measurements could be due to natural interannual and spatial variability or the differences in metabolic rates measured and modeled, and the fundamental assumptions required by each technique.
A Foreign Exchange Allocation Algorithm for the Acquisition of Key Spare Parts and Supplies in a Developing Country

Most developing countries are severely constrained by the size of their foreign exchange reserve necessary for the purchase on the international market of certain key items to be employed in their industries, including the export sectors that are responsible for generating the foreign exchange in the first place. The scarcity of this foreign exchange creates enormous problems for these countries. To cope with this dilemma, certain countries resort to all kinds of gambles and approaches that may not be defensible. A rational basis for the allocation of this scarce resource is described in this article. It consists primarily of two components. The first part deals with an optimal strategy for the identification of key items through a criticality assignment routine. The second relates to the algorithm for allocating foreign exchange to a pool of critical items to maximize the returns from such an allocation. The case study is Guyana, a developing country in South America.
Resource Partitioning in Sympatric Populations of Collared Peccaries and Feral Hogs in Southern Texas

Species introduced into systems with ecologically similar species are predicted to compete or undergo niche compression to allow coexistence. We examined space, time, and diets of the realized niches of two suiforms, native collared peccaries ( Tayassu tajacu ) and introduced feral hogs ( Sus scrofd ), in sympatry in southern Texas in 1991–1992. Eleven females (six peccaries, five hogs) representing distinct herds were outfitted with radiotrans-mitters. Patterns of habitat use varied ( P < 0.001) between species, with peccaries selecting chaparral plant communities and hogs selecting mesquite ( Prosopis glandulosa ) communities. Overlap in use of habitat was greatest during winter and lowest in spring. Predominantly crepuscular patterns of activity were exhibited by both species, with lowest overlap in activity occurring during winter. Grass was dominant in fecal samples of hogs during autumn, winter, and summer, and forbs were dominant in feces of peccaries in all seasons. Overlap in diet was most apparent during spring (100%) and least apparent during autumn (36%). High seasonal overlap on one axis of niche space was balanced by low overlap on other axes. Different patterns of habitat and diet selection combined with similar activity patterns were consistent with differences in cranial anatomy, digestive function, and eco-physiology between hogs and peccaries. Conditions providing competitive advantage to peccaries are predicted to be dense scrub cover and presence of succulents, whereas hogs may be favored by presence of free water and more open brush-savanna habitats.
The Impact of Assessment Policy on Learning: Replacement Exams or Grade Dropping

Instructors often debate the merits of alternate grading policies such as dropping the lowest exam or offering an additional exam to replace the lowest score. To date, there has been little research conducted on the impact of these policies on performance. In this study, the author investigates student performance in intermediate macroeconomics over three semesters at a small Eastern college. In each semester, a different assessment policy was applied: Count all three in-term exams; drop the lowest of three exams; offer an additional exam to replace the lowest in-term exam score. Contrary to previous research and conventional wisdom, the author finds that allowing students to drop their lowest grade improved performance on a cumulative final exam, while offering a replacement test had no significant effects.
Health, Secondary Conditions, and Employment Outcomes for Adults With Disabilities

This study used data (N = 3,076) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to explore the relationship between employment and health behaviors for individuals with physical disabilities. ...
A practical, stereospecific route to 18-, 19-, and 20-hydroxyeicosa-5(Z),8(Z),11(Z),14(Z)-tetraenoic acids (18-, 19-, and 20-HETEs)

Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of cis-vinylbromide 6, obtained in three steps from diol 4, with functionalized boranes provides a practical, stereospecific route to the title CYP P450 eicosanoids.
Simulation and design of planarizing materials for reverse-tone step and flash imprint lithography

Reverse-tone step and flash imprint lithography SFIL-R shows promise as a cost-efficient, high-resolution patterning technique; however, the generation of satisfactory patterns requires the successful application of a planarizing topcoat over topography through spincoating. Photopolymerizable nonvolatile fluids are ideal topcoat materials because they planarize better than volatile fluids during spincoating and can continue to level after spincoating. Fluid mechanics analyses indicate that complete planarization using capillary force is slow. Therefore, defining the acceptable or critical degree of planarization DOPcrit becomes necessary. Finite difference simulation of the spincoat and postspin leveling processes was used to determine the planarization time for various topographic and material property combinations. A new material, Si-14, was designed to have ideal planarization characteristics low viscosity-15.1 cP; low shrinkage-5.1% and satisfy SFIL-R processing requirements oxygen etch resistance-33 wt% silicon, photocurable and was used to validate our models through profilometry and interferometry experiments. During spincoating, minimizing the spin speed generates more planar films; however, this increases the spin time. To rectify this problem, a two-stage spincoating process-a first step with high spin speeds to achieve the target thickness quickly and a second step with low spin speeds to improve planarization-was proposed and experimentally demonstrated.
Bidimensional spectroscopy with a Universal Birefringent Filter and a Fabry-Perot

The basic idea involved in a universal birefringent filter (UBF) in which light in a single state of polarization is forced to interfere with itself is reviewed along with the basic properties of the filter. The Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) representing an optical resonant cavity is described as well as an FWHM filter utilizing both UBF and FPI. It is pointed out that such a device can achieve a resolving power of about 300,000 and can be tuned continuously between 4200 to 7000 A. It is suggested that by using UBF in conjunction with FPI, it is possible to record monochromatic images of the solar atmosphere up to 400 times the width of the telescope diffraction pattern.
Suspension of nanoparticles in SU-8: Processing and characterization of nanocomposite polymers

Composite materials consisting of polymers and nanoparticles can provide additional functionality to existing formulations. Diamondoids, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT), and gold nanospheres were physically incorporated into the negative photoresist SU-8 to investigate their effects on residual stresses and introduce piezoresistivity. The mixtures were spin cast onto silicon or aluminum-coated silicon wafers, lithographically patterned and released from the substrate. The residual stresses, elastic moduli, and viscosity effects of the nanocomposites were measured and compared with those of control samples of SU-8. Electrical properties of SU-8/SWNT nanocomposites were also investigated. The effective elastic modulus of SU-8/diamantane samples remained approximately 1.5-1.6GPa until the diamantane content exceeded 7wt%. The viscosity of SU-8/diamantane nanocomposite samples of all tested weight percents decreased compared with control SU-8 at high shear rates (>20Hz), though high weight percent solutions (>5%) had increased low-frequency viscosity. The effective elastic modulus of the SU-8/SWNT nanocomposites decreased with small wt% additions of SWNT. Additionally, SU-8/SWNT nanocomposites showed increased resistivity with increased strain, suggesting a gauge factor for the 1wt% SU-8/SWNT nanocomposite of approximately 2-4.
Freedom’s Stock: Political Consumerism, Transnational Blackness and the Black Star Line:

Little attention has been given to the unique social-historical context driving the political consumerism, meaning making, and experiences of African Americans. Even less attention has been given t...
Cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the genitalia in the elderly: a report of three cases

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a disease with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations. All of the variants have in common the proliferation of cells which are morphologically, biochemically, and immunophenotypically indistinguishable from Langerhans cells. A retrospective study of three elderly patients revealed the unique presentation of cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis limited to the genitalia. These cases produced a diagnostic challenge because of their unusual clinical presentation and their morphological similarity to certain other entities, including extramammary Paget's disease and malignant melanoma, which may also show S-100-positive atypical cells. All three cases showed infiltrates of histiocytic-appearing cells with folded nuclei and moderate amounts of cytoplasm which involved the epidermis, dermis, or both. Immunoperoxidase studies using antibody to S-100, CD1a and CD68 in each case showed positive staining.
The effect of x-radiation on the multiplication of Rickettsia mooseri in embryonate eggs.

The multiplication of Rickettsia mooseri in fertile eggs is speeded up and quantitatively increased by single dose x-radiation given either 24 hours before or 48 hours after inoculation. This effect is noted at all dosage levels studied, ranging from 100 to 1500 r. The rickettsiostatic effects of high incubation temperature (40°C.) and of streptomycin are neutralized by radiation, but the rickettsiostatic actions of PABA, penicillin, and aureomycin are not altered. Possible mechanisms of action and implications of the observed effects are discussed.
Personalized Prostate Cancer Screening: Improving PSA Tests with Genomic Information

The use of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to screen for prostate cancer is controversial because of its modest predictive value and the potential overdiagnosis and over-treatment of the disease. A research article in this issue of Science Translational Medicine describes single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in or near six genes that are independently associated with serum PSA concentrations and that help to explain interindividual PSA variation. Three of these SNPs are also associated with prostate biopsy outcomes. These findings are an important step toward incorporating genetic markers into PSA screening, with the ultimate goal of devising personalized PSA tests for use in the clinic.
Extension of the M2 and the Thin-Wing-Expansion Methods to Magnetohydrodynamics

On the basis of a reduced equation for steady, two-dimensional flow of a perfectly conducting gas with an aligned magnetic field, the M 2 - expansion method as well as the thin-wing expansion method is extended to include the effect of a magnetic field. General formulae obtained by both methods remain unchanged, except that the parameters involved should be read as given in the paper. The transonic thin-airfoil theory is also modified for magneto-hydro-dynamical flow and it is found that the same similarity rule for the flow past a slender body holds for both non-magnetic and magnetic cases with the proper alteration of the parameters.
Short-term prednisone therapy affects aminotransferase activity and hepatitis C virus RNA levels in chronic hepatitis C

Abstract Background/Aims: The effects of corticosteroids on chronic hepatitis B have provided insight into the mechanism of liver cell injury caused by hepatitis B. In this study, this model was applied to investigate the effects of prednisone on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels in chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Ten patients with chronic hepatitis C who had increased levels of ALT and HCV RNA detectable in serum were given a 7-week course of a tapering dose of prednisone. Quantitation of serum HCV RNA was determined by polmerase chain reaction (PCR) and by branched-chain DNA amplification. Results: ALT levels decreased in 8 of 10 patients during therapy. Mean ALT levels of all 10 patients decreased from 184 to 84 U/L ( P = 0.002) and then rebounded in 7 of the 8 patients after discontinuation of prednisone. HCV RNA was detectable by the branched DNA technique in 9 of 10 patients. These values increased in all 9 patients during prednisone therapy. The mean serum HCV RNA levels increased from 40.9 before treatment to 414.3 Eq/mL × 10 5 during treatment ( P = 0.043). Using PCR, HCV RNA titers increased one log-fold in 8 of 10 patients (geometric mean of 1:4420 to 1:23410). HCV RNA levels decreased to pretreatment values within a mean of 2.8 weeks (range, 1–5) after discontinuation of prednisone. Conclusions: These responses in ALT and HCV RNA suggest the participation of an immunemediated mechanism in the liver cell injury in chronic hepatitis C.
The relationship between insulin resistance and incidence and progression of coronary artery calcification: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether insulin resistance predicts the incidence and progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 5,464 participants not on hypoglycemic therapy from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Each had baseline homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and baseline and follow-up CAC scores. Incident CAC was defined as newly detectable CAC; progression was defined as advancing CAC volume score at follow-up. RESULTS Median HOMA-IR was 1.2 (0.8–2.0). Across all ethnicities, there was a graded increase in CAC incidence and progression with increasing HOMA-IR. When compared with those in the 1st quartile, participants in the 2nd–4th quartiles had 1.2, 1.5, and 1.8 times greater risk of developing CAC. Median annualized CAC score progression was 8, 14, and 17 higher, respectively. However, HOMA-IR was not predictive after adjustment for metabolic syndrome components. CONCLUSIONS HOMA-IR predicts CAC incidence and progression, but not independently of metabolic syndrome.
Physiologic approach for coronary intervention

When invasively assessing coronary artery disease, the primary goal should be to determine whether the disease is causing a patient's symptoms and whether it is likely to cause future cardiac events. The presence of myocardial ischemia is our best gauge of whether a lesion is responsible for symptoms and likely to result in a future cardiac event. In the catheterization laboratory, fractional flow reserve (FFR) measured with a coronary pressure wire is the reference standard for identifying ischemia-producing lesions. Its spatial resolution is unsurpassed with it not only being vessel-specific, but also lesion-specific. There is now a wealth of data supporting the accuracy of measuring FFR to identify ischemia-producing lesions. FFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention of these lesions results in improved outcomes and saves resources. Non-hemodynamically significant lesions can be safely managed medically with a low rate of subsequent cardiac events.
Transcription factors in mouse lung development and function

Development of the mouse lung initiates on day 9.5 postcoitum from the laryngotracheal groove and involves mesenchymal-epithelial interactions, in particular, those between the splanchnic mesoderm and epithelial cells (derived from foregut endoderm) that induce cellular proliferation, migration, and differentiation, resulting in branching morphogenesis. This developmental process mediates formation of the pulmonary bronchiole tree and integrates a terminal alveolar region with an extensive endothelial capillary bed, which facilitates efficient gas exchange with the circulatory system. The major function of the mesenchymal-epithelial signaling is to potentiate the activity or expression of cell type-specific transcription factors in the developing lung, which, in turn, cooperatively bind to distinct promoter regions and activate target gene expression. In this review, we focus on the role of transcription factors in lung morphogenesis and the maintenance of differentiated gene expression. These lung transcription factors include forkhead box A2 [also known as hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-3beta], HNF-3/forkhead homolog (HFH)-8 [also known as FoxF1 or forkhead-related activator-1], HNF-3/forkhead homolog-4 (also known as FoxJ1), thyroid transcription factor-1 (Nkx2.1), and homeodomain box A5 transcription factors, the zinc finger Gli (mouse homologs of the Drosophila cubitus interruptus) and GATA transcription factors, and the basic helix-loop-helix Pod1 transcription factor. We summarize the phenotypes of transgenic and knockout mouse models, which define important functions of these transcription factors in cellular differentiation and lung branching morphogenesis.
Colistin susceptibility testing by Etest and disk diffusion methods

The accuracy of disk susceptibility methods for colistin against 778 bacterial pathogens was evaluated in comparison with Etest using interpretive criteria available from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Colistin exhibited excellent activity against Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli isolates (minimum inhibitory concentration for 90% of the organisms (MIC90) = 0.5 mg/L), whilst it was less active both against Enterobacter spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC for 50% of the organisms (MIC50) = 0.5 mg/L, MIC90 = 16 mg/L). Colistin also showed good activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC90 = 2 mg/L, MIC50 = 1 mg/L) but poor activity against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (MIC50 = 8 mg/L, MIC90 = 128 mg/L). Only 0.8% of minor errors were observed between the studied methods for P. aeruginosa isolates when the CLSI criteria were applied. All A. baumannii isolates with a zone diameter ≤12 mm were resistant and those with a zone diameter ≥14 mm were susceptible according to MIC breakpoints established by the CLSI. Among nine isolates exhibiting a zone diameter of 13 mm, one was resistant to colistin (MIC = 8 mg/L) and eight isolates were susceptible (MIC = 0.5 mg/L). Applying a MIC breakpoint of ≤2 mg/L for susceptibility in Enterobacteriaceae, all isolates with a zone diameter ≥14 mm were susceptible, whilst all isolates with a zone diameter ≤11 mm were resistant. Among isolates with zone diameters of 12–13 mm, 59% were characterised as susceptible. Major errors were observed only in K. pneumoniae isolates at a rate of 0.8%. The poor agar diffusion characteristics of colistin limit the predictive accuracy of the disk diffusion test and consequently values of 12–13 mm should be confirmed with MIC determination by Etest or broth dilution method.
Correlating AFM Probe Morphology to Image Resolution for Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Tips

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to image hundreds of single-wall carbon nanotube probes and to correlate probe morphology with AFM image resolution. Several methods for fabricating such probes were evaluated, resulting in a procedure that produces image-quality single-wall nanotube probes at a rate compatible with their routine use. Surprisingly, about one-third of the tips image with resolution better than the nanotube probe diameter and, in exceptional cases, with resolution better than 1 nm. This represents the highest lateral resolution reported to date for a SWNT probe.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of management strategies for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3

Abstract Objective: This study was performed to compare the cost-effectiveness of strategies for the management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, grades 2 and 3 (CIN 2 and CIN 3). Study Design: A decision analysis compared six management strategies. The model was applied to hypothetic cohorts of 100,000 patients with CIN 2 and CIN 3. Results: In both analyses, cryotherapy (CRYO) was the least expensive and least effective strategy; total vaginal hysterectomy was the most expensive and most effective strategy. For CIN 2, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) was more effective than CRYO but at a cost of $31,437 per additional cure and $1.8 million per additional cancer prevented. For CIN 3, LEEP was more effective than CRYO, but at a cost of $17,592 per additional cure and $1.0 million per additional cancer prevented. Conclusion: CRYO is a cost-effective strategy that is appropriate in resource-poor settings. LEEP is also cost-effective, but the improved efficacy compared with CRYO comes at a significant cost. Total vaginal hysterectomy is very effective but is economically unsound because of excessively high costs. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188:1186-8.)
The NF-κB pathway mediates lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced VEGF signaling and cell invasion in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Abstract Objectives Our previous report has implicated the involvement of VEGF-VEGFR-2 h signaling in LPA-induced EOC invasion. However, the mechanism by which LPA regulates VEGF and VEGFR-2 expression remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we systematically examined the signal transduction pathways activated by LPA and further evaluated whether LPA's effect on VEGF-VEGFR-2 signaling and EOC invasion was mediated by the activation of NF-κB pathway. Methods Using a signal transduction PathwayFinder PCR array, we examined the expression change of 86 key genes representing 18 signal transduction pathways in DOV13 and SKOV3 cells upon LPA (20μM) treatment. We also used quantitative PCR, Western blotting and ELISA to evaluate the effect of NF-κB pathway inhibition on VEGF 121 , VEGF 165 and VEGFR-2 mRNA and protein expression/secretion with or without the presence of LPA (20μM) in SKOV3. Cell invasion under various treatment conditions was assessed by Matrigel invasion assay and MMP-2 secretion was detected by gelatin zymography. Results Our results showed that in both DOV13 and SKOV3, several of the NF-κB pathway components, such as TNF, are consistently activated by LPA stimulation. In addition, treatment with an NF-κB pathway activation inhibitor, at 10μM, significantly decreased LPA-induced VEGF 121 , VEGF 165 and VEGFR-2 mRNA expression and VEGF secretion, as well as LPA-induced SKOV3 invasion ( p p p Conclusions These results suggest that the NF-κB pathway plays an important role in LPA-induced VEGF signaling and EOC invasion and targeting this pathway may reveal potential therapeutic options for metastatic EOC.
In the Pursuit of Sustainability: Lessons from the Coffee Sector

Recent years have shown an impressive and growing concern about sustainable production of food, fiber and oil crops. As more crops become incorporated into the sustainability realm, which often involves a certification of prescribed production methods/conditions, lessons can be learned from sectors with extant sustainability initiatives. For biofuels, a sector with rapidly expanding areas devoted to cropland worldwide and some debated benefits in both social and environmental issues, lessons from the sustainable coffee sector’s history and development can provide insights about possible paths toward sustainability. This paper presents some of the history and development of the sustainable coffee sector, emphasizing the role of science and inter-institutional relations in the emergence of several initiatives. A number of key issues and themes to consider are explored, hopefully providing some direction to those in the biofuels sector with an interest in sustainability.
Music Teachers at Risk for Attrition and Migration: An Analysis of the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey.

This study examined the effects of teacher characteristics, school conditions, teacher efficacy, external support, and remuneration on music educators' risk for attrition and migration. Data from t...
Reducing the Size of Rule Set in a Firewall

A firewall's complexity is known to increase with the size of its rule set. Complex firewalls are more likely to have configuration errors which cause security loopholes. Until now, two rules can be merged into one only when they are exactly same for all the dimensions except one for which each value of two rules should be adjacent to each other. In this paper, we propose a new and aggressive reduction algorithm which finds a group of rules and replace it with a smaller new group so that the total size of rule set can be reduced. This can not be achievable by any previous work because all of them eliminate rules only when these rules are redundant by other rules in the same rule set. The proposed algorithm is also orthogonal to the previous works so that it can be used to supplement them.
Generalized stochastic performance models for loss-based congestion control

In this paper, we propose a generalized framework for modeling the behavior of prominent congestion-control protocols. Specifically, we define a general class of loss-based congestion-control (LB-CC) mechanisms and demonstrate that many variants of TCP, including those being proposed for high-speed networks, belong to this class. Second, we develop a stochastic model to predict the transfer time for bulk transmissions by any protocol belonging to the LB-CC class-our model predicts both the mean as well as the variability in the transfer time. Our model is applicable to a wide set of transfer types and network capacities. We validate our model through extensive simulations under controlled settings, as well as with comprehensive HTTP workloads. We use our empirical analysis to also provide insights into several important issues, including: (i) identifying the settings under which previously-proposed TCP models are accurate, and (ii) identifying the conditions under which only steady-state analysis can be sufficient in modeling transfer performance. Our generalized framework provides a powerful tool that can be used in the design, analysis, and comparison of next-generation transport protocols. We demonstrate this benefit by comparing prominent TCP proposals for high-speed networks.
Job Satisfaction and Age: A Test of Two Views

Previous impressionistic treatments of the sources of worker satisfaction have identified a stable, positive relationship between job satisfaction and age. But the current wisdom about this relationship remains largely at the level of zero-order associations and post-hoc explanations. Examining a national probability sample of 1,455 American workers drawn from the 1973 Quality of Employment Survey this research tests tzwo explanations commonly found in this literature: (1) that the relationship between age and satisfaction is the result of generational differences in education and value systems (i.e., a cohort explanation) and (2) that this relationship is simply a function of older workers having moved into better jobs across their careers (i.e., a life cycle explanation). Analyses of covariance suggest that neither explanation is adequate, leaving the question of what accounts for higher levels of satisfaction of older workers unresolved. Explanations for these findings and suggestions for further research are offered. Although there have been many studies of job satisfaction in recent years, findings have often been contradictory (Bockman), or marred by methodological problems (Kalleberg, a), and theoretical weaknesses. In this research we investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and age, one of the least explored theoretical issues in this literature. While detailed analyses of age and job satisfaction are scarce, incidental references are common. These range from the anecdotal observa
The nature of food: indigenous Dene foodways and ontologies in the era of climate change

Climate change leading to a drastic decline in caribou populations has prompted strict hunting regulations in Canada’s Northwest Territories since 2010. The Dene, a subarctic indigenous people, have responded by turning to tradition and calling for more respectful hunting to demonstrate respectful reciprocity to the caribou, including a community-driven foodways project on caribou conservation and Dene caribou conservation which I co-facilitated in 2011. In these ways the caribou is approached as a person. Dene responses to caribou decline can best be understood by ontological theories of an expanded notion of indigenous personhood. However, I argue these theories are inadequate without an attention to foodways, specifically the getting, sharing, and returning of food to the land. The necessity of sustenance reveals a complicated relationship of give-and-take between humans and caribou, negotiated by tradition, yet complicated by the contemporary crisis.