cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applying a Women’s Health Lens to the Study of the Aging Brain

A major challenge in neuroscience is to understand what happens to a brain as it ages. Such insights could make it possible to distinguish between individuals who will undergo typical aging and those at risk for neurodegenerative disease. Over the last quarter century, thousands of human brain imaging studies have probed the neural basis of age-related cognitive decline. "Aging" studies generally enroll adults over the age of 65, a historical precedent rooted in the average age of retirement. A consequence of this research tradition is that it overlooks one of the most significant neuroendocrine changes in a woman's life: the transition to menopause. The menopausal transition is marked by an overall decline in ovarian sex steroid production-up to 90% in the case of estradiol-a dramatic endocrine change that impacts multiple biological systems, including the brain. Despite sex differences in the risk for dementia, the influence that biological sex and sex hormones have on the aging brain is historically understudied, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of the aging process. In this Perspective article, we highlight the influence that endocrine factors have on the aging brain. We devote particular attention to the neural and cognitive changes that unfold in the middle decade of life, as a function of reproductive aging. We then consider emerging evidence from animal and human studies that other endocrine factors occurring earlier in life (e.g., pregnancy, hormonal birth control use) also shape the aging process. Applying a women's health lens to the study of the aging brain will advance knowledge of the neuroendocrine basis of cognitive aging and ensure that men and women get the full benefit of our research efforts.
Benign cystic ovarian neoplasms and procoagulant potential.

e15538 Background: Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. The fluid content of the cystic ovarian tumors has never been thoroughly analyzed. It ...
Probabilistic Characterization of Wind Diurnal Variability for Wind Resource Assessment

As wind energy penetration is expected to grow in the future, wind resource assessment becomes important in modern power grid operations. Selecting an appropriate wind farm site can benefit from understanding nonstationary characteristics of wind speeds. In particular, wind speed exhibits a diurnal pattern and the pattern varies, day-by-day and site-by-site. The goal of this article is to develop a new probabilistic modeling approach for quantifying variation in the wind diurnal pattern for assessing wind resource at unmonitored locations. Specifically, we formulate the coefficient of wind model as a latent random process and incorporate both day-to-day and spatial variability into the latent process. The estimation performance of the proposed approach is validated with actual data collected in west Texas. The results demonstrate that our approach can capture both spatially- and daily-varying patterns and quantify the uncertainty successfully.
Evaluating sediments as an ecosystem service in western Lake Erie via quantification of nutrient cycling pathways and selected gene abundances

Abstract Lake Erie experiences annual summer cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs), comprised mostly of non-nitrogen-fixing Microcystis, due to excess nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs (eutrophication). Lake Erie's watershed is mostly agricultural, and fertilizers, manure, and drainage practices contribute to high nutrient loads. This study aimed to clarify the role of western Lake Erie sediments in either exacerbating or mitigating conditions that fuel HABs via recycling and/or removal, respectively, of excess N and reactive P. Sediment-water interface N and orthophosphate (ortho-P) dynamics and functional gene analyses of key N transformations were evaluated during a dry, low HAB year (2016) and a wet, high HAB year (2017). On average, western basin sediments were a net N sink and thus perform a valuable ecosystem service via N removal. However, sediments were a source of ortho-P and chemically reduced N. Western basin sediments can theoretically remove 29% of average annual watershed total N loading. Denitrification rates were lower during the high (2017) versus low bloom year (2016), suggesting that high external N loading and large HABs inhibit the capacity of sediments to perform that ecosystem service. Despite being a net N sink on average, western basin sediments released ammonium and urea, chemically reduced N forms that are energetically conducive to non-N-fixing, toxin-producing cyanobacterial HABs, especially during the critical period of low external loading and high biomass. These results support other recent work highlighting the urgent need to include N cycling and internal load dynamics in ecosystem models and mitigation efforts for eutrophic systems.
Polyclonal CD5+/CD19+ B1a lymphocytes after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a potential diagnostic pitfall.

In adults, B-lymphocytes comprise approximately 10% of circulating lymphocytes. The majority of peripheral B cells are B2 cells ("Mature" B-cells), which function as part of the humoral adaptive immune system. B1 cells ("Innate-like" B cells) are another sub-class of B lymphocytes, considered as innate immune cells with a characteristic phenotype (CD20+, CD27+, CD43+, CD70-, CD11b+, sIgM++, sIgD+) which can be divided into two subtypes; B1a (CD5+): spontaneously produce broadly reactive natural IgM, and B1b (CD5-): can generate T-cell independent, long-lasting IgM. There is very limited data available, indicating a correlation between allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and an increase in B1a cells. Here we present a case of a 17-year-old female with homozygous sickle cell disease (HbSS disease) who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Approximately seven months post-transplant, she was found to have 16% immature mononuclear cells on complete blood count (CBC)-differential report. A follow-up peripheral blood flow cytometry showed that these cells were polyclonal CD5+/CD20+ B-cells, and comprised 66% of lymphocytes. Further workup and follow up failed to reveal any lymphoproliferative disorders. It is important not to misdiagnose these cells as an atypical CD5+ lymphoproliferative disorder. The presence of B1a cells has not been widely reported in non-neoplastic post-stem cell transplanted patients. This case also adds to and expands our knowledge regarding the presence of increased circulating B1a cells after stem cell transplant in a patient with no history of hematological malignancy.
Selective maintenance modeling and analysis of a complex system with dependent failure modes

In this paper, we propose a statistical and optimization framework for selective maintenance of a complex system with components that have multiple failure modes. Specifically, we study the case wh...
Early Detection of Host-based Intrusions in Linux Environment

Several research works on host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDSs) using Australian Defence Force Academy Linux Dataset (ADFA-LD) have been performed over the past few years. Also, different kinds of machine learning techniques have been applied on those HIDSs to improve the detection performance for high accuracy and low false-alarm rate. However, there is less emphasis given on the practical deployment of HIDS for real-time intrusion detection. To address this limitation, we propose a machine learning based HIDS using the same ADFA-LD dataset that possesses the ability to perform early detection of intrusions. In the proposed HIDS, only a limited number of system calls, invoked by the applications in their early execution, are analyzed for intrusion detection. The experimental results show the possibility of achieving a detection performance similar to the approaches that use all the system calls invoked during the full execution of applications.
Performing Africanity Southern African Immigrants’ Perspectives on Ubuntu

In this chapter, I draw on the idea of “(w)riting ourselves,” borrowed from Linda Tuhiwai Smith (1999) as a strategy to decolonize research, as a re-visioning of the narratives of Ubuntu that come from marginalized people. “Writing ourselves” speaks to an amplification of voices that have historically been muted, suppressed, or misunderstood. Considering the dominance of racialized and colonized narratives of Ubuntu, (w)riting is an attempt to read Ubuntu with “fresh eyes,” as Adrienne Rich proposes that we allow ourselves to write our experience, honoring the power of story and indigenous ways of doing, and in doing so reclaim the right to speak to the affairs of Abantu for survivance, as suggested by Vizenor (2008)—a way of life that brings indigenous ways of knowing and doing into renewed existence. (W)riting ourselves is also about jostling for voice within the extensive exigencies of coloniality and Euro-American centered modernity. Among southern African immigrants now living in the United States, Ubuntu is seen as part of regeneration of community. The processing of dialoguing about Ubuntu in a research agenda is perceived as part of reenvisioning of positive relationships with each other.
Improving Computer Generated Dialog with Auxiliary Loss Functions and Custom Evaluation Metrics.

Although people have the ability to engage in vapid dialogue without effort, this may not be a uniquely human trait. Since the 1960's researchers have been trying to create agents that can generate artificial conversation. These programs are commonly known as chatbots. With increasing use of neural networks for dialog generation, some conclude that this goal has been achieved. This research joins the quest by creating a dialog generating Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and by enhancing the ability of this network with auxiliary loss functions and a beam search. Our custom loss functions achieve better cohesion and coherence by including calculations of Maximum Mutual Information (MMI) and entropy. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this system by using a set of custom evaluation metrics inspired by an abundance of previous research and based on tried-and-true principles of Natural Language Processing.
Li-ion battery electrolytes

The electrolyte is an indispensable component in any electrochemical device. In Li-ion batteries, the electrolyte development experienced a tortuous pathway closely associated with the evolution of electrode chemistries.
Pharmacokinetic modelling to predict risk of ototoxicity with intravenous tobramycin treatment in cystic fibrosis.

INTRODUCTION Further optimization of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for aminoglycosides (AGs) is urgently needed, especially in special populations such as those with cystic fibrosis (CF), >50% of whom develop ototoxicity if treated with multiple courses of IV AGs. This study aimed to empirically test a pharmacokinetic (PK) model using Bayesian estimation of drug exposure in the deeper body tissues to determine feasibility for prediction of ototoxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS IV doses (n = 3645) of tobramycin and vancomycin were documented with precise timing from 38 patients with CF (aged 8-21 years), including total doses given and total exposure (cumulative AUC). Concentration results were obtained at 3 and 10 h for the central (C1) compartment. These variables were used in Bayesian estimation to predict trough levels in the secondary tissue compartments (C2 trough) and maximum concentrations (C2max). The C1 and C2 measures were then correlated with hearing levels in the extended high-frequency range. RESULTS Patients with more severe hearing loss were older and had a higher number of tobramycin C2max concentrations >2 mg/L than patients with normal or lesser degrees of hearing loss. These two factors together significantly predicted average high-frequency hearing level (r = 0.618, P < 0.001). Traditional metrics such as C1 trough concentrations were not predictive. The relative risk for hearing loss was 5.8 times greater with six or more tobramycin courses that exceeded C2max concentrations of 3 mg/L or higher, with sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 86%. CONCLUSIONS Advanced PK model-informed analysis predicted ototoxicity risk in patients with CF treated with tobramycin and demonstrated high test prediction.
HTS-Based Diagnostics of Sugarcane Viruses: Seasonal Variation and Its Implications for Accurate Detection

Rapid global germplasm trade has increased concern about the spread of plant pathogens and pests across borders that could become established, affecting agriculture and environment systems. Viral pathogens are of particular concern due to their difficulty to control once established. A comprehensive diagnostic platform that accurately detects both known and unknown virus species, as well as unreported variants, is playing a pivotal role across plant germplasm quarantine programs. Here we propose the addition of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) from total RNA to the routine quarantine diagnostic workflow of sugarcane viruses. We evaluated the impact of sequencing depth needed for the HTS-based identification of seven regulated sugarcane RNA/DNA viruses across two different growing seasons (spring and fall). Our HTS analysis revealed that viral normalized read counts (RPKM) was up to 23-times higher in spring than in the fall season for six out of the seven viruses. Random read subsampling analyses suggested that the minimum number of reads required for reliable detection of RNA viruses was 0.5 million, with a viral genome coverage of at least 92%. Using an HTS-based total RNA metagenomics approach, we identified all targeted viruses independent of the time of the year, highlighting that higher sequencing depth is needed for the identification of DNA viruses.
Measurement and Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Deletions in Irradiated Human Cell Lines

The effect of ionizing radiation such as that of X-rays on mitochondrial DNA is not well-understood. We have been using PCR-based methods to quantify and detect changes in human mtDNA in cell culture. We previously developed a real-time PCR assay for measuring numbers of mitochondrial DNA copies using either plasmid standards into which mitochondrial DNA had been cloned or isolated human mitochondrial DNA as quantitative standards for mitochondrial DNA genomes. Now we investigate a different real-time PCR quantification method using single-copy nuclear genes as quantitative standards for cell number. We also show how x rays affect the amount of total mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial DNA bearing the 4977-bp common deletion. In addition, we show how long-extension PCR (LX-PCR) can reveal the presence of new deletions in human lymphoblasts treated with X-ray doses up to 5 Gy.
Indigenous Knowledge: Science and Technology Studies

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 7, pp. 7292–7297, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd., with revisions made by the Editor.
Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy, Perceived Stress, and an Integrated Model of Student Persistence: A Structural Model of Finances, Attitudes, Behavior, and Career Development.

In response to the extraordinarily diverse adult student population present in college today, a new structural equation model adapted from Cabrera et al. (1993) integrated model of student retention was identified with the addition of three variables: career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE), perceived stress and financial difficulty. The study examined the persistence of students (N = 937) 24 years of age or older studying in two-year and four-year degree programs, by combining data from a survey questionnaire and institutional records. Twenty-three variables were included, twelve endogenous variables and eleven exogenous variables, within a nonrecursive structural equation model. The exogenous variables controlled for the background characteristics of the population of adult students examined. Of the twelve endogenous variables of a new integrated model of student persistence, CDMSE, a career development construct related to the perceived vocational futures and career-related tasks of adult students has the widest range of influence among the endogenous variables.
EXTINCTIONS OF BIG GAME

During the Pleistocene and Holocene, numerous large and small bodied animals, known only from the fossil record, suffered extinction. In many cases, major waves of extinction correlate with human colonization of new regions suggesting that humans may have played a critical role. In this article, I review the major contending human and nonhuman explanations for Quaternary extinctions including overkill, climate change, habitat degradation (sitzkrieg), hyperdisease, and the keystone herbivore hypothesis. In the context of these models, I review the global record of Pleistocene extinctions focusing on Africa, Eurasia, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic island regions.
H/sub /spl infin// synthesis for multi-rate hybrid systems

We present techniques for the solution of the multi-rate sampled-data H/sub /spl infin// synthesis problem. This makes use of the mathematical tools developed in Dullerud and Lall (1997). Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the solution, and the problem is shown to be equivalent to a finite dimensional convex optimisation problem expressed in the form of linear matrix inequalities, for which standard numerical software is available.
On Currency Boards – An Updated Bibliography of Scholarly Writings

We provide a bibliography of major scholarly writings and many minor writings on currency boards up to mid 2011. Our bibliography incorporates two previous bibliographies on currency boards. Dr. Kurt Schuler’s 1992 Ph.D. dissertation on the history of currency boards compiled a list of works on currency boards up to then. Schuler listed a number of annual reports of currency boards and other primary sources, but concentrated on scholarly writings by economists in books and economic journals. He relied in part on a 1959 bibliography by the English economist Arthur Hazlewood on the economics of underdeveloped areas, which included a number of references relevant to currency boards. Schuler compiled his bibliography at the end of a long period in which economists had paid little attention to currency boards, and several years before Internet search engines became useful tools for bibliographical research in economics.
Transformation of the hypersonic compressible Navier-Stokes equations.

HE governing equations for a continuous, homogeneous, compressible, viscous, heat conducting, Stokesian fluid are of considerable mathematical complexity. This fact coupled with the usual fluid dynamic boundary conditions has limited the number of known analytical solutions. Consequently a number of numerical solutions of these equations have been investigated. Reference 1 provides a recent survey of these investigations. These numerical investigations generally require the numerical specification of some upstream or far field parameter such as Mach number or Reynolds number. Alternately the numerical specification of some boundary condition parameter is required. Thus, each example of these numerical solutions is applicable for only the one value of the numerically specified parameter. Considering the large number of applicable parameters, a parametric analysis of the solutions is both formidable and expensive. The transformation presented below eliminates, to a large extent, the necessity of numerically specifying far field or boundary condition parameters. In deriving the transformation the flow is considered to be steady, two-dimensional and without body forces or bulk rate of heat addition. An ideal gas (P = pRT) is assumed along with a power law viscosity relation \ij\jir = C(T/T^f° where the r subscript denotes some reference state and C is the ChapmanRubesin constant.2 Finally a constant Prandtl number is assumed. For these specified conditions the compressible NavierStokes equations (continuity, momentum, and energy) in cartesian coordinates are well known.3 Extension to threedimensional flows with body forces and bulk rate of heat addition is straightforward. The analysis is begun by introducing a stream function i//y = pu;\l/x = — pv which satisfies the continuity equation. The resulting forms of the momentum and energy equations are then transformed by introducing dependent variable stretchings * = p00V«V, H = H00H/, p = p^p', P = P»F, T=TaoT', k = kaokf. Using these transformations the diffusion term in the energy equation becomes (knTJUmHnpJ{VTx^x + (VTy')}. Using the definition of the stagnation enthalpy H = h+ U 2/2 where h is the static enthalpy and U2 = u2 + v2 along with the approximation that H^ = h^ + U^2/2 = U^2/2 in hypersonic flow allows writing this term as
Protein level in cerebrospinal fluid; an evaluation of some methods of determination.

Results are given of simultaneous determinations of protein on 17 pooled cerebrospinal fluids (see Table 1) and 22 diluted sera and plasma specimens (see Table 2) by the following methods: micro-Kjeldahl; Johnston-Gibson tyrosine equivalence method; sulfosalicylic acid method; trichloroacetic acid method at 37° and two biuret methods. The micro-Kjeldahl method was used as the standard for comparison.
FitzHugh–Nagumo Model

The FitzHugh–Nagumo (FHN) model is a mathematical model of neuronal excitability developed by Richard FitzHugh as a reduction of the Hodgkin and Huxley’s model of action potential generation in the squid giant axon (FitzHugh 1955). Nagumo et al. subsequently designed, implemented, and analyzed an equivalent electric circuit (Nagumo et al. 1962). In its basic form, the model consists of two coupled, nonlinear ordinary differential equations, one of which describes the fast evolution of the neuronal membrane voltage, the other representing the slower “recovery” action of sodium channel deinactivation and potassium channel deactivation. Phase plane analysis of the FHN model provides qualitative explanations of several aspects of the excitability exhibited by the Hodgkin–Huxley (HH)model, including all-or-none spiking, excitation block, and the apparent absence of a firing threshold. A version of the FHN equations which adds a spatial diffusion term models the propagation of an action potential along an axon as a traveling wave. Due to their relative simplicity and ease of geometric analysis, the FHNmodel and its variants are commonly used in neuroscience, chemistry, physics, and other disciplines as simple models of excitable dynamics, relaxation oscillations, and reaction–diffusion wave propagation.
Computational trust in multiplayer online games

Trust is a ubiquitous phenomenon in human societies. Computational trust refers to the mediation of trust via a computational infrastructure. It has been studied in a variety of contexts e.g., peer-to-peer systems, multi-agent systems, recommendation systems etc. While this is an active area of research, the types of questions that have been explored in this field has been limited mainly because of limitations in the types of datasets which are available to researchers. In this thesis questions related to trust in complex social environments represented by Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) are explored. The main emphasis is that trust is a multi-level phenomenon both in terms of how it operates at multiple levels of network granularities and how trust relates to other social phenomenon like homophily, expertise, mentoring, clandestine behaviors etc. Social contexts and social environments affect not just the qualitative aspects of trust but this phenomenon is also manifested with respect to the network and structural signatures of trust network Additionally trust is also explored in the context of predictive tasks: Previously described prediction tasks like link prediction are studied in the context of trust within the context of the link prediction family of problems: Link formation, link breakage, change in links etc. Additionally we define and explore new trust-related prediction problems i.e., trust propensity prediction, trust prediction across networks which can be generalized to the inter-network link prediction problem and success prediction based on using network measures of a person's social capital as a proxy.
Is wide availability of abortion essential to national population growth control programs? Experiences of 116 countries

No nation wanting to reduce its growth rate to less than or equal to 1% can expect to do so without the widespread use of abortion. This study, based on the experience of 116 of the world's largest countries, supports the contention that abortion is essential to any national population growth control effort. Existing circumstances in developed countries have facilitated reduction of growth rates to less than 1%, with abortion rates generally in the range of 200 to 500 per 1000 live births. However, developing countries are faced with a different and more difficult set of circumstances that require even greater reliance on abortion. These obstacles include a young population with resultant rapidly growing numbers of young fertile women, poor contraceptive use-effectiveness, low prevalence of contraception, and poor or nonexistent systems for providing contraceptives. By virtue of their profession, physicians play a critical role in family planning and carry a special responsibility in ensuring that abortion services are available to all women who need them.
Resistance of Pineapple Variety 59-443 to Field Populations of Oriental Fruit Flies and Melon Flies

The variety 59-443 of pineapple, Ananas comosus (L.) Merr., cannot be shipped to the mainland of the United States as fresh fruit without fumigation with ethylene dibromide to prevent the introduction of the 3 species of Hawaiian Tephritidae (Anonymous 1968). The parentage of variety 59-443 includes ‘Smooth Cayenne,’ ‘Pernambuco,’ ‘Smooth Guatemala,’ and ‘Ruby’ in the ratio of 9:3:2:2, respectively, and except for porosity, brix of 16.0, acidity of 0.70, and translucence of 3.5 are similar to ‘Smooth Cayenne’ (J. B. Smith, Dole Company, 650 Iwilei Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817, personal communication, 1972). The fruit is less porous than Smooth Cayenne as indicated by the values of porosity of 3.5 and 2.7, respectively (1.0 maximum and 4.0 least). Fruit for this study were grown on the Island of Lanai, which has a land area of only 141 mile and contains many hosts of these species: Cucurbitacea; papaya, Carica papaya L.; mango, Mangifera indica L.; avocado, Persea americana Mill.; plus various Citrus in backyards in Lanai City; guava, Psidium guajava L., on many parts of the island; and the weedy form of balsam pear, Momordica charantia L. (Neal 1965), in and about the pineapple fields.
The effect of septal lesions on acquisition of a classically conditioned fear response

Septal lesions were placed in rats and the animals were then tested with two variations of the classical conditioning fear response. One variation involved the inclusion of an exploration procedure before the test session, which was designed to reduce response conflict between crouching, or freezing, and hurdle jumping. The other variation was a “no-exploration” condition. These two variations are assumed to be analogous to one-way avoidance conditioning and to two-way shuttlebox avoidance conditioning, respectively. Septal lesions reduced the level of performance under the “exploration” condition. The performance of septal-lesioned animals did not differ significantly from normals under the “no-exploration” condition.
Environmental novelty causes stress-like adaptations at nucleus accumbens synapses: Implications for studying addiction-related plasticity

Abstract Exposure to abused drugs and stressful experience, two factors that promote the development of addiction, also modify synaptic function in the mesolimbic dopamine system. Here, we show that exposure to a novel environment produces functional synaptic adaptations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) that mirror the effect of conventional forms of stress. We find an enhancement of excitatory synaptic strength in the NAc shell one day after exposure to a novel environment for 60 min – an effect not observed in NAc core. This effect disappeared following repeated exposure to the same environment, but then reappeared if mice are returned to the same environment 10–14 days later. There were no interactions between the effects of environmental novelty and a single exposure to cocaine (15 mg/kg), with no effect of the latter on synaptic strength in NAc shell. These results have important implications for designing studies of NAc synapses in the context of behavioral analysis, and expand our understanding of how different forms of stress modify NAc synaptic function. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Synaptic Plasticity and Addiction’.
Biochemical basis for deoxyadenosine and 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine toxicity to resting human lymphocytes.

An Inherited deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA; adenosine aminohydrolase EC 3, 5, 4, 4) results in a combined immunodeficiency disease (1). The selective lymphopenia seen in ADA deficient children has been attributed to the toxic effects of deoxyadenosine (dAdo) metabolites (2). Micromolar concentrations of dAdo are toxic in vitro to ADA-inhibited human resting peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). The ADA-resistent dAdo congener, 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (CdA) is similarly cytotoxic to resting human T cells (3). Since the toxic mechanisms of dAdo have not been clearly elucidated, we have examined the metabolic changes that follow exposure of PBL to dAdo plus deoxycoformycin (dCF), as well as to CdA (4).
Development of an improved mammalian overexpression method for human CD62L.

Abstract We have previously developed a glutamine synthetase (GS)-based mammalian recombinant protein expression system that is capable of producing 5–30 mg/L recombinant proteins. The over expression is based on multiple rounds of target gene amplification driven by methionine sulfoximine (MSX), an inhibitor of glutamine synthetase. However, like other stable mammalian over expression systems, a major shortcoming of the GS-based expression system is its lengthy turn-around time, typically taking 4–6 months to produce. To shorten the construction time, we replaced the multi-round target gene amplifications with single-round in situ amplifications, thereby shortening the cell line construction to 2 months. The single-round in situ amplification method resulted in highest recombinant CD62L expressing CHO cell lines producing ∼5 mg/L soluble CD62L, similar to those derived from the multi-round amplification and selection method. In addition, we developed a MSX resistance assay as an alternative to utilizing ELISA for evaluating the expression level of stable recombinant CHO cell lines.
Calcium-Sensitive Uptake of Amino Acids by Human Placental Slices

ABSTRACT. The placenta supplies many nutrients to the fetus, including amino acids by active transport. Although the exact regulatory mechanism is unknown, a few studies have suggested a role for calcium in amino acid transport. Therefore, we examined the relationship between calcium and amino acid uptake by term human placental slices. Calcium depletion of slices significantly reduced uptake of α-aminoisobutyric (AIB), which is actively transported primarily by a sodium-dependent, carrier-mediated mechanism. Impairment of AIB uptake induced by calcium depletion was reversed by repletion with calcium but not with other divalent cations. In contrast, uptake of phenylalanine, which is transported primarily by a sodium-independent mechanism, was not affected by calcium depletion. Uptake of leucine and valine, which accumulate by both sodium-dependent and independent mechanisms, was partially affected by calcium depletion. Verapamil (10 μM), an inhibitor of transmembrane calcium flux, significantly reduced AIB uptake. Trifluoperazine, a calmodulin antagonist, also inhibited AIB uptake. Analysis of AIB uptake kinetic constants for control and calcium-depleted slices showed no change in the diffusion constant, a 37% reduction in Vmax, and a 2-fold increase in Km. The results indicate that calcium may be an important factor in the cellular regulation of active transport of amino acids.
Evaluation of the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe. Part I: Electronic and Optical Studies

Abstract Laboratory studies of the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP), were conducted to better understand the operation, to determine limitations and to define the measurement accuracy of the instrument for airborne cloud physics research. The studies included electronic cheeks of the instrument sensitivity to simulated particles of different sizes, airspeeds and arrival rates; measurement of important aspects of the optical configuration; and intercomparisons of six different FSSPs in a small wind tunnel with a droplet spray. The tests demonstrated measurement differences between various probes in several areas as well as areas in which there was reasonable agreement. Part of the differences can be attributed to different feature and design specifications of different probes as changes were made to improve the FSSP. Areas in which care needs to be taken in the calibration and processing of data from the FSSP are identified.
Rigorous valid ranges for optimally reduced kinetic models

Reduced chemical kinetic models are often used in place of a detailed mechanism because of the computational expense of solving the complete set of equations describing the reacting system. Mathematical methods for model reduction are usually associated with a nominal set of reaction conditions for which the model is reduced. The important effects of variability in these nominal conditions are often ignored because there is no convenient way to deal with them. In this work, we introduce a method to identify rigorous valid ranges for reduced models; i.e., the reduced models are guaranteed to replicate the full model to within an error tolerance under all conditions in the identified valid range. Previous methods have estimated valid ranges using a limited set of variables (usually temperature and a few species compositions) and cannot guarantee that the reduced model is accurate at all points in the estimated range. The new method is demonstrated by identifying valid ranges for models reduced from the GRI-Mech 3.0 mechanism with 53 species and 325 reactions, and a truncated propane mechanism with 94 species and 505 reactions based on the comprehensive mechanism of Marinov et al. A library of reduced models is also generated for several prespecified ranges composing a desired state space. The use of these reduced models with error control in reacting flow simulations is demonstrated through an Adaptive Chemistry example. By using the reduced models in the simulation only when they are valid the Adaptive Chemistry solution matches the solution obtained using the detailed mechanism.
The Effect of Text Versus Video Presentations of Patient Narratives in a Web-based Patient Decision Aid

Over the past several years the Internet has developed a more prominent role as a source for medical patients to search for health related information. The current study examined the use of web-based patient decision aids and how the format of patient narratives influenced treatment preferences and knowledge about the treatments options. Fifty-three women viewed a web-based decision aid with patient narratives displayed in a full-video format, full-text (no video) format, no patient video format, or no patient text format. The patient narrative format had no influence on knowledge or treatment preference, but time spent viewing specific webpages within the decision aid was predictive of treatment choice. Participants that spent more time viewing the lumpectomy webpage were significantly more likely to prefer lumpectomy with radiation, while participants who spent more time viewing the mastectomy webpage were significantly more likely to prefer mastectomy. These results suggest that a confirmation bias may...
Transcriptional regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression in uterine artery endothelial cells by c-Jun/AP-1

Despite extensive studies have shown that increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) expression in the uterine artery endothelial cells (UAEC) plays a key role in uterine vasodilatation, the molecular mechanism controlling NOS3 expression in UAEC is unknown. According to the sheep NOS3 promoter sequence isolated in our laboratory, we hypothesize that the activator protein-1 (AP-1) site in the proximal sheep NOS3 promoter (TGAGTCA, -682 to -676) is important for NOS3 expression. We developed a c-Jun adenoviral expression system to overexpress c-Jun protein into UAEC to investigate the effects of c-Jun/AP-1 on NOS3 expression. Basal levels of c-Jun protein and mRNA were detected in UAEC. c-Jun protein was overexpressed in a concentration and time-dependent fashion in UAEC infected with sense c-Jun (S-c-Jun), but not sham and antisense c-Jun (A-c-Jun) adenoviruses. Infection with S-c-Jun adenovirus (25 MOI, multiplicity of infection) resulted in efficient c-Jun protein overexpression in UAEC up to 3 days. In S-c-Jun, but not sham and A-c-Jun adenovirus infected UAEC, NOS3 mRNA and protein levels were increased (P<0.05) compared to noninfected controls. Increased NOS3 expression was associated with increased total NOS activity. Transient transfections showed that c-Jun overexpression augmented the transactivation of the sheep NOS3 promoter-driven luciferase/reporter constructs with the AP-1 site but not of deletion constructs without the AP-1 site. When the AP-1 site was mutated, c-Jun failed to trans-activate the sheep NOS3 promoter. AP-1 DNA binding activity also increased in c-Jun overexpressed UAEC. Lastly, the pharmacological AP-1 activator phorbol myristate acetate increased AP-1 binding, trans-activated the wild-type but not the AP-1 mutant NOS3 promoter and dose-dependently stimulated UAEC NOS3 and c-Jun protein expression. Hence, our data show that c-Jun/AP-1 regulates NOS3 transcription involving the proximal AP-1 site in the 5'-regulatory region of the sheep NOS3 gene.
Sigma-delta learning for super-resolution source separation on high-density microphone arrays

The performance of acoustic source separation algorithms significantly degrades when they applied to signals recorded using miniature microphone arrays where the distances between the microphone elements are much smaller than the wavelength of acoustic signals. This can be attributed to limited dynamic range (determined by analog-to-digital conversion) of the sensor which is insufficient to overcome the artifacts due to large cross-channel redundancy, non-homogeneous mixing and high-dimensionality of the signal space. This paper presents some of the recent progress in the area of sigma-delta learning which integrates statistical learning with analog-to-digital process and enables super-resolution auditory localization and separation. Experiments with synthetic and real recordings demonstrate significant and consistent performance improvements when the proposed approach is used as the analog-to-digital front-end to conventional source separation algorithms.
Effects of Varying Potential and Electrolytic Dosage in Direct Current Treatment of Tumors

The effects of different voltages and dosages during direct current treatment were studied to determine the most effective tumor treatment. Groups of nude mice with subcutaneous human colon cancer nodules were treated with a single electrolytic dose (charge) of direct current using two percutaneously placed needle electrodes. All the treated groups responded and the residual tumor volumes were significantly lower (p< 0.001) than the control group. 7.5 V gave the greatest tumor reduction, significantly more than for 12.5, 10.0,/and 2.5 V. 35 C/ml of tumor/was more effective than 30 C/ml (p<0.05) and no difference in response was/obtained between 35 and 50 C/ml. Hyperthermia did not appear to play a significant part in direct current treatment in the examined voltage range as no intra-tumoral temperature elevation was observed. Direct current may allow effective percutaneous treatment of metastases which are unresponsive or unsuitable for conventional treatment.
A Novel Voronoi Based Particle Filter for Multi-Sensor Data Fusion

Seamless and reliable navigation for civilian/military application is possible by fusing prominent Global Positioning System (GPS) with Inertial Navigation System (INS). This integrated GPS/INS unit exhibits a continuous navigation solution with increased accuracy and reduced uncertainty or ambiguity. In this paper, we propose a novel approach of dynamically creating a Voronoi based Particle Filter (VPF) for integrating INS and GPS data. This filter is based on redistribution of the proposal distribution such that the redistributed particles lie in high likelihood region; thereby increasing the filter accuracy. The usual limitations like degeneracy, sample impoverishment that are seen in conventional particle filter are overcome using our VPF with minimum feasible particles. The small particle size in our methodology reduces the computational load of the filter and makes real-time implementation feasible. Our field test results clearly indicate that the proposed VPF algorithm effectively compensated and reduced positional inaccuracies when GPS data is available. We also present the preliminary results for cases with short GPS outages that occur for low-cost inertial sensors.
Chemical compatibility between zirconia dispersion and gamma titanium aluminide matrix

Abstract Deformation-induced martensitic transformation in a ZrO 2 -base dispersion can be utilized as a toughening mechanism in gamma-TiAl at lower temperatures. However, chemical reactions between zirconia and gamma-TiAl at higher temperatures can lead to a serious degradation of the material's properties. In the present paper a thermodynamics-based analysis was carried out to determine the chemical compositions of the two phases which will minimize the extent of chemical reactions at high temperatures.
An Oxytocin Receptor Gene Variant Predicts Attachment Anxiety in Females and Autism-Spectrum Traits in Males

A molecular genetic approach was used to investigate the relationship between common variants of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and self-reported social functioning in healthy adults. Females with at least one copy of the A allele at OXTR rs2254298 reported greater attachment anxiety than females with two copies of the G allele. Males with at least one copy of the A allele at OXTR rs2254298 reported more autism-associated traits than males with two copies of the G allele. These results support the growing evidence that naturally occurring differences in the oxytocin system contribute to individual differences in social functioning in healthy adults. The authors discuss potential avenues by which sex may moderate the relationship between oxytocin and human social behavior.
EM 3D contour maps provide protein assembly at the nanoscale within the neuronal porosome complex.

Summary The neuronal porosome complex, the secretory machinery at the plasma membrane of nerve terminals, is a 12–17-nm cup-shaped lipoprotein structure possessing a central plug. Since the porosome is a membrane associated, multi-protein complex measuring >650 kD, it has precluded generation of 3D crystals for x-ray diffraction studies, nor structural analysis at the atomic level using solution magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These limitations were partially overcome in the current studies, furthering our understanding of the porosome structure. Using atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy and electron density and 3D contour mapping, finally provides at the nanoscale, the structure and assembly of proteins within the neuronal porosome complex. Results from this study demonstrate a set of eight protein units lining the porosome cup, each connected via spoke-like elements to a central plug region within the structure. The isolation of intact porosomes for near-atomic resolution using cryo-electron diffraction measurements, is finally possible.
39. Characterization of the effects of freeze therapy on pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1

Pancreatic cancer (PCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Based on rates from 2007 to 2009, 1 in 68 individuals will be diagnosed with PCC in their lifetime. Although the incidence of PCC is lower than most cancers, the mortality rate is much higher with an average five year survival rate of approximately 6%. Current methods used to treat PCC include cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and chemotherapy. The application of cryotherapy has been shown to be an effective, minimally invasive technique to treat PCC. However, wide spread utilization has been hindered due to limited clinical data and a void in our understanding of the cellular and molecular response of PCC to cryoablation. A more in-depth understanding of these molecular responses should provide a path to increasing cell death following freezing. In this study, we evaluated the effects of freezing on a human pancreatic cancer cell model, PANC-1, in an attempt to characterize the overall response of PCC to cryoablation, identify the lethal temperature, as well as investigate the mechanisms of cell death in PCC in response to a freezing insult. PANC-1 samples were exposed to a range of sub-freezing temperatures (−10 to −20 °C) and compared to non-frozen controls in vitro. PANC-1 samples were frozen to a given temperature for 10 min, and then thawed at room temperature before returning to 37 °C culture. Ice formation was initiated via LN2 seeding when sample temperature reached −2 °C to limit supercooling. Viability assessments were performed 24 h post-freeze using Alamar Blue, a metabolic assay, and Calcein AM, a fluorescent membrane integrity indicator. Microfluidic flow cytometry was conducted using fluorophores YO-PRO-1 and Propidium Iodide to quantify the relative levels of apoptosis and necrosis, respectively, at 1, 4, 8, and 24 h post-thaw. The data indicate that exposure to −10 °C resulted in a minimal effect on PANC-1 cell viability one day post-thaw (126 ± 2% vs. 133 ± 2% relative to pre-freeze control). Assessment of samples exposed to −15 and −20 °C revealed a decrease in survival to 36% and 4%, respectively. Qualitative assessment via fluorescent microscopy revealed a peak in cell death between 4 and 8 h post-thaw. Quantitative analysis via microfluidic flow cytometry correlated with the fluorescent microscopy data showing a slight increase in apoptosis and secondary necrosis between 4 and 8 h at −15 °C. Microfluidic flow cytometry also revealed a distinct rise in necrotic cell death throughout the post-thaw time course, peaking at 72% and 88% necrosis at −15 °C and −20 °C, respectively, 24 h post-thaw. These data provide early indications that by increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of cryoablation, we may gain an improved understanding of ablative methods for pancreatic cancer, thereby potentially extending the life expectancy of patients with PCC.
External morphology of Coptophylla caroliniani and Aceria mississippiensis spermatophores (Prostigmata: Eriophyidae)

The spermatophores of Coptophylla caroliniani and Aceria mississippiensis consist of a base which is glued to the substrate by an adhesive substance, a stalk, and an expanded head with a sperm packet resting on a central projection. The C. caroliniani spermatophore has a twisted stalk whereas the A. mississippiensis spermatophore has a straight stalk that is twisted near the junction of the head and stalk. A fan-shaped head is characteristic of a C. caroliniani spermatophore whereas A. mississippiensis has a shield-shaped head. The central projection which attaches the sperm packet to the head is oblong in C. caroliniani and cylindrical in A. mississippiensis.