cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of acetylated polyamines on ornithine decarboxylase in rat HTC cells.

Abstract N-Monoacetylputrescine and N 8 -monoacetylspermidine, metabolites of the naturally occurring polyamines, activate the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). When added to cultures of hepatoma (HTC) cells growing in log phase, in concentrations of 5×10 −5 M and 2.5×10 −7 M respectively, these substances cause a 3 to 5-fold increase in the activity of ODC with a peak effect at one hour. This previously undescribed stimulating effect is in sharp contrast to the well established suppressing effects of nonacetylated polyamines on ODC activity.
Quantitative nanoscale characterization

The Veeco Instruments Thermal Analysis (VITA) module enables nanoscale thermal analysis (nTA), a novel technique that allows the determination of the local transition temperature on the surface of a material with nanoscale spatial resolution. By providing quantitative characterization, nTA can help identify materials and their phase separation and component distribution (or aggregation) at the nanoscale. The technique utilizes a specialized thermal probe to heat a very small region on the sample surface and locally measure its thermal properties, including such thermal transitions as melting points and glass transitions. The thermal probe is similar in geometry and physical characteristics to standard silicon atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes, and thus enables the generation of high-resolution sample topography maps using contact mode and TappingMode™ techniques. The AFM image can be used to target locations of interest for thermal analyses, which can then be executed in a matter of seconds. In this way, nTA marries the resolution of AFM to the unambiguous and quantitative data of thermal analysis. This application note describes the technique and demonstrates its benefits in a number of applications.
2H NMR and the sol—gel transition in suspensions of colloidal clays

Abstract During processing of Athabasca oil sands, the dispersed fine solids in the tails form a stable gel-like structure containing up to 90% of the process water. One suggestion is that this gelation phenomenon is due to the presence of colloidal clays with particles of submicron dimensions. In this paper we report on the isolation of the ultrafine solids fraction, and study the interaction of the clay particles with water with 2 H NMR spectroscopy. Free-flowing suspensions of colloidal clays give 2 H and 17 O NMR multiples characteristic of bound water on oriented particles. Evidence is presented that in a magnetic field, the gel structure which forms from the sol consists of domains in which the anisotropic aggregates all have a common orientation so as to give an oriented gel. When gel formation takes place outside an orienting field, a random gel structure is obtained in which there is no correlation of orientation of the anisotropic aggregates on going from one domain to another. The time scale for the sol—gel transformation depends on solids concentration and water chemistry, and may be from minutes to weeks.
Stent-Graft Repair of an Aortic Rupture Caused by Invasive Hemangiopericytoma

We describe a patient with a history of hemangiopericytoma, who had hemoptysis develop due to a pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta from an intrathoracic metastasis. Stent-graft repair successfully excluded the aneurysm from the aorta. Transesophageal echocardiography showed to be an important guide for correct placement of the device.
Frequency and time-resolved triply vibrationally enhanced four-wave mixing spectroscopy

We report a two-color frequency domain triply vibrationally enhanced (TRIVE) four-wave mixing (FWM) method that is fully resonant and provides coherent multidimensional vibrational spectra. Tempora...
The malignant clone and the bone-marrow environment.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the clonal expansion of monoclonal immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells within the bone marrow (BM). It has become clear that the intimate reciprocal relationship between the tumor cell clone and the niches of the BM microenvironment plays a pivotal pathophysiologic role in MM. We and others have identified several new molecular targets and derived novel therapies which induce cytotoxicity against MM cells in the BM milieu, including thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide. Importantly, these agents induce tumor-cell death, as well as inhibit MM-cell–BM-stromal-cell (BMSC) adhesion and related tumor-cell growth, survival, and migration. Moreover, they block both constitutive and MM-cell binding-induced growth factor and cytokine secretion in BMSCs. Further, they also block tumor angiogenesis and can augment anti-MM immunity. Although all three of these agents are now FDA-approved to treat MM, patients inevitably relapse, and further improvements remain urgently needed. Here we review our current knowledge of the MM cell clone, as well as the impact of the BM microenvironment on tumor-cell growth, survival, migration and drug resistance. Delineating the mechanisms and sequelae of the reciprocal relationship between the MM cell clone, distinct BM extracellular matrix proteins, and accessory cell compartments may provide the basis for new effective therapeutic strategies to re-establish BM homeostasis and thereby improve MM patient outcome.
Mass-rearing of the redlegged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes De Geer (Coleoptera: Cleridae) for laboratory research.

Abstract A new protocol for mass-rearing the redlegged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes De Geer, in the laboratory is described, that facilitates the production of large numbers of insects with minimal handling. A culture medium comprised of finely ground (150 μm) dried fish, dry dog food and pieces of dried cured ham was tested on N. rufipes. This rearing medium produced significantly larger population numbers when compared with a range of published and unpublished methods. When reared on this medium with initial colonies of 200 mixed sex adult beetles, there was more than a three-fold increase in N. rufipes adult populations from the original numbers over a 7–8 week period. This simple procedure minimizes cannibalism as the larvae were shifted into glass vials for pupal cell formation.
Authigenic gypsum in marine sediments

Abstract Gypsum crystals of both clastic and authigenic origin are reported in marine sediments. Two types of authigenic gypsum, readily distinguishable from the clastic, reworked forms have been identified; one being tabular and the other prismatic to acicular. A detailed stratigraphic and quantitative study of Pleistocene Core V12-18, located on the Rio Grande Rise at a depth of 4021 m, has shown tabular gypsum crystals growing around fragments and enclosing planktonic foraminiferal tests. The crystals are particularly associated with high concentrations of solution-resistant benthonic and planktonic foraminifera. Their stratigraphic distribution and faunal association suggests that gypsum precipitation is intimately linked to episodic influx of Antarctic Bottom Water originating in the Weddell Sea. The oceanic regime occupying the core site provides the physical—chemical conditions necessary to produce the SO2−4 and Ca2+ ionic concentration necessary to precipitate gypsum. In response to climatic shifts (cold phase), the subtropical convergence and associated water masses were displaced in a way to permit the intrusion of cooler more productive waters. This stimulated and increased organic deposition on the relatively stagnant sea floor. During climatic amelioration, an influx of oxygen-rich, undersaturated Antarctic Bottom Water sweeps over the basin floor, actively dissolving the foraminiferal ooze and thus supplying the necessary Ca2+. At this point gypsum is produced. Climatic aridity and semirestricted basins are no longer considered limiting factors in the origin of marine gypsum, and the classical model for its origin must be extended to include conditions periodically obtained on the sea floor.
Elevated Stream Inorganic Nitrogen Impacts on a Dominant Riparian Tree Species: Results from an Experimental Riparian Stream System

water from 5 mmol l � 1 to about 100 mmol l � 1 , while the second plot received no additional nitrogen. Relative stem sap flux density (Js) did not vary between plots until near the conclusion of the 2006 growing season, when trees in the fertilized plot showed a steep upswing in Js relative to trees in the control plot. Sap flux in 2007 increased consistently by 0.4% day � 1 in the fertilized plot relative to the control plot over a 75-day period, before leveling off near the conclusion of the growing season. At the onset of the experiment, leaf nitrogen per unit mass and leaf nitrogen per unit area were significantly higher in the control plot, and leaf C:N ratios were lower. In 2007, however, differences in leaf chemistry disappeared, suggesting that leaf nitrogen increased in the fertilized trees relative to the control trees. Stem diametergrowth in 2007 was 15% greater in the fertilized trees, although there were no differences in either canopy radial or canopy height growth throughout the experiment. Results from this investigation suggest that increases in stream inorganic nitrogen affect water use, litter quality, and productivity of dominant riparian vegetation. These effects may have important feedbacks on several ecohydrological processes.
Multiple Segment Line Scan-conversion

We present a new method for scan-converting a straight line. A scan-converted straight line may contain many pixel segments of identical shapes. Therefore, instead of scan-converting the whole line step by step, we can scan-convert multiple segments of a line through copying and replicating. With a few modifications to the existing algorithms, we can significantly speed up the scan-conversion process. The algorithm can be implemented in the hardware, further speeding up the process. The hardware design for the new algorithm is provided. We prove that we can speed up all existing line scan-conversion algorithms on the average 3 times.
Electronic Structure of Wide-Band-Gap Chalcopyrites

Electronic band structures, equilibrium lattice constants and structural parameters, cohesive energies, and bulk moduli calculated by means of the linear-muffin-tin orbital method are presented for BeSiN2, MgSiN2 and MgSiP2 chalcopyrites. The relationships of these compounds to the “parent” III-V compounds are clarified.
Micro-machining in submillimeter-wave circuits

Micro-machining technology has been used in submillimeter-wave circuits for more than ten years, but it is just beginning to appear in receivers on radio telescopes. A variety of rod, membrane, slot, and horn antennas have been demonstrated, together with hollow-metal guides and sliding shorts. Recently, a micro-machined waveguide receiver with a SIS junction on a 1-/spl mu/m membrane has been demonstrated at 850 GHz with a DSB noise temperature of 450 K.
Reputation-Based Scheduling on Unreliable Distributed Infrastructures

This paper presents a design and analysis of scheduling techniques to cope with the inherent unreliability and instability of worker nodes in large-scale donation-based distributed infrastructures such as P2P and Grid systems. In particular, we focus on nodes that execute tasks via donated computational resources and may behave erratically or maliciously. We present a model in which reliability is not a binary property but a statistical one based on a nodes prior performance and behavior. We use this model to construct several reputation-based scheduling algorithms that employ estimated reliability ratings of worker nodes for efficient task allocation. Through simulation of a BOINC-like distributed computing infrastructure, we demonstrate that our algorithms can significantly improve throughput, while maintaining a very high success rate of task completion.
Developing language in a developing body: the relationship between motor development and language development.

During the first eighteen months of life, infants acquire and refine a whole set of new motor skills that significantly change the ways in which the body moves in and interacts with the environment. In this review article, I argue that motor acquisitions provide infants with an opportunity to practice skills relevant to language acquisition before they are needed for that purpose; and that the emergence of new motor skills changes infants' experience with objects and people in ways that are relevant for both general communicative development and the acquisition of language. Implications of this perspective for current views of co-occurring language and motor impairments and for methodology in the field of child language research are also considered.
Race, gender, and educational advantage in the inner city

Objective. In this study we examine race differences in the effect of childhood in an urban inner–city community on educational attainment in adulthood. Methods. We examine a cohort of African American and white individuals born in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the same hospital. Our analysis examines a set of individual, family, and community characteristics for the respondents at three time points in their life course, birth, childhood, and adulthood. Results. We find that black men and women are substantially more likely than their white counterparts to graduate from high school, and that black women are more likely than white men, black men, and white women to graduate from high school and college. Conclusions. We conclude that social policy to eradicate urban disadvantage must not shift its focus to the plight of poor whites to the neglect of African Americans. Rather, we urge that inner–city white children be “drawn out of the shadows” of social research and that the uniqueness of race, class, and gender intersections realized in the inner city be brought to bear.
The Morphologic Relationship Between Dental Resins and Etched Dentin

The interface between different resins and dentin etched with orthophosphoric acid indicated that tubules and their lateral extensions were occupied by resin. The extent and depth of penetration were influenced by the drying procedure. Penetration was approximately 0.2 mm after drying according to clinical protocol, and approximately 2.0 mm after drying dentin for 24 hours.
Dance Like No One Is Watching, Sing Like No One Is Listening?

I never thought I would be enthusiastic about 24-hour video surveillance. Of course, it can still represent a troubling intrusion of government into the lives of innocent citizens, but as Rodriguez-Munoz et al. ( 1 ) demonstrate on page 1269 of this issue, such continual observation of animals can also provide valuable and unusual insights into their ecology and evolution, particularly when directed at a sedentary population of insects. By combining genetic paternity testing with detailed observations facilitated by video technology, the scientists were able to compare laboratory with field findings in an unprecedented fashion, thereby challenging conventional wisdom about sex differences and the determinants of fitness in terms of reproductive success.
The Impact of Race on Survival After Heart Transplantation: An Analysis of More Than 20,000 Patients

Background Evidence exists for race-linked discrepancies in survival after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The United Network for Organ Sharing database provides an opportunity to examine the effect of race on outcomes in a large cohort of adult OHT patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the United Network for Organ Sharing data for 20,185 adult patients receiving primary OHT (1997 through 2007). Patients were divided into groups of specific race and also stratified by donor and recipient race-matching. The impact of race on mortality was examined using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis incorporating 23 variables and interaction terms between donor and recipient race. Mortality (30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 2 years, and 5 years) and rejection in the first year were examined. Cumulative post-OHT survival was modeled using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Of 20,185 patients, 12,381 (61%) were race matched (75% of whites, n=11,456; 17% of African Americans, n=514; 30% of Hispanics, n=391; 5% of Asians, n=19). Five thousand six hundred fourteen patients (28%) died during the study. African American recipients have an 11.4% absolute decrease in 10-year survival compared with whites. After risk adjustment, African American recipients have a 46% increase in the risk of cumulative mortality (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.24 to 1.72; p Conclusions Our study represents the largest modern cohort evaluating race in adult OHT. African American recipients have significantly worse survival after OHT. Race-matching did not confer improved survival.
Fabrication of large convex mirrors

A new class of telescope is being built with primary mirrors as large as 8.4 meters in diameter and as fast as f/1. Due to the large size and aspheric departure of these convex mirrors, traditional fabrication and testing techniques are impractical. We have developed tools and techniques and to manufacture large, steep convex aspheres and have built a dedicated facilty that integrates a 1.8-m stressed-lap polishing machine with interferometric and mechanical measuring systems. We have used this facility to process 4 secondary mirrors, up to 1.7 meters in diameter.
Distributed Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimizer in Dynamic Environment

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population-based stochastic optimization technique, which can be used to find an optimal, or near optimal, solution to a numerical and qualitative problem. In PSO algorithm, the problem solution emerges from the interactions among many simple individual agents called particles. In the real world, we have to frequently deal with searching and tracking an optimal solution in a dynamical and noisy environment. This demands that the algorithm not only find the optimal solution but also track the trajectory of the non-stationary solution. The traditional PSO algorithm lacks the ability to track the changing optimal solution in a dynamic and noisy environment. In this paper, we present a distributed adaptive PSO (DAPSO) algorithm that can be used to track a non-stationary optimal solution in a dynamically changing and noisy environment.
DETERMINATION OF FENBENDAZOLE IN ADULT ARTEMIA USING REVERSE-PHASE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

A new HPLC procedure for the determination of fenbendazole, a benzimidazole, in adult Artemia (live brine shrimp) has been developed and validated. Following a liquid extraction using ethyl acetate, samples were separated by reversed-phase HPLC on a Sunfire C18 column and quantified using UV detection at 215 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of 37.5 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate pH 3.75 and acetonitrile, with a flow-rate of 0.9 mL/min. The procedure produced a linear curve over the concentration range of 100–5000 µg/gm with a lower limit of quantification of 1 µg/gm. Intra- and inter-assay variability was less than 8%. The development of the assay allowed the determination of fenbendazole in a live brine shrimp feeding study.
Anode–Cathode Asymmetry in a Wire-Array $Z$ -Pinch: Highly Resolved Axial-Shear-Flow Structure Observed on the Outer Edges of Ablating Wires

Presented is a laser-backlit image of a tungsten wire-array Z-pinch at 1 MA. This image shows highly resolved (to about 20-40 μm) anode-cathode-asymmetric wavelike structure on the outer edges of the ablating wires. The development of this structure implies that axial shear flow occurs in ablating wire-array Z-pinches.
Development of the TUG specification language to support specification reuse

Software reuse has been a research area for improving software development productivity and quality. A language incorporating a facility for reuse amplifies the software developer's capabilities. The TUG (Tree Unified with Grammar) specification language caters several features such as polymorphism, overloading, schemes (generic and parameterized modules), root type, renaming, and extending to foster specification reuse. This paper briefly introduces the syntax and semantics of the TUG specification language. Some important but not comprehensive features of the language for reuse are then illustrated with the aid of examples. Mechanisms for reuse are examined The augmented typed lambda calculus is used to explain the language. Finally, the capabilities, benefits, limitations and future research are discussed. >
Fusion, propagation, and structuring in belief networks

Belief networks are directed acyclic graphs in which the nodes represent propositions (or variables), the arcs signify direct dependencies between the linked propositions, and the strengths of these dependencies are quantified by conditional probabilities. A network of this sort can be used to represent the generic knowledge of a domain expert, and it turns into a computational architecture if the links are used not merely for storing factual knowledge but also for directing and activating the data flow in the computations which manipulate this knowledge. The first part of the paper deals with the task of fusing and propagating the impacts of new information through the networks in such a way that, when equilibrium is reached, each proposition will be assigned a measure of belief consistent with the axioms of probability theory. It is shown that if the network is singly connected (e.g. tree-structured), then probabilities can be updated by local propagation in an isomorphic network of parallel and autonomous processors and that the impact of new information can be imparted to all propositions in time proportional to the longest path in the network. The second part of the paper deals with the problem of finding a tree-structured representation for a collection of probabilistically coupled propositions using auxiliary (dummy) variables, colloquially called "hidden causes." It is shown that if such a tree-structured representation exists, then it is possible to uniquely uncover the topology of the tree by observing pairwise dependencies among the available propositions (i.e., the leaves of the tree). The entire tree structure, including the strengths of all internal relationships, can be reconstructed in time proportional to n log n, where n is the number of leaves.
Effects of uniform electric fields on intracellular calcium transients in single cardiac cells

Although intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) transients in cardiac cells have been well studied in the uniformly polarized cell membrane, how these transients are modified during field stimulation when the cell membrane is nonuniformly polarized has not been investigated. In this study we characterized the effects of uniform field stimuli on [Ca(2+)](i) transients in isolated guinea pig cardiac cells. Single guinea pig cells were enzymatically isolated, loaded with the [Ca(2+)](i) fluorescent indicator fluo-3, and stimulated along their longitudinal axes with S1 or S1-S2 (S1-S2 = 50 ms) pulses. The fluorescence signals were recorded simultaneously from up to 12 sites along the cell length using a multisite mapping system. S1 pulse, applied during the resting phase of the action potential, induced [Ca(2+)](i) transients that had an earlier onset at the anodal-facing end, suggesting that [Ca(2+)](i) gradients (nabla[Ca(2+)](i)) develop during the rising phase of the [Ca(2+)](i) transients. With the assumption that the peak change in [Ca(2+)](i) is 980 nM, nabla[Ca(2+)](i) was estimated to be approximately 3.4 nM/microm in the anodal half of the cell for a nominal 10 V/cm field and negligible in the cathodal half. The S2 pulse that was applied during the plateau of the action potential also perturbed the [Ca(2+)](i) transients and produced [Ca(2+)](i) gradients directed from the center to either end of the cell. Mean nabla[Ca(2+)](i) in the anodal half of the cell (approximately 4.2 nM/microm) was found to be statistically higher than in the cathodal half (approximately 2.8 nM/microm).
An empirical investigation of relative risk aversion

A single-attribute utility function models a decision-maker's preferences as revealed by choices among risky alternatives. A measurable value function models a decision-maker's strength of preference for various levels of the attributes. An experimental investigation of the relationship between the utility function and measurable value function for 29 cases is described. The utility function was the same as the measurable value function in only three cases. Further, the recently developed concept of a relative risk attitude was used to categorize the observed preferences. Although relative risk aversion occurred in 10 cases, it was not found to be the universal relative risk attitude. In addition, a person's relative risk attitude differed across attributes.
Retrotransposition in tumors and brains.

LINE-1s (L1s), the only currently active autonomous mobile DNA in humans, occupy at least 17% of human DNA. Throughout evolution, the L1 has also been responsible for genomic insertion of thousands of processed pseudogenes and over one million nonautonomous retrotransposons called SINEs (mainly Alus and SVAs). The 6-kb human L1 has a 5′- untranslated region (UTR) that functions as an internal promoter, two open reading frames—ORF1, which encodes an RNA-binding protein, and ORF2, which expresses endonuclease and reverse transcriptase activities—and a 3′-UTR which ends in a poly(A) signal and tail. Most L1s are molecular fossils: truncated, rearranged or mutated. However, 80 to 100 remain potentially active in any human individual, and to date 101 de novo disease-causing germline retrotransposon insertions have been characterized. It is now clear that significant levels of retrotransposition occur not only in the human germline but also in some somatic cell types. Recent publications and new investigations under way suggest that this may especially be the case for cancers and neuronal cells. This commentary offers a few points to consider to aid in avoiding misinterpretation of data as these studies move forward.
The Titanosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) Osteoderm Record: Review and First Definitive Specimen from India

ABSTRACT Titanosaurs are the only sauropods that possessed osteoderms, although the phylogenetic distribution of this feature within Titanosauria is not yet resolved. Whereas the majority of titanosaur osteoderms are from South America, several have been found in Cretaceous rocks in Africa, Madagascar, and Europe. Here we describe a titanosaur osteoderm from the Maastrichtian of India that extends the geographic range of these armored sauropods. The known spatiotemporal distribution of titanosaurs is broader than the distribution of titanosaur osteoderms. This discrepancy can be explained by one or more of several factors: (1) few titanosaur genera had osteoderms; (2) titanosaurs were not heavily armored; (3) there are strong collection and/or (4) taphonomic biases against these elements. Almost 90 individual titanosaur osteoderms have been reported and can be assigned to ten of the 40+ currently recognized titanosaur genera. Although they are not divisible into discrete size classes, titanosaur osteoderm...
Prolonged high-temperature exposure differentially reduces growth and flowering of 12 Viola × wittrockiana Gams. cvs

Abstract Many cool season garden crops, including Viola × wittrockiana Gams. (pansy), exhibit reduced flowering outdoors during the warm summer months. Twelve pansy cultivars varying in summer garden performance were grown under either 20 ± 1.5 or 30 ± 1 °C (air temperature) to determine growth and flowering responses to prolonged high-temperature exposure and to identify selection criteria to screen pansies for flowering heat tolerance. Increasing temperature from 20 to 30 °C increased leaf number below the first flower on ‘Crystal Bowl Primrose’ and ‘Skyline White’ only. Flower bud number reduction at 30 °C versus 20 °C varied from 20% for ‘Crystal Bowl Purple’ to 77% for ‘Majestic Giants Red and Yellow’. Flower diameter reduction at 30 °C versus 20 °C ranged from 14% for ‘Skyline Beaconsfield’ to 44% for ‘Super Majestic Giants Ocean’. The percentage reduction in total color (flower number × estimated flower area) ranged from 60% for ‘Crystal Bowl Primrose’ to 88% for ‘Majestic Giants Rose Shades’. Based on a weighted base selection index, ‘Super Majestic Giants Canary’ and ‘Delta Yellow’ were identified as the most heat-tolerant cultivars, while ‘Super Majestic Giants Ocean’ and ‘Majestic Giants Rose Shades’ were identified as the most heat-sensitive. In a second experiment, root and shoot dry mass were determined after 10, 20, or 30 d when grown at 20 or 30 °C. Relative growth rate and root:shoot ratio were also calculated. After 30 d, ‘Crystal Bowl Primrose’, ‘Crystal Bowl Sky Blue’ and ‘Skyline White’ relative growth rates were lower at 30 °C versus 20 °C. Root:shoot ratio on day 30 was lower at 30 °C compared to 20 °C for six cultivars, but similar across temperature for five cultivars and higher for ‘Crystal Bowl Primrose’. Flower bud number at first flower was positively correlated with branch number, shoot dry mass at flowering, but not correlated with root dry mass at flowering, and negatively correlated with flower diameter and root:shoot ratio (either at flowering, or after 10, 20 or 30 d at 30 °C), suggesting that these traits may be useful when screening pansies for flowering heat tolerance.
CCL20/Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 3α and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production by Primary Uterine Epithelial Cells in Response to Treatment with Lipopolysaccharide or Pam3Cys

Having previously shown that CCL20/macrophage inflammatory protein 3α and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) are released by polarized primary rat uterine epithelial cells (UEC) in response to Escherichia coli but not to Lactobacillus rhamnosus, we sought to determine if epithelial cells are responsive to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP), including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA), and Pam3Cys, a bacterial lipoprotein analog. Epithelial cells were grown to confluence on Nunc cell culture inserts prior to apical treatment with PAMPs. In response to LPS, LTA, and Pam3Cys (EMC Microcollection GmbH, Tubingen, Germany), CCL20 levels increased (4- to 10-fold) while PAMPs caused increased TNF-α (1- to 4-fold) in the medium collected after 24 h of incubation. Both apical and basolateral secretion of CCL20 and TNF-α increased in response to PAMPs, but treatments had no effect on cell viability and integrity, as measured by transepithelial resistance. Time course studies of CCL20 and TNF-α release in response to Pam3Cys and LPS indicated that CCL20 release peaked between 2 and 4 h after treatment, whereas TNF-α release was gradual over the length of the incubation. Freeze-thaw and cell lysis experiments, along with actinomycin D studies, suggested that CCL20 and TNF-α are synthesized in response to PAMP stimulation. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that E. coli and selected PAMPs have direct effects on the production of CCL20 and TNF-α without affecting cell integrity. Since CCL20 is known to be both chemotactic and antimicrobial, the increase in apical and basolateral release by UEC in response to PAMPs suggests a new mechanism of innate immune protection in the female reproductive tract.
Learning to Say It Well: Reranking Realizations by Predicted Synthesis Quality

This paper presents a method for adapting a language generator to the strengths and weaknesses of a synthetic voice, thereby improving the naturalness of synthetic speech in a spoken language dialogue system. The method trains a discriminative reranker to select paraphrases that are predicted to sound natural when synthesized. The ranker is trained on realizer and synthesizer features in supervised fashion, using human judgements of synthetic voice quality on a sample of the paraphrases representative of the generator's capability. Results from a cross-validation study indicate that discriminative paraphrase reranking can achieve substantial improvements in naturalness on average, ameliorating the problem of highly variable synthesis quality typically encountered with today's unit selection synthesizers.
When Is Empowerment Effective? The Role of Leader-Leader Exchange in Empowering Leadership, Cynicism, and Time Theft

Applying arguments from social exchange theory, we theoretically derive and empirically test a multilevel model that informs theory on leadership, cynicism, and deviant withdrawal. Namely, we examine the moderating effect of the upward exchange relationship of a leader on empowering leadership behaviors as they affect subordinate psychological empowerment, cynicism, and time theft. In a sample of 161 employees across 37 direct supervisors, empowering leadership was associated with reduced employee cynicism both directly and indirectly through employee psychological empowerment. The positive relationship between empowering leadership and employee psychological empowerment, however, was significant only when the leader enjoyed a high-quality relationship with his or her own boss. In turn, cynicism was associated with increased time theft, suggesting that employees may reciprocate frustrating experiences by withdrawing in minor, yet impactful and deviant, ways in efforts to balance their exchange with the or...
The Ramifications of Regulatory Reform

This article examines the regulatory reform proposals for the health care workforce recently proposed by politicians and members of the Pew Health Professions Commission. These proposals attempt to address issues related to state practice acts, competence, advanced practice, "boundaryless" practice, the disciplinary process, consumerism, and umbrella legislation. Questions are presented for each issue to guide practitioners when deliberating about possible actions professional organizations can take in proposing legislation at the state level. Various external forces shape each issue and lead to the need to seek such regulatory reform as improving disciplinary processes and activity, assessing competence beyond the entry level, and increasing involvement of consumers. However, there are risks associated with any proposed regulatory reform, particularly if one realizes the potential financial costs associated with competency assessment and advanced-practice regulation. We must also carefully examine any reform proposals that advocate title protection and the licensing of invasive procedures in place of licensing professionals. The fact remains that the impact on quality of care and long-term cost-effectiveness from the unrestricted use of less qualified professionals and unlicensed aide-level personnel to provide skilled services has not been adequately determined.
Consolidation of the North Shore-LIJ Health System anatomic pathology services: the challenge of subspecialization, operations, quality management, staffing, and education.

Objectives To describe our experience, both in meeting challenges and in reporting outcomes, of the consolidation of anatomic pathology services in the North Shore-LIJ Health System in February 2011. Methods We addressed issues of governance, personnel, physical plant, quality programming, connectivity, and education. Conclusions The highly regulated nature of the laboratory industry and the fact that patient care necessarily never pauses require that such a consolidation take place without a break in service or degradation in turnaround time and quality while engaging personnel at all levels in the extra duties related to consolidation. Subspecialization has allowed us to better meet the needs of our in-system health care community while increasing our access to the competitive outreach marketplace.
The Black Dandyism of George Walker: A Case Study in Genealogical Method

Refusing to re-enact caricatures, Walker, at the turn of the 20th century, reclaimed the figure of the dandy from racist minstrelsy and rearticulated it within an African American context.
CELLULAR INTERACTIONS IN THE PROLIFERATIVE RESPONSE OF HUMAN T AND B LYMPHOCYTES TO PHYTOMITOGENS AND ALLOGENEIC LYMPHOCYTES

In vitro studies were performed to determine the proliferative responsiveness of human peripheral blood thymus-dependent (T) and thymus-independent (B) lymphocytes to phytomitogens and allogeneic lymphocytes. Recombination of T and B cells, with selective inhibition of proliferation of one of the two populations, was used to identify cellular interactions which may contribute to cell proliferation. The distinctive feature of human T lymphocytes to form rosettes with unsensitized sheep erythrocytes was utilized to separate human peripheral blood lymphocytes into highly purified resetting (T) and non-rosetting (B) cells. The proliferative response of these separated lymphocyte subpopulations to various stimulants was assessed from the uptake of tritiated thymidine into DNA. Phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, and allogeneic lymphocytes stimulated separated T cells, whereas no proliferation was observed with the T-cell-depleted B-cell population. This suggests that it is the human T cell which is activated directly by these stimulants. In the presence of T cells (proliferating or nonproliferating), B cells were capable of proliferation following stimulation with phytomitogens, but not in response to histocompatibility antigens. Thus, T-cell-mediated B-cell proliferation contributes to the overall lymphocyte response in phytomitogen-stimulated T + B cell mixtures, but not in human mixed leukocyte cultures. T-cell activation by allogeneic cells required the presence of monocytes; in contrast, the three tested phytomitogens stimulated T cells in the absence of monocytes. This indicates that direct interaction of mitogens with lymphocyte membrane receptors is sufficient to trigger T cells into proliferative response. However, monocytes considerably enhanced the proliferative response of T cells in a dose-dependent fashion; this monocyte-dependent mechanism of T-cell activation was predominant at lower concentrations of phytomitogens, and contributed relatively less at higher mitogen doses. Both, the direct, monocyte-independent, and the indirect, monocyte-dependent T-lymphocyte activation contribute to the total in vitro response of lymphocyte preparations to phytomitogens.
Innate and Adaptive Immune Regulation During Chronic Viral Infections

Chronic viral infections represent a unique challenge to the infected host. Persistently replicating viruses outcompete or subvert the initial antiviral response, allowing the establishment of chronic infections that result in continuous stimulation of both the innate and adaptive immune compartments. This causes a profound reprogramming of the host immune system, including attenuation and persistent low levels of type I interferons, progressive loss (or exhaustion) of CD8(+) T cell functions, and specialization of CD4(+) T cells to produce interleukin-21 and promote antibody-mediated immunity and immune regulation. Epigenetic, transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and metabolic changes underlie this adaptation or recalibration of immune cells to the emerging new environment in order to strike an often imperfect balance between the host and the infectious pathogen. In this review we discuss the common immunological hallmarks observed across a range of different persistently replicating viruses and host species, the underlying molecular mechanisms, and the biological and clinical implications.
Integrated voltage regulation and current-sensorless power tracking control for a DC hybrid power system

Hybrid power systems combine two or more complementary power generation technologies to achieve the system performance that is not possible for those involving a single power technology. The complicated dynamic interactions of the hybrid power system elements, coupled with stringent safety, power quality and efficiency requirements, impose challenging control and dynamic optimization problems. This paper presents a novel approach that addresses the voltage regulation and power tracking problems for hybrid DC power system. A DC power network consisting of two power sources is considered. A nonlinear dynamic model is developed, and a nonlinear controller is employed to achieve: (1) DC bus voltage regulation; (2) current sensorless power tracking control. Both the dynamic model and the nonlinear controller are validated with simulation and experiment results. The results show that the nonlinear controller can effectively achieve the system performance objective.
Bioethics and the explosive rise of animal law.

In 2004, Professor Cass Sunstein, one of the most prominent constitutional law scholars in the United States, wrote that “[t]he animal rights question has moved from the periphery and toward the ce...
Restored Agricultural Wetlands in central Iowa: Habitat Quality and Amphibian Response

Amphibians are declining throughout the United States and worldwide due, partly, to habitat loss. Conservation practices on the landscape restore wetlands to denitrify tile drainage effluent and restore ecosystem services. Understanding how water quality, hydroperiod, predation, and disease affect amphibians in restored wetlands is central to maintaining healthy amphibian populations in the region. We examined the quality of amphibian habitat in restored wetlands relative to reference wetlands by comparing species richness, developmental stress, and adult leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) survival probabilities to a suite of environmental metrics. Although measured habitat variables differed between restored and reference wetlands, differences appeared to have sub-lethal rather than lethal effects on resident amphibian populations. There were few differences in amphibian species richness and no difference in estimated survival probabilities between wetland types. Restored wetlands had more nitrate and alkaline pH, longer hydroperiods, and were deeper, whereas reference wetlands had more amphibian chytrid fungus zoospores in water samples and resident amphibians exhibited increased developmental stress. Restored and reference wetlands are both important components of the landscape in central Iowa and maintaining a complex of fish-free wetlands with a variety of hydroperiods will likely contribute to the persistence of amphibians in this landscape.
Characterization of the Epstein-Barr virus-inducible gene encoding the human leukocyte adhesion and activation antigen BLAST-1 (CD48).

Abstract BLAST-1 (CD48) (previously referred to as BCM-1 by the Human Gene Nomenclature Committee) is an early-activation-associated membrane glycoprotein expressed on the surface of human leukocytes and induced to a high level following infection of B cells by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, mediates cell adhesion, and has significant sequence homology to two other adhesion molecules, CD2 and LFA3. Here we report the isolation and characterization of the BLAST-1 gene. The gene is at least 28.6 kb in length, is split into 4 exons, and contains a restriction fragment-length polymorphism. The overall genomic organization is consistent with other members of the immunoglobulin superfamily, in which extracellular immunoglobulinlike domains are encoded by discrete exons. Transcription is initiated at a series of major and minor sites in both normal and tumor-derived lymphoid cells. Appropriately located TATA and CCAAT box sequences were not detected. These characteristics have also been demonstrated for the recently described B-cell-specific genes B29 and CD20. The expression of these genes in B cells may involve the use of multiple promoters and novel transcription initiator-binding proteins. A 1.58-kb genomic DNA fragment, consisting of the 5'-flanking region located immediately upstream of the ATG initiation codon, was able to drive the expression of a reporter gene in an orientation-dependent and tissue-restricted manner.
Conflicts in the Regulation of Hostile Business Takeovers in the United State and the European Union

This essay focuses on hostile business takeovers to illustrate the significance that cultural differences among nations can play in developing a harmonized European Union law. After 12 years of development, the EU Directive regulating hostile takeovers, to everyone’s surprise, was voted down in the EU Parliament in 2001. The EU Parliament consists of the member nations and the movement to defeat the Directive was led by Germany, which had just suffered a brutal hostile takeover of its largest company by British raiders. The “harmonization” efforts within the EU (i.e., establishing uniform laws among the member nations) mirrors the federalism movement among the several US states. Though the history of federalism in the US is punctuated with struggles among the several states including no less than the American Civil War, the harmonization efforts by the EU may face even more difficult challenges. Cultural differences among the EU nations are likely stronger than those among the several states in the US since the nations of Europe each have a far longer unique history. Those cultural differences certainly played a role when the EU was developing its takeover law and may have helped to thwart those efforts.This essay also raises a number of questions about the “received theory” regarding the evolution of transnational uniform business law. First, a closer look at history will challenge the view that nations will naturally gravitate towards a uniform law. Second, a review of the practicalities will question the assertion that a transnational uniform law in all its aspects is necessary to have efficiency. Third, a look at actual cases suggests that the experience of the United States has not always yielded the most “efficient” solutions, at least with regard to economic matters, when applied to European circumstances.
Tissue-specific effects of physiological ANP infusion on blood-tissue albumin transport

Blood-tissue transport of 131I-labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA) during intravenous infusion of synthetic atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was examined in anesthetized male Wistar rats. Plasma volumes were maintained at pre-ANP levels by infusion of 2% BSA in lactated Ringer solution (LR) to minimize compensatory responses to ANP-induced hypovolemia. 131I-BSA clearance was measured over 30 min, and 125I-BSA was injected terminally to correct for intravascular volume. Thirty-minute infusion of 20 ng.kg-1.min-1 ANP resulted in a tissue-selective increase in 131I-BSA clearance in jejunum and colon compared with controls given LR only. Smaller but significant increases in tracer clearance also were observed in fat, kidney, left ventricle, and skeletal muscle exposed to 400 ng.kg-1.min-1 ANP. The observed elevation in tracer albumin extravasation was not associated with any measurable increase in tissue extravascular water content. Furthermore, it was shown that coupling of 131I-BSA transport to filtration induced by hindlimb venous congestion was similar in control and ANP-treated rats. In a second series of experiments, plasma ANP levels were determined after 30-min ANP infusions from 0 to 180 ng.kg-1.min-1. Significant linear associations between physiological ANP levels (62-578 pg/ml) and 131I-BSA clearance were demonstrable for small intestine, colon, fat, kidney, and skeletal muscle but not for skin, heart, diaphragm, and lung. We conclude that raising plasma ANP by infusion of the synthetic peptide results in a filtration-independent, tissue-selective increase in albumin transport. Tissue uptake of albumin is a potential mechanism for extrarenal fluid shift during circulatory volume overload.