cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphogenesis of the neural crest.

The vertebrate neural crest has been, and continues to be, the subject of active investigation, because it offers developmental biologists a unique model system with which to study control of morphogenesis as well as cellular differentiation. Neural crest cells migrate great distances in the embryo and move along many diverse pathways. Then, after arriving at their destination or while migrating, they differentiate into a dazzling array of cell types (for review, see Weston, 1970, 1982; Noden, 1973; Le Douarin, 1980, 1982). Presented with such diversity of behavior and phenotype within one population of cells, we are in an excellent position to exploit these differences and to use a comparative approach to investigate the control of these major developmental processes. One hopes that understanding morphogenesis and differentiation of the crest will contribute to our knowledge of these fundamental processes in other aspects of embryogenesis as well.
Molecular Imaging of Prostate Cancer: Radiopharmaceuticals for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

Prostate cancer is characterized by evolution from a clinically localized hormone-naive state in the prostate gland to an eventually castration-resistant metastatic state. Clinical imaging tools employed in the diagnosis of prostate cancer include transrectal ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bone scans. Unfortunately, the likelihood of disease detection with these modalities is low. The structural imaging techniques such as CT and MRI provide details about the anatomy and anatomical relations such as size, local invasions, tumor borders, and anatomical distortions. In contrast, molecular imaging based on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals is a type of medical imaging that provides detailed pictures of what is happening inside the body noninvasively at the molecular and cellular level and offers unique insights into the human body that enable physicians to personalize patient care. The molecular imaging radiopharmaceuticals target specifically biologically relevant molecules such as enzymes involved in the metabolism of glucose and fatty acids, receptors such as androgen receptors (AR), and antigens such as prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). The current Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved molecular imaging radiopharmaceuticals include 99mTc-labeled bone imaging agents and 111In-labeled anti-PSMA antibody (ProstaScint™) for SPECT and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose, [18F]sodium fluoride (NaF), and [11C]choline (CH) for PET. Emerging agents under clinical development include radiolabeled analogs of lipid, amino acid, and nucleoside metabolism, as well as other small molecules more specifically targeting prostate cancer biomarkers including AR and PSMA. In the last 5 years, several small-molecule PSMA inhibitors labeled with 123I or 99mTc (for SPECT) and 18F or 68Ga (for PET) have been evaluated in phase I and II clinical studies and show significant diagnostic potential for molecular imaging studies of prostate cancer. As the management of prostate cancer becomes more personalized and new treatments become available, there is increasing clinical demand for molecular imaging for prostate cancer diagnosis. In this chapter, we have highlighted a great number and variety of emerging molecular imaging agents for prostate cancer diagnosis.
Revealing the impact of hydrogen production-consumption loop against efficient hydrogen recovery in single chamber microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)

Abstract Microbial electrolysis for hydrogen production exhibited great advantages over many other biohydrogen production techniques in terms of hydrogen yield (HY) and energy efficiency (EE). With the elimination of methanogens, homoacetogens could thrive as the major hydrogen sink to impair HY and EE. However, the determination of hydrogen loss in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) was rather controversial. In this study, we quantitatively investigated the negative impact of homoacetogens on hydrogen recovery in single chamber MECs. Hydrogen partial pressure (HPP) ranging from 0 to 40 kPa greatly affected the hydrogen consumption rate while acetate concentration ranging from 0 to 100 mM had little impact. HY base on consumed substrate was not significantly affected with less than 20 kPa HPP but decreased from 87% to 66% with 20–34 kPa HPP. And the EE based on input electricity was decreased from 160% to 48% accompanied with the increase of HPP from 7 to 34 kPa. Microbial community analysis revealed that Acetobacterium was the dominant homoacetogenic hydrogen scavenger in cathodic biofilm and planktonic cells in the single chamber MECs.
Major Trends in Cellular Networks and Corresponding Optimization Issues

Cellular networks are entering a new phase, driven by some major evolutionary trends. With the boom in mobile data access, driven by attractive mobile Internet applications and more capable mobile devices, global mobile data traffic is expected to grow by orders of magnitude in the next five years (projections range from a ten-fold increase to a hundreds-fold increase). The Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) will incur costs to upgrade their networks to cope with that growth, but the revenues will not scale in the same proportion. To remain profitable, the MNOs have to reduce their cost per byte while increasing their revenues. There are many possible tradeoff points, depending on such considerations as the MNO’s business strategy, and operating environment. Even for a given tradeoff point, the problem does not lend itself to a tractable formulation, due to the sheer number of contributing factors, the complexity of their interactions, and unavailability of complete data. However, it is possible to identify meaningful sub-problems that are easier to solve. This chapter focuses on some of the approaches and techniques that could be part of a toolbox to tackle these sub-problems. Another major trend is the expansion of mobile access (to voice and data, not necessarily broadband) to low income population segments. While this trend significantly overlaps with the one described above, the emphasis here is to provide affordable service rather than providing mobile broadband data. Optimization in the low income space is also intractable in general, and this chapter describes approaches for some particular cases.
(So) What if it's All Just Rhetoric?

This essay reviews Professor Eugene Garver's For The Sake of Argument: Practical Reasoning, Character, and the Ethics of Belief. Partly through legal examples such as Brown v. Board of Education, Garver explores the role of ethos in persuasion and develops an ethics of practical reason, which he applies to judicial opinions. This review discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Garver's approach, and uses his argument to consider why legal academics are often hostile to the rhetorical dimensions of the law. The essay concludes that Garver makes a persuasive case for treating rhetorical choices as ethical choices properly subject to ethical criticism, but that such criticism will not alter judicial practice very much. It also concludes that legal academics should not be so hostile to rhetoric, especially because much of what we do counts as rhetoric. Nor should we be bothered by the fact (and it is a fact) that much of what counts in law rests on rhetorical strategies that go beyond logos. That fact implies that we do not have a comparative advantage in teaching and analyzing all aspects of law, but it does not imply that we have no such advantage. Rather than criticizing rhetoric, it would be better to acknowledge explicitly that law and rhetoric are inseparable, and that if we have a comparative advantage over other disciplines it lies largely in the logic of the law. We therefore should be content to be partisans of logic. To the extent we have a comparative advantage, we have limited influence over the direction of the law; to the extent we seek such influence, we are likely to lose our comparative advantage.
Biosynthetic membrane integration of connexin proteins

The biosynthetic membrane integration and intracellular transport of gap junction (GJ) proteins (connexins) was studied using in vitro and in vivo systems. Connexins were co-translationally integrated into endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes. However, their proper membrane topology was not achieved in in vitro translocation assays. Analysis of connexin expression in vitro and in vivo suggests that a novel membrane integration mechanism exists for GJ proteins that is dependent on an unknown integration factor.
Accuracy of Valproic Acid Concentration Correction Based on Serum Albumin.

Patient-specific factors can alter the pharmacokinetic disposition of valproic acid. Specifically, the free fraction of valproic acid can increase substantially in patients with hypoalbuminemia or as serum drug concentrations rise due to saturable protein binding. Direct measurement of free serum drug concentrations allows for accurate assessment of drug levels, but the assay may not be readily available in all institutions. The effect of hypoalbuminemia on free fraction has been quantified and serves as the basis of an equation used to “correct” measured total valproic acid concentrations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the equation. This retrospective study included adult patients with measurable free and total valproic acid concentrations between July 2014 and June 2017. The primary aim was to assess the relationship between measured and predicted free valproic acid concentrations. Free levels were categorized as subtherapeutic, therapeutic, or supratherapeutic based on the reference range of 7–23 mg/L. Concordance was defined as measured and predicted concentrations falling within the same category. The analysis included 174 patients with a median age of 58 years and a median albumin of 3 g/dL. The majority of patients were hospitalized (88.5%). Concordance occurred in 56.9% of samples. A Spearman’s correlation coefficient of 0.60 (p < 0.001) was found between the measured and predicted free valproic acid concentrations. Concordance of concentrations was 42% for ICU patients, 63% for floor patients, and 65% for outpatients. Of those with discordant concentrations, 97% of the predicted concentrations underestimated the measured concentrations. There is discordance between predicted and measured free serum valproic acid concentrations when using the proposed equation. Because of the potential impact of underestimation and variability of free valproic acid concentrations, a measured free level is the ideal option for therapeutic drug monitoring of valproic acid.
Catalytic Synthesis of Superlinear Alkenyl Arenes Using a Rh(I) Catalyst Supported by a “Capping Arene” Ligand: Access to Aerobic Catalysis

Alkyl and alkenyl arenes are used in a wide range of products. However, the synthesis of 1-phenylalkanes or their alkenyl variants from arenes and alkenes is not accessible with current commercial acid-based catalytic processes. Here, it is reported that an air-stable Rh(I) complex, (5-FP)Rh(TFA)(η2-C2H4) (5-FP = 1,2-bis( N-7-azaindolyl)benzene; TFA = trifluoroacetate), serves as a catalyst precursor for the oxidative conversion of arenes and alkenes to alkenyl arenes that are precursors to 1-phenylalkanes upon hydrogenation. It has been demonstrated that coordination of the 5-FP ligand enhances catalyst longevity compared to unligated Rh(I) catalyst precursors, and the 5-FP-ligated catalyst permits in situ recycling of the Cu(II) oxidant using air. The 5-FP ligand provides a Rh catalyst that can maintain activity for arene alkenylation over at least 2 weeks in reactions at 150 °C that involve multiple Cu(II) regeneration steps using air. Conditions to achieve >13 000 catalytic turnovers with an 8:1 linear:branched (L:B) ratio have been demonstrated. In addition, the catalyst is active under aerobic conditions using air as the sole oxidant. At 80 °C, an 18:1 L:B ratio of alkenyl arenes has been observed, but the reaction rate is substantially reduced compared to 150 °C. Quantum mechanics (QM) calculations compare two predicted reaction pathways with the experimental data, showing that an oxidative addition/reductive elimination pathway is energetically favored over a pathway that involves C-H activation by concerted metalation-deprotonation. In addition, our QM computations are consistent with the observed selectivity (11:1) for linear alkenyl arene products.
Determining Electromagnetic Exposure Compliance of Multi-Antenna Devices in Linear Time

Electromagnetic exposure metrics such as specific absorption rate (SAR) are used to assess the user safety of portable wireless devices under all transmitting conditions. When there are multiple transmitter chains operating at a single frequency, the process of determining compliance is complicated by the fact that testing needs to cover all possible combinations of transmissions from all antennas. For $N$ antennas, the number of possible distinct transmitted signals can grow quickly with $N$ . We propose a compliance test whose measurement time burden is linear in $N$ , independently of the number or type of transmitted signals. For $N\geq 3$ antennas, the proposed test requires $7N-12$ excitations and corresponding measurements per probe location. Using analysis, simulations, and measurements with SAR compliance tools, we establish the accuracy of the method as compared with exhaustive measurements over all possible transmitted signals. The method is useful in evaluating the compliance of portable devices that use codebooks or beamforming as part of their transmission capabilities.
Nature of Hyperfine Interactions in TbPc2 Single-Molecule Magnets: Multiconfigurational Ab Initio Study.

Lanthanide-based single-ion magnetic molecules can have large magnetic hyperfine interactions as well as large magnetic anisotropy. Recent experimental studies reported tunability of these properties by changes of chemical environments or by application of external stimuli for device applications. In order to provide insight onto the origin and mechanism of such tunability, here we investigate the magnetic hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole interactions for a 159Tb nucleus in TbPc2 (Pc = phthalocyanine) single-molecule magnets using multiconfigurational ab initio methods including spin–orbit interaction. Since the electronic ground and first-excited (quasi)doublets are well separated in energy, the microscopic Hamiltonian can be mapped onto an effective Hamiltonian with an electronic pseudospin S = 1/2. From the ab initio calculated parameters, we find that the magnetic hyperfine coupling is dominated by the interaction of the Tb nuclear spin with electronic orbital angular momentum. The asymmetric 4f-like ...
Online local communities with motifs

A community in a network is a set of nodes that are densely and closely connected within the set, yet sparsely connected to nodes outside of it. Detecting communities in large networks helps solve many real-world problems. However, detecting such communities in a complex network by focusing on the whole network is costly. Instead, one can focus on finding overlapping communities starting from one or more seed nodes of interest. Moreover, on the online setting the network is given as a stream of higher order structures, i.e., triangles of nodes to be clustered into communities.In this paper, we propose an on online local graph community detection algorithm that uses motifs, such as triangles of nodes. We provide experimental results and compare it to another algorithm named COEUS. We use two public datasets, one of Amazon data and the other of DBLP data. Furthermore, we create and experiment on a new dataset that consists of web pages and their links by using the Internet Archive. This latter dataset provides insights to better understand how working with motifs is different than working with edges.
Parental Divorce and Children's Interpersonal Relationships: A Meta-Analysis

Summary This meta-analysis involved 53 studies that compared the interpersonal relationships (parents, siblings, and peers) of children from divorced homes with those from continuously intact homes. Children from divorced homes had more positive sibling relationships than children from intact homes. Mixed-race samples of children had more negative interpersonal relationships than white samples of children. Younger children from divorced homes experienced a lower quality of mother-child relationship than older children. The quality of relationships are lower for studies conducted more recently when compared with those conducted in earlier decades. Larger samples and studies utilizing attitude measures yielded stronger evidence for a lower quality of interpersonal relationship. Effect sizes were stronger for clinical samples than in studies based on convenience or random samples.
A Clinical Trial of a Program for Pain Management and Opioid Reduction During Pregnancy.

A substantial proportion of pregnant women use prescription opioids. However, the lack of efficacy of chronic prescription opioid use for pain, combined with an increased risk of these medications in general and during pregnancy, suggests that the risks of these medications may outweigh the benefits of continued use. Though research has not evaluated non-pharmacological approaches to treat chronic pain during pregnancy, research conducted with the general population outside of pregnancy suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective, non-pharmacological treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT for chronic pain paired with shared decision-making for prescription opioid dose reduction among pregnant women with prescription opioid misuse. The study was an open-label, 8-week clinical trial of CBT for chronic pain and shared decision-making for prescription opioid dose reduction. Participants included a clinical sample of 20 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 45 years who were misusing opioids but did not meet DSM-IV criteria for an opioid use disorder or other substance use disorder. Compared to baseline, at 8 weeks, participants had significant reductions in average prescription opioid morphine equivalent dose, prescription opioid misuse, worst pain ratings, and pain interference in general activity and at work. They did not report improvement in other pain ratings or areas of functioning. This study provides valuable information regarding the preliminary efficacy of CBT for chronic pain paired with shared decision-making among pregnant women misusing prescription opioids. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02804152
A nursery system nitrogen balance for production of a containerized woody ornamental plant

Abstract To reduce nitrate contamination of groundwater in intensive agricultural production areas, crop producers should identify nitrogen (N) inputs and outputs to calculate potential N available for leaching into groundwater. However, poor understanding of N fate in container plant production may result in inaccurate estimation of potentially leachable N. To improve understanding of container-applied N fate, an experiment was conducted to measure N inputs and outputs from a woody ornamental plant (Lagerstroemia indica ‘Whitt II’) production system fertilized with controlled-release and surface-applied fertilizer. Two experimental bed types, polyethylene-lined and unlined, were installed at a production nursery in California. Measured N inputs included: the substrate, with fertilizer and roots, and irrigation water N. Outputs included: N remaining in the substrate and plant shoots at the end of the production cycle, nitrous oxide-N gas lost from the substrate and bed soil, and aqueous N lost in runoff during the production cycle. There was a significant difference in runoff N losses from the lined and unlined beds. The difference in runoff N lost between bed types was the amount of N infiltrating into the soil below the growing bed surface. The majority of input N either remained in the growing substrate (57%) at end of production cycle or was taken up by the plant shoots (5%). Nitrous oxide-N lost from the growing substrate and the bed soil was 1.5% and 0.01% of input N, respectively. Runoff and soil infiltration N accounted for 6.5% and 2.4% of input N, respectively. Unaccounted N was 27.7% of input N and is attributed to complete denitrification. Future work should address the amount of aqueous N lost from the growing substrate to reduce surface and groundwater contamination.
Stable Isotopic Studies on Chitin, Measurements on Chitin/Chitosan Isolates and D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride from Chitin

Measurements of the stable isotope ratios 13C/12C and 15N/14N in chitin and chitosan isolates show large variations which reflect intrinsic compositional and isotopic heterogeneities as well as differences caused by methods of preparation. Analysis of D-glucosamine hydrochloride from chitin hydrolysates eliminates these problems.
Maternal High Fat Programs Hepatic Il-6 Expression Through Differential DNA Methylation in Male Pups

Environmental stressors such as dietary high fat (HF) are known to disrupt maternal programming, which leads to metabolic disorders in the offspring later in life. Maternal high-fat diet leads to c...
Maintenance of phenotypic variation: repeatability, heritability and size-dependent processes in a wild brook trout population

Phenotypic variation in body size can result from within-cohort variation in birth dates, among-individual growth variation and size-selective processes. We explore the relative effects of these processes on the maintenance of wide observed body size variation in stream-dwelling brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Based on the analyses of multiple recaptures of individual fish, it appears that size distributions are largely determined by the maintenance of early size variation. We found no evidence for size-dependent compensatory growth (which would reduce size variation) and found no indication that size-dependent survival substantially influenced body size distributions. Depensatory growth (faster growth by larger individuals) reinforced early size variation, but was relatively strong only during the first sampling interval (age-0, fall). Maternal decisions on the timing and location of spawning could have a major influence on early, and as our results suggest, later (>age-0) size distributions. If this is the case, our estimates of heritability of body size (body length = 0.25) will be dominated by processes that generate and maintain early size differences. As a result, evolutionary responses to environmental change that are mediated by body size may be largely expressed via changes in the timing and location of reproduction.
Recreational Preference and Personality.

Abstract Zeigler's device, “How do you rate yourself recreationally,” was used to classify 103 male and 104 female students into four categories: recreationally outstanding, above average, average, and below average. California Inventory (CPl) was administered to all subjects. Analyses of variance were conducted to find out if significant differences existed among the four groups of men and the four groups of women. The two groups were reclassified according to type of activity or cluster of activities preferred: physical, social, communicative, aesthetic, and learnings; and another set of analyses of variances was conducted among these new groups. Although the F tests revealed that there were significant differences in some, but not all, of the traits of personality among the groups, it was concluded that the evidence is not strong enough to indicate that there are differences between the personalities of those who are recreationally inclined and those who are not recreationally inclined. Also, it was co...
A trial of dextromethorphan in parkinsonian patients with motor response complications

The effects of the NMDA antagonist dextromethorphan (DM) on levodopa-associated dyskinesias and motor fluctuations were studied in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. During initial open-label dose escalation, 6 of 18 patients reported a beneficial effect at their individually determined optimal DM dose (range, 60-120 mg/day). The 12 remaining patients either experienced reversible side effects, particularly mild drowsiness, or decreased levodopa efficacy, and were therefore excluded from the study. The six responders entered the double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with two 2-week arms separated by 1 week wash-out. On the last day of each arm, motor ratings were performed every 20 minutes for 8 consecutive hours. In addition, motor complications and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and patient diaries. With DM, dyskinesias improved by 25% according to physician's ratings and by 40% according to UPDRS interviews, without compromising the anti-Parkinson effect of levodopa. Motor fluctuations and ADL scores also improved significantly. Although the narrow therapeutic index of DM limits its clinical usefulness, these findings support the view that drugs acting to inhibit glutamatergic transmission at the NMDA receptor can ameliorate levodopa-associated motor complications.
Self-stabilization and virtual node layer emulations

We present formal definitions of stabilization for the Timed I/O Automata (TIOA) framework, and of emulation for the timed Virtual Stationary Automata programming abstraction layer, which consists of mobile clients, virtual timed machines called virtual stationary automata (VSAs), and a local broadcast service connecting VSAs and mobile clients. We then describe what it means for mobile nodes with access to location and clock information to emulate the VSA layer in a self-stabilizing manner. We use these definitions to prove basic results about executions of self-stabilizing algorithms run on self-stabilizing emulations of a VSA layer, and apply these results to a simple geographic routing algorithm running on the VSA layer.
Java visualization using BlueJ

The BlueJ environment was developed by a joint research group at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and the Maersk Institute at the University of Southern Denmark specifically for introducing object oriented programming to beginners. BlueJ provides an interactive environment for the teaching of Java that emphasizes visualization and experimentation. Panelists will demonstrate BlueJ and describe their experiences teaching Java using BlueJ.
Hereditary angioedema presenting as irritable bowel syndrome: a case of early closure.

Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons for outpatient and emergency department visits. We present one such case of early closure in a 32-year-old male with recurrent abdominal pain who was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Family history was suspicious for hereditary angioedema (HAE). The HAE workup came back positive, and the patient was started on prophylactic therapy, which led to an improvement in symptoms and quality of life. The purpose of this case is to create awareness among physicians to test for HAE in patients diagnosed with IBS who, based on their history or physical examination, have clinical suspicion for HAE. Keywords: C4; hereditary angioedema; IBS; abdominal pain; C1 esterase inhibitor (Published: 19 October 2015) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2015, 5 : 29114 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v5.29114
Competitiveness of the US diagnostic imaging industry

The diagnostic imaging industry is undergoing rapid change as manufacturers improve existing technology to meet the needs of the US and global market. Global overcapacity, however, in conjunction with national governments' efforts to reduce health care costs, is forcing the global industry to minimize production costs. This has led to strategic alliances between manufacturers on a global scale to offer the broadest product mix at the lowest price. Although US products compete well domestically and abroad, foreign competition is increasing sharply, especially in the US. >
The affinity of cholesterol for phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin

Erythrocyte ghosts were incubated with sonicated vesicles and the uptake of cholesterol by vesicles allowed to proceed to equilibrium. The experiments were carried out for a series of phospholipids at different temperatures. The equilibrium partition of cholesterol between ghosts and single shelled vesicles provided a measure of the relative affinities of cholesterol for the different phospholipids studied. It was found that the affinity of cholesterol for dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine was the same as that for N-palmitoyl sphingomyelin both at temperatures above and below the gel to liquid crystalline transition temperature of these phospholipids.
Thermal design and performance of the REgolith x-ray imaging spectrometer (REXIS) instrument

The REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) instrument is a student collaboration instrument on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission scheduled for launch in September 2016. The REXIS science mission is to characterize the elemental abundances of the asteroid Bennu on a global scale and to search for regions of enhanced elemental abundance. The thermal design of the REXIS instrument is challenging due to both the science requirements and the thermal environment in which it will operate. The REXIS instrument consists of two assemblies: the spectrometer and the solar X-ray monitor (SXM). The spectrometer houses a 2x2 array of back illuminated CCDs that are protected from the radiation environment by a one-time deployable cover and a collimator assembly with coded aperture mask. Cooling the CCDs during operation is the driving thermal design challenge on the spectrometer. The CCDs operate in the vicinity of the electronics box, but a 130 °C thermal gradient is required between the two components to cool the CCDs to -60 °C in order to reduce noise and obtain science data. This large thermal gradient is achieved passively through the use of a copper thermal strap, a large radiator facing deep space, and a two-stage thermal isolation layer between the electronics box and the DAM. The SXM is mechanically mounted to the sun-facing side of the spacecraft separately from the spectrometer and characterizes the highly variable solar X-ray spectrum to properly interpret the data from the asteroid. The driving thermal design challenge on the SXM is cooling the silicon drift detector (SDD) to below -30 °C when operating. A two-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is located directly beneath the detector to provide active cooling, and spacecraft MLI blankets cover all of the SXM except the detector aperture to radiatively decouple the SXM from the flight thermal environment. This paper describes the REXIS thermal system requirements, thermal design, and analyses, with a focus on the driving thermal design challenges for the instrument. It is shown through both analysis and early testing that the REXIS instrument can perform successfully through all phases of its mission.
Transaction costs and inter‐jurisdictional cooperation: an application to land use collaboration

The costs and benefits of inter-jurisdictional cooperation and how these impede strategic alliances among jurisdictions is an issue of growing importance worldwide. The reason is the potential cost savings, efficiency increase and economic development benefits that can be realized through cooperation. The literature has increasingly mentioned transaction costs as obstacles that mitigate cooperation and as a key component of cooperation costs, which must be outweighed by cooperation benefits in order for communities to perceive advantageous strategic alliances. However, a framework is lacking in the literature for evaluating the implications of transaction costs for inter-jurisdictional cooperation. This paper develops a framework for evaluating the nature and dynamics of transaction costs and their implications for inter-jurisdictional cooperation, with an application to land use. A simple cost function model is used to explain the costs and challenges associated with managing coordinated, cooperative or consolidated relationships, and the dynamics of such costs. The analysis highlights the importance of such things as degree of complexity, inter-party diversity and the relative sizes of collaborating partners. An application to land use cooperation in Michigan suggests that policies to eliminate transaction costs could help reduce the barriers to cooperation of various types. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of blue spruce cultivars by analysis of cortical oleoresin monoterpenes

Abstract The monoterpenes of ten blue spruce cultivars were analyzed to determine the feasibility of chemical identification. There were highly significant differences between cultivars in six of the seven major monoterpenes. Of the 45 possible pairs of cultivars, 37 can be distinguished from each other on the basis of monoterpene composition.
Neutrophil-endothelial interactions: Modulation of neutrophil activation responses by endothelial cells.

Abstract There is controversy concerning whether intravascular activation of neutrophils during acute inflammation injures contiguous endothelial cells in vivo . Several physiologic defense mechanisms tend to limit such injury. In this paper we have examined evidence for one of these putative protective mechanisms: endothelial cell modulation of the activation responses of neutrophils during adherence and diapedesis. In vitro , endothelial cells co-incubated with neutrophils inhibit the release of superoxide anion when stimulated by receptor-mediated activators. The possible mechanisms include contact-linked down-regulation of neutrophil activation, the release from endothelial cells of soluble mediators which attenuate neutrophil activation responses, and the presence of free radical scavengers in endothelial cells which are active at the interface between endothelial cells and adherent neutrophils. There may be a broad spectrum of mechanisms by which intercellular interactions protect the lining cells of the vascular lumen from ‘inadvertent’ destruction by phagocytes which become activated while in an intravascular location.
U.S. begins merging satellite programs

The U.S. government has moved closer to merging and streamlining two separate environmental satellite programs operated by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Earlier this month, the government installed the Integrated Polar Acquisition and Control Subsystem in a Commerce Department facility in Suitland, Maryland. Beginning next summer, the system will operate the two environmental satellites in DOD's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Under merger plans, NOAA will be responsible for operating the DOD satellite system as well as its own. The elimination of separate systems could save $678 million through fiscal year 1999, according to James Mannen, Director of the federal government's Integrated Program Office
Soil Management Zone Determination by Yield Stability Analysis and Classification

Multiyear yield data may lead to more accurate determination of yield-soil relationships. This study was conducted to determine if stable yield classification zones could be found, if soil and/or topographical properties differed among yield classifications, and if soil and/or topographical properties could be used to classify field locations into yield classes. Soybean (Glycine max L.) yields over 4 yr in three fields were classified into four zones: consistent-high, consistent-average, consistent-low, and inconsistent. Soil samples from all zones except the inconsistent zone were analyzed for pH, extractable nutrients, total C and N, texture, and elevation. Slope, plan curvature, and profile curvature at each sampling point were determined from elevation. Although differences existed, there were no consistently different soil or topographical properties among yield classes in each of the three fields. Linear discriminant analysis found unique yield-affecting factors in each field. In the North field, sand, K, and pH influenced yield classification. In the South field, clay, sand, slope, Mg, and plan curvature predicted yield classification. In the East field, pH and clay significantly influenced yield classification. For individual yield classes, the derived functions classified sampling locations into appropriate yield classes 60 to 100% of the time. The most accurate prediction rate came when classifying the soil sampling points into the high yield zone in the East field. The highest error rate occurred in this field when attempting to predict which points fell into the average classification. The combination of yield classification and linear discriminant analysis seems to be promising for determining soil-topography-yield relationships and hence soil management zones.
A Numerical Study of the Influence of Advective Accelerations in an Idealized, Low-Latitude, Planetary Boundary Layer

Abstract Steady, longitudinally invariant, barotropic, boundary layer flow is numerically studied at low latitudes where advective accelerations may he large and the Coriolis parameter is small. Flow is generated by specifying the pressure gradient field independent of the flow. It is found that as the flow approaches the equator, advective terms associated with the large latitudinal variation of the Coriolis parameter become important. As the flow crosses the equator, adjective accelerations may become important to the extent that the boundary layer downstream from the equator is radically different from the Ekman boundary layer. Compared to Ekman flow, the wind vector may rotate with height in the opposite direction, and the boundary layer depth may be considerably thinner and less dependent on latitude. The cross-isobar flow of this advective boundary layer is deeper and may be stronger, so that spatial transitions between this boundary layer and a quasi-Ekman boundary layer can produce significant ver...
Repression of AIM-1 kinase mRNA as part of a program of genes regulated by Mpl ligand.

Megakaryocytes give rise to platelets that are essential for thrombosis and hemostasis. During development, megakaryocytes undergo an endomitotic cell cycle by which they skip late anaphase and cytokinesis to yield high ploidy cells. This process is regulated by the c-Mpl receptor ligand. In the current study we used differential display PCR as well as degenerate cloning of kinases to identify part of the program of genes regulated during Mpl ligand-induced differentiation. Several of the induced genes were identified as encoding metabolic proteins as carnitine palmitolytransferase, while other altered genes were identified as encoding kinases. Of these, AIM-1 kinase mRNA was severely downregulated by Mpl ligand at the onset of polyploidy in megakaryocytes. This effect was not related to message stability, but rather to a change in transcriptional rate. These data point to the potential importance of the transcriptional regulation of the AIM-1 gene for promoting megakaryocyte polyploidization.
Can DNA methylation be used as a prognostic indicator in lung cancer

9 ISSN 1758-1966 10.2217/LMT.12.59 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Lung Cancer Manage. (2013) 2(1), 9–12 Cancer is caused by structural and functional gene abnormalities affecting cell proliferation and survival. DNA sequence changes (mutations) are not the sole source of gene abnormalities [1]. Gene availability and expression are subject to DNA sequence-independent levels of control (epigenetics), which encompass a variety of activities, from pretranscriptional to post-translational events [2]. The most wellstudied of these involve the control of transcription and translation, including histone modification, noncoding RNAs and DNA methylation. Enzymatic addition of methyl groups to DNA is a frequent and normal mechanism of control of gene expression, generally silencing transcription though interaction with DNA-associated proteins. Although DNA methylation has been studied for over 20 years, the phenotypes and predictions associated with DNA methylation are complex and difficult to define. One reason for this difficulty is that methylation of DNA occurs globally throughout the genome in noncoding regions and at genespecific sites [3]. Global methylation is thought to maintain chromosome stability by silencing DNA elements that move from one location to another in the genome through transcriptional intermediates. Methylation at gene-specific sites occurs mainly on the cytosine residues of clusters of cytosine–guanine dinucleotides (CpG) in CpG islands. In these capacities, both hyperand hypo-methylation of DNA can contribute to tumorigenesis and malignancy [3]. Hypermethylation at gene-specific sites would be the most easily defined biomarker, compared with global hypomethylation. Normally, methylation at gene-specific sites epigenetically regulates transcription to provide gene products at the appropriate time in cell development and metabolism [4]. DNA methylation is permanent for genes in cell types where particular gene products are not required. Some genes, such as SHP1 (coding for a protein tyrosine phosphatase with potential tumor suppressor activity), have multiple promoters (start sites of transcription) with different methylation patterns [5]. These promoters may be methylated in some cell types and unmethylated in others.
Stored waveform inverse Fourier-transform (SWIFT) excitation for water-suppressed whole-body slice-selected proton chemical shift spectra at 1.5 Tesla

Proton NMR spectroscopy for the in vivo study of metabolites in a spatially resolved region with a clinical NMR imaging device must contend with the 70% hydration of normal man. Theoretical and experimental comparisons of several excitation waveforms designed to suppress the H2O signal in proton NMR spectroscopy and chemical shift imaging have been conducted. In particular, we have compared the 1331 and 11 pulse sequences with those obtained via a stored waveform inverse Fourier-transform (SWIFT) time-domain apodized waveform generated by inverse Fourier transformation of a quadratically phase-encoded excitation magnitude spectrum. Theoretical excitation profiles are compared to those measured in a slice selected with a General Electric Signa 1.5 T whole-body imaging system, and demonstrated for a phantom (toluene, dioxane, and dichloromethane). The SWIFT waveform is theoretically and experimentally superior to 11 and 1331 for selective suppression of one spectral segment with simultaneous uniform excitation over the rest of the spectral frequency range. SWIFT-excited water-suppressed depth-resolved chemical shift spectra are demonstrated for human brain and human calf muscle of normal volunteers.
The Disaggregated Money Demand in the Long Run

Abstract The results of past research on the long-run stationarity of money demand has been mixed. We explore the possibility that these mixed results are related to the aggregate nature of standard measures of money by investigating the disaggregated money components to test for long-run stationarity. A stochastic trends model for a vector of disaggregated monetary measures is estimated. Our findings indicate that only the time deposit component shows consistent evidence of cointegration. Since time deposits represent two-thirds of M2, this may be the reason why past research has found marginal support for M2 stationarity, but limited support for narrower monetary aggregates.
Microfluidic Gel Electrophoresis in the Undergraduate Laboratory Applied to Food Analysis

A microfluidics-based laboratory experiment for the analysis of DNA fragments in an analytical undergraduate course is presented. The experiment is set within the context of food species identification via amplified DNA fragments. The students are provided with berry samples from which they extract DNA and perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with strawberry-specific primers. The resulting PCR products are analyzed using the Agilent Bioanalyzer. Using the raw data, the students are tasked to identify the strawberry sample. This course serves as a practical introduction into microfluidic-based capillary gel electrophoresis as well as a primer for biomolecular DNA analysis.
Triton X-100 reacts with chlorophyll in the presence of chlorophyllase

Abstract Chlorophyllase (chlorophyll chlorophyllidohydrolase, EC 3.1.1.14) catalyses the transesterification of chlorophylls with the surfactant Triton X-100, which is widely used in the preparation and study of this enzyme. The preparation and some properties of water-soluble tritonyl chlorophyllide esters are described. A mechanism for the role of Triton X-100 as an inhibitor in chlorophyllase-catalyzed hydrolysis and transesterification of chlorophylls is proposed. Bacteriochlorophyl a also has been employed as a substrate for green plant chlorophyllase.
Urinary inhibitors of polymerase chain reaction and ligase chain reaction and testing of multiple specimens may contribute to lower assay sensitivities for diagnosing Chlamydia trachomatis infected women.

Abstract In a comparison of commercial ligase chain reaction (LCR; Abbott) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR; Roche) assays, measuring plasmid genes of Chlamydia trachomatis , some specimens were found to be negative by either or both assays but positive in traditional culture or antigen detection tests. Of 767 women, 35 were found to be infected by cervical or urine testing. Twenty three specimens from 16 women may have contained inhibitors in six cervical swabs (CS) and 15 first void urines (FVU). By performing dilution and «spiking» experiments on five FVU, inhibitors of PCR, LCR or both, which disappeared by dilution, were demonstrated. Confirmatory assays were used which amplified segments of the major outer membrane gene by PCR or LCR. When comparisons of assays were made on a single specimen type, the sensitivities of the amplification assays, compared to an expanded reference standard, were as follows: on CS, PCR was 93·8% (30/32) and LCR was 96·9% (31/32); on FVU, PCR was 76·6% (23/30) and LCR was 93·3% (28/30). When a combined calculation was made to determine the ability of the assays to detect patients infected in the cervix or urethra by testing FVU, the sensitivities dropped to 71·4% (25/35) for PCR and 80·0% (28/35) for LCR: CS sensitivity was 88·6% (31/35) for both amplified tests. There were two CS and five FVU false-positives by PCR which reduced to one CS and three FVU in the combined analysis. There were no false-positives by LCR. Inhibitors and low levels of chlamydial plasmid nucleic acids may have contributed to lower than expected sensitivities, suggesting a possible need for internal positive controls, especially for PCR, when testing urine. More studies with multiple sampling and more than one amplification assay are needed to confirm these findings and to identify and remove inhibitors of amplification assays.