cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fas stimulation induces RB dephosphorylation and proteolysis that is blocked by inhibitors of the ICE protease family

Fas antigen is a member of the tumor necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor family. Stimulation of Fas by Fas ligand or agonistic antibodies results in the activation of interleukin-1β converting enzyme-like (ICE-like) proteases, and proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Ultimately, Fas activation leads to apoptotic cell death. The importance of PARP cleavage to the death process remains unclear. We have hypothesized that the cleavage of other cellular substrates may be important for Fas-mediated apoptosis. Here we show that stimulation of Fas results in significant alterations of retinoblastoma protein (RB). Treatment of Jurkat cells, a human leukemic T cell line, with anti-Fas induces dephosphorylation of RB, followed by proteolytic cleavage. These events precede internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Dephosphorylation and cleavage of RB are inhibited by a specific tetrapeptide inhibitor of ICE-like proteases or by expression of cowpox virus CrmA protein or the Bcl-2 oncoprotein. Inhibition of these RB changes correlates with inhibition of apoptosis. We propose that cleavage of RB may represent an important step in the pathway of Fas-mediated apoptotic cell death. J. Cell. Biochem. 64:586–594. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fragrance material review on ethylene brassylate

A toxicologic and dermatologic review of ethylene brassylate when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented. Ethylene brassylate is a member of the fragrance structural group macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives. The fragrance ingredient described herein is one of 12 structurally diverse C14, C15, and C16 compounds that include (7) saturated mono-and (2) saturated di-ester lactones and (3) unsaturated lactones. For the latter, the double bond is not adjacent to (in conjugation with) the ester group. This review contains a detailed summary of all available toxicology and dermatology papers that are related to ethylene brassylate and is not intended as a stand-alone document. Available data were evaluated, then summarized, and includes: physical properties; acute toxicity; skin irritation; skin sensitization; elicitation; phototoxicity; repeated dose; and genotoxicity data. A safety assessment of the entire macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives will be published simultaneously with this document. Please refer to Belsito et al. (2011) for an overall assessment of the safe use of this material and all macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives in fragrances. Belsito, D., Bickers, D., Bruze, M., Calow, P., Dagli, M., Fryer, A.D., Greim, H., Hanifin, J.H., Miyachi, Y., Saurat, J.H., Sipes, I.G., 2011. A toxicologic and dermatologic assessment of macrocylic lactone and lactide derivatives when used as fragrance ingredients.
Electrostatic force microscopy and electrical isolation of etched few-layer graphene nano-domains

Nanostructured bi-layer graphene samples formed through catalytic etching are investigated with electrostatic force microscopy. The measurements and supporting computations show a variation in the microscopy signal for different nano-domains that are indicative of changes in capacitive coupling related to their small sizes. Abrupt capacitance variations detected across etch tracks indicates that the nano-domains have strong electrical isolation between them. Comparison of the measurements to a resistor-capacitor model indicates that the resistance between two bi-layer graphene regions separated by an approximately 10 nm wide etch track is greater than about 1×1012 Ω with a corresponding gap resistivity greater than about 3×1014 Ω⋅nm. This extremely large gap resistivity suggests that catalytic etch tracks within few-layer graphene samples are sufficient for providing electrical isolation between separate nano-domains that could permit their use in constructing atomically thin nanogap electrodes, interconn...
Developmental behaviors: delayed appearance in monkeys asphyxiated at birth.

Developmental behaviors were studied in monkeys subjected to asphyxia at birth. Visual depth perception, visual pla ing, and locomotion appeared significantly later than in nonasphyxiated monkeys. After these behaviors had been established in asphyxiates, however, there was little difference from those observed in normal monkeys. These results were compared with reports of permanent learning deficits that occur in monkeys asphyxiated at birth for similar periods of time. Such comparison suggests that the neural structures responsible for the developmental behaviors studied are not damaged by asphyxia to the same extent as those for acquisition. Delay in development may be an early indication of brain damage with subsequent mental retardation.
The relationship of self-talk frequency to communication apprehension and public speaking anxiety

Abstract This research examines how self-talk is related to the nature and prevalence of communication apprehension and public speaking anxiety. In Study 1, we examined the relationship between general communication apprehension (CA) and the frequency and nature of general self-talk. Results showed that higher CA scores were associated with more frequent self-critical self-talk than lower CA scores. In Study 2, we examined how self-talk pertaining to the preparation for an upcoming speech related to public speaking anxiety. Results showed that self-critical and social-assessing self-talk were positively related to people’s anxiety scores, whereas self-reinforcing self-talk was negatively associated with their anxiety. Implications of these results for the management of public speaking anxiety are discussed.
Color and the Vertical Structure in Jupiter's Belts, Zones, and Weather Systems

Abstract Radiative transfer analysis was performed with data taken by the Galileo spacecraft Solid State Imager (SSI) during its nominal mission (December 1995 to December 1997). The objective is to use the methane band (727 and 889 nm) and color (410 and 756 nm) sensitivities to identify the vertical position of cloud absorption that leads to coloration. Earlier work (Banfield et al. 1998, Icarus 135 , 230–250) with only the near-IR continuum and methane band images yielded information about the vertical distribution of cloud scatterers, but no information on the wavelength dependence of cloud absorption. The new analysis employs the same parameter retrieval algorithm, but adds the 410-nm wavelength. Under the assumption that the 410-nm absorption by cloud particles is indicative of spectrally broad blue absorption, the new channel gives color information. The primary color difference between the dark north equatorial belt (NEB) and the brighter equatorial zone (EZ) appears to be in the tropospheric haze layer's 410-nm single scattering albedo. This layer extends through the stably stratified region approximately from 200 to 800 mbars. The base of the haze layer is slightly deeper in the NEB (by about 200 mbars) than in the EZ, and a variable thickness white cloud layer at the base of the haze exists in both regions, but is about five times optically thicker in the EZ. Within the EZ, slight color variation is seen with latitude, again due to 410-nm single scattering albedo variation in the haze layer. Anomalous regions, such as the Great Red Spot and a 5-μm hot spot, are modeled, showing additional variations in the structure and color of the tropospheric haze. Deeper clouds with pressures of ≥1.7 bars are seen in occasional clearings, but their opacity and color are not well constrained by the data.
The usefulness of urine fluorescence for suspected antifreeze ingestion in children

Abstract Purpose To evaluate urine fluorescence as a diagnostic tool. Procedures Using a Wood lamp, 60 physicians, assigned to group 1 or 2, independently rated 150 urine specimens from nonpoisoned children as fluorescent or nonfluorescent. Interobserver and intraobserver agreements were assessed. Physician ratings were compared with fluorometry results. The prevalence of urine fluorescence was determined by fluorometry. Main Findings Group 1 reported fluorescence in 80.7% (95% CI 73.4%-86.6%) of urine specimens; group 2 reported fluorescence in 69.3% (95% CI 61.3%-76.5%). Interrater agreement was poor (72.5%, κ = 0.25, 95% CI 0.13-0.37); intrarater agreement was good (physician group 1: 97.9%, κ = 0.93, 95% CI 0.77-1.00; physician group 2: 93.3%, κ = 0.85, 95% CI 0.69-1.00). The prevalence of urine fluorescence was 100% (95% CI 98.1%-100%). Conclusion Our data suggest that determination of urine fluorescence using a Wood lamp is a poor screening tool for suspected antifreeze ingestion in children.
Dearth of glutamate transporters contributes to striatal excitotoxicity.

Abstract Since excitotoxicity is hypothesized to contribute to cell death in Huntington's disease (HD), we examined the susceptibility of striatal and hippocampal neurons to glutamate-induced cell death. Striatal cultures were more susceptible to glutamate-triggered toxicity than sister hippocampal cultures. Dose–response curves were equivalent when secondary toxicity was blocked with application of the NMDA receptor antagonist, MK801, or enhanced with the pan-specific glutamate transport blocker, TBOA, following excitotoxin removal. TBOA failed to alter the dose–response characteristics of striatal excitotoxicity, ruling out reverse operation of glutamate transporters. Striatal cultures expressed less EAAC1and less membrane-associated EAAC1, GLT1, and GLAST than hippocampal cultures. Antisense down-regulation of EAAC1 increased the sensitivity of hippocampal cultures to glutamate, indicating that this transporter can act as an important neuroprotectant. Thus, the relative expression levels of glutamate transporters, even in parts of the brain where they are considered adequately expressed, appear to influence the sensitivities of different neuronal populations to excitotoxicity.
Arguing for Frege’s Fundamental Principle

Saul Kripke's puzzle about belief demonstrates the lack of soundness of the traditional argument for the Fregean fundamental principle that the sentences 'S believes that a is F' and 'S believes that b is F' can differ in truth value even if a = b. This principle is a crucial premise in the traditional Fregean argument for the existence of semantically relevant senses, individuative elements of beliefs that are sensitive to our varying conceptions of what the beliefs are about. Joseph Owens has offered a new argument for this fundamental principle, one that is not subject to Kripke's criticisms. I argue that even though Owens' argument avoids Kripke's criticisms, it has other flaws.
New corneal shapes in keratorefractive surgery.

Abstract The corneal shape change as measured by the Humphrey keratometer and the corneascope after radial keratotomy in 50 patients was compared. The Humphrey keratometer analyzes a unique curve fit algorithm of the aplanatic corneal surface and designates this comparison as a shape factor. Both the corneascope photographs and the Humphrey keratometer demonstrated central corneal flattening after successful radial keratotomy. In addition, the normal “plus” shape factor was routinely converted to a “negative” shape factor after the procedure. This is analagous to converting the aplanatic central cornea, which normally approximates the end of an ellipse, to a topography which appears in cross section as the side of an ellipse. This alteration in topography is directly correlated to the magnitude of cycloplegic refractive change seen with this operation. The corneascope map topography of the cornea confirms this alteration in curvature.
Computerized Time Impact Analysis for Project Acceleration

: Project acceleration often results in claims. A LISP program for performing time impact analysis for project acceleration is presented. The program helps the user identify the number of days by which the project can be accelerated and what the user's share will be of the acceleration costs involved. The program analyzes the as-planned, as-built, and utility data files submitted by the user and identifies all delayed, accelerated, added, and canceled (DAAC) activities. It then generates as-planned, as-built, projected, adjusted, owner-accountable, and contractor-accountable schedules. The program performs a compression analysis on the remaining portion of the project. After a consultation session with the user, it apportions acceleration costs between the owner and the contractor in an equitable way. This program is expected to help settle claims.
A simple method to predict the resolution of a focused collimator at any depth

Abstract A practical method to evaluate the resolution of a focused collimator at any depth is suggested. It operates by decomposing the imaging process of the collimator into two successive steps, one involving the single tube spread function alone and the other the parallax effect introduced by the multiplicity of holes. The method is not rigorous but very rapid and gives results in reasonable agreement with direct measurements. It also permits immediate optimization by visual inspection between hole size and overall collimator aperture.
Design and analysis of a cooled z-shaped germanium x-ray monochromator

R. Khachatryan1, and L. Lurio31Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 604392Mechanical, Material, and Aerospace Eng. Dept., Illinois Inst. of Tech., Chicago, IL 606163Departrnent ofPhysics, Northern Illinois University, DeKaib, IL 60115ABSTRACTThis paper describes the design and analysis of a contact-cooled channel-cut germanium
Differential DNA methylation of the p16 INK4A/CDKN2A promoter in human oral cancer cells and normal human oral keratinocytes

The p16 INK4A tumor suppressor gene participates in establishing and maintaining the malignant phenotype of a variety of cancer cell lines and primary tumors. Recently it has been observed that p16 expression is lost in oral cavity cancer cell lines in the presence of a normal intact gene. To examine the role of DNA methylation as an explanation for these findings, we analyzed the DNA methylation patterns of the p16 INK4A promoter in DNA isolated from primary cultures of normal human oral keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-15) oral cancer cells using bisulfite genomic sequencing. Our results demonstrated striking differences in the methylation status of the 5' CpG island of the p16 gene between normal and cancer cells. Normal human oral keratinocytes showed practically no methylation of the p16 INK4A promoter, while SCC-15 oral cancer cells showed almost complete methylation in this region. These data implicate DNA methylation as a mechanism for transcriptional silencing of the p16 INK4A gene in oral cancer cells.
Temperature and pulse-duration dependence of second-harmonic generation in CdGeAs2.

A detailed investigation of frequency doubling of a transversely excited atmospheric CO2 laser operating at 9.55 µm with a CdGeAs2 crystal was carried out. The temperature of the crystal was varied between 80 and 295 K to maximize the frequency-doubled energy. The temporal shape of the generated beam at 4.775 µm was monitored to calculate its peak power. High values of midwave infrared pulse energy (16.65 mJ) and peak power (92 kW) were obtained, which can be of potential use in lidar systems.
Actions of endothelin-1 on prostaglandin production by gestational tissues

Abstract Endothelin-1 (10 −11 M-10 −7 M) was incubated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells and cells derived from amnion and decidua and prostaglandin production was determined. The rates of biosynthesis of 6-keto-prostaglandin F 1α (6-keto-PGF 1α ) and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) by endothelial cells were increased significantly by treatment with endothelin-1. Amnion cell PGE 2 production was reduced significantly by endothelin-1 treatment whereas decidual PGE 2 and prostaglandin F 2α production was unaffected by this treatment. Thus, it is possible that endothelins may play a part in the regulation of uteroplacental hemodynamics and the mechanisms of parturition.
Agent-Based Provenance Architecture

An Agent-Based Provenance Architecture is described that supports the automated capture of provenance in a variety of domains, including physical and biological sciences, data ware-housing, workflow management systems, document management systems and geographic information systems. Disparate systems can store provenance of creation, ownership, transformation and other lineage using transparent, machine-understandable semantics that support data discovery, trust in the possible presence of deception and fitness-for-use determination. Resource Description Framework (RDF) triples are used for an open, extensible representation of provenance information. This Provenance Agent Architecture can apply to both legacy and future systems, fully automated systems, human-in-the-loop systems, stand-alone systems, fully distributed systems and client-server systems. After conceptualizing the agent architecture for data provenance, experiments were conducted to validate its key aspects, including the loose coupling of agents to applications and each other and applicability to multiple domains. This research leads to a society of agents that can handle provenance at differing levels of detail and can present provenance, at various levels of detail, usefully and intelligibly to end users. Support of this architecture for security and trust is described.
Iterative analysis of a continuous system for desalination by reverse osmosis

Blasius perturbation solutions are developed for the incompressible laminar boundary layer at high Schmidt numbers. The eigenvalues have been found to be multiples of 3/2 and the eigenfunctions can be expressed as confluent hypergeometric functions. The eigenfunctions are employed in analyzing a continuous desalination system. The reverse-osmosis boundary condition leads to an integral equation which is, in turn, solved by iterative techniques. The first-order calculations show that the results are most accurate for large ratios of osmotic to applied pressures. For medium ratios, the results are reasonably good.
Evidence of Ascent in a Sloped Barrier Jet and an Associated Heavy-Snow Band

Abstract Doppler radar data are used to identify alongstream slope of a barrier jet running parallel to the cast slope of the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. The barrier jet was collocated with a narrow band of heavy snow embedded within a larger area of light-to-moderate snow. The conditions responsible for the formation of the barrier jet are shown to be a sloped inversion associated with a recent cold-frontal passage. This resulted in a situation similar to those observed in cases cold-air damming. The slope of the barrier jet indicates ascent of air parcels in the jet of 0.18 m s−1and this vertical motion is proposed as the mechanism for the heavy-snow band observed in the radar data. This is in contrast to conceptual models associated with cold-air damming that depict enhanced precipitation due to ascent of air above the sloped inversion.
Specificity and some physicochemical characteristics of the antibacterial activity from blue crabCallinectes sapidus

Abstract Haemolymph of the brachyuran crustacean Callinectes sapidus possesses bactericidal activity which is highly inhibitory to Gram-negative bacteria cultured from blue crab carapace, including Aeromonas hydrophila , Vibrio parahemolyticus , Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus . Several strains of Escherichia coli were also susceptible, but all other bacteria that were not isolated from blue crabs were resistant. No lysozyme-like activity was detected. A quantitative turbidometric assay using E. coli was used to measure antibacterial activity after exposure to various physical and chemical treatments. The activity was most active at low pH, heat-labile, inhibited by sodium chloride, and inactivated by protease. The antibacterial activity appeared to be confined to the haemocytes.
Effect of fungicides on sugar beet yield, quality, and postharvest respiration rates in the absence of disease.

Abstract Five fungicides were each applied on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) three times at about 14-day intervals beginning in July in 2005 through 2008. No foliar disease occurred in the nontreated c...
A Non-cholinergic Transmitter, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-activating Polypeptide, Utilizes a Novel Mechanism to Evoke Catecholamine Secretion in Rat Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Abstract Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is the most potent non-cholinergic neurotransmitter to stimulate catecholamine secretion from rat chromaffin cells; however, the mechanism of action is not clear. We used amperometric detection of exocytosis and indo-1 monitoring of [Ca] to identify PACAP actions in cultured chromaffin cells. PACAP (100 nM) required external Ca to evoke secretion. However, unlike nicotine and KCl which caused immediate and relatively brief secretion, PACAP had a latency of 6.8 ± 0.96 s to the first secretory response and secretion continued for up to 2 min. PACAP elevation of [Ca] showed similar latency and often remained above base line for several minutes following a brief exposure. ZnCl (100 μM) selectively inhibited PACAP-stimulated secretion and [Ca] with little effect on nicotine-evoked responses. Nifedipine (10 μM) had little effect on PACAP-evoked secretion but inhibited nicotine-evoked secretion by more than 80%, while -conotoxin (100 nM) failed to affect either agonist. PACAP-stimulated cAMP levels required 5 s to significantly increase, consistent with the latency of exocytotic and Ca responses. Forskolin (10 μM) caused responses similar to PACAP. PACAP-evoked exocytosis was blocked by the protein kinase A inhibitor adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphorothioate R-diastereomer (R-cAMPS). These data show that PACAP stimulates exocytosis by a mechanism distinctly different from cholinergic transmitters that appears to involve cAMP-mediated Ca influx. Differences in receptor coupling mechanisms and pharmacology of Ca entry stimulated by cholinergic and peptidergic agonists support the idea that the peptidergic system maintains catecholamine secretion under conditions where the cholinergic system desensitizes or otherwise fails.
Vincristine neuropathy and a Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case with acute lymphatic leukemia and quadriparesis.

A 3 1/2-yr-old boy with acute leukemia rapidly developed quadriparesis during induction treatment that included vincristine. Accompanying the paralysis, spinal fluid protein was increased. This has not previously been associated with vincristine neuropathy. In addition to leukemia, we suggest that the patient had the Guillain-Barre syndrome, potentiating the neurotoxicity of vincristine.
High resolution images of single C60 molecules on gold (111) using scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract The electronic interactions of fullerene molecules with metals, with other molecules, and with themselves are important to the chemical and conductive properties of these materials. We demonstrate high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy images of C 60 molecules condensed on epitaxial gold (111) films on mica, in which the C 60 molecules are isolated from each other. The C 60 molecules were locked in position to the gold substrate by an ordered layer of methyl isobutyl ketone. The images of the C 60 molecules exhibit intramolecular contrast indicating a significant electronic interaction with the gold substrate. Current versus voltage measurements show that both the C 60 and the thin film of methyl isobutyl ketone have conductances comparable to that of the gold substrate.
Staff Development: The Key to Effective Middle Level Schools.

Staff development is the key to the success of middle level schools. This writer describes what makes an effective staff development program, complete with examples, as well as how to evaluate it.
Tabular iceberg collisions within the coastal regime

During 2000-07, five giant icebergs (B15A, B15J, B15K, C16 and C25) adrift in the south- western Ross Sea, Antarctica, were instrumented with global positioning system (GPS) receivers and other instruments to monitor their behavior in the near-coastal environment. The measurements show that collision processes can strongly influence iceberg behavior and delay their progress in drifting to the open ocean. Collisions appear to have been a dominant control on the movement of B15A, the largest of the icebergs, during the 4-year period it gyrated within the limited confines of Ross Island, the fixed Ross Ice Shelf and grounded C16. Iceberg interactions in the near-coastal regime are largely driven by ocean tidal effects which determine the magnitude of forces generated during collision and break-up events. Estimates of forces derived from the observed drift trajectories during the iceberg-collision- induced calving of iceberg C19 from the Ross Ice Shelf, during the iceberg-induced break-off of the tip of the Drygalski Ice Tongue and the break-up of B15A provide a crude estimate of the stress scale involved in iceberg calving. Considering the total area the vertical face of new rifts created in the calving or break-up process, and not accounting for local stress amplification near rift tips, this estimated stress scale is 10 4 Pa.
PARP-1 Inhibition Prevents Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress–Induced Endothelial Cell Death via Transactivation of the VEGF Receptor 2

Objective— PARP-1, a DNA base repair enzyme, is activated by DNA breaks induced by oxidative (ROS) and nitrosative (RNS) stress. By consuming NAD + , PARP-1 activation can lead to ATP depletion and cell death. Studies suggest that inhibiting PARP-1 activity can attenuate pathologies associated with vascular smooth muscle and endothelial dysfunction. PARP-1 inhibition can also activate the prosurvival serine/threonine kinase, Akt. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) regulates endothelial cell survival via Akt activation downstream of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) activation. Here we investigated the hypothesis that PARP-1 inhibition protects human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) from ROS- and RNS-induced cell death by limiting NAD + depletion and by activating a prosurvival signaling pathway via VEGFR2 phosphorylation. Methods and Results— We activated PARP-1 in HUVECs by treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and peroxynitrite (ONOO − ). Both depleted HUVECs of NAD + and ATP, processes that were limited by the PARP-1 inhibitor, PJ34. ONOO − and H 2 O 2 -induced cell death and apoptosis were attenuated in cells treated with PJ34 or PARP-1 siRNA. PARP-1 inhibition increased Akt, BAD, and VEGFR2 phosphorylation in HUVECs and in PJ34-treated rabbit aortas. The VEGFR2-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor SU1498 decreased PARP-1 inhibition-mediated phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and Akt, and also reversed survival effects of PJ34. Finally, PARP-1 inhibition protected cells from death induced by serum starvation, evidence for a role in cell survival independent of energy protection. Conclusions— PARP-1 inhibition prevents ROS- and RNS-induced HUVEC death by maintaining cellular energy in the form of NAD + and ATP, and also by activating a survival pathway via VEGFR2, Akt, and BAD phosphorylation.
Advice for Young Travelers

Children who live or travel in developing countries are at a small but definite risk of acquiring certain diseases that they would be unlikely to encounter had they remained in North America. Pediatricians who counsel such children and their famailies need to give competent and current advice about immunizations, chemoprophylaxis, and other maneuvers designed to maintain health. This review has outlined a general disease prevention program appropriate for children who travel to developing countires.
Layered Hepatocytes and Endothelial Cells on a Transwell Membrane: Toward Engineering the Liver Sinusoid

This paper presents a novel liver model platform that mimics the liver sinusoid, a functional unit of the liver where most liver activities occur. A key component of the current liver model is a layered co-culture of primary rat hepatocytes (PRH) and primary rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) or a bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) as an alternative. Poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels were fabricated and attached to transwell membranes that contain submicroscale pores. Cells were cultured either on one side or on both sides of the transwell membrane, and in both cases cells formed confluent layers. A thin matrigel coating or micro porous membrane was applied between the two cell layers in order to mimic the Space of Disse. We used three different methods to check cell viability: recombinant adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein, mito-tracker red to stain live mitochondria, and an expression plasmid expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP). It was shown that PRH retained normal morphology and remained viable for about 3 days with BAEC in the PDMS microchannel, about 57 days with BAEC on the transwell, and about 39 days with primary LSEC on the transwell. Preliminary observation suggests that there is formation of structures between hepatocytes that appear similar to bile canaliculi when PRH are co-cultured with endothelial cells. The layered co-culture system seems to be a promising method to generate accurate liver models.© 2012 ASME
Application of the electroprecipitin test to the detection of the virus of canine distemper.

La production d'un anticorps contre le virus de l'encephalite canine a ete demontree par electroprecipitation sur l'acetate de cellulose dans une dilution de 1∶8. Une bande de precipitation bien definie a ete obtenue dans un intervalle de temps tres court, ce qui indiquerait que le test pourrait servir a l'identification de l'antigene encephalitique chez les chiens suspectes d'en etre atteints.
A unifying look at clustering in mobile ad hoc networks

In recent years, a significant number of clustering schemes have been proposed in the literature. Most of them treat cluster initialization and cluster maintenance differently as if they were two entirely different undertakings. The main contribution of this work is a unifying way of looking at clustering in MANET. We make an important point: there is no difference between cluster initialization and cluster maintenance, and one algorithm should gracefully blend into the other. To illustrate the feasibility of this concept, we propose a novel tree-based clustering algorithm for MANET based on a number of properties of diameter-2 graphs. The algorithm is cluster-centric and, unlike the vast majority of algorithms in the literature, works in the presence of node mobility. Extensive simulation results show the effectiveness of our algorithm when compared to other clustering schemes proposed in the recent literature. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Non-curricular approaches for increasing physical activity in youth: a review.

AbstractBackground. To prevent obesity, the physical activity of youth should be increased. Since time for school physical education has declinedand curricular interventions have had limited effects, alternative non-curriculum approaches need to be tested.Methods. A systematic review was conducted to identify research that evaluated the effectiveness of non-curricular interventions on thephysical activity of children and adolescents.Results. Results showed that children were active during school break periods and inexpensive interventions further increased activityduring these times. Active travel to school offered potential, but its effectiveness was impaired by traffic congestion and parental fears forchild safety. Extracurricular, school-based interventions had problems with low attendance, which might be removed if delivered throughexisting community organizations. Summer day camps offered potential for increasing activity of youth, but research is required to determinehow best to convert camp activity into increased post-camp habitual activity.Conclusions. Physical activity can be increased during school break periods, through existing youth organizations, summer day camps,and possibly through active transportation. Future research should focus on further enhancing the effectiveness of these innovativeinterventions.D 2004 The Institute For Cancer Prevention and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A method for quantifying the higher order modes radiated by an arbitrarily shaped antenna

A method for quantifying the magnitude of higher order field modes radiated by an arbitrarily shaped antenna is presented. Numerically determined fields are equated with the general multipolar field expansion, allowing the relative magnitude of each higher order component to be determined. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 24: 20–24, 2000.
Chain folding in single crystals and sheared (“fiber”) samples of a liquid crystal polymer

Lamellar single crystals, ca. 100A thick and with predominantly reentrant chain folding have been grown from the quiescent and sheared liquid crystalline state of a liquid crystalline random configuration terpolymer containing C7 flexible segment.
Rare charm and B decays at CDF

We present results on rare charm and B decays using 65pb{sup -1} of data taken with the CDF detector in Run II. Three results are discussed, a measurement of the relative branching ratios {Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -})/{Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} K{pi}) and {Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -})/{Lambda}(D{sup 0} {yields} K{pi}) and the direct CP-violating decay rate asymmetry, and a limit on the branching ratio of the FCNC decay D{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}. We also discuss the prospects for the search for B{sub s}{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} decays.
Ganciclovir-Resistant Cytomegalovirus in Organ Transplant Recipients

Ganciclovir-resistant (GanR) cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an emerging clinical problem in organ transplant recipients, particularly recipients of kidney and pancreas and lung transplants. GanR CMV, a late posttransplantation complication, is observed predominantly among CMV-seronegative recipients of organs from seropositive donors, especially among recipients receiving intensive immunosuppression and having prolonged exposure to ganciclovir. Given the limitations of current diagnostic methods, if GanR CMV is clinically suspected, empirical treatment with intravenously administered foscarnet should be used in conjunction with reductions in immunosuppressive therapy and possibly CMV hyperimmune globulin. Better diagnostic tools and newer, less-toxic antiviral agents with different mechanisms of action are urgently needed to decrease the morbidity associated with this complication in organ transplant recipients.
Which Contributes More to Childhood Adiposity-High Levels of Sedentarism or Low Levels of Moderate-through-Vigorous Physical Activity? The Iowa Bone Development Study

Objective To examine the relative importance of sedentarism and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for adiposity development in children and adolescents. Study design A total of 277 boys and 277 girls (95% white; two-thirds of parents with college graduation or higher education) from the Iowa Bone Development Cohort Study completed body fat and accelerometry measurement at examinations of 8, 11, 13, and/or 15 years of age (during 2000-2009). The main exposure was accelerometry-measured sedentary time, frequency of breaks in sedentary time, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity time. The outcome was dual energy x-ray absorptiometry-measured body fat mass. Results Adjusted for age, height, physical maturity, and sedentary time, growth models showed that high moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time was associated with low body fat mass in both boys (coefficient β = −0.10 ± 0.02) and girls ( β = −0.05 ± 0.01; P Conclusions This study does not support an independent effect of sedentarism on adiposity. The preventive effect of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity on adiposity in children and adolescents remained strong after adjusting for the effect of sedentarism.
FIRM INCENTIVES FOR INVENTION PRIZES WITH MULTIPLE WINNERS

This paper considers the behavior of firms competing for a fixed prize offered by a social planner, which fixed prize can be shared equally. Usually, in the literature, with multiple winners, the total prize amount is not fixed, nor is it equally shared. The model is a hybrid of the traditional tournament model, where the best innovation is rewarded by a specific date, and an innovation race, where the reward is given to the first individual to discover a specific innovation in an unlimited time period. 3 We use the functional form shown in Wright [1983], where the individual probability of success is independent of others’ efforts. Further, it is possible that the contest results in no winner. However, because the fixed prize is shared, the individual firm’s expected benefits from innovation effort are dependent upon other firm’s efforts. The social planner can consider that behavior in the determination of that welfare-maximizing optimal prize. We present three models. First, we present a short-run model where the number of firms is fixed, and is independent of the social planner. In that model, the optimal prize may result in the individual firm’s expected profits being less than zero. Next, a long-run model is presented wherein entry and exit of firms occurs until expected profits are zero. Finally, we develop a model where the social planner sets both the amount of the prize and the number of firms. As shown there, the expected profits of the firm are greater than zero.
Absolute Quantum Yields for Exciplex Fluorescence

The absolute quantum yields for exciplex fluorescence in four solutions which have potential as exciplex-based vapor/liquid visualization systems have been measured. The room-temperature absolute quantum yields for 10% dibutyl-aniline/0.4%, 1-cyanonaphthalene, 12.5% 1-methylnaphthalene/0.5% N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD), 10% tribexylamine/1.0% 1-cyanonaphthalene, and 10% naphthalene/1.0% TMPD in hexadecane or cyclohexane are 0.03 ± 0.005, 0.05 ± 0.002 (308 nm), 0.02 ± 0.001, and 0.16 ± 0.021, respectively. The temperature dependence of the absolute quantum yield for the 10% naphthalene/1% TMPD in the hexadecane system was measured over the range of 23 to 260°C and was found to decrease by 20-30% at 260°C.
Acute temporomandibular arthritis in a patient with bruxism and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease.

The temporomandibular joint has been regarded as “gout-proof’ ( I ) . Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPDD) is also unusual at this site. There has been a report of a painless destructive lesion tantamount to a calcium pyrophosphate (CaPPi) tophus involving this joint; it occurred without history of acute attacks in the area (2). Involvement of the temporomandibular joint is not mentioned in standard textbook discussions of CPDD. Several authors who reported large series of cases of CPDD, listing involved joints, failed to note attacks involving this joint (3-7). Similarly, in the unpublished experience of our clinic, which has had 76 cases of CPDD, involvement of this joint was not apparent except for the 1 patient reported here, a man with bruxism. Case Report. A 56-year-old man was referred to our arthritis clinic because of pain and swelling at the left temporomandibular joint of 3 weeks duration and at the right wrist of 1 week duration. Two years previously, an attack of pain and swelling occurred in 1 foot, preventing walking for a week before it resolved completely. The patient’s wife of 30 years reported that he had had loud attacks of nocturnal bruxism all of their married life. In spite of this, he had
The impact of adaptive cruise control systems on highway safety and traffic flow

This paper deals with the design of new adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems that can improve traffic flow while at the same time ensuring safe operation on today's highways. ACC systems are commonly designed to maintain a constant time-gap (CTG) between vehicles during vehicle- following. In this paper, a new inter-vehicle spacing policy in which the inter-vehicle spacing is a non-linear function of vehicle speed is developed. The new spacing policy, referred to as a variable time-gap (VTG) policy, is shown analytically to lead to better traffic flow and a higher highway capacity. Practical advantages of using the new spacing policy are demonstrated through traffic simulations. However, a detailed analysis of safety shows that the traditional CTG policy is superior in several scenarios. The VTG policy is then modified by explicitly taking inter-vehicle relative velocity into account in the definition of desired spacing. The resulting new spacing policy is shown to retain the advantages of stable traffic...
Plasticity and tuning by visual feedback of the stability of a neural integrator

Persistent neural firing is of fundamental importance to working memory and other brain functions because it allows information to be held “online” following an input and to be integrated over time. Many models of persistent activity rely on some kind of positive feedback internal to the neural circuit concerned; however, too much feedback causes runaway firing (instability), and too little results in loss of persistence (leak). This parameter sensitivity leads to the hypothesis that the brain uses an error signal (external feedback) to tune the stability of persistent firing by adjusting the amount of internal feedback. We test this hypothesis by manipulating external visual feedback, a putative sensory error signal, in a model system for persistent firing, the goldfish oculomotor neural integrator. Over tens of minutes to hours, electronically controlled visual feedback consistent with a leaky or unstable integrator can drive the integrator progressively more unstable or leaky, respectively. Eye fixation time constants can be reduced >100-fold to <1 s. Normal visual feedback gradually retunes the integrator back to stability. Changes in the phase of the sinusoidal vestibulo-ocular response are consistent with integrator detuning, as are changes in ocular drift following eye position shifts compensating for brief passive head movements during fixations. Corresponding changes in persistent firing of integrator neurons are presented in the accompanying article. The presence, strength, and reversibility of the plasticity demonstrate that, in this system, external visual feedback plays a vital role in gradually tuning the stability of the neural integrator.
Postauthoritarian Elections Testing Expectations about “First” Elections

The past two decades have seen a resurgence of democracy in formerly autocratic countries. The behavior of the electorate in each first election following a period of authoritarian rule is closely ...
Mathematics of Hybrid Imaging: A Brief Review

The article provides a brief survey of the mathematics of newly being developed so-called “hybrid” (also called “multi-physics” or “multi-wave”) imaging techniques.
Subspace identification method incorporating prior information

Subspace identification methods proved to be a powerful tool, which can further benefit from the incorporation of prior information. In the industrial environment, there is often strong prior information about the identified system, that can be used to improve the model quality and its compliance with physical reality. Such prior information can be the known static gains, the dominant time constants, the impulse response smoothness, etc. An idea comes from the possibility to consider the subspace identification as an optimization problem of finding a model with the optimal multi-step predictions on the experimental data. Further, the problem is reformulated to the Bayesian framework allowing to combine available prior information with the information contained in the experimental data by covariance matrix shaping. The paper is completed with an application to experimental data from an oil firing steam boiler with the rated effective power of 100 MW.
The Atg1 kinase complex is involved in the regulation of protein recruitment to initiate sequestering vesicle formation for nonspecific autophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Autophagy is the major degradative process for recycling cytoplasmic constituents and eliminating unnecessary organelles in eukaryotic cells. Most autophagy-related (Atg) proteins are recruited to the phagophore assembly site (PAS), a proposed site for vesicle formation during either nonspecific or specific types of autophagy. Therefore, appropriate recruitment of Atg proteins to this site is critical for their function in autophagy. Atg11 facilitates PAS recruitment for the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting pathway, which is a specific, autophagy-like process that occurs under vegetative conditions. In contrast, it is not known how Atg proteins are recruited to the PAS, nor which components are involved in PAS formation under nonspecific autophagy-inducing, starvation conditions. Here, we studied PAS assembly during nonspecific autophagy, using an atg11Δ mutant background to eliminate the PAS formation that occurs during vegetative growth. We found that protein complexes containing the Atg1 kinase have two roles for PAS formation during nonspecific autophagy. The Atg1 C terminus mediates an interaction with Atg13 and Atg17, facilitating a structural role of Atg1 that is needed to efficiently organize an initial step of PAS assembly, whereas Atg1 kinase activity affects the dynamics of protein movement at the PAS involved in Atg protein cycling.
Molecular response of plants to infection

Plants exhibit resistance to disease involving inducible defenses including phytoalexin and hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) accumulation, lignin deposition and increased activity of certain hydrolytic enzymes. Treatment of suspension-cultured cells of Phaseolus vulgaris L. with fungal elicitors redirects RNA synthesis leading to induction of mRNAs encoding phytoalexin biosynthetic enzymes such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase; the lignin precursor biosynthetic enzyme cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase and HRGP. Accumulation of defense mRNAs is also observed during race:cultivar specific interactions between the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and P. vulgaris hypocotyls. There are clear temporal and spatial differences in the pattern of mRNA accumulation between incompatible (host resistant) and compatible (host susceptible) interactions. The data suggest that specific activation of plant defense genes is a key early component in the sequence of events leading to expression of defense reponses during race:cultivar specific interactions and that an elicitation signal is transmitted intercellularly to pre-activate defense genes in hitherto uninfected tissue. These observations indicate a number of potential sites for biotechnological manipulation and enhancement of disease resistance.
The Role of Religion in the Process of Segmented Assimilation

This article informs students of urban religion about “segmented assimilation theory” and urges theorists of this persuasion to incorporate religion in their models. Segmented assimilation theory acknowledges the undeniable fact that children of post-1965 immigrants to the United States typically become American, but unlike older concepts of assimilation, the new theory recognizes diverse paths to assimilation, with the immigrant second generation assimilating to one or another segment of the highly unequal U.S. social structure. Heretofore, religion has played at best an implicit role in the theory. This article proposes ways that religion can be incorporated explicitly and complexly into the theory.