cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sampling of the cowpea curculio, Chalcodermus aeneus, with traps in southern peas

Abstract The cowpea curculio, Chalcodermus aeneus (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the key pest of southern pea or cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.), in Georgia and elsewhere in the southeastern USA. There has never been an effective trapping method reported for this pest. We developed a modified Tedder's trap that was tested against standard boll weevil traps and yellow sticky traps. The new trap detected C. aeneus adults earlier and in greater numbers than the other trapping methods. The new trap was used to monitor weekly movement of C. aeneus adults for two annual cycles in 2012 and 2013 at multiple locations. The detection of adults was consistent with early spring movement from overwintering sites followed by a summer generation and a fall generation. No adults were collected in traps from the end of December to the end of March. The temporal distribution of C. aeneus in traps over the season suggests three distinct periods of adult activity from mid-April to mid-June, late-July to early-October and then mid-November to mid-December. The utility of monitoring C. aeneus for regional management strategies is discussed.
Connectivity of the monoamine-containing neurones in central nervous system of leech.

THE functional properties of neurones which contain biogenic amines are usually proposed from the results of studies involving ablation or pharmacological intervention1. Monoamine(MA) neurones are seldom identifiable in vivo, which impedes direct investigations of their functions. The central nervous ganglia of leeches are comprised of about 350 neurones, nine of which contain amines as their putative neurotransmitters. These MA neurones are vitally and selectively stained by Neutral Red dye2, a procedure potentially facilitating intracellular studies of this population of biochemically related cells. We report here the electrophysiological properties of the red-staining neurones within the central nervous system (CNS) of the leech.
Acute ethanol alters multiple histone modifications at model gene promoters in the cerebral cortex.

BACKGROUND Ethanol (EtOH) exposure alters gene expression in the cerebral cortex (CCx); however, mechanisms of EtOH-induced gene regulation are not well understood. We hypothesized that EtOH regulates gene expression by differentially altering histone modifications at gene promoters that are up- and down-regulated by EtOH. Such epigenetic mechanisms may ultimately contribute to EtOH-induced neuro-adaptations that underlie tolerance, dependence, and EtOH use disorders.
Inverse problems for distributed parameter systems

The problems of modeling, identification and parameter estimation of distributed parameter systems are addressed. Some of the research contributions are overviewed, including theoretical and computational issues, and several motivational examples are discussed. The author briefly outlines the following: problems related to the estimation of stiffness and damping in flexible structures including beams, plates, planar grids and 3-D truss structures; nondestructive evaluation of materials via thermal techniques to locate cracks, corrosions, delaminations, etc; the estimation of growth rates (both individual and the distribution within a population), mortality and fecundity in populations of fish. >
3D transient thermal solver using non-conformal domain decomposition approach

3D integration becomes promising to be able to continue the system integration trend due to short TSV interconnection used for stacked dies. This paper proposes an efficient transient thermal modeling method using non-conformal domain decomposition approach for 3D stacked ICs and systems. To alleviate the problem arising from the feature scale difference between stacked dies as well as package and PCB, the 3D system is divided into many subdomains. Each subdomain (die, package or PCB) can be meshed independently using different gridding based on its feature size and therefore the required meshing cells are greatly reduced compared to conventional method such as finite element or finite volume method. The heat flow continuity between subdomains is captured using the introduced interface basis functions. In addition, the proposed compact micro-fluidic model based on finite volume method is proved to be compatible with the finite element model for solid medium based on introduced forced convection boundary and energy conservation. The experimental results show the proposed method offers up to 5x unknown reduction and 91x speed-up compared to conventional finite element method.
Vitamin E alters alveolar type II cell phospholipid synthesis in oxygen and air

Newborn rats were injected with vitamin E or placebo daily until 6 days after birth. The effect of vitamin E pretreatment on in vitro surfactant phospholipid synthesis was examined in isolated type II cells exposed to oxygen or air form 24 h in vitro. Type II cells were also isolated from untreated 6-day-old rats and cultured for 24 h in oxygen or air with control medium or vitamin E supplemented medium. These cells were used to examine the effect of vitamin E exposure in vitro on type II cell phospholipid synthesis and ultrastructure. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis was reduced in cells cultured in oxygen as compared with air. This decrease was not prevented by in vivo pretreatment or in vitro supplementation with vitamin E. Vitamin E pretreatment increased the ratio of disaturated PC to total PC and increased phosphatidylglycerol synthesis. The volume density of lamellar bodies in type II cells was increased in cells maintained in oxygen. Vitamin E did not affect the volume density of lamellar bodies. We conclude that in vitro hyperoxia inhibits alveolar type II cell phosphatidylcholine synthesis without decreasing lamellar body volume density and that supplemental vitamin E does not prevent hyperoxia-induced decrease in phosphatidylcholine synthesis.
On Azumaya algebras with a finite automorphism group

Let B be a ring with 1, C the center of B, and G a finite automorphism group of B. It is shown that if B is an Azumaya algebra such that B=⊕∑g∈GJg where Jg={b∈B|bx=g(x)b for all x∈B}, then there exist orthogonal central idempotents {fi∈C|i=1,2,…,m for some integer m} and subgroups Hi of G such that B=(⊕∑i=1mBfi)⊕D where Bfi is a central Galois algebra with Galois group Hi|Bfi≅Hi for each i=1,2,…,m and D is contained in C.
Purification of octyl β-d-glucopyranoside and re-estimation of its micellar size

Abstract The commercial non-ionic detergent octyl β- d -glucopyranoside is often contaminated by significant amounts of UV absorbing and/or ionic compounds that can associate with membrane proteins. Such impurities can be monitored by several techniques (i.e., spectrophotometry, size exclusion chromatography, and pH, conductivity, and surface tension measurements) and can be removed using mixed-bed ion exchange chromatography. High performance of size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering, and ultracentrifugation have been used to re-estimate the size of micelles of octyl β- d _glucopyranoside since previously published data varied over a wide range. Aggregation numbers were 27 to 100 for micellar molecular weights 8000 to 29 000. Direct physical methods that do not perturbate the sample indicated a large size for the micelles (hydrodynamic radius 23 ± 3 A ; Mr 22 000 ± 3000; aggregation number 75 ± 10 for a 34 mM aqueous solution). In contrast the chromatographic micellar size appeared to be smaller (hydrodynamic radius 15 ± 1 A ; Mr 8000 ± 1000; aggregation number 27). This underestimation may be the result of adsorption and/or alteration of the micelles.
Laser assisted fusion of the rat stomach: preliminary studies.

Abstract The purpose of this study was (1) to determine whether rat gastrotomies could be securely closed without sutures by CO2 laser-induced tissue fusion alone and (2) to compare some characteristics (physical, biochemical, histological) of laser-fused gastrotomies with sutured gastrotomies. Following pentobarbital anesthesia a 1.5-cm longitudinal anterior gastrotomy was made in the forestomach of male Sprague-Dawley rats. This wound was closed using either a sutureless tissue weld created by a microscope-mounted CO2 laser (153 W/cm2) (Group I, N = 61) or with a running 6-O polypropylene suture (Group II, N = 58). Animals were sacrificed on Postoperative Days 1, 2, 4, 7, and 11 and the wounds were studied. Survival to scheduled sacrifice was 95% in Group I and 93% in Group II. Although bursting pressure of laser-fused gastrotomies was significantly lower than that of sutured controls on Postoperative Day 1, measurement on subsequent days showed comparable wound strength between the laser and suture groups. Wound hydroxyproline content was significantly higher on Postoperative Day 1 and lower on Postoperative Day 11 in the laser group. Histologic examination of the laser-fused wounds revealed less inflammation and earlier reepithelialization than the sutured wounds, giving the microscopic appearance of a “neater” healing wound. These results suggest that laser-induced fusion is a feasible method of gastrointestinal wound closure which may complement standard suture techniques.
eNERgizing pluripotent gene transcription.

Nucleotide excision repair proteins are classically associated with DNA repair. However, a study by Fong et al. (2011) in the most recent issue of Cell demonstrates that the XPC/RAD23B/CETN2 nucleotide excision repair complex additionally functions as a transcriptional coactivator of Oct4/Sox2, critically regulating maintenance and reestablishment of stem cell pluripotency.
Neutrons from the Breakup of He

The energy spectrum of the neutrons from the disintegration of lithium by 0.8-Mev deuterons has been measured by the method of recoil particles in a high pressure cloud chamber at different stopping powers. A sharp drop in the number-energy curve at 3.8 Mev is interpreted as indicating the maximum energy of the neutrons from the two-stage reaction ${{\mathrm{Li}}^{7}+{\mathrm{D}}^{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{He}}^{4}+{\mathrm{He}}^{5}+14.3 \mathrm{Mev},}{{\mathrm{He}}^{5}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{He}}^{4}+{n}^{1}+0.8 \mathrm{Mev}.}$ By measuring the alpha-particle spectrum with an ionization chamber-linear amplifier-counter, the relative number of alpha-particles from (1) gave the relative probability of reaction (1) and hence (1.0) in good agreement with the observed relative number of neutrons.
Association between change in employment status and new-onset depressive symptoms in South Korea - a gender analysis.

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the association of change in employment status with new-onset depressive symptoms, particularly differences stemming from workers’ gender, in South Korea. Methods We analyzed data from the ongoing Korean Welfare Panel Study. After excluding participants who had depressive symptoms at baseline (2007), we analyzed 2891 participants who became a precarious or permanent worker or unemployed at follow-up (2008) among waged workers who were permanent or precarious workers at baseline. Workers were classified as permanent workers if they had full-time, secure jobs and were directly hired by their employers; workers not meeting all these criteria were classified as precarious workers. Depressive symptoms were assessed annually using the 11-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. To reduce potential bias due to pre-existing health conditions, we also examined the association in a subpopulation excluding participants with any pre-existing chronic disease or disability. Results Compared to those who maintained permanent employment, workers who became unemployed following precarious employment had higher odds of developing depressive symptoms [odds ratio (OR) 2.30, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01–5.25]. In gender-stratified analyses, new-onset depressive symptoms were strongly associated with the change from precarious to permanent employment (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.20–5.52) as well as the change from permanent to precarious employment (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.24–6.66) among females; no significant association was observed in the male subpopulation. Conclusions This study found that changes from precarious to permanent work or from permanent to precarious work were associated with new-onset depressive symptoms among South Korean women.
The N-Terminus of Auxiliary β Subunit is Involved in the Modulation of Voltage Sensor BK Pore-Forming α Subunit

BK channels and their modulatory β subunits are found in most mammalian tissues ranging from brain to liver to smooth muscle, where they could be modulated by specific β subunits (β1-β4). Recently, we showed that auxiliary β1 and β2 subunits stabilize the BK voltage sensor in the active conformation, and that β3 has no effect on voltage sensor equilibrium (Contreras et al., 2012). Despite the fact that the BK phenotype produced by each of the β subunits has been well characterized, controversies exist regarding the molecular mechanisms by means of which these auxiliary subunits can modify the gating of BK channel. To identify the molecular determinants that confer to the β1 the ability to modulate the voltage sensor of BK channels, we constructed fifteen chimeras of β1/β2 and β1/β3 subunits by exchanging the N- and C-terminus, the transmembrane (TM) segments, and the extracellular loops, between them. The RNA of chimeric constructs were injected in Xenopus laevis oocites and gating currents were recorded in permeant ions free-solutions and in the absence of internal Ca2+ by patch clamp on inside-out configuration. Gating currents were elicited by steps of 1 ms to increasing voltages ranging from −90 to 350 mV in increments of 10 mV, and integrated during the onset of depolarizing pulses to generate charge versus voltage (Q/V) curves. Our results show that the effects of the β1 subunit on the resting-active equilibrium of the voltage sensor is determined by the N- and C-terminal with a major contribution of the N-terminus.
Loss of reproductive competence at an earlier age in female rats exposed prenatally to ethanol.

Previous studies have shown that prenatal ethanol exposure can partially masculinize or defeminize neurobehavioral development of female rats. An early age of onset of anovulation is one of the primary characteristics of partial defeminization. Consequently, we examined the occurrence of anovulation in fetal alcohol-exposed (FAE) female rats at 2,6, and 12 months of age using both vaginal cytology as well as wheel-running behavior. We assessed the ability of estrogen and progesterone to elicit proprioceptive behaviors and lordosis at 2 and 17 months of age. Female subjects were derived from Sprague-Dawley dams administered an ethanol liquid diet (35% ethanol-derived calories), a pair-fed isocaloric liquid diet, or fed lab chow from days 14 to 22 of gestation. Litter representatives were placed in a computer-monitored wheel-running apparatus under a 12-hr lighting schedule from 49 to 60 days of age. Vaginal smears were taken from littermates during this same period. This same procedure was conducted again from 180 to 196 and from 380 to 396 days of age, except that vaginal cytology was examined in the same animals immediately after wheel-running behavior was studied. At 2 months of age, a normal cyclical pattern of wheel-running, characteristic of 4- to 5-day estrus cycles, was observed in all animals. No differences were detected in mean activity levels during the wheel-running period. This was accompanied by normal cyclic vaginal cytology and normal proprioceptive behaviors and lordosis. At 6 months of age, FAE females exhibited significantly reduced wheel-running. This was associated with a loss in the cyclical increase in wheel-running in 8 of 16 FAE females compared with 1 of 15 controls. Vaginal cytology confirmed the significant increase in the number of acyclic FAE females compared with controls at this age in these same animals. At 12–13 months of age, wheel-running activity was significantly reduced in all treatment groups compared with earlier ages, with no differences observed between groups. This was accompanied by a loss of cyclicity in 50–70% of controls and 100% of FAE animals. At 17 months of age, proprioceptive behavior and the lordosis quotient in FAE females was not different from that observed in controls. However, the quality of the lordotic response was found to be significantly less in FAE females. Overall, these results indicate that the window of reproductive competence in females may be shortened by prenatal alcohol exposure.
Observations of exoelectron emission associated with heterogeneous catalysis

It is suggested that the exoelectron emission from the catalyst may be used to monitor the rate of oxidation of CO and CH4 over palladium catalysts. Indirect heating of the catalyst and atmospheric pressure have no effect upon this monitoring system. Although the mechanism relating catalysis to exoelectron emission is not clear, it is considered possible that electron emission is triggered by the adsorption-desorption cycle.
Novel Growth of Ag Islands on Si(111): Plateaus with a Singular Height

Growth and transport properties of thin Ag films on Si(111) are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and in situ resistivity measurements. At low coverage, the Ag adatoms form isolated islands with a strongly preferred height and flat tops, rather than commonly observed pyramids. Such plateaus increase their lateral extent with coverage without changing height, forming a percolated network with sharply reduced resistivity above a critical coverage. This behavior suggests how the quantized electrons confined in the Ag islands could influence the growth, and may provide a unique pathway to prepare nanometer-scale structures with intriguing mesoscopic properties.
Dynamic viscoelastic comparison of chemical and physical gels

The dynamic viscoelastic behavior of TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) and gelatin during the sol-gel transition is compared. Different profiles of dynamic storage modulus G″ and loss modulus G″ with time are seen. Gelation time tgel is determined from the frequency independent tan δ = G″/G' for both systems. During the period following the gelation point, a transition in the scaling exponent of G' with (t - tgel) is seen. For TEOS, the exponent changes from 0.494 to 5.24; for gelatin, from 0.24 to 2.11. The percolation model is used to qualitatively explain the differences in different networks.
Paternal care and egg survival both increase with clutch size in the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas

In some species of fishes with paternal care, females prefer to spawn with males who are already defeding eggs; moreover, in many species, paternal care increases with the number of eggs that a male is defending. If egg survival depends on the level of paternal care, and is largely independent of egg number, then egg survival should increase with clutch size. This result would provide a potential adaptive mechanism for female preference for males with eggs. I examined the effects of clutch size on paternal care and egg survival in the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, and found that both increased with male clutch size.
Increasing the Efficiency of In-Capillary Electrophoretically Mediated Microanalysis Reactions via Rapid Polarity Switching

We report herein a new approach to enhance the sensitivity or speed of CE-based methods that involve in-line reactions. Rapid polarity switching (RPS) is used as a novel means for in-line mixing of two reactant solutions via rapid (1-5 s) and sequential switching of the applied potential field. By employing the RPS approach with a model chemical reaction, that between creatinine and alkaline picrate, significant enhancement in sensitivity (or a decrease in analysis time) is realized. Both increased convection and electrophoretic stacking of the ionic reagent appear to contribute to the rise in apparent reaction rate. When coupled with in-line chemistry of the Jaffe method for creatinine, the RPS methodology allows for 3-fold faster determination of creatinine in the concentration range needed for the analysis of clinical blood serum specimens. The new approach also allows the analysis to be performed without the need for the cumbersome and problematic enhanced sensitivity cell.
Tracing the Infall and the Accretion Shock in the Protostellar Disk: L1157

We present the first observational evidence supporting the presence of an accretion shock in a protostellar disk. This result was obtained from the spatially resolved methanol emission in the 50-40 (A) transition at 1 mm in the Class 0 protostellar object L1157. The high spatial resolution (with a beam of ~11 × 11) maps of methanol and continuum dust emission were observed with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Millimeter Array. The structure and kinematics of the methanol emission indicate that the gas is tracing a warm layer in the infall-disk interface, consistent with an accretion shock. This result confirms an important prediction of theoretical models of infalling material feeding the growth of protostellar disks.
Effects of randomization on a homeless services initiative: A comment

The use of experimental methods in a homeless service initiative confronted a variety of problems not reported by Lam, Jekel, and Hartwell. These include ethical and internal validity issues, organizational problems, effects on the research team itself, and the impact of research as a requirement for services on New Haven's public institutions.
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE YOUNG WHITE MOUSE (MUS MUSCULUS) TO EXPERIMENTAL LEPTOSPIROSIS

The failure of even special methods to induce infection indicates that not all strains of young white laboratory mice (Mus musculus) are uniformly susceptible to fatal infection with Leptospira icterohemorrhagiae. Some strains of this species develop early pathological changes characteristic of the infection and harbor the organism in their kidneys, but do not succumb. Therefore not all strains of white mice are suitable for use in the diagnostic mouse protection test for leptospirosis described by Larson.
Purification of two distinct oocyte vitellins and identification of their corresponding vitellogenins in fat body and hemolymph of Blaberus discoidalis

Abstract Two oocyte vitellins and their corresponding fat body and hemolymph vitellogenins were identified in the cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis . The two vitellins possessed essentially identical Stoke's radii (68 A), sedimentation coefficients (19S) and electrophoretic properties, but were distinct immunologically. Purification of each vitellin was accomplished by sedimentation in density gradients containing sodium bromide. The purified vitellins of high and low relative apparent densities contained seven and nine unique peptides, respectively, which were assigned to molecular classes of 190, 150, 100 and 50 k. Certain peptides within each vitellin bound FITC-Concanavalin A , identifying them as high-mannose glycopeptides. Digestion of each vitellin using V-8 protease yielded distinct peptide fragments, further establishing their uniqueness. Two vitellogenins immunologically equivalent to each oocyte vitellin were identified in hemolymph. The synthesis and secretion of these vitellogenins by fat body, as well as juvenile hormone induction of fat body vitellogenesis in ovulated adults were demonstrated using primary organ culture.
Insulin Secretion and Ca2+ Dynamics in β-Cells Are Regulated by PERK (EIF2AK3) in Concert with Calcineurin

Protein kinase R (PKR)-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) (EIF2AK3) is essential for normal development and function of the insulin-secreting β-cell. Although genetic ablation of PERK in β-cells results in permanent neonatal diabetes in humans and mice, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we used a newly developed and highly specific inhibitor of PERK to determine the immediate effects of acute ablation of PERK activity. We found that inhibition of PERK in human and rodent β-cells causes a rapid inhibition of secretagogue-stimulated subcellular Ca2+ signaling and insulin secretion. These dysfunctions stem from alterations in store-operated Ca2+ entry and sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase activity. We also found that PERK regulates calcineurin, and pharmacological inhibition of calcineurin results in similar defects on stimulus-secretion coupling. Our findings suggest that interplay between calcineurin and PERK regulates β-cell Ca2+ signaling and insulin secretion, and that loss of this interaction may have profound implications in insulin secretion defects associated with diabetes.
Modeling environmental factors affecting assimilation of bomb-produced Δ14C in the North Pacific Ocean: Implications for age validation studies

Abstract The bomb-produced radiocarbon (14C) chronometer has become the gold standard for assessing the accuracy of otolith growth ring based fish age estimates. In the northeast Pacific Ocean, nearly a dozen age validation studies have been conducted, ranging from California to Alaska, most of which have relied on a single reference chronology from the Gulf of Alaska. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model using data sets of bomb-produced radiocarbon in the northeast Pacific Ocean and investigated whether latitude and upwelling exerts an influence on the parameters that describe the rapid Δ14C increase in marine calcium carbonates. Models incorporating both latitude and upwelling as linear covariates of a 4-parameter logistic model were favored based on ΔDIC statistics. There was substantial evidence to support that the timing of the Δ14C pulse was advanced and that total Δ14C uptake increased with increasing latitude. In contrast, increased oceanographic upwelling resulted in lower total radiocarbon input as well as a delay in the timing of the pulse curve, as was demonstrated in the upwelling dominated California Current System. Within the observed latitudinal and upwelling range of the data sets examined in this study the predicted timing of the bomb pulse curve varied by as much as 3 years, which could be misinterpreted as aging error. Our results suggest that new reference chronologies may be needed for regions of the North Pacific Ocean differing in latitude, seasonal upwelling strength and other mixing factors that can potentially change the functional form of the Δ14C curve.
What have central bankers learned from modern macroeconomic theory

In this essay I argue that modern macroeconomic theory has fallen behind the practice of central banking. After briefly summarizing the current state of macro theory, I focus on what strikes me as the two most important developments in monetary policy in the last two decades – inflation targeting and dealing with financial crises. My analysis rejects the claims made by several authors to the effect that the proliferation of inflation-targeting regimes around the globe represents an application of well-established principles of macroeconomic theory. As for how monetary policy can promote financial stability, a subject on which most economists agree modern theory has been of little help, I argue that macroeconomics has lost touch with the fundamental raison d’etre of central banking. My diagnosis is that macroeconomic theory has become distracted by its preoccupation with states of equilibrium, a preoccupation that inhibits analysis of a market economy’s coordination mechanisms. I conclude with a plea for a more diverse ecology of approaches to macroeconomic theory, one that finds room for agent-based computational economics as well as for more conventional equilibrium theories.
Unidirectional deletion and linker scan analysis of the late promoter of the human papovavirus BK

We have previously shown that the late promoter of the human papovavirus BK (prototype) is contained within the three 68-bp repeats and a 66-bp region to the late side of the repeats which together constitute the early promoter enhancer. We have now carried out unidirectional deletion and linker scan analyses of these sequences to identify the major elements of the late promoter in human and monkey cells. Several important sequence motifs involved in late promoter function are found throughout this region. The most active ones correspond to previously defined binding sites for the transcription factors NF1 and Sp1 and a GC-rich region known to be important for early promoter function. The NF1 sequences may also be involved in negative regulation in some situations.
Poultry Science in the Common Science Market

(1964). Poultry Science in the Common Science Market. World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 166-174.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Is Activated by Glucose and Regulates the Thrombospondin-1 Gene Promoter in Endothelial Cells

Hyperglycemia is an independent risk factor for development of diabetic vascular complications. The molecular mechanisms that are activated by glucose in vascular cells and could explain the development of vascular complications are still poorly understood. A putative binding site for the transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) was identified in the glucose-responsive fragment of the promoter of thrombospondin-1, a potent antiangiogenic and proatherogenic protein involved in development of diabetic vascular complications. AhR was expressed in aortic endothelial cells (ECs), activated, and bound to the promoter in response to high glucose stimulation of ECs. The constitutively active form of AhR induced activation of the thrombospondin-1 gene promoter. In response to high glucose stimulation, AhR was found in complex with Egr-1 and activator protein-2, which are 2 other nuclear transcription factors activated by glucose in ECs that have not been previously detected in complex with AhR. The activity of the DNA-binding complex was regulated by glucose through the activation of hexosamine pathway and intracellular glycosylation. This is the first report of activation of AhR (a receptor for xenobiotic compounds) by a physiological stimulus. This report links the activation of AhR to the pathological effects of hyperglycemia in the vasculature.
Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 and H2O to fuels by nanostructured Ce–TiO2/SBA-15 composites

Cerium-doped titanium oxide (Ce–TiO2) nanoparticles were prepared by a simple sol–gel method. Ce-doping decreased the crystal size of TiO2, increased the catalyst surface area, and inhibited the growth of rutile TiO2 crystals. Ce–TiO2 nanoparticles were also dispersed on SBA-15, mesoporous silica with one-dimensional pores, forming a Ce–TiO2/SBA-15 nanocomposite. The nanocomposite materials were well characterized and tested as photocatalysts to convert CO2 and H2O to value-added fuels, mainly CO and CH4, under UV-vis illumination. Compared with pristine TiO2, TiO2 doped by 1 or 3% Ce improved the production of CO by four times. The reason may be due to the facilitated charge transfer induced by the doped Ce ions, the higher surface area of the catalyst, as well as the stabilization of anatase phase. However, too high a Ce concentration reduced the catalytic activity, likely due to the formation of recombination centers. Compared with unsupported Ce–TiO2, Ce–TiO2 supported on SBA-15 remarkably enhanced the CO2 reduction rate. Ce–TiO2/SBA-15 with a Ti : Si ratio of 1 : 4 demonstrated 8-fold enhancement in CO production and 115-fold enhancement in CH4 production. By contrast, amorphous silica as the substrate was much inferior to SBA-15. The findings in this work reveal a promising nanostructured catalyst material for solar fuel production using CO2 and H2O as the feedstock.
Applying spatial distribution analysis techniques to classification of 3D medical images

Objective:: The objective of this paper is to classify 3D medical images by analyzing spatial distributions to model and characterize the arrangement of the regions of interest (ROIs) in 3D space. Methods and material:: Two methods are proposed for facilitating such classification. The first method uses measures of similarity, such as the Mahalanobis distance and the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence, to compute the difference between spatial probability distributions of ROIs in an image of a new subject and each of the considered classes represented by historical data (e.g., normal versus disease class). A new subject is predicted to belong to the class corresponding to the most similar dataset. The second method employs the maximum likelihood (ML) principle to predict the class that most likely produced the dataset of the new subject. Results:: The proposed methods have been experimentally evaluated on three datasets: synthetic data (mixtures of Gaussian distributions), realistic lesion-deficit data (generated by a simulator conforming to a clinical study), and functional MRI activation data obtained from a study designed to explore neuroanatomical correlates of semantic processing in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Conclusion:: Performed experiments demonstrated that the approaches based on the KL divergence and the ML method provide superior accuracy compared to the Mahalanobis distance. The later technique could still be a method of choice when the distributions differ significantly, since it is faster and less complex. The obtained classification accuracy with errors smaller than 1% supports that useful diagnosis assistance could be achieved assuming sufficiently informative historic data and sufficient information on the new subject.
Scheduled multicast overlay for bandwidth-intensive applications

In this paper we investigate the multicast advance reservation problem in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks. Under the advance reservation traffic model (also know as scheduled traffic), connection requests specify their start time to be some time in the future and also specify their holding times. Traditionally, in WDM networks, the multicasting functionality is supported by assuming that the optical cross connects are multicast capable i.e., they are capable of switching an incoming signal to multiple output interfaces. To support the multicasting functionality in a multicast incapable (MI) network, one can use a naive approach of creating a virtual topology consisting of wavelength routes (lighpaths) from the multicast source to each destination of the multicast session. This approach tends to consume a lot of network bandwidth and may become unacceptable as the number of the multicast sessions increase. We refer to this approach of provisioning the multicast requests as Multicast via WDM Unicast (MVWU) approach. To efficiently provision the users' scheduled multicast requests in a MI network, we propose two overlay solutions: Drop at Member Node (DAMN) and Drop at Any Node (DAAN). In these solutions, we achieve multicasting by creating a set of lightpath routes (possibly multiple hops) in the overlay layer. We consider a static set of scheduled multicast requests and present integer linear programs (ILPs) to solve the DAMN and DAAN problems, with a goal to minimize the total number of wavelengths required to service the request set. We also present an efficient heuristic and compare its performance to the ILP for a small network, and evaluate its performance for large-scale networks. Moreover, we also present an ILP to solve the naive MVWU approach and compare its performance to the DAMN and DAAN1.
Elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein with low unconjugated estriol and the risk for lethal perinatal outcome

Objective: To determine whether a combination of elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) and low unconjugated estriol (E3) concentration identifies pregnancies at particularly high risk for fetal abnormality or poor outcome.Methods: Pregnancy outcomes were reviewed for women with elevated MSAFP (≥2.0 MoM) from our database of 50,315 women who had received triple marker testing from 1993–1998. Outcomes for those with low E3 (≤ 0.7 MoM) were compared with those with normal E3 (> 0.7 MoM). The incidences of fetal death, neural tube defects, chromosome abnormalities, congenital abnormalities, preterm birth, small-for-gestational age (SGA), twins, and inaccurate dates were compared in the two groups using Fisher's exact test with P < 0.05 considered significant.Results: Of the 50,315 women screened, 1,435 (2.85%) had an elevated MSAFP. Pregnancy outcomes were obtained in 94% of those with elevated MSAFP and 70% of all patients screened. Neural tube defects were present in 57 fetuses/infants (21 anenc...
Effects of postmenopausal hormone replacement with oral and transdermal estrogen on high density lipoprotein metabolism.

Estrogen treatment raises plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, which may reduce cardiovascular risk. To identify the responsible mechanisms as well as the impor- tance of the route of administration, we treated eight healthy postmenopausal women in a double-blind crossover study with three treatments for 6 weeks each: oral estradiol, 2 mg daily; transdermal estradiol, 0.1 mg twice weekly; and placebo. At the end of each treatment, apoA-I of HDL2 (d 1.063-1.125 g/ml) and HDL3 (d 1.125-1.210 g/ml) was endogenously labeled by a cons- tant intravenous infusion of trideuterated leucine. HDLp and HDL3 were separated by preparative ultracentrifugation. The pool sizes and enrichment curves of HDL apoA-I were used to calculate production rates and fractional catabolic rates (FCR). Oral estradiol increased the levels of HDL2 apoA-I by 37% (P < 0.005) and of HDL3 apoA-I by 11% (P < 0.05). These in- creased apoA-I levels resulted entirely from increased produc- tion, by 36% for HDL:, (P < 0.01), and by 19% for HDL3, (P < 0.05) as their FCRs were unchanged (0.20 pool/d with placebo and 0.21 with estradiol for HDL,, and 0.19 with placebo and 0.21 with estradiol for HDL3). The isotopic enrichment curves of HDL2 apoA-I and HDL3 apoA-I were identical, imply- ing that apoA-I rapidly cycles between HDL particles, or that rapid interconversion of these subfractions occurs. The changes in HDL apoA-I metabolic rates were positively correlated with changes in VLDL-apoB metabolic rates measured previously. Transdermal estradiol, with systemic potency similar to that of oral estradiol, had no significant effect on HDL levels or meta- bolic rates. Thus, the ''first pass" effect of oral estradiol on the liver and/or intestine appears to increase HDL apoA-I levels (particularly in HDL,) by increasing HDL apoA-I production, and not by reducing HDL apoA-I catabolism.-Walsh, B. W., H. Li, and F. M. Sacks. Effects of postmenopausal hormone replacement with oral and transdermal estrogen on high density lipoprotein metabolism. J. Lipid Res. 1994. 35: 2083-2093. estrogens HDL apoA-I metabolism has favorable effects on plasma lipoprotein levels, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Estrogen, par- ticularly when taken orally, raises levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) (4-6) and lowers those of low density lipoprotein (LDL) (4, 5). The effect of estrogen on HDL levels may be particularly important, as they are powerful predictor of heart disease in women (7).
The Incredible Lightness of Software

From the inside of a software-intensive system, there are many different styles of implementation, each with its own subtle characteristics. From the outside, it all looks the same: it's completely invisible. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/fWJEZ4vEEco is an audio podcast of author Grady Booch reading his On Computing column, in which he discusses how from the inside of a software-intensive system, there are many different styles of implementation, each with its own subtle characteristics. From the outside, it all looks the same: it's completely invisible.
What Ecologists Can Tell Virologists

I pictured myself as a virus…and tried to sense what it would be like. —Jonas Salk Ecology as a science evolved from natural history, the observational study of the interactions of plants and animals with each other and their environments. As natural history matured, it became increasingly quantitative, experimental, and taxonomically broad. Focus diversified beyond the Eukarya to include the hidden world of microbial life. Microbes, particularly viruses, were shown to exist in unfathomable numbers, affecting every living organism. Slowly viruses came to be viewed in an ecological context rather than as abstract, disease-causing agents. This shift is exemplified by an increasing tendency to refer to viruses as living organisms instead of inert particles. In recent years, researchers have recognized the critical contributions of viruses to fundamental ecological processes such as biogeochemical cycling, competition, community structuring, and horizontal gene transfer. This review describes virus ecology fr...
Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Tris(2-seleno-1-mesitylimidazolyl)hydroborato Complexes: A New Type of Strongly Electron Donating Tripodal Selenium Ligand

A new tripodal ligand that features three selenium donors, namely the tris(2-seleno-1-mesitylimidazolyl)hydroborato ligand, [TseMes], has been constructed via the reaction of KBH4 with 1-mesitylimidazole-2-selone; comparison of the IR spectroscopic data of [TseMes]Re(CO)3 with those of a variety of related LRe(CO)3 complexes demonstrates that the [TseMes] ligand is more strongly electron donating than Cp, Cp*, [Tp], [TpMe2] and [TmMes] ligands.
Estimating benefits of screening from observational cohort studies

Analysis and interpretation of observational studies of screening effectiveness is difficult because several biases threaten validity, including the structural healthy screenee bias, length bias, and effects of lead time. Although methods for the analysis of observational studies of screening effectiveness have been proposed, most have limitations such as incomplete control of length bias, or a heavy reliance on distributional assumptions. In this report we present a method for the analysis of observational cohort studies of screening effectiveness. Although developed independently and formulated specifically for estimating benefits of screening, our approach is implied by a more general approach developed previously by Robins. Our approach, in contrast to other available methods, avoids the healthy screenee bias, and length and lead time bias, and allows an empirical approach to analysis that need not depend highly on distributional assumptions. We illustrate application of the approach with analysis of published data from a study of breast cancer screening.
Input Delay Compensation with Digital Redesigned A/D Conversion

Network controlled system will always experience some delays in communications, and how to improve its stability is of great importance for industry applications. In this paper, one novel method of delay compensation by utilizing digital redesign is proposed. First, analog controller is designed for the delay free system, and then the delay compensation algorithm is modulated through A/D conversion. In addition, this method can deal with delay variations by adjusting PAM controller period. The proposed methodologies have been testified through MATLAB/Simulink, and the simulation results effectively confirmed its theoretical correctness.
Panitumumab in colorectal cancer

The combination of chemotherapy and targeted therapies is rapidly becoming the standard of care in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Panitumumab (formerly ABX-EGF) is a fully human antibody developed to target the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER-1), which is expressed in up to 75% of patients with colorectal cancer. As a fully human antibody, panitumumab can be administered without any premedication and few infusion reactions have been reported. It has recently been approved in the USA for the treatment of colorectal cancer as a single agent in the salvage setting. Ongoing studies are being performed to determine whether the addition of panitumumab to standard treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer will improve the survival of these patients.
Determinants of Antidromic Wave Front Propagation During Entrainment of Reentrant Arrhythmias

Antidromic Conduction. During entrainment or resetting of ventricular tachycardia, the distance a stimulated antidromic wave front propagates determines the degree of QRS fusion observed. Determinants of antidromic wave front propagation distance during stimulation at reentry circuit sites were studied in computer simulations of figure eight reentry circuits. When not limited by refractory tissue, antidromic propagation distance depended on the stimulus timing, the conduction velocity in the antidromic direction away from the stimulus site, and the time available for propagation before collision with a returning orthodromic wave front. The latter was determined by the conduction time through the circuit in the orthodromic direction from the stimulus site. Faster conduction from the stimulus site in the orthodromic direction relative to the antidromic direction diminished antidromic wave front propagation distance. Consequently, in circuits with heterogeneous conduction velocities, antidromic propagation distance was dependent on the location of the stimulus site. Stimulation in slow areas limited antidromic propagation distance, although increasing stimulus prematurity increased antidromic propagation distance markedly if the antidromic wave front reached faster tissue. These findings explain the ability of rapid or premature stimuli to entrain or reset tachycardia without producing detectable antidromic wave front effects (QRS fusion) on the surface electrocardiogram when the stimulation site is located centrally within slowly conducting areas in the reentry circuit. However, greater antidromic propagation occurs with stimulation at or near more rapidly conducting sites increasing the likelihood that antidromic effects will be seen on the surface electrocardiogram.
Integrating Cross-Border Knowledge for Transnational New Product Development

Multi-source knowledge integration, though widely regarded as fundamental for developing new products, remains obscurely understood and a significant challenge for organizations to accomplish. Prior research provides many insights on the approaches by which organizations transfer knowledge; however, how such transferred knowledge gets effectively embodied in products remains uncertain. Also unclear is whether different approaches for knowledge transfer differ in their effectiveness at realizing integration. This study analytically separates the transfer of cross-border knowledge from its embodiment into products. It examines cross-border knowledge transfer based on three different approaches: namely, the use of cross-national teams, cross-national communication, and cross-national collaboration in the development of new transnational products. It examines cross-border knowledge embodiment based on the extent to which new transnational products developed balance standardization with adaptation. The study uses a cross-sectional survey administered to key members of transnational new product development teams in leading multinational companies across the world. The survey focuses on manufactured products that were developed across several industries: consumer products, consumer durables, and industrial products. Results from 90 new transnational product introductions surveyed reveal that knowledge integration is effective only when knowledge is transferred through cross-national collaboration, and not when transferred through cross-national teams and cross-national communication. As integrating cross-border knowledge in the development of transnational products involves making difficult trade-offs for balancing standardization with adaptation, transferring knowledge through cross-national collaboration stands out as being critical for successful outcomes. Although cross-national teams and cross-national communication enhance knowledge flows, they do not result in effective knowledge integration when developing new transnational products. These findings highlight an important point: All knowledge transfer approaches may not necessarily achieve knowledge integration. Hence, it is essential to systematically probe into the interrelationships between knowledge transfer and its effective integration and to identify an underlying set of contingencies that provide insights into when and why some knowledge transfer approaches are better than others at integrating knowledge.