cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation of Ion Transport Hysteresis with the Nanogeometry and Surface Factors in Single Conical Nanopores

Better understanding in the dynamics of ion transport through nanopores or nanochannels is important for sensing, nucleic acid sequencing and energy technology. In this paper, the intriguing nonzero cross point, resolved from the pinched hysteresis current–potential (i–V) curves in conical nanopore electrokinetic measurements, is quantitatively correlated to the surface and geometric properties by simulation studies. The analytical descriptions of the conductance and potential at the cross point are developed: the cross-point conductance includes both the surface and volumetric conductance; the cross-point potential represent the overall/averaged surface potential difference across the nanopore. The impacts by individual parameter such as pore radius, half cone angle, and surface charges are systematically studied in the simulation that would be convoluted and challenging in experiments. The elucidated correlation is supported by and offer predictive guidance for experimental studies. The results also off...
Racial and Gender Influences on Skin Disease

Skin disorders are often multifactorial in nature, as both intrinsic factors such as genetics and extrinsic factors such as differing cultural practices can be implicated in disease pathogenesis. For this reason, there are a number of diseases that affect individuals with skin of color at a higher rate compared to Caucasians, and there are a number of diseases that affect males and females within these populations disproportionately. In this chapter, we discuss specific diseases that are more common in different genders and ethnicities, specifically follicular and scarring disorders and disorders of pigmentation. The follicular and scarring disorders include central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, traction alopecia, acne keloidalis nuchae, pseudofolliculitis barbae and dissecting cellulitis. The disorders of pigmentation include nevus of Ota and melasma. Beyond exploring the clinical features, histology and treatment of these disorders, this chapter also highlights the epidemiology and pathogenesis of these diseases in an effort to explain why they may be more common in a certain ethnic group or gender.
SOLID FORMATION IN FLOWING CRYOGENIC FLUIDS

The very low pressures encountered at high altitudes may result In problems in the utilization of cryogenic propellants due to the formation of solids at points of leakage and vents. Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, when expanded below their triple-point pressures (1.1 mm and 56 mm, respectively) will form solid and metastable liquid with a reduction of temperature. The solid, if deposited in critical areas, may obstruct or retard flow and thereby cause a malfunction in the propellant system.
Vehicle-Bus Interface with GMLAN for Data Collection.

Within a few years, nearly every vehicle that General Motors (GM) manufactures will have a microcontroller network known as GMLAN. A few GM vehicles already have the GMLAN network, and more vehicles with GMLAN will appear each year. GMLAN uses the Bosch-designed CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol, and it links all of a vehicle’s various processors or nodes to form an in-vehicle data network. CAN uses a Non-Return-to-Zero protocol, NRZ-5, with bit stuffing, and the network implements Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Resolution (CSMA/CR). GMLAN actually includes two linked CAN buses: a high-speed dual-wire CAN for high-speed nodes and a lower-speed single-wire CAN for other nodes. The primary purpose of the GMLAN network is to improve reliability while simultaneously lowering cost by reducing the numbers of wires, connections, and special-purpose circuits in a vehicle. The GMLAN network also promotes synergism among the vehicle nodes to provide vehicle features that would simply not be feasible without the network. We have developed a Vehicle-Bus Interface (VBI) that allows us to collect test data directly from a vehicle’s nodes via the GMLAN network with a GM Standard Thermal Instrument (STI). The VBI facilitates vehicle testing by greatly reducing the need for external sensors and transducers.
Phase-Dependent Transient Responses of Respiratory Motor Activities following Perturbation of the Cycle

Dynamics of an oscillator can be characterized by its behavior following a brief perturbing stimulus. The transient behavior of the oscillator returning to its steady state provides insights regarding the intrinsic properties of the oscillator. In Figure 1, the phrenic nerve activity represents the respiratory oscillation. The timing of the oscillator may be altered following the perturbing stimulus relative to that predicted from unperturbed breaths. This shift in timing is referred to as phase-resetting. We define old phase as the time from the onset of phrenic activity to the onset of the stimulus, and phase shift as the amount of resetting. The relationship between old phase and phase shift characterizes the respiratory oscillator, and called as a phase response curve. Description of phase-resetting characteristics have focused on only one phase of the respiratory oscillator, i. e., the onset or the offset of phrenic nerve activity (e. g. Paydarfar et al. 2 ). We monitored expiratory as well as inspiratory activities to examine the transient behavior of this oscillator in every phase.
Brief Report: Quantitative Studies on the Flicker Phenomenon in the Erythrocytes

A technic has been described which allows one to analyze the vibratory variation of density which is visible inside the cytoplasm of the erythrocytes and has been termed "flicker." Further investigations will be performed, dealing with variations of physical conditions and with the action of various chemicals in order to determine whether or not this phenomenon is related to a metabolic activity.
Evaluating impact of diet, housing and season systems on feedlot cattle finishing programs

A four-year study was conducted using 1,987 yearling steers of predominantly mixed British breeds with an average starting weight of approximately 700 lb. The overall objectives of this study was to evaluate feedlot performance, carcass characteristics and expected economic projections for placing steers on feed quarterly per year for a period of 4 yr in different housing-diet systems. A pen with an average of 20 steers was the experimental unit, which was replicated once at the start of every trial period. Treatments were 2-levels of diet, 3-levels of housing, and season with 4-levels per year. The two diets were: 1) a mixture of processed high moisture corn grain (77% DM) providing 85% of the energy and whole plant corn silage, 2) a whole plant corn silage diet (35% DM). In addition, protein, vitamin and mineral supplement was provided to meet dietary requirements. Cattle were fed once per day in the morning. The housing treatments consisted of: 1) shelter; open lot with access to overhead shelter, 2) no shelter; open lot without access to an overhead shelter, but provided with a windbreak, 3) confinement; open front-side confinement barn. The four seasons involved were when steers were placed into the feedlot and fed through to market weight as follows: 1) December; winter, 2) March; spring, 3) June; summer and 4) September; fall. The effects of diet, housing, season, and cycle influenced ADG and final weight (P 0.05). The FE was affected significantly by diet (P 0.05). Within the economic analysis using the annual scenario, shelter corn (SC) steers had 3.2% higher income per head than those in shelter silage (SS) facilities. Moreover,
Analysis of alternative cleavage and polyadenylation in mature and differentiating neurons using RNA-seq data.

Most eukaryotic protein-coding genes exhibit alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA), resulting in mRNA isoforms with different 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs). Studies have shown that brain cells tend to express long 3′ UTR isoforms using distal cleavage and polyadenylation sites (PASs). Using our recently developed, comprehensive PAS database PolyA_DB, we developed an efficient method to examine APA, named Significance Analysis of Alternative Polyadenylation using RNA-seq (SAAP-RS). We applied this method to study APA in brain cells and neurogenesis. We found that neurons globally express longer 3′ UTRs than other cell types in brain, and microglia and endothelial cells express substantially shorter 3′ UTRs. We show that the 3′ UTR diversity across brain cells can be corroborated with single cell sequencing data. Further analysis of APA regulation of 3′ UTRs during differentiation of embryonic stem cells into neurons indicates that a large fraction of the APA events regulated in neurogenesis are similarly modulated in myogenesis, but to a much greater extent. Together, our data delineate APA profiles in different brain cells and indicate that APA regulation in neurogenesis is largely an augmented process taking place in other types of cell differentiation.
Complex symbiosis involving within species variation in the response of Dictyostelium amoebae to Burkholderia bacteria dataset

Abstract Recent symbioses, particularly facultative ones, are well suited for unravelling the evolutionary give and take between partners. Here we look at variation in wild-collected samples of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and their relationships with bacterial symbionts, Burkholderia hayleyella and Burkholderia agricolaris. Only about a third of field-collected amoebae carry a symbiont. We cured and cross-infected D. discoideum hosts with different symbiont association histories and then compared the responses of the amoebae to each symbiont type. Before curing, field-collected clones did not vary significantly in overall fitness, but infected hosts produced morphologically different multicellular structures. After curing and re-infecting, host fitness declined overall. However, natural B. hayleyella hosts suffered fewer fitness costs when re-infected with B. hayleyella, indicating that they have evolved mechanisms to tolerate their naturally acquired symbiont. Exploring relationships between endosymbionts and hosts that vary within species may also reveal much about disease dynamics.
New Effect Size Measures for Structural Equation Modeling

Effect size is crucial for quantifying differences and a key concept behind Type I errors and power, but measures of effect size are seldom studied in structural equation modeling (SEM). While fit ...
Le Maghreb dans la guerre, 1939–1945

Drawing on a deep knowledge of French and German diplomatic archives and a lifetime of writing and teaching the history of European international relations, Chantal Metzger's latest work explores t...
“Suffering Does Not Stop When the Shooting Does”: The Civil War, 1922–1923

This chapter argues that during the Civil War rather than casting aspersions on perceived imperial servants like Great War veterans, the two wings of Sinn Fein fought among themselves over the meaning of Ireland’s relationship with the Empire. No attempts at large-scale commemoration were made, yet little vitriol was launched either from the government or within the popular sphere at the war or its combatants. Some called for the reunification of Irish society via Great War commemoration. This hope for unity through the Great War gained support in 1924. This unofficial detente lasted only for the Civil War and allowed some ability for veterans to negotiate the meaning of the war experience.
Theoretical Analysis of "Academic Credibility and the Hospitality Curriculum" : The Image Problem

Social issues are assessed from different perspectives. The purpose here is to evaluate one short article in terms of interpretive social theory and then briefly assess it in terms of functionalism, conflic theory and critical theory.
Lung Nodule Malignancy Classification Based ON NLSTx Data

While several datasets containing CT images of lung nodules exist, they do not contain definitive diagnoses and often rely on radiologists' visual assessment for malignancy rating. This is in spite of the fact that lung cancer is one of the top three most frequently misdiagnosed diseases based on visual assessment. In this paper, we propose a dataset of difficult-to-diagnose lung nodules based on data from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), which we refer to as NLSTx. In NLSTx, each malignant nodule has a definitive ground truth label from biopsy. Herein, we also propose a novel deep convolutional neural network (CNN) / recurrent neural network framework that allows for use of pre-trained 2-D convolutional feature extractors, similar to those developed in the ImageNet challenge. Our results show that the proposed framework achieves comparable performance to an equivalent 3-D CNN while requiring half the number of parameters.
Communicative Language Teaching in the Moroccan Classroom: Perception, Practices, and Difficulties

Research on the teaching practices of EFL teachers has revealed that teachers' beliefs are often at odds with their actual classroom practices. Accordingly, the present investigation compared teachers' perceptions and classroom practices of the Communicative Language Teaching principles (CLT) in the provincial directorate of Jerada. This exploration is an attempt to examine teachers' practices, thereby draw a line between what they think they do and what they do in the classroom. To this end, ten teachers were interviewed. Out of this number, only two teachers were observed. The data gathered via semi-structured interviews have shown that the teacher respondents were well-informed about the principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). However, the data collected by the classroom observations revealed that the teachers were not teaching English communicatively. Factors such as learner's language proficiency, lack of knowledge as to how to implement the approach, unsuitable textbooks, and lack of motivation on the part of the learner, contributed enormously to the non-use of the CLT. To overcome these obstacles, the findings of the current study suggest that EFL teachers "should" motivate students, use simple fluency-oriented tasks, simplify, model, and scaffold the learning activities. They also recommend to adapt the textbooks to students' needs, research their practice, and invest more in their professional development. The Ministry of National Education is required to provide high-quality training to help teachers cope with the demands of the Communicative Approach.
Recurrent copy number gains drive PKCι expression and PKCι-dependent oncogenic signaling in human cancers

PRKCI is frequently overexpressed in multiple human cancers, and PKCι expression is often prognostic for poor patient survival, indicating that elevated PKCι broadly plays an oncogenic role in the cancer phenotype. PKCι drives multiple oncogenic signaling pathways involved in transformed growth, and transgenic mouse models have revealed that PKCι is a critical oncogenic driver in both lung and ovarian cancers. We now report that recurrent 3q26 copy number gain (CNG) is the predominant genetic driver of PRKCI mRNA expression in all major human cancer types exhibiting such CNGs. In addition to PRKCI, CNG at 3q26 leads to coordinate CNGs of ECT2 and SOX2, two additional 3q26 genes that collaborate with PRKCI to drive oncogenic signaling and tumor initiation in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Interestingly however, whereas 3q26 CNG is a strong driver of PRKCI mRNA expression across all tumor types examined, it has differential effects on ECT2 and SOX2 mRNA expression. In some tumors types, particularly those with squamous histology, all three 3q26 oncogenes are coordinately overexpressed as a consequence of 3q26 CNG, whereas in other cancers only PRKCI and ECT2 mRNA are coordinately overexpressed. This distinct pattern of expression of 3q26 genes corresponds to differences in genomic signatures reflective of activation of specific PKCι oncogenic signaling pathways. In addition to highly prevalent CNG, some tumor types exhibit monoallelic loss of PRKCI. Interestingly, many tumors harboring monoallelic loss of PRKCI express significantly lower PRKCI mRNA and exhibit evidence of WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway activation, which we previously characterized as a major oncogenic pathway in a newly described, PKCι-independent molecular subtype of lung adenocarcinoma. Finally, we show that CNG-driven activation of PKCι oncogenic signaling predicts poor patient survival in many major cancer types. We conclude that CNG and monoallelic loss are the major determinants of tumor PRKCI mRNA expression across virtually all tumor types, but that tumor-type specific mechanisms determine whether these copy number alterations also drive expression of the collaborating 3q26 oncogenes ECT2 and SOX2, and the oncogenic PKCι signaling pathways activated through the collaborative action of these genes. Our analysis may be useful in identifying tumor-specific predictive biomarkers and effective PKCι-targeted therapeutic strategies in the multitude of human cancers harboring genetic activation of PRKCI.
Underweight patients are an often under looked “At risk” population after undergoing posterior cervical spine surgery

Abstract Background Body Mass Index (BMI) is a weight-for-height metric that is used to quantify tissue mass and weight levels. Past studies have mainly focused on the association of high BMI on spine surgery outcomes and shown variable conclusions. Prior results may have varied due to insufficient power or inconsistent categorical separation of BMI groups (e.g. underweight, overweight, or obese). Additionally, few studies have considered outcomes of patients with low BMI. The aim of the current study was to analyze patients along the entirety of the BMI spectrum and to establish specific granular BMI categories for which patients become at risk for complication and mortality following posterior cervical spine surgery. Methods Patients undergoing elective posterior cervical spine surgery were abstracted from the 2005–2016 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) databases. Patients were aggregated into pre-established WHO BMI categories and adverse outcomes were normalized to average risk of normal-weight subjects (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2). Risk-adjusted multivariate regressions were performed controlling for patient demographics and overall health. Results A total of 16,806 patients met inclusion criteria. Odds for adverse events for underweight patients (BMI 50.0 kg/m2) for post-operative infection (OR = 1.54, p = 0.041). Conclusions The current study found underweight patients to have the highest risk of adverse events after posterior cervical spine surgery. Increased pre-surgical planning and resource allocation for this population should be considered by physicians and healthcare systems, as is often already done for patients on the other end of the BMI spectrum.
Dementia and Cognitive Decline in Older Adulthood: Are Agricultural Workers at Greater Risk?

OBJECTIVES To examine whether long-term exposure to agricultural work is associated with dementia prevalence and the rate of cognitive change in older adulthood. METHOD We employed data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2014). Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether a longest-held job in the agricultural sector was associated with differences in dementia prevalence. We examined if hearing impairment, depression, and physical health indicators mediated the relationship between agricultural work and cognitive functioning. Subgroup analyses were done by age, retirement status, job tenure, and cognitive domain. We employed growth curve models to investigate implications of agricultural work on age trajectories of cognitive functioning. RESULTS Longest-held job in agriculture, fishing, and forestry (AFF) was associated with 46% greater odds of having dementia. The relationship between AFF exposure and cognitive functioning was not mediated by hearing impairment, depression, or physical health indicators. Results were stronger among younger and retired older adults as well as those with extensive job tenure. AFF exposure was associated with lower scores in working memory and attention and processing speed. Growth curve models indicated that while agricultural work exposure was associated with lower initial levels of cognitive functioning, over time, the pattern reversed with individuals in non-AFF jobs, showing more accelerated cognitive decline. DISCUSSION Consistent with European studies, results from the United States also demonstrate a higher prevalence of dementia among agricultural workers. The cognitive reserve framework may explain the seemingly paradoxical result on age patterning of cognitive performance across older adults with different work histories.
Association between ethnicity and kidney transplant waitlist outcomes beyond estimated post transplant survival score

White kidney transplant candidates have the highest pre-transplant mortality rate compared to other ethnicities. The reason for a higher mortality rate is not well-understood. Estimated post-transplant survival (EPTS) score has been used to predict patient survival after transplant and may be associated with pre-transplant survival. First-time kidney transplant candidates listed between 2015 and 2018 were identified from the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network database. Individuals listed for multiple organs, at multiple centers, and age <18 years were excluded. We examined the impact of ethnicity on waitlist mortality and delisting. A total of 114 806 candidates were included. The study population was categorized into four groups which were 43% white, 28% Black, 19.2% Hispanic, and 9.8% "other ethnicities." At 5.2 years, the cumulative incidences of death and delist were 32%, 31%, 29%, and 26%, respectively. Compared to whites, adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (aSHR) for death and delist among Black, Hispanics, and "other ethnicities" were 0.92 (95% CI 0.89-0.95), 0.89 (95% CI 0.85-0.91), and 0.76 (95% CI 0.72-0.80) after adjustment by EPTS along with other factors, respectively. After adjusting for EPTS score along with additional confounding factors and functional status at initial listing, white ethnicity was independently associated with an increased risk for death and delist.
Matrix rigidity depends on the target field

The rigidity of a matrix A for target rank r is the minimum number of entries of A that need to be changed in order to obtain a matrix of rank at most r (Valiant, 1977). We study the dependence of rigidity on the target field. We consider especially two natural regimes: when one is allowed to make changes only from the field of definition of the matrix ("strict rigidity"), and when the changes are allowed to be in an arbitrary extension field ("absolute rigidity"). We demonstrate, apparently for the first time, a separation between these two concepts. We establish a gap of a factor of 3/2 − o(1) between strict and absolute rigidities. The question seems especially timely because of recent results by Dvir and Liu (Theory of Computing, 2020) where important families of matrices, previously expected to be rigid, are shown not to be absolutely rigid, while their strict rigidity remains open. Our lower-bound method combines elementary arguments from algebraic geometry with "untouched minors" arguments. Finally, we point out that more families of long-time rigidity candidates fall as a consequence of the results of Dvir and Liu. These include the incidence matrices of projective planes over finite fields, proposed by Valiant as candidates for rigidity over F2.
The Individual and Tradition: Folkloristic Perspectives

Reviewed Medium: book Editors: Ray Cashman, Tom Mould, and Pravina Shukla. Year: 2011 Pages: 547 Publisher: Indiana University Press ISBN: 978-0-253-35717-5 (soft cover).
Mechanism of K+ interaction with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate-modified Na+,K(+)-ATPase.

The rate of K+ binding to fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate-modified Na+,K(+)-ATPase has been measured by stopped-flow fluorometry and shown to depend sigmoidally on potassium concentration. By assuming two K+ ions must bind to cause a rate-limiting conformational change, analytical expressions for the rate and the amplitude were derived that fit the experimental data and correctly calculate the half-maximum K+ concentration in amplitude titrations from kinetically estimated rate and dissociation constants. This is the first time that sigmoidal dependence of the time constant for K+ reaction with Na+,K(+)-ATPase on potassium concentration has been observed. The conclusion that two K+ ions are required to cause the E1–>E2 conformational change explains discrepancies between equilibrium and kinetic estimates of the half-maximum K+ concentration in published studies of the reaction and reconciles the mechanism of the conformational change in Na+,K(+)-ATPase with the transport stoichiometry of sodium pump. It is strong, additional evidence that fluorescein reports a conformational change in dephosphoenzyme that is involved in monovalent cation transport. The ratio of the K+ dissociation constants is consistent either with ordered binding to two sites with intrinsic constants differing by a factor of 4 or with binding to two independent and identical sites.
Human Behavioural Ecology

Human behavioural ecology emerged in the mid-1970s as a result of applying the theory of evolution by natural selection to the study of human behaviour. Using explicit models to derive hypotheses that are tested with quantitative data primarily drawn from traditional human communities, it offers a natural science of sociocultural diversity. Recent activity in this field lies in the study of the family, in life history theory and in individual and collective interests, and increasingly the field of enquiry moves from traditional communities to modern industrial societies. Current challenges include incorporating the mechanisms underlying adaptive behaviour, and the developmental and historical causes of human behavioural variability. Key Concepts: Human behavioural ecology (HBE) relies on the phenotypic gambit, the claim that how a trait is inherited does not seriously constrain adaptive responses to ecological variation. HBE derives testable hypotheses from either graphical or mathematically explicit models anchored in basic principles of evolution by natural selection. An HBE perspective integrates topics that are typically somewhat distinct in conventional anthropology – subsistence, marriage, reciprocity, kinship, demography, politics, ritual and health – into a unified theoretical enquiry. Initial explorations of HBE were in the field of foraging (hunter-gatherer) subsistence behaviour, drawing explicitly from optimal foraging theory. An early and enduring focus in HBE is why human communities exhibit such variable culturally sanctioned mating patterns, formalised as marriage rules and marital payments. Organisms face two major allocation decisions, the first between growth and reproduction, and the second between the number of offspring produced and the amount to be invested in each. Distinctive features of human life histories, compared to those of other primates and mammals, include: a very large brain, an exceptionally long lifespan, an extended period of juvenile dependence, support of reproduction by older post-reproductive individuals and other kin, and men's support of reproduction through the provisioning of women and their offspring. The individual selectionist perspective of behavioural ecology highlights the conflict of interests among individuals at each level as well as the potential for cooperation within and between groups, as do some schools within economics, political science and sociology. The focus of behavioural ecology (both human and other) is principally on adaptive function, whereas evolutionary psychology focuses on mechanism, and cultural evolutionary theory on the transmission of cultural traits. Behavioural ecologists predict matching between behavioural strategy and context irrespective of whether humans reach this adaptive strategy as a consequence of genes, psychological mechanism or the learning of culture. Keywords: adaptation; evolutionary psychology; foraging theory; life history theory; optimality
Non-volatile holographic storage in doubly doped lithium niobate crystals

Photorefractive materials are being widely investigated for applications in holographic data storage1. Inhomogeneous illumination of these materials with an optical interference pattern redistributes charge, builds up internal electric fields and so changes the refractive index. Subsequent homogeneous illumination results in light diffraction and reconstructs the information encoded in the original interference pattern. A range of inorganic and organic photorefractive materials are known2, in which thousands of holograms of high fidelity can be efficiently stored, reconstructed and erased. But there remains a problem with volatility: the read-out process usually erases the stored information and amplifies the scattered light. Several techniques for ‘fixing’ holograms have been developed3,4,5,6, but they have practical disadvantages and only laboratory demonstrators have been built7,8,9,10. Here we describe a resolution to the problem of volatility that should lead to the realization of a more practical system. We use crystals of lithium niobate — available both in large size and with excellent homogeneity — that have been doped with two different deep electron traps (iron and manganese). Illumination of the crystals with incoherent ultraviolet light during the recording process permits the storage of data (a red-light interference pattern) that can be subsequently read, in the absence of ultraviolet light, without erasure. Our crystals show up to 32 per cent diffraction efficiency, rapid optical erasure of the stored data is possible using ultraviolet light, and light scattering is effectively prevented.
Neonatal Genital Prolapse

In Reply.— We appreciate Dr Porges9s suggestion of a possible diagnosis of polyp for the case published in September. In considering a differential diagnosis of interlabial mass during neonatal period, the partial list includes polyps, urethral prolapse, paraurethral cyst, and rhabdomyosarcoma (Botryoid sarcoma). However, the clinical findings in our case were relatively clear, which unfortunately was not revealed clearly in the published photograph. The photograph showed the circumferential prolapse of vaginal wall through the introitus and was not the cervix.
Properties of matter in stellar collapse

A brief review is given of the properties of matter in collapsing stars, with particular emphasis on the properties of nuclei.
Transport of estrogen-induced oxytocin receptors in the ventromedial hypothalamus

The modulation of oxytocin (OT) receptors (OTRs) by estrogen was investigated in the ventromedial hypothalamus by in vitro receptor autoradiography. Treatment of ovariectomized and adrenalectomized rats with various doses of estradiol benzoate (EB) increased OTR binding not only in the ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus (VMN), but also in the area lateral to the nuclei (IVMN). After a single injection of EB, OTRs first were induced within the ventrolateral parts of the VMN, and only hours later they appeared in the IVMN. This is consistent with the interpretation that OTRs are first induced within the estrogen-sensitive neurons of the ventrolateral VMN and then are transported laterally out of the nuclei. Two additional experiments confirmed this interpretation. First, local infusion of a low dose (10 micrograms) of the neuronal transport inhibitor vinblastine blocked the appearance of OTRs in the IVMN but did not prevent the induction of OTRs by EB within the nuclei. Second, a knife cut placed lateral to the VMN prevented the spread of OTRs out of the nuclei. However, even after treatment with a high dose of EB (2 x 10 micrograms), progesterone (P) was required for a maximal extension of the area covered by OTRs. Thus, the OTR is an estrogen-induced neurotransmitter receptor that is transported to its site of action, the lateral ventromedial hypothalamus, where it is modulated by P and where estrogen-induced OT immunoreactivity is found.
Salt Tolerance of Three Tree Species Differing in Native Habitats and Leaf Traits

We investigated if salt tolerance can be inferred from observable cues based on a woody species' native habitat and leaf traits. Such inferences could improve species selection for urban landscapes constrained by soils irrigated with reclaimed water. We studied the C3 tree species Acer grandidentatum Nutt. (canyon maple; xeric-non-saline habitat) that was hypothesized to have some degree of salt tolerance based on its semiarid but non-saline native habitat. We compared it with A. macrophyllum Pursh. (bigleaf maple) from mesic/riparian-non-saline habitats with much larger leaves and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (eucalyptus/red gum) from mesic-saline habitats with schlero- phyllous evergreen leaves. Five levels of increasing salt concentrations (non-saline control to 12 dS·m L1 ) were applied over 5 weeks to container-grown seedling trees in two separate studies, one in summer and the other in fall. We monitored leaf damage, gas exchange, and hydric behavior as measures of tree performance for 3 weeks after target salinity levels were reached. Eucalyptus was the most salt-tolerant among the species. At allelevatedsalinitylevels,eucalyptusexcludedsaltfromitsrootzone,unlikeeithermaple species. Eucalyptus maintained intact, undamaged leaves with no effect on photosyn- thesis but with minor reductions in stomatal conductance (gS). Conversely, bigleaf maple suffered increasing leaf damage, nearly defoliated at the highest levels, with decreasing gas exchange as salt concentration increased. Canyon maple leaves were not damaged and gas exchange was minimally affected at 3 dS·m L1 but showed increasing damage at higher salt concentration. Salt-tolerant eucalyptus and riparian bigleaf maple framed canyon maple's moderate salt tolerance up to 3 dS·m L1 that appears related to seasonal soil drying in its semiarid native habitat. These results highlight the potential to infer a degree of salt tolerance from either native habitat or known drought tolerance in selecting plant species for urban landscapes limited by soil salinity or brackish irrigation water. Observable cues such as xeri-morphic leaf traits may also provide visual evidence of salt tolerance.
A Review of “Russia since 1980: Wrestling with Westernization”

Russia since 1980 is part of the new series published by Cambridge University Press titled “The World since 1980.” Books in the series examine politics, economics, and social change in important co...
Engineering investigation of design procedures for closed containment marine aquaculture systems

Abstract The objective of this paper is to investigate potential design procedures for rigid, closed containment aquaculture systems deployed in the marine environment. In this context, closed containment is a term used to describe a range of aquaculture technologies that attempt to restrict and control interactions between farmed fish and the external aquatic environment, with the goal of minimizing impacts. The containment units are often closely spaced and moored to the seafloor bottom. The geographical area of interest is the Straits of Georgia, British Columbia in Canada. In this study, the design configurations of multiple closed containment systems are investigated. The design procedures include examining: (1) local environmental conditions, (2) drag forces on multiple containment units, (3) wave loading, (4) undamped heave motions, (5) mooring gear components and (6) material stresses on a rigid containment structure. Operational and other design considerations are also discussed. Preliminary findings indicate that wave forces could be substantial. In addition, little is known about how containment units, which are closely spaced, will respond individually or as a farm when subjected to surface waves.
Combinatorial control of the bradykinin B2 receptor promoter by p53, CREB, KLF-4, and CBP: implications for terminal nephron differentiation.

Despite a wealth of knowledge regarding the early steps of epithelial differentiation, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for terminal nephron differentiation. The bradykinin B2 recep...
Retroperitoneoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation of a Solid Renal Mass

Purpose: To report a new technique for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of a solid renal mass. Patient and Methods: An 83-year-old man with a history of chronic renal insufficiency was found to have solid mass in the right kidney. Retroperitoneoscopic localization of the renal mass was accomplished using intraoperative ultrasonography. The lesion was treated with a 14-gauge RITA® Starburst™ XL probe (Rita Medical Systems, Inc., Mountain View, CA). Results: The total treatment time included two cycles of 5.5 minutes. There were no intraoperative complications. Tissue desiccation was noted during treatment. A CT scan 48 hours after ablation showed a decrease in the density of the lesion suggestive of coagulation necrosis. The postoperative hospital course was uneventful. Conclusion: The retroperitoneal laparoscopic technique is a feasible approach to performing RF ablation of a solid renal mass. It facilitates direct insertion of the RF probe, allows viewing and avoidance of adjacent structures such as bowel, a...
Transdermal estradiol for postpartum depression: a promising treatment option.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication of childbirth and affects one out of seven childbearing women. While conventional pharmacological and psychotherapeutic antidepressant treatments are effective for PPD, a natural alternative may be preferred by postpartum women, especially those who breastfeed their infants. The treatment of PPD with synthetic forms of naturally occurring estrogen is mechanistically appealing because PPD occurs in the context of estrogen withdrawal at parturition. Preliminary evidence suggests that PPD is a disorder of hormone-related mood dysregulation (similar to perimenopausal depression) that can be effectively treated with estrogen. This review provides the basic science and clinical background as well as safety considerations to support the application of transdermal estradiol as a treatment for PPD. We conclude that estradiol treatment for PPD requires confirmation of efficacy in a randomized clinical trial prior to routine clinical use as monotherapy. Additional data regarding maternal tolerability of cyclic progestins, long-term safety of estradiol treatment, estradiol passage into breastmilk and infants, and interdisciplinary collaboration among psychiatrists and gynecologists is also needed before estradiol is used in women who decline or fail to respond to first-line antidepressant treatments, or as an augmentation of conventional antidepressant treatment.
Effect of supplementary sexual preparation on semen characteristics of stallions

Abstract Sperm output from males of several species can be increased by supplementary sexual preparation (SSP). Since this has not been demonstrated for stallions, two experiments were conducted to a) evaluate the effect of SSP on semen characteristics of first and second ejaculates from depleted and sexually-rested stallions, and b) retrospectively evaluate semen characteristics of first and second ejaculates from sexually-rested stallions with semen volumes similar to those from stallions that received SSP (Experiment 1). In Experiment 1, when SSP was applied prior to collection of first ejaculates (SSP 1) from depleted stallions, gel-free and total semen volumes were higher (P
Reassessment of local paleocurrent directions in the Miami oolitic limestone with 3D ground-penetrating radar

Active oolitic sand bars like the modem ones in the Bahamas as well as those in the ancient exhibit a complex internal architecture with a multitude of stacked sedimentary structures. As a result, the internal anatomy of these sand bars is usually too complex to be captured with two-dimensional outcrop and one-dimensional well information. In order to improve fluid flow modeling used in water and hydrocarbon resource management, closely spaced three-dimensional (3-D) data is needed to accurately map sedimentary structures. To improve our understanding of ancient oolitic sand bar anatomy we collected a 3-D 100 MHz Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) data cube covering an area of 24x46 m with 7 m penetration depth. A grid spacing of 0.1x0.2 meters is needed to fully exploit the imaging capability of the 100 MHz antennae. The high-resolution 3-D GPR data enable: ○ Volume imaging of oolitic sand bar architecture. ○ Understanding of spatial relationships of sedimentary structures. ○ Reconstruction of depositional environment and assessment of paleocurrent and sandwave migration directions.
Dependence of BSAP Repressor and Activator Functions on BSAP Concentration

During a B cell immune response, the transcription factor BSAP maintains its activator functions but is relieved of its repressor functions. This selective targeting of BSAP activities was shown to be regulated by a concentration-dependent mechanism whereby activator motifs for BSAP had a 20-fold higher binding affinity than repressor motifs. An exchange of activator and repressor motifs, however, showed that the context of the motif, rather than the affinity, determined whether BSAP operated as an activator or repressor.
Gender and Mahalle (Neighborhood) Space in Istanbul

Studies of gender have an important place in studies of Turkey because the discourses of Islamism and secularism, and modernity and tradition, make the bodies and practices of Turkish women the site of debate. However, few studies have used a spatial analysis to examine the production of gender in daily life. This article is simultaneously a study of how gender is produced through space and of the creation of various kinds of spaces in an Istanbul mahalle (neighborhood). The mahalle is the space of intimate daily life in the Turkish urban context, and narratives of and ways of life in the mahalle articulate competing notions of what it means to be a woman in Turkey. This study of gender and mahalle space reveals the linkages between space and gender to be multiple and shifting and the boundaries between private and public spaces to be fluid. Furthermore, this reading of gender and urban space, when brought back to the Turkish context, also contributes to research which interrogates the idea of modernity a...
A point process model of respiratory dynamics in early physiological development

Interbreath interval (IBI), the time interval between breaths, and its variations in time around the mean, the IBI variability, are important measures associated with irregularity of breathing. The IBI histogram generally follows a power law distribution with its characterizing parameters changing with maturation. To assess the dynamics of breathing we propose a point process model of IBI with a lognormal parametric structure to appropriately represent the stochastic nature of the IBI distribution. We estimate the time varying evolution of the characterizing parameters to represent the dynamic nature of breathing, and thereby provide a time-varying measure of irregularity in breathing. The reliability of the model to capture the data is assessed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) and independence tests. Our results validate the novel approach in the assessment of the irregularity of breathing by analyzing respiratory recordings from newborn rats and preterm infants.
Adsorption, Thermogravimetric, and NMR Studies of FSM-16 Material Functionalized with Alkylmonochlorosilanes

Two series of alkyl-modified molecular sieves were prepared using the FSM-16 mesoporous silica. The attachment of alkyl groups to the surface, the structure of the bonded layer, and changes in the mesoporous structure of the FSM-16 material upon functionalization were studied by means of high-resolution thermogravimetry, elemental analysis, nitrogen adsorption, and 13C and 29Si NMR. Surface coverages of attached ligands were in the range of 0.85−2.60 mmol/g. All modified samples showed a decrease in the pore size, which was in relation to the size of attached ligands. The uniformity of pores upon modification proves that the mesoporous structure of FSM-16 is retained after modification. The attachment of ligands takes place in a solvent either with a small amount of water or anhydrous indicating a direct reaction between the chlorosilane molecule and silanol groups and/or a reaction autocatalyzed by the small amount of water present on the FSM-16 surface. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms and the adsorption e...
Regimes of segregation and mixing in combined size and density granular systems: an experimental study

Granular segregation in a rotating tumbler occurs due to differences in either particle size or density, which are often varied individually while the other is held constant. Both cases present theoretical challenges; even more challenging, however, is the case where density and size segregation may compete or reinforce each other. The number of studies addressing this situation is small. Here we present an experimental study of how the combination of size and density of the granular material affects mixing and segregation. Digital images are obtained of experiments performed in a half-filled quasi-2D circular tumbler using a bi-disperse mixture of equal volumes of different sizes of steel and glass beads. For particle size and density combinations where percolation and buoyancy both contribute to segregation, either radial streaks or a “classical” core can occur, depending on the particle size ratio. For particle combinations where percolation and buoyancy oppose one another, there is a transition between a core composed of denser beads to a core composed of smaller beads. Mixing can be achieved instead of segregation if the denser beads are also bigger and if the ratio of particle size is greater than the ratio of particle density. Temporal evolution of these segregated patterns is quantified in terms of a “segregation index” (based on the area of the segregated pattern) and a “shape index” (based on the area and perimeter of the segregated pattern).
Adult learning and remodeling of hippocampal mossy fibers: Unheralded participant in circuitry for long-lasting spatial memory

Two articles in this issue concerning the overexpression of GAP-43 on mossy fiber growth are related to the plasticity of these axons in relation to learning and memory. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The bactericidal activity of magainins against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecium

The antimicrobial activities of two synthetic magainins, MSI 94 and MSI 93, were investigated in vitro against 20 clinical isolates each of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecium. The ranges of the MICs of both agents were 6.25-50 mg/L for P. aeruginosa and 3.13-12.5 mg/L for E. faecium. In time-kill studies, the magainins demonstrated rapid, concentration-dependent bactericidal activity against selected isolates of both species. This bactericidal effect was inoculum-dependent for P. aeruginosa in both the logarithmic and stationary phases of growth. Bacterial regrowth was regularly observed after 24 h of incubation in the time-kill studies; this was due to loss of antimicrobial activity during overnight incubation rather than to the development of resistance. More rapid and sustained bactericidal activity was noted when the magainins were combined with either silver nitrate (AgNO3) or gentamicin against P. aeruginosa and with gentamicin against E. faecium. Neither agent produced a post-antibiotic effect on P. aeruginosa.