cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Silurian Thalassinoides in an offshore carbonate community, Wisconsin, USA

Abstract Silicified boxwork of the ichnogenus Thalassinoides in the Silurian (Wenlockian) Racine Formation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) represents open-burrow systems that extended decimeters below the sediment surface in offshore carbonate muds of an intracratonic basin. The most completely-silicified burrows contain a core of organic-rich, spiculitic chert, a surrounding zone of chert, and an outer zone of mixed chert and dolomite. Burrows reach 3 cm in diameter and include larger “turning chambers”; they were probably produced by an arthropod. Bioturbation affected the epibenthic fauna by extensive vertical mixing of skeletal material and possibly by construction of small mounds at the sediment surface. The same skeletal fauna of siliceous sponge spicules, silicified crinozoan ossicles, and a diverse array of other groups occurs in both burrows and surrounding dolomite matrix. Brachiopods, including Dicoelosia and Skenidioides , indicate Silurian Benthic Assemblage 5, which represents an outer shelf setting. Trilobite sclerites are more common within Thalassioides burrows than in the surrounding matrix. Two enrolled calymenid individuals and one molted calymenid exoskeleton occur within Thalassinoides , suggesting that commensal trilobites occupied the burrow systems.
Tissue plasminogen activator: beyond thrombolysis.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease that cleaves plasminogen into active plasmin. In plasma, the primary function of plasmin is the digestion of fibrin, and therefore, tPA is used as a thrombolytic agent for acute treatment of ischemic stroke. However, apart from its fibrinolytic action, tPA is widely distributed in the CNS1 and involved in mechanisms of synaptic regulation, synaptic plasticity, and neural injury.2,3 These extravascular effects of tPA have to be taken into account when treating patients with ischemic stroke with this agent because there is experimental evidence that tPA administered parenterally has access to both normal and injured brain parenchyma.4,5 Therefore, there is considerable interest in developing drugs that may neutralize the neurotoxic extravascular effects of tPA. Neuroserpin is a serine protease inhibitor that specifically inhibits the actions of tPA in the CNS.6 The interactions between tPA and neuroserpin may be important not only in the setting of acute injury but also in neurodegenerative disorders. Mutations of the neuroserpin gene are linked to familial encephalopathy with neuroserpin inclusion bodies (FENIB),7,8 and neuroserpin has a protective effect on a genetic mouse model of motor neuron disease.9 The focus of this review is on the effects of tPA on synaptic transmission and plasticity, its potentially deleterious effects in the setting of acute brain injury, and the genetic disorders where tPA–neuroserpin interactions may have a pathogenic role. Several reviews comprehensively cover these topics.2,3,6,8 Tissue-type plasminogen activator is widely expressed in neurons and glial cells of the human CNS, including the neocortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebellum, pontine nuclei, medulla, and sympathetic ganglia.1 There is in vitro evidence that tPA is released from neurons and glial cells and has a major role in synaptic plasticity3 (figure and table). Tissue plasminogen activator is …
Metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene by cultured human hepatocytes from multiple donors.

Primary hepatocyte cultures from six human donors were established and their abilities to metabolize the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) were examined. Cells from each donor were plated at similar densities (1 X 10(7) cells/100 mm dish). All cultures metabolized B[a]P to a significant extent (24-35 nmol in 24 h) and h.p.l.c. profiles of the organic solvent-soluble and glucuronidated B[a]P metabolites were obtained for all donors. The predominant extracellular organic solvent-soluble B[a]P metabolites were the 9,10- and 7,8-dihydrodiols, 9-hydroxy-B[a]P, and a mixture of tetrols, but the general ratios of these metabolites varied widely among the cells from different donors. In contrast, profiles were highly reproducible in cells from the same donor treated with B[a]P at either 8 or 24 h after initial plating. There was less variability in the amounts of specific B[a]P metabolites conjugated to glucuronic acid by cells from various donors. This variability could not be correlated with cell viability or overall levels of B[a]P metabolism. In addition, B[a]P metabolism by fresh and cryopreserved hepatocytes from the same donor was compared. While there was only a small reduction in the level of total B[a]P metabolism after cell freezing, there was a 3- to 5-fold increase in production of B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol, found both in the extracellular medium and as glucuronic acid conjugates, by the cryopreserved cells tested.
Fetal stress response to fetal cardiac surgery.

Background A deleterious fetal stress response, although not fully elucidated, may account for poor outcomes after experimental fetal cardiac surgery. We set out to characterize this fetal stress response and its potential role in placental dysfunction. Methods Fifteen ovine fetuses at gestational day 100 to 114 were placed on extracorporeal support for 30 minutes and were then followed 2 hours after cardiopulmonary bypass. Fetal plasma samples were analyzed for vasopressin, cortisol, and β-endorphin levels, and correlated to fetal hemodynamics and placental gas exchange. Results Unique temporal patterns of response were seen in release of the three stress hormones. Vasopressin demonstrated the most profound and early response followed by cortisol and β-endorphin, the latter continuing to rise in the post-bypass period. A sharp rise in fetal mean arterial pressure and placental vascular resistance strongly correlated with rising vasopressin levels. Post-bypass deterioration of fetal gas exchange and hemodynamics correlated with the ensuing rise in cortisol and β-endorphin. Rising fetal lactate levels correlated with elevations in all three stress hormones. Conclusions Fetal cardiopulmonary bypass leads to a profound, early rise in vasopressin concentrations that strongly correlates with placental dysfunction after fetal bypass. Vasopressin may play an important mechanistic role in pathogenesis of this placental dysfunction.
Education Committee Best Paper of 1995 Award: Methods of Classical Mechanics Applied to Turbulence Stresses in a Tip Leakage Vortex

Moore et al. measured the six Reynolds stresses in a tip leakage vortex in a linear turbine cascade. Stress tensor analysis, as used in classical mechanics, has been applied to the measured turbulence stress tensors. Principal directions and principal normal stresses are found. A solid surface model, or three-dimensional glyph, for the Reynolds stress tensor is proposed and used to view the stresses throughout the tip leakage vortex. Modeled Reynolds stresses using the Boussinesq approximation are obtained from the measured mean velocity strain rate tensor. The comparison of the principal directions and the three-dimensional graphic representations of the strain and Reynolds stress tensors aids in the understanding of the turbulence and what is required to model it.
Raphe neurons and barbiturate induced rhythmic activity in the subthalamic nucleus and ventral tegmental area

Abstract A continuous rhythmic discharge in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), lateral habenular nucleus, and ventral tegmental area (VTA) is associated with tremor in cats lightly anesthetized with barbiturate. The pontine raphe nuclei centralis superior and inferior also show barbiturate dependent slow wave and unitary activity. Stimulation of the raphe region produces evoked potentials and synchronization of the oscillatory activity in STN and VTA. The latency of the evoked response is shortest in STN. Extensive raphe lesions abolish the rhythmic activity in STN and VTA, but lesions which do not completely destroy nuclei centralis superior and inferior are not effective. In single cell recordings 81% of 142 cells in the pontine raphe region and medial reticular formation are inhibited following VTA stimulation. Fifty-four percent of 129 cells in the same region were inhibited when tested with STN stimulation. Forty-seven raphe paramedian reticular formation cells showed convergence of inhibitory input from STN, VTA, and contralateral sciatic nerve (Group II and III fibers). Depletion of serotonin with p -chlorophenylalanine did not affect the appearance of barbiturate rhythmic activity. It is concluded that the pontine raphe region is not essential for maintenance of the oscillatory activity in STN and VTA, and that the raphe region is on the output side of the system.
Franz Boas: The Anthropologist as Public Intellectual

Franz Boas is among the most important public intellectuals in American history because the authority of his expertise was joined with the purposes to which he applied his citizenship. His contributions to the discipline of anthropology were as towering as anyone has ever made; he also tapped his scholarly credentials to fight for good causes, such as civil rights and civil liberties. His origins as a Jewish immigrant and his political ideals as a cosmopolitan liberal predisposed him to reject the racialism that dominated late-nineteenth-century thought, and to advance an alternative social science that would be unpolluted by condescension towards lesser breeds. So persuasive was his research that a paradigm shift occurred; and buttressed with the authority of scholarship, Boas was decisive in changing public discourse on the often radioactive subject of race. He honored the ideal of the scholar as activist and as social conscience, and virtually no one in modern American history came closer to satisfying that standard.
Technology and the Concept of Information Literacy for Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract Through an examination of a variety of information literacy documents and an analysis of supporting materials, the author argues that the impact of technology on the conceptualization of information is two-fold: technology serves as a catalyst for developing a rationale for the importance of the concept and as a mechanism for focusing attention on specific issues within the broader concept of information literacy. Though the discussion is contextualized within the field of education, the majority of the ideas raised apply to information literacy for any discipline or profession. The chapter ends with a discussion of additional considerations related to information literacy and digital technologies within the field of education.
Modulatory actions of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone on electrical activity of preoptic neurons in brain slices

Single unit activity was recorded from 378 neurons, in two preoptic nuclei rich in luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons, using in vitro brain tissue slices which were prepared from either ovariectomized or ovariectomized plus estradiol-treated rats. To test possible transmitter-like actions, agents were injected into the perfusion medium. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone excited 46%, inhibited 7% and evoked biphasic responses in 2% of the 250 units tested. By comparison, two other peptides, thyrotropin-releasing hormone and cholecystokinin-octapeptide sulfated were exclusively excitatory, acting on 55 and 67% of the neurons, respectively. The response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone, cholecystokinin-octapeptide sulfated and neurotransmitters were prompt, large and consistent from trial to trial. In contrast, responses to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone were usually delayed, small and variable. Responses to the agents tested were not affected by in vivo estradiol treatment. Possible modulatory actions of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone were tested by comparing the responses of single neurons to norepinephrine and serotonin before and after an application of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone. In 39 and 20% of the 119 neurons tested, the norepinephrine responses were potentiated and attenuated, respectively, by luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone. In 46 serotoninresponsive neurons, 28% were potentiated and 22% attenuated. These neuromodulatory actions of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone were specific in affecting only certain responses of certain neurons, and they were not duplicated on the same neurons by thyrotropin-releasing hormone. It appears that luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone may be a neuromodulator in the preoptic area.
Effects of diverse developmental environments on neuronal morphology in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa)

Potential effects of environmental rearing conditions on the brains of farm animals have not been examined experimentally, with the exception of one report for pig somatosensory cortex. The goal of the present experiment was to determine whether different developmental environments in use in agricultural production units affect neuronal morphology in the pig cerebral cortex. Littermate female pigs (gilts) were cross-fostered at birth and reared in either an indoor (n=6) or outdoor (n=6) production unit for 8 weeks. Additional littermates (n=6) were sacrificed at 3 days of age to provide a developmental reference point. Brains were fixed by perfusion and stained by the Golgi–Cox method. The primary somatosensory, auditory and visual cortices were sectioned at 170 μm, and layer IV stellate neurons (n=492) were digitized and 3-dimensionally reconstructed. Measurements of dendritic length, membrane surface area, total number of segments, number of 1st- through 7th-order dendrites, spine density, soma area, and soma form factor were taken. In auditory cortex neurons, outdoor pigs compared to indoor pigs had (a) significantly more primary dendrites, (b) significantly greater spine density, and (c) trends of increases both in number of 2nd- and 3rd-order dendrites and in total dendritic length. In visual cortex neurons, indoor pigs had significantly more 7th-order dendrites, whereas in all three cortical areas, the indoor animals had more 5th-order dendrites. Multiple morphological differences occurred in stellate cell populations between the three sensory areas of the Week 8 pigs. Also, within different cortical areas, dendritic morphology changed substantially from 3 days to 8 weeks of age. Further investigations are needed to determine which environmental factors are critical in producing the observed changes in brain morphology and whether other brain effects may be produced by varying developmental environments.
Galectin-12 Is Required for Adipogenic Signaling and Adipocyte Differentiation

Galectin-12 is a member of the galectin family consisting of β-galactoside-binding proteins with conserved carbohydrate recognition domains. This protein is preferentially expressed in peripheral blood leukocytes and adipocytes. We previously showed that galectin-12 is induced by cell cycle block at the G1 phase and causes G1 arrest when overexpressed (Yang, R.-Y., Hsu, D. K., Yu, L., Ni, J., and Liu, F.-T. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 20252-20260). Here, we show that the galectin-12 gene is expressed in mouse preadipocytes and is up-regulated when preadipocytes undergo cell cycle arrest, concomitant with acquisition of the competence to undergo differentiation in response to adipogenic hormone stimulation. Following a brief down-regulation 1 day after adipogenic treatment, its expression was once again markedly elevated when cells underwent terminal differentiation. Down-regulation of endogenous galectin-12 expression by RNA interference greatly reduced the expression of the adipogenic transcription factors CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-β and -α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and severely suppressed adipocyte differentiation as a result of defective adipogenic signaling. We conclude that galectin-12 is required for signal transduction that conveys hormone stimulation to the induction of adipogenic factors essential for adipocyte differentiation. The findings suggest that galectin-12 is a major regulator of adipose tissue development.
Ecological Validity of Neuropsychological Assessment and Perceived Employability

Ecological validity studies that have examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and employment in psychiatric and medical populations have found that a wide range of cognitive domains predict employability, although memory and executive skills appear to be the most important. However, no information is available regarding a patient's self-perceived work attributes and objective neuropsychological performance, and whether the same cognitive domains associated with successful employment are also related to a patient's self-perception of work competence. In the present study, 73 medical and psychiatric patients underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Step-wise multiple regression analyses revealed that the visual-spatial domain was the only significant predictor of self-perceived work attributes and work competence as measured by the Working Inventory (WI) and the Work Adjustment Inventory (WAI), accounting for 7% to 10% of inventory score variability. The results raise the intriguing possibility that targeting of visual spatial skills for remediation and development might play a separate and unique role in the vocational rehabilitation of a lower SES population, specifically, by leading to enhanced self-perception of work competence as these individuals attempt to enter the job market.
Numerical solutions of viscous transonic flow in turbomachinery cascades

on presente une modification de l'algorithme de resolution des equations de navier-Stokes compressibles. Application aux effets visqueux dans les cascades transsoniques
Reimplantation with a conventional length electrode following residual hearing loss in four hybrid implant recipients

AbstractHypothesisRevision surgery using a newer-generation conventional length cochlear implant electrode will provide improved speech perception in patients that initially underwent hybrid electrode implantation and experienced post-operative loss of residual hearing and performance deterioration.Clinical presentationWe present four patients who experienced delayed post-operative hearing loss following implantation with the Nucleus Hybrid S8 device and underwent reimplantation with the Nucleus Freedom or Nucleus 5 device using the Contour Advance array. Pure-tone thresholds and speech perception data were retrospectively reviewed.InterventionFour subjects underwent reimplantation with the Nucleus Freedom or Nucleus 5 device after experiencing deteriorating performance related to delayed acoustic hearing loss. Comparison of pre-revision performance to the most recent post-revision performance demonstrated improved speech perception performance in all subjects following reimplantation.ConclusionsA small p...
Intestinal calcium transport: parathyroid hormone and adaptation to dietary calcium.

Abstract Thyroparathyroidectomy prevents the elevation of intestinal calcium transport in response to low dietary levels of calcium. Removal of the thyroparathyroid glands reduces elevated intestinal calcium transport of rats on low calcium diets to the levels found in rats fed high calcium diets. This reduction took place 4 days after surgery. The chronic administration of a constant exogenous source of parathyroid hormone to thyroparathyroidectomized rats fed either a high or low calcium diet resulted in high rates of intestinal calcium transport independent of dietary calcium. Since 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 supplementation eliminates adaptation in a similar manner, these results strongly support the idea that parathyroid glands mediate intestinal adaptation to low dietary calcium presumably by the stimulation of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 biosynthesis by secreted parathyroid hormone.
Inhibition of serum protein binding of thyroxine in a hypothyroid patient with familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia.

Objective: To investigate unusual free thyroxine (FT4) responses to T4 replacement doses in a hypothyroid patient with familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia (FDH). Methods: In this FDH hypothyroid patient, serum FT4 concentration by equilibrium dialysis and T4, triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) determinations were supplemented by thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) and thyroxine binding prealbumin (TBPA) measurements. Results: Initial thyroid function tests were compatible with hypothyroidism and FDH (T4 = 78 nmol/L, T3 = 1.08 nmol/L, FT4 = 11.6 pmol/L, TSH = 45 mU/L). When she was initially treated with T4 (0.112-0.088 mg/day) there was an increase in FT4 concentration to hyperthyroid levels accompanied by TSH inhibition (FT4 = 31–51 pmol/L, TSH = <0.03 mU/L); the patient also complained of intolerance and nervousness, and T4 treatment was discontinued. Concentrations of thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) and thyroxine binding prealbumin (TBPA) were normal. When T4 therapy was later resumed at a dosage of 0.075 mg/day, there was a marked increase in percent dialyzable T4. The elevation in percent dialyzable T4 during T4 replacement in a patient with FDH is unusual in view of the very large T4 binding capacity of FDH albumin. The presence of an inhibitor that reduced T4 binding by both TBG and FDH albumin probably explains the elevation in percent dialyzable T4 during T4 treatment. Conclusion: This FDH patient represents the first case of a putative inhibitor of T4 binding to both TBG and FDH albumin. The inhibition of T4 binding by these disparate proteins suggests that the inhibitor effect is mediated nonspecifically.
Raman optical activity of biological molecules

Abstract Recent progress in the use of Raman optical activity (ROA) to study the stereochemical properties of biological molecules is described. The basic experimental, theoretical, instrumental and calculational methodology of backscattering ROA is presented together with examples of applications to amino acids and peptides in aqueous solution.
Lipid-lowering therapy and violent death: Is depression a culprit?

Large-scale, controlled treatment studies of antilipidemic therapy have yielded consistent evidence of reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but no reduction in total mortality. This counterhypothetical result appears to be due to a compensatory increase in cancer and violent death with treatment. ‘Violent death’ includes suicides, homocides and accidents. The present study took advantage of a dataset on 174 males undergoing coronary angiography which included presence/absence of an antilipidemic medication regimen and multiple measures of emotional distress/dysfunction to see if the two were associated. Self-reported depression on the Ketterer Stress Symptom Frequency Checklist (KSSFC) was higher in these angiographic male patients if they were on medical treatment for hypercholesterolemia than if they were not. Comparisons across antilipidemic groupings of a number of potential confounding/mediating variables revealed no systematic differences which can account for these results. While only correlational in nature, present results are consistent with the hypothesis that antilipidemic drug treatment induces emotional distress in males undergoing coronary angiography.
Applications of the generalized-gradient approximation to atoms, clusters, and solids

Calculations have been performed using the generalized-gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation functional of Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) within density-functional theory for atoms, clusters, and crystals, including crystalline C, Al, Si, and GaAs. The calculations of the atomic total energy and the first ionization energy with the PBE functional are more accurate than with the local density approximation. An efficient vector form of exchange-correlation potentials by Hamann was used for the GGA exchange-correlation potential calculations. Structural properties of the small Si clusters and solids, such as cohesive energy, lattice constant, bulk modulus, and phonon energy, are investigated and compared with other calculations and experiments.
Microbioassays to Determine the Activity of Membrane Disrupter Herbicides

Abstract Two methods to determine the activity of membrane disrupter herbicides on leakage from cucumber ( Cucumis sativa L., "Medalist") cotyledon discs are described. In these bioassays, leakage could be measured from a single disc (4 mm diameter) in 300 μl of incubation solution. The 96-well microtiter plates were convenient assay containers because a large number of replications and herbicide concentrations could be rested side-by-side without an excessive space requirement. In the first assay, nitrite leakage was measured from discs incubated in nitrate solution. Nitrite was sequestered in cells as long as the membranes remained intact. A loss in membrane integrity, caused by membrane disrupter herbicides (acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, paraquat, oxadiazon, sulfentrazone), resulted in the leakage of nitrite into the incubation solutions. Membrane disruption was also measured directly with N -methyl benzothionoline hydrazone hydrochloride which forms a stable chromatophore with saturated and unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, keto acids, and many other related compounds. Leakage of ammonia and malonyl dialdehyde were also measured. These assays may have advantages in industrial or academic laboratories where comparison of the activities of herbicides under several experimental conditions is necessary.
Electrolytic Reduction of Indigo in Pyridine Application to the Determination of Dissolved Oxygen

The electrochemical reduction of indigo in pyridine as solvent has been investigated in connection with the determination of oxygen dissolved in pyridine, using polaro­ graphy, cyclic voltammetry, controlled electrode potential ~lectrolysis and coulo­ meny. In the absence of protons, the total current of the first and second reduction waves for an unsaturated solution of indigo (LiCIO, as background electrolyte) appar­ ently represents a one-electron transfer. In the presence of an excess of available protons (added as pyridinium nitrate), indigo is reduced in a reversible two-electron process to indigo white (Ieucoindtgoj. The rapid conversion of indigo white to indigo by oxygen in pyridine solution can be used to determine coulometrically the concen­ tration of oxygen in pyridine via measurement of the indigo produced on adding the pyridine-oxygen sample to a solution of in situ electrolytically generated indigo white. The latter approach indicated a general method for the determination of dis­ solved oxygen in nonaqueous solvents.
9 Metis and 113 Amalthea: A Genetic Asteroid Pair

Abstract Recent analyses of spectrophotometric data of asteroids 9 Metis and 113 Amalthea have revealed a probable genetic (compositional) link between these two objects. The nearly identical composition of the silicate components of these two asteroids is consistent with their derivation from a single parent body. Based on the present compositional and morphological interpretations of 9 Metis and 113 Amalthea, and using plausible (chondritic) starting compositions for the parent body, the original parent asteroid is estimated to have been between approximately 300 and 600 km in diameter. Thus Metis and Amalthea are the largest survivors of a highly evolved, genetic asteroid family from which 86–96% of the original mass has been lost.
Local Entrepreneurship: A Development Model Based on Community Interaction Field Theory

Local entrepreneurship shows great potential as an economic development strategy for rural communities with stagnating or declining economies. However, nascent entrepreneurs often lack knowledge of ways to actualize their ideas, and communities often lack the social infrastructure to help entrepreneurs achieve success. Educational programs supporting entrepreneurship can play a vital role in rural community economic development. The Nebraska Enhancing, Developing and Growing Entrepreneurs (EDGE) educational program is community based, with organizing principles derived primarily from community interaction field theory. More than 1,600 nascent and active entrepreneurs have participated in EDGE since 1993. The authors draw on community interaction field theory and eight community case studies to explore an action model for delivery of an educational program of locality-based entrepreneurship. The EDGE model has implications for the delivery of long-range community development programs.
Preliminary results of IFSAR/LIDAR analysis in the Lakewood, California area

Remotely sensed imagery can be used to assess the results of natural disasters such as floods. The imagery can be used to predict the extent of a flood, to develop methods to control a flood, and to assess the damage caused by a flood. This paper addresses the information derived from two different sources: Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). The study will show how the information differs and how this information can be fused to better analyze flood problems. LIDAR and IFSAR data were collected over the same Lakewood area of Los Angeles, California as part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-sponsored data collection. Lakewood is located in a floodplain and is of interest for updating the maps of floodplains. IFSAR is an active sensor and can penetrate through clouds and provides three separate digital files for analysis: magnitude, elevation, and correlation files. LIDAR provides elevation and magnitude files. However, for this study only the elevation values were provided. The LIDAR elevation data is more accurate and more densely sampled than the IFSAR data. In this study, the above information is used to produce charts with information relevant to floodplain mapping. To produce relevant information, the data had to be adjusted due to different coordinate systems, different sampling rates, vertical and horizontal post spacing differences, and orientation differences between the IFSAR and LIDAR data sets. This paper will describe the methods and procedures to transform the data sets to a common reference.
Collagen and major histocompatibility class II expression in mesenchymal cells from CIITA hypomorphic mice.

Major histocompatibility class II (MHC II) transactivator (CIITA) is critical for interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-induced repression of collagen [Xu, Y., Wang, L., Buttice, G., Sengupta, P.K., Smith, B.D., 2004. Major histocompatibility class II transactivator (CIITA) mediates repression of collagen (COL1A2) transcription by interferon gamma (IFN-gamma). J. Biol. Chem. 279, 41319–41332] and activation of MHC II transcription. To better understand the role of CIITA and IFN-gamma induced repression of collagen, mesenchymal cells (lung fibroblasts, adventitial fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells) were isolated from a CIITA deficient mouse (C2ta tm1Ccum ). IFN-gamma induced MHC II expression and repressed collagen type I expression in all three cell types isolated from the wild type background. As expected, IFN-gamma treatment of cells isolated from CIITA deficient mice did not induce MHC II production or activate the MHC II promoter. Interestingly, collagen gene expression and promoter activity was similar to that of wild type. Moreover, IFN-gamma induced CIITA mRNA and a truncated form of CIITA protein in all cells isolated from CIITA deficient mice. Most importantly, truncated CIITA occupied the collagen alpha 2(I) gene (col1a2) transcription start site during IFN-gamma treatment, but it did not occupy the MHC II promoter as judged by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Exogenous expression of a similar truncated form of CIITA maintained its ability to repress col1a2 transcription, but lost its ability to activate MHC II gene transcription suggesting a role for the CIITA C-terminal domain in activation, but not repression. IFN-gamma induced primarily types I and IV CIITA isoforms in the mouse cells. All three isoforms of CIITA were capable of repressing col1a2 and activating MHC II gene transcription. These data suggest that the previously described CIITA knockout mouse carries a hypomorphic mutation, rather than a null mutation. The removal of the leucine rich region in CIITA blocks activation of MHC II without altering repression of collagen transcription.
Hypofluorous acid: Infrared spectrum and vibrational potential function

Abstract Photolysis of mixtures of fluorine and water suspended in a nitrogen matrix at 20 and 14°K produces several new infrared absorptions. Growth and diffusion studies, isotopic labeling, and normal coordinate analysis help to assign bands at 3483, 1393.0 and 884.0 cm−1 to HOF. A band at 3777 cm−1 is attributed to HF hydrogen—bonded in the same matrix cage to HOF. The HOF force field calculated by normal coordinate analysis shows that the bonding is similar to that in H2O and F2O.
High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of anandamide amidase activity in rat brain microsomes.

A rapid, sensitive, and reliable method for measuring anandamide amidase activity in rat brain microsomes by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and its applications are described. Enzymatic activity was assayed by the determination of the rates of hydrolysis of anandamide or its analogs at 37°C. The reaction products were separated using an ODS guard column eluted with aqueous phosphoric acid–acetonitrile and quantitated with uv detection at 204 nm and an external standard method. Baseline separation of the acid products from their substrates was completed in less than 2 min. The detection limits were 1.4 pmol for arachidonic acid and 0.22 pmol for anandamide at a signal to noise ratio of 4:1. The stability of anandamide in the acidic mobile phase was tested, and no significant decomposition was observed up to 1 h. The method was successfully applied to the examination of substrate specificity as well as for testing the ability of amidase inhibitors to block its hydrolysis. Kinetic constants obtained for (S)-methanandamide were an apparentKmof 8.6 ± 1.3 μMand aVmaxof 362 ± 16 pmol/min/mg of protein. A highly potent inhibitor, palmitylsulfonyl fluoride (PSF), was found to have an IC50of 50 nM. PSF is 210 times as potent as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. The method offers several advantages over existing methodology using radioisotopes or a solvent extraction procedure.
Diurnal Cyclic High Temperature in Broiler Production: Effects of Lowering the Cool Part of Temperature Cycle on Performances

Abstract BROILER performances, especially during the latter part of the production period, are not as good in high as in a more optimum temperature atmosphere (Joiner and Huston, 1957; Winn and Godfrey, 1967). Drury (1966) reported that increasing the air velocity around chicks in a diurnal cyclic high temperature improved growth rate, but not feed conversion of broiler chicks. Most methods for improving poultry performances during cyclic high temperature periods have been to lower the high peak of the daily temperature cycle by some means (Heywang, 1947; Smith et al., 1962; Glick and Shuman, 1962; Griffin, 1958; Drury et al., 1964; Hutchinson, 1954). Results from these studies showed that by lowering the high peak of the cyclic high temperature, mixed effects on chick performances were noted. Siegel and Drury (1970) reported no difference in broiler performances in a diurnal cyclic temperature of 21.1° plus and minus 5.5°C. and a non-cycling 21.1°C.…
Biological applications of localised surface plasmonic phenomenae

Researchers and industrialists have taken advantage of the unusual optical, magnetic, electronic, catalytic, and mechanical properties of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles and nanoscale materials have proven to be useful for biological uses. Nanoscale materials hold a particular interest to those in the biological sciences because they are on the same size scale as biological macromolecules, proteins and nucleic acids. The interactions between biomolecules and nanomaterials have formed the basis for a number of applications including detection, biosensing, cellular and in situ hybridisation labelling, cell tagging and sorting, point-of-care diagnostics, kinetic and binding studies, imaging enhancers, and even as potential therapeutic agents. Noble metal nanoparticles are especially interesting because of their unusual optical properties which arise from their ability to support surface plasmons. In this review the authors focus on biological applications and technologies that utilise two types of related plasmonic phenomonae: localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The background necessary to understand the application of LSPR and SERS to biological problems is presented and illustrative examples of resonant Rayleigh scattering, refractive index sensing, and SERS-based detection and labelling are discussed.
Compliant biomechanics of abdominal aortic aneurysms: A fluid-structure interaction study

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture is believed to represent the culmination of a complex mechanism partially driven by the forces exerted along the lumen. In the present investigation, partially and fully coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) computations of three patient-specific AAA models are presented. This work advances previous FSI studies by including the iliac bifurcation and localized intraluminal thrombus. Among the patient models analyzed in this investigation, the FSI resulted in a maximum wall stress that varied 3-25% from the stress obtained with computational solid stress methods, demonstrating the importance of modeling blood flow for the assessment of AAA wall mechanics.
Zinc amelioration of cadmium‐induced teratogenesis in vitro

Mouse embryos were exposed to cadmium (5.35 micrograms/ml) for either 0.5h or 1h and then transferred to fresh serum for the duration of the experiment. Embryos exposed for 0.5h developed numerous malformations that were primarily localized to the craniofacial region. Embryos exposed for 1h to the same level of cadmium all failed to thrive. In a separate series of experiments zinc (10 micrograms/ml) was added 15 minutes prior to the addition of cadmium. Embryos treated with cadmium for 30 min. after the addition of zinc, resulted in 15 of 16 embryos developing normally. The second group of embryos treated for 1h after preincubation with zinc resulted in 93% of the embryos surviving after 48h, albeit malformed. These results suggest that: 1) Exposure time to a teratogen is a critical parameter to consider when designing in vitro experiments 2) zinc is effective in protecting embryos against cadmium induced teratogenesis and 3) the whole embryo culture system is effective in demonstrating biological interactions between agents.
Elucidation of Prinzmetal's variant form of preexcitation

BACKGROUND In 1952, Prinzmetal induced preexcitation in the normal dog heart using subthreshold stimulation (SS) delivered to the right ventricle. METHODS AND RESULTS In 12 dogs we recorded ECG leads II, aVR, His (Hb) and proximal right bundle potentials with electrode catheters at the aortic root and a special electrode that was inserted through the right ventricular (RV) free wall. In 12 others, SS was delivered to the Hb area by a catheter placed under the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve. During SS, the HV interval shortened from 35 +/- 4 milliseconds (mean +/- SD) to 19 +/- 7 milliseconds (P = .0001), but AH intervals were unchanged. The ECG showed delta waves with aberrant QRS complexes. Endocardial electrograms showed that the origin of activation in the preexcitation beats was localized to the muscle adjacent to the Hb or proximal right bundle. When vagal stimulation induced sudden AV block, no ventricular excitation was seen, confirming the subthreshold nature of the applied stimulation. By adjusting the levels of SS, latent forms of preexcitation could be induced, eg, early local septal muscle activation but no change in the ECG leads. Premature ventricular stimuli delivered to the RV apex or outflow tract could cause manifest preexcitation in the ECG leads or inhibit expression of latent preexcitation in endocardial recordings. CONCLUSIONS SS delivered to the RV apex or Hb area causes ventricular preexcitation, as shown previously by Prinzmetal et al. SS delivered at the insertion sites of an accessory pathway may facilitate localization of such abnormal connections, particularly when preexcitation is concealed.
Scalable ECG Compression for Long-Term Home Health Care

Most current Holter devices monitor the ECG for 24 to 72 hours. However, for the accurate diagnosis of many cardiac diseases, especially for the wide variety of asymptomatic cases, continuous ECG monitoring for weeks or even months may be required. In this paper, we focus on the issue of ECG compression during long-term monitoring of the patient. The patient may be at home, at work, or even on a trip. A scalable compression scheme is proposed which ensures optimal signal quality given the limited physical storage on the wearable device. When necessary, the signal quality is progressively and gently degraded in order to adapt to environmental and the patient's conditions. Details of the proposed scheme are described and sample results are presented
The Salience of Family Worldview in Mourning an Elderly Husband and Father

Objective: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore family reaction to the death of the elderly husband and father in the family. Methods: We qualitatively interviewed 34 families (a family included a widow and 2 adult biological children) approximately 6–15 months after the death. In private, one-on-one in-depth interviews, we discussed how the death affected each family member as an individual and how each member perceived that the death altered the family as a unit. Results: An individual’s worldview, embedded in the smaller culture of the family and the larger culture of society, offers a template for appropriate grief reactions. Discussion: Our article builds on the constructs of worldview, grief for the husband and father, and narrative at the juncture of self-evaluation, as family members refl ected on where they stood in their own journey through life .
Investigation of modifier effects in supercritical CO2 extraction from various solid matrices

Abstract In the present study, the internal interactions of an analyte/modifier/matrix complex were investigated systematically. Target compounds (ethylphenol, quinoline, and nitronaphthalene), test matrices (silica gel, silica modified with aniline, and XAD-2), and modifying solvents (acetic acid, tetrahydrofuran, and toluene) were chosen based on their α, β, or π∗ characteristics. The SFE recoveries of target solutes were variable depending on the type of matrix, suggesting that the most critical factor in the SFE process is to eliminate the matrix–analyte interaction. The action of the modifier appears to be competition with the analyte for sorption sites. From α-matrix (silica gel), ethylphenol (α) was quantitatively extracted by α-modifier (acetic acid) and tetrahydrofuran (β) was the most effective modifier for quinoline (β) extraction (73% recovery). From β-matrix (silica modified with aniline), 104% recovery of nitronaphthalene (π∗) was achieved with π∗-modifier (toluene). The modifier effect of tetrahydrofuran (β) for extracting quinoline (β) was superior to acetic acid (α) and toluene (π∗), although quantitative recovery was not obtained even with tetrahydrofuran (73% recovery). From XAD-2 substrate (π∗), all three target compounds were readily extracted with unmodified supercritical fluid (SCF) CO2, showing there were no significant interactions between the target analytes and the XAD-2 matrix. The preliminary study was applied to alumina and it was found that combined solvatochromic parameters of modifiers work more effectively and thus methanol, having relatively high solvatochromic values (α, β, and π∗), remains the best in most cases.
Performance characteristics of the NLDN for return strokes and pulses superimposed on steady currents, based on rocket-triggered lightning data acquired in Florida in 2004–2012

We present a detailed evaluation of performance characteristics of the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) using, as ground truth, Florida rocket-triggered lightning data acquired in 2004–2012. The overall data set includes 78 flashes containing both the initial stage and leader/return-stroke sequences and 2 flashes composed of the initial stage only. In these 80 flashes, there are a total of 326 return strokes (directly measured channel-base currents are available for 290 of them) and 173 kiloampere-scale (≥1 kA) superimposed pulses, including 58 initial continuous current pulses and 115 M components. All these events transported negative charge to the ground. The NLDN detected 245 return strokes and 9 superimposed pulses. The resultant NLDN flash detection efficiency is 94%, return-stroke detection efficiency is 75%, and detection efficiency for superimposed pulses is 5% for peak currents ≥1 kA and 32% for peak currents ≥5 kA. For return strokes, the median location error is 334 m and the median value of absolute peak current estimation error is 14%. The percentage of misclassified events is 4%, all of them being return strokes. The median value of absolute event-time mismatch (the difference in times at which the event is reported to occur by the NLDN and recorded at the lightning triggering facility) for return strokes is 2.8 µs. For two out of the nine superimposed pulses detected by the NLDN, we found optical evidence of a reilluminated branch (recoil leader) coming in contact with the existing grounded channel at an altitude of a few hundred meters above ground.
Association of very low prostate‐specific antigen levels with increased cancer‐specific death in men with high‐grade prostate cancer

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine whether a very low presenting prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was associated with greater prostate cancer–specific mortality (PCSM) among men with a Gleason score (GS) of 8 to 10. METHODS The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program was used to identify 328,904 men diagnosed with clinicalT1 (cT1)-4N0M0 prostate cancer between 2004 and 2010. A multivariate Fine-Gray competing risks regression analysis was used to determine PCSM as a function of the PSA level (≤2.5, 2.6-4, 4.1-10, 10.1-20, 20.1-40, or > 40 ng/mL) and GS (8-10 vs ≤ 7). RESULTS The median follow-up was 38 months. Among men with GS 8-10 disease, with a PSA level of 4.1 to 10 ng/mL as the referent, the adjusted hazard ratio for PCSM for men was 2.15 with a PSA level ≤ 2.5 ng/mL (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-2.79; P 40 ng/mL (95% CI, 2.85-3.65; P < .001). This suggested a U-shaped distribution. There was a significant interaction between the PSA level and GS (Pinteraction < .001) such that only a PSA level ≤ 2.5 ng/mL significantly predicted poorer PCSM among patients with GS 8-10 disease. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with high-grade disease, patients with PSA levels ≤ 2.5 ng/mL or PSA levels of 2.6 to 4 ng/mL appear to have a higher risk for cancer-specific death in comparison with patients with PSA levels of 10.1 to 20 ng/mL, and this supports the notion that low PSA levels in GS 8-10 disease may be a sign of aggressive and very poorly differentiated or anaplastic low PSA–producing tumors. Patients with low-PSA, GS 8-10 disease should be considered for clinical trials studying the use of chemotherapy and other novel agents for very high-risk prostate cancers. Cancer 2016;122:78–83. © 2015 American Cancer Society.