cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steroid metabolic pathways in feminizing testicular tissue.

ABSTRACT Feminizing testicular tissue was homogenized and incubated with a variety of labeled steroids as substrates. Analysis of the products obtained suggest that in this tissue steroids were metabolized primarily by the Δ5-pregnenolone pathway rather than by the Δ4-progesterone pathway. No labeled estrogens could be isolated from these incubations. The 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase system in this tissue was much less active than that in the normal testis. Among the products of progesterone were androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, 20α-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 16-hydroxyprogesterone, and testosterone. Incubation with pregnenolone gave dehydroepian-drosterone, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, testosterone, progesterone, and androst-5-ene-3,17-diol. Incubations with dehydroepiandrosterone gave testosterone, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione and androst-5-ene-3,17-diol as products. Kinetic experiments with dehydroepiandrosterone as substrate suggest that dehyd...
Multiphysics modeling and simulation of selective laser sintering manufacturing processes

Abstract A significant percentage of materials used in industry start in particulate form. In many modern applications, these systems undergo processing which necessitate a multiphysical analysis. Several manufacturing applications have arisen that involve the multiphysical response of particulate systems in the presence of strongly coupled electromagnetic, optical, and thermal fields. The significant multifield coupling requires methods that can capture the unique and essential physics of these systems. Specifically, in this work, the modeling and simulation of selective laser sintering of particulate materials is discussed. Such processes involve harnessing optical energy to heat and fuse powdered materials together in an additive process. Selective laser sintering allows for the rapid manufacturing or prototyping of parts with complex geometries. In order to simulate such a process in a rapid manner, the approach pursued by the authors is to develop a computational tool by assembling relatively simple, physically meaningful, models at the small scale, for many interacting particles. This allows for much more refined estimates of the resulting overall system temperature and, ultimately, its change of phase from a solid, to a liquid, and possibly even to a gas. Large-scale three-dimensional examples are provided.
Multi-dimensional vegetation structure in modeling avian habitat

Abstract The goal of this study was to evaluate the contributions of forest and landscape structure derived from remote sensing instruments to habitat mapping. Our empirical data focused at the landscape scale on a test site in northern Michigan, using radar and Landsat imagery and bird-presence data by species. We tested the contributions of multi-dimensional forest and landscape structure variables using GARP (Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Production), a representative modeling methodology used in biodiversity informatics. For our multi-dimensional variables, radar data were processed to derive forest biomass maps and these data were used with a Landsat-derived vegetation type classification and spatial neighborhood analyses. We collected field data on bird species presence and habitat for northern forest birds known to have a range of vegetation habitat requirements. We modeled and tested the relationships between bird presence and 1) vegetation type, 2) vegetation type and spatial neighborhood descriptions, 3) vegetation type and biomass, and 4) all variables together, using GARP, for three bird species. Modeled results showed that inclusion of biomass or neighborhoods improved the accuracy of bird habitat prediction over vegetation type alone, and that the inclusion of neighborhoods and biomass together generally produced the greatest improvement. The maps and model rules resulting from the multiple factor models were interpreted to be more precise depictions of a particular species habitat when compared with the models that used vegetation type only. We suggest that for bird species whose niche requirements include forest and landscape structure, inclusion of multi-dimensional information may be advantageous in habitat modeling at the landscape level. Further research should focus on testing additional variables and species, on further integration of newer radar and lidar remote sensing capabilities with multi-spectral sensors for quantifying forest and landscape multi-dimensional structure, and incorporating these in biodiversity informatics modeling.
Chemical Induction of Misfolded Prion Protein Conformers in Cell Culture

Prion-infected cells accumulate a heterogeneous population of aberrantly folded PrP conformers, including the disease-causing isoform (PrPSc). We found that specific chemicals can modulate the levels of various PrP conformers in cultured cells. Positively charged polyamidoamines (dendrimers) eliminated protease-resistant (r) PrPSc from prion-infected cells and induced the formation of insoluble, protease-sensitive PrP aggregates (designated PrPA). Larger, positively charged polyamidoamines more efficaciously induced the formation of PrPA and cleared rPrPSc, whereas negatively charged polyamidoamines neither induced PrPA nor cleared rPrPSc. Although the biochemical properties of PrPA were shown to be similar to protease-sensitive (s) PrPSc, bioassays of PrPA indicated that it is not infectious. Our studies argue that PrPA represents an aggregated PrP species that is off-pathway relative to the formation of rPrPSc. It remains to be established whether the formation of PrPA inhibits the formation of rPrPSc by sequestering PrPC in the form of benign, insoluble aggregates.
Perikaryal synthetic function following reversible and irreversible peripheral axon injuries as shown by radioautography.

Regenerative activity within perikarya of peripheral neurons was studied using light microscopic and standard autoradiographic techniques. Relative incorporation of H3-leucine into injured neurons was used as an index of their regenerative activity. Reversible and irreversible sciatic nerve injuries were used as the experimental model. Results were correlated with microscopic and functional assessment of progress in nerve regeneration in each animal. Both reversible and irreversible axonal injuries resulted in chromatolysis and initially decreased 30 minute incorporation of the labeled axonal protein precursor into injured cells. A late increase in 30 minute incorporation of the labeled amino acid occurred only in animals subjected to reversible axon injury. In sometimes greater than normal cytoplasmic basophilia and always accompanied demonstrable return of nerve function. These findings are correlated with present concepts of perikaryal synthetic requirements during the various phases of peripheral axon regeneration. It is suggested that the increased synthetic activity within the perikaryon necessary for axon maturation results from the return of a trophic perikaryal stimulus from reinnervated peripheral structures.
RISK-NEUTRAL OPTION PRICING METHODS FOR ADJUSTING CONSTRAINED CASH FLOWS

ABSTRACT Standard procedures for evaluating future cash flows are to find an appropriate discount rate consistent with the cash flow's risk and then to derive a present value. While discounted cash flows seem appropriate for many instances, finding appropriate discount rates is often difficult, or discount rates may not exist when the risk is actually a function of a decision that requires the cash-flow valuation. We consider two approaches that have been suggested to alleviate this problem: the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and the risk-neutral pricing arguments from option theory. We discuss the assumptions inherent in these models and show the results on the well-known news vendor model. Our option pricing results correspond to Singhal's [17] results using CAPM and a different valuation procedure for the option pricing model. We, however, derive a simpler expression that clearly illustrates differences from the standard form ignoring risk.
Mechanistic explanation for the unique pharmacologic properties of receptor partial agonists.

Abstract Simulation data provided in this paper revealed that when a receptor full agonist and a competitive or noncompetitive antagonist for the same type of receptor are covalently linked together in some proper ways, the resulting bifunctional compound would have a reduced efficacy, and their dose–response curve patterns would look exactly like the curve patterns for many known partial agonists. It is also shown that all known pharmacologic characteristics for receptor partial agonists matched precisely the projected properties of the agonist–antagonist bifunctional compounds. The novel mechanistic explanation developed in this paper not only reveals the structural requirements for receptor partial agonists, but it also negates the long-held mechanistic explanation that the reduced efficacy of receptor partial agonists is the result of partial activation of each individual receptor molecule being occupied by the partial agonist because of its “low intrinsic activity”.
Using tapered element oscillating microbalance for in situ monitoring of carbon deposition on nickel catalyst during CO2 reforming of methane

Abstract The present work aims at clarifying the carbon formation behavior through an in situ monitoring of carbon deposition on Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalyst during CO 2 reforming of methane using the tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM). The carbon deposits were also characterized by transmission electron micrograph (TEM) and temperature-programmed oxidation with IR detector (TPO-IR). TEOM results and a kinetic study on carbon formation established that both CO in the products and CH 4 in the reactants can be the source of carbon formation during the CO 2 reforming reaction. In an equimolar CO 2 –CH 4 reforming condition, CO in the product stream is likely the major source of carbon formation. TEM coupled with TPO-IR and TEOM revealed that carbon formed in CO 2 reforming from a feed without containing CO shows more filamentous carbon, which is more difficult to be oxidized, while carbon formed from a feed containing CO mostly encapsulates metal particles in the catalyst and is relatively easy to be oxidized. Replacing some of CO 2 with H 2 O greatly inhibits carbon formation encountered in CO 2 reforming. Kinetic studies with TEOM showed that H 2 addition to the feed gas can enhance carbon formation from CH 4 , probably by hydrogenating surface carbon species and clean the surface metal sites active for methane decomposition; addition of CO to the feed gas CH 4 + CO 2 can further enhance carbon formation more than that with H 2 addition alone; whereas H 2 O addition can reduce carbon formation from both CO and CH 4 , most likely by gasifying carbon species.
Optimal roadside units placement in urban areas for vehicular networks

The most important component of a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), besides VANET-enabled vehicles, is roadside units (RSUs). The effectiveness of a VANET largely depends on the density and location of these RSUs. During the initial stages of VANET, it will not be possible to deploy a large number of RSUs either due to the low market penetration of VANET-enabled vehicles or due to the deployment cost of RSUs. There is, therefore, a need to optimally place a limited number of RSUs in a given region in order to achieve maximum performance. In this paper, we present two different optimization methods for placement of a limited number of RSUs in an urban region: an analytical Binary Integer Programming (BIP) method and a novel Balloon Expansion Heuristic (BEH) method. BIP method utilizes branch and bound approach to find an optimal analytical solution whereas BEH method uses balloon expansion analogy to find an optimal or near optimal solution. Our evaluations show that both methods perform optimally or near optimally compared with the exhaustive method. Further, BEH method is more versatile and performs better than BIP method in terms of computational cost and scalability.
Supersymmetry, Cosmology, and New Physics at Teraelectronvolt Energies

If one assumes a spontaneously broken local supersymmetry, big-bang cosmology implies that the universe is filled with a gravitino (${g}_{\frac{3}{2}}$) gas---possibly its dominant constituent. From the observational bound on the cosmological mass density it follows that ${m}_{{g}_{\frac{3}{2}}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}1$ keV. Correspondingly, the supersymmetry breaking parameter $F$ satisfies $\sqrt{F}\ensuremath{\lesssim}2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{3}$ TeV, requiring new supersymmetric physics in the teraelectronvolt energy region. An exact sum rule is derived and used to estimate the threshold and cross section for the production of the new states.
HYDROGELS IN DRUG DELIVERY: PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES

There has been considerable progress in recent years in addressing the clinical and pharmacological limitations of hydrogels for drug delivery applications but substantial challenges remain. Here we discuss recent progress in overcoming these challenges, particularly with regards to effectively delivering hydrogels inside the body without implantation, prolonging the release kinetics of drugs from hydrogels, and expanding the nature of drugs which can be delivered using hydrogel-based approaches.
Changes in the vaginal epithelial cell cycle in relation to events of the estrous cycle

It would appear from the raw data that the cell DNA content was greater for the cultured cells than for the leucocytes. However, the slope of the two regression lines (Fig. 1) suggests that the two sets of value for DNA content per cell are the same. We suspect that the observed differences can best be explained by differences in accuracy of cell counts for the two groups. The greater scatter of the leucocyte data supports this possibility. The absolute value for the DNA content of these two types of human cells (15.515.9 x IO-6 fig cell DNA) is somewhat higher than the values of Rudkin et al. [5] (7.3-10.9 x 10-6 pg cell DNA) which were determined by microspectrophotometry. We are inclined to explain these differences in reference standards. Since peripheral blood leucocyte populations are generally thought to contain cells with the diploid amount of DNA, and the DNA content that we have obtained for the cultured cells is similar, our assumption that we have selected cells in culture with predominantly diploid DNA content appears valid.
Study of noise propagation and the effects of insufficient numbers of projection angles and detector samplings for iterative reconstruction using planar-integral data

A rotating slat collimator can be used to acquire planar-integral data. It achieves higher geometric efficiency than a parallel-hole collimator by accepting more photons, but the planar-integral data contain less tomographic information that may result in larger noise amplification in the reconstruction. Lodge evaluated the rotating slat system and the parallel-hole system based on noise behavior for an FBP reconstruction. Here, we evaluate the noise propagation properties of the two collimation systems for iterative reconstruction. We extend Huesman’s noise propagation analysis of the line-integral system to the planar-integral case, and show that approximately 2.0D/dp SPECT angles, 2.5D/dp self-spinning angles at each detector position, and a 0.5dp detector sampling interval are required in order for the planar-integral data to be efficiently utilized. Here, D is the diameter of the object and dp is the linear dimension of the voxels that subdivide the object. The noise propagation behaviors of the two systems are then compared based on a least-square reconstruction using the ratio of the SNR in the image reconstructed using a planar-integral system to that reconstructed using a line-integral system. The ratio is found to be proportional to F/D, where F is a geometric efficiency factor. This result has been verified by computer simulations. It confirms that for an iterative reconstruction, the noise tradeoff of the two systems is not only dependent on the increase of the geometric efficiency afforded by the planar projection method, but also dependent on the size of the object. The planar-integral system works better for small objects, while the line-integral system performs better for large ones. This result is consistent with Lodge’s results based on the FBP method. © 2006 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. DOI: 10.1118/1.2266270
Eye movements can control localized image enhancement and analysis.

The eye movements of a reader during interpretation of digital chest radiographs can provide valuable information for lesion detection. Measures of eye movements (e.g., the locations and durations of gaze dwells) are associated with detection accuracy. During image interpretation, the reader's eye movements are tracked unobtrusively with a video camera mounted below the monitor displaying the images. The eye movement information is used to identify regions of prolonged dwell, which are associated with false-positive detection of pulmonary nodules. Based on the locations of the dwell regions, a small, circular region of interest is created within the image. Real-time digital processing can then be performed within this region of interest. Such processing can be performed as the reader is looking at the image or after the image has been interpreted. Readers' eye movements can be used to direct localized image enhancement and analysis during interpretation of digital chest radiographs.
Expression analysis of the ataxin-1 protein in tissues from normal and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 individuals

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat which codes for glutamine in the protein ataxin-1. We have investigated the effect of this expansion on ataxin-1 by immunoblot analysis. The wild-type protein is detected in both normal and affected individuals; however, a mutant protein which varies in its migration properties according to the size of the CAG repeat is detected in cultured cells and tissues from SCA1 individuals. The protein has a nuclear localization in all normal and SCA1 brain regions examined but a cytoplasmic localization of ataxin-1 was also observed in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Our data show that in SCA1, the expanded alleles are faithfully translated into proteins of apparently normal stability and distribution.
187 HYPOTHERMIA DECREASES INTRAPULMONARY SHUNT IN DOGS

The effect of hypothermia on respiratory failure has not been studied. One possible advantage of hypothermia in respiratory failure is the reduction of cardiac output, which may in turn lower intrapulmonary shunting. We measured venous admixture and other cardiorespiratory variables in 5 anesthetized adult dogs before and after surface cooling to 30°C, and again after isovolemic hemodilution with Dextran 75. Arterial blood gases and hemoglobin saturations were corrected for temperature. Cardiac output was calculated from oxygen consumption, which was measured directly using a closed circuit method. Caridorespiratory variables measured at baseline (38°C), during hypothermia (30°C) and during hypothermia and hemodilution (30°C+H) are shown in the table below. (x ± SEM, *p<.05) Venous admixture fell dramatically in 4 out of 5 dogs (from .24 ± .05 to /08 ± .02, x SEM, p<.Ol). Hypothermia decreases intrapulmonary shunt in dogs and may be useful in patients with respiratory failure.
Rat liver mitochondrial and microsomal tests for the assessment of quinone toxicity

Short-term toxicity tests using mitochondrial and microsomal metabolism were developed and applied to a series of eight quinones. In the mitochondrial assay, the degree to which test compounds inhibited mitochondrial respiration varied from an effective concentration (EC50) of 9 to 125 [mu]M. In the microsomal assay, the maximum percentage of increase over control oxygen consumption rates elicited by the quinones ranged from 8 to 837%. The ability of the compounds to stimulate microsomal oxygen uptake reflects their capability to redox cycle and form reactive oxygen species. Results of the mitochondrial and microsomal assay were statistically correlated with several quinone physicochemical parameters and qualitatively compared to reduction potential. The biological response observed in both test systems appeared to be most strongly influenced by the reduction potential of the quinone. Biomechanisms of action were suggested on the basis of this relationship. To assess the ability of the mitochondrial and microsomal assays to indicate toxicity of the quinonoid compounds, results were statistically correlated with literature-derived toxicity data. It was concluded that the mitochondrial assay appears to be a valid indicator of acute toxicity, whereas the microsomal assay better portends the potential for chronic toxicity.
Data mining for improving textbooks

We present our early explorations into developing a data mining based approach for enhancing the quality of textbooks. We describe a diagnostic tool to algorithmically identify deficient sections in textbooks. We also discuss techniques for algorithmically augmenting textbook sections with links to selective content mined from the Web. Our evaluation, employing widely-used textbooks from India, indicates that developing technological approaches to help improve textbooks holds promise.
Regulation of Ovarian Cancer Cell Viability and Sensitivity to Cisplatin by Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component-1

Context: Progesterone (P4) influences ovarian cancer cells by an unknown mechanism. Objective: The objective was to determine whether P4 acts through progesterone receptor membrane component-1 (PGRMC1) in ovarian cancers. Design, Setting and Patients: Archival tissue and cDNA provided by OriGene were used for expression studies. In vitro experiments were conducted with Ovcar-3 cells. Main Outcome Measures: PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were used to measure expression of PGRMC1 and nuclear progesterone receptor (PGR). PGRMC1’s role in regulating the viability of ovarian cancers was assessed by overexpressing PGRMC1, depleting PGRMC1 using small interfering RNA, and attenuating PGRMC1’s action with a blocking antibody. Apoptosis was determined by 4′,6′-diamino-2-phenylindole staining. Results: PGRMC1 mRNA increased and PGR mRNA decreased in advanced stages of ovarian cancer. Unlike PGR, PGRMC1 was expressed in virtually every cancer cell within the tumor. A similar relationship between PGRMC1 ...
Rett syndrome: review and discussion of current diagnostic criteria.

Rett syndrome is a mental retardation syndrome that occurs only in females and consists of normal pre-, peri-, and neonatal growth and development. It is followed by rapid neurobehavioral deterioration in late infancy or early childhood, a developmental arrest, plateauing, and then either a course of retarded development or continued deterioration. The period of rapid neuro-behavioral deterioration manifests as a partial autistic syndrome, with loss of production and comprehension of language, hyperactivity, hyperventilation, hand-wringing, and ataxic gait. Current diagnostic criteria are discussed and suggestions for further research are presented. (J Child Neurol 1988;3:263-268).
Preserved Priming of Novel Objects Across Size Transformation in Amnesic Patients

Previous research has indicated that amnesic patients can show normal priming of novel objects on a decision task in which subjects decide whether unfamiliar structures could or could not exist in the three-dimensional world. The present experiment reveals that amnesic patients exhibit normal priming on this task across a study-to-test size transformation despite impaired explicit memory. These results suggest that priming of novel objects in amnesia depends on a spared structural description system that computes size-invariant representations of visual objects.
What More Is There to Say? Revisiting Agamben's Depiction of Homo Sacer

This article argues that Agamben's “paradigmatic method” leads to particular choices in his depiction of the figure of the homo sacer. Reviewing this project also suggests that there's more to history—the example given is the story of homo sacer—than Agamben's method would ever leave us to say. In other words, there are still resources in the tradition for something new, and thus there is much more left to say about its legacies.
Public Discourse in an Age of Deception: Forging the Iraq War:

This article combines political-economic and dramaturgical frameworks to examine techniques the Bush administration used to sell the Iraq War to the public, the propaganda role of mass media, and the roots of the war. Discussion also includes the influence of oil on foreign policy, the USA’s historical interest in the Middle East, and the quest of rearranging geo-political realities in that region.
Electrohydrodynamic deformation of thin liquid films near surfaces with topography

Motivated by the use of electrostatic assist to improve liquid transfer in gravure printing, we use theory and experiment to understand how electric fields deform thin liquid films near surfaces with cavity-like topographical features. Lubrication theory is used to describe the film dynamics, and both perfect and leaky dielectric materials are considered. For sinusoidal cavities, we apply asymptotic methods to obtain analytical results that relate the film deformation to the other problem parameters. For trapezoidal-like cavities, we numerically solve evolution equations to study the influence of steep topographical features and the spacing between cavities. Results from flow visualization experiments are in qualitative agreement with the theoretical predictions. In addition to being relevant to printing processes, the model problems we consider are also of fundamental interest in and represent novel contributions to the areas of electrohydrodynamics and thin-liquid-film flows.
Mechanosensitivity of a Voltage-Gated Ion Channel, Nav1.5

Voltage-gated ion channels are often found in tissues where electrical and mechanical stimuli coexist. The mechanosensitive, voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.5 (encoded by SCN5A) is expressed in two such electromechanical organs, the heart and the gastrointestinal tract. Mutations in SCN5A are frequently pathogenic and may affect mechanoelectrical coupling. The aim of this study was to assess mechanical sensitivity of Nav1.5 at the molecular level. SCN5A was expressed in HEK cells and studied using a pipette pulled and fire polished to ensure that a small number (2-50) of channels were reliably present in cell-attached micropatches. This allowed resolution of both single channel events and averaged behavior. Both positive and negative pressures (up to 50mmHg) produced visible patch distention, an increase in patch current at all voltages and large hyperpolarizing shifts in steady-state voltage-sensitivity of activation and inactivation. From voltage dependence of activation at rest (V1/2 = −30mV at 0mmHg), pressure resulted in graded shifts of V1/2 for activation and inactivation of −0.71mV/mmHg and −0.72mV/mmHg, respectively. Channel kinetics were predictably affected by the voltage shifts, but channel opening and fast inactivation were otherwise unaffected by pressure. Single channel traces showed that unitary conductance was unaffected, rather peak currents appeared to increase due to an increase in the number of active channels in the patch. These effects were minimally reversible for as long as 30 minutes after a single stretch stimulus. Patch excision resulted in an immediate shift of activation V1/2=-75mV and loss of stretch sensitivity. Application of the inhibitor of actin polymerization, cytochalasin D, diminished sensitivity to stretch (−0.42mV/mmHg). Our work demonstrates that mechanical stress at physiologically relevant levels affects voltage sensing of Nav1.5 channels, without affecting the pore, channel gate and fast inactivation. Supported by NIH DK52766.
APPROPRIATE STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY FOR TESTING THE EFFICIENCY OF BETTING MARKETS INVOLVING SPREAD AND TOTALS

This paper compares the accuracy of commonly used tests of market efficiency and provides a recommendation for future research.
VMSpreader: Multi-tier application resiliency through virtual machine striping

With the growing use of virtual servers for hosting applications, management of large IT infrastructure faces new challenges. In order to reduce the capital expenditure at data centers, virtual server consolidation approaches has been the focus of attention. However, server consolidation inadvertently introduces a new point of failure, which is the physical resource on which the virtual machines are hosted. A common practice is that for a multi-tier application, different tiers of the application are hosted from a single physical machine. Although this is beneficial in maintaining low cost of ownership when the number of hosted applications is low, with increasing number of hosted applications this leads to a skewed distribution of the applications. We propose that spreading the virtual servers of different applications across the available physical resources can lead to a more resilient design for multi-tier application hosting. We formulate the problem of striping the virtual machines across multiple physical machines as an optimization problem. We propose two MIP based techniques, where the first solution is fast but may be infeasible in many cases, while the other one is better in terms of accuracy but takes more time. The solution is tested on data sets representing typical hosting environments.
Reference Group Perspective on State Behaviour: A Case Study of Estonia's Counterterrorism Policies

Abstract For over a decade Estonia has been untouched by terrorist violence. However, notwithstanding the lack of a viable terrorist threat, the Estonian government adopted extensive counterterrorism measures. What explains the scope of Estonia's counterterrorism measures? The main proposition of this article is that the content of states' counterterrorism policies is shaped by the types of responses adopted by their reference groups. The evidence examined in the study demonstrates that Estonia's primary reference groups, NATO and the EU, have influenced the republic's counterterrorism programme. An unattractive target to terrorists, Estonia adopted broad counterterrorism responses to defend indivisible Euro–Atlantic security and to protect democratic values that terrorists attempt to destroy.
Ferritin deposition on field-emitter tips

A simple aqueous deposition procedure is described which can produce partial monolayer coverages of ferritin on field-emitter tips. By employing the same deposition procedure with other biomolecules, it may now be possible to prepare field-emitter tips with known molecular coverages — a prerequisite for any attempt to image biomolecules with field-electron, field-ion, or field-desorption techniques.
Naturally-Occurring Mutation in the Calcium-Sensing Receptor Reveals the Significance of Extracellular Domain Loop III Region for Class C G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Function

Context: Inactivating mutations of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) cause familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia and neonatal severe hyperparathyroidism. Most mutations are clustered in the N-terminal and Cys-rich regions of the extracellular domain (ECD) and seven-transmembrane domain. Disease-causing mutations are uncommon in the C terminus of ECD. Objective: The aim of the study was to characterize the CaSR mutations causing neonatal severe hyperparathyroidism in a consanguineous family. Methods: Parathyroid glands from the index patient were stained for CaSR protein. The CaSR gene was sequenced, mutations were recreated in CaSR cDNA, and HEK293 cells were transfected with the CaSR mutant expression vector. Cellular CaSR targeting was detected by immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry; CaSR activity was assayed by inositol phosphate accumulation, MAPK activation, and single-cell microfluorimetry. Results: Immunocytochemistry showed reduced intracellular CaSR in patient parathyroids. An in-frame homozygous deletion/insertion mutation, c.1031 > 1034 (delACAAinsT), replaced His344-Asn345 with a single Leu in CaSR loop III. The mutant reduced cell surface expression of CaSR in transfected HEK293 cells. Inositol phosphate accumulation, MAPK activation, and single-cell microfluorimetry revealed blunted signaling responses of the mutant receptor to changes in extracellular Ca2+ concentration. Conclusion: Deletion of His344-Asn345 in the ECD loop III region affects cell surface targeting of CaSR in transfected cells and in affected parathyroid glands. Absence of conserved Asn345 may interfere with CaSR folding or glycosylation, leading to poor protein targeting to the cell membrane. This loss-of-function mutant indicates that the ECD loop III is required for CaSR activity.
Building Control and Automation Systems

In industrialized societies, the comfort and productivity of people are influenced substantially by the quality of automation and control provided in the buildings in which they live and work. Accordingly, the history of building automation and control shows steady progress in complexity and capability. The first generation of systems used localized, stand-alone pneumatic controls. A major development in the 1950s, driven by the development of pneumatic sensor transmitters and receiver controllers, was pneumatic centralization. Electromechanical multiplexing systems, introduced in the 1960s, substantially reduced installation and maintenance costs and enabled automatic control of air-handling units for the first time. Minicomputers and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) became popular after the oil crisis in 1973 and helped spur the development of energy management systems. Today, the personal computer has revolutionized building control systems. Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC), lighting, elevators and escalators, and fire and security can now be integrated within one building automation system. In terms of basic control technologies, the PID controller remains dominant, especially for HVAC systems. PLCs are widely used for event-driven and sequencing operations such as start-up of chillers. With the maturing of local area network technologies and their widespread deployment for building automation, digital control loops can now be implemented throughout buildings. The infrastructure is available for implementing advanced algorithms. Much of this advanced technology is inspired by developments in artificial intelligence. Expert systems, neural networks, and fuzzy logic have all been used for some building control applications. (Tutorials on these methods can be found in Chapter 5.) Finally, the availability of inexpensive cameras and high-speed image processing electronics is permitting the use of vision-based sensing in building automation (and also in other fields-see Chapter 18 for a discussion of visual servoing in robotics). This could be used, for example, to estimate the number of residents within an air-conditioned space and regulate accordingly in response to ad hoc changes in the air-conditioned environment and to conserve energy.
Fas Ligand Interactions Contribute to CD8+ T-Cell-Mediated Control of West Nile Virus Infection in the Central Nervous System

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that causes encephalitis, most frequently in elderly and immunocompromised humans. Previous studies demonstrated that CD8+ T cells utilize perforin-dependent cytolytic mechanisms to limit WNV infection. Nonetheless, the phenotype of perforin-deficient CD8+ T cells was not as severe as that of an absence of CD8+ T cells, suggesting additional effector control mechanisms. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) interactions to CD8+ T-cell-mediated control of WNV infection. Notably, the cell death receptor Fas was strongly upregulated on neurons in culture and in vivo after WNV infection. gld mice that were functionally deficient in FasL expression showed increased susceptibility to lethal WNV infection. Although antigen-specific priming of CD8+ T cells in peripheral lymphoid tissues was normal in gld mice, increased central nervous system (CNS) viral burdens and delayed clearance were observed. Moreover, the adoptive transfer of WNV-primed wild-type but not gld CD8+ T cells to recipient CD8−/− or gld mice efficiently limited infection in the CNS and enhanced survival rates. Overall, our data suggest that CD8+ T cells also utilize FasL effector mechanisms to contain WNV infection in Fas-expressing neurons in the CNS.
Risk for mania and positive emotional responding: too much of a good thing?

Although positive emotion research has begun to flourish, the extremes of positive emotion remain understudied. The present research used a multimethod approach to examine positive emotional disturbance by comparing participants at high and low risk for episodes of mania, which involves elevations in positive emotionality. Ninety participants were recruited into a high or low mania risk group according to responses on the Hypomanic Personality Scale. Participants’ subjective, expressive, and physiological emotional responses were gathered while they watched two positive, two negative, and one neutral film clip. Results suggested that participants at high risk for mania reported elevated positive emotion and irritability and also exhibited elevated cardiac vagal tone across positive, negative, and neutral films. Discussion focuses on the implications these findings have for the diagnosis and prevention of bipolar disorder, as well as for the general study of positive emotion.
Evaluating the adult with cerebral palsy for specialized adaptive seating.

Physical therapists may not expect to have a pronounced effect on the neurodevelopmental function of the cerebral palsied adult because the neuroplasticity of the child is no longer present in the adult. Adapting the environment to such an adult, therefore, becomes of utmost importance. The wheelchair may be the most important structure of the environment for cerebral palsied adults. I present methods for assessing the severely involved adult client and evaluating adaptations of the wheelchair for therapeutic seating. The anterior and posterior tilt of the pelvis and the vertical angle of the backrest are emphasized in achieving therapeutic seating for the severely multiply handicapped adult.
Velocity Error for Coherent Doppler Lidar with Pulse Accumulation

Abstract The random estimation or instrument error of coherent Doppler lidar velocity estimates with pulse accumulation (multiple lidar shots per velocity estimate) is determined with computer simulations for general conditions. The sampling errors for overlaid lidar tracks and tropospheric wind field conditions are also calculated for space-based operation. These results permit useful engineering analysis based on the total observation error of the velocity measurements.
Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Newspaper Photographs and Voter Evaluations of Political Candidates

Recent evidence indicates that political coverage in newspapers varies from outlet to outlet in correlation with the political atmosphere of those papers.Visual images from photographs of political...
A multichannel electroglottograph

Summary It is show that a practical multichannel electroglottograph can be implemented by using synchronization of the RF signal sources of the various channels to limit interchannel interference. A multichannel electroglottograph can be used to determine the extent to which a given trace is generated primarily by the degree of vocal fold contact and not by noise or artifactual voice-synchronous distortion components. A vertical array with as few as two electrode-pairs can be used to simplify correct electrode placement, as well as to generate a signal that tracks vertical movements of the larynx. Various types of noise and artifactual variation possible in an electroglottograph trace are described and illustrated.
Implementation of a conservative checklist-based protocol for oxytocin administration: maternal and newborn outcomes.

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a conservative and specific checklist-based protocol for oxytocin administration on maternal and newborn outcome. The protocol was based on maternal and fetal response to oxytocin rather than infusion rate. Study Design This was a retrospective chart review and data extraction of the last 100 patients receiving oxytocin before implementation of the protocol and the first 100 patients receiving oxytocin after protocol implementation. Results The 2 groups were demographically similar. For the pre- and postprotocol groups, the mean time of infusion to delivery was 8.5 ± 5.3 hours versus 8.2 ± 4.5 hours (NS), the maximum oxytocin infusion rate was 13.8 ± 6.3 mU/min versus 11.4 ± 6.1 mU/min ( P = .003) and the cesarean delivery rate was 15% versus 13% (NS). Every index of newborn outcome was improved in the post-protocol group, but these differences did not individually reach statistical significance. However, newborns with any index of adverse outcome were significantly fewer in the post protocol group (31 vs 18, P = .049). System wide implementation of this program was associated with a decline in the rate of primary cesarean delivery from 23.6% in 2005 to 21.0% in 2006. Conclusion Implementation of a specific and conservative checklist-based protocol for oxytocin infusion based on maternal and fetal response results in a significant reduction in maximum infusion rates of oxytocin without lengthening labor or increasing operative intervention. Cesarean delivery rate declined system-wide following implementation of this protocol. Newborn outcome also appears to be improved.
Visual Odometry by Multi-frame Feature Integration

This paper presents a novel stereo-based visual odometry approach that provides state-of-the-art results in real time, both indoors and outdoors. Our proposed method follows the procedure of computing optical flow and stereo disparity to minimize the re-projection error of tracked fea ture points. However, instead of following the traditional approach of performing this task using only consecutive frames, we propose a novel and computationally inexpensive technique that uses the whole history of the tracked feature points to compute the motion of the camera. In our technique, which we call multi-frame feature integration, the features measured and tracked over all past frames are integrated into a single, improved estimate. An augmented feature set, composed of the improved estimates, is added to the optimization algorithm, improving the accuracy of the computed motion and reducing ego-motion drift. Experimental results show that the proposed approach reduces pose error by up to 65% with a negligible additional computational cost of 3.8%. Furthermore, our algorithm outperforms all other known methods on the KITTI Vision Benchmark data set.
A Single, Engineered Protein Therapeutic Agent Neutralizes Exotoxins from Both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes

Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes secrete exotoxins that act as superantigens, proteins that cause hyperimmune reactions by binding the variable domain of the T-cell receptor beta chain (Vβ), leading to stimulation of a large fraction of the T-cell repertoire. To develop potential neutralizing agents, we engineered Vβ mutants with high affinity for the superantigens staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), SEC3, and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SpeA). Unexpectedly, the high-affinity Vβ mutants generated against SEB cross-reacted with SpeA to a greater extent than they did with SEC3, despite greater sequence similarity between SEB and SEC3. Likewise, the Vβ mutants generated against SpeA cross-reacted with SEB to a greater extent than with SEC3. The structural basis of the high affinity and cross-reactivity was examined by single-site mutational analyses. The cross-reactivity seems to involve only one or two toxin residues. Soluble forms of the cross-reactive Vβ regions neutralized both SEB and SpeA in vivo, suggesting structure-based strategies for generating high-affinity neutralizing agents that can cross-react with multiple exotoxins.
Randomized Pruning: Efficiently Calculating Expectations in Large Dynamic Programs

Pruning can massively accelerate the computation of feature expectations in large models. However, any single pruning mask will introduce bias. We present a novel approach which employs a randomized sequence of pruning masks. Formally, we apply auxiliary variable MCMC sampling to generate this sequence of masks, thereby gaining theoretical guarantees about convergence. Because each mask is generally able to skip large portions of an underlying dynamic program, our approach is particularly compelling for high-degree algorithms. Empirically, we demonstrate our method on bilingual parsing, showing decreasing bias as more masks are incorporated, and outperforming fixed tic-tac-toe pruning.
CXC Chemokine Ligand 4 Induces a Unique Transcriptome in Monocyte-Derived Macrophages

In atherosclerotic arteries, blood monocytes differentiate to macrophages in the presence of growth factors, such as macrophage colony-stimulation factor (M-CSF), and chemokines, such as platelet factor 4 (CXCL4). To compare the gene expression signature of CXCL4-induced macrophages with M-CSF-induced macrophages or macrophages polarized with IFN-gamma/LPS (M1) or IL-4 (M2), we cultured primary human peripheral blood monocytes for 6 d. mRNA expression was measured by Affymetrix gene chips, and differences were analyzed by local pooled error test, profile of complex functionality, and gene set enrichment analysis. Three hundred seventy-five genes were differentially expressed between M-CSF- and CXCL4-induced macrophages; 206 of them overexpressed in CXCL4 macrophages coding for genes implicated in the inflammatory/immune response, Ag processing and presentation, and lipid metabolism. CXCL4-induced macrophages overexpressed some M1 and M2 genes and the corresponding cytokines at the protein level; however, their transcriptome clustered with neither M1 nor M2 transcriptomes. They almost completely lost the ability to phagocytose zymosan beads. Genes linked to atherosclerosis were not consistently upregulated or downregulated. Scavenger receptors showed lower and cholesterol efflux transporters showed higher expression in CXCL4- than M-CSF-induced macrophages, resulting in lower low-density lipoprotein content. We conclude that CXCL4 induces a unique macrophage transcriptome distinct from known macrophage types, defining a new macrophage differentiation that we propose to call M4.