cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A GENERIC MODEL FOR INTELLIGENT NEGOTIATING AGENTS

Research in Cooperative Distributed Problem Solving (CDPS) considers how problem-solving tasks should be allocated among a group of agents and how the agents should coordinate their actions to achieve effective problem solving. For some CDPS systems, negotiation plays an important role in how agents cooperate. We define negotiation as the process of information exchange by which the agents act to resolve inconsistent views and to reach agreement on how they should work together in order to cooperate effectively. We describe a generic model, the Recursive Negotiation Model (RNM), that can serve as a basis for classifying and specifying where conflict resolution among multiple experts, viewpoints, or types of reasoning is needed in building a sophisticated CDPS system. This model defines where and how negotiation can be applied during problem solving based on structuring problem solving into four stages: problem formulation, focus-of-attention, allocation of goals or tasks to agents, and achievement of goals or tasks. We further discuss how the degree of agent participation in control decisions, including decisions about assigning responsibility to agents, influences the nature of negotiation within a particular system. Through this model, we emphasize that negotiation may be a recursive, complex, and pervasive process that is used to resolve conflicts in both domain-level and control-level problem solving. Finally, we survey existing negotiation frameworks and how they relate to our generic model.
Some remarks on the Rationality of Induction

This paper begins with a rigorous critique of David Stove's recent bookThe Rationality of Induction. In it, Stove produced four different proofs to refute Hume's sceptical thesis about induction. I show that Stove's attempts to vindicate induction are unsuccessful. Three of his proofs refute theses that are not the sceptical thesis about induction at all. Stove's fourth proof, which uses the sampling principle to justify one particular inductive inference, makes crucial use of an unstated assumption regarding randomness. Once this assumption is made explicit, Hume's thesis once more survives. The refutation of Stove's fourth proof leads to some observations which relate Goodman's ‘grue’ paradox with randomness of a sample. I formulate a generalized version of Goodman's grue paradox, and argue that whenever a sample, no matter how large, is drawn from a predetermined smaller interval of a population that is distributed over a larger interval, any conclusion drawn about the characteristics of the population based on the observed characteristics of the sample is fatally vulnerable to the generalized grue paradox. Finally, I argue that the problem of justification of induction can be addressed successfully only from a cognitive point of view, but not from a metaphysical one. That is, we may ask whether an inductive inference is justified or not within the ‘theories’ or ‘cognitive structures’ of a subject, but not outside them. With this realization, induction is seen as a cognitive process, not unlike vision, that is useful at times, and yet has its own illusions that may make it a serious obstacle to cognition at other times.
Topical Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Clinical and Pharmacologic Perspectives

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have shown efficacy in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) pain but are also associated with a dose-dependent risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hematologic, hepatic, and renal adverse events (AEs). Topical NSAIDs were developed to provide analgesia similar to their oral counterparts with less systemic exposure and fewer serious AEs. Topical NSAIDs have long been available in Europe for the management of OA, and guidelines of the European League Against Rheumatism and the Osteoarthritis Research Society International specify that topical NSAIDs are preferred over oral NSAIDs for patients with knee or hand OA of mild-to-moderate severity, few affected joints, and/or a history of sensitivity to oral NSAIDs. In contrast, the guidelines of the American Pain Society and American College of Rheumatology have in the past recommended topical methyl salicylate and topical capsaicin, but not topical NSAIDs. This reflects the fact that the American guidelines were written several years before the first topical NSAID was approved for use in the United States. Neither salicylates nor capsaicin have shown significant efficacy in the treatment of OA. In October 2007, diclofenac sodium 1% gel (Voltaren Gel) became the first topical NSAID for OA therapy approved in the United States following a long history of use internationally. Topical diclofenac sodium 1% gel delivers effective diclofenac concentrations in the affected joint with limited systemic exposure. Clinical trial data suggest that diclofenac sodium 1% gel provides clinically meaningful analgesia in OA patients with a low incidence of systemic AEs. This review discusses the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, and safety profiles of diclofenac sodium 1% gel, salicylates, and capsaicin for the management of hand and knee OA.
A cost analysis of a community health worker program in rural Vermont.

Studies have shown that community health workers (CHWs) can improve the effectiveness of health care systems; however, little has been reported about CHW program costs. We examined the costs of a program staffed by three CHWs associated with a small, rural hospital in Vermont. We used a standardized data collection tool to compile cost information from administrative data and personal interviews. We analyzed personnel and operational costs from October 2010 to September 2011. The estimated total program cost was $420,348, a figure comprised of $281,063 (67 %) for personnel and $139,285 (33 %) for operations. CHW salaries and office space were the major cost components. Our cost analysis approach may be adapted by others to conduct cost analyses of their CHW program. Our cost estimates can help inform future economic studies of CHW programs and resource allocation decisions.
Validation comparing the effectiveness of a lactic acid dip with a lactic acid spray for reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and non-O157 Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli on beef trim and ground beef.

The objective of this research was to compare the effectiveness of two application methods (dip versus spray) of 4.4% lactic acid for reducing pathogens on inoculated beef trim and in ground beef. Beef trim inoculated with cocktail mixtures of E. coli O157:H7, non-O157 Shiga toxigenic E. coli (STEC), or Salmonella (10(5) to 10(6) CFU/g) at separate times was subjected to five treatments: lactic acid spray (LS), lactic acid dip (LD), water spray (WS), water dip (WD), and untreated control (CTL). Intervention effectiveness for pathogen reduction was measured at 1 and 20 h after treatment on beef trim. Trim was then ground and intervention effectiveness was measured 1 h, 24 h, 72 h, and 7 days after grinding. The LD treatment reduced all pathogens significantly (P 0.05) both E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC populations compared with the CTL. The LS treatment reduced E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella by up to 0.5 log CFU/g on beef trim, but these reduced counts did not significantly differ (P > 0.05) from the CTL counts. Overall, the LD treatment was most effective for reducing all pathogens and is the best of these options for improving the safety of beef trim and subsequently produced ground beef.
The liquidity effect and the operating procedure of the federal reserve

This paper reports evidence that the relation between interest rates and money shocks depends on the Federal Reserve's operating procedure. A significant liquidity effect is detected only when a nonborrowed reserve measure is used to identify policy shocks. When broad monetary aggregates are considered, a liquidity effect is not observed. However, where a liquidity effect is documented, it is primarily due to the 1979–1982 period in which a nonborrowed reserve operating procedure was adopted. If this period is omitted, then interest rates and money shocks are largely independent regardless of which monetary aggregate is used to measure policy shocks.
Single‐port laparoscopic surgery, the new evolution of endoscopic surgery

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery through a single port is gaining great interest throughout the world. Our group has pioneered and been a leader on these novel techniques. Here we describe our experience based on a model of single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Materials and Methods: From January 2008 until August 2009, over 200 patients have undergone single-port laparoscopic surgery at our institution. Here, we analyze a cohort of the initial 100 cholecystectomies in order to evaluate a proposed technique, common challenges, the learning curve and potential solutions. Results: Single-port laparoscopic surgery was feasible in all patients from this cohort. Patients were strictly selected. Operating times similar to those of conventional laparoscopy were only achieved after completing 50 cases. Common technical challenges included clashing instruments, deflection of laparoscope due to conflict with light source, and organ retraction. Acceptance by surgeons and lack of patience and time may become significant obstacles that prevent the procedure's widespread adoption. The excellent aesthetic results are superior to laparoscopy. Other benefits of laparoscopy are preserved and may prove to be superior on clinical trials. Discussion: Single-port laparoscopic surgery is becoming popular worldwide. Safe and successful adoption requires learning the basic concepts of this method, identifying challenges, and implementing solutions. Once these essentials are mastered, the learning curve may be shortened, especially for experienced laparoscopic surgeons, and this technique may then be used to replicate many abdominal operations. Transparency with patients and team building are essential requirements for a successful adoption. Clinical trials are ideal before universal adoption.
Preschool children maintain intake of other foods at a meal including sugared chocolate milk.

Abstract Dietary self-selection was examined in 40 preschool children who were offered high-energy chocolate-flavored or plain milk with a lunchtime meal. Children aged 20–56 months were served various nutritious menus for lunch twice a week, for 8 weeks, and the chocolate milk was offered with half of the meals. The children consumed large quantities of the high-energy chocolate milk when it was offered, without decreasing their intake of other food items in the meal. Thus, significantly more energy was consumed during each of the different meals in which chocolate milk was served. These results open the possibility that, by offering palatable, high-energy drinks to preschool children at a mealtime, one might be able to increase children's caloric intake without compromising the rest of the diet at that meal. The effect of this increased caloric consumption on intake during subsequent meals, as well as the effect of repetition of the test meals, remains to be tested.
Changes in the B-cell repertoire with age

Changes in the B-cell repertoire during aging include a shift in antibody specificities from foreign to autologous antigens associated with a decline in the activity of conventional B2 compared to B1 lymphocytes. The age-associated increase in B1 lymphocyte number and activity contribute to the increased serum concentration of autoantibodies and the B-cell clonal expansions that develop with age. Aging is also associated with a decreased diversity of the antibody response reflected in the preferential loss of IgG and high affinity antibodies following immunization with a foreign antigen. Many of these changes can be traced to an impaired capacity of T cells to support isotype switching and somatic mutation in the periphery and the generation of a diverse B-cell repertoire from bone marrow B-cell precursors.
An Overview of Open Access in the Fields of Business and Management

The extent to which scholarly literature can be openly accessed and freely downloaded on the Internet varies greatly depending on the discipline. This article assesses the current state of open access in the fields of business and management. Google was used to search for free versions of articles from a sample of articles published in early 2009 in a broad array of business and management journals. Free versions of 36% of the articles included in this study were identified, available from a wide variety of websites, including repositories, author profile pages, open access journals, and more.
Proteomic analysis of the cilia membrane of Paramecium tetraurelia

Channels, pumps, receptors, cyclases and other membrane proteins modulate the motility and sensory function of cilia, but these proteins are generally under-represented in proteomic analyses of cilia. Studies of these ciliary membrane proteins would benefit from a protocol to greatly enrich for integral and lipidated membrane proteins. We used LC-MS/MS to compare the proteomes of unfractionated cilia (C), the ciliary membrane (CM) and the ciliary membrane in the detergent phase (DP) of Triton X-114 phase separation. 55% of the proteins in DP were membrane proteins (i.e. predicted transmembrane or membrane-associated through lipid modifications) and 31% were transmembrane. This is to be compared to 23% membrane proteins with 9% transmembrane in CM and 9% membrane proteins with 3% transmembrane in C. 78% of the transmembrane proteins in the DP were found uniquely in DP, and not in C or CM. There were ion channels, cyclases, plasma membrane pumps, Ca(2+) dependent protein kinases, and Rab GTPases involved in the signal transduction in DP that were not identified in the other C and CM preparations. Of 267 proteins unique to the DP, 147 were novel, i.e. not found in other proteomic and genomic studies of cilia.
A NUMERICAL STUDY OF HEAT TRANSFER IN TURBULENT SHEAR FLOW

Results are presented for the heat flux and the intensity of temperature fluctuations, obtained by solving a modification of the forced-convection equation in which a mixing length profile is imposed on the spanwise and longitudinal average of the temperature field for points lying outside the wall region. The results for steady turbulent flow are shown to be in reasonably good agreement with the available experimental data. Results for unsteady turbulent flow, which indicate that the heat flux exhibits a strong phase dependence, are also given.
The Role of Zinc in Angiotensin Converting Enzyme

Angiotensin converting enzyme is a chloride-dependent zinc metalloexo-peptidase. The zinc atom is essential for enzymatic activity. Removal of zinc by dialysis against the chelating agent 1,10-phenanthroline abolishes activity toward the chromophoric substrates furanacryloyl-Phe-Gly-Gly. Reconstitution of the resultant apoenzyme with either zinc, cobalt or manganese restores activity to 100, 55 or 25% of that of the native enzyme, respectively. Spontaneous dissociation of zinc from the enzyme occurs below pH 7 and this can be prevented by adding excess metal to the buffer. Radiationless energy transfer studies with a fluorescent substrate demonstrate that zinc is not required for substrate binding and does not mediate the activating effect of chloride. Thus, zinc functions solely in the hydrolytic step of catalysis.
A comparison of bivariate smoothing methods in common-item equipercentile equating

The effectiveness of smoothing the bivariate distributions of common and noncommon item scores in the frequency estimation method of common-item equipercentile equating was exam ined. The mean squa...
From single fiber to macro-level mechanics: A structural finite-element model for elastomeric fibrous biomaterials

In the present work, we demonstrate that the mesoscopic in-plane mechanical behavior of membrane elastomeric scaffolds can be simulated by replication of actual quantified fibrous geometries. Elastomeric electrospun polyurethane (ES-PEUU) scaffolds, with and without particulate inclusions, were utilized. Simulations were developed from experimentally-derived fiber network geometries, based on a range of scaffold isotropic and anisotropic behaviors. These were chosen to evaluate the effects on macro-mechanics based on measurable geometric parameters such as fiber intersections, connectivity, orientation, and diameter. Simulations were conducted with only the fiber material model parameters adjusted to match the macro-level mechanical test data. Fiber model validation was performed at the microscopic level by individual fiber mechanical tests using AFM. Results demonstrated very good agreement to the experimental data, and revealed the formation of extended preferential fiber orientations spanning the entire model space. We speculate that these emergent structures may be responsible for the tissue-like macroscale behaviors observed in electrospun scaffolds. To conclude, the modeling approach has implications for (1) gaining insight on the intricate relationship between fabrication variables, structure, and mechanics to manufacture more functional devices/materials, (2) elucidating the effects of cell or particulate inclusions on global construct mechanics, and (3) fabricating better performing tissue surrogates that could recapitulate native tissue mechanics.
EMPEROR GAOZONG, THE RISE OF WU ZETIAN, AND FACTIONAL POLITICS IN THE EARLY TANG

AbstractThis essay analyzes the key participants in the factional struggle that resulted in the enthronement of Wu Zetian as Empress in late 655 by exploring in detail the shifts of high imperial personnel during the height of the factional struggle from 652 through 655 and emphasizing the direct role of the throne in cooperation with the Tang general and courtier, Li Ji 李勣, in advancing the throne’s agenda against the Zhangsun Wuji 長孫無忌 clique. For this early period Wu Zetian is understood as a willing tool of the throne’s factional agenda. Close attention is focused on Li Ji and his earlier linkages with Gaozong, Wu Zetian, and her maternal relatives, in particular. The essay concludes with a discussion of the royal couple’s extended tour of Bingzhou 并州 in 660 and the relevance of this tour to the accelerated program of dynastic legitimation following the successful elimination of the entire Zhangsun clique by 659. The Bingzhou experience will lead the throne into unprecedented experiments in the manipu...
Web data mining: exploring hyperlinks, contents, and usage data

This paper presents a review of the book "Web Data Mining - Exploring Hyperlinks, Contents, and Usage Data" by Bing Liu. The review concludes that the breadth and depth of this book makes it a required staple for every Web mining researcher, student, or practitioner.
Direct observation of an interaction in magnetosphere

Researchers have now directly observed an interaction between poloidal waves, a type of ultralow-frequency oscillation of the Earth's geomagnetic fields, and ions in the ring current, a band of charged particles drifting around Earth in the magnetosphere above the equator. This so-called drift resonance wave-particle interaction has been studied theoretically, and some modes of the interaction (in particular the second harmonics, similar to higher-frequency vibrations of a vibrating string) have been reported in spacecraft observations, but the first fundamental mode resonances of this interaction had not been clearly observed.
Glycolysis compared in intact, permeabilized and sonicated L-929 cells.

Abstract The effects of incubation time and cell density on glycolytic rate were examined in suspensions of intact, permeabilized and sonicated L-929 cells. Sonicates exhibited strong dependence on cell density and a distinct lag in glycolytic rate, while intact cells showed no cell density dependence and linear glycolytic rates. Permeabilized cells exhibited linear glycolytic rates, but sometimes showed dependence on cell density. Rates of lactate production (nmol at 30 min/106 cells) were highest in sonicates and lowest in intact cells. These results are interpreted as support for the previously proposed hypothesis that enzymes of the glycolytic pathway are highly organized in intact L-929 cells.
Distribution of basement membrane antigens in cryopreserved early embryonic hearts.

The early embryonic heart is composed of two cylindrical epithelial layers, an inner endothelium and an outer myocardium. The cardiac jelly (CJ), an acellular accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM), fills the space between the two epithelia. During development of the heart, a portion of the endothelial cells of the atrioventricular (AV) region differentiate into mesenchyme cells in a temporally and spacially specific manner. Although contiguous with those in the AV region, endothelial cells lining the ventricle never form mesenchyme in situ. At present, the mechanisms controlling the biphasic differentiation of the endothelium and the subsequent migration of cardiac mesenchymal cells are poorly understood. Although the CJ lies between two epithelial and is spatially equivalent to a basement membrane (BM), it has not traditionally been considered to be organized into a BM-like structure. The potential significance of this observation to developmental biology lies in the possibility that BM or their individual componetns (i.e.), fibronectin (FN), laminin (LM), type IV collagen, and heparin sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) may function as the regulatory site of epithelial differentiation and morphogenesis. A cryofixation technique was developed in order to determine the in situ immunohistochemical distribution of the BM components in the CJ. Results indicated that the CJ exists as the fusion between a larger myocardially derived BM having a lamina densa and an extended reticular lamina and an attenuated, endothelial-associated BM composed only of a lamina densa. Except for FN, the individual BM components were not all present during early stages, but instead appeared in a sequential manner, suggesting that all components of an adult-type BM are not required to initiate the assembly of a structural and functional BM during development. In the AV canal and outflow tract (OT), FN appeared as a progressively expanding gradient of material with the greates density nearer the myocardium.
A prospective randomized trial of steroid-free maintenance regimens in kidney transplant recipients--an interim analysis.

We compared three maintenance immunosuppressive regimens in a rapid discontinuation of prednisone protocol. From March 1, 2001, through December 31, 2003, 239 first and second kidney transplant recipients (166 LD; 73 DD) were randomized. All recipients were treated with Thymoglobulin; all received steroids intraoperatively and for 5 days postoperatively. Randomization was to cyclosporine–mycophenolate mofetil (n = 85); high-level tacrolimus (TAC) (8–12 ng/mL)–low-level sirolimus (SRL) (3–7 ng/mL) (n = 72); or low-level TAC (3–7 ng/mL)–high-level SRL (8–12 ng/mL) (n = 82). We found no difference at 24 months between groups in patient, graft, death-censored graft, or acute rejection-free graft survival, or in kidney function. Wound complications were more common in SRL-treated recipients (p = 0.02); we found no other differences between groups in complication rates. Our data suggest that excellent patient and graft survival and low rejection rates can be obtained using a variety of maintenance protocols without prednisone.
Intrafamilial Sexual Abuse: What We Think We Know about Mothers, and Implications for Intervention.

ABSTRACT Clinical paradigms about the roles of mothers in families where intrafamilial sexual abuse has occurred have shaped professional interventions negatively. More recent empirical research suggests that these mothers are diverse, that explanations of their behavior are complex and multifaceted, and that their abilities to provide support for their abused children must be assessed before appropriate, effective interventions can be chosen.
Indicators of carotid endarterectomy: AHA guidelines

Abstract Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is surgical therapy used in treating patients with a stenosis of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA). Guidelines for CEA have been published by the American Heart Association. We discuss these guidelines and the important clinical trials used to generate the guidelines. For patients with symptoms referable to an ipsilateral stenosis, CEA has been proven to be more beneficial than standard medical therapy in preventing subsequent strokes, especially in patients with a severe ICA stenosis. The benefits of CEA in asymptomatic patients are more controversial, and the guidelines are less clear. We conclude with a discussion of our typical use of CEA in several clinical scenarios.
Isolated Cortical Vein Thrombosis Associated with Prothrombin Gene Mutation

Isolated cortical vein thrombosis (ICVT) accounts for less than 1% of strokes. We report a 47-year-old female patient who had a frontal hemorrhage with headache associated with contralateral hemiparesis and hemisensory deficit on presentation. This hemorrhagic stroke was localized in a nonarterial territory, and it was caused by ipsilateral and isolated thrombosis of the vein of Labbe found on catheter angiogram that demonstrated a filling defect of the vein of Labbe at its connection with the transverse sinus. There were no filling defects in the superficial middle cerebral veins. Our patient had a family history of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and factor V Leiden mutation and cigarette smoking as stroke risk factors. Complete prothrombotic state laboratory workup revealed a heterozygous prothrombin G20210 A gene mutation. The patient's hospital course was uneventful. Neurologic exam was normal at stroke clinic follow-up 6 weeks later. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an ICVT associated with prothrombin gene mutation.
Deploying Carbon Capture and Storage in Europe and the United States: A Comparative Analysis

Carbon capture and storage could play an important role as a near-term bridging technology, enabling deep reductions from greenhouse gas emissions while still allowing use of inexpensive fossil fuels. However, filling this technological promise requires resolution of key regulatory and legal uncertainties surrounding both human and ecological health, integration within a larger climate policy, and clear assignment of responsibility and liability for long-term care. Deployment of CCS projects in the European Union (E.U.) and the United States (U.S.) may be technologically similar, but will be contextually different. In this paper, we explore the existing energy, policy, regulatory and legal climates that will necessitate different approaches for deployment. The high U.S. dependence on coal makes CCS very important if the U.S. is to achieve deep emissions reductions, while in the E.U. an established climate policy, the importance of off shore projects, and a supportive political climate are favorable to CCS deployment. Additionally, in Europe, regulators must clarify the classification of CO2 within E.U. and international regulations governing on and offshore projects, whereas in the U.S. subsurface property rights, abandoned wells, and state-level jurisdictional difference will play important roles.
A low-rate fingerprinting code and its application to blind image fingerprinting

In fingerprinting, a signature, unique to each user, is embedded in each distributed copy of a multimedia content, in order to identify potential illegal redistributors. This paper investigates digital fingerprinting problems involving millions of users and a handful of colluders. In such problems the rate of the fingerprinting code is often well below fingerprinting capacity, and the use of codes with large minimum distance emerges as a natural design. However, optimal decoding is a formidable computational problem. We investigate a design based on a Reed-Solomon outer code modulated onto an orthonormal constellation, and the Guruswami-Sudan decoding algorithm. We analyze the potential and limitations of this scheme and assess its performance by means of Monte-Carlo simulations. In the second part of this paper, we apply this scheme to a blind image fingerprinting problem, using a linear cancellation technique for embedding in the wavelet domain. Dramatic improvements are obtained over previous blind image fingerprinting algorithms.
Carl Woese's vision of cellular evolution and the domains of life

In a series of conceptual articles published around the millennium, Carl Woese emphasized that evolution of cells is the central problem of evolutionary biology, that the three-domain ribosomal tree of life is an essential framework for reconstructing cellular evolution, and that the evolutionary dynamics of functionally distinct cellular systems are fundamentally different, with the information processing systems “crystallizing” earlier than operational systems. The advances of evolutionary genomics over the last decade vindicate major aspects of Woese’s vision. Despite the observations of pervasive horizontal gene transfer among bacteria and archaea, the ribosomal tree of life comes across as a central statistical trend in the “forest” of phylogenetic trees of individual genes, and hence, an appropriate scaffold for evolutionary reconstruction. The evolutionary stability of information processing systems, primarily translation, becomes ever more striking with the accumulation of comparative genomic data indicating that nearly allof the few universal genes encode translation system components. Woese’s view on the fundamental distinctions between the three domains of cellular life also withstand the test of comparative genomics, although his non-acceptance of symbiogenetic scenarios for the origin of eukaryotes might not. Above all, Woese’s key prediction that understanding evolution of microbes will be the core of the new evolutionary biology appears to be materializing.
Photometric determination of traces of molybdenum after sulfide precipitation

Abstract A photometric method for traces of molybdenum in silicate rocks and similar materials is described, in which molybdenum is isolated as the sulfide from the 1acidified leach of the sodium carbonate melt. Antimony(V) sulfide is used as collector. Molybdenum is thus separated from phosphorus, vanadium, tungsten, uranium, and some other elements. The final determination is made by the familiar thiocyanate-stannous chloride method with isopropyl ether as extractant. The method is particularly suitable for the determination of molybdenum, in the presence of relatively much tungsten.
A Vitamin D Receptor-Ser/Thr Phosphatase-p70 S6 Kinase Complex and Modulation of Its Enzymatic Activities by the Ligand *

We provide evidence of a cross-talk between nuclear receptor and Ser/Thr protein phosphatases and show that vitamin D receptor (VDR) interacts with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatases, PP1c and PP2Ac, and induces their enzymatic activity in a ligand-dependent manner. PP1c specifically interacts with VDR but not retinoic acid receptor α and retinoid X receptor α in yeast. Although VDR-PP1c and VDR-PP2Ac interaction is ligand-independent in vivo, 1α,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 induces VDR-associated phosphatase activity. Further, VDR modulation of PP1c/PP2Ac activity results in a rapid and specific dephosphorylation and inactivation of their substrate, p70 S6 kinase (p70S6k). Finally, we demonstrate that the endogenous VDR, PP1c or PP2Ac, and p70S6k are present in a ternary complex in vivo, and the interaction of p70S6k with the VDR-PP complex is modulated by the phosphorylation state of the kinase. Since p70S6k is essential for G1-S transition, our results provide a molecular basis of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced G1 block in colon cancer cells.
Vascular endothelial growth factor messenger ribonucleic acid expression in the primate ovary.

We studied the distribution of messenger RNA (mRNA) that encodes for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) within the primate ovary by in situ hybridization and Northern analysis to determine if the presence of mRNA for this angiogenic factor is associated with structures within the ovary in which angiogenesis is thought to play a role in development and/or function. In situ hybridization to sections of cynomolgus ovaries with a 35S-labeled antisense RNA probe revealed specific tissue localization within the follicle as well as the corpus luteum, but not stromal tissue. Intense expression of mRNA for VEGF during the late follicular phase was confined to the maturing follicle which, we presume, was destined for ovulation. Hybridization within the corpus luteum exhibited a punctate pattern suggesting that there may be specific cells within the corpus luteum that express mRNA for VEGF. The expression of mRNA for VEGF during the early and late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle was studied by Northern an...
Biomimetic modification of the gliding surface of extrasynovial tendon

Tendons may be classified as intrasynovial or extrasynovial based upon their anatomic location. We studied the physical properties of extrasynovial and intrasynovial tendons. Extrasynovial tendon has a rougher surface and higher friction than intrasynovial tendon. A number of carbodiimide derivatized biomaterials were developed to modify the irregular surface of an extrasynovial tendon to mimic the smooth surface of an intrasynovial tendon. We found that carbodiimide derivatized hyaluronic acid-gelatin (cd-HA-gelatin) chemically bonded to the extrasynovial tendon surface and optimally reduced gliding resistance in vitro. This biosynthetic, biomimetic modification of the extrasynovial tendon surface may prove to be a useful clinical product.
Test-retest reliability of the pain drawing instrument

Test-retest reliability of a pain drawing instrument was investigated. Pain drawings of chronic pain patients (n = 51) were scored for percentage of total body surface in pain and location of pain. A test-retest reliability coefficient of r = 0.85 was calculated for a time interval that averaged 71 days. In addition, a percentage of agreement based on distribution of pain over time was calculated at 88.2%. The effect on reliability of age, gender and time-interval differences was investigated. The utility of the pain drawing instrument as a measure of extent of pain and location of pain over time is discussed.
What you show is what you get: sampling biases in determining biological sensory function

Introduction Classical studies of biological sensory systems use the following main technique: sensory stimuli are drawn from a pre-determined distribution P(stim) and presented to the animal; the ensemble associated with sensory response is collected and used to characterize the conditional distribution P(stim|resp) (or parameters thereof) as a model of sensory system function. However, most of the standard statistical tool used in neuroscience to estimate P(stim|resp) are valid under a very fundamental condition – that the samples used to estimate P(stim|resp) are drawn from the same distribution. This is obviously not the case in most studies of sensory system, where the samples are drawn explicitly from a different distribution, P(stim) (the sampling distribution), selected by the scientist. We demonstrate here that in this case the observed conditional distribution is P*(stim|resp) = P(stim|resp) *P(stim) and expectations estimated with this dataset are parameters of P*, not P. To characterize the actual functional properties of the system, one needs to use estimators developed within unequal probability sampling theory [1]. We apply one of these estimators, the HorvitzThompson estimator of the mean mHT = Σi xi/P(xi), to observations {xi} from the cricket cercal sensory system and illustrate the ensuing changes in apparent functionality (Figure 1).
Health Monitoring of Ironton-Russell: Bridge for Rating Purposes

The Ironton-Russell truss bridge spanning the Ohio River between the cities of Ironton, Ohio, and Russell, Kentucky, consists of a three-span cantilever through truss with a suspended truss in the center span and a fourth span that is essentially a simple-span through truss. Visual inspections of this bridge revealed that recent welded repairs and modifications to various truss members reduced their fatigue classification as well as modified original design and construction details. When the visual inspection team identified these details along with section loss at certain truss verticals and diagonals, it was their recommendation to reduce the allowable load on the bridge from 208 260 to 26 700 N (23.4 to 3 tons). However, a 26 700-N (3-ton) load limit would hinder the transportation of heavy materials across the bridge and therefore have a severe impact on the local economy. Consequently, a series of nondestructive field tests were organized and performed on the bridge to provide better assessments of l...
A Nonuser's Questions About Cultured Epidermal Autograft

Clinical experience assumes major importance as the source of data on cultured epidermal autograft (CEA), since a large controlled study is probably not forthcoming. Among the general questions to be answered are: Which patients are candidates for grafting with CEA? Do selection criteria specify size of total body surface area burn or age? Is CEA more suitable for certain body areas than others? Does CEA close the wound as quickly, as well, and as safely as other available methods of coverage? Fresh or frozen allograft, the gold standard, is presumed to be safe, but the current concern about transmission of viral diseases raises doubts. Presumably, CEA would be safe. Other concerns are care of the wound and control of infection during the 3-week waiting period that is required for CEA. What is actual CEA “take” (i.e., areas that do not require regrafting) ? What is the clinical experience with follow-up? Cost-effectiveness of CEA is a factor including hospital stay and hidden costs such as failure of temporary wound coverage. Whether CEA saves lives is probably unanswerable, but as a skin cover it may reduce incidence of burn wound sepsis. Perhaps in the future, a combination of cultured epidermal cells and a type of permanent dermis will produce a cover that is genuine skin. Today we have only materials that are parts of skin.
Regeneration of functional synapses between individual recognizable neurons in the lamprey spinal cord

In 4- to 5-year-old sea lamprey larvae that had recovered from complete transection of the spinal cord, pairs of giant interneurons on opposite sides of the scar were impaled with microelectrodes. In 4 of 30 pairs, stimulation of the caudal cell elicited a monosynaptic electrochemical excitatory postsynaptic potential in the rostral cell. Fifty percent of such pairs were synaptically linked in control lampreys without transections. These results show regeneration of functional synaptic connections between individual neurons in a vertebrate central nervous system.
Measurement of the radiative lifetime of O2(a1Δg) using cavity ring down spectroscopy

Abstract Cavity ring down spectroscopy has been used to detect the weak a1Δg−X3Σg− electronic transition in oxygen and to obtain a measurement of the radiative lifetime of the a1Δg state. (0,0) band transitions near 1274 nm were scanned using the frequency-doubled output of a tunable OPO system. Pressure-broadened linewidths were measured, and a FWHM-broadening coefficient of 5.5(5) MHz/Torr was obtained. Analysis of the ring down traces provided a measurement of the line strength of an individual rovibronic transition. The Einstein A-coefficient of the a1Δg state was calculated using branching ratios determined from the Honl–London factors. The A-coefficient obtained is 2.3(3)×10 −4 s −1 , corresponding to a radiative lifetime of 4300(500) s ( ∼72 min ). This value is in agreement with those reported by Badger et al. (2.58×10 −4 s −1 ) and Spalek et al. (2.24(40)×10 −4 s −1 ). In addition, a value of 2.77(8)×10 −45 cm 5 / molecule was obtained for the background collisional absorption coefficient for oxygen at 1274 nm.
Enrichment in a stoichiometric model of two producers and one consumer.

We consider a stoichiometric population model of two producers and one consumer. Stoichiometry can be thought of as the tracking of food quality in addition to food quantity. Our model assumes a reduced rate of conversion of biomass from producer to consumer when food quality is low. The model is open for carbon but closed for nutrient. The introduction of the second producer, which competes with the first, leads to new equilibria, new limit cycles, and new bifurcations. The focus of this paper is on the bifurcations which are the result of enrichment. The primary parameters we vary are the growth rates of both producers. Secondary variable parameters are the total nutrients in the system, and the producer nutrient uptake rates. The possible equilibria are: no-life, one-producer, coexistence of both producers, the consumer coexisting with either producer, and the consumer coexisting with both producers. We observe limit cycles in the latter three coexistence combinations. Bifurcation diagrams along with c...
Pile burning creates a fifty-year legacy of openings in regenerating lodgepole pine forests in Colorado

Abstract Pile burning is a common means of disposing the woody residues of logging and for post-harvest site preparation operations, in spite of the practice’s potential negative effects. To examine the long-term implications of this practice we established a 50-year sequence of pile burns within recovering clear cuts in lodgepole pine forests. We compared tree, shrub and herbaceous plant abundance and documented indicators of soil degradation in openings where logging residue was piled and burned as part of post-harvest site preparation and the adjacent forests regenerating after clear cutting. We found that pile burning creates persistent 10–15 m diameter openings with lower tree densities ( 2.54 cm diameter at 1.4 m height) compared to surrounding regenerating pine stands (2000–5000 trees ha−1). Low tree seedling and sapling densities (stems
Physiological changes associated with sporangiospore extrusion from trichospores ofSmittium culisetae

Abstract Trichospores of the fungus, Smittium culisetae (Trichomycetes), require a two-phase sequence of stimuli for sporangiospore extrusion: Phase I (20 m M KCl, pH 10) and Phase II (pH 7). Phases I and II correspond to conditions within the respective midgut and hindgut regions of mosquito larval hosts. In this study, trichospore pressure increased 1.0 MPa during Phase I but sporangiospores were not extruded. Potassium uptake was insufficient to account for the pressure increase. Sporangiospore extrusion from trichospores was stimulated by a drop in pH at Phase II. Lowering the osmotic potential of the Phase II solution with sucrose inhibited sporangiospore extrusion to varying degrees, with total inhibition occurring at osmotic potentials ≤ −2.7 MPa. At an osmotic potential of −2.1 MPa, the interwall layer at the trichospore apex swelled at the point of sporangial rupture without emergence of the sporangiospore. Interwall layer swelling during Phase II may rupture the sporangial wall of the trichospore and allow the sporangiospore to be extruded by its Phase I pressure.
Neurohumoral control mechanisms in congestive heart failure

Neurohumoral vasoconstrictor systems may play an important role in the hemodynamic derangement and natural history of congestive heart failure (CHF) by raising impedance to left ventricular ejection and shifting blood centrally to augment cardiac filling. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and renin-angiotensin system, and the antidiuretic hormone-vasopressin system can be demonstrated in clinical CHF by increased plasma levels of norepinephrine, renin activity, and arginine vasopressin. Because the magnitude of increase in each of these hormones varies widely from patient to patient, profiling of the neurohumoral response might provide new insight into the mechanisms of regulation of the circulation in CHF and into specific management with drugs to inhibit or reverse the vasoconstrictor process. Preliminary encouraging experience with converting-enzyme inhibitors to block formation of angiotensin II and alpha-receptor blockers to inhibit norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction raise the possibility that selective therapy may eventually have a place in long-term management of CHF. Controlled trials in a larger patient population are now required.
Filamentous polymers induced by overexpression of a novel centrosomal protein, Cep135.

A novel 135 kDa centrosomal component (Cep135) was identified by immunoscreening of a mammalian expression library with monoclonal antibodies raised against clam centrosomes. It is predicted to be a highly coiled-coil protein with an extensive alpha-helix, suggesting that Cep135 is a structural component of the centrosome. To evaluate how the protein is arranged in the centrosomal structure, we overexpressed Cep135 polypeptides in CHO cells by transient transfection. HA- or GFP-tagged full (amino acids 1-1144) as well as truncated (#10, 29-1144; Delta3, 29-812) polypeptides become localized at the centrosome and induce cytoplasmic dots of various size and number in CHO cells. Centrosomes are associated with massive approximately 7 nm filaments and dense particles organized in a whorl-like arrangement in which parallel-oriented dense lines appear with a regular approximately 7 nm periodicity. The same filamentous aggregates are also detected in cytoplasmic dots, indicating that overexpressed Cep135 can assemble into elaborate higher-ordered structures in and outside the centrosome. Sf9 cells infected with baculovirus containing Cep135 sequences induce filamentous polymers which are distinctive from the whorl seen in CHO cells; #10 forms highly packed spheroids, but the Delta3-containing structure looks loose. Both structures show an internal repeating unit of dense and less dense stripes. Although the distance between the outer end of two adjacent dense lines is similar between two types of polymers ( approximately 120 nm), the dense stripe of Delta3 polymers ( approximately 40 nm) is wider than #10 ( approximately 30 nm). The light band of Delta3 ( approximately 40 nm) is thus narrower than #10 ( approximately 60 nm). Since thin fibers are frequently seen to extend from one dense line to the next, the coiled-coil rod of Cep135 may span the light band. These results suggest that overexpressed Cep135 assemble into distinctive polymers in a domain-specific manner.
Perceptual cues used by listeners to discriminate fluent from nonfluent narrative discourse

Background: Language fluency is a common diagnostic marker for discriminating among aphasia subtypes and improving clinical inference about site of lesion. Nevertheless, fluency remains a subjective construct that is vulnerable to a number of potential sources of variability, both between and within raters. Moreover, this variability is compounded by distinct neurological aetiologies that shape the characteristics of a narrative speech sample. Previous research on fluency has focused on characteristics of a particular patient population. Less is known about the ways that raters spontaneously weigh different perceptual cues when listening to narrative speech samples derived from a heterogeneous sample of brain-damaged adults. Aim: We examined the weighted contribution of a series of perceptual predictors that influence listeners' judgements of language fluency among a diverse sample of speakers. Our goal was to sample a range of narrative speech representing most fluent (i.e., healthy controls) to potentia...