cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nanoparticle sintering simulations

Abstract Molecular dynamics techniques were used to simulate Cu and Au nanoparticle arrays at different temperatures to study surface energies, grain boundary mobility and sintering. Preliminary results of the studies on multi-particle arrays several hundred degrees below the melting point ( T m ) show unexpectedly strong contributions from plastic deformation, mechanical rotations, amorphisation and ultra-rapid atomic force driven diffusion effects. Evidence is offered that the basic processes and kinetics of nanoscale sintering are fundamentally different from that of normal micronscale sintering.
Short-Circuit Calculating Procedure for Low-Voltage A-C Systems

FAULT currents in electrical systems depend upon the impedance of the circuit for their intensity. Stresses, both thermal and mechanical, occur due to such currents and at various time intervals following initiation of the fault. Such stresses are of primary interest in system and equipment design. The possible amount of short-circuit current in any system equals the quotient of the voltage divided by the impedance. The latter term usually includes certain elements which formerly were indeterminate but now can be estimated with reasonable accuracy. Short-circuit currents measured in present-day (600 volts and less) types of equipment were found to check closely with currents calculated from the impedance of the circuit and the applied voltage.1 It is, therefore, advisable to discard “rule-of-thumb” or “discounting” procedures for predetermining fault currents. In the discussion which follows, a method is given whereby the symmetrical current may be calculated from the E/Z relation; the amount of d-c component is shown to decrease from a theoretical maximum at zero time at various rates according to the relation of the circuit reactance to its resistance; a simplified and convenient step-by-step procedure is given for the determination of balanced three-phase short-circuit currents using the foregoing relationships; the time is shown at which currents that determine the interrupting and short-time duties of circuit interrupting devices are identified in order that the corresponding value of reactance and d-c component can be used for calculation of the imposed current.
The resection of hepatic metastases. Another view.

I am sympathetic with Dr Silen's 1 concern about the indications for resection of hepatic metastases, because I have been guided by such reservations for 30 years. However, I do not accept his condemnation of beliefs that have been acquired cautiously and rationally throughout these years. I think there is some validity where he has found none, and I am convinced that some people who have hepatic metastases will live much longer if their liver lesions are removed. There is a small, well-defined group of patients who must not be assigned to therapeutic trials that would deny half of them their only chance for extended survival. Thus, we have a difference of opinion that at first seems to be absolute. Nevertheless, I think that something good can come from an examination of this disagreement. The uncertainties that we share relate to the nature of controls, the differences between total populations
Extracting bottom information from towed-array reverberation data: Part I: Measurement methodology

Abstract Long-range reverberation data were gathered on towed arrays during the NATO Rapid Response exercises (1996–1998) and the Boundary Characterization experiments (2000–2004). The primary tools were various SACLANTCEN/NURC arrays towed by the NATO Research Vessel Alliance. Most of the sites were in the Mediterranean, in both deep and shallow water, but there were sites on the east and west Atlantic continental shelves. This paper describes the experimental measurements, data processing, and quick-look analyses that were used in our REA (rapid environmental assessment) approach. Polar plots of the beam time series, overlaid on the bathymetry of the region, were extremely useful in providing an immediate analysis of the area. The reverberation highlights are usually correlated with bottom bathymetry and known scattering features. However, it was found that the polar plots often showed scattering features not on the charts, but which could often be identified by detailed follow-on bottom surveys. Thus the polar-plot technique is a valuable survey tool. Examples from a number of the sites are illustrated. The reverberation beam time series data, from areas with few scattering features, were used with model predictions to extract estimates of bottom loss and backscattering strength. An example is given here, but details of the modelling procedure and parameter extraction are left to a companion paper. [Work supported in part by the US Office of Naval Research, DRDC Atlantic and NATO SACLANTCEN/NURC].
A facile route for the synthesis of nanostructured oxides and hydroxides of cobalt using laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASIS).

We used a pulsed laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASIS) to produce cobalt oxide/hydroxide nanoparticles (NPs) with tailored size, morphology and structure at different laser fluences, wavelengths (532 and 1064 nm) and solvent conditions. Specifically, LASIS on bulk Co in the presence and absence of O2 in an aqueous solution initially produces cobalt monoxide (CoO) and single crystal β-cobalt hydroxide (β-Co(OH)2) nanoparticles (NPs) respectively that finally transform into cobaltosic oxide (Co3O4) through oxidation and/or thermal decomposition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) measurements on the final products reveal a bimodal size distribution of agglomerated NPs (for the 1064 and 532 nm laser) at low laser fluences, where the ablation mechanism is dominated by vaporization and normal boiling. In contrast, more efficient and predominant explosive boiling at higher laser fluences produces a mono-modal size distribution of spherically shaped primary NPs in agglomerates. Furthermore, higher absorbance of the 532 nm laser by solution-phase colloidal NPs re-ablates them into spherical shapes of larger size (∼13–22 nm) as compared to the ones from using 1064 nm LASIS (∼10–14 nm), while rendering 532 nm LASIS less productive than 1064 nm LASIS over an extended period of time. Finally, Co3O4 nanorods with enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) are synthesized at high pH (pH ≥ 13) and low laser fluence (<5 mJ cm−2) conditions. Such nanostructured materials are promising candidates as photocatalysts or additives in nanocomposite materials with enhanced light absorption properties.
Abstract 777: GW583340 and GW2974, human EGFR and HER-2 inhibitors, reverse ABCG2- and ABCB1-mediated drug resistance

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL The overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters often lead to the development of multidrug resistance (MDR), resulting in chemotherapy failure. Previously, we reported that lapatinib (GW572016), a human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER-2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), modulates ABC subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1)- and ABC subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2)-mediated MDR in cancer cells. In the present study, we conducted experiments to determine if GW583340 and GW2974; structural analogues of lapatinib; could reverse ABCB1- and ABCG2-mediated MDR. Our results showed that both GW583340 and GW2974 significantly sensitized MDR cells overexpressing ABCB1 to their anticancer substrates as well as ABCG2 overexpressing cells to its substrates. Subsequently, both GW583340 and GW2974 significantly increased intracellular accumulation of [3H]-paclitaxel in ABCB1 overexpressing cells. Similarly, both GW583340 and GW2974 significantly increased accumulation of [3H]-mitoxantrone in ABCG2 overexpressing cells. In addition, GW583340 and GW2974 significantly inhibited ABCG2-mediated transport of methotrexate in ABCG2 overexpressing membrane vesicles. Moreover, there was no significant change in the expression levels of ABCB1 and ABCG2 in the cell lines exposed to 5 μM of either GW583340 or GW2974 for 3 days. In addition, docking model predicted the binding conformation of GW583340 and GW2974 within the large cavity of the transmembrane region of homology modeled human ABCB1. We conclude that GW583340 and GW2974, at clinically achievable concentrations reverse ABCB1- and ABCG2-mediated MDR by directly blocking the drug efflux function of these transporters. These findings may be useful in developing cancer combinational therapy with EGFR TKIs in the future. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 777. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-777
The phenomenology of joy an empirical investigation.

A Joy Scale was constructed of items which describe the phenomenology of joy. Each of 333 Ss was asked to describe a specific instance of joy he had experienced and then to fill out the Joy Scale and the Mood Adjective Check List. A factor analysis of the correlations among items on the Joy Scale was done in order to ascertain whether the hypothesized factors expressing various phenomenological dimensions of joy would be confirmed. The correlations between the Central Joy score and a measure of the Dimensions of Emotion identified the specific aspects of the emotion process, such as pleasantness or activation, that were dominant in the affect of joy. Finally, a factor analysis of the Mood Adjective Check List data, which was produced when it was administered under the “joy” condition, demonstrated that Nowlis' original factors were altered appreciably when the instrument was filled out in an almost exclusively positive affective situation.
Quality of care in institutional deliveries: the paradox of the Dominican Republic: a commentary on management.

This paper shows that management failures are responsible for continued high maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the Dominican Republic (DR) in spite of the fact that 97% of the deliveries take place in institutions. Poor quality care does not lower the MMR. If women with complications are not getting the required expert care then simply delivering in a hospital will not help to save their lives. Unfortunately the DR is not alone among developing countries in the area of poor management of hospitals. Many countries have similar problems but because of their high home delivery rate they feel that their high MMR is because of non-availability of institutional care. It is assumed that institutional care implies high quality care. Miller and her colleagues have shown that it is not necessarily true and that in spite of moderately high national incomes hospitals can be poorly managed. Unless specific measures are taken to improve it the quality of care will remain poor as seen by example of the DR. The key management lesson from this report from the DR is that just increasing institutional deliveries alone may be no help unless high quality care of women with complications is assured. This is a major management challenge. Agencies like the World Bank bilateral donors and technical agencies like WHO and PAHO need to pay much more attention than they presently do to improving management of hospitals and quality of care if MMR is to decline—just providing material goods will not be enough. (excerpt)
Changes in daily activity patterns of caregivers of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy: A case-controlled design

Abstract Having a child diagnosed with a chronic pediatric illness is a major stressor for families that can alter their daily lives. The primary study aim was to use Daily Phone Diaries (DPDs), a cued-recall procedure to track parents through their activities over a 24-hour period, to assess the activity patterns of a group of caregivers with a child diagnosed with new-onset epilepsy (group with NOE; n = 30) and a group of matched comparisons (comparison group; n = 29). The time caregivers spent in sleep and recreation was evaluated over the first 5.5 months after diagnosis. Caregivers of children with NOE spent significantly more time in recreation inside the home, while the comparison group spent significantly more time in recreation outside the home. These data suggest that families with children with NOE reallocate their time post-diagnosis from recreation outside to inside the home, which raises concerns about the overall adaptation of the family to the diagnosis and presents a critical opportunity for health-care teams to intervene and support families with children with NOE.
A high-throughput optical screening method for the optimization of colloidal water oxidation catalysts.

A high-throughput method has been developed for screening and optimization of colloidal water oxidation catalysts. The catalysts are irradiated in parallel by visible light from an overhead project...
Varied Approaches to Tuberculosis Control in a Multihospital System

OBJECTIVES To document the actual tuberculosis (TB) control policies and procedures in a nonoutbreak setting in a variety of hospitals. To determine if any particular practices are linked to higher rates of employee tuberculin skin-test conversion. DESIGN Survey of hospital occupational health and infection control practitioners for the year 1994 regarding hospital TB policies. Review of hospital records to verify the number of patients with TB at each hospital and to verify the number of employees with positive tuberculin skin tests. Smoke-stick testing of negative-pressure ventilation rooms. SETTING A 13-hospital health system in the Midwest. RESULTS Hospitals ranged in size from 40 to 1,208 beds (median 220) and employed 150 to 6,500 workers (median 875). There were seven rural and six urban centers, including four teaching hospitals. All 13 hospitals had TB control plans, and all performed annual tuberculin skin testing on employees. Annual skin-test positivity rates ranged from 0% to 1.0% (median 0.3%). Negative-pressure ventilation rooms were available in 11 hospitals. The percentage of negative-pressure rooms with effective negative pressure ranged from 44% to 100% (median 95%). Three of the 13 hospitals used high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) masks as primary personal respiratory protection, and 8 used dust-mist or dust-mist-fume masks. We found no relation between the type of face mask used, number of functional negative-pressure rooms, or hospital TB risk category, and employee skin-test conversion rates. CONCLUSIONS Considerable variation existed in the TB control policies and procedures between hospitals, but employee TB skin-test conversion rates were low in all settings.
Understanding Bizarre, Improbable, and Fantastic Elements in Children's Accounts of Abuse:

Children's accounts of abuse sometimes contain descriptions of events that seem bizarre, improbable, or even impossible. This article contributes to an objective analysis of child allegations of abuse by offering 24 possible explanations (with illustrative case examples) for such statements. The central thesis of this discussion is that the existence of improbable or fantastic elements in a child's account should not result in an automatic dismissal of the child's report without consideration of the possible mechanisms underlying the fantastic material.
Exploring the Impact of Role Model Avatars on Game Experience in Educational Games

Studies show that role models can boost academic performance. In this paper, we describe an experiment (N = 890) exploring the use of (a) scientist role models, (b) athlete role models and (c) simple geometric shapes, as game avatars. Using the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ), we find that over all participants, the use of avatars that looked like scientist and athlete role models led to highest flow and immersion. For female participants, the use of scientist avatars led to highest immersion and positive affect, and lowest tension and negative affect. The results here indicate that role model avatars have the potential to positively affect player game experience. This may especially be impactful for educational games, in which higher engagement could in turn influence learning outcomes.
Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Peritoneal Sarcomatosis

The prognosis of peritoneal sarcomatosis is generally poor and conventional treatments for this disease process are mostly ineffective. The use of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) as an aggressive locoregional treatment option remains controversial. We reviewed 13 patients with peritoneal sarcomatosis who underwent CRS and closed-abdomen HIPEC with cisplatin and doxorubicin between March 2007 and March 2010. None of the patients was diagnosed with GIST or uterine leiomyosarcoma. Both disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Completeness of cytoreduction (CC) and peritoneal cancer index (PCI) were assessed. There was no operative mortality. Median follow-up was 12 (range, 4–43) months. Peritoneal disease progression occurred in six patients, distant metastases alone in none, and both in two patients. Median DFS and OS were 11 and 12 months, respectively. Completeness of cytoreduction significantly affected survival. Mean DFS and OS in those patients where a CC-0 was achieved was 27.25 ± 5.71 (median, 20) months and 35.25 ± 4.75 months (median, not reached). In contrast, patients with gross residual disease (CC ≥ 1) had a DFS of 4.25 ± 1.43 months (median, 4 months; P = 0.03) and an OS of 5.25 ± 2.36 months (median, 4 months; P = 0.02). In addition, PCI influenced survival when evaluated by univariate analysis. Using multivariate analysis, completeness of cytoreduction was the only covariate influencing overall survival (P = 0.012). A complete cytoreduction and low PCI score appear to be important factors in considering CRS and HIPEC for patients with peritoneal sarcomatosis.
Echocardiographic definition of right pulmonary venous connection at catheterization

Traditional methods of identifying partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the right atrium in the presence of an atrial defect are not always reliable. Twenty patients were studied with a new technique in which the catheter is introduced into the right superior pulmonary vein followed by echocardiographic assessment of the catheter position in relation to the left atrium and atrial septum. The insertion site of the right pulmonary veins was detected in every patient and in ten patients has been verified at operation. This approach can be performed rapidly and appears to be accurate as well as reliable.
The self-advantage in visual speech processing enhances audiovisual speech recognition in noise

Individuals lip read themselves more accurately than they lip read others when only the visual speech signal is available (Tye-Murray et al., Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20, 115–119, 2013). This self-advantage for vision-only speech recognition is consistent with the common-coding hypothesis (Prinz, European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 9, 129–154, 1997), which posits (1) that observing an action activates the same motor plan representation as actually performing that action and (2) that observing one’s own actions activates motor plan representations more than the others’ actions because of greater congruity between percepts and corresponding motor plans. The present study extends this line of research to audiovisual speech recognition by examining whether there is a self-advantage when the visual signal is added to the auditory signal under poor listening conditions. Participants were assigned to sub-groups for round-robin testing in which each participant was paired with every member of their subgroup, including themselves, serving as both talker and listener/observer. On average, the benefit participants obtained from the visual signal when they were the talker was greater than when the talker was someone else and also was greater than the benefit others obtained from observing as well as listening to them. Moreover, the self-advantage in audiovisual speech recognition was significant after statistically controlling for individual differences in both participants’ ability to benefit from a visual speech signal and the extent to which their own visual speech signal benefited others. These findings are consistent with our previous finding of a self-advantage in lip reading and with the hypothesis of a common code for action perception and motor plan representation.
Non-symbiotic nitrogen fixation in some Hawaiian pasture soils

Abstract Evaluation of rates of non-symbiotic acetylene reduction in some pasture soils indicates the presence of certain bacteria capable of providing as much as 32 kg/ha/yr nitrogen to these soils. Variations in soil moisture content, especially as related to season, appear to have a profound effect on rates of acetylene reduction in soils tested. The facultative bacteria responsible for this fixation have been identified as species of the genera Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Achromobacter.
Comparison of the electronic structure of La2CuO4, La2NiO4, and K2CuF4

Abstract We report local density calculations of parameters defining extended Hubbard Hamiltonians for La 2 CuO 4 , La 2 NiO 4 , and K 2 CuF 4 , and solve these models for small clusters. These results suggest qualitative differences among the three compounds in regard to spin system, carrier - spin interactions
Effect of secondary flows on Taylor-Aris dispersion.

We study theoretically the effects of secondary (transverse) flows on the Taylor−Aris dispersion of pressure-driven, open column flow in a conduit with a rectangular cross section and account for the interaction of solutes with the retentive coating on the conduit's surface. A few plausible means of inducing secondary flows (that are independent of the primary, pressure-driven, axial flow) are described. The Taylor−Aris dispersion coefficient is computed as a function of the secondary flow's pattern and intensity. By inducing secondary flows, one can significantly reduce dispersion.
Transgenic mice harboring SV40 t-antigen genes develop characteristic brain tumors

A high percentage of transgenic mice developing from eggs microinjected with plasmids containing the SV40 early region genes and a metallothionein fusion gene develop tumors within the choroid plexus. A line of mice has been established in which nearly every affected animal succumbs to this brain tumor. Thymic hypertrophy and kidney pathology are also observed in some mice. SV40 T-antigen mRNA and protein are readily detected in affected tissues; however, SV40 T-antigen gene expression is barely detectable in unaffected tissues or in susceptible tissues prior to overt pathology, suggesting that tumorigenesis depends upon activation of the SV40 genes. Comparison of DNA from tumor tissue (or cell lines derived from tumors) with DNA from unaffected tissues reveals structural rearrangements as well as changes in DNA methylation of the foreign DNA. The SV40 genes are frequently amplified in tumor tissue, which further indicates that their expression is intimately involved in tumorigenesis in transgenic mice.
Intravascular large cell lymphoma: A patient with asymptomatic purpuric patches and a chronic clinical course

Intravascular large cell lymphoma (malignant angioendotheliomatosis) is a rare, multifocal, intravascular neoplasm of lymphoid cells that preferentially involves the vasculature of the skin and central nervous system. We describe a 54-year-old man with asymptomatic purpuric patches on the lower extremities for 10 years duration and a more recent lesion on the right arm. A biopsy specimen showed intravascular collections of tumor cells with irregular nuclear contours and prominent nucleoli. These cells were leukocyte common antigen (CD45), CD20, and CDW75 positive, but CD3, CD43, CD45RO, and cytokeratin negative. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of the skin for immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement detected a clonal population of B cells, supporting the diagnosis of a B-cell lymphoma. Peripheral blood showed no abnormal circulating cells. This case of malignant angioendotheliomatosis is unusual for its prolonged clinical course and presence of purpuric patches.
Emerging Epigenetic Maps in Atherosclerosis

Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? And for those who come along after us, how can we share what we already know about these places? Article see p 692 Perhaps the simplicity of these questions, and their importance, combine to help explain the longstanding human drive to draw maps. A 14 000-year-old cave painting in Spain reportedly shows the local topography and food resources outside where it was found.1 A 9000-year-old drawing of Catalhoyuk, a Stone Age settlement in modern Turkey, is considered an aerial schematic of the village, including the nearby volcano.2 Babylonians were practicing cartography on clay tablets ≈2300 BC.3 Independent of ongoing debates about what constitutes the oldest known map, the development of different kinds of maps has often offered fundamental new insight, whether they are antiquarian Greek astronomical maps of the stars or Google Earth images that bring precise details of the world to every online device. Maps have been especially instrumental in medicine and biology. Early anatomists detailed the inner structures of the human body. By simply mapping cholera deaths in London in 1854, Dr John Snow established that the disease was spread by contaminated water and not by air, as had been presumed, helping end the epidemic.4 Landmark achievements of our time include the identification of DNA as a readable blueprint map, as more fully elaborated with the sequencing of the human genome. The recognition that distinct modifications and mechanisms, whether on the DNA itself or the histones around which DNA is coiled, could modulate gene expression, control phenotypes, influence environmental responses, and determine heritable traits—independent of any change in DNA sequence—has suggested completely new maps for understanding genetic landscapes and functional biology. Epigenetics, which includes the post-translational modifications of specific amino …
On the asymptotic optimality of the randomized linear program for network revenue management

For network revenue management problems, it is known that the bid prices computed through the so-called deterministic linear program are asymptotically optimal as the capacities on the flight legs and the expected numbers of product requests increase linearly with the same rate. In this paper, we show that the same asymptotic optimality result holds for the bid prices computed through the so-called randomized linear program. We computationally investigate how the performance of the randomized linear program changes with different problem parameters and with the number of samples. The hope is that our asymptotic optimality result and computational experiments will raise awareness for the randomized linear program, which has yet not been popular in the research community or industry.
Division of the Main Pulmonary Artery: Suboptimal Palliation for the Patient With a Univentricular Heart

We describe a patient in whom a thrombus formed in the distal main pulmonary artery stump after a bidirectional Glenn procedure with division of the main pulmonary artery and in whom a restrictive inlet ventricular septal defect also developed. These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining antegrade flow through the pulmonary trunk and providing dual sources of ventricular outflow with a Damus-Kaye-Stansel anastomosis in patients with a univentricular heart without pulmonary stenosis.
Home literacy environments (HLEs) provided to very young children

The home literacy environment (HLE) provided to very young children was examined. A parent with a child under 19 months of age (N = 262) completed a series of checklists and surveys designed to assess literacy experiences and opportunities within the home. In general, children were exposed to a wide range of literacy activities and experiences, but many had relatively little literacy exposure. Shared reading was the most common literacy activity. Activities specifically intended to teach literacy knowledge or skill were in place for many children. Children were much more likely to see mothers engaged in literacy activities than fathers. The implications of these findings for conceptualising the HLE and designing HLE interventions are discussed.
Morphine attenuates leukocyte/endothelial interactions.

Gram-negative sepsis and subsequent endotoxic shock after surgery remain problematic in the United States and throughout the world. While morphine is widely prescribed for postoperative trauma pain management, there are reports that morphine may compromise the immune system and contribute to postoperative sepsis. The current study tested the hypothesis that morphine attenuates leukocyte rolling and sticking in both arterioles and venules via nitric oxide production. Nude mice implanted with slow-release morphine pellets were used in this study. The dorsal skinfold chamber model for intravital fluorescence microscopy on awake mice was used. Leukocyte/endothelial interactions were evaluated after bolus injection of oxidized low density lipoprotein. Morphine was found to significantly attenuate leukocyte rolling and sticking in both the arterial and venular side of the microcirculation. This attenuation was reversed by simultaneous implantation of naloxone pellets. The mechanisms of this attenuation were further investigated by administration of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors NG-nitro-l-arginine (NOLA) and aminoguanidine (AG) in drinking water. NOLA was found to significantly reverse this morphine-induced attenuation of leukocyte rolling and sticking in both arterioles and venules. However, AG did not have the same effect. The results indicate that morphine interferes with leukocyte/endothelial cell interactions via stimulation of nitric oxide production.
Gadd45b is an epigenetic regulator of juvenile social behavior and alters local pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the rodent amygdala

Abstract Precise regulation of the epigenome during perinatal development is critical to the formation of species-typical behavior later in life. Recent data suggests that Gadd45b facilitates active DNA demethylation by recruiting proteins involved in base excision repair (BER), which will catalyze substitution of 5-methyl-cytosine (5mC) for an unmodified cytosine. While a role for Gadd45b has been implicated in both hippocampal and amygdalar learning tasks, to the best of our knowledge, no study has been done investigating the involvement of Gadd45b in neurodevelopmental programming of social behavior. To address this, we used a targeted siRNA delivery approach to transiently knock down Gadd45b expression in the neonatal rat amygdala. We chose to examine social behavior in the juvenile period, as social deficits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders tend to emerge in humans at an equivalent age. We find that neonatal Gadd45b knock-down results in altered juvenile social behavior and reduced expression of several genes implicated in psychiatric disorders, including methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), Reelin, and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We furthermore report a novel role for Gadd45b in the programmed expression of α 2 -adrenoceptor (Adra2a). Consistent with Gadd45b’s role in the periphery, we also observed changes in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (Il-6) and interleukin-1beta (Il-1beta) in the amygdala, which could potentially mediate or exacerbate effects of Gadd45b knockdown on the organization of social behavior. These data suggest a prominent role for Gadd45b in the epigenetic programming of complex juvenile social interactions, and may provide insight into the etiology of juvenile behavioral disorders such as ADHD, autism, and/or schizophrenia.
PRP-17 and the pre-mRNA splicing pathway are preferentially required for the proliferation versus meiotic development decision and germline sex determination in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In C. elegans, the decision between germline stem cell proliferation and entry into meiosis is controlled by GLP-1 Notch signaling, which promotes proliferation through repression of the redundant GLD-1 and GLD-2 pathways that direct meiotic entry. We identify prp-17 as another gene functioning downstream of GLP-1 signaling that promotes meiotic entry, largely by acting on the GLD-1 pathway, and that also functions in female germline sex determination. PRP-17 is orthologous to the yeast and human pre-mRNA splicing factor PRP17/CDC40 and can rescue the temperature-sensitive lethality of yeast PRP17. This link to splicing led to an RNAi screen of predicted C. elegans splicing factors in sensitized genetic backgrounds. We found that many genes throughout the splicing cascade function in the proliferation/meiotic entry decision and germline sex determination indicating that splicing per se, rather than a novel function of a subset of splicing factors, is necessary for these processes. Developmental Dynamics 239:1555–1572, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Electronic devices from conducting organics and polymers.

In the past 20 years, organic molecular crystals and conducting organic polymers have been prepared in a variety of forms where electrical conductivity can be systematically controlled over a range of 10 orders of magnitude. Recently, a number of potential applications have emerged from this research. This paper provides a brief overview of current research into the possibility of using organic polymers and charge-transfer complexes to fabricate electronic and optical devices.
An initial assessment of discriminant surface complexity for power law features

The detection of man-made objects in natural terrain is important in both the targeting and terminal homing phase of modern warfare. The presence of man-made objects in gray-scale images has been successfully detected using a new class of density estimation neural networks to analyze power law signatures. The complex nature of the discriminant surface relating these features has been elucidated using these adaptive mixture networks.
Mitochondrial DNA–Deletion Mutations Accumulate Intracellularly to Detrimental Levels in Aged Human Skeletal Muscle Fibers

Skeletal muscle–mass loss with age has severe health consequences, yet the molecular basis of the loss remains obscure. Although mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)–deletion mutations have been shown to accumulate with age, for these aberrant genomes to be physiologically relevant, they must accumulate to high levels intracellularly and be present in a significant number of cells. We examined mtDNA-deletion mutations in vastus lateralis (VL) muscle of human subjects aged 49–93 years, using both histologic and polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) analyses, to determine the physiological and genomic integrity of mitochondria in aging human muscle. The number of VL muscle fibers exhibiting mitochondrial electron-transport-system (ETS) abnormalities increased from an estimated 6% at age 49 years to 31% at age 92 years. We analyzed the mitochondrial genotype of 48 single ETS-abnormal, cytochrome c oxidase–negative/succinate dehydrogenase–hyperreactive (COX−/SDH++) fibers from normal aging human subjects and identified mtDNA-deletion mutations in all abnormal fibers. Deletion mutations were clonal within a fiber and concomitant to the COX−/SDH++ region. Quantitative PCR analysis of wild-type and deletion-containing mtDNA genomes within ETS-abnormal regions of single fibers demonstrated that these deletion mutations accumulate to detrimental levels (>90% of the total mtDNA).
Amino Acids and Peptides Stabilize Fatty Acid Membranes against Salt-Induced Flocculation

The prebiotic formation of biopolymers (specifically DNA, RNA, and proteins) has long been a mystery and is important for understanding the origin of life on earth. These bio-molecules are composed of building blocks that would have been dispersed in early oceans. Our previous work has shown that RNA bases and ribose bind to and stabilize fatty acid vesicles [Black et al. PNAS 110, 13272 (2013)]. Our results implied that the building blocks of a biological polymer could have spontaneously associated with components of the first membranes to form stable structures. We have now shown that protein building blocks, too, stabilize fatty acid vesicles against salt-induced flocculation. Using spectrophotometry, we measured the presence of flocs (and other structures) in fatty acid solutions, with and without amino acids and over a range of temperatures. Using fluorescence microscopy, we identified the structures that caused changes in absorbance in our spectrophotometric assays. We found that the two most hydrophobic prebiotic amino acids, leucine and isoleucine, prevent salt-induced flocculation. Moreover, although alanine and glycine, which are less hydrophobic, had little effect on flocculation, dipeptides composed of these amino acids preserved vesicles in the presence of salt even at 60 degrees C. These vesicles appeared to be primarily multilamellar structures, which may promote reactions between components of biopolymers more effectively than unilamellar vesicles. Thus prebiotic membranes could have facilitated the formation of peptides by bringing amino acids together, and peptides could have increased the formation of stable membranes. Such an auto-amplifying system, combined with selection for more effective peptides, could have led to the first cells.
Near-IR absorption of water vapor: Pressure dependence of line strengths and an upper limit for continuum absorption

Abstract Water vapor absorption cross-sections in the near-infrared region (10 500–10 800 cm −1 ) were measured using cavity ringdown spectroscopy. Linestrengths were measured for several absorption lines around 10 604 cm −1 (943 nm) between 500 and 850 Torr of N 2 and found to be independent of pressure. Our measured linestrengths of these individual lines agree well with values from databases such as HITRAN and the ESA-WVR, which are currently used for atmospheric calculations, but the integrated strength over the entire measured spectral region is slightly larger than that contained in these databases. Water vapor pressure-broadening coefficients due to nitrogen were also estimated from these measurements. The absorption due to water vapor continuum was determined to be less than (9.2 ± 0.2) × 10 −27 cm 2 molecule −1 at 11 500 cm −1 . This measured upper limit, though larger than the estimated values from continuum models, would not contribute significantly to the calculated radiation absorption in this wavelength region.
Delay-dependent coupling for a multi-agent LTI consensus system with inter-agent delays

Abstract Delay-dependent coupling (DDC) is considered in this paper in a broadly studied linear time-invariant multi-agent consensus system in which agents communicate with each other under homogeneous delays, while attempting to reach consensus. The coupling among the agents is designed here as an explicit parameter of this delay, allowing couplings to autonomously adapt based on the delay value, and in order to guarantee stability and a certain degree of robustness in the network despite the destabilizing effect of delay. Design procedures, analysis of convergence speed of consensus, comprehensive numerical studies for the case of time-varying delay, and limitations are presented.
Source Apportionment of Airborne Fine Particulate Matter in an Underground Mine

The chemical mass balance source apportionment technique was applied to an underground gold mine to assess the contribution of diesel exhaust, rock dust, oil mists, and cigarette smoke to airborne ...
One-step RNA polymerase chain reaction for detection of hepatitis C virus RNA

Although detection of hepatitis C virus RNA with polymerase chain reaction has become the standard for diagnosis, extensive application has been thwarted by polymerase chain reaction's labor intensiveness, risk of false-positive results through contamination and time required for individual assays. To minimize these limitations, we developed and validated a one-step hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase chain reaction assay. The one-step method was compared with traditional hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase chain reaction using primers from the highly conserved 5' untranslated region of the hepatitis C virus genome. Variables studied in the one-step method included the source and quantity of reverse transcriptase (RTase), the concentration of MgCl2 and the duration of reverse transcription and complementary DNA amplification cycles. Optimal conditions for the one-step method were obtained with 25 U of reverse transcriptase and 2 mmol/L MgCl2. The one-step method substantially reduced the time required for analysis. The sensitivity of the one-step method was comparable to that of traditional hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase chain reaction using serially diluted RNA extracted from the serum of a hepatitis C virus-infected patient. The specificity of the one-step method was confirmed on Southern-blot hybridization. The results exhibited 100% concordance with results of traditional hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase chain reaction in 50 serum samples, including those of positive and negative controls. In addition, 100% concordance was observed between the two methods' results when sera containing low levels of hepatitis C virus RNA were used.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Dantrolene stimulates renin secretion by rat renal cortical slices but fails to block calcium-dependent inhibition

Abstract Calcium (Ca) is an inhibitory second messenger in renin secretion, and it has been proposed that some first messengers, such as angiotensin II (A-II), antidiuretic hormone (ADH), and N 6 -cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), increase Ca and thereby inhibit renin secretion by mobilizing Ca from intracellular sequestration sites. The present experiments were designed to test this proposal by using dantrolene, an antagonist of intracellular Ca mobilization. Dantrolene stimulated renin secretion by rat renal cortical slices in a concentration dependent manner; at 0.0, 0.1, and 0.5 mM dantrolene, secretory rates were 8.1±0.6, 9.4±0.6 (p
Pivot method for global optimization

A pivot algorithm for the location of a global minimum of a multiple-minimum problem is presented. The pivot method uses a series of randomly placed probes in phase space, moving the worst probes to be near better probes iteratively until the system converges. The approach chooses nearest-neighbor pivot probes to search the entire phase space by using a nonlocal distribution for the placement of the relocated probes. To test the algorithm, a standard suite of functions is given, as well as the energies and geometric structures of Lennard-Jones clusters, demonstrating the extreme efficiency of the method. Significant improvement over previous methods for high-dimensional systems is shown.
Controlled atomic doping of a single C60 molecule.

We report a method for controllably attaching an arbitrary number of charge dopant atoms directly to a single, isolated molecule. Charge-donating K atoms adsorbed on a silver surface were reversibly attached to a C 60 molecule by moving it over K atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope tip. Spectroscopic measurements reveal that each attached K atom donates a constant amount of charge (∼0.6 electron charge) to the C 60 host, thereby enabling its molecular electronic structure to be precisely and reversibly tuned.
QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF INANITION ON RESPONSIVENESS OF THE MAMMARY GLAND TO ESTROGEN1,2

THERE HAS ACCUMULATED OVER a period of years considerable evidence that quantitative undernutrition or certain specific nutritional deficiencies as of proteins or vitamins, result in a greatly decreased secretory activity of the pituitary with consequent failure or depression of the various pituitary-Controlled endocrine systems. The net result is a condition in which the endocrine changes closely resemble those in hypophysectomy, although not to such a marked degree (1). The condition very aptly has been termed pseudo-hypophysectomy (1, 2). Stephens (3) has presented evidence that this relationship exists as the primary factor involved in anorexia nervosa in man. Pituitary-ovary-vagina relationship. Various diets deficient either quantitatively (2) or qualitatively (4) result in ovarian atrophy and anestrus. It has been demonstrated that in such conditions the ovary is still responsive to anterior pituitary substance or gonadotropic hormone (4–8) and that the vagina is still responsive to either gonadotr...
Avian aesthetics. Brightness is for the birds.

People who study or treat the skin have a sense that carotenoids play some role essential to its health and well-being. All physicians and physiologists are aware that retinol is a catabolic product of β-carotene. β-carotene is, in turn, one of several dozen natural products categorized generally as carotenoids. The public has encountered carotenoids as skin colorants, a way to achieve a tan in a tube. The recent attention in the popular press to Retin-A as a palliative for facial wrinkles is another example of both human vanity and a physiologic role for the carotenoids. Further, there is currently interest in the role of β-carotene as an antioxidant, both in health maintenance and in the possible prevention of aging. Consequently, we eat yellow vegetables as animal cells are essentially incapable of its synthesis, a trick that plants accomplish with alacrity. It is often surprising to find the breadth of roles
From atoms toward living systems

Abstract After a short sketch of our approaches toward the molecular designing of nonliving systems, this report tries to give a systematic account of our subsequent advance toward living systems. In starting with the polarization and conduction of pure water and perfect ice single crystals, the three main properties of H 2 O molecules — hydrogen bonding, dipolar action, and ion formation — came into focus. Next we observed structure effects caused by these three types of interaction and then studied transition phenomena from aqueous to nonaqueous solutions, including the start of protein formation by peptide bonding. The specific role of cations and anions in charging interfaces and causing conformation changes was exemplified on the Workman-Reynolds effect and their sequential action observed in the Hofmeister series. Finally, the interconnection between liquid structure and crystal structure became apparent in observations on glycine and its derivatives and on the sodium-potassium pump.
COMPOSITE FORCES SHAPE POPULATION DYNAMICS OF COPEPOD CRUSTACEANS

Understanding the processes that control species abundance and distribution is a major challenge in ecology, yet for a large number of potentially important organisms, we know little about the biotic and abiotic factors that influence population size. One group of aquatic organisms that defies traditional demographic analyses is the Crustacea, particularly those with complex life cycles. We used likelihood techniques and information theoretics to evaluate a suite of models representing alternative hypotheses on factors controlling the abundance of two copepod crustaceans in a small, tropical floodplain lake. Quantitative zooplankton samples were collected at three stations in a Venezuelan floodplain lake from June through December 1984; the average sampling interval was two days. We constructed a series of models with stage structure that incorporated six biotic and abiotic covariates in various combinations to account for temporal changes in abundance of these target species and in their population growth rates. Our analysis produced several novel insights into copepod population dynamics. We found that multiple forces affected the abundance of particular stages, that these factors differed between species as well as among stages within each species, and that biotic processes had the largest effects on copepod population dynamics. Density dependence had a large effect on the survival of Oithona amazonica copepodites and on population growth rate of Diaptomus negrensis.