cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tumor origin and CD20 expression in posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder occurring in solid organ transplant recipients: Implications for immune-based therapy

Background. Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a potentially fatal complication of transplantation for which new therapies are being explored, including cytotoxic T-cell infusion and anti-CD20 antibody. Whether the PTLD is of donor cell or recipient cell origin influences the type of cytotoxic T-cell therapy, in view of the MHC-restricted nature of the immune response. The efficacy of anti-CD20 therapy, on the other hand, depends on CD20 expression by neoplastic cells. Only limited prior data exist regarding either of these parameters. Methods. Materials for this study were obtained in part from a Southwest Oncology Group clinical trial of solid organ transplant patients with PTLD. Tumor tissue from 21 patients (15 heart, 4 lung, and 2 kidney recipients) was evaluated for donor versus recipient origin by analyzing DNA at multiple polymorphic microsatellites. Results. Twenty tumors (95%) were of recipient origin. Anatomically separate tumors from a given patient had the same origin. A single PTLD of donor origin arose in donor lung. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), as assessed by EBER and LMP1 histochemical stains, was present in 16 of 17 tumors. CD20, evaluated immunohistochemically, was expressed diffusely in 12 of 17 tumors and focally in 3 and was undetectable in 2 tumors. Conclusions. PTLD after solid organ transplantation is frequently EBV-related and of recipient origin, implying that therapeutic EBV-specific T cells must be matched to the HLA type of the recipient, not that of the donor, in most cases of PTLD. Variable CD20 expression among tumors suggests that in some patients anti-CD20 therapy might be more effective in combination with other therapies.
ARQ performance in SNA networks

In order to examine various data link control (DLC) procedures, one must first have a basic understanding of the overall network. The network depicted will be one implementing the IBM Systems Network Architecture (SNA). The fundamental communication system within SNA is referred to as the Transmission Subsystem. The Transmission Subsystem includes three types of elements. The first element, Data Link Control (DLC), transfers packets (or SNA Basic Transmission Units) across noisy transmission mediums. The protocol used here is that of SDLC (Synchronous Data Link Control). The second element, referred to as Path Control (PC), routes packets either to an end user in the node or to the proper DLC element for transmission back through the network. Path Control also blocks incoming messages and deblocks outgoing messages (i.e., SNA segmenting). Transmission Control (TC) helps manage SNA session (i.e., connection) initiation and termination, provides sequence number manipulation, controls pacing, and performs many other functions on behalf of the end user. Pacing is a means of controlling the rate at which TC sends and receives normal data flow requests.
Phytotoxic effects, regrowth, and 14 C-sucrose translocation in Canada thistle treated with mefluidide, flurprimidol, and systemic herbicides

Foliar applications of the plant growth regulators (PGRs) flurprimidol and mefluidide suppressed shoot elongation and regrowth and enhanced shoot injury caused by selected herbicides in Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense L.). Flurprimidol stimulated movement of 14C-sucrose from leaves to roots. However, the stimulation was nullified when glyphosate, chlorsulfuron, or clopyralid was applied to foliage 1 week after application of the PGR. Herbicide-induced root injury was not enhanced by PGR application but these PGRs may be useful in decreasing weed competition among crops not similarly inhibited.
Expression of mosaicism in females heterozygous for Jimpy

The Jimpy mouse is a sex-linked neurological mutant characterized by a paucity of myelin in the central nervous system (CNS). The distribution of myelin in the optic nerves of female carriers of the Jimpy gene exhibits a mosaic pattern such that patches of tissue along the nerve are identical in appearance to the hemizygote male, while other areas appear normal.
Structural dynamics in an electron-transfer complex.

The dynamic behaviour of the complex of horse cytochrome c with cytochrome c peroxidase, an electron–transfer complex, was studied in solution by a hydrogen exchange labelling method together with two–dimensional NMR analysis. Although cytochrome c hydrogens in the expected binding region exhibit slowed exchange, the measured slowing factors are very small, indicating that hydrogen–exchange occurs with little hindrance from within the binding interface. The complex in solution must therefore be highly mobile rather than rigidly defined, as implied by the crystalline complex. This result is in conflict with the concept that biological electron transfer occurs by way of predetermined covalent pathways.
Context and gender-specific differences in the acoustic structure of common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) phee calls

Captive adult common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) produce whistle-like "phee" calls in two contexts; in the home cage environment, phee calls may function as part of territorial marking behavior, and when animals are separated from social companions, phee calls may serve to reunite the group. Isolation phee calls tend to have more syllables than calls produced in the home cage by the same animals, and as a result, are longer in duration. The durations of isolation call syllables are shorter than in home cage calls, and isolation calls have lower start and end frequencies, higher peak frequencies, and increased frequency range compared to phee calls produced by the same animals in their home cages. The modifications made to the general structure of the phee call by isolated animals result in more information that may indicate context or location of an isolated caller. When the vocalizations were analyzed by sex, between-sex differences in call structure appeared consistently in both contexts. Males tended to exhibit higher call frequencies and greater variability between syllables than females. Published 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Procainamide-Induced Sinus Node Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

Two patients with chronic renal failure developed transient sinus node dysfunction requiring insertion of a temporary pacemaker while receiving procainamide to control ventricular arrhythmias. Blood levels of procainamide were found to be elevated, although at these levels, sinus node dysfunction has not previously been reported. Following discontinuance of procainamide, sinus rhythm returned. A combination of factors, including elevated levels of N-acetyl procainamide, the metabolite of procainamide with anti-arrhythmic properties, are suggested as possible contributory causes for the ECG findings. Thus, procainamide may produce electrophysiologic features of "sick sinus syndrome" in patients with chronic renal failure even when blood levels of this substance are being monitored.
Mixing and chemical reaction in an initially non-uniform temperature field

Abstract The development of the velocity, temperature and the concentration profiles in the vicinity of the trailing edge is investigated under the boundary layer approximation for an arbitrary initial temperature profile and an arbitrary value of the parameter B for the chemical kinetics. A series solution is constructed in terms of a system of “universal functions”, from which the initial development of an arbitrary initial temperature profile can be calculated with or without chemical reaction. The first three terms in the series for the temperature have been tabulated previously and are presented here in a diagram. In the case of no chemical reaction, the analytical results for a given initial temperature distribution predict that the temperature gradient normal to the dividing stream line tends to increase for a limited distance in the downstream direction. This may not be anticipated from the consideration of thermal diffusion alone. Experimental results confirm this qualitative trend. With the three terms in the series solution for the temperature, the agreement between the analytical and the experimental results appears also quite satisfactory. The analytical results will enable us to calculate the development of the temperature field with chemical reaction. There are as yet no experimental data for comparison.
Temperature Dependent I – V and Resistance Characterization of SuperCDMS Germanium Crystals

We have built a versatile, compact 3He test facility to evaluate high-purity Ge (HPGe) SuperCDMS (Cryogenic Dark Matter Search) detectors. We are able to rapidly identify photolithographic or other defects in the thousands of W-Al transition edge sensors (TESs) on each detector and to evaluate the performance of the underlying substrate. We describe our simple method to measure current-voltage (I–V) characteristics and R vs. T behavior of HPGe detector crystals with resistances up to 100 GΩ. This provides a way to quickly perform diagnostic physics studies. Results provide critical data that give early warning that a crystal may not be suitable for the SuperCDMS underground experiment. Data from tests made on several kg-scale detectors are presented.
Meissner effect in colloidal Pb nanoparticles.

Monodisperse colloidal lead nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 4.4 to 20 nm are prepared by a self-limiting growth method. The nanoparticles are monodispersed and protected from oxidation by...
Reduction of azimuthally symmetric collision kernels

Abstract Taylor series expansions of collision terms occuring in transport equations (Boltzmann, Spencer-Lewis, Fokker-Planck, etc.) lead to tensor products which are often complicated and ambiguous in actual applications. We describe a simple reduction technique for azimuthally symmetric collision kernels and apply the method to reduce the second order (dyadic) expansion of the linear Boltzmann and relativistic Fokker-Planck relationships.
Synthesis and structures of phosphine, phosphido and phosphinidene derivatives of triosmium from reactions of R2PH (R = t-Bu, cyclohexyl) with Os3(CO)12

Abstract Photolysis of Os3(CO)12 and t-Bu2PH in toluene yields the trisubstituted phosphine cluster Os3(CO)9(t-Bu2PH)3 (1) (63%). Reaction of t-Bu2PH with Os3(CO)12 by heating in toluene (12 h) yields the disubstituted phosphine complex Os3(CO)10(t-Bu2PH)2 (2) (24%) and the bis-phosphido complex Os3(CO)8(μ-H)2(μ-t-Bu2P)2 (3) (50%). Compound 3 may be converted into the 46-electron complex Os3(CO)6(t-Bu2PH)(μ-H)2(μ-t-Bu2P)2 (4) by further heating in refluxing toluene with t-Bu2PH. Refluxing 1, 2, 3 or 4 in di-n-butylether (143°C) affords the phosphinidene complex Os3(CO)7(t-Bu2PH)2(μ3-t-BuP) (5) (68%). The reaction of dicyclohexylphosphine (Cy2PH) with Os3(CO)12 in refluxing toluene yields the tris-phosphido-bridged complex Os3(CO)7(μ-H)(Cy2P)3 (6) (60%). The structures of 1–6 have been determined via single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The molecular structure of 1 is based on that of Os3(CO)12 with the three t-Bu2PH ligands occupying equatorial sites on each osmium in order to minimize steric interactions. The structure of 2 has two t-Bu2PH ligands in equatorial positions arranged trans to each other across an OsOs bond. Complex 3 contains two bridging t-Bu2P− groups which lie above and below the Os3 plane. Two bridging hydrides occupy positions trans to these groups. The coordination geometry of each metal is roughly octahedral if one ignores the OsOs bonds. The structure of 4 is similar to that of 3 except that one CO groups has been replaced by an OS(CO)3 unit and the adjacent Os(CO)3 group now bears only two CO units. Complex 5 contains a μ3-capping phosphinidene group (t-BuP2−) in addition to two terminal phosphines (t-Bu2PH) on adjacent metal atoms. The structure of 6 features three bridging Cy2P− groups which lie above, in and below the Os3 plane.
Analysis of concepts for single stage to orbit

Introduction T HE Space Shuttle was designed in the 1970s and is still the most efficient manned Earth-to-orbit vehicle available. However, operation of the Space Shuttle costs much more than planned. For future space missions, a new transportation system is desired to improve the operability and costs. The primary purpose of this study was to consider configurations for a new vehicle. Many ideas have been introduced." For example, the U.S. Air Force's concept Black Horse is a single-stage horizontal-takeoff spacecraft with aerial refueling, and Pegasus is a four-stage Earth-to-orbit vehicle using a reusable airplane as the first stage. Another example is the National Aerospace Plane concept, which used hypersonic airbreathing propulsion. This Note presents the results for two concepts designed to place small payloads in orbit with fully reusable vehicles. For these concepts, a vertical takeoff and horizontal landing (VTHL) single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) concept and an assisted SSTO using a subsonic airplane for air launch are compared.
The optical model and inelastic scattering

Abstract Calculations of Levinson and Banerjee using the direct-interaction model for the inelastic scattering of protons indicated that the optical potential seen by the scattered particle is weaker than for the corresponding elastic scattering process. In this paper the scattering amplitude is derived and the “1/ A -corrections” to it are examined. It is shown that these represent corrections to the optical potential and arise from the requirement that the contribution of a given target nucleon to the optical potential be removed when that nucleon is interacting directly with the incident particle. It is shown that the short range, symmetry-dependence and spin-dependence of nuclear forces can make this an important correction and can explain the Levinson-Banerjee reduction. It is also shown that the strength of the effective two-body interaction, or t -matrix, is in good agreement with the strength found by Levinson and Banerjee. The distorted-wave direct-interaction model is therefore capable of predicting the absolute magnitude of the inelastic cross section.
Substratum constraints on body size and the behavioral scope of shelter use in the American lobster

Abstract For large-bodied crustaceans like the American lobster Homarus americanus Milne Edwards, substratum can set upper limits to the sizes of the occupants. Based on prior field observations, laboratory experiments were designed to examine a simple conceptual model that predicts the maximu lobster body size that can occupy the interstitial spaces among cobbles of a given diameter. Laboratory behavioral observations indicated that although lobsters must find larger shelters as they grow, they acquire the ability to manipulate an increasingly wide spectrum of substratum sizes, thereby preventing strict agreement with the model. On the basis of these observations, a graphic model of lobster-substratum size-scaling is presented and the potential demographic consequences of shelter constraints in nature is discussed.
Computer simulation of transport phenomena during dialysis deglycerolization of red blood cells

A computer simulation model has been developed to aid in the understanding, parameter prediction, and performance optimization of a unique dialysis process where glycerol is removed from cryopreserved red blood cells using a semipermeable membrane pouch fixed in a mildly agitated transport cell. The dynamic system considered here consists of flow channels and the membrane blood pouch which contains the red blood cells, extracellular fluid, and cryopreservatives. Dialysate flows over the membrane surfaces while salt enters the pouch preventing osmotic hemolysis. The glycerol diffuses rapidly from the red cells and plasma across the membrane into the dialysate which carries it out of the transport cell. The system is discretized into completely mixed subdomains. Constituent transport and solvent flux are modeled with the transient convection-diffusion equation and linear equations of nonequilibrium thermodynamics, respectively. The integrated compartment method was used to solve for the principal variables, that is, salt and glycerol concentrations, water flow rates, and pressure in space and time. The computer simulation model, calibrated and verified with in-house data sets, is a reliable, cost-effective and flexible tool for dialysis system investigations, prediction, and optimal design.
Estrous cycle fluctuations in sex and ingestive behavior are accentuated by exercise or cold ambient temperatures.

Abstract This article is part of a Special Issue “Energy Balance”. In female Syrian hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus ), low circulating levels of ovarian steroids are associated with increased food hoarding and decreased sexual motivation, but these effects are exaggerated in food-restricted females. To determine whether cold ambient temperature has the same effects as food restriction, groups of hamsters were fed ad libitum while they were housed at either 5 °C or 22 °C, and then tested for behavior for 90 min on each day of the estrous cycle. In females housed at 22 °C, high levels of sexual motivation and low levels of food hoarding were seen every day of the estrous cycle. In females housed at 5 °C, high levels of sexual motivation were restricted to the periovulatory day. On the three nonestrous days, these females showed high levels of food hoarding, but not food intake. A separate cohort of females were provided with access to running wheels and housed at 22 °C. They showed high levels of sexual motivation restricted to the periovulatory day, similar to the pattern of sexual motivation seen in cold-housed females. Unlike cold-housed females, those with running wheels showed low levels of food hoarding and high levels of food intake. Food restriction, cold housing, and access to wheels had no significant effect on plasma estradiol or progesterone concentrations, but significantly decreased plasma leptin concentrations. All three energetic challenges unmask estrous cycle fluctuations in sexual motivation that are obscured in laboratory conditions, i.e., isolation in a small cage with an overabundance of food.
The ATP-binding cassette transporter-2 (ABCA2) regulates esterification of plasma membrane cholesterol by modulation of sphingolipid metabolism.

Abstract The ATP-binding cassette transporters are a large family (~ 48 genes divided into seven families A–G) of proteins that utilize the energy of ATP-hydrolysis to pump substrates across lipid bilayers against a concentration gradient. The ABC “A” subfamily is comprised of 13 members and transport sterols, phospholipids and bile acids. ABCA2 is the most abundant ABC transporter in human and rodent brain with highest expression in oligodendrocytes, although it is also expressed in neurons. Several groups have studied a possible connection between ABCA2 and Alzheimer's disease as well as early atherosclerosis. ABCA2 expression levels have been associated with changes in cholesterol and sphingolipid metabolism. In this paper, we hypothesized that ABCA2 expression level may regulate esterification of plasma membrane-derived cholesterol by modulation of sphingolipid metabolism. ABCA2 overexpression in N2a neuroblastoma cells was associated with an altered bilayer distribution of the sphingolipid ceramide that inhibited acylCoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity and cholesterol esterification. In contrast, depletion of endogenous ABCA2 in the rat schwannoma cell line D6P2T increased esterification of plasma membrane cholesterol following treatment with exogenous bacterial sphingomyelinase. These findings suggest that control of ABCA2 expression level may be a key locus of regulation for esterification of plasma membrane-derived cholesterol through modulation of sphingolipid metabolism.
The BCL2 Family: Key Mediators of the Apoptotic Response to Targeted Anticancer Therapeutics

The ability of cancer cells to suppress apoptosis is critical for carcinogenesis. The BCL2 family proteins comprise the sentinel network that regulates the mitochondrial or intrinsic apoptotic response. Recent advances in our understanding of apoptotic signaling pathways have enabled methods to identify cancers that are “primed” to undergo apoptosis, and have revealed potential biomarkers that may predict which cancers will undergo apoptosis in response to specific therapies. Complementary efforts have focused on developing novel drugs that directly target antiapoptotic BCL2 family proteins. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the role of BCL2 family members in cancer development and response to therapy, focusing on targeted therapeutics, recent progress in the development of apoptotic biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies designed to overcome deficiencies in apoptosis. Significance: Apoptosis, long known to be important for response to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, has more recently been shown to be essential for the efficacy of targeted therapies. Approaches that increase the likelihood of a cancer to undergo apoptosis following therapy may help improve targeted treatment strategies. Cancer Discov; 5(5); 475–87. ©2015 AACR .
CHANGES IN MEMBRANE POTENTIAL DURING THE PROGRESSION OF MCF-7 HUMAN MAMMARY TUMOR CELLS THROUGH THE CELL CYCLE

We previously reported that MCF-7 cells were arrested in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle by agents known to block the activity of ATP-sensitive potassium channels (Woodfork et al., 1995, J. Cell Physiol. 162:163-171). The goal of our current study was to determine if MCF-7 cells undergo changes in membrane potential during the cell cycle that might be linked to changes in K permeability. The resting membrane potentials of unsynchronized MCF-7 cells during exponential growth phase were measured using sharp glass microelectrodes, and they ranged from -58.6 mV to -2.7 mV. The distribution of membrane potentials was best fitted by the sum of four Gaussian distributions with means of -9.0 mV, -17.4 mV, -24.6 mV, and -40.4 mV. These membrane potential groups were designated D (depolarized), ID (intermediate depolarized), IH (intermediate hyperpolarized), and H (hyperpolarized), respectively. The membrane potential was sensitive to the substitution of external K and Na but not Cl. The K:Na permeability ratio increased in proportion to the negativity of the membrane potential. MCF-7 cells pharmacologically arrested in G0/G1 phase were depolarized compared to control, with cells shifted from the H and IH groups to the D group. Tamoxifen-arrested cells chased from G0/G1 into S phase by the addition of mitogenic concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol were not depolarized, and these cells were shifted from the D group back to the IH and H groups. We conclude that MCF-7 cells hyperpolarize during passage through G0/G1 and into S phase, and this hyperpolarization probably results from an increase in the relative permeability of the plasma membrane to K.
Three English Manor Houses, 1260–1735 An Evolution of Design and Function

This study of English manor houses, 1260–1735, examines how architecture changes under changing social conditions. From the original thousands, only a few hundred manor houses are extant in England. One surviving manor house from each of three periods of English history—Norman, Tudor, and Georgian—was studied. Three structures, Little Wenham Hall, Hengrave Hall, and Houghton Hall, all in East Anglia, were visited and photographed. Architectural elements exemplified in them were identified, and the shelter needs and wishes of the lords of manors and the availability and skill levels of the architects, designers, and craftsmen were ascertained. In each period the style of the dwellings reflected adaptation to the social status, wealth, and political power of the inhabitants. The skills of local and imported craftsmen and the technological advances in the tools available to them also accounted for a gradual evolution in the structure and design of dwellings.
Enhancing quality of teaching by direct care staff through performance feedback on the job

Performance feedback was used on the job as the primary procedure to train four direct-care staff at a large state residential facility to administer a comprehensive set of teaching behaviors while they taught self-care skills to developmentally delayed residents. All trainees improved their teaching when provided feedback on the job, but maintained their skills to a lesser extent after a two month follow-up assessment. Residents made modest progress toward independence. Implications for designing methods to promote acquisition and maintenance of staff teaching skills and to provide more effective learning experiences for residents are discussed.
The Subject of Mentoring: Towards a Knowledge and Practice Base for Content-focused Mentoring of New Teachers

While new teacher mentoring has traditionally focused on socio-emotional support and professional socialization, understanding mentors’ role in developing novices’ content teaching is needed given new educational reforms. Few researchers have explored a knowledge/practice base for content-focused mentoring. Therefore, we ask: what do content mentors identify as knowledge/practices needed for subject-specific mentoring? How is subject-specific mentoring enacted? What complexities arise? We found: (a) developing novices’ content teaching is a distinct mentor role; (b) a knowledge/practice base, with mentor’s pedagogical content knowledge and knowledge of content-specific assessment most frequently reported; and (c) enactment of content-focused mentoring reveals promising practices in guiding novices in assessing and developing students’ disciplinary thinking, and tensions between content-focused and socio-emotional mentor roles.
The cyclopentenone (A2/J2) isoprostanes--unique, highly reactive products of arachidonate peroxidation.

Cyclopentenone (A2/J2) isoprostanes (IsoPs) are a group of prostaglandin (PG)-like compounds generated in vivo from the free radical-induced peroxidation of arachidonic acid. Unlike other classes of IsoPs, cyclopentenone IsoPs contain highly reactive unsaturated carbonyl moieties on the prostane ring analogous to cyclooxygenase-derived PGA2 and PGJ2 that readily adduct relevant biomolecules such as thiols via Michael addition. The purpose of this review is to summarize our knowledge of the A2/J2-IsoPs. As a starting point, we will briefly discuss the formation and biological properties of PGA2 and PGJ2. Next, we will review studies definitively showing that cyclopentenone IsoPs are formed in large amounts in vivo. This is in marked contrast to cyclopentenone PGs, for which little evidence exists that they are endogenously produced. Subsequently, we will discuss studies related to the chemical syntheses of the 15-A2-IsoP series of cyclopentenone IsoPs. The successful synthesis of these compounds provides t...
Flexural behavior of the continental lithosphere in Italy - Constraints imposed by gravity and deflection data

This paper presents a simple model that describes the geometry of subducted continental lithosphere as the result of flexural loading of a thin elastic sheet. The method involves a procedure for systematically matching the plate flexure and gravity data to the best-fitting two-dimensional flexural geometry obtained by a thin elastic sheet of specified elastic strength. It is shown that the model can explain both the deflection of the lithosphere and the gravity anomalies observed along four profiles across the Apennine convergent system in Italy. The results of calculations suggest that in subduction systems, like the Apennines, that are characterized by backarc extension, forces acting on subducted lithosphere at depth can be expressed at the surface in the geometry of the foredeep basin that forms adjacent to the subduction zone.
Formulated sediment as a reference and dilution sediment in definitive toxicity tests

To accurately determine the relative potency of contaminated sediments that exhibit toxicity in screening tests, definitive toxicity tests are conducted by diluting test sediment with a nontoxic reference sediment of similar characteristics. To demonstrate the usefulness of formulated sediment as a reference and dilution sediment, the relative potency of a copper-contaminated sediment was assessed by diluting with a formulated sediment. Toxicity of sediment-bound copper was assessed by monitoring the survival of Ceriodaphnia dubia Richard, Daphnia magna Straus, Hyalella azteca Saussure, Chironomus tentans Fabricius, and Pimephales promelas Rafinesque. Organisms were exposed in static systems for 10 d using test sediment dilutions that produced mortality in range-finding tests. Formulated sediment served as a suitable control sediment, with organism survival ranging from 85–100%. Formulated sediment was prepared and matched ten of eleven characteristics of the field-collected test sediment. When used to dilute the copper-contaminated sediment, formulated sediment resulted in decreased concentrations of copper in sediment, pore water, and overlying water with concomitant increases in test dilution. Thus, formulated sediment served as a suitable reference and dilution sediment in this study. Evidence indicates that formulated sediments could be used in this capacity when suitable natural reference sediments are otherwise unavailable.
11C-Methionine PET for Grading and Prognostication in Gliomas: A Comparison Study with 18F-FDG PET and Contrast Enhancement on MRI

The aim of this study was to compare the grading and prognostic value of l-[methyl-(11)C]-methionine ((11)C-MET) PET in glioma patients with (18)F-FDG PET and contrast-enhanced MRI. Methods Patients (n = 102) with histopathologically confirmed gliomas were followed up for an average of 34.6 ± 3.8 mo after PET. The median survival was 18 ± 4.7 mo in the high-grade glioma group and 58 ± 27 mo in the low-grade glioma group. Patients underwent (18)F-FDG PET, (11)C-MET PET, and MRI in the diagnostic and preoperative stage. The ratio of the mean standardized uptake value in the tumor to mean standardized uptake value in contralateral normal cortex (T/N ratio) was calculated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ANOVA were performed. Results T/N ratios for (11)C-MET PET and (18)F-FDG PET were significantly higher in high-grade gliomas than in low-grade gliomas (2.15 ± 0.77 vs. 1.56 ± 0.74, P Conclusion (11)C-MET PET can predict prognosis in gliomas and is better than (18)F-FDG PET and MRI in predicting survival in LGGs.
Stress, diet and abdominal obesity: Y?

In response to intense stress, neuropeptide Y facilitates all of the processes that result in adipose tissue growth, but only when mice are fed a palatable high-fat diet (pages 803–811).
PROTEASOME INHIBITION BY BORTEZOMIB INCREASES IL-8 EXPRESSION IN ANDROGEN-INDEPENDENT PROSTATE CANCER CELLS: THE ROLE OF IKKα

Expression of the proinflammatory and proangiogenic chemokine IL-8, which is regulated at the transcriptional level by NF-κB, is constitutively increased in androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer and correlates with poor prognosis. Inhibition of NF-κB-dependent transcription was used as an anticancer strategy for the development of the first clinically approved 26S proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib (BZ). Even though BZ has shown remarkable antitumor activity in hematological malignancies, it has been less effective in prostate cancer and other solid tumors; however, the mechanisms have not been fully understood. In this article, we report that proteasome inhibition by BZ unexpectedly increases IL-8 expression in androgen-independent prostate cancer PC3 and DU145 cells, whereas expression of other NF-κB-regulated genes is inhibited or unchanged. The BZ-increased IL-8 expression is associated with increased in vitro p65 NF-κB DNA binding activity and p65 recruitment to the endogenous IL-8 promoter. In addition, proteasome inhibition induces a nuclear accumulation of IκB kinase (IKK)α, and inhibition of IKKα enzymatic activity significantly attenuates the BZ-induced p65 recruitment to IL-8 promoter and IL-8 expression, demonstrating that the induced IL-8 expression is mediated, at least partly, by IKKα. Together, these data provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, for the gene-specific increase of IL-8 expression by proteasome inhibition in prostate cancer cells and suggest that targeting both IKKα and the proteasome may increase BZ effectiveness in treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer.
Respiration and the effects of pressure on the mesopelagic vertically migrating squid Histioteuthis heteropsis 1

The effects of hydrostatic pressure and dissolved oxygen concentration on oxygen consumption rates were examined in the mesopelagic, vertically migrating squid Histioteuthis heteropsis from southern California offshore waters. Elevated hydrostatic pressures (to 136 atm) had no significant effects on oxygen consumption rates at 5°C. Low oxygen concentrations (<0.5 ml Oz*liter-‘) depressed rates of oxygen consumption. These findings suggest that metabolism is pressure insensitive during vertical migrations and that at least partial anaerobiosis may be necessary to supply the total energy needs of this species at daytime depths in the oxygen minimum layer off southern California. Recent studies of the effects of temperature and hydrostatic pressure on metabolic rates in open ocean pelagic crustaceans, pteropods, and fishes suggest that patterns of metabolic response to these variables are related both to the distinctive habits of vertical migration or nonmigration of certain groups of species and to the particular hydrographic conditions found within the vertical distributions of these species (Quetin and Childress 1976). In general, epipelagic migrators show different patterns of metabolic response to temperature and pressure than do mesopelagic migrators or mesopelagic nonmigrators. Those species that migrate from oxygen minimum layers into oxygen-rich surface waters also show quite different patterns from organisms that remain in oxygen minimum conditions all of the time (e.g. Meek and Childrcss 1973; Smith and Hessler 1974; Childress 1977). In an effort to provide additional data with which to examine these hypotheses, I report here the effects of hydrostatic pressure and available oxygen concentrations on oxygen consumption rates in the squid Ilistioteuthis heteropsis (Teuthoi
A Highly Reliable FSO/RF Communication System Using Efficient Codes

Optical wireless systems can solve many of the long standing problems of providing low-cost time-constrained high- bandwidth communication in a variety of network scenarios. But their unreliability due to variations in atmospheric channel make them the least deployed solutions so far. Achieving enterprise level reliabilities in such scenarios is difficult. Earlier solutions make use of a backup RF channel which transmits data whenever the FSO link is down. However, only one channel is operational at a time wasting the bandwidth of the other channel. Also this system faces the problem of alternate switching between both the channels in case the channel conditions vary from good to bad. In this paper, we propose a novel coding paradigm called "Hybrid Channel Coding" that not only optimally achieves the capacity of the combined FSO and RF channels but still provides carrier grade (99.999%) reliabilities for the FSO link. We provide the design methodology to be used in constructing Hybrid Channel Codes. Using analysis and simulation, we show that we can obtain many-fold decrease in the channel availability and maximum throughput with Hybrid Channel Codes.
An effective write policy for software coherence schemes

The authors study the write behavior and evaluate the performance of various write strategies and buffering techniques for a MIN-based multiprocessor system using the simple software coherence scheme. Hit ratios, memory latencies, total execution time, and total write traffic are used as the performance indices. The write-through write-allocate no-fetch cache using a write-back write buffer is shown to have a better performance than both write-through and write-back caches. This type of write buffer is effective in reducing the volume as well as bursts of write traffic. On average, the use of a write-back cache reduces by 60% the total write traffic generated by a write-through cache. >
Why the Learning Cycle

The learning cycle is a way to structure inquiry in school science and occurs in several sequential phases. A learning cycle moves children through a scientific investigation by having them first explore materials, then construct a concept, and finally apply or extend the concept to other situations. Why the learning cycle? Because it is a theory-based design for inquiry that works when implemented well.
Resistance Exercise, Skeletal Muscle FOXO3A, and 85-Year-Old Women

This investigation examined Akt–FOXO3A signaling in young women (YW) and old women (OW) before and after 12 weeks of high-intensity resistance training. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis before and immediately after resistance exercise (RE) in the untrained and trained states. In response to RE in YW and OW, phospho Akt Thr308 increased in untrained and trained states, with no change on Ser473 site. FOXO3A–Ser253 site was dephosphorylated in untrained state among YW and OW, and nuclear phospho-FOXO3A increased mainly in YW in trained state. In the basal state, OW displayed lower cytosolic phospho-FOXO3A before training, higher total nuclear FOXO3A, and a trend for higher nuclear-to-cytosolic FOXO3A ratio versus YW after 12 weeks. Basal level MuRF-1 and myostatin mRNA decreased in YW, while OW increased myostatin mRNA after 12-weeks. These data suggest that FOXO3A signaling and FOXO3A-related target gene expression are altered in OW and may partially explain the attenuated training adaptations previously reported in these octogenarian women.
Metabolic syndrome in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: dietary and lifestyle factors compared to the general population

Objective Since a poor diet is often cited as a contributor to metabolic syndrome for subjects diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, we sought to examine dietary intake, cigarette smoking, and physical activity in these populations and compare them with those for the general population. Methods Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n = 116) and schizophrenia (n = 143) were assessed for dietary intake, lifestyle habits, and metabolic syndrome and compared to age-, gender-, and race-matched subjects from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000. Additionally, matched subgroups within the patient populations were compared to elicit any differences. Results As expected, the metabolic syndrome rate was higher in the samples with bipolar disorder (33%) and schizophrenia (47%) compared to matched NHANES controls (17% and 11%, respectively), and not different between the patient groups. Surprisingly, both subjects with bipolar disorder and those with schizophrenia consumed fewer total calories, carbohydrates and fats, as well as more fiber (p < 0.03), compared to NHANES controls. No dietary or activity differences between patient participants with and without metabolic syndrome were found. Subjects with schizophrenia had significantly lower total and low-density cholesterol levels (p < 0.0001) compared to NHANES controls. Subjects with bipolar disorder smoked less (p = 0.001), exercised more (p = 0.004), and had lower body mass indexes (p = 0.009) compared to subjects with schizophrenia. Conclusions Counter to predictions, few dietary differences could be discerned between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and NHANES control groups. The subjects with bipolar disorder exhibited healthier behaviors than the patients with schizophrenia. Additional research regarding metabolic syndrome mechanisms, focusing on non-dietary contributions, is needed.
Time-evolution of high-resolution topographic measurements of the sea floor using a 3-D laser line scan mapping system

A laser line scan system was used to characterize the high-resolution spatial variability and temporal evolution of the sea floor as a function of environmental conditions for a small section of the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico during a period of nine days. High-resolution bathymetric profiles (<1 mm) covering about two sand ripple periods on the sea floor were acquired over a one-dimensional transect 1.35 m in length. The system was also used to measure reflectance and to produce three-dimensional bottom maps of the test area. Over the nine-day period, the sand ripple peak-to-trough height was observed to decrease slowly from about 2.5 cm to about 2.0 cm. Similar gradual changes we also observed in the time-evolution of bottom profile correlations and of the bottom roughness spectra. However, when smaller sections were examined individually, the time-evolution of the profile correlation was observed to vary acutely and in a transitory manner in some regions but not in others, and without preference for crests or troughs. In general, bottom roughness for spatial frequencies greater than 0.044 cycles/cm completely decorrelated within 20-30 h. However, this gradual trend was also marked by acute and transitory changes in bottom topography believed to be primarily from fish feeding on epibenthic prey.
Queen Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) Induce Colony Sororicide to Reduce Competition

Abstract. Queens of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, regulate colony dynamics by inducing workers to execute sexual larvae; proteins in the venom glands might be involved. Bioassays of the expressed, isolated queen venom proteins, Sol i 2q and Sol i 4q, did not show an increased rate of execution of sexual larvae compared to the control; however, Sol i 4q had a significantly lower execution rate than Sol i 2q and the control. Ants in the Sol i 4q treatments kept their brood primarily in the foraging chamber, closer to the added protein, and did not move them into the pumice nests; however, no difference in execution of sexual larvae between the colony and brood main locations (nest or tube/chamber) were observed. Identification of the crystal structure of the venom protein of red imported fire ant workers, Sol i 2w, revealed a hydrophobic cavity that binds to a ligand with an overall structure similar to LUSH, a pheromone-binding protein in Drosophila. If the proteins of the queen are str...
Direct numerical simulation of flow in stenotic channel to understand the effect of stenotic morphology on turbulence

A fundamental fluid dynamics study has been performed in order to understand the effect of shape of blockage in a stenotic channel on turbulence flow characteristics using direct numerical simulation (DNS) as a tool. DNS has been performed for four canonical types with identical degree of blockage (stenosis) but with varied morphological forms. The results revealed large-scale and small-scale features of the flow represented by the root mean square (rms) of velocity and vorticity statistics are type-dependent. The turbulent structures exhibited characteristic structures and mechanics very specific to the type of blockage. The analysis indicates that for given degree of stenosis, the turbulence characteristics are significantly dependent on the morphology of the blockage, and hence to quantify turbulence flow characteristics in stenosed channel, the stenosis shape is an important metric that needs to be considered. The results of this study are directly relevant to the flow dynamics in diseased stenotic co...
Innate visual learning through spontaneous activity patterns.

Patterns of spontaneous activity in the developing retina, LGN, and cortex are necessary for the proper development of visual cortex. With these patterns intact, the primary visual cortices of many newborn animals develop properties similar to those of the adult cortex but without the training benefit of visual experience. Previous models have demonstrated how V1 responses can be initialized through mechanisms specific to development and prior to visual experience, such as using axonal guidance cues or relying on simple, pairwise correlations on spontaneous activity with additional developmental constraints. We argue that these spontaneous patterns may be better understood as part of an “innate learning” strategy, which learns similarly on activity both before and during visual experience. With an abstraction of spontaneous activity models, we show how the visual system may be able to bootstrap an efficient code for its natural environment prior to external visual experience, and we continue the same refinement strategy upon natural experience. The patterns are generated through simple, local interactions and contain the same relevant statistical properties of retinal waves and hypothesized waves in the LGN and V1. An efficient encoding of these patterns resembles a sparse coding of natural images by producing neurons with localized, oriented, bandpass structure—the same code found in early visual cortical cells. We address the relevance of higher-order statistical properties of spontaneous activity, how this relates to a system that may adapt similarly on activity prior to and during natural experience, and how these concepts ultimately relate to an efficient coding of our natural world.
Role of Dipolar Interactions on the Thermal Stability of High-Density Bit-Patterned Media

We have characterized the magnetic reversal and thermal stability of bit-patterned media with a composite structure of [Co (0.25 nm)/Pd (0.7 nm)]5 /Fe(X)/[Pd (0.7 nm)/Co (0.25 nm)] 5, where X = 1, 1.5 , and 2 nm. For 25 nm diameter islands separated by 35 nm, the average thermal stability of the islands is confirmed by analyzing the time-dependent coercive fields. However, by further analyzing the time-dependent hysteresis loop shape, we find a broad distribution of the effective energy barriers. We quantitatively show that this energy barrier distribution arises primarily from the dipolar interactions in these densely packed arrays and not from intrinsic distributions.
Deferred Decision Making: patients’ reliance on family and physicians for cpr decisions in critical care:

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with seriously ill patients' preferences for their family and physicians making resuscitation decisions on their behalf. Using SUPPORT II data, the study revealed that, among 362 seriously ill patients who were experiencing pain, 277 (77%) answered that they would want their family and physicians to make resuscitation decisions for them instead of their own wishes being followed if they were to lose decision-making capacity. Even after controlling for other variables, patients who preferred the option of undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the future were twice as likely, and those who had had ventilator treatment were four-fifths less likely, to rely on their family and physicians than those who did not want CPR (odds ratio (OR) = 2.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-4.38) or those who had not received ventilator treatment (OR = 0.23; 95% CI 0.06-0.90). Psychological variables (anxiety, quality of life, and depression), symptomatic variables (severity of pain and activities of daily living) and the existence of surrogates were not significantly associated with patients' preferences for having their family and physicians make resuscitation decisions for them. Age was not a significant factor for predicting the decision-making role after controlling for other variables.