cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consistent Production of Mice with Conditional Knockout Alleles by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing Using Two Guides/Two Oligos Approach

Gene targeting is extensively used to generate designer mouse mutants and to study gene function in vivo. Knockout mice that harbor a null allele in their germline provide appropriate genetic models of inherited diseases and often exhibit embryonic or early postnatal lethality. To study gene function in adult mice and in selected cell types, a refined strategy for conditional gene inactivation has been developed that relies on the DNA recombinase Cre and its recognition (loxP) sites. This process has traditionally relied on the complex process involving genome editing in embryonic stem (ES) cells despite its limitations, including incorrect targeting or cassette structure, and difficulties with germline transmission of the allele from chimeric mice. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology has considerably facilitated the generation of mouse knockout alleles, relieving many of the cumbersome and time-consuming steps of traditional mouse ES cell technology. However, the generation of conditional knockout alleles remains an important challenge. An earlier study reported up to 16% efficiency in generating conditional knockout alleles in mice using 2 single guide RNAs (sgRNA) and 2 single-stranded oligonucleotides (ssODN), which has been questioned by another report combining data from multiple transgenic cores. With the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 as a mouse genome modification tool, we assessed the efficiency of using this method in creating conditional targeted alleles in three genes, phosphatase and actin regulator 1 (Phactr1), apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA1), and actin-related protein T2 (Actrt2). Even though overall success rate was low—about 2.5%—we show that it’s possible to reliably generate conditional knockout alleles using CRISPR/Cas9 on a consistent basis.
The Interaction of Light and Matter

SPECTRAL LINES In 1835 a French philosopher, Auguste Comte (1798–1857), considered the limits of human knowledge. In his book Positive Philosophy , Comte wrote of the stars, “We see how we may determine their forms, their distances, their bulk, their motions, but we can never know anything of their chemical or mineralogical structure.” Thirty-three years earlier, however, WilliamWollaston (1766–1828), like Newton before him, passed sunlight through a prism to produce a rainbow-like spectrum. He discovered that a number of dark spectral lines were superimposed on the continuous spectrum where the Sun's light had been absorbed at certain discrete wavelengths. By 1814, the German optician Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787–1826) had cataloged 475 of these dark lines (today called Fraunhofer lines ) in the solar spectrum. While measuring the wavelengths of these lines, Fraunhofer made the first observation capable of proving Comte wrong. Fraunhofer determined that the wavelength of one prominent dark line in the Sun's spectrum corresponds to the wavelength of the yellow light emitted when salt is sprinkled in a flame. The new science of spectroscopy was born with the identification of this sodium line. Kirchhoff's Laws The foundations of spectroscopy were established by Robert Bunsen (1811–1899), a German chemist, and by Gustav Kirchhoff (1824–1887), a Prussian theoretical physicist. Bunsen's burner produced a colorless flame that was ideal for studying the spectra of heated substances. He and Kirchhoff then designed a spectroscope that passed the light of a flame spectrum through a prism to be analyzed. The wavelengths of light absorbed and emitted by an element were found to be the same; Kirchhoff determined that 70 dark lines in the solar spectrum correspond to 70 bright lines emitted by iron vapor. In 1860 Kirchhoff and Bunsen published their classic work Chemical Analysis by Spectral Observations , in which they developed the idea that every element produces its own pattern of spectral lines and thus may be identified by its unique spectral line “fingerprint.” Kirchhoff summarized the production of spectral lines in three laws, which are now known as Kirchhoff's laws : • A hot, dense gas or hot solid object produces a continuous spectrum with no dark spectral lines. • A hot, diffuse gas produces bright spectral lines ( emission lines ). • Acool, diffuse gas in front of a source of a continuous spectrum produces dark spectral lines ( absorption lines ) in the continuous spectrum.
ADAMTS5 is required for normal trabeculated bone development in the mandibular condyle.

Summary Objective Determine the role of the extracellular matrix protease ADAMTS5 in development of the trabeculated bone of the mandibular condyle. Methods The mandibular condyles of wild type and mice deficient in the protease ADAMTS5 were examined for histopathology with Safranin O staining. Microcomputed tomography was performed to analyze the developing bone of the mandibular condyle. RNAscope and immunohistochemistry were utilized to investigate cell type and extracellular matrix expression. Results Mice deficient in Adamts5, (Adamts5tm1Dgen/J) exhibit an increase in trabecular separation (n = 37 wild type; n = 27: P Conclusion This is the first report of a novel and critical role for Adamts5 in bone formation within the mandibular condyle of the temporomandibular joint. These data indicate Adamts5 may be required in the transdifferentiation of hypertrophic chondrocytes to osteoblasts during trabecular bone formation in development of the mandibular condyle.
Plasmonic lithography: from superlens to hyperlens and recent metamaterial development

Plasmonic lithography breaks the diffraction limit by utilizing the otherwise lost evanescent fields produced by light sources with wavelengths close to or within the visible spectrum. With the lower cost of high-power femtosecond laser systems, plasmonic lithography opens a new approach towards the next generation semiconductor manufacturing. In the past years, we have demonstrated different types of plasmonic lithography, ranging from Superlens, Flying plasmonic lens, to Hyperlens, and successfully achieved 22nm half-pitch resolution. Hyperlens, made of hyperbolic metamaterials, stands out for its capability of exposing a large field of view while maintaining a good resolution. Although the resolution of the Hyperlens is inversely proportional to the unit cell thickness of metamaterial, fabrication of thin metal layers has long been a challenge. We report in this study an ultrathin Hyperlens that permits the propagation of unprecedented high spatial frequencies, 12ko, through the metamaterial. This hyperbolic metamaterial consists of alternating metal and dielectric materials with thickness as thin as 2nm, which potentially leads to patterning with sub-10 nm resolution.
Modeling stretch-dependent collagen fiber density

Abstract Collagen is a load bearing constituent in many soft tissues, which undergoes remodeling processes that are mediated by mechanical stimuli. Experiments suggest that fiber stretching tends to suppress the enzymatic degradation of the collagen fibers. This article presents a mechanical model that describes how this impacts overall collagen density. It specifically accounts for processes that involve ongoing change to the local stretch as the remodeling incorporates new fibers into the overall collagen network. The governing integral expression allows calculation of the local fiber density as determined by a specified deformation without the need to know or to specify either the stiffness or the force loading of the material under consideration. Fiber density homeostasis is disrupted by sudden changes in stretch, and regain of homeostasis is characterized by three characteristic times and hence two dimensionless groups.
Shoulder Arthroplasty in Patients with Ipsilateral Hemiparesis: A safe and durable procedure? A Case Series

Abstract Hypothesis Shoulder arthroplasty is a safe and durable procedure that provides pain relief, improved range of motion (ROM), and minimal complications for shoulder pain and dysfunction in patients with ipsilateral hemiparesis. Methods This is a retrospective review of all adult patients who underwent primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) or total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) in the hemiparetic upper extremity at a single quaternary care academic medical center from 1988 to 2019. Patients were excluded if their neurologic insult was secondary to a spinal-cord injury, cerebral palsy, or inflammatory arthritis, if they underwent a hemiarthroplasty, if they exhibited mild hemiparesis (Medical Research Council Scale of ≥4), or if they had less than 30 days of radiographic follow-up. The primary clinical outcome was revision surgery for any reason. The secondary clinical outcomes included pain using the visual analog scale, ROM via active-assisted manual muscle testing (AAROM), and postoperative complications. The primary radiographic outcome was implant lucency using a standard scale. Results A total of 5 shoulders in 5 patients were included, 4 RSAs and 1 TSA with a mean clinical follow-up of 6.2 years (range: 1.42-14.2 years) and mean radiographic follow-up of 3.7 years (range: 31 days-13.5 years). No patient underwent revision surgery. The mean visual analog scale score significantly improved from 7.6 to 1.4 at the last follow-up (P = .005). The mean forward elevation AAROM improved from 27° preoperatively to 88° at the last follow-up (P = .015). There was no significant difference in external rotation at the last follow-up (P = .105). One patient had asymptomatic grade 1 glenoid component lucency with superior subluxation of the humerus after undergoing TSA at a final follow-up of 4.5 years. No other complications were reported. Conclusion Shoulder arthroplasty is a durable procedure that provides pain relief, improved AAROM, and minimal complications in patients with ipsilateral hemiparesis. The increase in active-assisted forward elevation ROM can improve caregiver ease with hygiene and dressing. Patients in this study who underwent RSA did not have subsequent glenohumeral dislocation. Larger numbers of patients would be required for adequate power analysis regarding instability in this cohort of patients who may be at risk; our small series did not identify any instability events. Level of evidence Level IV; Treatment Study
Direct Imaging of Antiferromagnetic Domains and Anomalous Layer-Dependent Mirror Symmetry Breaking in Atomically Thin MnPS 3

We have developed a sensitive cryogenic second-harmonic generation microscopy to study a van der Waals antiferromagnet ${\mathrm{MnPS}}_{3}$. We find that long-range N\'eel antiferromagnetic order develops from the bulk crystal down to the bilayer, while it is absent in the monolayer. Before entering the long-range antiferromagnetic ordered phase in all samples, an upturn of the second harmonic generation below 200 K indicates the formation of the short-range order and magnetoelastic coupling. We also directly image the two antiphase (180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}) antiferromagnetic domains and thermally induced domain switching down to bilayer. An anomalous mirror symmetry breaking shows up in samples thinner than ten layers for the temperature both above and below the N\'eel temperature, which indicates a structural change in few-layer samples. Minimal change of the second harmonic generation polar patterns in strain tuning experiments indicate that the symmetry crossover at ten layers is most likely an intrinsic property of ${\mathrm{MnPS}}_{3}$ instead of an extrinsic origin of substrate-induced strain. Our results show that second harmonic generation microscopy is a direct tool for studying antiferromagnetic domains in atomically thin materials, and opens a new way to study two-dimensional antiferromagnets.
The Development of Behavioral States and the Expression of Emotions in Early Infancy: New Proposals for Investigation

Peter H. Wolff, a world-renowned authority on infant behavior, helped lay the foundation for the field in the 1960s with his innovative studies of behavioral studies, motor coordination, smiling, and crying in infancy. Some twenty years later, as infancy studies have become increasingly specialized and fragmented, he calls for new theoretical perspectives and methods of investigation. Applying ethological methods used in field studies of animal behavior, Wolff first observes how babies behave in the "natural" ecology of their homes to catalog their species-typical behavioral repertory and then manipulates their behavior through informal experiments designed to examine functional significance. Wolff argues that a coherent psychobiological theory of early human development must begin with knowledge about the infant's behavioral repertory under free field conditions. Many current theories of human development begin instead with assumptions about the organization of behavior derived from studies of psychological function in the adult; moreover, they appeal to instincts, maturational programs, or genomes to explain the apparent lawfulness in the development of these behavioral categories. Such a priori explanations, Wolff contends, beg the whole question of development. As an alternative to theoretical metaphors that portray the infant as a closed system and suggests that development is controlled by prescient programs that anticipate the mature steady state, Wolff proposes a metaphor of the infant as an open, self-organizing system with partial, mutative mechanisms of development. Applying this metaphor, he addresses the essentially unsolved problem of how novel behavioral forms are induced during ontogenesis. Wolff presents a study of twenty-two infants who were observed for thirty hours each week in their homes during the first months after birth. He builds a week-by-week description of changes in behavioral states of wakefulness and examines how reversible state changes influence developmental transformations in social-affective behavior and sensori-motor intelligence. The observations and informal experiments emphasize expressions of emotion and the infant's changing relations to persons and things. Pointing out that movements are our only clue to what infants "feel" or "think," Wolff gives special emphasis to the systematic variations in spontaneous and environmentally evoked patterns of motor coordination as a function of behavioral state transitions. Of great importance to psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and students of development in general, "The Development of Behavioral States and the Expression of Emotions in Early Infancy" offers a major empirical, methodological, and theoretical rethinking of the subject to which Wolff has made outstanding contributions.
ZUR HISTORIOLA DES ZAUBERSPRUCHS

The article provides a critical discussion of the etymology of donerdutigo in the Old High German magic formula Contra caducum morbum. It can be shown, that an old proposal by Mullenhoff and Scherer, which was labeled as bold and therefore not discussed further, is plausible. Furthermore the double historiola is discussed and a new solution to this problem is given.
Separation of prostaglandin E1 from its major metabolites. Application of the technique to measure first-pass clearance of PGE1 in the pulmonary and cerebral circulations of the anesthetized dog.

Abstract A technique for the separation of prostaglandin E 1 (PGE 1 ) metabolites from parent PGE 1 in large numbers of plasma samples is described. Radiolabeled metabolites were enzymatically synthesized from [ 3 H]PGE 1 , using either the 100,000 g supernatant fraction from rabbit lung homogenate or perfused dog lung, and purified by thin-layer chromatography. Separation of pure 15-keto[ 3 H]PGE i , 13,14-dihydro-15-keto[ 3 H]PGE 1 and 13,14-dihydro[ 3 H]PGE 1 from parent [ 3 H]PGE 1 was achieved on microcolumns of silica gel. All three metabolites were completely eluted from the column with 10 ml of 0.1% formic acid in ethyl acetate. Less than 5 per cent of applied [ 3 H]PGE 1 appeared in the metabolite fraction. [ 3 H]PGE 1 was subsequently eluted from the column with 1% formic acid in ethyl acetate. Identical results were obtained with radiolabeled metabolites and parent PGE 1 extracted from dog blood. Application of this method to indicator-dilution experiments designed to measure removal of [ 3 H]PGE 1 in dog lung and brain is reported. Pulmonary extraction and metabolism of [ 3 H]PGE 1 at the peak of indicator-dilution outflow curves were 84.1 ± 2.2 and 41.8 ± 9.3 per cent (mean ± S.D., N = 20) respectively. Brain extraction from duplicate runs in one animal averaged 22 per cent with less than 5 per cent metabolism of [ 3 H]PGE 1 . These estimates agree well with previously reported data and thereby support the reliability and usefulness of this new method.
The effects of long-term total parenteral nutrition on gut mucosal immunity in children with short bowel syndrome: a systematic review

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is defined as the malabsorptive state that often follows massive resection of the small intestine. Most cases originate in the newborn period and result from congenital anomalies. It is associated with a high morbidity, is potentially lethal and often requires months, sometimes years, in the hospital and home on total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Long-term survival without parenteral nutrition depends upon establishing enteral nutrition and the process of intestinal adaptation through which the remaining small bowel gradually increases its absorptive capacity. The purpose of this article is to perform a descriptive systematic review of the published articles on the effects of TPN on the intestinal immune system investigating whether long-term TPN induces bacterial translocation, decreases secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA), impairs intestinal immunity, and changes mucosal architecture in children with SBS. The databases of OVID, such as MEDLINE and CINAHL, Cochran Library, and Evidence-Based Medicine were searched for articles published from 1990 to 2001. Search terms were total parenteral nutrition, children, bacterial translocation, small bowel syndrome, short gut syndrome, intestinal immunity, gut permeability, sepsis, hyperglycemia, immunonutrition, glutamine, enteral tube feeding, and systematic reviews. The goal was to include all clinical studies conducted in children directly addressing the effects of TPN on gut immunity. A total of 13 studies were identified. These 13 studies included a total of 414 infants and children between the ages approximately 4 months to 17 years old, and 16 healthy adults as controls; and they varied in design and were conducted in several disciplines. The results were integrated into common themes. Five themes were identified: 1) sepsis, 2) impaired immune functions: In vitro studies, 3) mortality, 4) villous atrophy, 5) duration of dependency on TPN after bowel resection. Based on this exhaustive literature review, there is no direct evidence suggesting that TPN promotes bacterial overgrowth, impairs neutrophil functions, inhibits blood's bactericidal effect, causes villous atrophy, or causes to death in human model. The hypothesis relating negative effects of TPN on gut immunity remains attractive, but unproven. Enteral nutrition is cheaper, but no safer than TPN. Based on the current evidence, TPN seems to be safe and a life saving solution.
Neutralizing Antibody Quantification by Flow Cytometry

Publisher Summary Antibody-based immunity is a vital component of protection against many infectious diseases, and most existing vaccines work by inducing antibodies that inactivate or neutralize the invading microbe or its toxin. This chapter focuses on the application and advantages of flow cytometry to measure virus neutralization. Virus neutralization assays are designed to measure a reduction in virus infectious titer mediated by exposure to antibody. The chapter presents basic methods for an HIV-1 flow cytometric neutralization assay. Antibodies bound to viral determinants can interrupt viral infection of a cell by several mechanisms, including the inhibition of cellular attachment, virus-cell fusion, and uncoating after viral entry. The ability to make accurate and precise measurements of antibody-mediated virus neutralization is important for the evaluation of mechanisms of neutralization and for the assessment of antibody responses elicited by immunization.
Comparison of Four Approaches to Increasing Physical Fitness

Abstract An attempt was made to study the relative effectiveness of four approaches to increasing physical fitness in male college freshmen. A freshmen orientation class was randomly divided into four groups of 12 students each to receive one of the following treatments: (a) calisthenics, games, and sports with a periodic knowledge of results; (b) calisthenics, games, and sports without a knowledge of results; (c) games and sports with a periodic knowledge of results; and (d) games and sports without a knowledge of results. The Indiana Motor Fitness Test was used to determine the subject's physical fitness index at the first, sixth, twelfth, eighteenth, and twenty-fourth class session. Knowledge of results seemed to have more effect on physical fitness than 15 minutes of calisthenics at the beginning of each class.
Hydrokinetic oscillators for ocean energy sources

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) is currently researching the use of hydrokinetic oscillators to generate power for remote ocean systems. These cylinder oscillators would harness the same Flow Induced Vibration (FIV) mechanisms that often lead to annoying perturbations, flow noise and sometimes structural failures in offshore structures, cables, and heat exchanger tubes. A Yr 1 hydrokinetic oscillator was developed to demonstrate undersea energy harvesting in 1 m/s flows with flow induced vibrations (FIV) imparted on a cantilevered cylinder (200 mm × 12.7 mm dia). The program goal is to combine a compact cylinder oscillator with an SSC Pacific Kinetic Energy Harvester (KEH) that operates at 10 – 15 Hz and which could output 200 to 700 mW power if exposed to 1 – 2 g-rms vibrations. Midterm Yr 1 tests were conducted on a 12.7 mm diameter cylinder and KEH mockup in 0.6 m/s flow and resulted in 8 Hz oscillation frequencies with 1 – 2 g accelerations. Further testing with other cylinder configurations and flow speeds will be conducted in Fall 2011 at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography Stratified Flow Channel in La Jolla, CA.
Secure MQTT for Internet of Things (IoT)

Rapid innovations in the area of digital things and Information Communication Technology are driving rapid deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) around the globe. Device to Device communications (D2D) in IoT are envisaged through various protocols such as Constrained Access Protocol (CoAP), Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) and MQTT-SN (for sensor networks). One of the major concerns in the deployment of IoT is to ensure the security of devices and D2D communications. Besides, existing communication protocols for IoT are devoid of security features. To address this, we propose a secure version of MQTT and MQTT-SN protocols (SMQTT and SMQTT-SN) in which security feature is augmented to the existing MQTT protocol based on Key/Cipher text Policy-Attribute Based Encryption(KP/CP-ABE) using lightweight Elliptic Curve Cryptography. Further we demonstrate feasibility of SMQTT and SMQTT-SNprotocols for various IoT requirements through simulations and evaluate their performance.
Endoscopic resection of orbital hemangiomas.

Background Cavernous hemangiomas are the most common orbital tumors in adults. Traditional orbitotomy approaches to resect these intraconal lesions are associated with patient morbidity due to difficulties with visualization and access in the region of the orbital apex. Methods In this retrospective chart review and case series, the records of 5 patients who underwent endoscopic resection of orbital hemangiomas by the senior authors (A.F. and R.M.) between 2007 and 2011 were reviewed. Patient demographics, preoperative, and postoperative variables were assessed. Results All tumors were located in the medial orbital apex. Mean tumor size was 1.7 cm in maximum dimension (range, 1.0–2.7 cm). Proptosis and/or optic neuropathy were present in all cases. Surgeries were performed through an entirely endoscopic transnasal approach. One patient underwent subtotal tumor resection. Proptosis improved by a mean ± standard deviation of 1.75 ± 0.87 mm. The average improvement in visual acuity was 1.8 lines on a Snellen chart (range, 1–4 lines). There were no long-term adverse sequelae. Conclusion Endoscopic techniques for the treatment of patients with hemangiomas in the posterior medial orbit appear to offer the advantage of enhanced surgical access with reduced patient morbidity compared to conventional orbitotomy approaches.
Effect of throughfall variability on recharge: application to hemlock and deciduous forests in western Massachusetts

Vegetation canopies intercept and redistribute precipitation in space. Although throughfall patterns are challenging to correlate with plant characteristics, many studies have shown that the spatial patterns persist through time. This persistence leads to wet and dry spots that can affect recharge, transpiration, and other nonlinear ecohydrologic and biogeochemical processes. A stochastic framework is used to determine the effect of throughfall variability on hydrologic fluxes. Throughfall variability increases and concentrates recharge, and the magnitude of the effect depends on the character of throughfall variability along with characteristics of climate, soil, and vegetation. This framework is also used to explore specific differences in summertime recharge between stands of deciduous trees (birch, maple, and oak) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Throughout the eastern United States, the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid poses a significant threat to hemlock forests, and replacement of hemlock forests by other species has the potential to alter hydrologic fluxes and other processes. Field investigations in 2009 and 2010 indicate that, relative to deciduous stands, hemlock canopies intercept more water and tend to produce dry rather than wet spots. Although deciduous stands produce more throughfall, model results indicate that differences in canopy interception are outweighed by large differences in peak transpiration rates, and predictions of summertime recharge are lower in deciduous forests than in hemlock. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A unified image registration framework for ITK

Publicly available scientific resources help establish evaluation standards, provide a platform for teaching and may improve reproducibility. Version 4 of the Insight ToolKit ( ITK $^{\text{4}}$) seeks to establish new standards in publicly available image registration methodology. In this work, we provide an overview and preliminary evaluation of the revised toolkit against registration based on the previous major ITK version (3.20). Furthermore, we propose a nomenclature that may be used to discuss registration frameworks via schematic representations. In total, the ITK$^{\text{4}}$ contribution is intended as a structure to support reproducible research practices, will provide a more extensive foundation against which to evaluate new work in image registration and also enable application level programmers a broad suite of tools on which to build.
Neurological Disassociations of Social Perception Processes

Presented is a preliminary model of social perception, based on neurological models of word reading. The model distinguishes between two types of social perception processes, perceptual/episodic information, and conceptual/abstracted information. It is hypothesized that perceptual/episodic processes are dominated by the right cerebral hemisphere, whereas conceptual/abstracted processes are dominated by the left cerebral hemisphere. Three experiments are presented that demonstrate the described hemispheric asymmetries in person perception. Experiment 1 utilizes the Mere Exposure Paradigm to demonstrate that the association of positive affect to previously viewed target photos of men and women occurs only in the right hemisphere. Experiment 2 uses photos of ingroup and outgroup members as primes for positively and negatively valenced words within a lexical decision task. Results indicated an ingroup favoritism effect only in the left hemisphere. Experiment 3 utilized an online probe methodology within a soc...
Doppler tissue imaging and catheter-derived measures are not independent predictors of rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients

The purpose of the study is to determine the association of Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) and catheter-derived measures with rejection in pediatric heart transplant (PHT) recipients and to determine any correlation between DTI and catheter-derived measurements. Sixty echocardiograms were prospectively performed in 37 PHT recipients at the time of surveillance cardiac biopsy. During right-heart cardiac catheterization, sequential pressures of the right heart and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures (PCWP) were measured. DTI was performed to obtain peak systolic (S'), early (E') and late (A') diastolic velocities (cm/s) at tricuspid annulus, septum and mitral annulus. Septal S' and tricuspid annular A' were associated with rejection, but had low sensitivity and specificity. Elevated lateral mitral E/E' did not predict rejection. The mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and cardiac index were similar in those with and without rejection. The lateral mitral and septal E/E' did not correlate with PCWP. Some DTI-derived measures were altered during rejection, but were not clinically useful predictors of rejection. Catheter-derived measures were not significantly altered during rejection and did not correlate with DTI-derived measures. None of these measures can replace the current practice of performing cardiac biopsy for surveillance of rejection.
mRNA quantification via second harmonic super resolution microscopy

Cell-specific information on quantity and localization of key mRNA transcripts in single-cell level are critical to the assessment of cancer risk, therapy efficacy, and effective prevention strategies. However, most available technologies for mRNA detection rely on cell extraction that inherently destroys the tissue context and provide only average expression levels from cell populations or whole tissues. In this paper, we proposed a novel super resolution concept, second harmonic generation (SHG) super-resolution microscopy (SHaSM), and apply that to detect single short mRNA transcript, Her2 mRNA, beyond the diffraction limit. Nano-sized SHG crystals, barium titanium oxide BaTiO 3 (BTO), were functionalized with two complimentary strands of Her2 mRNA after the chemical surface-modification. Dimer schematic was used to improve the specificity of detection and quantification, where two BTO monomers bind to the Her2 mRNA to form a dimer and being visualized via the SHaSM. SHaSM is able to detect single BTO nanocrystal with ~20 nm spatial resolution, and differentiate BTO dimers (Her2 mRNA) from BTO monomers (non-specific bounded BTO nanocrystal) with high specificity.
Experimental evidence for a decay mode of highly excited T> levels

In the bombardment of $^{96}\mathrm{Mo}$ by proton beams with energies between 22 and 28 MeV, a definite structure is observed in the proton spectra of the reaction products, extending from about 3.0 to 4.2 MeV. The characteristics of this structure indicate that it arises from the isospin-allowed two-neutron decay (experimentally unobserved) of ${T}_{g}$ ($T=\frac{13}{2}$) levels in $^{97}\mathrm{Tc}$ to low-lying ${T}_{g}$ ($T=\frac{11}{2}$) $^{95}\mathrm{Tc}$ levels which then undergo proton decay (experimentally observed) to the low-lying levels of $^{94}\mathrm{Mo}$. The $^{97}\mathrm{Tc}$ levels whose decay modes produce this structure have excitation energies between 27 and 33 MeV and they are from 16 to 22 MeV above the lowest-lying ${T}_{g}$ state in $^{97}\mathrm{Tc}$.
Reward magnitude shifts: A savings effect

Two groups of rats were first trained to traverse a runway, one with large and the other with small food rewards. Both groups were then given additional training with small rewards until their performance equalized. In final training, both groups were shifted to the larger rewards. The group with a prior history of large rewards, evidenced savings in the final stage of training, in terms of a faster rate of performance change to the level appropriate to the larger reward.
Viscoelastic analysis of piles and pile groups

The axial and lateral load-displacement response of single piles and pile groups during the secondary consolidation (creep) phase of deformation is obtained by idealizing the soil as a linear viscoelastic material. The boundary element method is used to model the soil halfspace and the piles, which are assumed to behave elastically, are idealized as beam-columns. By using the correspondence principle, the problem is solved in the Laplace transform domain and the final solution is obtained by numerical inversion of the transformed data. The salient features of the viscoelastic response are identified in several non-dimensional plots which encompass the spectrum of geometrical and material parameters commonly encountered in practice. The results of the analysis compare favourably with the limited data available in the literature. (Author/TRRL)
Morphology of polymer crystals: Screw dislocations in polyethylene, polymethylene oxide and polyethylene oxide

Abstract Single crystals of polyethylene, polymethylene oxide and polyethylene oxide have been prepared in suitable solvents at a variety of temperatures. The spacings between successive steps of the terraces and spiral ramps on the crystal surfaces have been measured. It was found that, as predicted by screw dislocation theory, the spacings varied inversely as the supercooling. However, the magnitude of the spacings was almost ten times that predicted by theory. It is proposed that the discrepancy results from the fact that the theory neglects the radius of the strained region around the screw axis. This neglect is tenable when, as in crystals of low molecular weight materials, the step height is of the order of a few Angstrom units, but is indefensible when the step height is 100 A or more as in polymer crystals.
Comparison of allozyme variability in a native and an introduced species of Lonicera

Levels of allozyme variation are compared between a diploid invasive plant species, Lonicera japonica Thunb. (2n = 18) and its polyploid native congener, Lonicera sempervirens L. (2n = 36). Both are woody perennials and were sampled within the native range of L. sempervirens in the south-eastern United States where L. japonica has been an invader since the late 19th century. Genetic structure and allozyme diversity were determined for nine and ten populations of L. sempervirens and L. japonica, respectively. Genetic variation within L. japonica is similar to that in other species with similar life history traits (per cent polymorphic loci, Ps = 75 per cent, mean alleles per polymorphic locus, Aps = 2.28, and total genetic diversity, Ht = 0.216); L. sempervirens has even higher genetic variation than L. japonica (Ps = 91 per cent, Aps = 2.60 and Ht = 0.283). Although both species have high levels of genetic diversity, this may be less important than their life history traits to their success in early successful habitats. However, establishment of a relationship between success in naturalization for woody perennials and levels of genetic diversity is hampered by the paucity of comparable records for other native: alien congeneric pairs.
Displays for future intermediate UAV

The Dedicated Autonomous Extended Duration Airborne Long-range Utility System (DAEDALUS) is a prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that won the 2007 AFRL Commander's Challenge. The purpose of the Commander's Challenge was to find an innovative solution to urgent warfighter needs by designing a UAV with increased persistence for tactical employment of sensors and communication systems. DAEDALUS was chosen as a winning prototype by AFRL, AFMC and SECAF. Follow-on units are intended to fill an intermediate role between currently fielded Tier I and Tier II UAV's. The UAV design discussed in this paper, including sensors and displays, will enter Phase II for Rapid Prototype Development with the intent of developing the design for eventual production. This paper will discuss the DAEDALUS UAV prototype system, with particular focus on its communications, to include the infrared sensor and electro-optical camera, but also displays, specifically man-portable.
Adaptation of Red Blood Cell Function to Hypoxia and Temperature in Ectothermic Vertebrates

function in adaptations of ectothermic ver? tebrates to hypoxia and temperature. The term adaptation, as used in this ar? ticle, means an alteration of physiological function which compensates for a stressful environmental or organismic factor. Two such factors of paramount importance to ectothermic vertebrates are temperature and oxygen availability. The physiological function to be examined in terms of adapt? ability is oxygen transport by blood from the gas exchange surface to the intracel? lular sites of 02 utilization. Hypoxia is best defined as inadequate uptake of 02 by tissues. The cause may be environmental (reduced 02 content and/or partial pressure in the respiratory medi? um) or organismic. In the latter category there is a hierarchy of sub-causes proceeding down the "oxygen cascade," i.e., impaired gas exchange, shunt, ventilation/ perfusion mismatch, hypoperfusion, or inappropriate oxygen binding properties of blood. The "appropriateness" of the oxy? gen binding properties of blood depends, in turn, on environmental conditions, i.e., the partial pressure of 02 (Po2) in the res? piratory medium, and on the efficacy of gas exchange and degree of shunt. The position of the oxyhemoglobin dis? sociation curve (ODC) even with full knowledge about the environmental oxy? gen availability, is inadequate information for conclusions about adaptability of "ap? propriateness" for tissue oxygenation. Such conclusions are valid only if infor? mation is available on in vivo values of temperature, blood gases (arterial and mixed venous Po2 and Pco2), pH and oxygen ca? pacity. Furthermore, the position of the ODC may cause, as well as be affected by, hypoxia. For example, in vertebrates with incompletely separated pulmonary and systemic circulations (lungfishes, amphibi? ans, and reptiles), the arterial hypoxemia due to right-to-left shunting may lead to severe arterial desaturation and hypoxia if the ODC is positioned too far to the right. Conversely, hypoxia caused by environ? mental factors can, by influencing the aerobic metabolism of nucleated red cells (or anaerobic metabolism of mammalian red cells), alter (in opposite directions!) the level of allosteric effectors of hemoglobin function and shift the position of the ODC. Thus, although it is often irresistably tempting (as evidenced below) to assess physiological meaning from shapes and positions of ODCs, Bohr factors, and ap? parent enthalpy (AH) values, such specu? lations should always be recognized and identified as just that.
p-tert-Butyltetrathiatetramercaptocalix[4]arene as a sulfur-rich platform for molybdenum, tungsten and nickel.

p-tert-Butyltetrathiatetramercaptocalix[4]arene, [S4CalixBut(SH)4], reacts with Mo(PMe3)6, W(PMe3)4(η2-CH2PMe2)H and Ni(PMe3)4 to yield molybdenum, tungsten and nickel compounds in a sulfur-rich coordination environment.
Economics of Information and Job Search: Another View

In a recent article, J. J. McCall 1 derives optimal stopping rules for employees engaged in job search -when wage rates are variable for presumably similar jobs. He notes that his arguments are symmetric from the viewpoint of employers engaged in employee search-when, presumably, employee wage demands are variable for similar workers. We wish to suggest, however, that due either to institutional factors or to internal accounting needs many employers are bound to pay new employees according to employee qualification, compensation rate scales that are fixed in the short run.2 In such cases the employers' problem becomes one of obtaining the best possible employees (available at any given wage rate(s)) to fill particular job positions subject to constraints imposed by the expected cost of employee search. This shifts employers' search emphasis from employee wage demands to employee quality and gives us a new model for employer search. By using the premise of short-run wage rigidities (by worker type or job category) in deriving a model of employer search, we can generate a purely economic rationale for discrimination.3 This form of discrimination varies inversely with the business cyclewhich is consistent with observations that unemployment rates for "disadvantaged" groups vary more widely over the cycle than unemployment rates for "prime" labor force groups.4
Charge transport in mesoscopic conducting polymer wires

In an attempt to reconcile transport in aniline oligomers with that observed in bulk polyaniline, we constructed meso-scale (60 nm) molecular junctions bridged by polyanion-stabilized polyaniline (PANI) strands. Junctions were characterized by their conductance versus electrochemical potential (G-E) and current versus voltage (I-V) characteristics, In contrast to bulk polyaniline, sharp peaks were seen in the G-E data, and these gave rise to negative differential resistance in the I-V curves, behavior much like that observed in aniline oligomers. The width of the conductance peaks increased with the amount of polymer deposited in the junction. In contrast to oligomers, the peaks in the meso-scale devices displayed a large hysteresis. The absolute conductance of the junctions is far too high to be consistent with transport along isolated chains, suggesting that a fundamental charge carrying unit is something morphologically more complex than a single polymer molecule.
Immunoreactive inhibin secretion by the hypophysectomized female rat: demonstration of the modulating effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and estrogen through a direct ovarian site of action.

To investigate the possibility that sex steroids and GnRH might act directly at the level of the ovary to modulate the secretion of immunoreactive inhibin, we have administered estradiol benzoate, PMSG, or GnRH analogs to immature (24-day-old) hypophysectomized female rats. The sc injection of 10–100 μg estradiol benzoate markedly (P < 0.01) increased plasma inhibin levels measured 48 h later. Administration of the GnRH agonist [DTrp6,Pro9-NEt]GnRH significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited both spontaneous and PMSGinduced inhibin secretion, while the GnRH antagonist [Ac-D2Nal1,D4ClPhe2,D3Pal3,Arg5,DGlu6(AA),DAla10]GnRH augmented the stimulatory effect of PMSG action on inhibin release. These results suggest a direct ovarian site of action of sex steroids and GnRH analogs in modulating the release of immunoreactive inhibin. They also support the hypothesis that an endogenous GnRH-like peptide of ovarian origin plays a physiological paracrine role in modulating inhibin secretion in the rat (Endocrinology 124: 195–...
Nanoscale mechanical property measurements using modified atomic force microscopy

Abstract A new nanoindenter using AFM has been used for hardness and elastic modulus measurements with indentation depths as low as about 2 nm. The new indenter system is briefly described. The novelty of this system lies in its ability to make load-displacement measurements with subnanometer indentation depth sensitivity and to subsequently provide an in situ image of the indent. A three-sided pyramidal (Berkovich) diamond tip has been used for the indentation experiments. Experiments have been conducted on single-crystal silicon, single crystal gallium-arsenide and single-crystal aluminum. Comparison of the data obtained using this nanoindenter with that obtained using a commercial nanoindenter has been made. The load-displacement data have been used to obtain the nanoindentation hardness and Young's modulus of elasticity of single-crystal silicon and single-crystal aluminum. Hardness on a nano scale is found to be higher than on a microscale.
A spectrofluorometer to measure difference in fluorescence spectra: A simple method for imporving sensitivity

Abstract The accurately measure small changes in fluorescence spectra a difference spectrofluorometer was designed and constructed. The instrument simultaneously measures fluorescence from two samples. Routinely, two identical samples are used; one serving as the reference while the other is subjected to experimentation. This procedure minimizes variations in fluorescence arising from intabilities in either the sensitivity of the instrument or from the sample with time.
Robust stabilization via nonlinear time-varying feedback

In this paper we consider the problem of robust stabilization for a certain class of plants with unstructured, infinite dimensional uncertainty. We demonstrate that for the problem of robustly stabilizing this class of plants, linear time--invariant controllers perform as well as nonlinear lime-varying (NLTV) ones. This, in particular, implies that adaptive control laws offer no advantage as far as the problem of robust stabilization of this class of plants is concerned. As a corollary we demonstrate that the small-gain theorem is both necessary and sufficient for a certain class of NLTV operators.
Effects of a second heating on rat liver blood flow.

Effects of a second heating on blood flow in the liver and cardiac output were studied in Fischer rats. Heating was done by an experimental capacitive heating device using 8 MHz radiofrequency. Thermometry was performed at seven points around the liver with thermocouples. Blood flow and cardiac output were measured with the radioactive microsphere method. The liver was preheated for 30 min at 41 or 43°C, and then reheated 1–7 days later at 41 °C for 15 min. Hepatic arterial blood flow, portal venous blood flow and the cardiac output were measured immediately before and at the end of the reheating. Heating the liver at 41°C for 15 min without preheating slightly increased the hepatic arterial blood flow, and reheating 1–7 days after the first heating caused a greater increase in the hepatic arterial blood flow. Increase in hepatic arterial blood flow caused by reheatings pointed to the development of thermotolerance or thermal adaptation in the hepatic artery. When the liver was heated at 41°C for 15 min w...
Nonnormative discounting: there is more to cue interaction effects than controlling for alternative causes.

Several experiments on human causal reasoning have demonstrated “discounting”-that the presence of a strong alternative cause may decrease the perceived efficacy of a moderate target cause. Some, but not all, of these effects have been shown to be attributable to subjects’ use of conditional rather than unconditional contingencies (i.e., subjects control for alternative causes). We review experimental results that do not conform to the conditionalizing contingency account of causal judgment. In four experiments, we demonstrate that there is “nonnormative discounting” above what is accounted for by conditionalization, that discounting may depend on the nature of the question put to the subjects, and that discounting can be affected by motivation. We conclude that because nonnormative discounting occurs for summary presentations as well as trial-by-trial presentations of information and because nonnormative discounting depends on motivation, it is not a necessary result of cue competition during the contingency learning process.