cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular self-shielding in the outflows from late-type stars

It is proposed that molecules, especially CO and H2, in the circumstellar outflows from late-type stars can be self-shielded from ambient interstellar UV radiation. The theory of self-shielding in spherical, expanding envelopes is developed for the case in which the photodestruction is dominated by absorption in the Doppler cores of the relevant UV lines, and it is shown that this theory can account for the observations of IRC plus 10216. Also considered is the case in which photodestruction takes place in the damping wings of the UV lines as is appropriate for H2. It is found that most of the hydrogen remains molecular, although the amount of atomic hydrogen is not completely negligible.
Remarks on a question of ericksen concerning elastostatic fields of Saint-Venant type

In an effort to understand better the relationship between approximate theories —such as those for thin rods—and the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, Ericksen [l]–[3] has recently suggested a reconsideration of Saint-Venant’s problem for elastic cylinders with traction-free lateral surfaces. Among the various questions raised in [l]–[3], one concerns the structure and role of the set of all possible elastostatic fields in an infinitely long cylinder in the absence of lateral loading and body force, but in the presence of a restriction on the size of a suitable cross-sectional norm of the associated strain tensor field.
An Infinite Slab Isotropic, Transversely Inhomogeneous Elastic Material Subjected to Tension

Abstract : The dependence of the stress field on a continuous periodically varying stiffness which approximates a layered material is studied. This dependence is compared to the solution for the usual approximation of converting this class of problems to the superposition of an anisotropic one and a residual boundary problem. The region of applicability of the usual approximation is found to be as expected geometrically but surprisingly large as far as variation of stiffness is concerned.
Investigation of the solid phase synthesis of tyrosine‐derived diphenol monomers with resin‐bound carbodiimide coupling reagents

Tyrosine-derived pseudo-polypeptides have recently been established as potential biomaterials. The bulk production of these polymers is dependant upon the convenient synthesis of tyrosine-derived diphenolic monomers. Suitable solution phase methods for the synthesis of such monomers, with transient activated esters, have been reported previously by Kohn, J.; Langer, R. In Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine; Ratner, B. D.; Hoffman, A. S.; Schoen, F. J.; Lemons, J. E., Eds.; Academic Press: New York, 1996; pp 64–72. However, for all the methods reported by them, purification and isolation of the diphenol monomer involves rigorous extraction, column purification, or an extensive aqueous workup. These may lead to the incorporation of solvent-based as well as inorganic impurities and also may lead to difficulties in the process scale-up. In this article, an alternate and relatively more convenient method for the synthesis of tyrosine-based diphenol monomers is reported. This involved the investigation of polymer resin-bound carbodiimide in the solid-phase synthesis of L-tyrosine-based diphenolic monomers. This method was found to eliminate the need for rigorous purification processes and was found to maintain reasonable yield as well as maintain purity of the final monomer product. The monomer was able to produce polymers of a reasonably high-molecular-weight and a narrow polydispersity. The amide bond formation by such a polymer-tethered reagent can be described to follow a reverse-Merrifield sense and the method is relatively convenient to scale up. The L-tyrosine-based diphenolic monomeric compound formed by this method was analyzed by NMR, Fourier transform infrared, and elemental microanalysis techniques for chemical structure and composition. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4906–4915, 2004
A Theory of the Preferred Worker: A Structural Explanation for Black Male Dominance in Basketball

Black males' `dominance' in basketball is taken for granted and often explained in terms of racial difference and socio-environmental factors. However, this is only one side of the coin. Power needs to be considered for a fuller understanding. This article does this, providing a structural perspective of black male integration into basketball that builds from Edna Bonacich's work on labor and group relations. An occupational niche is two-way; a group finds and occupies a niche that they have been given access to by a hiring group. Black males do not dominate the collegiate and professional ranks of basketball simply because of ability. They were given access to the opportunity because it benefited capitalist interests and because of their marginalized position in society. In this specific context, they represent the most profitable labor source.
Quantifying the ‘reverse water gas shift’ reaction inside a PEM fuel cell

Reformed gas containing CO2, N2, and H2 may be used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), and recent evidence has shown that CO2 can react in situ with H2 (i.e., a reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction) and produce adsorbed CO that can poison the electrode catalyst. Here, a study is presented to extend the previous observations by considering how pressure, gas composition, and temperature affect this reaction in a PEMFC for both Pt and Pt/Ru alloy catalysts. The coverage of CO produced on the electrodes was determined by stripping cyclic voltammetry (CV). The data show how the CO stripping potential depends on temperature, and how the analysis allows the determination of an activation energy. The data are shown to be consistent with a kinetic catalytic model and not with an equilibrium model.
A service visualization tool for spatial web portal

This paper introduces the design and development of a client-side Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the NASA Spatial Web Portal. A spatial web portal is an entry point to spatial data and services within spatial platforms. The usability and efficiency of the entry point will decide the success of the entire system. This paper describes visualization and GUI designs and implementation for improving client performance. Abundant information about web service is tightly grouped into different floating windows for better information display. Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) technology is implemented to enhance visualization performance. The mirror world tools such as Google Maps, Bing Maps, and NASA World Wind provide new mechanism for spatial data discovery and visualization. We test how the methods utilized along with Bing Maps improve the performance of the NASA Spatial Web Portal.
A contingency management intervention for adolescent marijuana abuse and conduct problems.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe an innovative treatment for adolescent marijuana abuse and provide initial information about its feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy. Method Provided an intervention composed of (1) a clinic-administered, abstinence-based incentive program; (2) parent-directed contingency management targeting substance use and conduct problems; (3) a clinic-administered incentive program for parent participation; and (4) individual cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents. Data are presented for 19 adolescents, age 15-18 years. Measures of substance use, psychopathology, and parenting were collected before and after the 14-week treatment. Substance use measures were also collected 1 month post-treatment. Substance use was monitored by twice-weekly urine and breath testing. An intent-to-treat model was used. Results Adolescents and parents attended an average of 10.3 and 10.6 of 14 sessions, respectively. Substance use, externalizing behaviors, and negative parenting behaviors decreased by treatment end. Urine testing indicated that abstinence increased from 37% at intake to 74% at treatment end ( z value=2.28, p = .02) and that 53% of adolescents were abstinent 30 days post-treatment. Conclusions Preliminary data provide support for the feasibility and acceptability of a family-based, contingency management model to treat adolescent substance use and conduct problems. Controlled efficacy studies with larger samples are needed.
Non-squamous variants of human papillomavirus-related head and neck carcinoma

Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) is now well established as an important causative agent in a subset of head and neck cancers. HPV-related head and neck carcinomas are important to recognize because these malignancies are associated with better survival and an improved response to therapy when compared to their HPV-negative counterparts. HPV-related head and neck cancer characteristically takes the form of a non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. Widespread HPV testing of head and neck tumours, however, has revealed variants that depart from the standard HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma morphology. Most recently, examples of HPV-related carcinomas that actually lack a squamous phenotype, at least partially, have been reported. This manuscript will discuss these non-squamous variants of HPV-related head and neck carcinomas: adenosquamous carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma, sarcomatoid carcinoma, and sinonasal carcinoma with adenoid cystic-like features.
Systemic and Central Amygdala Injections of the mGluR2/3 Agonist LY379268 Attenuate the Expression of Incubation of Cocaine Craving

Background We and others reported time-dependent increases in cue-induced cocaine seeking after withdrawal, suggesting that craving incubates over time. Recently, we found that central amygdala extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and glutamate are involved in this incubation. Here, we further explored the role of central amygdala glutamate in the incubation of cocaine craving by determining the effect of systemic or central amygdala injections of the mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 (which decreases glutamate release) on cue-induced cocaine seeking during early and late withdrawal. Methods Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine for 10 days (6 hours/day); infusions were paired with a tone-light cue. Cocaine seeking and craving after systemic or central amygdala injections of LY379268 were then assessed in extinction tests in the presence of the cocaine-associated cues during early (day 3) or late (day 21) withdrawal. Results Systemic (1.5 or 3 mg/kg) or central amygdala (.5 or 1.0 μg/side) injections of LY379268 attenuated enhanced extinction responding on day 21 but had no effect on lower extinction responding on day 3. Conclusions Results confirm our previous findings on the role of central amygdala glutamate in the incubation of cocaine craving and together with previous reports suggest that mGluR2/3 agonists should be considered in the treatment of drug relapse.
Electrokinetics in nanochannels: part II. Mobility dependence on ion density and ionic current measurements.

In the first of this two-paper series, a new model was developed for calculating the electric potential field in a long, thin nanochannel with overlapped electric double layers. The model takes into account the dependence of ion mobility on local ion densities and pH. This model is used here to study and demonstrate the effect of ion density and pH on ionic current measurements. A comparison is shown of predictions based on each of three boundary conditions, as studied in Part I. The model developed in Part I is validated by comparing simulations with measurements of ionic current as a function of sodium borate concentration. Results show that predictions based on extended Debye-Huckel theory for ion mobility significantly improve the accuracy of simulations, but that these do not predict exact scaling behavior. A simple bulk conductivity measurement used as input parameter for the simulations, in place of the predicted bulk conductivity (K(0)), guarantees agreement with data in the thin EDL region. Results also indicate that the charge regulation boundary condition, complemented with an adequate bulk electrolyte model, provides better agreement with experimental trends than the specified zeta potential or specified surface net charge boundary conditions. Further, it is shown that currents due to advection (by electroosmotic flow) are in all cases studied less than 25% of the total current in the system.
Ferrihydrite phase transformation in the presence of aqueous sulfide and supercritical CO2

Abstract The transformation of ferrihydrite to siderite (FeCO 3 ) in the presence of supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ) and aqueous sulfide has been investigated by in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical transformation of iron-bearing minerals to form iron carbonates may play a role in the chemistry related to the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's (sub)surface. The iron oxyhydroxide ferrihydrite in an aqueous solution containing sodium sulfide in contact with scCO 2 at 100 °C reacts within 24 h to form siderite and elemental sulfur. In situ studies of this reaction with ATR-FTIR show that ferrihydrite exists with an adsorbed layer of carbonate. However, the presence of the carbonate adsorbate does not impede the reduction of ferric to ferrous iron and, ultimately, siderite is observed. While ferrihydrite has been used in this study as a model material in the investigation of mineral storage of CO 2 at carbon sequestration conditions it may have potential use above ground in surface mineral carbonation.
Science Contra Religion in John Updike's THE INVENTION OF THE HORSE COLLAR

Although critics do not generally identify him as a satirist, John Updike is certainly no stranger to the form. Some scholars have rightly noted that Updike often uses satire to discuss major philo...
Abstract A19: Profiling long noncoding RNA expression in cancer cells by real-time PCR arrays

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), as a new class of transcripts, have been recently shown to be pervasively transcribed in the genomes of human and mouse. In particular, accumulating evidence link the expression of lncRNAs to diverse human diseases, highlighting their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However, there are still many missing dots in our current understanding of lncRNA function. Thus, investigation of the expression patterns of lncRNAs is a crucial step to understanding of their roles in many model systems. To this end, we developed a qPCR based disease-related human lncRNA profiler, which allows for the quantification of differential expression of 83 individual lncRNAs among various experimental RNA samples. All 83 lncRNAs chosen for the array are based on publications and they are implicated in diseases ranging from neurodegeneration to cancer. The array plate also includes the house keeping genes and small RNA transcripts for normalization purposes. To determine the utility of this lncRNA profiler, we profiled their expression in breast cancer specimens compared to matched normal tissue and identified several lncRNAs are dysregulated, suggesting that lncRNAs may function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Gene expression profiling with this lncRNA profiler in a series of breast cell lines such as MCF10A, MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells identified differential expression patterns unique to each cell line, which may provide a basis for future analysis of these differentially expressed lncRNAs. Furthermore, we determined the effect of p53 on lncRNA expression in HCT-116 and MCF-7 cells. Initial testing indicated that at least three lncRNAs are induced by p53 in both cell lines. Experiments are underway to further characterize these p53 inducible lncRNAs. Together, these results suggest that disease-related human lncRNA profiler is a valuable research tool that can be tailored for specific needs in different research laboratories. The features of this profiler are easy, convenient, sensitive and specific. Accordingly it serves the first step toward the understanding of the role of lncRNAs in human diseases. Citation Format: Fangting Wu, Yin-Yuan Mo. Profiling long noncoding RNA expression in cancer cells by real-time PCR arrays [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Noncoding RNAs and Cancer; 2012 Jan 8-11; Miami Beach, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A19.
Contra-directional coupling between TE and TM modes in asymmetric photonic crystal waveguides

Coupling between the fundamental TE- and TM-like modes in a photonic crystal waveguide is investigated. Coupling is achieved by introducing transverse and vertical asymmetries into the periodic guiding layer. Polarization-insensitive narrow-band filtering behavior is demonstrated.
Src family kinase–mediated and Erk-mediated thromboxane A2 generation are essential for VWF/GPIb-induced fibrinogen receptor activation in human platelets

The binding of von Willebrand factor (VWF) to the platelet membrane glycoprotein Ib-IX (GPIb-IX) results in platelet activation. In this study, we sought to clarify previous conflicting reports and to elucidate the mechanism of activation and the precise role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) in VWF-induced platelet activation. Erk2 is activated in platelets on stimulation with VWF/ristocetin in a time-dependent manner. VWF-induced Erk2 phosphorylation and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) release were completely blocked by PP2, an Src family kinase inhibitor, suggesting that Erk is downstream of Src family kinases. U73122, a phospholipase C inhibitor, also abolished TXA2 generation and Erk phosphorylation. Although VWF fostered the agglutination of platelets regardless of any additional treatment, the inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) with U0126 abolished VWF-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane production in non-aspirin-treated washed platelets. However, in platelets treated with aspirin, VWF failed to cause any aggregation. Thus, we conclude that VWF stimulation of platelets results in phospholipase A2 activation through Erk stimulation and that Src family kinases and phospholipase C play essential roles in this event. We further conclude that VWF-induced platelet aggregation does not directly depend on Erk activation but has an absolute requirement for Src/Erk-mediated TXA2 generation.
A multicenter trial of low dose gallium nitrate in patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone

Gallium nitrate is a potent antiresorptive drug that has been extensively tested in patients with accelerated bone turnover. We have evaluated the effects of this new agent in a pilot multicenter trial of 49 patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone. Patients were randomized to receive 0.05, 0.25, or 0.5 mg/kg.day gallium nitrate administered by sc injection in two 14-day cycles. Serum alkaline phosphatase, fasting 2-h urinary hydroxyproline and N- telopeptide collagen cross-links excretion, and quality of life were assessed every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. The group mean alkaline phosphatase activity at baseline was 854 +/- 100 (+/- SEM) IU/L. The mean changes from baseline to week 12 in serum alkaline phosphatase were +0.5%, -24%, and -31%, respectively, for the three doses tested. The differences for each of the higher dose levels (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg.day) was statistically significant (P < or = 0.05), and nearly half of the patients treated with the 0.5 mg/kg.day dose achieved a 50% or more reduction in enzyme activity. The nadir value in hydroxyproline excretion occurred at 10 weeks, with mean changes of +9%, -10%, and -17% for the 0.05, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg.day doses, respectively; the difference was significant only at the 0.5 mg/kg.day level (P < 0.01). Urinary collagen cross-link excretion showed a significant decrease at the 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg.day doses. We also observed a definite, but nonsignificant, trend for improved quality of life in patients treated at the highest drug dose. Minor discomfort at the injection site was frequently reported, but did not lead to interruption of therapy. Our results in these patients who had received moderate to extensive prior therapies with other drugs show that cyclical, low dose, sc administration of gallium nitrate is safe and effective for treating patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone.
Uptake and metabolism of [3H]folate by normal and by vitamin B-12- and methionine-deficient rats

Abstract The uptake of an injected dose of [ 3 H]folic acid and its metabolism to pteroylpoly-γ-glutamate forms by the livers and kidneys of vitamin B-12- and methionine-deficient and -supplemented rats were investigated. The initial hepatic uptkae of the labeled folate dose was the same in deficient and supplemented animals, demonstrating no involvement of vitamin B-12 or methionine in folate transport. At longer time periods, a decreased hepatic net uptake of labeled folate was observed in the deficient animals compared to supplemented animals, and this was directly correlated with the decreased ability of the deficient animals to synthesize pteroylpolyglutamates. The absolute rate of loss of labeled pteroylmonoglutamate from liver was the same in deficient and supplemented animals. These data are best explained by a modification of the ‘methyl trap’ hypothesis for the interrelationship of vitamin B-we and folate metabolism. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to lowered levels of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate:homocysteine methyltransferase, creating a functional folate deficiency by ‘trapping’ an increased proportion of folate as the methyl derivative. In addition, as methyltetrahydrofolate is a poor substrate for folypoly-γ-glutamate synthetase, there is a decreased synthesis of pteroylpolyglutamates, the forms of the vitamin that are preferentially retained by tissues. This results in decreased tissue folate levels under conditions of vitamin B-12 deficiency. Vitamin B-as and methionine deficiency had no significant effect on the distribution of endogenous pteroylpolyglutamates in rat liver and kidney, although total endogenous folate in rat liver was reduced by about 60%. The distribution of labeled pteroylpolyglutamates in rat liver and kidney 48 h after the tracer of [ 3 H]folate closely resembled the endogenous distribution in these tissues.
Psychotropic drug influences on brain acetylcholine utilization.

The cholinergic antisynthesis agent HC-3 was given intraventricularly to young male rats 20–30 days old to deplete brain acetylcholine (ACh). The rate of HC-3 induced depletion of ACh was used as an index of ACh utilization. Total brain ACh was determined following various doses of chlordiazepoxide, pentobarbital, chlorpromazine, methotrimeprazine, imipramine, morphine, d-amphetamine, scopolamine, LSD-25, and phencyclidine given i.p. alone and after intraventricular administration of HC-3. It was found that psychotropic drugs have marked differential effects on the rate of HC-3 induced ACh depletion.
Determination of generation lifetime and interface state density using a pulsed silicon-insulator-silicon capacitor

Abstract The transient capacitance methods have been applied to study the generation lifetimes and the interface state densities in the top Si film and the underlying substrate of a silicon-insulator-silicon (SIS) capacitor structure formed by oxygen implantation. It is shown that the effect of charge coupling between the film and the substrate can be eliminated by biasing the SIS capacitor into deep depletion. Therefore, conventional deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Zerbst methods can be directly applied to a SIS capacitor. The minimum interface state densities at the film/oxide interface determined by DLTS are found equal to 2 × 10 11 and 2 × 10 10 cm −2 eV −1 for samples annealed at 1150 and 1250°C, respectively. The generation lifetimes in the film determined by the Zerbst method are found equal to 2.3 ns and 0.18 μs for samples annealed at 1150 and 1250°C, respectively.
A model system that predicts effective half-life for radiolabeled antibody therapy

Radiolabeled antibodies to tumor associated proteins localize in both experimental and clinical cancers. In the therapeutic applications of radiolabeled antibody, tumor effective half-life (composite of biological and physical half-lives), along with the concentration of isotope deposited and energies of the isotope used, determine the tumor dose. Antibodies directed against the same antigenic specificity but derived from different species have varied tumor and whole body effective half-lives and as a result, achieve different tumor doses. In vitro testing does not evaluate the in vivo differences in effective half-life that affect tumor dose. We have developed an animal model to evaluate the effective half-life and biodistribution of radiolabeled immunoglobulin (IgG) from diverse species. To determine the relevance of such a model, the effective half-lives and tissue distributions of the different immunoglobulins in the model were compared to those obtained from the clinical program using the same radiolabeled antibody preparations. In both the experimental model and in the clinical trials, radiolabeled immunospecific and normal IgG derived from monkey, rabbit, and porcine sources had the longest effective half-lives, goat and sheep had intermediate effective half-lives, and chicken and turkey had the shortest effective half-lives. Prescreening of bovine and baboon normal IgG predict long half-lives and similar organ distributions. These species have been immunized for clinical use. Bovine IgG has a long clinical half-life and has been added to our other successful antibodies. Baboon IgG is now ready for clinical testing. The value of this model system is that it appears to be an effective in vivo preclinical screen for tumor effective half-life of antibodies and IgG from diverse species, thus guiding potential clinical use.
Graph substitution and set packing polytopes

Facets of the set packing polytope provide strong cutting planes for set packing and partitioning problems. Set packing polytopes are in a one-to-one correspondence with graphs. The facets of P(G), the set packing polytope associated with the graph G, are related to certain subgraphs of G. Of particular interest are those subgraphs G′ which are facet producing, i.e., which give rise to facets of P(G′) that cannot be obtained by lifting a facet of P(G′ - {x}), for any vertex x of G′. In this paper we characterize the facets of the set packing polytopes associated with the class of graphs obtained by Chvatal's substitution procedure, and give necessary and sufficient conditions for these graphs to be facet-producing.
Variation in proanthocyanidin content and composition among commonly grown North American cranberry cultivars (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

BACKGROUND Cranberry fruit (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is rich in polyphenols, particularly oligomeric proanthocyanidins (PACs) possessing antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. PACs may play a role in resistance to fruit rot. Although many cranberry cultivars are grown for use in foods, beverages and nutraceuticals, data on PAC content among cultivars is limited. Eight cultivars were sampled from four growing regions during the 2010 season and analyzed for PAC content and composition. RESULTS MALDI-TOF MS showed that isolated PACs had similar oligomer profiles among cultivars. The major constituents were A-type (epi)catechin oligomers of two to eight degrees of polymerization. Total PAC content ranged between 18 and 92 g PAC kg−1 dried fruit, quantified as procyanidin A2 by the dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde method. Among the cultivars sampled, Howes had the highest total PACs (76–92 g kg−1), followed by Mullica Queen and Early Black (48–82 g kg−1). Ben Lear, a disease-susceptible variety, was significantly lower in PACs than the other cultivars (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Several traditional and newer cultivars of cranberry from various growing regions in North America are excellent sources of PACs, particularly the Howes, Mullica Queen and Early Black cultivars. PAC content may play a role in keeping quality. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Design and Characterization of Differentially Enhanced Duty Ripple Control (DE-DRC) for Step-Down Converter

A new control method, differentially enhanced duty ripple control (DE-DRC), is proposed for step-down converters. The control method uses a differentially enhanced loop to amplify the output error with positive and negative differential difference amplifiers (DDAs), and a duty ripple loop to include the input voltage and the duty cycle information into the control scheme. The duty ripple loop generates a very large control ripple voltage, and the control ripple is compared with a negative control voltage to trigger an on-pulse generator to get the duty cycle. Because of the large duty ripple voltage with a big noise margin and the low pass filter effect of DDAs, the proposed DE-DRC can achieve good noise immunity. The easily configured positive and negative DDA gains can separately adjust the high and low frequency portion of the loop transfer function, and push the control bandwidth to high frequency to achieve fast transient response. Because of a unique first-order character of the inner duty ripple loop, this control can also completely eliminate the double pole peaking from the output impedance and achieve ideal closed loop output impedance in the control bandwidth, which is preferred for adaptive voltage position designs.
Susceptibility of raccoons (Procyon lotor) to infection with Mycobacterium bovis.

Tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis infection is endemic in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northeastern portion of the lower Michigan peninsula (USA). Various wild carnivores and omnivores, including raccoons (Procyon lotor), are infected with M. bovis within the endemic area. To investigate the pathogenesis of tuberculosis in raccoons and the likelihood of M. bovis transmission from infected raccoons to other susceptible hosts, we experimentally inoculated raccoons with single oral doses of M. bovis (ranging from 30 to 1.7 × 105 colony forming units [CFU]), five daily oral doses of M. bovis (ranging from 10 to 1 × 105 CFU), or a single intravenous (IV) dose of 1 × 105 CFU of M. bovis, from November 1998 through December 2000. Granulomatous lesions consistent with tuberculosis, or tissue colonization with M. bovis, were seen in one of five raccoons in the single low oral dose group, one of five raccoons in the multiple low oral dose group, two of five raccoons in the multiple medium...
Interspecies hormonal interactions between man and the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)

To date, hormonal influence in interspecies interaction has not been examined. In a study of a dog agility competition among human/dog teams, men's pre-competition basal testosterone (T) levels were positively related to changes in dogs' cortisol levels from pre- to post-competition, but only among losing teams. Furthermore, pre-competition basal T in men on losing teams predicted more than half of the variance in dogs' cortisol change. This relationship was mediated through men's punitive and affiliative behaviors towards their dogs immediately after competition. Men's T change was also a significant predictor of dogs' change in cortisol such that men who experienced greater decreases in T after a loss were associated with dogs that experienced greater increases in cortisol. In winning teams, men's pre-competition T and T changes were unrelated to dogs' cortisol changes. These results are discussed in light of T as a proxy for dominance motivation as well as T's relation to stress across the species boundary.
The Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) Signaling Pathway Is Regulated During Pregnancy in Sheep

Because sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a potent stimulator of angiogenesis, we hypothesized that the S1P pathway is activated to stimulate endometrial/placental angiogenesis during pregnancy. We initially localized S1P signaling pathway members in the gravid and nongravid uterine horns of unilaterally pregnant ewes. Sphingosine kinase-1 expression was greater in gravid compared to nongravid horns. In situ hybridization revealed elevated expression of sphingosine 1-phosphate phosphatase (SGPP1) in gravid interplacentomal endometrial stroma on Days 20 and 40 compared to the nongravid uterine horn, but expression increased in endometrium of the nongravid uterine horn between Days 40 and 120. SGPP1 expression increased in placentomes late in gestation. Sphingosine 1-phosphate lyase mRNA was modestly expressed at Day 20 and then decreased. In contrast, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) mRNA increased in endometrium and caruncular stroma of the gravid uterine horn. Treatment with FTY720 and VPC23019, S1P receptor antagonists, blocked human and ovine endothelial cell invasion using an in vitro model of sprouting angiogenesis. Knockdown of S1PR1 with siRNA reduced invasion responses as well. We previously reported that delta-like 4 (DLL4) and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin-like repeats 1 (ADAMTS1) participate in endothelial cell invasion stimulated by S1P and growth factors in vitro, and thus investigated whether their expression correlated with areas undergoing angiogenesis in vivo. DLL4 expression was similar to S1PR1, while ADAMTS1 mRNA was expressed by endometria of both nongravid and gravid horns, as well as conceptus and placentomes. These results establish that S1P signaling pathway members and S1P- and growth factor-regulated genes are prominent in uterine and placental tissue and in some cases are correlated with areas undergoing angiogenesis. Thus, S1P signaling may be crucial for proper fetal-placental development.
Client satisfaction with developmental disabilities services

Data from a representative sample of 312 developmentally disabled clients of Florida's Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services are analyzed to discover the characteristics of the clients and to determine the extent to which the clients are satisfied with various services, reasons for any dissatisfaction that exists, and the factors which are related to satisfaction with services. Clients are least likely to be satisfied with the caregiver support services and the vocational and rehabilitative services they receive. Across all categories, reasons most often given for dissatisfaction with services are inappropriateness and insufficient amount. The factors most strongly related to client satisfaction with services are age, living arrangements, and number of services received. Adolescents are less likely than persons at other ages to be satisfied with the services they receive, persons living in a family setting are less likely than persons in nonfamily settings to be satisfied with services, and the greater the number of services received the lower the likelihood of client satisfaction. Combined with information showing that most of the clients have multiple disabilities, these data suggest that the service delivery system does a better job of delivering some services than others. A “slot” oriented program such as that in Florida may pay insufficient attention to the existence of multiple needs among persons who are developmentally disabled and to providing services to the networks which form the client's economic and social support system.
RedemptionÕs Archive: Remembering the Future in a Revolutionary Past

While Alice brushed the White QueenOs tousled hair, the monarch offered her employ as a ladyOs maid for a salary of two pence a week, along with a regular ration of jam. As Lewis Carroll relates in Through the Looking Glass, Alice was disinclined to accept in any case. Nonetheless, she grew disturbed when the Queen informed her that the offered jam was only to be given Oevery other dayO--that is, only OyesterdayO and Otomorrow,O but never Otoday.O Alice immediately realized that she would never receive jam on the series of OtodaysO she worked, but could only enjoy the expectation of receiving it in the future, or perhaps the memory of having received it previously. In response to AliceOs questions about the proposed arrangement, the Queen attributed her confusion to the Oeffect of living backwards,O a prospect that Oalways makes one a little giddy at first.O The Queen explained that Alice lived OforwardsO and was thus condemned to remember only Obackwards.O The White Queen, on the other hand, lived ObackwardsO and could remember Oboth ways,O informed by a previous experience both of the future and of the past. The monarch was so confident of her faculties that she had the KingOs Messenger sent to prison for punishment in advance of his trial and sentencing. OOf course,O the White Queen explained, Othe crime comes last of all.OSee Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (New York: Norton, 1971), 150-51.
Disulfiram-induced disturbances in hypothalamic-pituitary function

This report indicates that disulfiram at clinically useful doses is capable of altering the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function of normal men.
Online feature selection for pixel classification

Online feature selection (OFS) provides an efficient way to sort through a large space of features, particularly in a scenario where the feature space is large and features take a significant amount of memory to store. Image processing operators, and especially combinations of image processing operators, provide a rich space of potential features for use in machine learning for image processing tasks but they are expensive to generate and store. In this paper we apply OFS to the problem of edge detection in grayscale imagery. We use a standard data set and compare our results to those obtained with traditional edge detectors, as well as with results obtained more recently using "statistical edge detection." We compare several different OFS approaches, including hill climbing, best first search, and grafting.
Androgens modulate expression of transcription intermediary factor 2, an androgen receptor coactivator whose expression level correlates with early biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is an androgen-dependent disease; metastatic prostate cancer is typically treated by androgen receptor (AR) blockade. Recurrence after androgen ablation and evidence that AR continues to play a role in many prostate cancers has led to an examination of other factors that potentiate AR activity. AR is a ligand-activated transcription factor whose activity is regulated not only by hormone but also by the levels of coactivators recruited by AR to facilitate transcription. We sought to assess the consequences of reducing expression of the transcription intermediary factor 2 (TIF2) coactivator on prostate cancer cell growth and AR action in cell lines to examine TIF2 expression in prostate cancer and to correlate expression with clinical outcome. Depletion of TIF2 reduced expression of AR-induced target genes and slowed proliferation of AR-dependent and AR-independent prostate cancer cells. Remarkably, we found that TIF2 expression is directly repressed by high levels of androgens in multiple AR-expressing cell lines. Expression of a reporter containing 5'-flanking region of the TIF2 was repressed both by androgens and by the antagonist, Casodex. Expression of TIF2 correlates with biochemical (prostate-specific antigen) recurrence (P = 0.0136). In agreement with our in vitro findings, the highest expression of TIF2 was found in patients whose cancer relapsed after androgen ablation therapy, supporting the idea that AR blockade might activate pathways that lead to stimulation of AR-dependent and AR-independent proliferation of prostate epithelium. The elevated expression of TIF2 at low hormone levels likely aids in inducing AR activity under these conditions; treatment with Casodex has the potential to counteract this induction.
Guided Problem Diagnosis through Active Learning

There is widespread interest today in developing tools that can diagnose the cause of a system failure accurately and efficiently based on monitoring data collected from the system. Over time, the system monitoring data will contain two types of failure data: (i) annotated failure data L, which is monitoring data collected from failure states of the system, where the cause of failure has been diagnosed and attached as annotations with the data; and (ii) unannotated failure data U. Previous work on wholly- or partially-automated diagnosis focused on L or U in isolation. In this paper, we argue that it is important to consider both L and U together to improve the overall accuracy of diagnosis; and in particular, to proactively move instances from U to L. However, such movement requires manual diagnosis effort from system administrators. Since manual diagnosis is expensive and time-consuming, we propose an algorithm to make the best use of manual effort while maximizing the benefit gained from newly diagnosed instances. We report an experimental evaluation of our algorithm using data from a variety of failures - both single failures and multiple correlated failures - injected in a testbed, as well as with synthetic data.
Reconstruction of First-Order Shear Deformation Shell Theory for Laminated and Sandwich Shells

A first-order shear deformation shell theory (FSDT), based on general curvilinear coordinates, has been reconstructed through a strain energy transformation. Based on the definition of the mean displacements, the transverse shear strains that are constant through the thickness are improved to vary through the thickness. It is assumed that the displacements and in-surface strains of three-dimensional theory are approximated by those of FSDT. Relationship between FSDT and three-dimensional theory has been systematically established in the averaged least-square sense. This relationship provides the closed-form recovering relations for three-dimensional variables expressed in terms of FSDT relations. The present approach has been applied to a higher-order zigzag shell theory. Comparisons of displacements and stresses of laminated and sandwich shells using the present theory are made with the original FSDT and three-dimensional exact solutions.
Thin film preparation and hydrogen pumping characteristics of BaCe0.8Y0.2O3−δ

Abstract Thin films of BaCe 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3− δ (BCY) were prepared by a colloidal spray deposition method. Dense, crack-free BCY films with thickness of ≈10 μm and a grain size of 2–7 μm were successfully deposited on porous NiO/BCY substrates. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the films have uniform thickness and are well bonded to the substrate. The hydrogen pumping characteristics of the films were investigated at temperatures of 500–700 °C, and show that the hydrogen evolution rates agree very well with those expected by Faraday's law up to the current limit (2 A) of the galvanostat. A maximum current density of 2.1 A/cm 2 was measured at 700 °C with an applied voltage of 1 V.
Syntheses of tetrahydronaphthalenes. Part II

Abstract Syntheses utilizing the cyclodehydration method to prepare novel tetrahydronaphthalenes substituted with functional groups at each position of the aromatic ring and various alkyl groups at the 1-position of the non-aromatic ring are described.
Five New Species of Longhorned Beetles (coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Dominican Republic in Genera Ataxia Haldeman, Atimiola Bates, Drycothaea Thomson, Eburia Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, and Hormathus Gahan

Abstract Five new species of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Dominican Republic are diagnosed, described, and illustrated: Ataxia hovorei, Atimiola rickstanleyi, Drycothaea indistincta, Eburia pseudostigma, and Hormathus giesberti. In addition, Hormathus Gahan 1890 is transferred from Tillomorphini Lacordaire into Ibidionini Thomson, Division V; Trinoplon Zayas 1975 is a new synonym of Hormathus; and Hormathus bicolor (Zayas 1975) is a new combination. A key to the three species of Hormathus is provided.
Focus on . . . S Corporation ESOPs

As a result of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (SBJPA) and the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA '97), an S corporation may sponsor an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), for tax years beginning after 1997. This article (an update of an article that appeared in the Journal of Pension Benefits [JPB] in 1998) discusses the major rules governing S corporation ESOPs, including regulations issued in December 2004, and other recent developments.
SEASONAL PATTERN OF VIRUS ACQUISITION BY THE GRAPE MEALYBUG, PSEUDOCOCCUS MARITIMUS, IN A LEAFROLL- DISEASED VINEYARD

The seasonal acquisition pattern of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 (GLRaV-1) and Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) by the grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus (Erhorn), was determined over two consecutive years in a leafroll-diseased vineyard in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Groups of 1-15 immature mealybugs (1st, 2nd or 3rd instars), adults or eggs were collected from April to November on 20 selected vines infected with GLRaV-1 and/or GLRaV-3. Results of RT-PCR using specific primers were consistent with a preferential virus acquisition by overwintered, 1st instar nymphs in April and May (87%, 45 of 52) followed by summer generation immature mealybugs in July (82%, 28 of 34). Crawlers collected on or near ovisacs in September (100%, 12 of 12) were aviruliferous and eggs collected in June (100%, 250 of 250) as well as crawlers hatching from eggs (100%, 51 of 51) tested negative for the two target viruses in RT-PCR. Importantly, crawlers collected in the vineyard at bud swell in April transmitted GLRaV-1 to healthy grapevines in a greenhouse. These findings suggest that disease management strategies designed to mitigate leafroll spread by reducing vector populations should target overwintered crawlers and second instar crawlers at a very early grapevine development stage, i.e. from bud swell to bloom, as well as the summer generation crawlers later in mid-summer.
Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and acute fatty liver of pregnancy.

Abstract Accumulation of micro- and macrovesicular fat in hepatocytes is the hallmark of several liver diseases of pregnancy, including acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) and severe pre-eclampsia. While the exact origin of AFLP is not known, this pathologic finding and its similarity to the hepatopathology found in infants and children with inborn errors of mitochondrial fatty acid-oxidation suggests a common pathogenesis. Over the last few years, the incidence of AFLP and other severe complications of pregnancy have been found to be increased in women who carry a fetus with a defect in fatty acid oxidation, and who are themselves carriers of a genetic mutation that partially compromises their own intramitochondrial fatty acid oxidation pathway. This article reviews evidence that links AFLP with both genetic and acquired factors that compromise intramitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. Based on this review, recommendations are offered for obstetric, perinatal, and neonatal management of affected mothers and infants.