cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hexose and pentose phosphates in brain during convulsions.

The Metabolism of glucose via glycolysis and the citric acid cycle represents the chief source of energy supplies in the brain. However, enzymes for the metabolism of glucose via the hexosemonophosphate (O'Neill, Simon and Shreeve, 1965) and pentose phosphate (Dreyfus and Moniz, 1962) pathway are also present in brain. A major difficulty in studying intermediates of the hexose and pentose phosphate pathway in brain is their extremely low absolute levels. Recently, fluorimetric, enzymic assays for these substrates have been developed (Kauffman, Brown, Passonneau and Lowry, 1969), and these assays, combined with rapid freezing techniques (Lowry, Passonneau, Hasselberger and Schulz, 1964) have made it possible to study these intermediates in brains of mice. Electrically-induced tonic-clonic convulsions are associated with a striking increase in metabolic rate in brain, but phenobarbitone minimizes changes in metabolic rate during convulsions (King, Lowry, Passonneau and Venson, 1967). In order to determine whether or not levels of hexose and pentose phosphates are altered under these conditions, assays for these substrates have been carried out in brains of convulsing mice with or without administration of phenobarbital prior to stimulus.
Protein-engineered biomaterials: nanoscale mimics of the extracellular matrix.

Abstract Background Traditional materials used as in vitro cell culture substrates are rigid and flat surfaces that lack the exquisite nano- and micro-scale features of the in vivo extracellular environment. While these surfaces can be coated with harvested extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins to partially recapitulate the bio-instructive nature of the ECM, these harvested proteins often exhibit large batch-to-batch variability and can be difficult to customize for specific biological studies. In contrast, recombinant protein technology can be utilized to synthesize families of 3 dimensional protein-engineered biomaterials that are cyto-compatible, reproducible, and fully customizable. Scope of Review Here we describe a modular design strategy to synthesize protein-engineered biomaterials that fuse together multiple repeats of nanoscale peptide design motifs into full-length engineered ECM mimics. Major Conclusions Due to the molecular-level precision of recombinant protein synthesis, these biomaterials can be tailored to include a variety of bio-instructional ligands at specified densities, to exhibit mechanical properties that match those of native tissue, and to include proteolytic target sites that enable cell-triggered scaffold remodeling. Furthermore, these biomaterials can be processed into forms that are injectable for minimally-invasive delivery or spatially patterned to enable the release of multiple drugs with distinct release kinetics. General significance Given the reproducibility and flexibility of these protein-engineered biomaterials, they are ideal substrates for reductionist biological studies of cell–matrix interactions, for in vitro models of physiological processes, and for bio-instructive scaffolds in regenerative medicine therapies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Nanotechnologies - Emerging Applications in Biomedicine.
Multiple- and Single-Unit Activity in Area 32 (Prelimbic Region) of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex during Pavlovian Heart Rate Conditioning in Rabbits

Data from both brain lesion and brain stimulation experiments suggest that area 32 of the medial prefrontal cortex (prelimbic area) participates in the acquisition and/or expression of conditioned bradycardia. This report describes experiments designed to determine whether cells in this area of the brain exhibit changes in neural activity during classical conditioning that can be related to these learned heart rate changes. Thus, multiple- and single-unit activity was recorded from area 32 in rabbits during Pavlovian heart rate (HR) conditioning. In the first experiment, neuronal discharge recorded from chronically implanted multiple-unit electrodes in the superficial and deep layers of area 32 increased systematically in response to the presentation of tone conditioned stimuli (CS) paired with paraorbital electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus (US). This tone-evoked increase in multiple-unit activity (MUA) closely paralleled the acquisition of the decelerative HR conditioned response in animals that received paired CS/US presentations, but was of smaller amplitude in animals given unpaired CS/US presentations. Tone-evoked increases in MUA also occurred during tone-alone presentations prior to training, but this activity declined over trials. During extinction, CS-evoked MUA increases also declined over trials. These findings suggest that the CS-evoked increase in neuronal activity in area 32 was associatively produced. A second experiment examined the CS-evoked response of single units (n = 98) in area 32 during differential Pavlovian conditioning, in which one tone (CS+) was consistently followed by the paraorbital shock US and a second tone (CS-) was not. Four types of cells were found: (1) 32% of the cells studied showed no change in response to either CS+ or CS- presentation, (2) 48% showed CS-evoked increases to either CS+ or CS-, (3) 14% showed CS-evoked decreases to CS+ or CS-, and (4) 7% showed a biphasic response, in which an increase was followed by a decrease in activity. These cell types are similar to those previously found in the more dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (area 24) and frontal eyefields (area 8). However, a major difference between the present findings and those of our previous studies of areas 8 and 24 is that in several instances changes in CS-evoked activity in area 32 were significantly greater in response to the CS- than to the CS+, suggesting that some cells in the prelimbic region may code the absence of aversive stimulation, that is, a period of relative "safety."
Elasticity, tear strength, and strength of adhesion of soft PVC gels

Abstract : An experimental study is described of the tensile modulus E of elasticity, tear strength G sub c and strength G sub a of adhesion of a Mylar substrate, for PVC gels prepared with a wide range of PVC concentrations and with four different plasticizers. The modulus E, measured under quasi-equilibrium conditions, was found to be approximately proportional to C superscript 3, where c is the volume concentration of PVC. The tensile behavior suggests that the molecular strands comprising the undiluted elastic network are relatively short, only about 26 C atoms long. G sub c under threshold conditions was found to vary with C superscript 2.25 and to be considerably larger than (about 10X), the value expected for a molecular network of short PVC chains. This difference is attributed to yielding of crystallites before molecular rupture can take place. Adhesion to Mylar of PVC gels was relatively weak. Both the tear strength and strength of adhesion were strongly dependent upon rate of fracture propagation and upon temperature, in good accord with the WLF rate-temperature equivalence for simple glass-forming substances. Thus, the strength of PVC gels appears to be determined largely by the glass temperature of the composition, and not by the amount or type of plasticizer except insofar as they affect the glass temperature. Keywords: Detachment, Plastisols, Stiffness.
Dorsal midline hemivertebra at the lumbosacral junction: Report of 2 cases

Congenital scoliosis from laterally located hemivertebrae at the lumbosacral junction has been described previously. However, dorsally located midline hemivertebrae at this location have not been reported. The authors describe the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of 2 patients (1 male and 1 female) with this rare malformation. All clinical and radiographic records were reviewed. Outcomes were recorded using survey instruments (Oswestry Disability Index and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey). Radiographic assessment of bony fusion was performed using CT scanning 1 year after surgery. Both patients presented with back and leg pain, urinary hesitancy/incontinence, difficulty sitting and lying down, waddling gait, and restriction of movement. Imaging showed a wedge-shaped dorsal deformity that stretched the nerve roots and compressed the canal. Both patients underwent resection of the hemivertebra with posterolateral instrumented fusion from L-2 to the pelvis. The female patient had a low-lying conus and underwent sectioning of the filum terminale. Both patients showed improvement in the ability to sit and lie flat and in bowel and bladder function after surgery. The authors describe their experience with 2 patients with similar, rare congenital bony deformities at the lumbosacral junction. To their knowledge, similar cases have not been previously reported.
CD4 + T-cell help controls CD8 + T-cell memory via TRAIL-mediated activation-induced cell death

The 'help' provided by CD4+ T lymphocytes during the priming of CD8+ T lymphocytes confers a key feature of immune memory: the capacity for autonomous secondary expansion following re-encounter with antigen. Once primed in the presence of CD4+ T cells, 'helped' CD8+ T cells acquire the ability to undergo a second round of clonal expansion upon restimulation in the absence of T-cell help. 'Helpless' CD8+ T cells that are primed in the absence of CD4+ T cells, in contrast, can mediate effector functions such as cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion upon restimulation, but do not undergo a second round of clonal expansion. These disparate responses have features of being 'programmed', that is, guided by signals that are transmitted to naive CD8+ T cells during priming, which encode specific fates for their clonal progeny. Here we explore the instructional programme that governs the secondary response of CD8+ T cells and find that helpless cells undergo death by activation-induced cell death upon secondary stimulation. This death is mediated by tumour-necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Regulation of Trail expression can therefore account for the role of CD4+ T cells in the generation of CD8+ T cell memory and represents a novel mechanism for controlling adaptive immune responses.
The ΔI = 12 rule and violation of CP in the six-quark model

Abstract The consequences for K0 decay of the six-quark model with its natural possibility of incorporating a CP violating phase, δ, are investigated when a particular mechanism to give the ΔI = 1 2 rule is operative. The most important result is that the CP violation parameter ϵ′ is much larger than in previous analyses, and hence the theory has predictions for K0 → ππ decay which are experimentally distinguishable from those of the superweak model.
Do non—insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) share genetic susceptibility loci? An analysis of putative IDDM susceptibility regions in familial NIDDM

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) has been viewed as genetically and physiologically distinct from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), yet many of the recently suggested IDDM susceptibility loci are likely to increase the risk of diabetes through nonautoimmune mechanisms. To test the hypothesis that the IDDM susceptibility loci include important NIDDM susceptibility loci, we tested the linkage of 14 putative susceptibility regions with NIDDM among families and sibling pairs of Northern European descent. All regions were tested with highly informative microsatellite (simple tandem repeat) polymorphisms in up to 166 affected individuals from 42 families using both parametric and nonparametric methods (149 pairs for sibling pair analyses). We found no evidence for linkage to the majority of loci, including loci that appeared to be linked to IDDM in more than one study. We report some evidence for shared susceptibility for regions on chromosomes 1, 2, and 6. The best evidence based on multilocus affected pedigree member (APM) analysis of markers near D1S191 suggested linkage at P value .0001. This region has not yet been confirmed as an IDDM locus, and our analyses could represent a false-positive result. The role of these three regions will only be clarified by testing in additional families. In combination with other investigations in our laboratory for chromosome 11 susceptibility regions, our data generally do not provide convincing evidence that IDDM and NIDDM share common genetic factors among families of Northern European descent with ascertainment of two or more NIDDM siblings.
Leveraging social networks to immunize every last child.

The introduction of vaccines to prevent many childhood illnesses has proven to be one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Universal immunization has led to the global er...
Polyribosomes of cells abortively or productively infected with adenovirus, papovavirus, or their hybrid.

The polyribosomes of African green monkey kidney (GMK) cells have been characterized during productive and abortive infections with adenovirus type 2, simian papovavirus SV40, and the PARA (defective SV40)-adenovirus type 2 hybrid. An early increase in uptake of H3-uridine was followed by a progressive decrease in both the amount of polyribosomes and in uptake of the label in all three systems that involved an adenovirus. Thus, the polyribosome distribution patterns obtained from GMK cells abortively infected with adenovirus type 2 did not differ significantly in optical density profile or incorporation of H3-uridine from the distributions obtained from GMK cells productively infected with either adenovirus 2 and SV40 or PARA-adenovirus type 2. A decrease in the amount of polyribosomes was not evident when GMK cells were infected with SV40. During the productive cycle of SV40 in GMK cells, the fifth (pentamer) polysome peak enlarged as the infection progressed. This increase was reflected both in increased optical density and incorporated H3-uridine. Material from this peak reacted with antibody to SV40 capsid antigen in the complement-fixation test. Arabinofurano-sylcytosine, a DNA inhibitor that blocks SV40 replication at a step prior to capsid formation, inhibited the formation of this peak. Treatment of the cellular extracts with EDTA or ribonuclease did not shift this peak to a lighter part of the gradient, along with the other polyribosomes. Virus particles, some of which proved to be infective for monkey cells, were present in electron micrographs of the pentamer peak.
Pericellular Matrix Mechanics in the Anulus Fibrosus Predicted by a Three-Dimensional Finite Element Model and In Situ Morphology

Anulus fibrosus (AF) cells have been demonstrated to exhibit dramatic differences in morphology and biologic responses to different types of mechanical stimuli. AF cells may reside as single cell, paired, or multiple cells in a contiguous pericellular matrix (PCM), whose structure and properties are expected to have a significant influence on the mechanical stimuli that these cells may experience during physiologic loading of the spine, as well as in tissue degeneration and regeneration. In this study, a computational model was developed to predict the micromechanical stimuli, such as stress and strain, fluid pressure and flow, of cells and their surrounding PCM in the AF tissue using three-dimensional (3D) finite element models based on in situ morphology. Three-dimensional solid geometries of cell–PCM regions were registered from serial confocal images obtained from mature rat AF tissues by custom codes. Distinct cell–matrix units were modeled with a custom 3D biphasic finite element code (COMSOL Multiphysics), and simulated to experience uni-axial tensile strain along the local collagen fiber direction. AF cells were predicted to experience higher volumetric strain with a strain amplification ratio (relative to that in the extracellular matrix) of ~3.1–3.8 at equilibrium, as compared to the PCM domains (1.3–1.9). The strain concentrations were generally found at the cell/PCM interface and stress concentration at the PCM/ECM interface. Increased numbers of cells within a contiguous PCM was associated with an apparent increase of strain levels and decreased rate of fluid pressurization in the cell, with magnitudes dependent on the cell size, shape, and relative position inside the PCM. These studies provide spatio-temporal information on micromechanics of AF cells in understanding the mechanotransduction in the intervertebral disc.
Accumulation of radioiodinated 15-(p-iodophenyl)-6-tellurapentadecanoic acid in ischemic myocardium during acute coronary occlusion and reperfusion

The myocardial uptake of 15-(p-iodophenyl)-6-tellura-pentadecanoic acid (TPDA) was studied in dogs during coronary occlusion and after reperfusion. In eight dogs with a 3 hour occlusion (Group A) with (n = 5) and without (n = 3) 30 minutes of reperfusion, iodine-125 TPDA uptake correlated well with microsphere myocardial blood flow over a wide range of flow levels (n = 111, r - 0.94). In six dogs with a 20 minute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 1 hour of reperfusion (Group B), iodine-125 TPDA uptake correlated equally well with myocardial blood flow (n = 37, r = 0.90). There was no difference between the slopes of regression lines for Groups A and B, indicating no release from the myocardium of radioiodinated TPDA. Dual radiolabeling of TPDA was employed in five Group A animals by intravenous injection of iodine-125 TPDA during coronary occlusion and iodine-131 TPDA after reperfusion. In 63 myocardial samples, microsphere re-perfusion flow and iodine-131 TPDA uptake were closely correlated (r = 0.91). As with monovalent cations, at myocardial flows higher than control flows, iodine-131 TPDA uptake was flow-limited. It is concluded that: 1) radioiodinated TPDA accurately reveals severely ischemic areas of myocardium without myocardial release of the radionuclide in coronary occlusions lasting 20 to 180 minutes and followed by reperfusion, and 2) double radiolabeled TPDA allows assessment of both occlusion and reperfusion flows. This compound may find an application in the measurement of infarct size and the evaluation of interventional therapies in acute myocardial infarction.
Capsid Size Determination by Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenicity Island SaPI1 Involves Specific Incorporation of SaPI1 Proteins into Procapsids

The Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity island SaPI1 carries the gene for the toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) and can be mobilized by infection with S. aureus helper phage 80alpha. SaPI1 depends on the helper phage for excision, replication and genome packaging. The SaPI1-transducing particles comprise proteins encoded by the helper phage, but have a smaller capsid commensurate with the smaller size of the SaPI1 genome. Previous studies identified only 80alpha-encoded proteins in mature SaPI1 virions, implying that the presumptive SaPI1 capsid size determination function(s) must act transiently during capsid assembly or maturation. In this study, 80alpha and SaPI1 procapsids were produced by induction of phage mutants lacking functional 80alpha or SaPI1 small terminase subunits. By cryo-electron microscopy, these procapsids were found to have a round shape and an internal scaffolding core. Mass spectrometry was used to identify all 80alpha-encoded structural proteins in 80alpha and SaPI1 procapsids, including several that had not previously been found in the mature capsids. In addition, SaPI1 procapsids contained at least one SaPI1-encoded protein that has been implicated genetically in capsid size determination. Mass spectrometry on full-length phage proteins showed that the major capsid protein and the scaffolding protein are N-terminally processed in both 80alpha and SaPI1 procapsids.
Multidisciplinary breast cancer clinics. Do they work

BACKGROUND In an attempt to improve the care they provide for their patients with breast cancer, the authors' institution developed a multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic (MDBCC) to offer "one-stop shopping" consultation and support for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. METHODS One hundred sixty-two patients, the control group for this study, were evaluated at Henry Ford Hospital during the year prior to the opening of the MDBCC. These patients, who were referred in the traditional sequential consultation manner, were compared with the first 177 patients seen during the first year of the clinic's operation. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted to assess treatment timeliness, and anonymous questionnaires were used to assess patient satisfaction. RESULTS The authors found that the MDBCC increased patient satisfaction by encouraging involvement of patients' families and friends and by helping patients make treatment decisions (P < 0.001). The time between diagnosis and the initiation of treatment was also significantly decreased (42.2 days vs. 29.6 days; P < 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS Although planning and operating a multidisciplinary clinic is not a new venture, to the best of the authors' knowledge, they have provided the first report demonstrating the benefits described above. Cancer 1997; 79:2380-4. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
Design for reliability: the major challenge for VLSI

Selected integrated circuit (IC) reliability issues are discussed within the context of the design-in reliability concept. The electrical reliability issues discussed are latchup, electrostatic discharge, hot carrier effects, thin dielectric breakdown, and electromigration. Examples of the environmental reliability issues discussed are alpha -particle induced soft errors, thermal stress, mechanical stress, and corrosion. >
Atmospheric trace gas measurements from the European Space Agency's Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment

The GOME was launched on the European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite on April 20, 1995. GOME measures the Earth's atmosphere in the nadir geometry, using four spectrometers that cover the UV and visible at moderate resolution, employing silicon diode array detectors. GOME takes some 30,000 spectra per day, obtaining full global coverage at 40 X 320 km 2 resolution in three days. It provides measurements of ozone, NO 2 , SO 2 , H 2 CO, H 2 O, BrO, ClO, and OClO. We directly fit GOME radiance spectra using nonlinear least-squares analysis to obtain column amounts of several trace species, including ClO, BrO, SO 2 , and H 2 CO. The use of recent improvements in the underlying physical and spectroscopy permits the fitting of radiances to very high precision, approaching 2 X 10 -4 in favorable case, for standard 1.5s integration time GOME measurements. Examples of the fitting of BrO and SO 2 are presented here.
Drawing and annealing of polypropylene fibers: Structural changes and mechanical properties

A study has been carried out on the influence of cold drawing (25°C), hot drawing (140°C), and annealing (140°C) on the structure and mechanical properties of a series of four different well-characterized melt spun polypropylene filaments. The influence of the interaction between melt spinning and drawing variables was given special attention. Cold drawing increased the orientation in the samples, disrupts the initial monoclinic crystal structure and the morphology of the filaments, and it results in extensive fibrillation. Annealing restored the monoclinic structure but eliminated only a small part of the fibrillation. Hot drawing produced changes which were qualitatively similar to the combined effects of cold drawing and annealing. The orientation and morphology of the asspun filaments were found to have major effects on drawing behavior and the mechanical properties of the drawn fibers for a given draw ratio. It was found, however, that the mechanical properties (tensile strength, tangent elastic modulus, and elongation to break) of the melt spun, hot drawn and cold drawn, and annealed fibers could all be correlated with birefringence measurements.
Generalized boundary conditions for the S-model kinetic equations basic to flow in a plane channel

Abstract An analytical version of the discrete-ordinates method is used to solve the classical problems of Poiseuille flow and thermal-creep flow in a plane channel. The kinetic theory for the rarefied-gas flow is based on the S model (a generalization of the BGK model), and in addition to the use of the diffuse–specular reflection model (based on a single accommodation coefficient) for describing particle scattering from the channel walls, the Cercignani–Lampis model defined in terms of normal and tangential accommodation coefficients is implemented. The established solution is tested numerically, and results for the velocity and heat-flow profiles, the particle-flow rate and the heat-flow rate thought to be correct to many significant figures are reported for various values of the channel width.
Cerebral Degenerations Producing Dementia: Importance of Neuropathologic Confirmation of Clinical Diagnoses:

Dementia is a major public health concern with our increasing elderly population and currently affects more than three million Americans at an annual cost of $50 billion. The marked overlap in symp...
Postscaling bacteremia in HIV-associated gingivitis and periodontitis

Abstract Aseptic venipuncture was used to obtain samples of blood from 22 patients seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with gingivitis (HIV-G) and 19 HIV-seropositive patients with periodontitis (HIV-P), 15 and 30 minutes after the initiation of routine dental scaling and root planing. The presence of colony forming units in 1.2 ml aliquots of blood collected with the Isostat system (DuPont Isostat System, Doraville, Ga.) was assayed on trypticase soy blood agar. Six of the samples from HIV-G subjects were positive for colony forming units 15 minutes after scaling but not at 30 minutes. Similar evidence of bacteremia was found in seven of the HIV-P patients 15 minutes after scaling was initiated in this group, with no microbial growth detectable in samples obtained at 30 minutes. In two HIV-G and three HIV-P patients with demonstrable bacteremias a postoperative fever developed. For both HIV-G and HIV-P groups no significant difference was found between the absolute CD4 T-cell counts of nonbacteremic versus bacteremic patients (p > 0.05). These observations suggest that special provisions for antibiotic prophylaxis in this patient group may be unnecessary.
Incidental findings from cone beam computed tomography of the maxillofacial region: a descriptive retrospective study.

Objective To evaluate the type and prevalence of incidental findings from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) of the maxillofacial region. Findings are divided into those that require (i) intervention/referral, (ii) monitoring, and (iii) no further evaluation. Methods Three hundred consecutive CBCT scans conducted in the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Clinic from January 1 to August 31, 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Findings were categorized into airway, soft tissue calcifications, bone, temporomandibular joint (TMJ), endodontic, dental developmental, and pathological findings. Results A total of 272 scans revealed 881 incidental findings (3.2 findings/scan). The most prevalent was airway findings (35%) followed by soft tissue calcifications (20%), bone (17.5%), TMJ (15.4%), endodontic (11.3%), dental developmental (0.7%), and pathological (0.1%). 16.1% required intervention/referral, 15.6% required monitoring, and the remainder (68.3%) required neither. Conclusion This study underscores the need to thoroughly examine all CBCT volumes for clinically significant findings within and beyond the region of interest.
Optimization of two-way communication with ARQ feedback

In this paper, we study ARQ feedback in the context of two-way wireless communications. In particular, we consider two nodes which wish to exchange data over a frequency division duplex, time-varying wireless additive white Gaussian noise with Rayleigh fading, channel. In two-way scenarios, unlike the more well studied one-way data scenarios, the data and resources allocated to feedback and channel estimation may share the same link, leading to interesting tradeoffs. To analyze these, we present a two-way framework in which 1) training (estimation of channel state), 2) feedback (in the form of ARQ), and 3) data are taken into account, and share the same noisy fading channel. We obtain an expression which captures the tradeoffs between allocating resources for these three tasks on the overall throughput achievable in each direction, which we numerically evaluate. In particular, we obtain the optimal resource allocations corresponding to different channel conditions, SNR regimes, and receiver feedback protocols under fast and slow fading conditions.
Genomic Expression Analyses Reveal Lysosomal, Innate Immunity Proteins, as Disease Correlates in Murine Models of a Lysosomal Storage Disorder

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is a rare, genetic, lysosomal disorder with progressive neurodegeneration. Poor understanding of the pathophysiology and a lack of blood-based diagnostic markers are major hurdles in the treatment and management of NPC and several additional, neurological lysosomal disorders. To identify disease severity correlates, we undertook whole genome expression profiling of sentinel organs, brain, liver, and spleen of Balb/c Npc1−/− mice relative to Npc1+/− at an asymptomatic stage, as well as early- and late-symptomatic stages. Unexpectedly, we found prominent up regulation of innate immunity genes with age-dependent change in their expression, in all three organs. We shortlisted a set of 12 secretory genes whose expression steadily increased with age in both brain and liver, as potential plasma correlates of neurological and/or liver disease. Ten were innate immune genes with eight ascribed to lysosomes. Several are known to be elevated in diseased organs of murine models of other lysosomal diseases including Gaucher’s disease, Sandhoff disease and MPSIIIB. We validated the top candidate lysozyme, in the plasma of Npc1−/− as well as Balb/c Npc1nmf164 mice (bearing a point mutation closer to human disease mutants) and show its reduction in response to an emerging therapeutic. We further established elevation of innate immunity in Npc1−/− mice through multiple functional assays including inhibition of bacterial infection as well as cellular analysis and immunohistochemistry. These data revealed neutrophil elevation in the Npc1−/− spleen and liver (where large foci were detected proximal to damaged tissue). Together our results yield a set of lysosomal, secretory innate immunity genes that have potential to be developed as pan or specific plasma markers for neurological diseases associated with lysosomal storage and where diagnosis is a major problem. Further, the accumulation of neutrophils in diseased organs (hitherto not associated with NPC) suggests their role in pathophysiology and disease exacerbation.
Dissipation of the Rabi model beyond the Jaynes–Cummings approximation: quasi-degenerate qubit and ultra-strong coupling

Environmental influences on the dynamics of a coupled qubit-oscillator system are studied analytically in a regime where deviations from the exactly solvable Jaynes–Cummings model are important. We investigate the case of a quasi-degenerate qubit within the ultra-strong coupling regime for which the qubit frequency is much smaller than the frequency of the oscillator, and the coupling between the qubit and the oscillator is large, both of which invalidate the usually employed rotating wave approximation. In contrast to the standard quantum optics master equation, we explicitly take the qubit-oscillator coupling into account while microscopically deriving a dressed state master equation. Using the derived master equation, we discuss a spectroscopic technique which can be used to probe the dressed energy-level structure of the qubit-oscillator system.
Protection by recombinant human interleukin-11 against experimental TNB-induced colitis in rats.

The potential effect of recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhIL-11) on trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNB) -induced colitis was investigated in rats. Intrarectal TNB (40 mg in 0.25 ml 40% ethanol) produced significant ulcerative colitis. The lesions were most severe at three days after TNB instillation, and then declined, but lesions were still observed after two weeks. TNB administration also significantly enhanced the colonic mucosal myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels, which paralleled the severity of colitis. The rhIL-11 at subcutaneous doses of 300 or 1000µg/kg daily for seven days, or 1000µg/kg for three days when given after TNB significantly decreased lesion formation in TNB-induced colitis. These treatments also significantly reduced colonic mucosal MPO levels. TNB enhanced colonic mucosal levels of PGE2, LTB4, and TxB2, but these arachidonic acid derivatives were not affected by the present rhIL-11 treatments. TNB administration for three days caused a body weight loss that returned to normal after 14 days. The rhIL-11 significantly reduced colonic lesion severity and reduced colonic fecal blood loss. Given alone, rhIL-11 did not influence body weight. It can be concluded that rhIL-11 was protective against TNB-induced colitis and reactions of colonic MPO, but that these responses were not mediated through modulation of eicosanoid metabolism.
Incorporation of monofluorotryptophans into protein during the growth of Escherichia coli

Abstract DL-Tryptophan substituted with a fluorine in either the 4, 5, or 6 position is a potent inhibitor of the growth of wild type E. coli and is capable of supporting some growth in a strain that lacks both tryptophanase and tryptophan synthetase. In both situations, the fluorotryptophan is incorporated into bacterial protein in place of tryptophan. 4-Fluorotryptophan is superior to the 5- and 6-isomers with respect to ability to support growth of the mutant which cannot synthesize tryptophan and to allow synthesis of active β-galactosidase in this strain.
Asymptotic stability of some quasilinear parabolic equations in divergence form. L∞ results

Abstract In this paper we study the behavior of solutions of some quasilinear parabolic equations of the form ( ∂u ∂t ) − ∑ i=1 n ( d dx i ) a i (x, t, u, u x ) + a(x, t, u, u x )u + f(x, t) = O, as t → ∞. In particular, the solutions of these equations will decay to zero as t → ∞ in the L∞ norm.
Terminology Identification in a Collection of Web Resources

SUMMARY The primary goal of the WordSmith project is to obtain subject terminology directly from raw text. We are currently investigating the hypothesis that reliable subject terms can be automatically collected, re-used, and organized into thesaurus-like objects that enhance access to material that is unwieldy to classify by hand, such as the Web documents in the CORC database. Baseline results of our work are already visible in the CORC project. Catalogers who check the Generate possible subject terms button in the process of creating a description for a new item may retrieve novel subject terms, such as animal genome databases, backcountry Web sites, digital communities, e-mail viruses, and worldwide Internet music. These terms are too new to appear in standard library classification schemes. In later versions of CORC, we want to make automatic keyword assignment more responsive to the needs of catalogers and use this terminology in other ways to increase subject access to the CORC collection. Our pape...
Forced flow through a channel with longitudinal strips

Abstract Fluid is forced through a channel obstructed by periodic thin longitudinal strips. The viscous flow equations are solved analytically through domain decomposition and eigenfunction expansions. The flow rates for different spacings are determined. For widely separated strips, the drag on a single strip in a channel can be extrapolated. If the strips are closely spaced, the obstructions represent a simple porous media. Using the analytic solution, we find the empirical Beavers–Joseph condition cannot be valid for this particular geometry.
HOME OWNERSHIP, LIFE CYCLE STAGE, AND RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY

Previous research has shown that mobility rates decline with increasing age and duration of residence. These relationships are investigated further for the case of residential mobility using residence histories obtained in interviews with 2264 Rhode Island residents. Three methods of classifying segments of a person’s life into life cycle stages are compared: age, life cycle stages based on marital status and child-rearing periods, and a combined age-marital status classification. These classifications were not found to be equivalent in that there was considerable variation in mobility rates by life cycle stage within age categories and by age within life cycle categories. The age-marital status classification was selected for use in the remainder of the analysis because it had the least variation in mobility rates within categories and required far less data for computation than the life cycle stages. When mobility rates were examined by home ownership, age-marital status, and duration of previous residence, it was observed that there was little variation in mobility rates by duration for home owners while the mobility rates for renters declined with duration.
Theorizing about human communication

The literature on communication theory building, while providing information about the nature of communication phenomena, does not provide students of human communication with a procedure by which theories are developed and tested. The present article offers a classroom‐tested systematic procedure that can be applied to a variety of communication phenomena. From instructions about making the initial observation through a discussion of techniques to develop and test competing theoretic explanations, the present article provides a logical set of alternatives for theorizing about human communication events.
Method for retrieving effective properties of locally resonant acoustic metamaterials

Acoustic metamaterials can be described by effective material properties such as mass density and modulus. We have developed a method to extract these effective properties from reflection and transmission coefficients, which can be measured experimentally. The dependency of effective properties on the positions of the boundaries of the acoustic metamaterial is discussed, and a proper procedure to determine the boundaries is presented. This retrieval method is used to analyze various acoustic metamaterials, and metamaterials with negative effective properties are reported.
Properties of Cerebral Polyribosomes and Membranes of the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum after Ethanol Dependence in Rats

Effects of physical dependence upon ethanol on the polyribosomal properties and the reconstitution of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) of the brain has been examined. The purified free polyribosomes (polysomes), membrane-bound polysomes, and a fraction of RER membrane that has been stripped of polysomes were isolated from rat brain. RNA yields, amino acid incorporation activities, and electron micrographs established the purity of stripped membranes, but no differences were detected following the ethanol treatment. For the polyribosomal fractions, the stability of the mRNA/ribosomal complex was decreased after ethanol dependence as was the in vitro translation of endogenous mRNA. In the reconstitution reaction, the incubation of membranes from ethanol-treated animals with either source of purified bound polysomes resulted in higher yields of protein than when control membranes were used. The above results suggest that ethanol dependence affects the properties of both the RNA and membrane components of the RER of brain.
The Simultaneous Measurement of Ionized and Total Calcium and Ionized and Total Magnesium in Intensive Care Unit Patients

Abstract Purpose: This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between total magnesium and ionized magnesium in critically ill and injured patients. Methods: Eighty consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) admissions were evaluated and 34 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were enrolled who had indwelling arterial catheters and were within 4 days of ICU admission. Six milliliters of blood was collected and assayed simultaneously for total and ionized magnesium, total and ionized calcium, and albumin level. An Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score was calculated at the time of blood collection. Results: The results of our study show a strong correlation between ionized and total magnesium (R = .903) that was not seen between ionized and total calcium (R = .748). We found total hypomagnesemia in 18% and ionized hypomagnesemia in 21% of ICU patients. We also found that 14.7% (5 of 34) of our patients had ionized hypermagnesemia whereas none displayed total hypermagnesemia. We did not find a correlation between APACHE II, sex, race, albumin level, and any electrolyte level. The mortality rate in the subjects studied was 21% (7 of 34). Conclusions: Based on our results we would recommend that intensivists directly measure ionized calcium whereas ionized magnesium can be inferred from total magnesium. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
On conforming Delaunay mesh generation

Abstract Some of the complications of automatic Delaunay mesh generation can be resolved using an edge based representation. In particular, difficult tasks such as maintaining object boundaries, region identification, and application specific issues such as rapid construction of stiffness matrices in finite element analysis become straightforward. In this paper we propose such a data structure which was successfully implemented for E 2 and is amenable to E 3 applications.
Persuasive Appeals and the Reduction of Skin Cancer Risk: The Roles of Appearance Concern, Perceived Benefits of a Tan, and Efficacy Information

This experiment compared the effectiveness of appearance-based messages focusing on the benefits of tanning and the efficacy of preventive measures on students' intentions to protect themselves against sun-induced skin damage. Subjects who were high or low on a dispositional measure of appearance concern responded to 1 of 4 essays providing either high or low benefits information, and high or low efficacy information. Overall, subjects low in appearance concern expressed greater intentions to take precautionary measures than did those high in appearance concern. Additionally, the low benefits of tanning message produced greater intentions to take precautions than did the high benefits message. The benefits results suggest 1 mechanism through which sun protection behaviors may be encouraged.
Single Crystal PMN-PT Electric Fatigue and Fracture Behavior

Piezoelectric single crystals are being incorporated into many new devices because of the superior properties they exhibit. Not much attention has been paid to the mechanical robustness of these materials. In this work the fracture and fatigue behavior of Pb(Mg1/3 Nb2/3 )O3 −29 mol% PbTiO3 (PMN-29PT) is studied. Vickers indentation result show that the KIC of this material is 0.3 MPa m1/2 . Intentional defects from the indentation show that the direction is the weakest direction and that electrical fatigue is fastest in the direction. By looking at the hysteresis behavior of this material before and after the fatigue runs, the material ages over time.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Incentivizing Advanced Load Scheduling in Smart Homes

In recent years, researchers have proposed numerous advanced load scheduling algorithms for smart homes with the goal of reducing the grid's peak power usage. In parallel, utilities have introduced variable rate pricing plans to incentivize residential consumers to shift more of their power usage to low-price, off-peak periods, also with the goal of reducing the grid's peak power usage. In this paper, we argue that variable rate pricing plans do not incentivize consumers to adopt advanced load scheduling algorithms. While beneficial to the grid, these algorithms do not significantly lower a consumer's electric bill. To address the problem, we propose flat-power pricing, which directly incentivizes consumers to flatten their own demand profile, rather than shift as much of their power usage as possible to low-cost, off-peak periods. Since most loads have only limited scheduling freedom, load scheduling algorithms often cannot shift much, if any, power usage to low-cost, off-peak periods, which are often many hours in the future. In contrast, flat-power pricing encourages consumers to shift power usage even over short time intervals to flatten demand. We evaluate the benefits of advanced load scheduling algorithms using flat-power pricing, showing that consumers save up to 40% on their electric bill, compared with 11% using an existing time-of-use rate plan.
What is it Like to be an Aardvark

'Well my boy', said the Elder Alligator, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his reclining lounger, 'For us alligators it wasn't easy, what with having to live out on that High Dry Veldt and eat all those ants. You know we alligators much prefer it here at home in the swamp all stretched out in the oozy mud enjoying the fat babies and puppy dogs that get too close to the bayou's edge. But times were hard then and you had to take whatever came along. After all, your mother and I had just gotten married and there were all you tads coming along to think about.'
Efficacy of Short-Course, Low-Dose Corticosteroid Therapy for Acute Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Exacerbations

Abstract Background Although corticosteroids are the drug of choice for acute exacerbations of pulmonary sarcoidosis, the dose and duration of therapy is not standardized. We reviewed the short-term treatment outcome (median duration = 21 days) of 36 patients with acute exacerbations of pulmonary sarcoidosis using low-dose corticosteroid therapy (20 mg or less of daily prednisone equivalent). To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest period of time over which the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis with corticosteroids has been assessed. Methods Patients were identified retrospectively from an institution-approved database. Patient symptoms and spirometry were obtained from chart review. Additional clinical data were obtained from chart and database review. Results Follow-up visits occurred a median of 21 days after the date of the exacerbation (mean 25 ± 3 standard error of mean). The average prednisone dose was 19 mg ± 0.4 standard error of mean. Patients had significant improvement in spirometry on this low-dose treatment regimen by the time of their short-term follow-up (forced vital capacity percent predicted improved from 68 to 82 [ P P Conclusions Treatment of acute exacerbations of pulmonary sarcoidosis with 20 mg prednisone for a median of 21 days improved spirometry back to baseline and improved clinical symptoms. These data suggest that this corticosteroid dose can be safely used initially, and an attempt at tapering can be considered within the first month.
Analysis of multiple enteric viral targets as sewage markers in coral reefs.

Abstract Water and coral mucus samples were collected from throughout the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Dry Tortugas for three years and were analyzed for human enteric viruses (enteroviruses, noroviruses, hepatitis A virus and adenoviruses) as conservative markers of human sewage using molecular methods. Of the 100 coral and water samples collected, 40 contained genetic material from one or more human enteric viruses. DNA-based adenoviruses were detected widely, in 37.8% of samples and at 91% of stations, including ‘pristine’ reefs in the Dry Tortugas; however, the detection rate was ⩽12% for the RNA-based enteroviruses and noroviruses (hepatitis A virus was never detected). The disparity between the prevalence of RNA- and DNA-based viruses suggests the need for additional work to determine the utility of adenovirus as marker of human sewage.
Oocyst-Transmitted Toxoplasmosis Associated with Ingestion of Contaminated Water

HUMAN infection with Toxoplasma gondii may result from the ingestion of either the tissue cyst, which is found in certain meats, or the oocyst, which is shed in the feces of cats.1 2 3 4 5 Although...