cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single-Molecule Fluorescent Particle Tracking

One of the most fascinating processes in biology is the directed movement of organisms, subcellular compartments, and single proteins. Tracking the cellular motion is of great interest to single-molecule biophysicists to understand the mechanism of wide variety of biological processes, from basic mechanism of molecular machines to protein--protein interactions. In the last two decades, random diffusion of proteins and lipids has been tracked under the fluorescence microscope to understand how they associate with their targeted molecules. However, cellular motility is not limited to diffusion of small particles. Many fundamental processes occur by discrete physical movements upon each enzymatic cycle. For example, motor proteins of cytoskeleton can transport intracellular cargoes by taking nanometer-sized steps along the linear tracks within the cell. Several high precision techniques have been developed to understand the working principles and kinetics of motors in a detailed manner. This chapter summarizes the recent advances in fluorescence microscopy techniques that allow high precision tracking of biological molecules.
Identification and Isolation of Oligopotent and Lineage-committed Myeloid Progenitors from Mouse Bone Marrow

Myeloid progenitors that yield neutrophils, monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs) can be identified in and isolated from the bone marrow of mice for hematological and immunological analyses. For example, studies of the cellular and molecular properties of myeloid progenitor populations can reveal mechanisms underlying leukemic transformation, or demonstrate how the immune system responds to pathogen exposure. Previously described flow cytometry strategies for myeloid progenitor identification have enabled significant advances in many fields, but the fractions they identify are very heterogeneous. The most commonly used gating strategies define bone marrow fractions that are enriched for the desired populations, but also contain large numbers of "contaminating" progenitors. Our recent studies have resolved much of this heterogeneity, and the protocol we present here permits the isolation of 6 subpopulations of oligopotent and lineage-committed myeloid progenitors from 2 previously described bone marrow fractions. The protocol describes 3 stages: 1) isolation of bone marrow cells, 2) enrichment for hematopoietic progenitors by magnetic-activated cell sorting (lineage depletion by MACS), and 3) identification of myeloid progenitor subsets by flow cytometry (including fluorescence-activated cell sorting, FACS, if desired). This approach permits progenitor quantification and isolation for a variety of in vitro and in vivo applications, and has already yielded novel insight into pathways and mechanisms of neutrophil, monocyte, and DC differentiation.
Post-Stress Fructose and Glucose Ingestion Exhibit Dissociable Behavioral and Physiological Effects

An acute traumatic event can lead to lifelong changes in stress susceptibility and result in psychiatric disease such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We have previously shown that access to a concentrated glucose solution for 24 hours beginning immediately after trauma decreased stress-related pathology in the learned helplessness model of PTSD and comorbid major depression. The current study sought to investigate the peripheral physiological effects of post-stress glucose consumption. We exposed 128 male Sprague-Dawley rats to inescapable and unpredictable 1-milliamp electric tail shocks or simple restraint in the learned helplessness procedure. Rats in each stress condition had access to a 40% glucose solution, 40% fructose solution, or water. Blood and liver tissue were extracted and processed for assay. We assessed corticosterone, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), glucose, and liver glycogen concentrations at various time points following stress. We found that rats given access to glucose following exposure to traumatic shock showed a transient rise in blood glucose and an increase in liver glycogen repletion compared to those that received water or fructose following exposure to electric shock. We also found that animals given glucose following shock exhibited reduced free corticosterone and increased CBG compared to their water-drinking counterparts. However, this difference was not apparent when glucose was compared to fructose. These data suggest that post-stress glucose prophylaxis is likely not working via modulation of the HPA axis, but rather may provide its benefit by mitigating the metabolic challenges of trauma exposure.
Building talker knowledge from talker variability

Listeners reliably extract invariant linguistic category information from speech despite massive cross-talker variability. Existing work shows that talker variability is in part handled by the learning and maintaining of category-specific acoustic distributions towards the statistics in the spoken input from a talker. When do listeners maintain information about talkers’ speech after we meet them, and what kind of information should be maintained in principle? In this talk, I present a computational framework that addresses these questions by linking the statistics of the speech input (production) to predictions about perception. The results provide constraints on the type of inference underlying talker-related adaptivity during speech perception and have direct implications for current research on talker recognition.
The Analysis of Zirconium (IV) Oxide (ZrO2) Nanoparticles for Peroxidase Activity

In this study, the peroxidase-like activity of zirconium (IV) oxide nanoparticles (nZr) is reported. Peroxidases catalyze the oxidation of their substrate in the presence of peroxide species. 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) is a peroxidase substrate, and we have demonstrated that nZr oxidizes the TMB in the presence of hydrogen peroxide resulting in a colored (TMBox) product. The reaction was tested in various buffers, and sodium acetate with pH 4 was observed to be an ideal buffer for the enzymatic reaction and the dispersity of the nZr in the solution. The nanozyme behavior was studied systematically at three different temperatures (25, 35 and 45 °C) and a wide range of H2O2 concentrations. The dependence of the enzymatic reaction on temperature, nZr content and H2O2 concentration was observed. The enzymatic reaction was tested in different protein solutions and no noticeable interference was observed with these proteins. Overall, we demonstrate that nZr, which is often used for industrial applications, mimics peroxidase enzyme and catalyzes oxidation of its substrate in the presence of peroxide species.
Increased Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitoring Threshold to Improve Hospital Course in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients.

Introduction This article is a retrospective analysis of the neurosurgical census at our institution to determine an optimal threshold for brain tissue oxygenation (PbtO2). The use of brain tissue oxygen monitoring has been in place for approximately three decades but data suggesting optimal thresholds to improve outcomes have been lacking. Though there are multiple modalities to monitor cerebral oxygenation, the monitoring of brain tissue oxygen tension has been deemed the gold standard. Still, it is not clear exactly how reductions in PbtO2 should be treated or what appropriate thresholds to treat might be. The aim of our study was to determine if our threshold of 28 mmHg for a good functional outcome could be correlated to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Methods A retrospective analysis of the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) Neurosurgery Census was performed. Patients from 2017-2019 who had placement of Licox® cerebral oxygen monitoring sensors (Integra® Lifesciences, Plainsboro Township, New Jersey) were included in the analysis. Fifteen patients were consecutively identified, all of which presented with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Data on age, gender, days in the intensive care unit (ICU), days before discharge or end of medical care, admission GCS, hospital length of stay, GOS, maximum and minimum PbtO2 values for five days following insertion, minimum and maximum intracranial pressures (ICPs), and brain temperature were included for analysis. Patient data were separated into two groups; those with consistently higher PbtO2 scores (≥ 28 mmHg; n = 7) and those with inconsistent/lower PbtO2 scores ( 28 mmHg PbtO2 averaged over Days 2-5 group was 11.4 (n=7). Average GCS for the 28 group was 63% higher than found in the <28 group (p = 0.03). GOS scores were significantly higher in those with consistently higher PbtO2 (≥ 28) than those with lower PbtO2 scores (< 28). The averages were 3.5 in the higher PbtO2 group as compared to 2 in the lower PbtO2 group. Conclusion Along with ICP monitors and monitoring in the assessment of CPP, brain tissue oxygenation allows yet another metric by which to optimize treatment in TBI patients. At our institution, a PbtO2 level of ≥ 28 mmHg is targeted in order to facilitate a good functional outcome in TBI patients. Keeping patients at this level improves GCS and GOS at discharge/end of medical treatment.
Effect of water in a non-aqueous electrolyte on electrochemical Mg2+ insertion into WO3

Abstract Magnesium batteries are promising candidates for beyond lithium-ion batteries, but face several challenges including the need for solid state materials capable of reversible Mg2+ insertion. Of fundamental interest is the need to understand and improve the Mg2+ insertion kinetics of oxide-based cathode materials in non-aqueous electrolytes. The addition of water in non-aqueous electrolytes has been shown to improve the kinetics of Mg2+ insertion, but the mechanism and the effect of water concentration are still under debate. We investigate the systematic addition of water into a non-aqueous Mg electrolyte and its effect on Mg2+ insertion into WO3. We find that the addition of water leads to improvement in the Mg2+ insertion kinetics up to 6[H2O] : [Mg]2+. We utilize electrochemistry coupled to ex situ characterization to systematically explore four potential mechanisms for the electrochemical behavior: water co-insertion, proton (co)insertion, beneficial interphase formation, and water-enhanced surface diffusion. Based on these studies, we find that while proton co-insertion likely occurs, the dominant inserting species is Mg2+, and propose that the kinetic improvement upon water addition is due to enhanced surface diffusion of ions.
Paving the Road to “Too Big to Fail”: Business Interests and the Politics of Financial Deregulation in the United States

The debate over the political power of business has witnessed a revival after the global financial crisis of 2007—2009. We begin by arguing that business political fragmentation or unity has important consequences for policy outcomes. The structure of the U.S. government is conducive to incremental policy changes, often in response to business pressures. In turn, these changes shape the political interests and alliances of business. We illustrate this dynamic through an analysis of the political processes leading to the enactment of the Financial Modernization Act (FMA) of 1999, which repealed Depression-era regulations and allowed commercial banks to enter the securities and insurance business and vice versa. The FMA condoned the emergence of largely unregulated diversified financial institutions, which proved “too big to fail” during the crisis. Several factors contributed to the FMA: political institutions, international competition, the ideological convergence of the Republican and Democratic parties,...
Multi-kinase targeted therapy as a promising treatment strategy for ovarian tumors expressing sfRon receptor.

The sfRon kinase is an important therapeutic target in ovarian cancer that contributes to prominent tumor growth and disease progression. We reasoned that a multi-kinase inhibition of sfRon pathway might be an effective strategy to achieve a sustained anti-tumor response, while simultaneously preventing treatment resistance. We performed a detailed dissection of sfRon signaling in vitro and demonstrated that S6K1 is a key component of a multi-kinase targeting strategy in sfRon expressing ovarian tumors. We selected AD80 compound that targets several kinases within sfRon pathway including AKT and S6K1, and compared its efficacy with inhibitors that selectively target either sfRon or PI3 kinase. Using human ovarian xenografts and clinically relevant patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), we demonstrated that in vivo treatment with single agent AD80 shows superior efficacy to a standard-care chemotherapy (cisplatin/paclitaxel), or to the direct inhibition of sfRon kinase by BMS777607. Our findings indicate that ovarian tumors expressing sfRon are most effectively treated with multi-kinase inhibitors simultaneously targeting AKT and S6K1, such as AD80, which results in long-term anti-tumor response and prevents metastasis development.
Can Law Cease to Exist? On the Ontological Foundations of the Atrophy of Law

It is obvious that law is a part of man’s social reality. Moreover, the basic historical information is such that a civilization’s condition remains closely tied to the law; wherever law loses power, human associative life also disintegrates. Nevertheless, a very long time ago, that is, in the poetic and mythological visions of the world contained in a¼œργα καa½¶ a¼©μI­ραι and Metamorphoseon, the law was depicted as something that appeared in interpersonal relationships only after a certain moment; as such, the law is something that man does not necessarily need. What is more, the spiritus movens of anarchist thought, currently present in the broadly understood philosophical discourse, is the postulate of the abolition (or death) of the law. Is this postulate feasible, however? Is it possible that in the future there will be no law and people will still exist? The subject of the research collected in the article is a solution to this problem. However, I will not try to formulate and justify it, nor will I present the solutions worked out or suggested so far. Instead, I will take up the problem of how the findings regarding the facts that denote the assumptions of the question "can law cease to exist among people?" determine the solution (i.e. ontological theory) of the question of the possibility of law disappearing. In other words, in this article, I will discuss the existential foundations of the atrophy of law.
Sociodemographic factors affecting telemedicine access: A population-based analysis.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic prompted a surge in telemedicine, with the presumption that patients had computer and internet access. We sought to determine, in a population-based sample, how many Americans were using computers and the internet before the pandemic, and whether disparities existed in this. Methods The National Health Interview Survey is conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is representative of the entire United States civilian non-institutionalized population. In 2018, questions were fielded regarding computer and web utilization. We evaluated sociodemographic factors associated with this. Results Twenty-five thousand and forty-nine people, representing 245,842,992 in the population, responded to these questions. Of the responses, 19% stated they used a computer "never or almost never," 18% stated they did not use the internet, and 25% did not use email. Over the previous 12 months, 55% of responders stated they had looked up health information on the internet, 11% had filled a prescription online, 16% had scheduled a medical appointment on the internet, and 17% had communicated with a healthcare provider by email. Internet usage varied by region, age, race, education, family income, and insurance status, but not by gender. Conclusion As telemedicine becomes more prevalent, sociodemographic factors limiting computer and internet use may disadvantage certain segments of the population.
Beyond Empiricism: Realizing the Ethical Mission of Management

Research into the proper mission of business falls within the context of theoretical and applied ethics. And ethics is fast becoming a part of required business school curricula. However, while business ethics research occasionally appears in high‐profile venues, it does not yet enjoy a regular place within any top management journal. I offer a partial explanation of this paradox and suggestions for resolving it. I begin by discussing the standard conception of human nature given by neoclassical economics as disseminated in business schools; showing it is a significant obstacle to an accurate conception of ethics and how this limits consideration of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). I then examine the scope of the top management journals, showing how their empirical and descriptive focus leaves little room for ethics, which is an essentially conceptual and prescriptive discipline. Finally, I suggest avenues for research into the ethical mission of business, generally - and sustainability and CSR, in particular - by appeal to the precepts of Harvard Business School’s Master’s in Business Administration ethics oath modeled on the medical and legal professions.
A Moose and a Fox Can Aid Scientists with Data Management Problems

Fox (Finding Objects of eXperiments) is the declarative query language for Moose (Modeling Objects Of Scientific Experiments), an object-oriented data model at the core of a scientific experiment management system (EMS) being developed at Wisconsin. The goal of the EMS is to support scientists in managing their experimental studies and the data that are generated from them.
Computing and data handling: recent experiences at Fermilab and SLAC

Computing has become evermore central to the doing of high energy physics. There are now major second and third generation experiments for which the largest single cost is computing. At the same time the availability of ‘‘cheap’’ computing has made possible experiments which were previously considered infeasible. The result of this trend has been an explosion of computing and computing needs. I will review here the magnitude of the problem, as seen at Fermilab and SLAC, and the present methods for dealing with it. I will then undertake the dangerous assignment of projecting the needs and solutions forthcoming in the next few years at both laboratories. I will concentrate on the ‘‘offline’’ problem; the process of turning terabytes of data tapes into pages of physics journals.
Association of the Bacillus subtilis Chromosome with the Cell Membrane: Resolution of Free and Bound Deoxyribonucleic Acid on Renografin Gradients

Linear density gradients of Renografin have resolved two components of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in sheared lysates. Component 1, at equilibrium density after 5 hr of centrifugation, is enriched for newly synthesized DNA and markers near the origin and terminus of replication. It contains 5% of total cellular protein, 25% of the phospholipids, 30 to 50% of the DNA, 4 to 11% of unstable ribonucleic acid (RNA), RNA polymerase, and low amounts of DNA polymerase. The material is sensitive to Pronase and Sarkosyl. In unsheared lysates, all of the DNA forms a band at this position. Shearing the lysate generates a slow-sedimenting fraction of DNA (component 2) which contains more uniformly labeled than newly synthesized DNA. These observations suggest that replicating DNA and DNA at the origin and possibly the terminus of replication are associated with membrane. The amount of uniformly labeled DNA in component 1 and an estimate of the number of chromosomal fragments suggest that other parts of the chromosome are possibly associated with the membrane.
Culture and Resilience: Next Steps for Theory and Practice

Culture and resilience prove to be slippery concepts unless deployed with care and attention. In this chapter, I demonstrate why a fine-grained approach to culture is important to the study of resilience, helping us avoid common pitfalls such as equating culture with society, religion, or ethnicity in ways that offer limited insights about people’s lives and local contexts. I advocate greater clarity of purpose with respect to concepts, methods, and evidence in resilience research, with a view to inform next steps for theory and practice. I illustrate mixed-methods approaches that operationalize vulnerability and resilience across cultures, as well as ethnographic approaches to resilience across cultures that uncover a political economy of health consonant with a quest for dignity, social justice, and respect. Resilience is driven by culturally specific, diverse, and often-changing goals: for youth, the relationship between culture and resilience is akin to bricolage, in the sense of navigating an array of pursuits, goals, and values. Thus resilience has important moral, social, and political dimensions, beyond the consideration of poor wellbeing or development.
What’s in a Name, & What’s in the NGSS?

In the long history of genetics – and of our teaching about it – “mutation” generally has been defined as any change in DNA sequence. In addition, as the other guest editorial in this issue (“What’s in a Name: Mutation versus Variant?” by Garry Cutting) points out, the term “mutation” generally has carried a “negative connotation,” one that implies a phenotype that is somehow deficient. Next-generation genome sequencing, however, requires that we rethink our approach to the vocabulary we employ in the classroom when we address these concepts. Massively parallel DNA sequencing has increased tremendously our ability to elaborate biological variation at the level of individual bases. How should we categorize for our students the immense number …
Acute and Chronic Risk Preceding Suicidal Crises Among Middle-Aged Men Without Known Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Problems: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Abstract. Background: Suicides among men aged 35–64 years increased by 27% between 1999 and 2013, yet little research exists to examine the nature of the suicide risk within this population. Many men do not seek help if they have mental health problems and suicides may occur in reaction to stressful circumstances. Aims: We examined the precipitating circumstances of 600 suicides without known mental health or substance abuse (MH/SA) problems and with a recent crisis. Whether these suicides occurred within the context of an acute crisis only or in the context of chronic circumstances was observed. Method: Using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System and employing mixed-methods analysis, we examined the circumstances and context of a census of middle-aged male suicides (n = 600) in seven states between 2005 and 2010. Results: Precipitating circumstances among this group involved intimate partner problems (IPP; 58.3%), criminal/legal problems (50.7%), job/financial problems (22.5%), and health...
Comparisons of life-history parameters between free-ranging and captive killer whale (Orcinus orca) populations for application toward species management

Data collected on life-history parameters of known-age animals from the northern (NR) and southern resident (SR) killer whales (Orcinus orca) of the eastern North Pacific were compared with life-history traits of killer whales located at SeaWorld (SEA) facilities. For captive-born SEA animals, mean age and body length at 1st estrus was 7.5 years and 483.7 cm, respectively. Estimated mean age at 1st conception was different (P < 0.001) for the combined data from both northern and southern resident (NSR) free-ranging populations (12.1 years) compared to SEA (9.8 years), as was the estimated mean age at 1st observed calf (SEA: 11.1 years, NSR: 14.2 years, P < 0.001). Average calf survival rate to 2 years of age for SEA animals (0.966) was significantly greater (P = 0.04) than that for SR (0.799). Annual survival rate (ASR) for SEA increased over approximately 15-year increments with rates in the most recent period (2000–2015 ASR: 0.976) improved (P < 0.05) over the first 2 periods of captivity (1965–1985: 0.906; 1985–2000: 0.941). The SR (0.966) and NR ASR (0.977) were higher (P ≤ 0.05) than that of SEA until 2000, after which there were no inter-population differences. Based on ASR, median and average life expectancy were 28.8 and 41.6 years (SEA: 2000–2015), 20.1 and 29.0 years (SR), and 29.3 and 42.3 years (NR), respectively. The ASR for animals born at SEA (0.979) was higher (P = 0.02) than that of wild-caught SEA animals (0.944) with a median and average life expectancy of 33.1 and 47.7 years, respectively. These data present evidence for similar life-history parameters of free-ranging and captive killer whale populations and the reproductive potential and survivorship patterns established herein have application for use in future research concerning the overall health of both populations.
Disentangling the Interrelations Between Hopelessness, Loneliness, and Suicidal Ideation

We attempted to disentangle the interrelations between hopelessness, loneliness, and suicidal ideation, by comparing two conceptually driven models of their relationships, prospectively among 234 undergraduates, using a series of multiple regression/correlation equations. Model 1 framed loneliness as a risk factor for future suicidality that operates via its influence on hopelessness (the mediational view). Model 2 viewed hopelessness as a source variable that is predictive of both loneliness and suicidality, and postulated no relation between loneliness and suicidality beyond hopelessness. Model 2 received support, whereas Model 1 did not. We discuss the implications of our findings for the nomological status of hopelessness and loneliness as correlates of suicidality, and for exploration of the structural interrelations of suicide-related variables in general.
Prevalence of suicidal ideation and other suicide warning signs in veterans attending an urgent care psychiatric clinic

Abstract Background Suicide prevention in the clinical setting is focused on evaluating risk in the coming hours to days, yet little is known about which factors increase acute risk. Purpose To determine the prevalence of factors that may serve as warnings of heightened acute risk. Methods Veterans attending an urgent care psychiatric clinic (n = 473) completed a survey on suicidal ideation and other acute risk warning signs. Results More than half the sample (52%) reported suicidal ideation during the prior week. Of these, more than one-third (37%) had active ideation which included participants with a current suicide plan (27%) and those who had made preparations to carry out their plan (12%). Other warning signs were also highly prevalent, with the most common being: sleep disturbances (89%), intense anxiety (76%), intense agitation (75%), hopelessness (70%), and desperation (70%). Almost all participants (97%) endorsed at least one warning sign. Participants with depressive syndrome and/or who screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder endorsed the largest number of warning signs. Those with both depressive syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder were more likely to endorse intense affective states than those with either disorder alone. All p-values for group comparisons are Conclusion Our major findings are the strikingly high prevalence of past suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, current suicidal ideation and intense affective states in veterans attending an urgent care psychiatric clinic; and the strong associations between co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive syndrome with intense affective states.
Influence of alternative shell‐drilling behaviours on attack duration of the predatory snail, Chicoreus dilectus

Edge drilling is a form of predation in which a predatory snail excavates a hole at a point along the margin of the closed valves of a bivalved animal. We tested the hypothesis that edge-drilling attacks by the predatory snail Chicoreus dilectus on its clam prey Chione elevata shorten the duration of the predation process relative to the alternative behaviour of drilling through the prey's shell wall away from its edges. The time required to complete an edge-drilling attack was on average about three times less than when prey were attacked through the shell wall. This improvement in predation speed was a function of the thickness of the prey's shell at the point of attack. We suggest that owing to the shorter length of time required to kill prey, the edge-drilling behaviour may be selectively advantageous in environments where enemies are abundant, especially competitors that might attempt to steal prey. Behaviours that speed up the predation process may create opportunities for more effective exploitation of available prey resources in highly competitive environments.
A hierarchical, multi-objective approach to the analysis, design, and selection of computer-integrated manufacturing systems☆

Abstract This paper develops a hierarchical, multi-objective programming framework for decision support, analysis, and design of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems. We demonstrate that each component of CIM, and CIM as a whole, is associated with conflicting objectives such as maximizing quality, profit, productivity, and flexibility. Realizing these objectives and finding appropriate ways to state and resolve their conflicts can play a major role in the development of CIM systems. We begin with an overview of hierarchical decision making as related to the time domain, and some important components of CIM as related to automation. We then relate manufacturing databases and the structure of decision support systems considering multiple and conflicting objectives. A hierarchical multi-objective framework, based on vertical and horizontal interdependencies, is then developed for analysis and design of CIM. The methodology is intended for decomposition of large-scale systems into a series of independent, multi-objective problems; we develop and illustrate an interactive approach to solve the decomposed problems and resolve the vertical and horizontal interdependencies. Finally, an approach for the selection of hardware/software systems for CIM is discussed and illustrated. Several examples are presented.
Hamiltonian quantization of self-dual tensor fields and a bosonic Nielsen-Ninomiya theorem

Abstract The quantization of self-dual tensor fields is carried out following the procedure of Batalin and Fradkin. The (anti) self-duality constraints (either fermionic or bosonic) in the action leads to the gravitational anomaly. In the process of gauge fixing, the impossibility of the co-existence of a positive hamiltonian and covariant action is shown. A version of the Nielsen-Ninomiya theorem applies to self-dual tensor fields viz. the lattice version of the theory shows species doubling with zero net chirality.
Laminin-311 (Laminin-6) Fiber Assembly by Type I-like Alveolar Cells

Two epithelial cell types cover the alveolar surface of the lung. Type II alveolar epithelial cells produce surfactant and, during development or following wounding, give rise to type I cells that are involved in gas exchange and alveolar fluid homeostasis. In culture, freshly isolated alveolar type II cells assume a more squamous (type I-like) appearance within 4 days after plating. They assemble numerous focal adhesions that associate with the actin cytoskeleton at the cell margins. These alveolar epithelial cells lose expression of type II cell markers including SP-C and after 4 days in culture express the type I cell marker T1α. Those cells that express T1α also deposit fibers of laminin-311 in their matrix. The latter appears to be related to their development of a type I phenotype because freshly isolated, primary type I cells also assemble laminin-311-rich fibers in vitro. A β1 integrin antibody antagonist inhibits the assembly of laminin-311 matrix fibers. Moreover, the formation of laminin fibers...
Estimation of the effect of NaCl on the solubility of organic compounds in aqueous solutions

Abstract The Setschenow constant, K salt , of a nonelectrolyte in a NaCl solution is shown to be related to the logarithm of its octanol–water partition coefficient, log K ow , determined by K salt = A log K ow + B, where K ow is the octanol–water partition coefficient of the solute and the coefficients A and B are constants. The values of A and B were empirically determined from literature data for 62 organic compounds and validated for a test set of 15 compounds including several drugs. ©2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 89: 1620–1625, 2000
Sertraline in contraceptive users with premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Abstract Objective: Sertraline has not been evaluated for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in women taking oral contraceptives (OCs). The primary objective of the study was to determine the efficacy and tolerability of sertraline, compared with placebo in women with PMDD receiving OCs. A secondary objective was to identify any drug interaction between sertraline and OCs through competition for microsomal hepatic enzymes. Methods: Eight women between 18 and 45 years of age completed daily diaries for two menstrual cycles. Women meeting DSM-IV criteria for PMDD after a single-blind washout were randomized to either sertraline (50–150 mg/day) or placebo for three menstrual cycles and were then crossed over to the other treatment arm for another three cycles. Results: Sertraline (125.0 ± 38.0 mg/day) was superior to placebo. Compared with placebo, sertraline-treated patients had lower total premenstrual scores (P Conclusions: This pilot study is the first to report sertraline as effective and well tolerated in women with PMDD who receive OCs. It is also the first account of decreased clearance of sertraline and desmethylsertraline in some patients with concomitant OC use.
Thermal conductivity of polymethylphenylsiloxanes at high pressures

Results are presented of an experimental investigation of the thermal conductivity of polymethylphenylsiloxanes in the 20–200°C temperature range and up to 200-MN/m2 pressure range. An equation is proposed to compute the heat conduction in the temperature and pressure ranges investigated.
MED220/Thyroid Receptor-Associated Protein 220 Functions as a Transcriptional Coactivator with Pit-1 and GATA-2 on the Thyrotropin-β Promoter in Thyrotropes

Mediator (MED) 220/thyroid receptor-associated protein (TRAP) 220 is a transcriptional mediator that interacts with liganded thyroid/steroid hormone receptors. MED220 haploinsufficient heterozygotes exhibited hypothyroidism and reduced TSHβ transcripts, suggesting a specific function for TSHβ transcription. We previously demonstrated that Pit-1 and GATA-2 can bind to a composite element within the proximal TSHβ promoter and synergistically activate transcription. We detected MED220 expression in TtT-97 thyrotropes by Northern and Western blot analysis. Cotransfections in CV-1 cells showed that Pit-1, GATA-2, or MED220 alone did not markedly stimulate the TSHβ promoter. However, Pit-1 plus GATA-2 resulted in an 10-fold activation, demonstrating synergistic cooperativity. Titration of MED220 resulted in a further dose-dependent stimulation up to 25-fold that was promoter specific. Glutathione-S-transferase interaction studies showed that MED220 or GATA-2 each bound the homeodomain of Pit-1, whereas MED220 i...
Preschool Teachers and the Discourse of Suspicion

This article addresses the social construction of gender in a preschool context. The data are from ethnographic participant observation in a Montessori preschool and interviews with its preschool t...
Milking the 30,000-Pound Herd

The principles for milking the 13,600-kg (30,000-lb) cow are the same as for any other dairy cow: she should be milked gently, quickly, and completely with minimal machine stripping or over-milking. The application of these principles may differ, however, because high producing cows have 1) lower premilking stimulus requirements than low producers, 2) higher peak milking rates and higher average flow rates (yet longer times to milkout), 3) higher incidence of teat orifice lesions such as hyperkeratosis, and 4) higher risk of new mastitis infections. Existing national and international standards for construction and performance of milking systems may not be adequate to manage the higher expected flow rates through the milking unit and milklines. Such standards need to be reviewed and perhaps revised to ensure appropriate sizing and flow characteristics based on sound engineering principles and physiological requirements. Milking four times per day increases daily milk production compared with twice per day, and milking eight times per day increased daily production compared with four times per day. Cows milked more than four times per day might not require complete milking out at every milking. More frequent milking (or milking on demand) may be achieved with robot milkers, provided that robots can match the reliability of human milkers.
Towards on-chip chemical reaction monitoring by EWOD impedance measurement

This paper demonstrates the use of impedance sensing in an electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) chip to monitor the progress of a chemical reaction. Sensing is achieved by measuring the current through a sample droplet with the aid of a lock-in amplifier. Monitoring of the reaction of HCl with NaOH (i.e., during a titration) was demonstrated. A sharp minimum in the impedance signal was observed at the titration equivalence point, enabling the endpoint to be determined electronically. Future work is aimed at extending reaction monitoring to additional acid-base systems and other classes of reactions.
The context-switch overhead inflicted by hardware interrupts (and the enigma of do-nothing loops)

The overhead of a context switch is typically associated with multitasking, where several applications share a processor. But even if only one runnable application is present in the system and supposedly runs alone, it is still repeatedly preempted in favor of a different thread of execution, namely, the operating system that services periodic clock interrupts. We employ two complementing methodologies to measure the overhead incurred by such events and obtain contradictory results.The first methodology systematically changes the interrupt frequency and measures by how much this prolongs the duration of a program that sorts an array. The overall overhead is found to be 0.5-1.5% at 1000 Hz, linearly proportional to the tick rate, and steadily declining as the speed of processors increases. If the kernel is configured such that each tick is slowed down by an access to an external time source, then the direct overhead dominates. Otherwise, the relative weight of the indirect portion is steadily growing with processors' speed, accounting for up to 85% of the total.The second methodology repeatedly executes a simplistic loop (calibrated to take 1ms), measures the actual execution time, and analyzes the perturbations. Some loop implementations yield results similar to the above, but others indicate that the overhead is actually an order of magnitude bigger, or worse. The phenomenon was observed on IA32, IA64, and Power processors, the latter being part of the ASC Purple supercomputer. Importantly, the effect is greatly amplified for parallel jobs, where one late thread holds up all its peers, causing a slowdown that is dominated by the per-node latency (numerator) and the job granularity (denominator). We trace the bizarre effect to an unexplained interrupt/loop interaction; the question of whether this hardware mis-feature is experienced by real applications remains open.
The effect of stochastic gravity models in airborne vector gravimetry

Measurements of specific force using inertial measurement units (IMU) combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) accelerometry can be used on an airborne platform to determine the total gravitational vector. Traditional methods, originating with inertial surveying systems and based on Kalman filtering, rely on choosing an appropriate stochastic model for the gravity disturbance components included in the set of system error states. An alternative procedure that uses no a priori stochastic model has proven to be as effective, or moreso, in extracting the gravity vector from airborne IMU/GPS data. This method is based on inspecting acceleration residuals from a Kalman filter that estimates only sensor biases. Using actual data collected over the Canadian Rocky Mountains, this method was compared to the traditional approach adapted for different types of stochastic models for the gravity disturbance vector. In all test cases, the estimation filter without a gravitational model yielded better results—up to...
Bi-large Neutrino Mixing and CP violation in an SO(10) SUSY GUT for Fermion Masses

Abstract We construct a simple SO ( 10 ) SUSY GUT with D 3 family symmetry and low energy R-parity. The model describes fermion mass matrices with 14 parameters and gives excellent fits to 20 observable masses and mixing angles in both quark and lepton sectors, giving 6 predictions. Bi-large neutrino mixing is obtained with hierarchical quark and lepton Yukawa matrices; thus avoiding the possibility of large lepton flavor violation. The model naturally predicts small 1–3 neutrino mixing, sin θ 13 ≃ 0.05 , and a CP violating phase δ close to π / 2 . Among other interesting predictions is a tiny effective Majorana mass for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Leptogenesis is also possible with the decay of the lightest right-handed neutrino giving an acceptable CP violating asymmetry e 1 of order 10−6, and with the correct sign for the resultant baryon asymmetry. Note, similar models with the non-Abelian symmetry groups SU ( 2 ) or D 4 , instead of D 3 , can be constructed.
An Implicit Tour Scheduling Model with Applications in Healthcare

Motivated by difficult staff scheduling problems arising in healthcare institutions, we have developed an implicit tour scheduling model which includes full and part-time tour types as well as intra-tour start time flexibility. Potential benefits of intra-tour start time flexibility are demonstrated through a computational experiment. The model has been embedded in a decision support system at a large tertiary care hospital and has been used in numerous studies to help estimate staffing needs and to analyze the impact of scheduling policies and practices.
Effects of calcium on mitochondrial NAD(P)H in paced rat ventricular myocytes

The response of the steady-state level of mitochondrial NAD(P)H of individual cardiac myocytes to substrate and to pharmacological alteration of intracellular calcium was investigated using a defined pacing protocol. Rapid pacing (5 Hz) reversibly decreased the NAD(P)H level and increased oxygen consumption whereas phosphocreatine and ATP levels did not change significantly. Verapamil plus NiCl2 blockade of calcium channels abolished contractions. Ryanodine, which prevents calcium-induced calcium release, also stopped cell contraction. NAD(P)H levels do not change in the absence of contraction. Blockade of sarcolemmal K+ channels did not stop contraction, and NAD(P)H levels reversibly decreased during rapid pacing. Thus rapid contractions are associated with a reversible decrease in NAD(P)H levels. Ruthenium red blockade of Ca2+ entry into mitochondria did not block contraction but significantly decreased NAD(P)H levels in both slowly paced (0.5 Hz) and rapidly paced cells. The simplest explanation of these data is that the steady-state reduction of NAD(P)H is strongly dependent on the rate of ATP utilization and not on sarcoplasmic Ca2+ levels when the oxygen and substrate supplies are not limiting and the intracellular calcium regulation is maintained. An effect of intracellular Ca2+ on NAD(P)H is observed only when Ca2+ entry into mitochondria is blocked with ruthenium red.
TGF-β: Regulation of extracellular matrix

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important determinant of cellular behavior, regulating cellular adhesion, cellular migration, cellular proliferation, and cellular differentiation. Increasingly, it has become appreciated that certain of these actions of ECM derive from its ability to sequester and modulate the activity of specific growth factors [1]. Of all of the growth factors, none has been found to have the diversity of effects on ECM ascribed to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). This peptide plays a critical role not only in synthesis and degradation of ECM but also in response of cells to ECM mediated through integrin receptors; moreover, specific components of the ECM, in turn, can both deliver TGF-β and regulate its activity [reviewed in 2–4].
Characterizing natural organic material from the Occoquan Watershed (Northern Virginia, US) using fluorescence spectroscopy and PARAFAC

Surface water samples from the Occoquan Watershed (Virginia, US) were collected during summer baseflow conditions and characterized by excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Based on 55 samples, PARAFAC identified three individual fluorophore moieties, which were attributed to humic-like, fulvic-like, and protein-like materials. The categorization of these seemingly universal fluorophore moieties in aqueous systems was consistent with expected analyte concentrations that were independently measured by traditional wet chemistry techniques. The relative distribution of the three fluorophore fractions varied among the different land use catchments, especially in locations of known anthropogenic activity. Distinctive relationships between the fulvic-like and protein-like materials were observed for catchments known to be influenced by anthropogenic activity and those believed to reflect more natural environments, suggesting that this technique could be used to monitor human impact on aquatic systems. Finally, PARAFAC can be used to provide estimates (+/-30%) of select analyte concentrations in surface water. The results of this study support the use of EEM and PARAFAC analyses by watershed managers and other personnel interested in understanding organic matter behavior in aquatic systems.
GFAM: Evolving Fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks

This paper focuses on the evolution of Fuzzy ARTMAP neural network classifiers, using genetic algorithms, with the objective of improving generalization performance (classification accuracy of the ART network on unseen test data) and alleviating the ART category proliferation problem (the problem of creating more than necessary ART network categories to solve a classification problem). We refer to the resulting architecture as GFAM. We demonstrate through extensive experimentation that GFAM exhibits good generalization and is of small size (creates few ART categories), while consuming reasonable computational effort. In a number of classification problems, GFAM produces the optimal classifier. Furthermore, we compare the performance of GFAM with other competitive ARTMAP classifiers that have appeared in the literature and addressed the category proliferation problem in ART. We illustrate that GFAM produces improved results over these architectures, as well as other competitive classifiers.
The macromolecular lattices of polyhedra

Abstract An electron micrographic study of the crystalline lattices of the polyhedra formed in six different nuclear polyhedroses revealed that there are distinct differences in the dimensions of some of the lattices. The protein macromolecules of the polyhedra appear on micrographs as irregular masses of material. These do not appear to be in direct contact with each other but are separated by spaces that may be greater than the diameter of the molecules.
Photoluminescence of Color Filter Glasses

The photoluminescence of color filter glasses (as typified by the complete Corning filter glass set) is characterized. Emission, excitation spectra, and decay times are determined, and quantum yield is estimated. For many of the filters, the quantum yield and range of excitation are such that fluorescence can be a (perhaps unrecognized) problem when these filters are used in a long-bandpass mode. Furthermore, interference filters are often not free from filter fluorescence because fluorescent glasses are commonly used as a substrate or as protection for the dielectric layers.