cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epstein Barr Virus Interleukin 10 Suppresses Anti-inflammatory Phenotype in Human Monocytes

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is a gamma herpes virus associated with certain malignancies and autoimmune diseases. EBV maintains latency in B cells with occasional reactivation, in part by overcoming the host immune response with viral homologs of several human proteins. EBV interleukin 10 (vIL-10), a lytic phase protein, is a homolog of human IL-10 (hIL-10). The effect of vIL-10 on human monocytes, which are one of the first immune cells to respond to infection, is not known. To understand the role of vIL-10, monocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with hIL-10 or vIL-10. Human IL-10 stimulated STAT3 phosphorylation, which is required for suppression of inflammatory responses. However, vIL-10 induced significantly lower phosphorylation of STAT3 compared to hIL-10, and was less efficient in downregulating inflammatory genes. vIL-10 significantly reduced the expression of scavenger receptor CD163 on monocytes, suggesting inhibition of M2 polarization. Furthermore, uptake of apoptotic cells was reduced in vIL-10-stimulated monocytes compared to hIL-10-stimulated monocytes. A neutralizing antibody to IL-10R1 inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation induced by either hIL-10 or vIL-10, suggesting that vIL-10 signals through IL-10R1. Interestingly, vIL-10 suppressed hIL-10-induced STAT3 phosphorylation and inhibited upregulation of suppressors of inflammatory response by hIL-10. We further show that vIL-10 levels were significantly higher in plasma samples from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients compared to matched unaffected controls. vIL-10 levels did not correlate with hIL-10 levels, but were associated with levels of IgA antibodies to EBV viral capsid antigen, which is an indirect measure of viral reactivation. We propose that the suppression of hIL-10- induced anti-inflammatory genes by vIL-10, together with an increase in inflammatory gene expression, may overcome the anti-inflammatory effects of hIL-10 and exacerbate autoimmune responses in systemic autoimmune diseases.
Friend and foe, HNRNPC takes on immunostimulatory RNAs in breast cancer cells

The RNA‐binding protein HNRNPC is highly expressed in breast cancer, but its contribution to tumorigenesis was unclear. In this issue, Wu et al (2018) demonstrate that elevated HNRNPC is essential for the proliferative ability of two breast cancer cell lines. Reducing HNRNPC results in the accumulation of short Alu‐derived dsRNAs that bind RNA receptor RIG‐I and stimulate the production of IFN, a cytokine with known antiproliferative activity.
Abstract P396: Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Cardiovascular Response to Head Up Tilt in Adolescents Suffering from Syncope

Background: In previous work we identified a group of adolescents whose diagnostic workup for chronic unexplained nausea revealed underlying cardiovascular instability manifesting as orthostatic in...
Early Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Delivery of Children’s Surgical Care:

The impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on children's access to surgical care is not well-defined. Our objective was to describe the early impact of PPACA on children's surgical care before and after Medicaid expansion in 2014. We compared pediatric and young adult surgical outcomes in 2013 and 2014 in Medicaid expansion and nonexpansion states; young adults were included as a control group. From 4 states, 1 597 708 encounters met all inclusion criteria. Comparing expansion to nonexpansion states, modest increases were noted in elective instead of urgent/emergent admissions; in ambulatory instead of inpatient surgeries; in inpatient length of stays; in discharges to home instead of other inpatient care facilities; and in charges for inpatient admissions. A modest decrease of -1.1% was noted in ambulatory admission charges. Overall, we conclude that Medicaid expansion likely increased children's access to surgical care, resulting in improved delivery and slightly reduced charges.
The effect of oxidative stress on phagocytosis and apoptosis in the earthworm Eisenia hortensis

The effect of exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H202) on phagocytic function and apoptosis incoelomocytes from Eisenia hortensis was investigated. Treating coelomocytes with H202 (0.26 to 8.4 mM) evoked a significant increase in phagocytosis for one or more of the concentrations of H202 employed in 67 % of cases. Using annexin V-FITC we show that H202 induced apoptosis of coelomocytes in vitro. We found that 100 % of viable coelomocyte populations exhibited significant increases in phosphatidylserine translocation for one or more of the concentrations of H202 tested (8.4 to 67.6 mM). Using a fluorescent inhibitor of caspases, we revealed the presence of activated caspases observing increased caspase activity in 67 % of viable coelomocyte populations treated with 33.8mM H202, and in 100 % of cases treated with 67.6 mM H202. Agarose gel electrophoresis and the TUNEL assay showed DNA fragmentation in samples treated with 16.9 and 33.8 mM H202. In addition, endogenous H202 production during phagocytosis by hyaline amoebocytes was detected using a fluorogenic substrate. Thus, free radicals not only appear to facilitate phagocytosis and are produced during phagocytosis, but they also promote an oxidative-stress-induced apoptosis that may play an important function in regulating innate immune responses in E. hortensis.
Programmable Control of Femtosecond Structured Light

We present a laser architecture with programmable control of the polarization vector, transverse and longitudinal intensity, and wavefront in the near and far field as a novel tool to probe and control matter. © 2019 The Author(s)
The biopolitics of feeling: Race, sex, and science in the nineteenth century

In this fascinating book, Kyla Schuller relocates the origin of modern biopolitics to the nineteenth century, before and amidst the emergence of modern discourses of sexuality and genetics. While t...
Transitional stages of thin air film entrapment in drop-pool impact events

During the early stages of drop-pool impacts, an air film is temporarily entrapped between the liquid bodies. At low impact velocities, this film can become highly stretched, allowing for contact-free penetration of the drop into the pool. The elongated film never ruptures for the lowest impact velocities, resulting in drop bouncing. For higher impact velocities, the elongated film ruptures to entrain hundreds of micro-bubbles in a process known as Mesler entrainment. At even higher impact velocities, an elongated film never forms as early contact entraps a shorter disk-type film which retracts to one or few central bubbles. In this work we use numerical simulations of water drop-pool impacts along with theoretical analyses to discover a capillary transition that prevents early contact. This transition allows the drop to penetrate further into the pool and provides a pathway for the formation of elongated films. Since Mesler entrainment is only possible if early contact is prevented, we use the occurrence of transition as a criterion to provide an upper boundary for the Mesler entrainment regime. We observe from low simulations that after transition, the drop spreads on the pool surface, during which the minimum film thickness increases and the film regularizes. Interestingly, we observe the formation of kinks between the centre of the film and the spreading fronts, and find asymptotic scaling laws governing the film thickness. Lastly, by examining the role of liquid viscosity, we shed light on transition dynamics for different liquids.
Risk-Based Prioritization Approach to Construction Inspections for Transportation Projects

AbstractThroughout the execution of highway construction projects, inspections are essential for maintaining project quality and ensuring greater traffic safety. Transportation agencies, however, h...
Examining Disparities in Food Access Between Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Non-Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Purpose:Examine if Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are more likely to be located in low food access area (LFA) census tracts compared to public non-HBCUs.Design:ArcGIS Pro was ...
Lessons from naïve diversification about the risk-reward trade-off

Abstract Studies of naive diversification show that average total portfolio risk declines asymptotically as number of stocks increases. Recent work shows that a significant amount of idiosyncratic risk remains, even for portfolios with large numbers of stocks. The corresponding shocks are non-trivial. For example, more than half of all equal-weighted portfolios with 100 stocks have better than a 16 percent chance of an annual shock at least as large as about half of the annualized mean excess return on the U.S. total stock market index over July 1963–June 2018. I perform a simulation analysis of portfolio reward-to-risk as well as the components of total portfolio risk. On average, investors do not appear to be rewarded for exposure to non-systematic risk. The cross-sectional distribution of the true Sharpe ratio rises and its dispersion shrinks significantly as the number of stocks in the portfolio increases, whereas the cross-sectional distribution of the true non-systematic risk falls and its dispersion shrinks significantly as the number of stocks in the portfolio increases. This pattern appears regardless of the true asset pricing model for generating security returns, the portfolio weighting method, or specification of security alphas.
Racial Differences in Patronage Behavior to a Museum of Fine Arts

This article examines the differences between blacks and whites with regard to their patronage and use behavior of a fine arts museum in the Southeastern U.S. Significant differences were found between the races with regard the knowledge of the museum, attendance to the museum, reasons for attendance, media usage and demographic characteristics. Strategy implications are suggested as a means of reaching the underserved minority segments.
LDL Receptor-Related Protein-1 (LRP1) Regulates Cholesterol Accumulation in Macrophages

Within the circulation, cholesterol is transported by lipoprotein particles and is taken up by cells when these particles associate with cellular receptors. In macrophages, excessive lipoprotein particle uptake leads to foam cell formation, which is an early event in the development of atherosclerosis. Currently, mechanisms responsible for foam cell formation are incompletely understood. To date, several macrophage receptors have been identified that contribute to the uptake of modified forms of lipoproteins leading to foam cell formation, but the contribution of the LDL receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) to this process is not known. To investigate the role of LRP1 in cholesterol accumulation in macrophages, we generated mice with a selective deletion of LRP1 in macrophages on an LDL receptor (LDLR)-deficient background (macLRP1-/-). After feeding mice a high fat diet for 11 weeks, peritoneal macrophages isolated from Lrp+/+ mice contained significantly higher levels of total cholesterol than those from macLRP1-/- mice. Further analysis revealed that this was due to increased levels of cholesterol esters. Interestingly, macLRP1-/- mice displayed elevated plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels resulting from accumulation of large, triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles in the circulation. This increase did not result from an increase in hepatic VLDL biosynthesis, but rather results from a defect in catabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles in macLRP1-/- mice. These studies reveal an important in vivo contribution of macrophage LRP1 to cholesterol homeostasis.
Femininity and the Electric Chair: An Equal Protection Challenge to Texas's Death Penalty Statute

Capital punishment in the United States appears to apply to only one class of citizens—men. Despite their significant proportional commission of homicides, women account for less than one percent of executions in America. This Note evaluates this trend in the context of a Fourteenth Amendment equal protection challenge to capital punishment in Texas, America’s staunchest death penalty supporter. It discusses issues of paternalism and gender theory as they relate to the Texas capital punishment statute and its application throughout the legal and political process. Finally, this Note argues that despite a series of constitutional obstacles, the Supreme Court should strike down the Texas death penalty statute based on its invidious gender discrimination.
Web-Based Instruction: Successful Preparation For Course Transformation

An internet site can provide excellent support for traditional campus-based classes or replace the classroom for a distance learner. Appropriate use of this powerful tool depends as much upon the style of the faculty member, learning objectives of the course, and communication skills and preferences of teachers and students as upon the technology. This study examines the experiences of a business faculty member who has found the internet to be a versatile and effective tool.
Kinetics of the thermal oxidation of isotactic polypropylene by infrared spectroscopy

The thermal oxidation of a film of isotactic polypropylene was studied using by infrared spectroscopy. Reaction temperatures varied from 120°–150°C. and oxygen concentrations from 7–100%, by volume. A reaction scheme was postulated and kinetic expressions were developed therefrom. These expressions could explain very well the experimental results obtained. An activation energy of 31 ± 1 kcal./mole was obtained for the initiation process whereas a value of 22 ± 1 kcal./mole was obtained for the process involving the formation of non-volatile oxygenated substances.
A procedure for solving problems of elasto-plastic flow

Abstract The theory for elasto-plastic flow is recapitulated for work-hardening problems of the Mises type. The quasi-linear character of the final equations is central to devising a solution method for arbitrary initial-and boundary-value problems, and the bulk of the paper is given over to details of such a procedure. As an illustrative example, the case of torsion of a prismatic bar is selected; this provides a background for discussion of other cases. The procedure largely concerns integration of the equations over some loading history, due account being taken of local (or global) unloading and reloading. Spatial integration may be performed through either analytical or numerical techniques; the latter include finite elements, finite differences, or boundary integral methods. An analogue to the theorem of minimum potential energy is cited, the result being an implied minimization of a functional. This approach proves especially useful in considering problems of combined bending and strecthing of plates. Finally, certain performance data are cited to indicate the efficacy of the overall procedure.
Intracellular Sites of Prothyrotropin-releasing Hormone Processing

Post-translational processing of proteins plays a key role in regulating their subcellular localization, enzymatic activity, and protein-protein interactions by such diverse mechanisms as phosphorylation, glycosylation, and proteolytic cleavage. The prothyrotropin-releasing hormone (pro-TRH) precursor (26 kDa) undergoes proteolytic cleavage at either of two sites, generating a 15/10-kDa or a 9.5/16.5-kDa N/C-terminal pair of intermediates. Using transfected AtT20 cells encoding a prepro-TRH cDNA, we have previously reported that this initial set of cleavages occurs prior to entry into the secretory granules (Nillni, E. A., Sevarino, K. A., and Jackson, I. M. D. (1993) Endocrinology 132, 1271-1277). In this study, we set out to identify the subcellular compartment where this initial cleavage takes place as well as to determine the sites of processing of the intermediates produced. Our strategy was to block the transport of pro-TRH or its intermediates from one subcellular compartment to the next and to assay for the accumulation of intermediates, presumably because their processing occurs in a post-blockade compartment. Radiolabeling experiments in AtT20 cells in the presence of the drug brefeldin A, which blocks transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex, led to an accumulation of the 26-kDa precursor, suggesting a post-endoplasmic reticulum site of processing. When Golgi complex-to-secretory granule transport was blocked at 20 degrees C, the processing of the 26-kDa precursor was not affected, suggesting a Golgi complex site of processing. At this temperature, the 15-kDa N-terminal intermediate accumulated, suggesting a post-Golgi complex processing site, while the 16.5-kDa C-terminal intermediate was processed in the Golgi complex to produce a 5.4-kDa peptide.
The effect of fluorinated substituents on some solution properties of metal acetylacetonates

Abstract The effect of the CF3 group upon substitution for a CH3 group is noted in three different solution studies of acetylacetone (AA), trifluoroacetylacetone (TFA), and hexafluoroacetylacetone (HFA) and their corresponding metal complexes. The lability of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in exchanging from the axial positions of Ni(AA)2 complexes is dramatically altered by substitution of CF3 groups with k‡( AA )>k‡( TFA )>k‡( HFA ) . The diminution in rate of exchange can be explained by the electron withdrawal of the CF3 group. A good fit of the rate constants to the Hammett equation is noted. The substitution of a CF3 group for a CH3 group causes the bromination of Al(TFA)3 by N-bromosuccinimide to be about 2800 times slower than Al(AA)3(k = 6.7 ± 0.5 sec−1 at 25°C). The 13C and 1H NMR chemical shifts of AA, TFA and HFA were measured and compared with electron densities for the three compounds calculated by the INDO formalism. The 1H and methine 13C shifts show a linear correlation with electron density. The other 13C chemical shifts can best be explained by assuming that AA is quasi-aromatic and the paramagnetic effect is dominant.
On the two-functional conjecture for univalent functions

The Koebe function k(z)=z(l−z)-2 and its rotations are solutions to many extremal problems over the class S of univalent functions. It is conjectured that if a function maximizes the real parts of two essentially different linear functionals over S, then it must be a rotation of the Koebe function. This paper considers coefficient functionals and gives some sufficient conditions for the conjecture to be true.
A high-fat diet decreases AMPK activity in multiple tissues in the absence of hyperglycemia or systemic inflammation in rats

Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) in experimental animal models initiates a series of molecular events and outcomes, including insulin resistance and obesity, that mimic the metabolic syndrome in humans. The relationship among, and order of, the molecular events linking a diet high in fat to pathologies is often unclear. In the present study, we provide several novel insights into the relationship between a HFD and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key regulator of cellular metabolism and whole-body energy balance. HFD substantially decreased the activities of both isoforms of AMPK in white adipose tissue, heart, and liver. These decreases in AMPK activity occurred in the absence of decreased AMPK transcription, systemic inflammation, hyperglycemia, or elevated levels of free fatty acids. The HFD-induced decrease in AMPK activity was associated with systemic insulin resistance and hyperleptinemia. In blood, >98 % of AMPK activity was localized in agranulocytes as the α1 isoform. In contrast to the solid tissues studied, AMPK activities were not altered by HFD in granulocytes or agranulocytes. We conclude that HFD-induced obesity causes a broad, non-tissue, or isoform-specific lowering of AMPK activity. Given the central position AMPK plays in whole-body energy balance, this decreased AMPK activity may play a previously unrecognized role in obesity and its associated pathologies.
Letter to the editor regarding "Determination of glyphosate in groundwater samples using an ultrasensitive immunoassay and confirmation by on-line solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry".

The presence of glyphosate is groundwater is rare and occurs only in exceptional circumstances. A report summarizing detection of glyphosate in European ground and surface waters (http://www.egeis-toolbox. org/toolbox.html) shows that fewer than 1 % of >36,000 analyzed groundwater samples contained glyphosate residues above 0.1 μ gL �1 .T his is in contradiction with the detection frequency of glyphosate in groundwater in this study (41 %), and also with the claim of the authors that “very few works have been carried out to study the presence of glyphosate in groundwater”. The same report shows that glyphosate is found in approximately 30 % of the surface water samples analyzed, a detection frequency more in line with the observations in this publication. Based on the frequency of detection in this study, and the conclusion of the author that “the higher concentrations can be associated to sites where the sampling was carried out immediately after glyphosate application in the area”, it seems probable that the type of water sampled is closer to surface water than to real groundwater. The authors also state that the “sampling campaigns were carried out during the peak season of glyphosate application” which further explains the high detection frequency (even for surface water). Regarding site 3, which does not seem to be in contact with surface water, more information would be needed to assess the vulnerability of the groundwater (depth of the groundwater, well construction …) and ensure that the results can be related to “real” groundwater. Nevertheless, given that this site is located in the same area as sites 4 and 5, it is likely that the water
Tide/gravity-wave/mean-flow interactions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere

Abstract Interactions between the solar diurnal tide, semidiurnal tide, internal gravity waves and mean zonal winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are investigated using a quasi-nonlinear time dependent numerical model under solstice conditions. In the model, a coupled system of zonally-averaged nonlinear equations and perturbation equations for tides, including a parameterization for gravity wave propagation, is integrated simultaneously making allowance for mutual interactions. It is shown that the propagation of internal gravity waves is affected not only by the mean zonal wind but also by the tidal waves, and the tidal wave fields as well as the mean zonal winds in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere weaken as a result of the momentum deposition due to gravity waves. It is also shown that the solar tides make a significant contribution to the generation of the zonal mean fields, especially an equatorial easterly jet and cellular meridional circulation structures in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Preliminary results of full nonlinear calculations of the solar tides using a general circulation model, in which the tidal wave breakdown is simulated by a convective adjustment, are also presented.
Hypomagnesemia and Ventricular Tachycardia: A Complication of Ulcerative Colitis and Parenteral Hyperalimentation in a Nondigitalized Noncardiac Patient

A nondigitalized patient without heart disease, but with ulcerative colitis on parenteral hyperalimentation, developed ventricular tachycardia in association with hypomagnesemia. Magnesium infusions were successful in suppressing the arrhythmia, but because of ongoing fecal losses, hypomagnesemia and ventricular tachycardia recurred each time the infusion was stopped. After total colectomy, the patient remained normomagnesemic and free of arrhythmias. The few previous descriptions of arrhythmias attributed to hypomagnesemia in nondigitalized patients are reviewed. The importance of recognizing hypomagnesemia as an easily reversible cause of arrhythmias is stressed.
Decomposition and distribution of residual activity of some 13C-microbial polysaccharides and cells, glucose, cellulose and wheat straw in soil

Abstract Studies were made to determine the rate of decomposition of some 14C-labeled microbial polysaccharides, microbial cells, glucose, cellulose and wheat straw in soil, the distribution of the residual 14C in various humic fractions and the influence of the microbial products on the decomposition of plant residues in soil. During 16 weeks from 32 to 86 per cent of the C of added bacterial polysaccharides had evolved as 14CO2. Chromobacterium violaceum polysaccharide was most resistant and Leuconostoc dextranicus polysaccharide least resistant. In general the polysaccharides, microbial cells, and glucose exerted little effect on the decomposition of the plant products. Upon incubation the 14C-activity was quickly distributed in the humic. fulvic and extracted soil fractions. The pattern of distribution depended upon the amendment and the degree of decomposition. The distribution was most uniform in the highly decomposed amendments. After 16 weeks the bulk of the residual activity from Azotobacter indicus polysaccharide remained in the NaOH extracted soil. From C. violaceum polysaccharide both the extracted soil and the humic acid fraction contained high activity. About 50–80 per cent of the residual activity from the 14C-glucose, cellulose and wheat straw amended soils could be removed by hydrolysis with 6 n HCl. The greater part of this activity in the humic acid fraction was associated with the amino acids and that from the fulvic acids and residual soils after NaOH extraction with the carbohydrates. About 8 16 per cent of the activity of the humic acid fraction was present in substances (probably aromatic) extracted by ether after reductive or oxidative degradation.
Directions for silicon technology as we approach the end of CMOS scaling

CMOS at the 45 nm node has been in production for a couple of years now, and 32 nm CMOS is making its way into leading-edge products. If everything goes according to plan, CMOS at the 11 nm node should be in production in less than ten years from now. However, every technology has its limits and CMOS is no exception. While there will be billions of CMOS devices on a chip, and “mobility engineering” will continue to enable ever faster CMOS devices, band-to-band tunneling will push up the standby currents and cap the speed of any transistor requiring low standby power dissipation. At the same time, the total power dissipation, at the chip level as well as at the system level, is severely limiting the realizable speed from these CMOS devices. More innovative approaches will be required to meet the expected improvement in system performance.
MPI-Interoperable Generalized Active Messages

Data-intensive applications have become increasingly important in recent years, yet traditional data movement approaches for scientific computation are not well suited for such applications. The Active Message (AM) model is an alternative communication paradigm that is better suited for such applications by allowing computation to be dynamically moved closer to data. Given the wide usage of MPI in scientific computing, enabling an MPI-interoperable AM paradigm would allow traditional applications to incrementally start utilizing AMs in portions of their applications, thus eliminating the programming effort of rewriting entire applications. In our previous work, we extended the MPI ACCUMULATE and MPI GET ACCUMULATE operations in the MPI standard to support AMs. However, the semantics of accumulate-style AMs are fundamentally restricted by the semantics of MPI ACCUMULATE and MPI GET ACCUMULATE, which were not designed to support the AM model. In this paper, we present a new generalized framework for MPI-interoperable AMs that can alleviate those restrictions, thus providing a richer semantics to accommodate a wide variety of application computational patterns. Together with a new API, we present a detailed description of the correctness semantics of this functionality and a reference implementation that demonstrates how various API choices affect the flexibility provided to the MPI implementation and consequently its performance.
Synergistic effects of co-administration of angiotensin 1–7 and Neupogen on hematopoietic recovery in mice

Angiotensin 1–7 [A(1–7)] is a seven amino acid peptide that has been shown to increase the proliferation of epidermal stem cells after dermal injury and the number of hematopoietic progenitors in the bone marrow of myelosuppressed mice. In this study, the effect of combining A(1–7) with Neupogen on hematopoietic recovery and bone marrow progenitors was evaluated. Intravenous 5-fluorouracil (5FU) was administered to induce myelosuppression. Administration of A(1–7) and/or Neupogen was initiated 2 days after chemotherapy. Angiotensin II (AII) and A(1–7) binding were assessed by flow cytometric analysis. Hematopoietic progenitors were counted by colony forming assays. Recovery of formed elements in the blood was evaluated by hemocytometer. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the number of early hematopoietic progenitors (Lin−Sca1+cKit+) that bind AII or A(1–7) increased 5–7 days after intravenous injection of 150 mg/kg 5FU. Further, administration of A(1–7) led to a slight increase in the number of circulating leukocytes and platelets after this chemotherapeutic regimen. When given in combination with a subclinical dose of Neupogen, a synergistic effect on the number of circulating leukocytes was observed, but there was no further effect on the number of circulating platelets. In myelosuppressed mice, A(1–7) had its most profound effect on the number of hematopoietic progenitors in the bone marrow. The progenitors evaluated in the study included BFU-E, CFU-Meg, CFU-GM and CFU-GEMM. There was an increase in the number of these progenitors in the bone marrow, indicating an effect on all hematopoietic lineages. When given in combination with Neupogen, these effects were synergistic for the numbers of BFU-E and CFU-Meg (Neupogen by itself had no effect) and for the myeloid progenitors at lower doses of A(1–7). These results suggest that these hematopoietic agents act at different sites within the hematopoietic cascade and that combining these two agents may be of benefit in the treatment of hematopoietic disorders.
Influence of amphetamines, protriptyline and pargyline on the time course of the norepinephrine-induced accumulation of cyclic AMP in the rat brain

Abstract Cyclic 3′, 5′ adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) was measured at various time periods following addition of norepinephrine (NE) and/or psychotropic drugs to incubated slices of rat hypothalamus and cerebral cortex. When NE was added to the slices of hypothalamus, cyclic AMP levels increased to a maximum after 12–24 min. incubation but were sometimes diminished after 60 min. In the cerebral cortex however, in the presence of NE, cyclic AMP content sometimes continued to rise up to 60 min. In slices of hypothalamus, d-amphetamine and to a greater extent p-hydroxyamphetamine selectively antagonized the accumulation of cyclic AMP during the earlier stages of the incubation with NE. The tricyclic antidepressant, protriptyline, effectively antagonized the accumulation of cyclic AMP in the presence of NE for up to 60 min. in both the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex. On the other hand, the monoamine oxidase inhibitor, pargyline, slightly enhanced the stimulation of cyclic AMP by NE as a function of time as well as elevating basal levels of the cyclic nucleotide. The results suggest alternate adrenergic actions for certain psychotropic drugs.
Gibbsite solubility and thermodynamic properties of hydroxy-aluminum ions in aqueous solution at 25°C

Solubility curves were determined for a synthetic gibbsite and a natural gibbsite (Minas Gerais, Brazil) from pH 4 to 9, in 0.2% gibbsite suspensions in 0.01 M NaNO3 that were buffered by low concentrations of non-complexing buffer agents. Equilibrium solubility was approached from oversaturation (in suspensions spiked with Al(NO3)3 solution), and also from undersaturation in some synthetic gibbsite suspensions. Mononuclear Al ion concentrations and pH values were periodically determined. Within 1 month or less, data from over-and undersaturated suspensions of synthetic gibbsite converged to describe an equilibrium solubility curve. A downward shift of the solubility curve, beginning at pH 6.7, indicates that a phase more stable than gibbsite controls Al solubility in alkaline systems. Extrapolation of the initial portion of the high-pH side of the synthetic gibbsite solubility curve provides the first unified equilibrium experimental model of Al ion speciation in waters from pH 4 to 9. The significant mononuclear ion species at equilibrium with gibbsite are Al3+, AlOH2+, Al(OH)+2 and Al(OH)−4, and their ion activity products are ∗K50 = 1.29 × 108, ∗Ks1 = 1.33 × 103, ∗Ks2 = 9.49 × 10−3 and ∗Ks4 = 8.94 × 10−15. The calculated standard Gibbs free energies of formation (ΔG°f) for the synthetic gibbsite and the A1OH2+, Al(OH)+2 and Al(OH)−4 ions are −276.0, −166.9, −216.5 and −313.5 kcal mol−1, respectively. These ΔG°f values are based on the recently revised ΔG°f value for Al3+ (−117.0 ± 0.3 kcal mol−1) and carry the same uncertainty. The ΔG°f of the natural gibbsite is −275.1 ± 0.4 kcal mol−, which suggests that a range of ΔG°f values can exist even for relatively simple natural minerals.
Ramon Esquerra, comparatista català d'entreguerres

Aquest article examina l'actitud europeista, catalanista i comparatista del critic barceloni Ramon Esquerra i Clivilles (1909–1938?), reflectida de manera personal en la ressenya de novel·la estrangera a la premsa (1932–1936) i en els estudis emmarcats en el model del comparatisme frances d'entreguerres (1935/36–1938), que disciplinen la seva critica literaria i en canvien bona part dels centres d'interes. Tot i seguir els conceptes d'influencia i fortuna exposats per Paul van Tieghem, Esquerra hi adequa el seu imaginari nacional i publica estudis com “Shakespeare a Catalunya” (1935) i “Stendhal en Espana” (1936), fet que el converteix en l'introductor del comparatisme academic a Catalunya. Alhora, l'article planteja el pensament d'Esquerra sobre la crisi d'Occident, debat en que participa denunciant les interferencies politiques en la literatura provocades per l'estatisme del moment (feixisme i comunisme), emparant-se amb les reflexions de Paul Hazard i les solucions d'inspiracio cristiana de Christopher...
Responses of Calves Fed Fermented or Acidified Colostrum

Abstract One hundred twenty-five dairy calves at three locations (A, B, C) were fed cow's milk, fermented colostrum, or acid-treated colostrum. Propionic, acetic, or formic acid was added to the unfermented colostrum at 1.0, .7, or .3% by weight at A, B, and C. Calves weighing less than 31.8, 31.8 to 45.4, and over 45.4 kg received 2.73, 3.18, and 3.64 kg milk or diluted colostrum daily. Grain and water were offered ad libitum. Calves were weaned at 28 days of age. Calves fed fermented colostrum at location A consumed less starter during the 15 to 28 day period than did calves fed milk. At location C, calves fed fermented colostrum gained less weight from 15 to 28 days than those fed milk or acidified colostrum. Some calves fed acetic acid-treated colostrum required 2 days to reach desired consumption. Acidified colostrum within each location contained more total solids and less nonprotein nitrogen after prolonged storage than fermented colostrum. Fermented colostrum stored at summer ambient temperatures contained less total solids, more nonprotein nitrogen, increased titratable acidity, and increased distillable acidity than colostrum fermented during winter. Whey protein and casein did not vary between fermented and acid-treated colostrum. Health problems were minimal for all treatments.
Model-Based Fault Detection and Diagnosis System for NASA Mars Subsurface Drill Prototype

The Drilling Automation for Mars Environment (DAME) project, led by NASA Ames Research Center, is aimed at developing a lightweight, low-power drill prototype that can be mounted on a Mars lander and be capable of drilling down several meters below the Mars surface for conducting geology and astrobiology research. The DAME drill system incorporates a large degree of autonomy -from quick diagnosis of system state and fault conditions to taking the appropriate recovery actions -while also striving to achieve as many of the operational objectives as possible.
A Prediction Model for Bipolar RAMs in a High Energy Ion/Proton Environment

A model has been developed which predicts the relative susceptibility of bipolar RAMs to heavy ion and proton upset. During the course of evaluating this model, physical and electrical variations were also evaluated indicating that the minimum internal signal level is the primary upset susceptibility indicator. Unfortunately, all of the physical and electrical variations expected during a normal product development cycle are in direct opposition to improved high-energy particle upset tolerance. Hence, a trade-off between highly susceptible, low power (medium speed) devices must be made against the less susceptible, higher power (high speed) equivalent device, taking into account the systems trade-off with respect to system power, software, error correction procedures and/or circuit redundancy.
State Policy, Economic Crisis, Gender, and Family Ties: Determinants of Family Remittances to Cuba

AbstractThis article advances the argument that changing economic conditions in the home country act as an important determinant for sending remittances. Research on the determinants of remittances has tended to focus on the characteristics of the sending population. In the case of Cuba, disproportionate attention is paid to political disincentives to send remittances and not enough to changing state policy and the growing economic demand for remittances in that country. Using empirical data gathered from households in Havana, this article tests the importance of economic conditions in the home country, political ideology, the relationship of the sender to the receiver, the length of time away from home, and gender as determinants for remittances. Migration during an economic crisis, having immediate relatives in the home country, and female gender positively influenced remittance behavior for Cuban emigrants. Visits to the home country, especially for migrants who had left decades earlier, were found to ...
Flexible matrix decompressor circuit

A class of circuits to decompress matrixes with piecewise redundant rows is presented. A typical application is the use for cyclic redundancy check calculation with programmable polynomials. The decompression is carried out in a small number of clock cycles, and therefore improves performance as well as economises on memory space for storage of the matrixes.
Conversion Errors in 4-Bit Flash Analog-to-Digital Converters

Conversion errors in 4-bit flash analog-to-digital converters are computed from difference equations as a function of the ratio of the comparator input impedance to the R-2R bias network values. For maximum conversion errors less than 3 percent, the comparator input impedance should be 1000 times greater than the R value of the bias network.
Isolation and characterization of rabbit colostral IgA.

Abstract Rabbit colostrum contains a minimum of four proteins also present in serum. These proteins are tentatively identified by immunoelectrophoresis as albumin, transferrin, IgG and IgA. IgA is present in colostrum in much greater quantities than in serum and may be isolated from the whey fraction of colostrum by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. This IgA has the immunoglobulin allotype antigenic specificities controlled by both the (a) (H chain) and (b) (L chain) loci. Antigenic determinants of the L chain of IgA are also present in IgA; some H chain determinants may shared by IgA and IgA; while no determinants in common are demonstrable. Crude estimation of the mol. wt. of colostral igA by gel filtration gives an approximate value of 300,000–500,000, which suggests that colostral IgA exists primarily a polymeric form.
Low plasma total cholesterol in patients with Huntington’s disease and first-degree relatives

Recent studies indicate altered cholesterol homeostasis in Huntington's disease (HD) after it was found that cultured human and mice cells expressing mutant huntingtin show reduced mRNA of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes. Plasma total cholesterol (TC) levels have been connected to degenerative disorders, but data for HD are lacking. We estimated plasma TC in three groups of HD related subjects: (a) patients with overt symptomatology, (b) subjects with expanded CAG repeat number in the Huntington gene before disease onset, and (c) siblings or descendants of HD patients, with normal CAG repeat number. Compared to TC levels of age-matched controls, all three groups had significantly lower plasma TC levels. The expected positive correlation of TC to age, present in the control group, was absent in the whole group or the three subgroups of the HD subjects. TC of the ApoE genotype subgroups showed small, non-significant differences. In the group of patients, TC levels were not related to severity of illness, duration of illness, and presence of depression or dementia in their symptomatology, while lower TC levels were found in patients with psychotic features. The results indicate altered cholesterol homeostasis in members of families with HD patients. Low TC levels have been connected to increased suicide risk in several studies, and high suicidal ideation has been reported in both HD gene carriers and non-carriers. Although low plasma TC levels do not necessarily imply alterations in brain cholesterol levels, a more detailed study of plasma lipids in HD patients and their first-degree relatives, as well as the search for genetic factors regarding cholesterol synthesis and disposition, are warranted.
Identification of seventeen novel KIR variants: fourteen of them from two non-Caucasian donors.

: The killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) expressed by human natural killer (NK) cells are encoded by a family of genes on chromosome 19. The number of KIR genes varies with haplotype and the individual genes exhibit polymorphism. To investigate KIR diversity we studied KIR cDNA and genes of four human donors: two Caucasians, one Black American and one Asian Indian. From analysis of these donors seventeen novel KIR variants were identified and characterized. Fifteen of the new variants appear to have a simple allelic relationship with a known KIR, whereas two of them combine the sequences of two different KIR genes. Fourteen of the seventeen KIR variants were isolated from the two non-Caucasoid blood donors. These data show that much human KIR diversity remains to be characterized, particularly in non-Caucasoid populations.
Solubilization and properties of polyprenyl phosphate: GDP-D-mannose mannosyl transferase.

Abstract A soluble enzyme which catalyzes the formation of dolichyl β- d -mannosyl phosphate has been prepared from encysting cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii . The enzyme is relatively specific for GDP- d -mannose in that GDP- d -glucose and various uridine nucleotides do not serve as substrates. Uridine diphosphate d -glucose is not an inhibitor at 100-fold molar excess concentration, but GDP- d -glucose, GDP, and GMP do inhibit the reaction at relatively high concentrations. The apparent K m for GDP- d -mannose is approximately 0.25 μ m and that for dolichyl phosphate is approximately 3.3 μ m . The enzyme has a pH optimum of 7.0, a temperature optimum of 27 °C, and requires a divalent cation. Magnesium, cobalt, and manganese salts will serve as cofactors but maximum activity is produced by Mn 2+ . No loss of activity is evident after storage for 2 weeks at −70 °C, but half the activity was lost within 3 days at 0 °C, and a third of the activity was lost within 2 weeks at −20 °C.
Theoretical and Practical Limits of Large Alphabet Energy-Time Quantum Key Distribution

We show that with current technology, large alphabet energy-time quantum key distribution will easily allow for the transmission of quantum key qubytes, photonic quantum states which transmit 8 random key bits per sifted photon.
Partial static equilibrium model of newsprint recycling

Estimation of the demand for old newspapers as an input to US newsprint production reveals that demand is highly price-inelastic in both the short and long run. This implies that separation and collection programmes, which lower prices in secondary markets, will not effectively stimulate recycled newsprint production. The results also indicate that policies to raise the price of woodpulp will have little impact. A slightly more effectivbe recycling policy may be tax preferences aimed at encouraging investment in newsprint capacity. The major finding is that growth in output creates an opportunity for greater old newspaper use. Thus, the most effective recycling policy will be one that promotes US newsprint production.
Toward compromise on tenure: Comment

In the March issue of this Journal, Professor Martin Bronfenbrenner offers a challenging compromise solution to the vexing tenure problem [1]. The increasing percentage of tenured professors as well as Bronfenbrenner's ingenius proposal, must be viewed against the background of two conflicting trends capable of deeply affecting the older faculty members (cf. p. 25: "a probable net loser under this scheme would be the older p rofessor . . . " ) . The one trend is expressed by an increasing clamor drastically to modify or to abolish altogether the existing tenure system. The other t rend-which seems to be rapidly gaining momentum-clamors just as vocally for the elimination of mandatory retirement. Dissatisfaction with the tenure system has grown since rapid expansion has ceased to be the academic way of life, and the seller's market has turned into a buyer's market. While it is not surprising to find dissatisfaction with mandatory retirement among older faculty members, this trend goes far beyond the confines of the educational establishment and seems to be gathering votes throughout the country. ~
Effect of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonism in the lateral hypothalamus on the expression and acquisition of fructose-conditioned flavor preference in rats

Abstract The attraction to sugar-rich foods is influenced by conditioned flavor preferences (CFP) produced by the sweet taste of sugar (flavor–flavor learning) and the sugar's post-oral actions (flavor–nutrient) learning. Brain dopamine (DA) circuits are involved in both types of flavor learning, but to different degrees. This study investigated the role of DA receptors in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) on the flavor–flavor learning produced the sweet taste of fructose. In an acquisition study, food-restricted rats received bilateral LH injections of a DA D 1 receptor antagonist (SCH23390), a D 2 antagonist (RAC, raclopride) or vehicle prior to 1-bottle training sessions with a flavored 8% fructose+0.2% saccharin solution (CS+/F) and a less-preferred flavored 0.2% saccharin solution (CS−). Drug-free 2-bottle tests were then conducted with the CS+ and CS− flavors presented in saccharin. The fructose-CFP did not differ among groups given vehicle (76%), 12 nmol SCH (78%), 24 nmol (82%) or 24 nmol RAC (90%) during training. In an expression study with rats trained drug-free, LH injections of 12 or 24 nmol SCH or 12–48 nmol RAC prior to 2-bottle tests did not alter CS+ preferences (77–90%) relative to vehicle injection (86%). Only a 48 nmol SCH dose suppressed the CS+ preference (61%). The minimal effect of LH DA receptor antagonism upon fructose flavor–flavor conditioning differs with the ability of LH SCH injections to block the acquisition of glucose flavor–nutrient learning.