Disruption of the ErbB signaling in adolescence increases striatal dopamine levels and affects learning and hedonic-like behavior in the adult mouse.

The ErbB signaling pathway has been genetically and functionally implicated in schizophrenia. Numerous findings support the dysregulation of Neuregulin (NRG) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling in schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether alterations of these pathways in the adult brain or during development are involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Placental Protein 13 (PP13) - A Placental Immunoregulatory Galectin Protecting Pregnancy.

Galectins are glycan-binding proteins that regulate innate and adaptive immune responses, and some confer maternal-fetal immune tolerance in eutherian mammals. A chromosome 19 cluster of galectins has emerged in anthropoid primates, species with deep placentation and long gestation. Three of the five human cluster galectins are solely expressed in the placenta, where they may confer additional immunoregulatory functions to enable deep placentation.

The role of the carbohydrate recognition domain of placental protein 13 (PP13) in pregnancy evaluated with recombinant PP13 and the DelT221 PP13 variant.

Introduction: Placental protein 13 (PP13), a placenta specific protein, is reduced in the first trimester of pregnancy in women who subsequently develop preeclampsia. A naturally occurring PP13 deletion of thymidine at position 221 (DelT221 or truncated variant) is associated with increased frequency of severe preeclampsia. In this study we compared the full length (wildtype) PP13 and the truncated variant.

Structure, function, aging and turnover of aggrecan in the intervertebral disc.

Background: Aggrecan is the major non-collagenous component of the intervertebral disc. It is a large proteoglycan possessing numerous glycosaminoglycan chains and the ability to form aggregates in association with hyaluronan. Its abundance and unique molecular features provide the disc with its osmotic properties and ability to withstand compressive loads.

Spatio-temporal synchrony of influenza in cities across Israel: the "Israel is one city" hypothesis.

We analysed an 11-year dataset (1998-2009) of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) that was based on surveillance of ∽23% of Israel's population. We examined whether the level of synchrony of ILI epidemics in Israel's 12 largest cities is high enough to view Israel as a single epidemiological unit. Two methods were developed to assess the synchrony: (1) City-specific attack rates were fitted to a simple model in order to estimate the temporal differences in attack rates and spatial differences in reporting rates of ILI.

Cognitive-motor interactions of the basal ganglia in development.

Neural circuits linking activity in anatomically segregated populations of neurons in subcortical structures and the neocortex throughout the human brain regulate complex behaviors such as walking, talking, language comprehension, and other cognitive functions associated with frontal lobes. The basal ganglia, which regulate motor control, are also crucial elements in the circuits that confer human reasoning and adaptive function. The basal ganglia are key elements in the control of reward-based learning, sequencing, discrete elements that constitute a complete motor act, and cognitive function.

The formation of an anti-restenotic/anti-thrombotic surface by immobilization of nitric oxide synthase on a metallic carrier.

Coronary stenosis due to atherosclerosis, the primary cause of coronary artery disease, is generally treated by balloon dilatation and stent implantation, which can result in damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels. This leads to the restenosis of the lumen as a consequence of migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Nitric oxide (NO), which is produced and secreted by vascular endothelial cells (ECs), is a central anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic player in the vasculature.

The Integration of the Neurosciences, Child Public Health, and Education Practice: Hemisphere-Specific Remediation Strategies as a Discipline Partnered Rehabilitation Tool in ADD/ADHD.

ADD/ADHD is the most common and most studied neurodevelopmental problem. Recent statistics from the U.S.

Injectable hydrogels with high fixed charge density and swelling pressure for nucleus pulposus repair: biomimetic glycosaminoglycan analogues.

The load-bearing biomechanical role of the intervertebral disc is governed by the composition and organization of its major macromolecular components, collagen and aggrecan. The major function of aggrecan is to maintain tissue hydration, and hence disc height, under the high loads imposed by muscle activity and body weight. Key to this role is the high negative fixed charge of its glycosaminoglycan side chains, which impart a high osmotic pressure to the tissue, thus regulating and maintaining tissue hydration and hence disc height under load.

Inhibitory effect of ethyl acetate extract of the shaggy inc cap medicinal mushroom, Coprinus comatus (Higher Basidiomycetes) fruit bodies on cell growth of human ovarian cancer.

In a previous study, we screened organic extracts of different mushroom mycelia and picked ethyl acetate extract of Coprinus comatus as one of the most active extracts against human ovarian cancer cells. In the current study, we extracted a dry powder of C. comatus fruit bodies using ethyl acetate and examined its effect on the viability of three cell lines originated from human ovarian cancer (ES-2, SKOV-3, and SW-626).

Characterization of the spontaneous symmetry breaking due to quenching of a one-dimensional superconducting loop.

We study the final distribution of the winding numbers in a 1D superconducting ring that is quenched through its critical temperature in the absence of magnetic flux. The study is conducted using the stochastic time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model, and the results are compared with the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM). The assumptions of the KZM are formulated and checked as three separate propositions.

Improving patient access in nuclear medicine: a case study of PET scanner scheduling.

We used the systems engineering technique of discrete event simulation modeling to assist in increasing patient access to positron emission tomographic examinations in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. The model was used to determine the best universal slot length to address the specific access challenges of a destination medical center such as Mayo Clinic. On the basis of the modeling, a new schedule was implemented in April 2012 and our before and after data analysis shows an increase of 2.

Detecting non-uniform clusters in large-scale interaction graphs.

Graph clustering becomes difficult as the graph size and complexity increase. In particular, in interaction graphs, the clusters are small and the data on the underlying interaction are not only complex, but also noisy due to the lack of information and experimental errors. The graphs representing such data consist of (possibly overlapping) clusters of non-uniform size with some false positive and false negative links.

Hidden ancient repeats in DNA: mapping and quantification.

We have shown, in a previous paper, that tandem repeating sequences, especially triplet repeats, play a very important role in gene evolution. This result led to the formulation of the following hypothesis: most of the genomic sequences evolved through everlasting acts of tandem repeat expansions with subsequent accumulation of changes. In order to estimate how much of the observed sequences have the repeat origin we describe the adaptation of a text segmentation algorithm, based on dynamic programming, to the mapping of the ancient expansion events.

Analytical approximation for photonic array modes in one-dimensional photonic crystal devices.

A new analytical approximation for photonic array modes is presented. We consider the specific class of one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystals (encompassing large arrays of coupled identical planar waveguides, large arrays of identical phase-locked lasers, etc.), in which light propagates along the optical axis of the device.

Attack rates of seasonal epidemics.

We study the attack rate, that is the total fraction of the population infected each year, for a disease with seasonally varying transmission rate. The attack rate is shown to be governed by both the reproductive number, reflecting the transmissibility of the disease, and the birth rate, which provides a source of new susceptibles. For the case of epidemics which have an annual period (like the seasonality), we prove inequalities which show that the attack rate is close to that of the non-seasonal model, so that it is nearly independent of the strength of the forcing, despite the fact that the shape of the epidemic curve depends strongly on the degree of seasonality of the forcing.

National cultures, performance appraisal practices, and organizational absenteeism and turnover: a study across 21 countries.

Performance appraisal (PA) is a key human resource activity in organizations. However, in this global economy, we know little about how societal cultures affect PA practices. In this study, we address this gap by focusing on 2 complementary issues: (a) the influence of societal (national) cultural practices on PA practices adopted by organizations and (b) the contribution of the level of congruence between societal cultural practices and the characteristics of organizational PA practices to absenteeism and turnover.

The influence of thermal fluctuations on uniform and nonuniform superconducting rings according to the Ginzburg-Landau and the Kramer-Watts-Tobin models.

We evaluate the influence of thermal fluctuations on superconducting rings that enclose a magnetic flux, using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model (TDGL) or the Kramer-Watts-Tobin model (KWT), while thermal fluctuations are accounted for by means of Langevin terms. This method is applicable in situations where previous methods are not, such as for nonuniform loops, rings with large width to radius ratio and loops with large coherence length to perimeter ratio. We evaluate persistent currents, the position and statistical behavior of flux-induced vortices, and the lifetime of metastable fluxoid states.

Interactive evolutionary multiobjective search and optimization of set-based concepts.

This paper deals with interactive concept-based multiobjective problems (IC-MOPs) and their solution by an evolutionary computation approach. The presented methodology is motivated by the need to support engineers during the conceptual design stage. IC-MOPs are based on a nontraditional concept-based approach to search and optimization.

Biochemical and functional characterization of the Ror2/BRIb receptor complex.

Ror2 belongs to the Ror family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Two distinct human disorders result from mutations in Ror2 suggesting a role in cartilage formation, chondrocyte differentiation, and joint formation. We have previously demonstrated functional and physical association of Ror2 with the BMP receptor type Ib (BRIb).

Availability of autoantigenic epitopes controls phenotype, severity, and penetrance in TCR Tg autoimmune gastritis.

We examined TCR:MHC/peptide interactions and in vivo epitope availability to explore the Th1- or Th2-like phenotype of autoimmune disease in two TCR Tg mouse models of autoimmune gastritis (AIG). The TCR of strains A23 and A51 recognize distinct IA(d)-restricted peptides from the gastric parietal cell H/K-ATPase. Both peptides form extremely stable MHC/peptide (MHC/p) complexes.