Yield differentials in treasury bills, 1959-64

Balance of payments ; Treasury bills ; Interest rates

A novel bioinformatic approach for comprehensive genome scale analysis identifies key regulators of macrophage activation.

The initiation of inflammatory cytokine transcription by bacterial ligands is a central mechanism by which the immune system activates its first line of defense. Macrophage activation by the Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is initiated with receptor binding of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and culminates in a large-scale transcriptional response of the inflammatory gene program. Advancements in genome-wide screening technologies have made it possible to interrogate the regulatory landscape of signaling pathways such as those activated by TLR4. Utilizing these high-throughput methods for the comprehensive characterization of pathway components, particularly for regulators that are involved in critical cellular processes such as transcription and translation, however, requires an approach that goes beyond the top scoring and previously characterized hits of genome-scale studies. To address this challenge, I developed the Throughput Ranking by Iterative Analysis of Genomic Enrichment (TRIAGE) method, a bioinformatic analysis model that facilitates the comprehensive identification of likely regulators by iterative sampling of pathway and network databases. I validated the TRIAGE approach by analyzing three previously published genome-wide studies of regulators of early HIV infection and viral transcription. Analysis by TRIAGE showed significantly increased overlap and identified shared novel targets across the three studies. I further developed the TRIAGE analysis method as a globally accessible web-based resource. Applying TRIAGE analysis to three genome-scale studies of LPS treatment in macrophages of mouse and human cell lines, I identified an enrichment for regulators relating to alternative splicing and protein degradation. Using short read and long read RNA-seq of ligand-stimulated macrophages I further characterized the broad transcriptional variation induced by the LPS response and the novel and known transcript variants that define different macrophage activation states. These findings define an approach for comprehensive unbiased discovery of signaling pathway regulators from genome-scale datasets and suggest a model of macrophage activation involving proteasomal removal of negative regulators and remodeling of the macrophage state via a transcriptional shift in splice variant dynamics

Ultrasonic observation of the calcite-aragonite transition

Elastic-wave velocities were measured as a function of pressure by ultrasonic pulse interferometry in Solenhofen and Manlius limestone specimens to pressures of 27 and 38 kb. Longitudinal velocities decrease sharply from 5.3 km/sec at a mean pressure of 4 kb to a minimum of 4.8 km/sec at 8 kb. Transverse velocities decrease from 3.1 to 2.9 km/sec. At the minimum, bulk and rigidity moduli are 25 and 10 per cent below their 4-kb values. A density increase of 1.7 per cent is associated with this minimum. The observed effects are attributed to the calcite-aragonite transition, and they may be due to an inherent property of the material, a major component of which undergoes a polymorphic transition, the low- and high-pressure phases coexisting over a considerable pressure range. This may be an additional mechanism to account for low-velocity zones in the earth's interior

An ultrasonic interferometer for high-pressure research

A new method in which ultrasonic interferometry is used to measure the pressure dependence of elastic constants and the density of solids has been applied to polycrystalline KCl to pressures of 36 kilobars. Simultaneous measurement of longitudinal and transverse wave velocities in a specimen of initial thickness of approximately 0.2 mm, compressed between two tungsten carbide anvils, yields the adiabatic pressure derivative of density, which is numerically integrated to give the pressure-density relation, permitting direct comparison with Bridgman's data. Densities obtained by the present method are within 0.7 per cent of Bridgman's throughout the pressure range studied. The 19.7-kb phase transition of KCl is marked by a 6 and 12 per cent increase in bulk and shear moduli, the former in good agreement with Bridgman. Extension of the present method to higher pressures and high temperatures and to a variety of materials appears feasible

Deterministic control of broadband light through a multiply scattering medium via the multispectral transmission matrix

We present a method to measure the spectrally-resolved transmission matrix of a multiply scattering medium, thus allowing for the deterministic spatiospectral control of a broadband light source by means of wavefront shaping. As a demonstration, we show how the medium can be used to selectively focus one or many spectral components of a femtosecond pulse, and how it can be turned into a controllable dispersive optical element to spatially separate different spectral components to arbitrary positions.Comment: minor changes, with additional discussion of the results. Fig 4 now split into two separate figure

Spatiotemporal coherent control of light through a multiply scattering medium with the Multi-Spectral Transmission Matrix

We report broadband characterization of the propagation of light through a multiply scattering medium by means of its Multi-Spectral Transmission Matrix. Using a single spatial light modulator, our approach enables the full control of both spatial and spectral properties of an ultrashort pulse transmitted through the medium. We demonstrate spatiotemporal focusing of the pulse at any arbitrary position and time with any desired spectral shape. Our approach opens new perspectives for fundamental studies of light-matter interaction in disordered media, and has potential applications in sensing, coherent control and imaging.Comment: revised version, 5 pages, 4 figures, and supplementary materials(including 5 figure

An injection and mixing element for delivery and monitoring of inhaled nitric oxide

Background Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator used primarily in the critical care setting for patients concurrently supported by invasive or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. NO delivery devices interface with ventilator breathing circuits to inject NO in proportion with the flow of air/oxygen through the circuit, in order to maintain a constant, target concentration of inhaled NO. Methods In the present article, a NO injection and mixing element is presented. The device borrows from the design of static elements to promote rapid mixing of injected NO-containing gas with breathing circuit gases. Bench experiments are reported to demonstrate the improved mixing afforded by the injection and mixing element, as compared with conventional breathing circuit adapters, for NO injection into breathing circuits. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are also presented to illustrate mixing patterns and nitrogen dioxide production within the element. Results Over the range of air flow rates and target NO concentrations investigated, mixing length, defined as the downstream distance required for NO concentration to reach within ±5 % of the target concentration, was as high as 47 cm for the conventional breathing circuit adapters, but did not exceed 7.8 cm for the injection and mixing element. Conclusion The injection and mixing element has potential to improve ease of use, compatibility and safety of inhaled NO administration with mechanical ventilators and gas delivery devices

A Nation of Widening Opportunities: The Civil Rights Act at 50

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an extraordinary achievement of law, politics, and human rights. On the fiftieth anniversary of the Act\u27s passage, it is appropriate to reflect on the successes and failures of the civil rights project reflected in the statute, as well as on its future directions. This volume represents an attempt to assess the Civil Rights Act\u27s legacy. On October 11, 2013, a diverse group of civil rights scholars met at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor to assess the interpretation, development, and administration of civil rights law in the five decades since President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. In the volume that follows, readers will find edited versions of the papers that these scholars presented, enriched by our lively discussions at and after the conference. We hope that the essays in this volume will contribute to the continuing debates regarding the civil rights project in the United States and the world.https://repository.law.umich.edu/books/1031/thumbnail.jp