cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cortisol Secretion and Alzheimer’s Disease Progression

Background: Mild hypercortisolemia is a frequent concomitant of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In an effort to ascertain the relationship between serum cortisol concentration (CORT) and disease progression, aging, and survival, we followed 9 persons with AD, ages from 56 to 84 years, from an original cohort of 19 enrollees with serial cognitive testing and CORT determinations. Methods: The cognitive instrument was a modification of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive (mADAS-COG). Serum cortisol determinations were performed at noon, and an Afternoon Cortisol Test (ACT) was used to obtain an estimate of average CORT. Results: Baseline 12:00 hours CORT but not ACT correlated significantly with the change in mADAS-COG (r = .90, p < .01). ACT levels increased as the mADAS-COG increased over time (p = .037), by 0.156 ± 0.06 μg/dL for each one-point increase (indicating greater impairment) in cognitive test score. ACT levels did not increase significantly simply with aging. For the entire cohort of 19 subjects, neither baseline ACT nor 12:00 hours CORT was significantly related to survival. Conclusions: Hypercortisolemia in AD appears related to the clinical progression of the disease, but not to aging or length of survival.
The Recovered Memory Controversy: A Representative Case Study

The recovered memory controversy has been an ongoing debate within the mental health profession for the past two decades. Disagreement remains in the field over the veracity of "forgotten" memories of childhood sexual abuse that are recalled or recovered during therapy. At the heart of the controversy are the concepts of repression and dissociation as well as the impact traumatizing events have on the encoding of memory. This article provides an overview of the central factors in the longstanding debate and presents a detailed clinical case study involving independent corroboration of memories of childhood sexual abuse recovered during treatment, which the author believes provides additional support for the potential veracity of recovered memories.
Physiological effects of HIV infection on human intestinal epithelial cells: an in vitro model for HIV enteropathy.

OBJECTIVES To determine the role of direct infection of intestinal cells with HIV-1 in the pathogenesis of HIV-related enteropathy. METHODS We infected HT-29-18-C1 intestinal cells with the IIIB strain of HIV and examined the physiologic effects of enterocyte function. Dipeptidase-IV, aminopeptidase-N, gamma glutamic transferase, and alkaline phosphatase were measured in HIV-infected and control cultures. The cellular second messengers intracellular calcium and cyclic adenosine monophosphate were also measured in infected and control cultures. RESULTS A persistent infection was established for > 95 days with peak supernatant reverse transcriptase and HIV p24 antigen levels of 5.17 log10 c.p.m./ml and 45 ng/ml, respectively. Brush-border enzyme activity (nmol of product/min/mg protein) tended to be lower in infected cell cultures compared with controls early in infection (P < 0.02). Baseline second messenger concentrations were similar but infected cultures responded to stimulation with a calcium ionophore with an exaggerated increase in intracellular calcium (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that absorptive and secretory function of enterocytes may be altered by direct HIV infection and that additional physiologic experiments with this in vitro model may lead to a better understanding of the clinical syndrome of HIV enteropathy.
Risk for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is Associated with Genetic Variation in ESR1, the Estrogen Receptor Alpha Gene

Background Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a heritable mood disorder that is triggered by gonadal steroids during the luteal phase in susceptible women. Methods We performed haplotype analyses of estrogen receptors alpha and beta (ESR1 and ESR2) in 91 women with prospectively confirmed PMDD and 56 control subjects to investigate possible sources of the genetic susceptibility to affective dysregulation induced by normal levels of gonadal steroids. We also examined associations with the valine (Val)158methionine (Met) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the gene for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme involved in estrogen metabolism and prefrontal cortical activation. Results Four SNPs in intron 4 of ESR1 showed significantly different genotype and allele distributions between patients and control subjects. Significant case-control differences were seen in sliding-window analyses of two-, three-, and four-marker haplotypes but only in those haplotypes containing SNPs in intron 4 that were positive in the single-locus analysis. No significant associations were observed with ESR2 or with the COMT Val158Met polymorphism, although the significant associations with ESR1 were observed only in those with the Val/Val genotype. Conclusions These are the first positive (albeit preliminary) genetic findings in this reproductive endocrine-related mood disorder and involve the receptor for a hormone that is pathogenically relevant.
Factors affecting the efficacy of chlorine against Esherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on alfalfa seed

Abstract Factors affecting the efficacy of chlorine treatment for elimination of bacterial pathogens from laboratory-inoculated alfalfa seed, the ability of chlorine to eliminate
The economic benefits of forage improvement in the United States

The United States is a large country with a diversity of forage ecosystems and forage species to fill the varied management options within each ecosystem. For example, the American Seed Trade estimates seed of 5,500 varieties representing 1,500 grass and 4,000 legume species are produced annually. The economic benefits of forage improvement are both direct (seed and hay sales) and indirect (saleable animal products, nitrogen fixation and conservation uses). The benefits of improving forages through breeding are likewise important due to the current use of improved varieties to underpin these systems and their direct and indirect products. Because of the diversity of species and management systems, only a few case studies were examined in this paper to estimate these benefits. These were the alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) industry (economic value of US$8.1 billion per year), the forage and livestock systems of the southeastern USA (economic value estimated overall at US$11.4 billion per year), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and its potential use as bio-energy feedstock (economic value of needing an additional 28 million acres of production to supply the estimated future feedstock needs). The overall conclusion is that the economic benefits from forage improvement in the USA have been, and continue to be, immense. However, future resources are going to fewer crops, and these crops are the ones that have greater economic value and where biotechnology can be applied. This will favor alfalfa and penalize forage grasses. Even for crops with an identifiable path to market, this concentration of resources in fewer hands requires development of consortia where organizations can leverage their resources with others who possess complementary resources. The Consortium for Alfalfa Improvement is a good example of how this could work.
Mechanical properties of coagulated albumin and failure mechanisms of liver repaired with the use of an argon-beam coagulator with albumin.

Hemostasis in the traumatized liver has been achieved by thermally denaturing topically applied albumin. In this article, the mechanical properties of liver and denatured albumin (solder) were measured, and the failure methods of liver repaired with albumin were identified. The ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus were measured for healthy liver (N = 20) and thermally damaged liver (N = 20). The ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus were measured for three concentrations of coagulated albumin (25, 38, and 53%) in a single layer and for two layers of denatured 38% albumin. Failure under tension of argon-beam coagulator soldered liver on the parenchymal surface (N = 30) with 38% albumin in two layers had a 70% occurrence for tearing at a mean stress of 39 kPa and a 23% occurrence for shearing at a mean stress of 7 kPa. Liver repaired on the interior surface (N = 11) failed in tension by tearing (64%) at a mean stress of 34 kPa and by shearing (36%) at a mean stress of 6 kPa. Argon-beam coagulator soldering with 38% albumin took 6 s/cm(2) for two layers of solder and gave the best balance of usability, strength, and matching of mechanical properties with those of the liver.
Effect of tetraethylammonium and barium on the release of noradrenaline from the perfused cat spleen by nerve stimulation and potassium

1. The effect of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and barium on release of noradrenaline (NA) from the cat spleen by nerve stimulation or potassium was investigated. 2. In spleens perfused with normal Krebs solution, the NA output at 5 Hz was barely detectable, and the output at 30 Hz was about 5-fold greater than the output at 5 Hz. 3. TEA (1 mM) or barium (2.5 mM) increased NA output at 5 Hz by 5-fold, but did not enhance it at 30 Hz. A maximal effect of TEA was obtained at about 1–3 mM. Enhancement of NA release by TEA was readily reversible. Output of NA induced by high potassium was not affected by TEA or barium. 4. The effect of TEA on release was related to the external calcium concentration. Insignificant outputs obtained at 5 Hz in 0.1 and 0.5 mM calcium-Krebs solutions were markedly increased by TEA, and were 2- and 5-fold greater than the control output at 5 Hz in normal Krebs solution containing 2.5 mM calcium. TEA enhanced release at all calcium concentrations up to 5 mM, but maximum output was still obtained at 2.5 mM. 5. Increasing the potassium concentrations of normal Krebs solution to 10, 15 and 20 mM depressed NA outputs at 5 Hz by 50, 55 and 75%, respectively. TEA (1 mM) partially antagonized the inhibitory effect of potassium on release, and in zero potassium-Krebs solution it increased output by about 50% over that obtained in normal Krebs solution. 6. The ratio of NA outputs at 30 and 5 Hz during perfusion with Krebs solution containing TEA was about 0.6, and it approached the normal value as the calcium concentration of the perfusion medium was reduced. TEA facilitated release even at 30 Hz in low-calcium solutions. 7. It is suggested that the enhancement of NA release by TEA and barium is due to the greater influx of calcium ions into the sympathetic nerves during the course of an action potential.
Behavioral treatment strategies for migraine and tension-type headache: a review of the evidence and future directions.

Behavioral treatments have become widely accepted interventions for migraine and tension-type headache. Ample empirical evidence supports the effectiveness of interventions, such as relaxation training, biofeedback and cognitive-behavioral (i.e., stress-management) treatments. Such interventions may be utilized alone or in combination with the more widely used pharmacological treatments for headache. Behavioral approaches are often the treatments of choice for patients who have contraindications to or who are refractory to traditional pharmacologic interventions. Recent research has attempted to increase the availability of behavioral treatments to patients through more cost-effective forms of treatment administration. Ample empirical evidence now indicates that these efficient interventions are just as effective as more time-intensive, individually administered clinic-based treatments. Important future directions for behavioral headache treatments include: integration into the primary care setting, developing algorithms for matching behavioral and pharmacologic treatments to patient characteristics for maximum effectiveness, behavioral skills training to enhance outcomes with pharmacologic interventions and reduce complications (e.g., rebound migraine), as well as identifying and treating comorbid conditions that undermine treatment.
Controlling hypertension in special populations

Abstract Wednesday, May 19, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm From Hypertension to Heart Failure: Strategies for Prevention and Opportunities for Treatment* Key Words: Hypertension; compelling indications; combination therapy *This activity is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca.
Sleep promotes cortical response potentiation following visual experience.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep has been hypothesized to globally reduce synaptic strength. However, recent findings suggest that in the context of learning and memory consolidation, sleep may promote synaptic potentiation. We tested the requirement for sleep in a naturally occurring form of experience-dependent synaptic potentiation in the adult mouse visual cortex (V1), which is initiated by patterned visual experience. DESIGN Visual responses were recorded in individual V1 neurons before and after presentation of an oriented grating stimulus, and after subsequent sleep or sleep deprivation. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS We find that V1 response potentiation-associated with a shift in orientation preference in favor of the presented stimulus-occurs only after sleep and only during the entrained circadian sleep phase, and is blocked by sleep deprivation. Induction of plasticity following stimulus presentation is associated with an increase in principal neuron firing in V1, which is present in all behavioral states and occurs regardless of time of day. Sleep dependent potentiation is proportional to phase-locking of neuronal activity with thalamocortical spindle oscillations. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that sleep can promote cortical synaptic potentiation in vivo, and that this potentiation may be mediated by slow wave sleep spindles. CITATION Aton SJ, Suresh A, Broussard C, Frank MG. Sleep promotes cortical response potentiation following visual experience.
Understanding Anisotropy In Marine CSEM Data

We have studied the EM field distribution in anisotropic media and the impact of resistivity anisotropy on marine CSEM data. The effects of anisotropy may be significant for typical acquisition geometries and depend upon the transmitter-receiver geometry. We also show that different data components are affected differently. In general, the anisotropy of the overburden must be determined in order to make a reliable CSEM data interpretation.
The impact of antifungals on toll-like receptors

Fungi are increasingly recognized as major pathogens in immunocompromised individuals. The most common invasive fungal infections are caused by Candida spp., Aspergillus spp. and Cryptococcus spp. Amphotericin B has remained the cornerstone of therapy against many fulminant fungal infections but its use is limited by its multitude of side effects. Echinocandins are a newer class of antifungal drugs with activity against Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. and constitutes an alternative to amphotericin B due to superior patient tolerability and fewer side effects. Due to their excellent bioavailability and oral availability, azoles continue to be heavily used for simple, such as fluconazole for candidal vaginitis, and complex diseases, such as voriconazole for aspergilloisis. The objective of this paper is to present current knowledge regarding the multiple interactions between the broad spectrum antifungals and the innate immune response, primarily focusing on the toll-like receptors.
The complexity that killed health care reform (again).

Even if the Democrats had kept their supermajority by retaining the Senate seat in Massachusetts, final passage of a health care reform bill would have seemed far from certain, given the major differences between the Senate and House bills. Congressional leaders and the administration seem to have acknowledged this reality. So what went wrong? A major cause for the failure of health care reform this time around — as with the Clintons' attempt in the 1990s — is the complexity of the bills. President Barack Obama and the drafting committees in Congress reached too far, tried to accomplish too much . . .
Labor dynamics in a mobile micro-task market

The ubiquity of smartphones has led to the emergence of mobile crowdsourcing markets, where smartphone users participate to perform tasks in the physical world. Mobile crowdsourcing markets are uniquely different from their online counterparts in that they require spatial mobility, and are therefore impacted by geographic factors and constraints that are not present in the online case. Despite the emergence and importance of such mobile marketplaces, little to none is known about the labor dynamics and mobility patterns of agents. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of labor dynamics in mobile task markets based on a year-long dataset from a leading mobile crowdsourcing platform. We find that a small core group of workers ( 80%) generated in the market. We find that these super agents are more efficient than other agents across several dimensions: a) they are willing to move longer distances to perform tasks, yet they amortize travel across more tasks, b) they work and search for tasks more efficiently, c) they have higher data quality in terms of accepted submissions, and d) they improve in almost all of these efficiency measures over time. We find that super agent efficiency stems from two simple optimizations --- they are 3x more likely than other agents to chain tasks and they pick fewer lower priced tasks than other agents. We compare mobile and online micro-task markets, and discuss differences in demographics, data quality, and time of use, as well as similarities in super agent behavior. We conclude with a discussion of how a mobile micro-task market might leverage some of our results to improve performance.
Aerosol transport for optical fiber core doping : a new technique for glass formation

Abstract A novel aerosol technique has been developed for the transport and incorporation into the core of an optical fiber preform elements whose precursors have low vapor pressures. Organic solids containing, for example, rare earth elements, are dissolved in liquid organometallic compounds. The resulting solution is nebulized and the (approximately) 4 μm diameter droplets are convected by means of a carrier gas. At an appropriate heat source, these particles then vaporize and react to form multi-component oxide particles that are thermophoretically deposited and subsequently sintered. This process represents a new technique for the formation of high purity glass. Although this method has been highly successful in the core doping of optical fiber preforms, it should also be applicable to the formation of planar waveguides.
Seismic behaviour of asymmetric buildings with supplemental damping

This paper investigates the response of asymmetric-plan buildings with supplemental viscous damping to harmonic ground motion using modal analysis techniques. It is shown that most modal parameters, except dynamic amplification factors (DAFs), are affected very little by the plan-wise distribution of supplemental damping in the practical range of system parameters. Plan-wise distribution of supplemental damping significantly influences the DAFs, which, in turn, influence the modal deformations. These trends are directly related to the apparent modal damping ratios; the first modal damping ratio increases while the second decreases as CSD moves from right to left of the system plan, and their values increase with larger plan-wise spread of the supplemental damping. The largest reduction in the flexible edge deformation occurs when damping in the first mode is maximized by distributing the supplemental damping such that the damping eccentricity takes on the largest value with algebraic sign opposite to the structural eccentricity. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intratracheal administration of endotoxin and cytokines: VIII. LPS induces E-selectin expression; anti-E-selectin and soluble E-selectin inhibit acute inflammation

E-selectin is an inducible endothelial adhesion molecule that binds neutrophils. E-selectin mRNA is not constitutively detectable in the lungs of rats. Intratracheal injection of LPS induces pulmonary E-selectin mRNA expression at 2–4 h. Intratracheal injection of LPS followed at 2 and 4 h by intravenous injection of mouse F(ab′)2 or F(ab′)) anti-E-selectin monoclonal antibody inhibits the emigration of neutrophils into the bronchoalveolar space at 6 h by 50–70%. TNF and IL-6 bioactivity are not decreased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after treatment with anti-E-selectin antibody as compared to controls, suggesting that the anti-E-selectin does not affect the magnitude of the LPS-initiated cytokine cascade. Intratracheal injection of LPS followed at 2 and 4 h by intravenous injection of soluble E-selectin inhibits neutrophilic emigration at 6 h by 64%, suggesting that endogenous soluble E-selectin shed from activated endothelium may play a role in the endogenous down-regulation of acute inflammation. E-selectin-mediated adhesion of neutrophils to endothelium appears crucial to the full development of the acute inflammation response.
Differential effects of the organochlorine pesticide DDT and its metabolite p,p′-DDE on p-glycoprotein activity and expression

1,1-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (DDT) is an organochlorine pesticide. Its metabolite, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethene (p,p'-DDE) is a persistent environmental contaminant and both compounds accumulate in animals. Because multidrug resistance transporters, such as p-glycoprotein, function as a defense against xenobiotic exposure, we analyzed the ability of DDT and p,p'-DDE to act as efflux modulators. Using a competitive intact cell assay based on the efflux of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 123, we found that DDT, but not p,p'-DDE, stimulated dye retention. Subsequent studies using verapamil as competitor suggested that DDT is a weak p-glycoprotein inhibitor. Further studies addressed the ability of DDT and p,p'-DDE to induce MDR1, the gene encoding p-glycoprotein. In HepG2 cells, we found that both compounds induced MDR1 by twofold to threefold. Similar results were observed in mouse liver after a single dose of p,p'-DDE, although some gender-specific induction differences were noted. By contrast, p,p'-DDE failed to induce MDR1 in HeLa cells, indicating some cell-specific effects for induction. Further expression studies demonstrated increased levels of the endoplasmic reticulum molecular chaperone, Bip, in response to DDT, but not p,p'-DDE. These results suggest that DDT, but not p,p'-DDE, induces an endoplasmic reticulum stress response.
MLE of parameters of location-scale distribution for complete and partially grouped data

Abstract This article studies the MLEs of parameters of location-scale distribution functions. It gives the necessary and sufficient conditions under which the MLEs of the location and scale parameters uniquely exist with completely grouped data. The results for the completely grouped data further imply that the Pearson–Fisher test is applicable to location-scale families. It also gives sufficient conditions under which the MLEs of the two parameters uniquely exist with partially grouped data. Here, the partially grouped data include complete data, Type-I censored data and others as special cases.
Structural and Biophysical Characterization of a Cyclic Bioadhesive with Cell Attachment Ability

Structural and cellular attachment analysis identified overall bent helical regions of adhesive peptides identified within mussel adhesive protein (MAP) capable of also attaching cells. DOPA (L-DOPA, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) is frequently identified and credited for the attachment ability of several marine proteins [Olivieri, MP, et al. (2002), Biofouling18, 149-159]. Newly designed cyclic peptides (DOPA-G-G-C-G-K-A-K-G-C [cyc-DOPA] & Y-G-G-C-G-K-A-K-G-C [cyc-Y]) derived from structurally conserved regions of several MAP peptides were examined to assist in the understanding of both surface and cellular attachment. Solution-state proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy coupled with molecular modeling and dynamics revealed minimal differences in the structures of the proposed cellular attachment domain within these two peptides. Multiple attenuated internal reflection infrared (MAIR-IR) spectroscopy, ellipsometry and advancing contact angle analyses showed that formation of thin films by these peptides was L-DOPA and pH dependent. When compared to control surfaces, undifferentiated leukocyte cells (MOLT-4) significantly attached and spread onto films created from the cyc-DOPA. The culmination of these structural, biophysical and cellular attachment techniques reveal a conformation of cyc-DOPA that is capable of both adsorbing to surfaces and then attaching cells that spread. This work supports the sequence, K-A-K, as the cellular attachment domain, especially when held in a reliable structural conformation.,.
Mental Development in Infants with Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Abstract Objective: Investigated mental development in infants and toddlers with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). Design: This was a retrospective analysis of developmental scores on qualified children between 4 and 36 months of age. Cross-sectional analysis included children in four age groups (6, 12, 18, and 24 months); longitudinal analysis included children at mean age 9.1 (range = 4 to 15) months at Time 1 and 24 months (range = 16 to 36) at Time 2. Participants: Cross-sectional analysis included 180 children (59% male participants) in four diagnostic groups (cleft lip only [CL], cleft lip and palate [CLP], cleft palate only [CP], and Pierre Robin). The longitudinal sample included 85 children (64% male children) in the same diagnostic groups. Main Outcome Measures: Mental Scale (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Results: Mean MDIs were in the average range but decreased significantly between youngest and oldest groups in both cross-sectional (F(3,179) = 4.9, p < .01) and longitudinal sa...
Energy Differences between Two Spectroscopic Systems in Neutral, Singly Ionized, and Doubly Ionized Lanthanide Atoms

Energy differences of the type 4fN−15d–4fN (doubly ionized atoms), 4fN−15d6s–4fN6s (singly ionized atoms), and 4fN−15d6s2–4fN6s2 (neutral atoms) are important for the interpretation of rare-earth spectra. Here N = 1 for La, ⋯ 14 for Yb, and each configuration is represented by its lowest level in these system differences (SD). Nineteen of these differences are now known exactly from analyses of the spectra. Five additional SD values are approximately fixed by a combination of observation and calculation. Regularities deduced from these known values allow predictions for the remaining 18 SD values. The estimated probable error for most of the predictions is either 1000 or 1500 cm−1.
Efficient approximation for building error budgets for process models

Error budgets of process models allow us to partition the uncertainty (estimation error) in model projections caused by propagation of uncertainty in model inputs. Orthogonal polynomials, which are often employed to empirically represent unknown and possibly very complex relationships, have been applied to the development of error budgets by fitting the variance of the projection as a function of the standard errors of the parameter estimates of the process model inputs. Data generation approaches to fit those polynomials have involved some type of factorial design. However, that strategy may become unworkable for process models with many model inputs. In this paper, we propose an efficient method for building error budgets to not only overcome the limitations of factorial arrangements, but also to approximate the results obtainable through those designs. The proposed data generation scheme consists of: (a) repeatedly sampling random, equally-spaced, and equally-probable levels of standard error of the model input parameter estimates to characterize the level of error of their probability distributions; and (b) for each set of standard errors, conducting a number of Monte Carlo runs by sampling random values of input parameter estimates from each of those distributions to obtain projections of the process model and thus estimate the variance of the projection. The variance of the projection is then regressed on the orthogonally-transformed values of the input standard errors. The terms of the orthogonal polynomial are then ranked in decreasing order with respect to their explanatory importance in the function. The characteristics of this sampling scheme are analyzed through intensive supercomputer simulations under different combinations of number of model inputs and sample sizes. An example is conducted for a process forest growth model based on the pipe model theory and the self-thinning rule applied to a stand of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) growing in the Great Lakes region of North America. The error budget resulting from this example closely resembles the error budget obtained by another study conducted for the same process model and forest stand using a fractional factorial design. It is concluded that the method proposed here provides an efficient strategy for building error budgets for process models with many model inputs.
Disorientation and the Metropolis in Hudā Barakāt’s Hārith al-miyāh

In Hārith al-miyāh (The Tiller of Waters, 1998) Hudā Barakāt departs from traditional war narratives to unravel the horrors of war by depicting a protagonist whose life is reduced to an animal-like existence and whose relationship with space and time disorients both him and the reader. To preserve knowledge of his self, and to safeguard his homeland from complete annihilation, he reconstructs its history by telling stories to his beloved about Lebanon’s textiles industry. Through this alternative national ‘history,’ he tries to re-orient himself with (and within) his metropolis as it becomes a war-ravished wasteland. As he recreates his nation through oral narration, he also reintegrates its (now) scattered and conflicting communities as he recalls them into his narratives. This essay argues that the knowledge of history challenges disorientation and can become a means by which to defend the metropolis from erasure.
T.P.5 Sildenafil (Viagra®) improves cardiac and diaphragm muscle function in the dystrophic mouse

Abstract Until genetic correction approaches are routinely available for treatment of muscular dystrophies, treatments that extend longevity and improve quality of life will be important alternatives. Based on our studies of one isoform of nitric oxide synthase (nNOSβ) which localizes on the Golgi with guanylyl cyclase and protein kinase G, we proposed that increasing cGMP levels by inhibition of specific phosphodiesterases (PDEs) would improve cardiac and skeletal muscle function in the mdx mouse. We examined the effect of sildenafil (Viagra), a selective inhibitor of PDE5 which is present in cardiac and diaphragm muscle. Our published results (Adamo et al., 2010, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 107:19079) showed that chronic administration of sildenafil via the drinking water reduces functional deficits in the cardiac performance of aged mdx mice. Furthermore, when sildenafil treatment was started after cardiomyopathy had developed, the established symptoms were reversed within a few days. Chronic administration of sildenafil to mdx mice beginning at 3 weeks of age improved diaphragm function. At 5 months of age, diaphragms from mdx mice treated with sildenafil exhibited less Evans Blue dye uptake and markedly reduced levels of fibrosis, compared to untreated mdx diaphragms. Functional measurements showed an increase in specific force. Quantitative PCR analyses of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory gene expression revealed that transcript levels for TNFα and MMP-13 were upregulated in dystrophic diaphragm. Sildenafil treatment reduced the transcripts of TNFα and MMP-13 to near normal levels. Our results suggest that sildenafil treatment of individuals with muscular dystrophies and other muscle fibrotic diseases may preserve muscle function and integrity.
Arachidonic acid metabolism in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-1) cells☆

Abstract Rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-1) cells metabolized arachidonic acid through more than one enzymatic pathway. The major cyclooxygenase product was prostaglandin (PG) D2 as established by chromatographic and chemical behavior and the effect on platelet aggregation. PGD2 formation from exogenous arachidonic acid was inhibited by indomethacin, 1 μg/ml. RBL-1 incubated with exogenous arachidonic acid also formed SRS-A the synthesis of which was not inhibited by indomethacin. However, the SRS-A activity was blocked by the specific receptor antagonist FPL 55712. [14C]arachidonic acid was effectively incorporated into the phospholipids of RBL-1 cells. Challenge of such prelabelled cells or unlabelled cells with A 23187 caused release of PGD2, SRS-A and another presently unidentified product. However, with A 23187 as a stimulus, the RBL-1 cyclo-oxygenase could not be blocked by low concentrations of indomethacin. This work further substantiates our earlier findings that SRS-A formed from arachidontic acid is not a cyclooxegenase product.
Counterfactuals vs. conditional probabilities: A critical analysis of the counterfactual theory of information

Cohen and Meskin 2006 recently offered a counterfactual theory of information to replace the standard probabilistic theory of information. They claim that the counterfactual theory fares better than the standard account on three grounds: first, it provides a better framework for explaining information flow properties; second, it requires a less expensive ontology; and third, because it does not refer to doxastic states of the information-receiving organism, it provides an objective basis. In this paper, I show that none of these is really an advantage. Moreover, the counterfactual theory fails to satisfy one of the basic properties of information flow, namely the Conjunction principle. Thus, I conclude, there is no reason to give up the standard probabilistic theory for the counterfactual theory of information.
Fog inception in strong salt‐laden marine winds

During a warmfront passage on the U.S. Northeast Coast, fog patches were seen forming in the air just above the water surface in strong, moist and hazy marine winds. Water temperature, air temperature and airborne salt particle measurements were made at the time. They show that the fog was due to saturation or supersaturation by vertical mixing, but with the supersaturation probably less than critical because of the high concentration of salt nuclei present. It is therefore thought that the fog patches represented the beginnings of a stable fog of haze droplets. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1982.tb01799.x
A Microcomputer-Based Hybrid Processor At The University Of California, San Diego

This paper describes a microcomputer-based hybrid processor which has been developed around two optical processors: (a) the coded-phase optical processor and (b) the confocal optical feedback system. The hybrid processor includes: (a) a microcomputer-controlled laser scanner which can produce both holographic and zero-order spatial filters, (b) an image analysis system based on video electronics which can digitize, store, analyze, and display optical output images, and (c) a liquid crystal light valve to provide a real-time input to the optical processors. The major capabilities of these three subsystems are described.
Dependence of Bayesian Model Selection Criteria and Fisher Information Matrix on Sample Size

Geostatistical analyses require an estimation of the covariance structure of a random field and its parameters jointly from noisy data. Whereas in some cases (as in that of a Matern variogram) a range of structural models can be captured with one or a few parameters, in many other cases it is necessary to consider a discrete set of structural model alternatives, such as drifts and variograms. Ranking these alternatives and identifying the best among them has traditionally been done with the aid of information theoretic or Bayesian model selection criteria. There is an ongoing debate in the literature about the relative merits of these various criteria. We contribute to this discussion by using synthetic data to compare the abilities of two common Bayesian criteria, BIC and KIC, to discriminate between alternative models of drift as a function of sample size when drift and variogram parameters are unknown. Adopting the results of Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations as reference we confirm that KIC reduces asymptotically to BIC and provides consistently more reliable indications of model quality than does BIC for samples of all sizes. Practical considerations often cause analysts to replace the observed Fisher information matrix entering into KIC with its expected value. Our results show that this causes the performance of KIC to deteriorate with diminishing sample size. These results are equally valid for one and multiple realizations of uncertain data entering into our analysis. Bayesian theory indicates that, in the case of statistically independent and identically distributed data, posterior model probabilities become asymptotically insensitive to prior probabilities as sample size increases. We do not find this to be the case when working with samples taken from an autocorrelated random field.
Technical Training in the United States Postal Service

TECHNICAL TRAINING IS MOST FREQUENTLY DISCUSSED IN THE CONTEXT OF PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS, AND RELATIVELY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT ITS ROLE IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS. THIS ARTICLES DESCRIBES THE ORGANIZATION AND DETAILS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNICAL TRAINING IN THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE (USPS). THE USPS OPERATES A STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAM, ONE WHICH INCORPORATES A RANGE OF DELIVERY TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING RESIDENT TRAINING AND DISTANCE LEARNING, TO DELIVER OVER 1,800 COURSE OFFERINGS TO MORE THAN 39,000 EMPLOYEES ANNUALLY.
Working memory networks for learning multiple groupings of temporally ordered events: applications to 3-D visual object recognition

Working memory neural networks which encode the invariant temporal order of sequential events that may be presented at widely differing speeds, durations, and interstimulus intervals are characterized. Working memory, a kind of short-term memory, can be quickly erased by a distracting event, unlike long-term memory. The authors describe a working memory architecture for the storage of temporal order information across a series of item representations. This temporal order code is designed to enable all possible groupings of sequential events to be stably learned and remembered in real time, even as new events perturb the system. Such a competence is needed in neural architectures which self-organize learned codes. Using such a working memory, a self-organizing architecture for invariant 3D visual object recognition, based on the model of M. Siebert and A.M. Waxman (1990), is described. >
An experimental and numerical study of heat transfer off an inclined surface subject to an impinging airflow

Abstract Understanding the heat transfer interaction between an impinging jet and an inclined surface is of paramount practical significance. In this paper, the heat transfer process is investigated utilizing a three-dimensional finite volume numerical method and renormalization group (RNG) theory based k–e turbulence model. The issuing incompressible jet is impinging upon the inside of an inclined surface creating a thermal boundary layer and a fully three-dimensional vortex structure. Numerical analyses predict a detailed description of fluid flow patterns and heat transfer coefficients. Experimental investigations are performed on the inner surface for the purpose of obtaining local and average heat transfer coefficients and further validation of the numerical results. The effect of different turbulence levels in the numerical solution is also reported.
Large deviations for local time fractional Brownian motion and applications

Abstract Let W H = { W H ( t ) , t ∈ R } be a fractional Brownian motion of Hurst index H ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) with values in R , and let L = { L t , t ⩾ 0 } be the local time process at zero of a strictly stable Levy process X = { X t , t ⩾ 0 } of index 1 α ⩽ 2 independent of W H . The α-stable local time fractional Brownian motion Z H = { Z H ( t ) , t ⩾ 0 } is defined by Z H ( t ) = W H ( L t ) . The process Z H is self-similar with self-similarity index H ( 1 − 1 α ) and is related to the scaling limit of a continuous time random walk with heavy-tailed waiting times between jumps [P. Becker-Kern, M.M. Meerschaert, H.P. Scheffler, Limit theorems for coupled continuous time random walks, Ann. Probab. 32 (2004) 730–756; M.M. Meerschaert, H.P. Scheffler, Limit theorems for continuous time random walks with infinite mean waiting times, J. Appl. Probab. 41 (2004) 623–638]. However, Z H does not have stationary increments and is non-Gaussian. In this paper we establish large deviation results for the process Z H . As applications we derive upper bounds for the uniform modulus of continuity and the laws of the iterated logarithm for Z H .
Biological Measures of Economic History

This review discusses the methodology and some findings underlying four types of biological measures used by economic historians: mortality rates, stature, body mass index, and skeletal remains. Economic historians examine a variety of sources to learn when, why, and where modern industrial societies became rich and healthy. Monetary measures, such as income and wages, are highly desirable but usually unavailable to cover the time periods and countries over which modern societies evolved. Donning interdisciplinary lenses, these historians search archives, libraries, and archaeological sources for scraps of information, often assembled for other purposes, to construct a story of the evolution of humanity’s well-being. Biological measures have the advantage of comparability across time and culture; life expectancy, for example, means about the same today as in ancient Egypt, but the same cannot be said for the purchasing power of income, wages, or wealth.
Evolution of the S100 family of calcium sensor proteins

Abstract The S100s are a large group of Ca 2+ sensors found exclusively in vertebrates. Transcriptomic and genomic data from the major radiations of mammals were used to derive the evolution of the mammalian S100s genes. In human and mouse, S100s and S100 fused-type proteins are in a separate clade from other Ca 2+ sensor proteins, indicating that an ancient bifurcation between these two gene lineages has occurred. Furthermore, the five genomic loci containing S100 genes have remained largely intact during the past 165 million years since the shared ancestor of egg-laying and placental mammals. Nonetheless, interesting births and deaths of S100 genes have occurred during mammalian evolution. The S100A7 loci exhibited the most plasticity and phylogenetic analyses clarified relationships between the S100A7 proteins encoded in the various mammalian genomes. Phylogenetic analyses also identified four conserved subgroups of S100s that predate the rise of warm-blooded vertebrates: A2/A3/A4/A5/A6, A1/A10/A11/B/P/Z, A13/A14/A16, and A7s/A8/A9/A12/G. The similarity between genomic location and phylogenetic clades suggest that these subfamilies arose by a series of tandem gene duplication events. Examination of annotated S100s in lower vertebrates suggests that the ancestral S100 was a member of the A1/A10/A11/B/P/Z subgroup and arose near the emergence of vertebrates approximately 500 million years ago.
Stability analysis of pulse-width-modulated feedback systems

New and improved stability results are obtained for PWM feedback systems through the use of quadratic Lyapunov functions and optimization procedures.
μ-Opioid receptor down-regulation and tolerance are not equally dependent upon G-protein signaling

In the present study, the contribution of pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive Gi/o-proteins to opioid tolerance and m-opioid receptor downregulation in the mouse were examined. Mice were injected once intracerebroventricularly and intrathecally with PTX (0.1 mg/site). Controls were treated with saline. On the 10th day following PTX treatment, continuous subcutaneous infusion of etorphine (150 or 200 mg/kg/day) or morphine (40 mg/kg/day+25 mg slow-release pellet) was begun. Control mice were implanted with inert placebo pellets. Pumps and pellets were removed 3 days later, and mice were tested for morphine analgesia or m-opioid receptor density was determined in the whole brain, spinal cord, and midbrain. Both infusion doses of etorphine produced significant tolerance (ED50 shift=4–6-fold) and down-regulation of m-opioid receptors (20–35%). Morphine treatment also produced significant tolerance (ED50 shift=5–8-fold), but no m-opioid receptor down-regulation. PTX dramatically reduced the acute potency of morphine and blocked the further development of tolerance by both etorphine and morphine treatments. However, PTX had no effect on etorphine-induced m-opioid receptor down-regulation in brain, cord, or midbrain. These results suggest that PTX-sensitive G-proteins have a minimal role in agonist-induced m-opioid receptor density regulation in vivo, but are critical in mediating acute and chronic functional effects of opioids such as analgesia and tolerance. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Contemporary pediactric practice: In support of infant mental health (imaging and imagining)

Soudain, semble-t-il, les biologistes en developpement, les media, et les hommes politiques ou hommes de loi s'eveillent a une confluence de preuves qui lie le developpement precoce du cerveau des nourrissons humains a leur experience sociale dans les relations primaires. La nouvelle biotechnologie offre des apercus dynamiques de l'interdependance entre le developpement social-emotionnel et l'expression du code genetique biocomportemental d'un individu. La polique sociale, les pratiques professionnelles et le comportement personnel influencent tous le potentiel de l'enfant en matiere de sante physique et mentale. Les modes de soin primaires pediatriques ont une responsabilite centrale pour ce qui est d'appliquer la neuroscience du developpement afin d'augmenter les resources pour les familles et au sein des familles pour encourager la sante et le developpement emotionnels. Les problemes cliniques souleves a des moments cles et previsibles du developpement, de la grossesse jusqu'a la fin de la premiere annee, sont discutes pour ce qui est de leurs mecanismes physiologiques, leur signification psychologique, et leurs opportunites professionnelles.
Charge Transfer Dissociation (CTD) Mass Spectrometry of Peptide Cations Using Kiloelectronvolt Helium Cations

A kiloelectronvolt beam of helium ions is used to ionize and fragment precursor peptide ions starting in the 1+ charge state. The electron affinity of helium cations (24.6 eV) exceeds the ionization potential of protonated peptides and can therefore be used to abstract an electron from—or charge exchange with—the isolated precursor ions. Kiloelectronvolt energies are used, (1) to overcome the Coulombic repulsion barrier between the cationic reactants, (2) to overcome ion-defocussing effects in the ion trap, and (3) to provide additional activation energy. Charge transfer dissociation (CTD) of the [M+H]+ precursor of Substance P gives product ions such as [M+H]2+• and a dominant series of a ions in both the 1+ and 2+ charge states. These observations, along with the less-abundant a + 1 ions, are consistent with ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) results of others and indicate that C–Cα cleavages are possible through charge exchange with helium ions. Although the efficiencies and timescale of CTD are not yet suitable for on-line chromatography, this new approach to ion activation provides an additional potential tool for the interrogation of gas phase ions.