cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plagioclase and other mineral equilibria in a contact metamorphic aureole

Plagioclase, microcline, amphibole, clinozoisite, clinopyroxene and biotite from alternating pelitic and calcareous hornfelses of the Wyman Formation, Blanco Mountain Quadrangle, California, were analyzed using an electron microprobe. The metamorphic aureole formed at temperatures of 300–600° C, total pressure 2–3 Kb, and low but variable partial pressure of CO2. The minerals show some compositional changes with metamorphic grade as well as differences from one assemblage to another. The plagioclases developed in the aureole do not form a continuous series. Rather, coexisting grains of plagioclase in individual rock layers form at certain distinct compositions: An 1–3, 15–17, 28–32, 38–45, 51–55, 59–65, 75 and 80. There is no evidence of disequilibrium in the rocks, although diffusion was limited; the volume for chemical equilibrium for most samples was less than 1 mm. Inspection of the changes in mineral assemblages with increasing degree of metamorphism and with changes in fluid composition suggests a number of reactions between the phases. Neither these reactions nor the compositions of coexisting minerals provide an obvious explanation for the observed gaps in the plagioclase series. Therefore it is postulated that the compositional clustering is structurally controlled.
Prevention, not treatment, is the only hope

If our goal is the reduction or elimination of emotional disorders in our country, or in the world, a major social revolution is required. Individual psychotherapy is available to a small number only. No mass disorder has ever been eliminated by treating one person at a time. Psychotherapy is useful in teaching the possibility of unlearning damaging habits and thus it contradicts the organic-brain disease model advanced by political conservatives. Organic explanations of mental disorder find causes inside the person and ignore or deny the pathological environments of poverty, racism, sexism and exploitation. The organic model is supported by corporate power and conservative citizens' groups. It is time for radicals to come together to expose the power elite for its control of invalid ruling ideas.
Temperature dependence of the locked mode in a single-electron latch

Abstract Interaction between single electrons in coupled quantum dots is used to perform binary logic operations in Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA). Clocked control over tunneling is necessary to achieve power gain and minimize power dissipation in QCA. The high temperature limit for clocked operation is set by the ability of the cells to store binary information when the input signal is removed (so-called ‘locked mode’). We present an experimental investigation of the temperature dependence of the locked mode in metal-dot based clocked QCA device. The experimental results are in very good agreement with the orthodox Coulomb blockade theory for thermally activated electron escape mechanism.
Bayesian Model Averaging for Linear Regression Models

Abstract We consider the problem of accounting for model uncertainty in linear regression models. Conditioning on a single selected model ignores model uncertainty, and thus leads to the underestimation of uncertainty when making inferences about quantities of interest. A Bayesian solution to this problem involves averaging over all possible models (i.e., combinations of predictors) when making inferences about quantities of interest. This approach is often not practical. In this article we offer two alternative approaches. First, we describe an ad hoc procedure, “Occam's window,” which indicates a small set of models over which a model average can be computed. Second, we describe a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach that directly approximates the exact solution. In the presence of model uncertainty, both of these model averaging procedures provide better predictive performance than any single model that might reasonably have been selected. In the extreme case where there are many candidate predictors but ...
Social Influences Are Associated With BMI and Weight Loss Intentions in Young Adults

Christakis and colleagues have shown that health behaviors cluster in social networks and suggest social norms may account for the clustering. This study examined: (i) whether obesity clusters among young adults and whether social norms do in fact account for the clustering, and (ii) among overweight/obese (OW/OB) young adults, whether number of social contacts trying to lose weight is associated with weight loss intentions and whether social norms for weight loss account for this effect. Normal weight (NW) and OW/OB young adults (N = 288; 66% female; 75% white) completed measures assessing number of OW social contacts and social norms for obesity. OW/OB young adults also indicated number of OW social contacts currently trying to lose weight, social norms for weight loss, and weight loss intentions. Compared to NW, OW/OB young adults were more likely to have OW romantic partners and best friends and had more OW casual friends and family members (Ps < 0.05), but social norms for obesity did not differ between groups, and social norms did not mediate the relationship between OW social contacts and participants' weight status. However, among OW/OB young adults, having more social contacts trying to lose weight was associated with greater intention to lose weight (r = 0.20, P = 0.02) and social norms for weight loss fully mediated this effect (P < 0.01). This study is the first to show that social contacts and normative beliefs influence weight status and intentions for weight control in young adults. Findings underscore the importance of targeting social influence in the treatment and prevention of obesity in this high-risk age group.
Finite chain approximation for linear and nonlinear polarizabilities of polydiacetylene and polybutatriene

Static longitudinal polarizabilities αzz and cubic hyperpolarizabilities γzzzz are obtained by the FPT-INDO method for finite chain C4N+2H2N+4 (N = 1–15) models of polydiacetylene and polybutatriene. For the acetylenic structure the onset of saturation first becomes evident at about C14C18 for the linear polarizability and C22C26 for the cubic term. The values per C4H2 unit are accurately extrapolated to the infinite chain limit. In the case of the butatrienic structure, no saturation is observed through C54.
Providing real-time response, state recency and temporal consistency in databases for rapidly changing environments

Abstract Databases have been proposed as the chosen platform to develop automated control systems for environments where the state of the system changes rapidly, and actions need to be taken with timing constraints, such as stock trading, air traffic control, network management and process control. The workload in such systems consists primarily of two types: (a) updates , which report the state of the environment to the database and arrive very frequently, and (b) transactions which arrive with deadlines. In this paper we develop algorithms to install these updates rapidly enough to ensure “state recency” while allocating sufficient resources to transactions to minimize tardiness. We also require that these transactions read temporally consistent data. In summary, this paper contributes in the following three interrelated issues: 1. 1. First and foremost, we look at some interesting problems regarding amalgamating temporal and real-time databases. 2. 2. We look at simultaneous satisfaction of state recency and temporal consistency which are central issues in the class of systems considered in this paper, i.e., rapidly changing systems. 3. 3. We design algorithms that attempt to achieve equilibrium with regard to the conjoint processing of frequently arriving state updates and time constrained transactions. © 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd
Forecasts of Valley Circulations Using the Terrain-Following and Step-Mountain Vertical Coordinates in the Meso-Eta Model

Abstract The nonhydrostatic version of the NCEP Meso-Eta Model is used to perform simulations that differ by only the vertical coordinate to determine the differences in forecasted valley circulations associated with the step-mountain and terrain-following vertical coordinates and whether one coordinate produces consistently superior forecasts at meso-γ and micro-α scales. A horizontal grid spacing of 850 m is used. The model forecasts are evaluated using data from the October 2000 Vertical Transport and Mixing (VTMX) field campaign in the Salt Lake valley. The forecasts of the diurnal evolution of the dominant circulations in the Salt Lake valley, including valley, slope, and canyon flows, and their modification by synoptic forcing during five intensive observation periods, were qualitatively similar to the measurements. Forecasts produced by the step-mountain and terrain-following vertical coordinates each have their own advantages and disadvantages and neither vertical coordinate outperformed the other...
The Makings of a Tumor Rejection Antigen

If isolation of unique group I–type antigens from each cancer patients is not practical, and the use of shared nonmutated antigens must await the development of appropriate antigen isolation methodologies, what can one do in the meantime? One attractive option is to vaccinate with autologous tumor-derived antigenic mixtures. The tumor-derived antigenic mixtures will include the complete antigenic repertoire of the tumor, including the potent group I patient-specific antigens, yet will obviate the need to identify the relevant tumor antigens in each patient. In animal tumor models, vaccination with genetically modified irradiated tumor cells (Gilboa and Lyerly 1994xSpecific active immunotherapy of cancer using genetically modified tumor vaccines. Gilboa, E and Lyerly, H.K. See all ReferencesGilboa and Lyerly 1994), tumor-derived heat shock proteins (Tamura et al. 1997xImmunotherapy of tumors with autologous tumor-derived heat shock protein preparations. Tamura, Y, Peng, P, Liu, K, Daou, M, and Srivastava, P.K. Science. 1997; 278: 117–120Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (578)See all ReferencesTamura et al. 1997), or with dendritic cells loaded with tumor-derived peptides or proteins (Gilboa et al. 1998xImmunotherapy of cancer with dendritic-cell based vaccines. Gilboa, E, Nair, S.K, and Lyerly, H.K. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 1998; 46: 82–87Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (247)See all ReferencesGilboa et al. 1998) is very potent. A common limitation of these strategies is that sufficient tumor tissue for antigen preparation cannot be obtained or generated from many cancer patients. In such instances, use of mRNA amplified from small amounts of available tumor tissue could provide unlimited amounts of antigen for vacccination protocols.*E-mail: e.gilboa@cgct.duke.edu.
Enhanced ambient storage stability of an entomopathogenic nematode through anhydrobiosis

Limited shelf-life is a major obstacle to large-scale use of entomopathogenic nematodes in biological control. Recently, the development of a water-dispersible granular formulation (WG) containing entomopathogenic nematodes was described. This paper reports that storage stability of Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser infective juveniles at 25 °C is enhanced from three to six months in this WG. It is also demonstrated that the enhanced stability is achieved through the induction of partial anhydrobiosis that reduces oxygen and lipid reserve utilization by infective juveniles. Nematode infectivity is unaffected during storage under partial anhydrobiosis in the WG formulation.
27. PET Image Interpretation. Attenuation-Corrected (ATN) Vs Non-Attenuation Corrected (NATN) Images.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference, if any, in lesion detection in ATN and NATN images. Methods: Sixty-one consecutive patients having clinical whole body FDG PET scans for oncologic indications were included. The patients were administered 10-20 mCi FDG intravenously, and imaging on the Advance (GE Medical Systems) was started 45 min-1 h after injection. The emission images were acquired for 4 min and the transmission images for 3 min per bed position. The images were reviewed on the vendor-provided workstation. Four of the interpreting physicians read the ATN images first, and the other read the NATN images first. The interpreting physicians were asked to determine if any lesions were seen on only the ATN or NATN images (discordant findings) and to describe differences in the images not affecting overall interpretation. Results: In the 61 patients, 3 discordant findings with abnormalities on the ATN images but not on the NATN images included the following: lung nodule, AP window node, and small para-aortic node. Observations that did not affect overall interpretation include the following: transmission scan helped localize lesion to be below instead of above the diaphragm; AT-N image better demonstrated liver metastasis; benign lung lesion seen only on ATN image (3 cases); pretracheal node seen better on NATN images; and low grade hilar activity on NATN not seen on ATN images. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the ATN images detect more lesions than the NATN images, and that reviewing NATN images may not be necessary. A different method for performing this evaluation is now being undertaken.
Enhancing nurse and physician collaboration in clinical decision making through high-fidelity interdisciplinary simulation training.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether interdisciplinary simulation team training can positively affect registered nurse and/or physician perceptions of collaboration in clinical decision making. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Between March 1 and April 21, 2009, a convenience sample of volunteer nurses and physicians was recruited to undergo simulation training consisting of a team response to 3 clinical scenarios. Participants completed the Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions (CSACD) survey before training and at 2 weeks and 2 months after training. Differences in CSACD summary scores between the time points were assessed with paired t tests. RESULTS Twenty-eight health care professionals (19 nurses, 9 physicians) underwent simulation training. Nurses were of similar age to physicians (27.3 vs 34.5 years; p =.82), were more likely to be women (95.0% vs 12.5%; p p =.02). The pretest showed that physicians were more likely to perceive that open communication exists between nurses and physicians ( p =.04) and that both medical and nursing concerns influence the decision-making process ( p =.02). Pretest CSACD analysis revealed that most participants were dissatisfied with the decision-making process. The CSACD summary score showed significant improvement from baseline to 2 weeks (4.2 to 5.1; p p CONCLUSION Team training using high-fidelity simulation scenarios promoted collaboration between nurses and physicians and enhanced the patient care decision-making process.
A factor(s) required for activation of oxidative phosphorylation in protoplast ghosts of Mycobacterium phlei.

Summary Oxidative phosphorylation in protoplast ghosts of M. phlei was found to be cryptic. This latent activity was activated by the addition of soluble components found in the supernatant fraction. The synthesis of ATP from oxidation was shown to occur within the membrane structure; however, the ghost preparation failed to transfer high energy phosphate across the membrane to exogenous nucleotides and was impermeable to added nucleotide. In contrast, phosphorylation of exogenous nucleotides was found to occur on addition of a soluble protein factor(s) to the ghost preparation. This system with respect to its ability to interact with exogenous nucleotides is similar to the electron transport particle in which the membrane orientation is inside out. Inhibition of phosphorylation of the activated system by uncoupling agents or by antibody to the membrane bound coupling factor was found to be similar to that observed with the electron transport particles.
Hatching Success and Fingerling Growth of Channel Catfish Cultured in Ozonated Hatchery Water

Abstract Egg hatching success and fry and fingerling growth of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were examined to determine if ozonation of hatchery water would facilitate increased stocking densities without sacrificing growth characteristics. Egg masses reared in ozonated water hatched 18–24 h sooner than those in unozonated water, but hatching rates of 60.5 ± 3.6% and 56.7 ± 3.9% in ozonated and unozonated waters, respectively, were not significantly different. Sac fry weights, measured 24 h posthatch, were not significantly different (pooled average weight = 0.149 g). However, fingerlings reared for 85 d in ozonated water were significantly heavier than fish reared in unozonated waters, averaging 22.7 ± 0.4 g and 17.0 ± 0.4 g, respectively. Feed conversion rates (weight of feed fed divided by weight gained) of 1.06 and 1.15 under ozonated and unozonated conditions, respectively, were significantly different. Survival rates of fish reared in different environments were similar (pooled mean > 92%). Di...
On completing a marathon and giving birth the same day

in this issue, Zavorsky and Longo ([1][1]) present what is in effect a physiological case report about a young woman who, at 39 wk of gestation, gave birth some 8 h after completing a marathon on October 9, 2011. This story had already received some public attention, and as one might imagine,
Forbidden rectangles in compacta

Abstract We establish negative results about “rectangular” local bases in compacta. For example, there is no compactum where all points have local bases of cofinal type ω × ω 2 . For another, the compactum βω has no nontrivially rectangular local bases, and the same is consistently true of β ω ∖ ω : no local base in βω has cofinal type κ × c if κ m σ - n - linked for some n ∈ [ 1 , ω ) . Also, CH implies that every local base in β ω ∖ ω has the same cofinal type as one in βω . We also answer a question of Dobrinen and Todorcevic about cofinal types of ultrafilters: the Fubini square of a filter on ω always has the same cofinal type as its Fubini cube. Moreover, the Fubini product of nonprincipal P-filters on ω is commutative modulo cofinal equivalence.
A quantitative analytic pipeline for evaluating neuronal activities by high-throughput synaptic vesicle imaging

Synaptic vesicle dynamics play an important role in the study of neuronal and synaptic activities of neurodegradation diseases ranging from the epidemic Alzheimer's disease to the rare Rett syndrome. A high-throughput assay with a large population of neurons would be useful and efficient to characterize neuronal activity based on the dynamics of synaptic vesicles for the study of mechanisms or to discover drug candidates for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the massive amounts of image data generated via high-throughput screening require enormous manual processing time and effort, restricting the practical use of such an assay. This paper presents an automated analytic system to process and interpret the huge data set generated by such assays. Our system enables the automated detection, segmentation, quantification, and measurement of neuron activities based on the synaptic vesicle assay. To overcome challenges such as noisy background, inhomogeneity, and tiny object size, we first employ MSVST (Multi-Scale Variance Stabilizing Transform) to obtain a denoised and enhanced map of the original image data. Then, we propose an adaptive thresholding strategy to solve the inhomogeneity issue, based on the local information, and to accurately segment synaptic vesicles. We design algorithms to address the issue of tiny objects of interest overlapping. Several post processing criteria are defined to filter false positives. A total of 152 features are extracted for each detected vesicle. A score is defined for each synaptic vesicle image to quantify the neuron activity. We also compare the unsupervised strategy with the supervised method. Our experiments on hippocampal neuron assays showed that the proposed system can automatically detect vesicles and quantify their dynamics for evaluating neuron activities. The availability of such an automated system will open opportunities for investigation of synaptic neuropathology and identification of candidate therapeutics for neurodegeneration.
A refined model for dynamic analysis of circular plates on elastic foundations

Abstract A two-parameter model is developed to represent the supporting foundation in analyzing the axially symmetric free vibrations of a finite circular plate resting on an elastic foundation of finite depth. In this analytical process, a rigorous theoretical basis is presented, using Hamilton's principle, for deriving the equations governing the interaction between the plate and the elastic foundation. Here, the decay rate of the foundation displacement components through the depth appears as a new parameter. This new parameter, normally taken as contant by other researchers, is shown to depend on other foundation parameters. The incoming waves in the horizontal direction are eliminated by considering the foundation to be infinite in the horizontal direction and a general solution is presented in terms of Bessel functions. The application of the model is illustrated by examples and the effect of foundation parameters on the natural frequencies and corresponding decay rates are studied for the first and second modes of vibrations.
Attempted suicide and pregnancy

Women who attempted suicides who were pregnant did not differ from nonpregnant women who attempted suicide in measures of depression, hopelessness, or suicidal intent. Three themes were noted in the pregnant women who attempted suicide: prior loss of children (by miscarriage, adoption, or death), potential loss of their lover, and the desire for an abortion.
Local production of TGF β1 inhibits cerebral edema, enhances TNF-α induced apoptosis and improves survival in a murine glioma model

We have previously reported that local secretion of either TNF-alpha or TGF beta1 by intracerebral SMA-560 malignant glioma tumor cells can reduce or eliminate tumor growth in mice. However, the use of TNF-alpha, while improving the overall survival of tumor bearing animals, was associated with early toxic deaths due to cerebral edema. In the present study, we demonstrate that TNF-alpha induces apoptosis of the SMA 560 cell line, as does TGF beta1, and that these two cytokines act in an additive fashion to enhance apoptosis and thus, to inhibit SMA 560 cell growth in vitro. Next, we show that the production of TGF beta1 when added to TNF-alpha production by central nervous system tumors in vivo abrogates any early deaths seen due to TNF-alpha toxicity and leads to a larger percentage of animals surviving CNS tumor challenge. Finally, we demonstrate that the production of TGF beta1 by tumor cells is associated with the abolition of tumor-associated cerebral edema in both TNF-alpha and in non-TNF-alpha producing tumors. These results are important for the development of effective and less toxic therapies for brain tumors, as well as for examining the pathogenesis of tumor-related cerebral edema.
Effects of photodegradation products of bilirubin on myelinating cerebellum cultures.

Cultures of myelinating cerebellum were exposed to media containing bilirubin and human serum albumin and to identical media in which the bilirubin had been partially degraded by light. Starting concentrations of bilirubin were 30 mg. per cent. Cultures exposed to irradiated media in which the remaining diazotizable bilirubin was below 14mg. per cent (representing a bilirubin to human albumin ratio of approximately 0.8:1) did not damage the cultures. Unirradiated media produced characteristic andsevere damage.
Type A behaviour, stress, injury and illness in adult runners

The survey study reported here was designed to investigate whether type A behaviour increases risk of stress, running injury and illness among a sample of 572 adult runners. The findings show modest but significant correlations between type A behaviour and two stress measures, times injured during past three months, running days missed and reduced due to running injury, health care appointments for running injuries, and health care appointments for other types of illness. Most of these correlations remained after controlling out another stress-related variable, life change score. Type A behaviour added to the variance in stress level explained by life change score. Finally, incurring a running injury was found to be more stressful among high than low type A runners. Possible explanations for these findings were presented, as were implications for runners and future researchers.
An invariant in mouse running wheel behavior

The running of mice in two different sized running wheels was observed. The number of wheel turns, the distance run, and an approximation of the work done were calculated. It was found that the number of turns and the distance run were greater in the small wheels than in the large wheels but that the amount of work done was constant.
Investigating Tissue- and Organ-specific Phytochrome Responses using FACS-assisted Cell-type Specific Expression Profiling in Arabidopsis thaliana

Light mediates an array of developmental and adaptive processes throughout the life cycle of a plant. Plants utilize light-absorbing molecules called photoreceptors to sense and adapt to light. The red/far-red light-absorbing phytochrome photoreceptors have been studied extensively. Phytochromes exist as a family of proteins with distinct and overlapping functions in all higher plant systems in which they have been studied1. Phytochrome-mediated light responses, which range from seed germination through flowering and senescence, are often localized to specific plant tissues or organs2. Despite the discovery and elucidation of individual and redundant phytochrome functions through mutational analyses, conclusive reports on distinct sites of photoperception and the molecular mechanisms of localized pools of phytochromes that mediate spatial-specific phytochrome responses are limited. We designed experiments based on the hypotheses that specific sites of phytochrome photoperception regulate tissue- and organ-specific aspects of photomorphogenesis, and that localized phytochrome pools engage distinct subsets of downstream target genes in cell-to-cell signaling. We developed a biochemical approach to selectively reduce functional phytochromes in an organ- or tissue-specific manner within transgenic plants. Our studies are based on a bipartite enhancer-trap approach that results in transactivation of the expression of a gene under control of the Upstream Activation Sequence (UAS) element by the transcriptional activator GAL43. The biliverdin reductase (BVR) gene under the control of the UAS is silently maintained in the absence of GAL4 transactivation in the UAS-BVR parent4. Genetic crosses between a UAS-BVR transgenic line and a GAL4-GFP enhancer trap line result in specific expression of the BVR gene in cells marked by GFP expression4. BVR accumulation in Arabidopsis plants results in phytochrome chromophore deficiency in planta5-7. Thus, transgenic plants that we have produced exhibit GAL4-dependent activation of the BVR gene, resulting in the biochemical inactivation of phytochrome, as well as GAL4-dependent GFP expression. Photobiological and molecular genetic analyses of BVR transgenic lines are yielding insight into tissue- and organ-specific phytochrome-mediated responses that have been associated with corresponding sites of photoperception4, 7, 8. Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) of GFP-positive, enhancer-trap-induced BVR-expressing plant protoplasts coupled with cell-type-specific gene expression profiling through microarray analysis is being used to identify putative downstream target genes involved in mediating spatial-specific phytochrome responses. This research is expanding our understanding of sites of light perception, the mechanisms through which various tissues or organs cooperate in light-regulated plant growth and development, and advancing the molecular dissection of complex phytochrome-mediated cell-to-cell signaling cascades.
Writing programs that run EveryWare on the Computational Grid

The Computational Grid has been proposed, for the implementation of high-performance applications using widely dispersed computational resources. The goal of a Computational Grid is to aggregate ensembles of shared, heterogeneous, and distributed resources (potentially controlled by separate organizations) to provide computational, "power" to an application program. We provide a toolkit for the development of globally deployable Grid applications. The toolkit, called EveryWare, enables an application to draw computational power transparently from the Grid. It consists of a portable set of processes and libraries that can be incorporated into an application so that a wide variety of dynamically changing distributed infrastructures and resources can be used together to achieve supercomputer-like performance. We provide our experiences gained while building the EveryWare toolkit prototype and an explanation of its use in implementing a large-scale Grid application.
The Susceptibility of Mice to Immune-Mediated Neurologic Disease Correlates with the Degree to Which Their Lymphocytes Resist the Effects of Brain-Derived Gangliosides

SJL mice develop immune-mediated disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) when infected with certain neurotropic viruses or when immunized with myelin Ags. Other strains including BALB/c are more resistant to these diseases. During Sindbis virus-induced encephalitis, both mice are easily infected and elicit rapid mononuclear cell inflammation in the brain. However, only SJL mice develop immune-mediated paralysis; BALB/c mice remain asymptomatic. To understand how the same stimulus produces such divergent immunologic effects on the host, the present study investigated lymphocytes that were isolated from the brains of Sindbis virus-infected animals. Cells from the brains of SJL mice exhibited more proliferation, produced more IL-2, maintained a higher viability, and expressed less bax mRNA (a proapoptotic mediator) than did lymphocytes from the brains of BALB/c mice. Since the central nervous system is enriched in gangliosides that regulate T cell proliferation and IL-2 production in vitro, purified brain-derived gangliosides were tested on peripheral lymphocytes from both strains. These lipids had less of an effect on the mitogen-induced proliferation, IL-2 production, activation-induced cell death, and up-regulation of bax mRNA in lymphocytes from SJL mice compared with those from BALB/c mice. Thus, gangliosides may inhibit various T cell effector functions and induce T cell apoptosis to a greater degree in the brains of BALB/c mice compared with the brains of SJL mice. This relative deficiency in local lymphocyte regulation may enhance the susceptibility of SJL mice to immune-mediated neurologic disease.
Intractability and clustering with constraints

Clustering with constraints is a developing area of machine learning. Various papers have used constraints to enforce particular clusterings, seed clustering algorithms and even learn distance functions which are then used for clustering. We present intractability results for some constraint combinations and illustrate both formally and experimentally the implications of these results for using constraints with clustering.
Do specific or nonspecific interactions with proteins underlie inhalational anesthetic action

To determine whether specific or nonspecific interactions between inhaled anesthetics and proteins are more likely to underlie anesthetic actions, analysis of hydrogen/tritium exchange was used to measure effects on the stability of two model proteins that had been previously shown to bind anesthetics specifically (bovine serum albumin) or only nonspecifically (myoglobin). The data indicated that stabilization of albumin correlated with the potencies of a wide range of anesthetic compounds significantly better than did destabilization of myoglobin. In addition, sensitivity to nonanesthetics, isoflurane stereoselectivity, and temperature and pressure effects all influenced the stabilization of bovine serum albumin, but not the destabilization of myoglobin, in a manner strongly supporting the premise that specific binding interactions with protein targets underlie anesthetic action. These observations significantly increase the likelihood that such interactions can be found and optimized.
Evaluating concentration estimation errors in ELISA microarray experiments

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a standard immunoassay to estimate a protein's concentration in a sample. Deploying ELISA in a microarray format permits simultaneous estimation of the concentrations of numerous proteins in a small sample. These estimates, however, are uncertain due to processing error and biological variability. Evaluating estimation error is critical to interpreting biological significance and improving the ELISA microarray process. Estimation error evaluation must be automated to realize a reliable high-throughput ELISA microarray system. In this paper, we present a statistical method based on propagation of error to evaluate concentration estimation errors in the ELISA microarray process. Although propagation of error is central to this method and the focus of this paper, it is most effective only when comparable data are available. Therefore, we briefly discuss the roles of experimental design, data screening, normalization, and statistical diagnostics when evaluating ELISA microarray concentration estimation errors. We use an ELISA microarray investigation of breast cancer biomarkers to illustrate the evaluation of concentration estimation errors. The illustration begins with a description of the design and resulting data, followed by a brief discussion of data screening and normalization. In our illustration, we fit a standard curve to the screened and normalized data, review the modeling diagnostics, and apply propagation of error. We summarize the results with a simple, three-panel diagnostic visualization featuring a scatterplot of the standard data with logistic standard curve and 95% confidence intervals, an annotated histogram of sample measurements, and a plot of the 95% concentration coefficient of variation, or relative error, as a function of concentration. This statistical method should be of value in the rapid evaluation and quality control of high-throughput ELISA microarray analyses. Applying propagation of error to a variety of ELISA microarray concentration estimation models is straightforward. Displaying the results in the three-panel layout succinctly summarizes both the standard and sample data while providing an informative critique of applicability of the fitted model, the uncertainty in concentration estimates, and the quality of both the experiment and the ELISA microarray process.
Implementing the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol through national biosafety regulatory systems: an analysis of key unresolved issues

The Cartagena Biosafety Protocol is the primary driving force behind countries establishing national biosafety regulatory systems for genetically engineered crops and animals. That international agreement attempts to set forth the scientific and legal boundaries for those systems, and establish a minimum set of rules and procedures. This paper analyses whether the Protocol will achieve a degree of legal certainty in the field of biosafety regulations and some level of global harmonization. The paper concludes that, while the Protocol is a good model for certain portions of a national biosafety regulatory system, it provides little guidance on several issues key to biosafety regulation. The Protocol gives discretion to individual countries to decide on what the applicable safety standard should be, how to incorporate socioeconomic considerations, how to address food safety and how to incorporate public participation. The resolution of these four issues by each country could have a far greater influence than the Protocol itself on the nature of their national biosafety regulatory system. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A regression method for estimating performance in a rapid serial visual presentation target detection task.

Abstract Background Estimating target detection performance in the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) target detection paradigm can be challenging when the inter-stimulus interval is small relative to the variability in human response time. The challenge arises because assigning a particular response to the correct image cannot be done with certainty. Existing solutions to this challenge establish a heuristic for assigning responses to images and thereby determining which responses are hits and which are false alarms . New method We developed a regression-based method for estimating hit rate and false alarm rate that corrects for expected errors in a likelihood-based assignment of responses to stimuli. Results Simulations show that this regression method results in an unbiased and accurate estimate of target detection performance. Comparison with existing methods The regression method had lower estimation error compared to three existing methods, and in contrast to the existing methods, the errors made by the regression method do not depend strongly on the true values of hit rate and false alarm rate. The most commonly used existing method performed well when simulated performance was nearly perfect, but not when behavioral error rates increased. Conclusions Based on its better estimation of hit rate and false alarm rate, the regression method proposed here would seem the best choice when estimating the hit rate and false alarm rate is the primary interest.
mRNA stabilization by poly(A) binding protein is independent of poly(A) and requires translation

Translation and mRNA stability are enhanced by the presence of a poly(A) tail. In vivo, the tail interacts with a conserved polypeptide, poly(A) binding protein (Pab1p). To examine Pab1p function in vivo, we have tethered Pab1p to the 3* UTR of reporter mRNAs by fusing it to MS2 coat protein and placing MS2 binding sites in the 3* UTR of the reporter. This strategy allows us to uncouple Pab1p function from its RNA binding activity. We show that mRNAs that lack a poly(A) tail in vivo are stabilized by Pab1p, and that the portions of Pab1p required for stabilization are genetically distinct from those required for poly(A) binding. In addition, stabilization by Pab1p requires ongoing translation of the mRNA. We conclude that the primary, or sole, function of poly(A) with respect to mRNA stability is simply to bring Pab1p to the mRNA, and that mRNA stabilization is an intrinsic property of Pab1p. The approach we describe may be useful in identifying and assaying 3* UTR regulatory proteins, as it uncouples analysis of function from RNA binding.
Identification of PLTP as an LXR target gene and apoE as an FXR target gene reveals overlapping targets for the two nuclear receptors.

Affymetrix microarray data and Northern blot assays demonstrated that phospholipid transfer protein (PL222222222216) was induced 6-fold when either murine or human macrophages were incubated in the presence of ligands for the liver X receptor (LXR) and the retinoid X receptor. Two functional LXR response elements (LXREs) were identified and characterized in the proximal promoter of the human PLTP gene. One LXRE corresponds to a traditional direct repeat separated by 4 bp. However, the second LXRE is novel in that it corresponds to an inverted repeat separated by 1 bp, and is identical to the farnesoid X receptor response element. These studies demonstrate that PLTP is a direct target for activated LXR and farnesoid X receptor (FXR). In addition, apolipoprotein E (apoE), a known LXR target gene in macrophages, was shown to be activated in liver cells by FXR ligands. Taken together, the current data suggest that a small number of genes that currently include PLTP, apoE, and apoC-II, are induced in macrophages by activated LXR and in liver by activated FXR.
Even Flow: Shear Cues Vascular Development

The appreciation that biomechanical forces induce signaling responses that regulate vascular tone and inflammatory responses has had a paradigm-shifting effect on our understanding of vascular biology. Endothelial cells are constantly exposed to rheologically imposed forces that vary due to vascular anatomic features and hemodynamic parameters, and of course shear fluctuates cyclically during the cardiac cycle. Simple laminar flow and high shear forces elicit a cellular response characterized by quiescence and alignment of endothelial cells in the direction of fluid flow, whereas disturbed flow and low shear forces induce an inflammatory procoagulant phenotype. These cellular effects are mediated through well-defined signaling pathways and gene expression responses. The cellular sensors or receptors for shear forces are incompletely characterized, but detection of stress seems to depend on the transmission of forces to points of cell–matrix and cell–cell attachment and requires specific conformational activation of integrins.1 From a pathophysiological perspective, disturbed laminar flow has been linked to inflammatory responses that initiate atheroma formation and elicit plaque instability. It is also generally accepted that flow is required for some aspects of vascular remodeling during vascular development and in adult angiogenic responses; however, specific roles for flow in vascular developmental programs have been incompletely characterized. See page 1817 Two recent reports, including one published in this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and …
Suggestions for Teaching Fitness Using an Instructional Theme: The Fitness (Hunger) Games — A Fight for Your Health

This article provides ideas and offers a template for organizing content with an instructional theme for fitness games.
The Measurement of Aggregate Welfare

The measurement of aggregate welfare is one of the oldest endeavors of economics, dating from the time of Dupuit [17] and Marshall [27] and continuing in contemporary times with the work of Hicks [23]. The implicit assumptions involved in such a pursuit have, however, rarely been formulated. It is the purpose of the present paper to fill this gap.
Mouse Model for Sublethal Leptospira interrogans Infection

Although Leptospira can infect a wide range of mammalian species, most studies have been conducted in golden Syrian hamsters, a species particularly sensitive to acute disease. Chronic disease has been well characterized in the rat, one of the natural reservoir hosts. Studies in another asymptomatic reservoir host, the mouse, have occasionally been done and have limited infection to mice younger than 6 weeks of age. We analyzed the outcome of sublethal infection of C3H/HeJ mice older than age 10 weeks with Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni. Infection led to bloodstream dissemination of Leptospira, which was followed by urinary shedding, body weight loss, hypothermia, and colonization of the kidney by live spirochetes 2 weeks after infection. In addition, Leptospira dissemination triggered inflammation in the kidney but not in the liver or lung, as determined by increased levels of mRNA transcripts for the keratinocyte-derived chemokine, RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein 2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1β, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-6, and gamma interferon in kidney tissue. The acquired humoral response to Leptospira infection led to the production of IgG mainly of the IgG1 subtype. Flow cytometric analysis of splenocytes from infected mice revealed that cellular expansion was primarily due to an increase in the levels of CD4(+) and double-negative T cells (not CD8(+) cells) and that CD4(+) T cells acquired a CD44(high) CD62L(low) effector phenotype not accompanied by increases in memory T cells. A mouse model for sublethal Leptospira infection allows understanding of the bacterial and host factors that lead to immune evasion, which can result in acute or chronic disease or resistance to infection (protection).
A New Team Face

A marketing team, asked to compile a marketing deck in response to an urgent request by the head of a business, has completed the task. Still the team leader is concerned about the dynamics he observed during the meeting of his marketing group team. He has noticed that a recent recruit to the team, an African American, is being ignored when he contributes to the discussion although his ideas are solid ones. The leader is left with some nagging questions: What happened to this recruit in the meeting? Why wasnt he more integrated into the team? How was he feeling about the meeting? And most important, was there any way to make the collaborative process more effective the next time around?
Radiofrequency Ablation Turbinoplasty versus Microdebrider-Assisted Turbinoplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

ObjectiveTo critically review published literature for treatment-related outcomes for bilateral inferior turbinate reduction (IFTR) via either microdebrider-assisted turbinoplasty (MAT) or radiofre...
Near Net Shaping of Metal Injection Molded Compacts by Pulsed Discharge Sintering Process under Pseudo Hot Isostatic Pressing

The consolidation of injection molded compacts by Pulsed Discharge Sintering Process, that enables rapid sintering under the condition of high temperature combined with pressure application in various environments, is proposed as a novel process of near net forming. The proposed PHIP (Pseudo Hot Isostatic Pressing) technique using a pressure-transmitting medium of spherical graphite powder makes it possible to manufacture compacts with three dimensional shapes (PHIP-PDS). For the first time, temperature distribution along radial direction of graphite die was measured in the real time under PHIP-PDS. There existed temperature gradient in the die, that depended on holding temperature, inside diameter and thickness of die. Titanium powders, mixed with 36.2 vol% organic binder, were injection molded. After debound in 100 Torr Ar atmosphere at various temperature, they were consolidated by PHIP-PDS process. The temperature necessary to fully densify them under 50 MPa pressure was 1373K for PHIP-PDS, which was about 300K higher than that for PDS. Contraction percentage of the compacts was 25% for longitudinal (loading) direction, while 6% for transverse direction. Chemical analysis of titanium compacts showed 0.12-0.17wt% carbon and 0.22-0.28wt% oxygen.
Neoliberalism and the Commodification of Mental Health

This article contributes to the existing literature on neoliberalism as an ideological hegemonic project by addressing how the image of social reality it advances normalizes the medicalization of h...
Some attempts to force poly(dimethylsiloxane) chains through zeolite cavities to improve elastomer reinforcement

Abstract The reinforcing effects of zeolites in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomers were characterized using two preparative approaches. In the first, end-functionalized polymer chains were blended into the zeolite, and were then endlinked into the required network structure. The second approach represented an attempt to force some chains through the cavities, by blending the monomer itself into the zeolite and then polymerizing it to obtain the PDMS elastomer. The two types of zeolite-filled PDMS were characterized using stress-strain measurements in elongation, equilibrium swelling, and small-angle X-ray scattering. The second synthetic approach did seem to give improvements in mechanical properties, particularly when the average cavity size of the zeolite particles was relatively large. Ascribing the observed improvements in reinforcement at least partly to the threading of some PDMS chains through the zeolites was supported by the results obtained in the swelling and scattering experiments.