cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Manganous chloride stimulation of adenylate cyclase responsiveness in ocular ciliary process membranes

Manganous chloride was compared with magnesium chloride in supporting maximal stimulations of the adenylate cyclase system in ocular ciliary process membranes by isoproterenol, vasoactive intestinal peptide, sodium fluoride, guanosine 5′-(β, γ-imino) triphosphate (GppNHp), or forskolin, and in supporting synergism between isoproterenol and forskolin. The primary effect of Mn 2+ (2 m m ) was due to an interaction at the catalytic unit. Mn 2+ had no significant effect on the function of the GTP-binding stimulatory G-protein (G s ) which couples β -adrenergic receptors to the catalytic unit of adenylate cyclase. However, G s -protein function was impaired by Mn 2+ relative to Mg 2+ when GppNHp was used instead of GTP as the ligand for the G s -protein. Compared with Mg 2+ , Mn 2+ caused a 4–5·5-fold increase in adenylate cyclase responsiveness to all the activators tested (except GppNHp, where the increase was 2·5–3·5-fold). Thus Mn 2+ ions appeared to be intrinsically more effective at divalent cation binding sites on the catalytic unit that control its enzymatic activity. Ciliary process membranes differ from erythrocyte and S49 lymphoma cell membranes where 2 m m Mn 2+ strongly inhibits hormone—G s -protein-mediated stimulations of adenylate cyclase. Divalent cations bound to the catalytic unit also affected the degree of synergism between hormone-activated G s and forskolin to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity. In the presence of MgCl 2 all effective doses of isoproterenol and forskolin in combination showed marked synergism. In contrast, with MnCl 2 there was no synergism with high-dose isoproterenol-forskolin combinations, which gave only additive responses.
Software engineering tools and approaches for neuroinformatics: the design and implementation of the View-Primitive Data Model framework (VPDMf)

Abstract We describe a software-engineering strategy called the ‘View-Primitive Data Model framework’ (or ‘VPDMf’) derived from the design of leading commercial software-engineering tools. We describe a prototypical implementation of the strategy and its use within neuroinformatics. We present the argument that the only way to fulfill on demands for reliable, easy-to-use software by non-computational communities of neuroscientists is for developers within neuroinformatics to adopt and contribute to approaches such the VPDMf under the open-source paradigm. We present the VPDMf as one such development opportunity.
5-Hydroxytryptophan-induced myoclonus in guinea pigs: mediation through 5-HT1/2 receptor subtypes

Abstract In guinea pigs, myoclonus can be induced by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) precursors and synthetic 5-HT receptor agonists, yet the receptor subtype specificity of this behavior is not fully delineated. Guinea pigs were pre-treated with carbidopa (50 mg) followed by one of eight 5-HT antagonists: (−)- N - tert -butyl-3-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl) piperazin-1-yl]-2-phenyl propionamide ((−)-WAY 100135) (5-HT 1A ), N -[2-[4-(2-methoxypheny)-1-piperazinyl]-ethyl]- N -(2-pyridyl)-cyclohexancarboxamide (WAY 100635) (5-HT 1A ), methiothepin mesylate (5-HT 1/2 ), mesulergine hydrochloride (5-HT 2A/2C ), N [4-methoxy-3-(4-methyl- l -piperazinyl)phenyl]-2′-methyl-4′-(5-methyl-1,2,4-oxadizol-3-yl) (GR 127935) (5-HT 1D ), trans -4-[(3 Z )3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)oxyimino-3(2-fluorophenyl) propen-1-yl]phenol, hemifumarate (SR 46349) (5-HT 2 ), ondansetron hydrochloride (5-HT 3 ), and [1-[2-[methylsulphonyl)amino]ethyl]-4-piperidinyl]methyl-5-fluoro-2-methoxy-1 H -indole-3-carboylate (GR 125487) (5-HT 4 ). Thirty minutes later, they received 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) (75 mg/kg, sc) and myoclonic jumping rates were assessed every 10 min for 200 min by a blinded observer. Repeated measures analysis of variance of drug-induced antagonism of 5-HTP-induced myoclonus revealed a significant effect for the 5-HT receptor antagonists methiothepin mesylate, GR127935, and mesulergine hydrochloride compared to placebo, and each of these drugs inhibited 5-HTP-induced myoclonus in a dose-dependent fashion. Based on the receptor profiles of the three effective antagonists, 5-HTP-induced myoclonus is influenced by the 5-HT 1/2 receptor systems. The absence of a significant change with any other receptor subtype antagonist suggests that myoclonus is not related to diffuse activation of central serotonergic mechanisms.
Cardiac electrophysiologic effects of adaprolol maleate, a new β-blocker, in closed chest dogs☆

Abstract Adaprolol maleate (adaprolol) is a new β-adrenergic receptor blocker. The cardiac electrophysiologic characteristics and the duration of action of adaprolol were studied in intact anesthetized dogs. The electrophysiologic parameters were evaluated before drug administration and 10 min after the administration of maintenance infusion of adaprolol (N=5). The duration of action was measured during constant infusion of isoproterenol, giving the adaprolol as a single i.v. bolus in different concentrations (N=5). Results of this study showed that adaprolol has marked electrophysiologic effects. Its major action was on sinus mode; it prolonged the basic sinus cycle length and had significant effect on intrinsic automaticity as reflected by the prolonged corrected sinus node recovery time and sinuatrial conduction time. There was, also, direct effect on atrial function and AV nodal function. Adaprolol prolonged the effective refractory period of the His-Purkinje system and the ventricle. The onset of action was very rapid (within seconds) and the duration of action was relatively prolonged (3 hrs). The potency of adaprolol's electrophysiologic effects are higher compared to other widely used β-blockers. Adaprolol appears to be a potent β-blocker with particularly strong antiarrhythmic effect and it would be very useful in the treatment of both supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias and ectopic beats.
Progress toward analysis of D8/17 binding to B cells in children with obsessive compulsive disorder and/or chronic tic disorder.

Background: Previous research has suggested that a subgroup of children with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have neuropsychiatric sequelae of streptococcal pharyngitis, similar to that seen in the neurological manifestation of rheumatic fever (RF). Monoclonal antibody D8/17 demonstrates increased binding to B cells in patients with RF and in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders using immunofluorescent microscopy. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if an earlier immunofluorescent microscopy study of monoclonal antibody D8/17 in childhood-onset OCD and/or chronic tic disorder (CTD) could be replicated using the more objective method of flow cytometric analysis. Method: D8/17 binding to B cells was determined in patients with OCD and or CTD (N=32), and healthy controls (N=12) by flow cytometric analysis. Results: Subjects with OCD/CTD showed increased mean cell binding (26.0%) of monoclonal antibody compared with healthy controls (9.1%) (p<0.001). When using the threshold of greater than 19% binding (95% upper confidence interval) as a measure of positivity, 65.6% of patients compared with 8.3% of controls showed increased antibody binding to B cells (p=0.01). Conclusions: Although this study reports positive results, many methodological issues will need to be addressed before generalized use of assay for diagnostic purposes.
The effect of adenosine on myocardial metabolism and oxygen consumption in the isolated dog heart preparation.

Abstract The effects of adenosine on myocardial metabolism and oxygen consumption were examined in the isolated supported dog heart preparation (ISHP) perfused at a constant coronary blood flow. Heart rate was controlled by right atrial pacing. Coronary arterial and venous blood samples were collected and oxygen content, lactate, glucose and free fatty acid levels were determined. From arterialvenous differences and coronary blood flow, oxygen consumption and substrate uptake were determined. A 3 min intracoronary infusion of adenosine (50 and 100 μg/min) produced a significant dose-dependent decrease in MVO 2 while increasing glucose uptake and decreasing the uptake of lactate. The decrease in oxygen consumption, the increase in glucose uptake and the decrease in the uptake of lactate were all found to be dependent on the initial MVO 2 . These findings suggest that, in addition to its putative role as a regulator of coronary vascular resistance, adenosine might also exert important metabolic effects on the heart.
Normalization of Insulin and Glucagon Secretion in Ketosis-Resistant Diabetes Mellitus with Prolonged Diet Therapy*

Glucose tolerance and insulin and glucagon secretion were examined sequentially during 6 months of calorie and carbohydrate restriction in an obese, recent-onset, ketosis-resistant diabetic adult. The subject was then followed for 9 additional months, during which some weight was regained. Fasting plasma glucose levels returned to normal after 6 week of calorie restriction and remained normal during periods of carbohydrate refeeding. Normalization of 2-h plasma glucose concentrations after a standard oral carbohydrate load required 5 months, and glucose disposal after an iv glucose load did not return to normal until the end of the study. Insulin secretion in response to oral glucose reached maximal levels during the first months of weight reduction and then decreased as glucose tolerance continued to improve. Acute phase insulin release in response to iv glucose gradually increased throughout the study. Glucagon stimulation by iv arginine and suppression by iv glucose also returned to normal levels slowly over several months. Abnormalities in glucose tolerance and glucoregulatory hormone secretion of ketosis-resistant diabetes are totally reversible with prolonged dietary therapy. Reduction in tissue resistance to the action of insulin also appeared to be of major importance in the recovery of normal glucose tolerance in this subject.
Properdin factor B in black Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients

The properdin factor B(Bf) variant F1 was found in 20% of 70 black patients with Type 1 (insulindependent) diabetes compared with 7.3% of 165 control subjects, yielding a significant relative risk of 3.1. In addition, the BfF allele was negatively associated with Type 1 diabetes among blacks, resulting in a relative risk of 0.4. The data suggest that Type 1 diabetes in black Americans may be partially due to admixture of Caucasoid genes.
A category analogue of a theorem on metric density

The main result of this paper is to prove that for a subsetB of the euclidean plane possessing the property of Baire, each point outside of some first category subset ofB is a point of categorical directional density in all directions except, perhaps, a first category set of directions. This result is the category analogue of a result on metric directional densities derived by Bruckner and Rosenfeld and provides an affirmative answer to a question raised by Ceder in the setting of set theory.
Variance in male and female reproductive success in a harem-polygynous mammal, the black-tailed prairie dog (Sciuridae: Cynomys ludovicianus)

Black-tailed prairie dogs are colonial rodents that live in contiguous social groups called coteries. A typical coterie contains one adult (≧2 years old) male, three or four adult females, and several yearlings and juveniles of both sexes. A large coterie sometimes contains two or more adult males. Using detailed behavioral observations on 164 females (of which 160 copulated) and data from four polymorphic loci from parents and offspring of 121 litters, we examined the black-tail mating system. Most females (101/164=62%) copulated with a single adult male, and only 3 of the 102 litters with ≧2 offspring (3%) showed unequivocal evidence of multiple paternity. Adult males usually copulated with several different adult females. In one-male coteries, females usually copulated exclusively with the resident adult male (RAM) (82/112=73%); this trend was confirmed by electrophoresis of blood smaples. In multimale coteries, each female frequently copulated with at least two different RAMs (28/52=54%); in 4 of 5 multimale coteries (80%) which produced two or more litters whose paternities could be unequivocally resolved by electrophoresis, two different RAMs each sired at least one litter. Of the 164 females, 30 (18%) copulated with both the RAM (or one of the RAMs, in multimale coteries) and an extracoterie adult male, but only 3 (2%) copulated exclusively with an extracoterie adult male. Electrophoresis showed that 9 of 121 litters (7%) were sired by an extracoterie adult male. Intersexual comparisons of annual reproductive success and lifetime reproductive success both indicate that black-tails are polygynous (i.e., that variance in reproductive success is greater for males than for females).
X-ray standing wave study of iodine on Ge(111)

Abstract X-ray standing wave studies for an iodine monolayer adsorbed on a (2 × 8) reconstructed Ge(111) surface indicate that the germanium surface atoms revert back to bulk-like positions with the iodine atoms saturating the dangling bonds and occupying the atop site positions.
A lariat-functionalized copper(II) diimine-dioxime complex

The dimeric title copper(II) complex, diaqua-1κO,2κO-bis[3,9-dimethyl-6-(2-pyridyl­methyl)-4,8-di­aza­undeca-3,8-di­ene-2,10-dione dioximato(1−)]-1k4N2,N4,N8,N10;1:2κ5O2:N2,N4,N8,N10-dicopper(II) diperchlorate, [Cu2(C17H24N5O2)2](ClO4)2, crys­tallizes with one Cu atom in a square-pyramidal environment and the other Cu atom displaying a distorted octahedral coordination. In each case, the four N atoms in the core of the ligand (two imine and two oxime N atoms) form the base of the pyramid, with a water mol­ecule at an apex. The two parts of the dimer are linked by an interaction [2.869 (2) A] between one of the Cu atoms and one of the oxime O atoms coordinated to the second Cu atom, and also by a hydrogen bond between the apical water mol­ecule on the second Cu atom and the pyridyl N atom from the coordination sphere of the first Cu atom. The pyridyl N atoms of the lariat arms are not coordinated to either of the Cu atoms. Thus, this potentially pentadentate ligand is only tetradentate when coordinated to CuII.
An experimental investigation of the flow dynamics of streamwise vortices of various strengths interacting with a supersonic jet

The results of an experimental study involving the introduction of streamwise vorticity into a supersonic jet are presented. Both streamwise and cross stream PIV measurements of a baseline jet and three vortex generator configurations of varied penetration were acquired in the overexpanded, ideally expanded, and underexpanded regimes. Streamwise vortex pairs were shown to persist no further than two diameters downstream independent of initial magnitude. Integration of the modulus of streamwise vorticity was shown to better correlate with secondary flow field modifications than maximum values. Reductions in shock cell spacing and downstream turbulence, and increases in initial spread rate and upstream integrated turbulence were correlated with increases in streamwise vorticity for all operating conditions. Streamwise vorticity was shown to achieve opposite effects on shock strength in the over/under expanded regimes due to introduction of secondary shock structures in the underexpanded case. Additionally, limited effect on potential core length was quantified.
Lack of association of oral calcium supplementation with coronary artery calcification in rheumatoid arthritis.

Despite substantial therapeutic advancements over the past decades, standardized mortality rates still remain up to 3 times higher in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when compared to the general population (1). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature deaths in RA (2-3). Hence identification of contributing factors to this excess risk is of utmost interest. RA poses an increased risk for the development of accelerated atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and heart failure (1,4-5), with RA itself being an independent risk factor for the development of CVD (6). Coronary artery calcium (CAC), a noninvasive measurement of coronary artery atherosclerosis, is increased in RA patients relative to non-RA controls (7) and has strong predictive value for incident CVD events in the general population (8). Recent studies of the general population suggest an association between calcium supplementation and CVD (9-14) by presumably worsening vascular calcification. The use of calcium supplements has been reported to increase overall cardiovascular-related deaths by about 20% (14), with an increased risk for myocardial infarction as high as 22-31% (10-12). This raises a relevant concern for RA patients in whom calcium supplements are routinely given for osteoporosis prevention. Chronic systemic inflammation, glucocorticoid use, and reduced physical activity in RA patients contribute a twofold increased risk of reduced bone mineral density compared to the general population (15). Therefore, calcium supplementation is widely recommended for RA patients to increase bone mineral density and possibly reduce fracture risk (16-18). Besides being an integral component of the skeleton, calcium is critical for mediating vascular contraction and vasodilatation, muscle function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling, and hormonal secretion (19). The Institute of Medicine recommends an intake of at least 1000mg of calcium daily for persons over the age of 18 years (20). It is estimated that 20 percent or more of adult US citizens have intakes that exceed the recommendations, with calcium supplements serving as the main contributor to the excess (20-21). It remains unknown whether large bolus intakes of calcium supplements contribute to arterial calcification in patients without renal failure. Although the Framingham study did not find an increase in CAC scores with total, dietary or supplementary high calcium intake (22), several large studies suggest an association between high calcium supplementation and myocardial infarction (10-12). The possible contribution of supplemental calcium to CAC and CVD risk in RA has not been explored to date. We therefore investigated the association of calcium supplementation with CAC scores in a cohort of RA patients without known CVD. We hypothesized that higher intake of calcium supplements may be associated with higher CAC.
Long Durations of Immobilization in the Rat Result in Enhanced Mechanical Properties of the Healing Supraspinatus Tendon Insertion Site

Rotator cuff tears frequently occur and can lead to pain and decreased shoulder function. Repair of the torn tendon back to bone is often successful in relieving pain, but failure of the repair commonly occurs. Post-operative activity level is an important treatment component that has received minimal attention for the shoulder, but may have the potential to enhance tendon to bone healing. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of short and long durations of various activity levels on the healing supraspinatus tendon to bone insertion site. Rotator cuff tears were surgically created in Sprague-Dawley rats by detaching the supraspinatus tendon from its insertion on the humerus and these tears were immediately repaired back to the insertion site. The post-operative activity level was controlled through shoulder immobilization (IM), cage activity (CA), or moderate exercise (EX) for durations of 4 or 16 weeks. The healing tissue was evaluated utilizing biomechanical testing and a quantitative polarized light microscopy method. We found that activity level had no effect on the elastic properties (stiffness, modulus) of the insertion site at four weeks post injury and repair, and a decreased activity level had a positive effect on these properties at 16 weeks (IM>CA=EX). Furthermore, a decreased activity level had the greatest positive effect on these properties over time (IM>CA=EX). The angular deviation of the collagen, a measure of disorganization, was decreased with a decrease in activity level at 4 weeks (IM<CA=EX), but was similar between groups at 16 weeks (IM=CA=EX). It appears from this study that decreasing the activity level by immobilizing the shoulder improves tendon to bone healing, which progresses by first increasing the organization of the collagen and then increasing the mechanical properties. Future studies in this area will investigate the effect of passive motion and remobilization on both tendon to bone healing and shoulder function.
Computing local and global similarity in images

The retrieval of images based on their visual similarity to an example image is an important and fascinating area of research. Here, we discuss various ways in which visual appearance may be characterized for determining both global and local similarity in images. One popular method involves the computation of global measures like moment invariants to characterize global similarity. Although this means that the image may be characterized using a few numbers, the performance is often poor. Techniques based on moment invariants often perform poorly. They require that the object be a binary shape without holes which is often not practical. In addition, moment invariants are sensitive to noise. Visual appearance is better represented using local features computed at multiple scales. Such local features may include the outputs of images filtered with Gaussian derivatives, differential invariants or geometric quantities like curvature and phase. Two images may be said to be similar if they have similar distributions of such features. Global similarity may, therefore, be deduced by comparing histograms of such features. This can be done rapidly. Histograms cannot be used to compute local similarity. Instead, the constraint that the spatial relationship between the features in the query be similar to the spatial relationship between the features of its matching counterparts in the database provides a means for computing local similarity. The methods presented here do not require prior segmentation of the database. In the case of local representation objects can be embedded in arbitrary backgrounds and both methods handle a range of size variations and viewpoint variations up to 20 or 25 degrees.
Operating system construction in Haskell

Despite all the advances in programming language technology, many of today's operating systems developers and researchers are still using essentially the same languages that their predecessors were using twenty to thirty years ago. Programming language researchers have developed many new ideas during this time to increase programmer productivity and to help developers produce more reliable software. Powerful module systems and expressive type systems, for example, introduce significant software engineering benefits including more flexible construction, increased reuse, and compile-time bug detection. If these features are as good as their designers claim, why are they not attracting more interest as tools for operating systems development and prototyping?
THE FOUNDER‐FLUSH SPECIATION THEORY: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Stemming from Mayr's (1942; 1954) concept of the "founder principle", Carson (1968; 1971; 1973; 1975) hasdeveloped a somewhat unorthodox theory of speciation. Briefly, Carson views the steps in species formation as follows. A population undergoes a rapid expansion ("flush") due to temporarily permissive conditions or sudden genotype changes due to migrants or newly arisen variants. This newly expanded population colonzies areas previously unoccupied by the species. Many of the newly colonized areas are reached by only a few individuals or even a single gravid female; thus these new populations would exhibit founder effects. If one (or more) of these propagules colonizes a habitat suitable for the long term survival of the species it may undergo another flush due to reduced intraspecific competition. If, as is likely, the sudden flush causes the population to exceed the carrying capacity of the newly colonized environment, a population crash will ensue. If the population survives the crash, it may undergo a second flush stemming from the few survivors. Thus the new colony may undergo several flush-crash cycles before coming to a kind of equilibrium with the environment. At each crash the bottleneck populati n is small and genetic drift is strong. Carson argues that this new colony may now have undergone a "genetic revolution" of a magnitude which produces reproductive isolation with the progenitor population. The causes of the genetic change are two. First, the founder event and bottlenecks cause strong genetic drift effects. More importantly in Carson's view, the periods of population flush are times of relaxed selection. New genotypes, produced primarily by recombination, which were not fit enough to survive in the original population may survive during this relatively benign period. Thus the tightly integrated gene pool of the original population may become completely perturbed and then reorganized by selection acting on new arrays of previously untried genotypes. The main aspect of unorthodoxy of this theory is that unlike "classical" models of speciation (e.g. Dobzhansky, 1940; Mayr, 1963) reproductive isolation is not selected for; rather it comes about as a by-product of the genetic changes due to founder events and the flush-crash cycles. Carson postulates that adaptive divergence in the new environment is to a large degree
A Disulfide in HBV Core Protein Dimer Allosterically Modifies Capsid Assembly and Stability

During the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) life cycle, assembly and disassembly of the capsid need to be highly regulated. The HBV capsid is formed by 120 copies of the homodimeric core protein. Capsid assembly is allosterically regulated, implying that dimer transitions from assembly-inactive to assembly-active states. Indeed, the intra-dimer interface (which is distant from the site if inter-dimer contact) in free dimer is substantially different than in dimer from capsid (Packianathan et al (2010)). The intra-dimer interface contains a pair of completely conserved cysteines at position 61 that can form a disulfide bond.Within capsid, C61-C61 oxidized 7 times faster than in free dimer indicating dimer within capsid adopts a conformation that strongly promotes disulfide formation. However, compared to reduced dimer, oxidized protein assembled slowly and into lower yields of capsid. In addition, urea disassembly studies showed that capsids formed by oxidized dimer are less stable to urea treatment than reduced capsids.These results indicate that oxidized protein adopts a conformation unfavorable for capsid assembly. Sucrose gradient centrifugation and electron microscopy confirmed these findings and revealed that oxidized dimer forms a higher proportion of small, 90-dimer particles than reduced protein.Our results show that structural changes at the dimer interface can dramatically alter the assembly behavior and stability of the capsid. This distal effect is consistent with allosteric regulation of assembly. Our data also suggest an unsuspected biological role for the C61-C61 disulfide bond. We propose that newly expressed, reduced protein subunits assemble with high fidelity into capsids packaging the RNA genome. As the life cycle progresses oxidation of the capsid occurs resulting in metastable capsid particles that have a lower energy barrier to disassembly, facilitating the release of the genome.
The Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (EIPSES): Scale Construction and Initial Psychometric Evidence

The psychometric properties of an instrument designed to measure parenting efficacy within the context of early intervention, the Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (EIPSES), were exp...
Nonclassical photon statistics of two-mode squeezed states.

The concept of photon antibunching as a manifestation of nonclassical character in single-mode radiation is extended to two-mode radiation. A simple criterion for the existence of nonclassical effects in two-mode radiation is established. It implies that the intermode photon bunching, rather than antibunching, can play a key role in rendering two-mode radiation nonclassical. The two-mode squeezed vacuum states are used as simple examples to illustrate the essential point of the criterion. The criterion is then used to study the nonclassical properties of two types of two-mode squeezed states. A state generated by applying the squeeze operator to the two-mode vacuum first, followed by the displacement operator, is called a two-mode coherent squeezed state. If the order of the two operators is reversed, a two-mode squeezed coherent state is obtained. It is found that the latter has a much stronger tendency to become a nonclassical state than the former, assuming that the parameters involved are all the same. A measure of nonclassical depth of radiation is adopted. It is found that, according to this measure, the effect of squeezing in making two-mode coherent squeezed states nonclassical is not monotonic. Such phenomena do not occur in squeezed coherent states.
Exploiting sparsity in dense optical flow

In this paper we validated that the dense optical flow field is sparse in certain frequency domains, while the flow gradient field is also sparse in image domain. Based on this sparsity prior, the optical flow estimation problem is casted as sparse signal recovery from highly shorted measurements. By minimizing its l 1 -norm in frequency domain and gradient domain, the model can accurately estimate the dense flow field without other assumptions. Outliers are further identified and removed in the flow denoising process to improve the results. Experiments show that our method significantly outperforms traditional methods based on global or piecewise smoothness priors. Moreover, it can well handle the complexity incurred by motion discontinuities.
The qualia of pain: How police torture shapes historical consciousness

This article considers the relationship between the qualitative experience or the ‘qualia of pain’, enactments of violence, and the aggressive silences that obscure its recognition. I argue that by...
Antidepressant-like effects of (+)-oxaprotiline on a behavioral screen.

Abstract (+)-Oxaprotiline (1.25–10 mg/kg), a highly selective and stereospecifically acting norepinephrine (NE) uptake inhibiting drug, increased the reinforcement rate, decreased the response rate, and enhanced temporal discrimination in rats performing under a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 72-s schedule of reinforcement similar to other antidepressant drugs. (−)-Oxaprotiline did not affect the reinforcement rate, response rate or temporal discrimination. Since the most prominent known difference between the oxaprotiline enantiomers is the greater potency for inhibition of norepinephrine (NE) uptake by the (+) enantiomer, the effects of (+)-oxaprotiline in the present studies is probably due to inhibition of NE or epinephrine uptake. The present work also predicts that the therapeutic effects of oxaprotiline in the treatment of affective disorders is due to the (+) enantiomer.
Gold and platinum in shales with evidence against extraterrestrial sources of metals

Abstract Few black shales contain concentrations of precious metals higher than average continental crust (i.e. ∼5 ppb Au). Yet Au and Pt alloys have been reported from the Kupferschiefer in Poland. Moreover, thin sulfide beds in certain Chinese and Canadian shales contain several hundred ppb Au, Pd and Pt and average ∼4% Mo and ∼2.5% Ni in an association that is difficult to explain. Volcanic and non-volcanic exhalations, hydrothermal epigenesis involving either igneous or sedex fluids, biogenic processes and low-temperature secondary enrichment are among the possible factors involved in deriving Ni, PGE and Au for black shales and sulfide beds in black shales. Extraterrestrial sources have been invoked in some cases (e.g., the Cambrian of China). However, available data on abundances of PGE indicate relatively low values for Ir (
Improving user experience with case-based reasoning systems using text mining and Web 2.0

Many CBR systems have been developed in the past. However, currently many CBR systems are facing a sustainability issue such as outdated cases and stagnant case growth. Some CBR systems have fallen into disuse due to the lack of new cases, case update, user participation and user engagement. To encourage the use of CBR systems and give users better experience, CBR system developers need to come up with new ways to add new features and values to the CBR systems. The author proposes a framework to use text mining and Web 2.0 technologies to improve and enhance CBR systems for providing better user experience. Two case studies were conducted to evaluate the usefulness of text mining techniques and Web 2.0 technologies for enhancing a large scale CBR system. The results suggest that text mining and Web 2.0 are promising ways to bring additional values to CBR and they should be incorporated into the CBR design and development process for the benefit of CBR users.
The synthesis of Mo(IV) arene complexes by the hydrogenation of Mo(IV) olefin complexes

The compounds [Mo(NPh)(η2-olefin)(o-(Me3SiN)2 C6H4)] (olefin = propene (1a), isobutene (1b), and butenes (1c)) react with molecular hydrogen (ca. 15 psi) in the presence of excess arene affording Mo(IV) η6-arene complexes of the type [Mo(NPh)(η6-arene)(o-(Me3SiN)2 C6H4)] (arene = benzene (2a), toluene (2b), o-xylene (2c), m-xylene (2d), p-xylene (2e), diphenylmethane (2f), and bibenzyl (2g)), while treatment of [Mo(NPh)(η2-styrene)(o-(Me3SiN)2 C6H4)] (1d) with hydrogen in a pentane solution gives [Mo(NPh)(η6-ethylbenzene)(o-(Me3SiN) 2C6H4)] (2h); the crystal structures of 2d and 2e are reported and reveal highly distorted arene ligands approaching η4-coordination modes.
Piezoelectric Control of a Partially Propped Cantilever Subjected to a Follower Force

A cantilever column carrying a compressive follower force and propped by a spring can become dynamically unstable by flutter or divergence depending upon spring stiffness. In this study, issues involved in the control of such a column by means of piezoelectric patches at the top and bottom surfaces of the column are studied. Attention is focused on negative feedback control with patch voltages proportional to the locally sensed bending strain rates. It is found such control is capable of significantly enhancing the critical load in the flutter range, such enhancement being limited often only by the limits on voltage developed across the patch of given thickness. In the range of spring stiffness corresponding to buckling failure, this control strategy is simply ineffective. A relatively light spring not only enhances the critical force significantly but also makes the control more effective. For prescribed limits on voltage across the patch, there is an optimal spring stiffness that results in the maximum of critical load and this lies in the flutter range of the spring stiffness. Softening nonlinearity reduces the critical loads in the range of transition from flutter to divergence and rounds off the sharpness of the drop in this range seen in the linear case. A partial patch spanning over half the length of the column from the fixed end is significantly more effective than a full patch in the flutter range.
Regulation of Neurite Outgrowth by Interactions between the Scaffolding Protein, JNK-associated Leucine Zipper Protein, and Neuronal Growth-associated Protein Superior Cervical Ganglia Clone 10

JLP (JNK-associated leucine zipper protein) is a novel scaffolding protein involved in JNK signaling. Although it is known that JLP is highly expressed in brain, the biological function of JLP in neuronal systems remains unknown. Here, we report a novel interaction between JLP and SCG10 (superior cervical ganglia clone 10), which is a microtubule-destabilizing factor that is essential for neurite outgrowth. Inhibition of endogenous JLP expression using small interference RNA methodology strongly enhanced nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. Our results show that JLP negatively regulates NGF-induced neurite outgrowth by decreasing the level of phosphorylated SCG10. Furthermore, inhibition of JNK phosphorylation by a small molecule inhibitor, SP600125, resulted in inhibition of SCG10 phosphorylation and inhibition of neurite growth. Taken together, our results suggest that JLP negatively regulates NGF-induced neurite outgrowth through a sequestering mechanism that results in an attenuation of NGF-induced SCG10 phosphorylation.
A formal approach to software architecture of agent-base systems

Agent-based systems have been known as one of the most complex classes of software system design because of heterogeneity, distributive, concurrent, non-deterministic, dynamic, and autonomous behaviors. An important characteristic of the design for any complex system is its software architecture, which can play an important role in the quality of software and, hence, in its success. Agent-based systems can be benefited from architectural design, which can be used as a plan to show agents, interactions, and their organizational relationships. In this paper, we represent a formal framework that can be used to specify the architecture of agent-based systems.
Iron oxyhydroxide mineralization on microbial extracellular polysaccharides

Iron biominerals can form in neutral pH microaerophilic environments where microbes both catalyze iron oxidation and create polymers that localize mineral precipitation. In order to classify the microbial polymers that influence FeOOH mineralogy, we studied the organic and mineral components of biominerals using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). We focused on iron microbial mat samples from a creek and abandoned mine; these samples are dominated by iron oxyhydroxide-coated structures with sheath, stalk, and filament morphologies. In addition, we characterized the mineralized products of an iron-oxidizing, stalk-forming bacterial culture isolated from the mine. In both natural and cultured samples, microbial polymers were found to be acidic polysaccharides with carboxyl functional groups, strongly spatially correlated with iron oxyhydroxide distribution patterns. Organic fibrils collect FeOOH and control its recrystallization, in some cases resulting in oriented crystals with high aspect ratios. The impact of polymers is particularly pronounced as the materials age. Synthesis experiments designed to mimic the biomineralization processes show that the polysaccharide carboxyl groups bind dissolved iron strongly but release it as mineralization proceeds. Our results suggest that carboxyl groups of acidic polysaccharides are produced by different microorganisms to create a wide range of iron oxyhydroxide biomineral structures. The intimate and potentially long-term association controls the crystal growth, phase, and reactivity of iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles in natural systems.
Considerations for Physical Activity Research: Variations on a Theme

Purpose: To explore among demographic groups the differences in prevalence estimates of physical activity that may occur as a result of differences in survey design characteristics, including question wording, placement, and examples of activities. Methods: We compared responses to similar physical activity instruments administered to large samples of adults in 1999 (n = 9,775), 2000 (n = 32,374), and 1999–2000 (n = 7,529). The questions assessed participation in non-occupational physical activity at vigorous and moderate intensities. Surveys used in-person or telephone interviews. Results: The prevalence of recommended levels of physical activity (i.e., ≥3 days and ≥20 min vigorous activities or ≥5 days and ≥30 min moderate activities) varied 10% across 3 surveys. Although survey design characteristics varied, higher prevalence was associated with the use of examples to measure multiple domains of activity and question order. Conclusions: Measuring multiple domains is important for assessing health-relat...
Remembering the Past and Envisioning the Future in Bereaved Adults With and Without Complicated Grief

Complicated grief (CG) is associated with impairment in the ability to retrieve specific autobiographical memories. However, previous research suggests that this impairment may not occur for memories related to the deceased. We recruited conjugally bereaved adults and assessed autobiographical memory specificity for events with and without the deceased. In addition, we examined the specificity of imagined future events both with the deceased and without. Individuals with CG were no less specific than were bereaved comparison subjects when generating events that included the deceased. However, they did exhibit difficulty recalling specific past events and imagining specific future events that did not include the deceased. Difficulty generating events without the deceased may underlie the sense of lost identity and hopelessness observed in CG. Relative ease of envisioning a counterfactual future with the deceased may provide the cognitive basis for yearning. Accordingly, memory and prospection may be import...
Use of a novel Förster resonance energy transfer method to identify locations of site-bound metal ions in the U2-U6 snRNA complex.

U2 and U6 snRNAs pair to form a phylogenetically conserved complex at the catalytic core of the spliceosome. Interactions with divalent metal ions, particularly Mg(II), at specific sites are essential for its folding and catalytic activity. We used a novel Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) method between site-bound luminescent lanthanide ions and a covalently attached fluorescent dye, combined with supporting stoichiometric and mutational studies, to determine locations of site-bound Tb(III) within the human U2–U6 complex. At pH 7.2, we detected three metal-ion-binding sites in: (1) the consensus ACACAGA sequence, which forms the internal loop between helices I and III; (2) the four-way junction, which contains the conserved AGC triad; and (3) the internal loop of the U6 intra-molecular stem loop (ISL). Binding at each of these sites is supported by previous phosphorothioate substitution studies and, in the case of the ISL site, by NMR. Binding of Tb(III) at the four-way junction and the ISL sites was found to be pH-dependent, with no ion binding observed below pH 6 and 7, respectively. This pH dependence of metal ion binding suggests that the local environment may play a role in the binding of metal ions, which may impact on splicing activity.
Time-sequential sampling and reconstruction of tone and color reproduction functions for xerographic printing

Tone and color reproduction functions (TRC or CRC) characterize how a printer maps a desired tone or color into the actual output. Ideally, the TRC/CRC should be identity maps. Sensing the TRC/CRC is needed for closed loop feedback control. Currently, sensing of the high dimensional TRC/CRC is limited since only a small number of tone/color sensor patches can be printed and measured at a time. Time-sequential sampling is proposed to alleviate this difficulty by sampling different tones/colors at different times. A Kalman filtering approach is proposed to reconstruct the TRC/CRC from the time-sequential samples. The effect of two sampling strategies lexicographical and bit-reversed strategies are analyzed. It is shown that the periodic Kalman reconstruction filter is effective, and that it can be interpreted to consist of cascade of modulation, low pass and demodulation processes.
Exotic Grass Invasion Reduces Survival of Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

Exotic plants often invade areas of high human activity, such as along trails, roads, and forest edges, and in disturbed riparian areas. These same habitat types are also favored by ticks. This convergence suggests that habitat modiÞcations caused by exotic plant invasions may mediate disease vector habitat quality, indirectly affecting human disease risk at the local spatial scale. We tested the hypothesis that experimental invasions of Japanese stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus, alter soil surface microclimate conditions, thereby reducing habitat quality for ticks. Micro- stegium is an exotic annual grass that is highly invasive throughout the eastern United States where the vector ticks Amblyomma americanum (Linnaeus) and Dermancentor variabilis (Say) occur. Ticks (n 100 per species) were introduced into experimentally invaded and native vegetation control plots (n 5 per treatment). D. variabilis mortality rate increased 173% and A. americanum mortality rate increased 70% in the invaded plots relative to those in control plots.Microstegium invasion also resulted in a 13.8% increase in temperature and an 18.8% decrease in humidity, which are known to increase tick mortality. We predict that areas invaded byMicrostegium will have lower densities of host-seeking ticks and therefore reduced human disease risk. Our results emphasize the role of invasive species in mediating disease vector populations, the unpredictable consequences of biological invasions, and the need for integrative management strategies that can simultaneous address exotic plant invasions and vector-borne disease.
Group-Wise Point-Set Registration Using a Novel CDF-Based Havrda-Charvát Divergence

This paper presents a novel and robust technique for group-wise registration of point sets with unknown correspondence. We begin by defining a Havrda-Charvat (HC) entropy valid for cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) which we dub the HC Cumulative Residual Entropy (HC-CRE). Based on this definition, we propose a new measure called the CDF-HC divergence which is used to quantify the dis-similarity between CDFs estimated from each point-set in the given population of point sets. This CDF-HC divergence generalizes the CDF Jensen-Shannon (CDF-JS) divergence introduced earlier in the literature, but is much simpler in implementation and computationally more efficient. A closed-form formula for the analytic gradient of the cost function with respect to the non-rigid registration parameters has been derived, which is conducive for efficient quasi-Newton optimization. Our CDF-HC algorithm is especially useful for unbiased point-set atlas construction and can do so without the need to establish correspondences. Mathematical analysis and experimental results indicate that this CDF-HC registration algorithm outperforms the previous group-wise point-set registration algorithms in terms of efficiency, accuracy and robustness.
Metastatic Breast Lesion to the Falx Detected with PET-CT

Intracranial dural metastasis is increasingly encountered in imaging. Autopsies conducted on patients with advanced metastatic disease demonstrate dural involvement in 9% of cases, with breast and prostate cancer the most common primaries [1]. Awareness of this entity and imaging appearances is especially important in evaluating malignancies prone to dural metastasis.