cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective evaluation of cognitive decline in early Huntington's disease: Functional and radiographic correlates

We examined prospectively the relationship between progressive disability in Huntington's disease (HD) and concomitant alterations in neuropsychological functioning and brain imaging indices in a cohort of 60 patients who were enrolled and followed for 30 to 42 months in a controlled clinical trial. Standardized measures of functional capacity and neuropsychological performance were collected, and CT was performed, at regular intervals every 6 to 12 months. Psychomotor skills showed the most significant and consistent decline among the cognitive functions assessed. Memory disturbances were already present at the time of enrollment, but memory did not deteriorate until patients reached advanced stages. Other cognitive operations, such as visual construction and semantic knowledge, manifested small and variable changes over time. CT indices of striatal atrophy correlated only with changes in psychomotor function, while the CT index of frontal atrophy weakly predicted memory and semantic knowledge scores at 42 months. These results confirmed earlier cross-sectional findings and extended our knowledge of the evolution of cognitive dysfunction in HD.
Should all patients with candidaemia have an ophthalmic examination to rule out ocular candidiasis

Purpose To determine the incidence of ocular candidiasis and length of ophthalmic follow-up required to rule out ocular candidiasis in candidaemic patients. Methods We prospectively studied patients with candidaemia at our institution. Eligibility criteria included a dilated ophthalmological examination within 72 h of fungaemia. Patients without ocular candidiasis on initial examination had follow-up dilated ophthalmoscopy performed at 1, 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks. Results Between May 1996 and March 1997 a total of 50 patients with fungaemia were identified of whom 31 were included in the study; 15 excluded patients died before an initial examination was performed. The overall incidence of ocular candidiasis was 26% (8/31 patients), all manifested as chorioretinitis. Five patients (16%) had ocular candidiasis on their initial examination. One of 21 patients (5%) without ocular candidiasis on initial examination developed ocular candidiasis within 1 week. Two of 16 patients (13%) without ocular candidiasis on initial examination or at 1 week follow-up developed ocular candidiasis within 2 weeks. No evidence of ocular candidiasis occurred in the 12 patients with follow-up at 4 weeks, the 8 patients with follow-up at 12 weeks and the 4 patients with follow-up at 24 weeks. Conclusion The incidence of ocular candidiasis among hospitalised patients is clinically significant. We recommend ophthalmological follow-up for development of ocular candidiasis for at least 2 weeks after an initial negative eye examination.
Design, Synthesis, and X-ray Crystal Structure of Classical and Nonclassical 2-Amino-4-oxo-5-substituted-6-ethylthieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines as Dual Thymidylate Synthase and Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitors and as Potential Antitumor Agents

N-{4-[(2-Amino-6-ethyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydrothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl)thio]benzoyl}-l-glutamic acid 2 and 13 nonclassical analogues 2a−2m were synthesized as potential dual thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors and as antitumor agents. The key intermediate in the synthesis was 2-amino-6-ethyl-5-iodothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one, 7, to which various arylthiols were attached at the 5-position. Coupling 8 with l-glutamic acid diethyl ester and saponification afforded 2. X-ray crystal structures of 2 and 1 (the 6-methyl analogue of 2), DHFR, and NADPH showed for the first time that the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine ring binds in a “folate” mode. Compound 2 was an excellent dual inhibitor of human TS (IC50 = 54 nM) and human DHFR (IC50 = 19 nM) and afforded nanomolar GI50 values against tumor cells in culture. The 6-ethyl substitution in 2 increases both the potency (by 2−3 orders of magnitude) as well as the spectrum of tumor inhibition in vitro compared to the 6-methyl analogue 1...
Zolpidem and triazolam interact differentially with a delay interval on a digit‐enter‐and‐recall task

Zolpidem (AMBIEN((R))), an imidazopyridine, is now the most commonly prescribed hypnotic in the United States. Zolpidem is neuropharmacologically distinct from benzodiazepine hypnotics in that it binds with low affinity to alpha(5)-containing GABA(A)-receptor subtypes. Despite its unique benzodiazepine-receptor binding profile, the results of most of the published studies conducted with humans suggest that the absolute magnitude of impairment produced by zolpidem is comparable to that observed with benzodiazepine hypnotics like triazolam. The present study compared the acute effects of zolpidem (0, 7.5, 15 and 22.5 mg) and triazolam (0, 0.1875, 0.375 and 0.5625 mg) in 10 non-drug-abusing humans using a Digit-Enter-and-Recall task with varying delay intervals (0, 10 and 20 s). To more fully characterize the behavioral effects of zolpidem and triazolam, several other performance tasks and subject-rated drug-effect questionnaires were included. Zolpidem and triazolam impaired performance on the Digit-Enter-and-Recall task as a function of dose under all delay intervals. However, the dose-related effects of the drugs interacted differentially with the delay interval such that zolpidem produced significantly less impairment than triazolam following the longest delay (i.e., 20 s). Zolpidem and triazolam produced comparable dose-related impairment on the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), circular lights task, and picture recall/recognition task. Zolpidem and triazolam generally produced qualitatively and quantitatively similar subject-rated drug effects, although some between-drug differences were observed. Consistent with the pharmacokinetics of these drugs, the effects of zolpidem peaked sooner and were shorter in duration than those observed with triazolam. The results of this experiment suggest that zolpidem may have less potential than triazolam to impair recall, which may be due to differences between these compounds in terms of their benzodiazepine-receptor binding profile. The results of the present study are also concordant with previous studies that found that drugs that act at the GABA(A)-receptor complex can be differentiated based on their interaction with the delay interval on a Digit-Enter-and-Recall task. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of Sonic Hedgehog in the Specification of Human Cortical Progenitors In Vitro

Impaired sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling is involved in the pathology of cortical formation found in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, its role in the specification of human cortical progenitors is not known. Here, we report that Shh is expressed in the human developing cortex at mid-gestation by radial glia cells (RGCs) and cortical neurons. We used RGC cultures, established from the dorsal (cortical) telencephalon of human brain at mid-gestation to study the effect of Shh signaling. Cortical RGCs in vitro maintained their regional characteristics, expressed components of Shh signaling, and differentiated into Nkx2.1, Lhx6, and calretinin-positive (CalR(+)) cells, potential cortical interneuron progenitors. Treatment with exogenous Shh increased the pool of Nkx2.1(+) progenitors, decreased Lhx6 expression, and suppressed the generation of CalR(+) cells. The blockade of endogenous Shh signaling increased the number of CalR(+) cells, but did not affect Nkx2.1 expression, implying the existence of parallel Shh-independent pathways for cortical Nkx2.1 regulation. These results support the idea that, during human brain development, Shh plays an important role in the specification of cortical progenitors. Since direct functional studies in humans are limited, the in vitro system that we established here could be of great interest for modeling the development of human cortical progenitors.
Chiral symmetry restoration and Z N symmetry

Abstract We demonstrate that chiral symmetry restoration in quenched finite temperature QCD depends crucially on the Z 3 phase of the Polyakov loop P . This dependence is a general consequence of the coupling of the chiral order parameter to the Polyakov loop. We construct a model for chiral symmetry breaking and restoration which includes the effect of a nontrivial Polyakov loop by calculating the effective potential for the chiral condensate of a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model in a uniform temperature dependent A0 gauge field background. Above the deconfinement temperature there are three possible phases corresponding to the Z 3 symmetric phases of the Polyakov loop in the pure gauge theory. In the phase in which trc(P) is real and positive the first-order deconfining transition induces chiral symmetry restoration in agreement with simulation results. In the two phases where Re [trc(P)] Z 3 phases.
Osteopetrosis-like phenotype in latent TGF-β binding protein 3 deficient mice

Abstract LTBPs are extracellular matrix proteins resembling fibrillins. LTBP-1, 3, and 4 covalently bind latent TGF-β and modulate tissue levels of this potent cytokine through regulation of its secretion, localization, and/or activation. To address LTBP function in vivo, we generated Ltbp-3 null mice. Ltbp-3−/− animals developed craniofacial abnormalities due to early ossification of the skull base synchondroses and displayed reduced body size. In addition, histological examination of Ltbp-3−/− skeletons revealed an increase in bone mass. The osteoblast numbers and mineral apposition rates were decreased in Ltbp-3−/− mice, whereas the osteoclast numbers were similar in null and wild type mice. Histological examination revealed persistence of cartilage remnants in Ltbp-3−/− trabecular bone. Taken together, these results indicate that the Ltbp-3−/− high bone mass phenotype was due to a defect in bone resorption. We hypothesize that lack of Ltbp-3 results in decreased levels of TGF-β in bone and cartilage, which leads to compromised osteoclast function and decreased bone turnover.
Immediate and long-term portal hemodynamic consequences of small-diameter H-graft portacaval shunt

Abstract Background.Effective hepatic blood flow is thought to play a critical role in outcome following portal decompressive procedures. We have shown previously that hepatic arterialization occurs soon after shunting, preserving nutrient flow, but the remote effects of shunting are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of small-diameter prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunt (HGPCS) on effective hepatic blood flow (EHF) and portal pressures 1 year from shunt placement. Methods.Patients undergoing 8-mm HGPCS had effective hepatic blood flow determined using low-dose galactose clearance preoperatively, postoperatively, and at 1 year postshunt. Portal blood flow, pressures, and portal vein/inferior vena cava pressure gradients were determined intraoperatively before and after shunt placement and at 1 year. Results.Twenty patients undergoing shunting had flows measured. All patients had significant reductions in portal vein/inferior vena cava pressure gradients while effective hepatic flow was maintained immediately postoperatively. At 1 year following shunting, effective hepatic blood flow was significantly lower than both pre- and postoperative rates of flow while portal pressures and gradients were significantly increased. Albumin, cholesterol, and PT were improved at 1 year while total bilirubin was slightly worse. Nineteen of 20 patients are still alive with average follow-up of 26 ± 10.3 months. Four patients were encephalopathic preop, 5 postop, and none chronicly. Conclusions.Recollateralization of varices and progression of cirrhosis may account for the observed reductions in EHF at 1 year. Regardless of the cause, diminution of EHF at 1 year is well compensated as demonstrated by minimal encephalopathy and ascites, improved hepatic function reflected in blood chemistry profiles, and good survival.
Effects of metamorphosis on water permeability of skin in the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum.

Abstract 1. 1. Developmentally associated changes in the pressure driven water permeability of the skin of the salamander Ambystoma tigrinum were measured at 20°C in neotenic (gilled), transitional, and fully transformed adults. 2. 2. Mean values for the hydraulic conductivity of the skin (L p , × 10 −5 cm.sec −1 .ATM −1 ) were, respectively, 1.54, 0.54 and 0.13. 3. 3. This nearly 12-fold decrease in the H 2 O permeability coincides with the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life and may be related to the changing role of the skin in water conservation. 4. 4. The increase in hydraulic conductivity is opposite to the decrease in H 2 O diffusion rates reported by others. We suggest a theoretical basis for the apparently conflicting results.
Characteristics of calcitonin degradation in vitro produced by incubation with porcine thyroid tissue

Abstract The possibility of calcitonin (CT) degradation by thyroid tissue in vitro was investigated. Tissue slices or a thyroid supernatant solution was incubated with 131 I-labeled porcine CT for 30–60 min at 37°C. Calcitonin degradation and deiodination were determined by chromatoelectrophoresis and/or quso adsorption. Degradation of [ 131 I]CT occurred rapidly in the presence of 50–200 mg porcine thyroid tissue; however, little or no hormone deiodination was observed. Porcine liver, kidney and lung slices also degraded [ 131 I]CT. The data indicate that a nonspecific proteolytic enzyme, capable of rapid CT degradation, is liberated from thyroid tissue slices in vitro. This substance, which is found in the cytosol fraction of thyroid tissue, is heat labile, has a molecular weight between 25,000 and 100,000, displays an acidic pH maximum for CT degradation and is inhibited by sulfhydryl enzyme inhibitors. The liberation of this substance from thyroid slices may explain the relative unresponsiveness of CT secretion observed in previous in vitro studies.
The desensitization of a homosexual.

Abstract Ramsay and van Velzen (1968) made the point that, theoretically at least, desensitization therapy appeared to be the treatment of choice for homosexuality; yet they were unable to find a case where it had been used. They reasoned that if homosexuality was, even in part, a sexual adjustment necessitated by an irrational fear of the opposite sex, as many would claim, then desensitization of this phobia should open up the way to a more socially acceptable heterosexual adjustment. From this same rationale, aversion therapy, which has recently proved very popular in the treatment of sexual deviations (cf. Feldman, 1966), would appear less appropriate. In aversion therapy with homosexuals the same sex is rendered fearsome too, leaving no interpersonal avenue open for sexual expression. The following case shows in an objective fashion that, at least in this one instance, homosexuality was in some complex way functionally related to fear of the opposite sex, and further that when this fear was lessened by desensitization, heterosexual approaches began to be made.
First report of charcoal rot epidemics caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in soybean in Iowa.

Macrophomina phaseolina, the causal agent of soybean charcoal rot, is widely present in soil and has been reported to cause yield losses of 30 to 50%, mainly in southern soybean production regions ...
An Online Mindfulness Intervention Targeting Socioemotional Regulation in Fibromyalgia: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) experience pain as well as deficits in positive affect and social relations that are not explicitly addressed in most behavioral treatments. Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of a 12-module online intervention targeting socioemotional regulation via mindful awareness/acceptance (MSER) with those of an attention-control treatment, healthy lifestyle tips (HT). Methods Seventy-nine FM patients were randomly assigned to MSER or HT, with outcomes assessed via online diary reports of pain, coping efficacy, affect, and social relations. Multilevel analyses revealed greater improvements in social functioning, positive affect, and coping efficacy for pain and stress (all ps<.05) in MSER versus HT across the 6-week trial. Conclusions FM patients experience increases in selfefficacy for coping with pain and positive engagement in relationships, marginal increases in positive affect, and decreases in relationship stress from an automated online intervention that targets socioemotional regulation skills. Findings highlight the potential utility of widely accessible, low-cost intervention methods for fibromyalgia (Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT01748786).
Analysis of tidal data and datums : Accessible examples of harmonic modeling with autocorrelation and imputation

Tidal data have been deemed to serve many important purposes, including establishing maritime boundaries, dredging sites, and navigation. Recently, even some building codes are dependent upon these data. We explore the efficacy of using harmonic analysis to model changes in water levels both in ocean and in protected sea environments. Typically, these data are correlated and have 'not-completely at random' missing observations. Our new analyses account for the presence of autocorrelation and missingness.
CHARACTERIZATION OF MESSENGER RNA IN SPORULATING BACILLUS CEREUS.

Populations of messenger RNA have been compared during growth and sporulation of Bacillus cereus by employing the technique of hybridization of RNA with DNA trapped in agar. The saturation of the DNA by messenger RNA from non-growing, sporulating cells is very different from that of exponential or transition cells. The differences suggest that the messenger RNA population in sporulating cells is less heterogeneous than that from growing cells. Competition experiments have shown that the messenger RNA populations change considerably when comparing growing and sporulating cells. During the transition period, some messenger RNA is synthesized, which then persists throughout a large part of the sporulation process. Evidence is presented to show that this fraction of messenger RNA is spore messages per se as opposed to messages required for metabolic events occurring in sporulating cells.
Nonlinear Analysis of Neuronal Systems

Linear analysis provides powerful tools for understanding the behavior of neuronal components and systems, but all real physical components are nonlinear under some conditions, and many neuronal components demonstrate such strongly nonlinear behavior that linear analysis provides only a rough approximation to reality. A common example is the production of action potentials by a neuron, where the output signal has no simple linear relationship to the input. The development of general methods for analyzing nonlinear systems and interpreting the results of analysis has been much slower than for linear systems, due to the increased theoretical and computational complexities involved. However, significant progress has been made, and the analysis of neuronal systems has played an important part in these developments. Here we describe the implementation of the major methods that are now available, and their application to neuronal problems.
Adverse effects of depression and cognitive impairment on rehabilitation participation and recovery from hip fracture.

Objectives This study examines the effects of depression and cognitive impairment in elderly hip fracture patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation. Our goal was to determine whether any association of depression and cognitive impairment with rehabilitation outcome is accounted for by more immediate effects of these variables on rehabilitation participation. Methods We measured depression using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D), cognition using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and rehabilitation outcomes using the motor scale of the Functional Independence Measure (motor FIM) in a prospective observational study of 57 elderly rehabilitation hospital patients admitted to a university-affiliated, freestanding rehabilitation hospital with primary diagnosis of hip fracture. We also assessed rehabilitation participation, to determine whether this accounted for (mediated) any relationship of depression and cognitive impairment with rehabilitation outcome. Results Baseline Ham-D and MMSE scores were correlated with motor FIM efficiency—those with higher depressive symptoms had lower efficiency (r = −0.44, p < 0.001); similarly, those with more cognitive impairment had lower motor FIM efficiency (r = 0.52, p < 0.001). Rehabilitation participation was a mediator of this association: greater depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment predicted poorer rehabilitation participation which, in turn, predicted lower motor FIM efficiency. Ham-D and MMSE scores were predictors of discharge location: subjects with high depressive symptoms and greater cognitive impairment were more likely to go to a nursing home or personal care home upon discharge. Conclusions Depression and cognitive impairment are predictive of negative outcomes in elderly patients' rehabilitation from hip fracture. This effect is mediated by rehabilitation participation, and ratings in this area may serve as a potentially useful clinical and research tool for the rehabilitation environment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving service selection in component-based architectures with optimal stopping

This paper describes how optimal stopping strategies are applicable to certain situations of service selection in component-based and service-oriented software architectures. It shows how optimal stopping can be used at runtime to stop with 0(n) complexity a dynamic service selection process and then yield 1/e probability for the best choice. It provides experimental confirmation in a simulation with currency conversion Web services. Areas of further applicability include grid computing, distributed multimedia and mobile computing.
Use of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to Monitor Trends for Nutrition and Physical Activity in a Midwest City School District

Background: The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was used by a city school district (∼11,000 students) in the upper Midwest to monitor trends for nutrition and physical activity (PA) behaviors both within and between years and to compare with national 2003 data. Methods: Independent random samples were obtained in 1999 (387 middle school [MS] and 931 high school [HS]), in 2001 (322 MS and 367 HS), and in 2003 (658 MS and 1026 HS). A two-sample test of proportions was used. Results: Within each survey year, a higher proportion of MS compared to HS reported positive behaviors with some exceptions: (1) an increased proportion of HS having daily physical education (PE) and (2) a reduced proportion of HS reporting media time. Within 2003, a lower proportion of district females compared to males (MS and HS) reported participation in many measured behaviors. District trends overtime indicated a reduced proportion: (1) drinking milk (MS and HS), (2) eating breakfast (HS), and (3) watching television (MS). Trends overtime indicated an increased proportion: (1) using computers for fun (MS and HS), (2) participating in moderate PA (MS), and (3) daily PE (HS). District HS compared to national (2003) indicated a higher proportion: (1) drinking milk, (2) getting moderate PA, and (3) taking daily PE. District HS compared to national indicated a lower proportion: (1) at risk of overweight, (2) overweight, and (3) watching television. Conclusions: Analysis of district YRBS trends provides both a database for informed decisions by the school district and an assessment model for other districts.
Undermining the foundations: Questioning the basic notions of associationism and mental representation

Perhaps the time has come to re-examine the basic notions of cognitive science. Together with previous challenges against associationism, the target article should be viewed as a call to arms to re-evaluate the empirical basis for contemporary conceptualizations of human learning and the notion of “mental representation,” a concept that has become too imprecise for describing the elements of cognition.
Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC)-Instill® with continuous irrigation for the treatment of Mycoplasma hominis mediastinitis

A 56-year-old patient who underwent ascending aorta replacement postoperatively developed mediastinitis with atypical Mycoplasma hominis. We present the first successful treatment of M. hominis mediastinitis after cardiac surgery with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC)-Instill(®) therapy combined with dilute antiseptic irrigation for bacterial eradication.
Daily Plasmodium yoelii infective mosquito bites do not generate protection or suppress previous immunity against the liver stage

Background Human populations that are naturally subjected to Plasmodium infection do not acquire complete protection against the liver stage of this parasite despite prolonged and frequent exposure. However, sterile immunity against Plasmodium liver stage can be achieved after repeated exposure to radiation attenuated sporozoites. The reasons for this different response remain largely unknown, but a suppressive effect of blood stage Plasmodium infection has been proposed as a cause for the lack of liver stage protection.
Self-Stigma in People With Mental Illness

Persons with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia may internalize mental illness stigma and experience diminished self-esteem and self-efficacy. In this article, we describe a model of self-stigma and examine a hierarchy of mediational processes within the model. Seventy-one individuals with serious mental illness were recruited from a community support program at an outpatient psychiatry department of a community hospital. All participants completed the Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale along with measures of group identification (GI), perceived legitimacy (PL), self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Models examining the steps involved in self-stigma process were tested. Specifically, after conducting preliminary bivariate analyses, we examine stereotype agreement as a mediator of GI and PL on stigma self-concurrence (SSC); SSC as a mediator of GI and PL on self-efficacy; and SSC as a mediator of GI and PL on self-esteem. Findings provide partial support for the proposed mediational processes and point to GI, PL, and stereotype agreement as areas to be considered for intervention.
Thinking Outside the Box: Moving the Respiratory Care Profession Beyond the Hospital Walls

For centuries, hospitals have served as the cornerstone of the United States healthcare system. Just like the majority of the general population, the respiratory care profession was born inside the hospital walls, just over 6 decades ago. While the knowledge, skills, and attributes of the respiratory therapist are critically necessary in acute care settings, the profession must move itself to a stronger position across the entire continuum of care of patients with acute and chronic cardiopulmonary diseases within the next several years to stay ahead of the curve of healthcare reform. In this paper, based on the 28th annual Philip Kittredge Memorial Lecture, I will examine the necessary strategies and values that the profession of respiratory care will need to successfully embrace to "think outside the box" and move the profession beyond the hospital walls for patient- and outcomes-focused, sustainable impact in the future healthcare delivery system.
Effect of Interplanetary Shocks on the AL and Dst Indices

[1] The question of how much interplanetary shock (IP) events contribute to the geoeffectiveness of solar wind drivers is assessed through numerical experiments using the WINDMI model, a physics-based model of the solar wind-driven magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Analytic fits to solar wind input parameters (B⊥IMF, usw, nsw) allowed shocks and associated shock-sheath plasma to be removed while leaving other features of the solar wind driver undisturbed. Percent changes in WINDMI-derived AL and Dst indices between runs with and without the observed shock and sheath signatures were taken as a measure of its relative contribution to the geoeffectiveness. The major magnetic storms during 15–24 April 2002 and 3–6 October 2000 were selected for this experiment. In both cases, the IP shock and sheath features contributed significantly to the geoeffectiveness of the solar wind driver. The magnetic field compressional jump is important to producing the changes in the AL during these two storm intervals.
Dietary Calcium Is a Major Factor in 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol Suppression of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice

The active form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) is a potent immune system regulator. Treating mice with 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and feeding them diets high in calcium can completely suppress the induction of experimental autoimmune diseases such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Experiments described here were carried out on mice in which development of EAE was induced. Mice were fed diets containing various amounts of calcium and 1,25-dihydroxychole-calciferol. Variables measured were as follows: 1) incidence and severity of EAE; 2) serum calcium concentrations; 3) body weight; 4) total number of cells in the lymph nodes; and 5) interleukin-4 (IL-4) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) mRNA levels. When calcium was removed from the diet, the incidence of EAE was reduced 20% in both males and females. Further, the lower the dietary level of calcium, the higher was the dose of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol required to prevent the symptoms. Thus, 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol was found most effective in mice fed a diet adequate or high in calcium. 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol treatment of mice fed high dietary calcium resulted in a decreased number of lymphocytes in the lymph nodes and increased IL-4 and TGF-beta1 mRNA levels. When calcium was omitted from the diet, 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol supplementation increased TGF-beta1 mRNA. Increased IL-4 mRNA and decreased lymphocytes in the lymph nodes in response to 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol occurred only when dietary calcium was adequate or high. Our results suggest that dietary calcium and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol are both involved in the prevention of symptomatic EAE.
Metabolism of Bovine Semen. XV. Rate-limiting Reactions in the Citric Acid Cycle

Abstract Possible rate-limiting reactions in the citric acid cycle were investigated by measuring the evolution of C 14 O 2 from labeled intermediates of the cycle. Ejaculated bovine spermatozoa, either washed (W), versene-treated (V), or subjected to ultrasonic vibration (S) were incubated at 37 C in phosphate buffer with labeled α-ketoglutarate, succinate, malate, and citrate. The C 14 O 2 evolution was greatest with α-ketoglutarate as substrate; for comparative purposes it was assigned a relative specific activity (RSA) of 100 and yields from other substrates compared to it. With W, RSA values were 100, 17, 16, and 11; with V, 100, 14, 15, and 11; and with S, they were 100, 80, 79, and 18, for α-ketoglutarate, succinate, malate, and citrate, respectively. Low yields from succinate, malate, and citrate in W and V preparations are attributed to limited permeability of the cell membrane to these substrates. The S data indicate that possibly some rate limitation occurs in the succinyl coenzyme A-succinate portion of the cycle.
The Authors of Academic Library Home Pages: Their Identity, Training and Dissemination of Web Construction Skills.

This article reports on a study designed to identify the authors of academic library home pages and to investigate the nature of their training and their use of newly‐acquired Web design skills. The major finding of the study is that librarians more often than non‐librarians are assuming the responsibility for writing home pages for academic libraries in very large public colleges and universities. In addition to professional identity, factors such as length of service to an institution, current job title, and prior education play a role in determining the likelihood that an individual will write the home page for his or her employing library. Learning the skills needed to write a home page requires time for training. Institutional support for training is considered vital and well worth the investment because training is very often disseminated beyond the home page authors. Teaching others Web construction skills is one of the ways library home page authors most frequently apply their newly acquired abilities.
Domestic Price Regulations and Trade Policy: Milk Marketing Orders in the United States

The United States maintains minor export subsidies and important import barriers for dairy products. Less transparent are the trade effects of milk marketing orders that provide for price discrimination by end-use and price pooling. This article illustrates how adjustments in the end-use price differential can compensate producers for losses when the price support is removed by stimulating exports and extracting added revenue from domestic buyers. The California system has smaller production incentives than the federal system. However, California does maintain explicit, if quantitatively trivial, export provisions in its marketing order. Les Etats-Unis conservent de legeres subventions a l'exportation et des barrieres tarifaires importantes a l'importation des produits laitiers. Ce qui est mains transparent, ce sont les effets commerciaux des ordonnances de mise en marche du lait qui prevalent un regime de double prix selon la destination et un mecanisme de mise en commun des prix du lait. Nous montrons comment, en manipulant les differences de prix selon la destination finale, on peut dedommager les producteurs pour les penes qu‘ils ont subies par suite du retrait du soutien des prix, en stimulant les exportations et en soutinant des recettes additionnelles des acheteurs sur le marche interieur. Meme si le systeme adopte par la Californie off re de plus faibles incitatifs a la production que le systeme federal, il contient lui aussi des dispositions de soutien explicites, encore que quantitativement negligeables.
Source of Work Area Reduction Following Hemiparetic Stroke and Preliminary Intervention Using the ACT 3D System

Training 3-D (ACT 3D ) robotic system is a novel way of recording movement patterns while a subject generates varying amounts of shoulder abduction torque. This system is used to provide preliminary data that show reduced elbow extension and shoulder flexion capabilities as shoulder abduction requirements increase resulting in reduced work area at high shoulder abduction levels. Single subject data is highlighted to illustrate the application of an intervention aimed at progressively training subjects to overcome the effects of abnormal joint torque coupling on reaching abilities.
Similarities and Differences Among Prolactins and Growth Hormones and Their Receptors

SYNOPSIS. Data from the literature and from our own studies on the receptors for prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) are reviewed and analyzed. Receptors for PRL have been studied in a wider range of species and in a greater diversity of target organs than have the binding sites for GH. Although GHs are structurally more highly conserved among the vertebrates than are PRLs, the available data indicate that there is greater diversity among GH receptors than there is among PRL receptors. In general, GH receptors show greater species specificity but less hormone specificity than do PRL receptors. The reason for the greater diversity among GH receptors as compared to PRL receptors is unknown; it bears no relationship to phylogeny. Data on the binding of purified preparations of mammalian PRL, GH and placental lactogen (PL) to renal and hepatic receptors for PRL and GH, respectively, of several vertebrate species are reviewed. The species and hormone specificity of the binding of the hormones to the two typesof receptors showed no consistent pattern. To explain this disarray, we propose that the receptor binding domains of PRL and GH were present in their common ancestral gene and that they havebeen retained to variable degrees by all of the descendant members of the PRL-GH family. We further propose that hormone and species specificity of binding is determined by hindering features on the hormones and on the receptors, rather than by merely the presence or absence of the appropriate binding determinants.
Metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma to the kidney in a young woman

The incidence of an adenoid cystic carcinoma on major salivary glands is low, constituting only about 10% to 15% of all parotid malignancies. Cases of delayed metastasis have been reported, but reports of specific renal involvement have not been extensively found. We present the case of a 21-year-old woman with a left renal metastasis from an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the parotid gland that had been surgically treated 7 years previously. The patient underwent successful left radical nephrectomy. During follow-up, the patient developed pulmonary nodules that were metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma and were surgically excised. At last follow-up, the patient was doing well with no evidence of disease.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Approximately 1 million teenagers in the US become pregnant annually of which less than 20% are planned. The countrys 1992 teen pregnancy rate of 96 per 1000 females aged 15-19 was higher than that of any other industrialized country. This high level of unplanned teen pregnancy cuts across all ethnic economic and social groups affecting the entire nation. While unmarried teenagers should be encouraged to refrain from sexual intercourse those who choose to have sex need to have access to contraceptive methods which will prevent both unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. US President Bill Clinton in January 1995 challenged the nation to build a grassroots effort to prevent teen pregnancy. A group of leaders met that challenge in establishing the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy a nonprofit nonpartisan initiative supported solely by private donations. The campaign aims to reduce the US teen pregnancy rate by one-third by 2005 by taking a strong position against teen pregnancy getting the help of the media supporting and stimulating state and local government leading a national discussion in an effort to build common ground and ensuring that local community efforts are based upon research about what works.
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)–pandemic Influenza connection: Coincident or causal?

We find that the four most recent human influenza pandemics (1918, 1957, 1968, and 2009), all of which were first identified in boreal spring or summer, were preceded by La Nina conditions in the equatorial Pacific. Changes in the phase of the El Nino–Southern Oscillation have been shown to alter the migration, stopover time, fitness, and interspecies mixing of migratory birds, and consequently, likely affect their mixing with domestic animals. We hypothesize that La Nina conditions bring divergent influenza subtypes together in some parts of the world and favor the reassortment of influenza through simultaneous multiple infection of individual hosts and the generation of novel pandemic strains. We propose approaches to test this hypothesis using influenza population genetics, virus prevalence in various host species, and avian migration patterns.
Rural Versus Urban Colorectal and Lung Cancer Patients: Differences in Stage at Presentation

Background Rural surgeons are often uneasy when their outcomes are compared with those of urban surgeons because they perceive that rural patients typically present with worse disease. Rural patients with cancer are commonly thought to present at a later stage of disease, although this is based largely on anecdotal evidence. Study Design Retrospective, descriptive analysis of cancer stage at presentation of rural versus urban patients with two common cancers (lung, colorectal) using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from the National Cancer Institute. Rural versus urban designations were based on rural-urban continuum codes from the US Department of Agriculture. We constructed an ordinal logistic regression model to compare stage at presentation between rural and urban colorectal and lung cancer patients, while controlling for other factors that might be associated with late stage at presentation, including age, race, gender, marital status, income level, and level of education. Results In univariate and multivariate analyses, patients with colorectal and lung cancer from rural areas were not more likely to present at later stage. The ordinal logistic regression model indicated that urban patients are more likely to present with late-stage colorectal and lung cancer, compared with rural patients (p Conclusions Urban rather than rural residence appears to be associated with later stages of lung and colorectal cancer at presentation. This finding is contrary to the common assumption that rural patients present at later stages of disease.
Magnitude of functional adaptation after intestinal resection

Intestinal adaptation after resection has been much studied, but rarely examined in an integrative context. Hence we assessed the effects of resection and subsequent adaptation on the quantitative ...
Rotation and Torque

Rotational motion, or spin, is visible everywhere; it is involved whenever an object changes its orientation. Our technical civilization relies on wheels and levers, and will continue to do so despite the modern engineer’s justified abhorrence of “moving parts.” In the natural world, rotation may be observed on levels from astronomical to subatomic. All astronomical entities, such as the Earth, the Galaxy, the stars, etc., rotate to some extent about their own axis. This rotation is quite independent of their orbital motion (“revolution”), as the familiar example of the Earth reminds us. On the molecular, atomic, and subatomic scale, particle spin is a key to many important and beautiful phenomena, some of which will be touched upon later in this book.
Dynamic VM Dependability Monitoring Using Hypervisor Probes

Many current VM monitoring approaches require guest OS modifications and are also unable to perform application level monitoring, reducing their value in a cloud setting. This paper introduces hprobes, a framework that allows one to dynamically monitor applications and operating systems inside a VM. The hprobe framework does not require any changes to the guest OS, which avoids the tight coupling of monitoring with its target. Furthermore, the monitors can be customized and enabled/disabled while the VM is running. To demonstrate the usefulness of this framework, we present three sample detectors: an emergency detector for a security vulnerability, an application watchdog, and an infinite-loop detector. We test our detectors on real applications and demonstrate that those detectors achieve an acceptable level of performance overhead with a high degree of flexibility.
Casework Practice and Social Policy Formulation

" Caseworkers have specific ro/es and tasks in the process of social policy formulation; participation in it requires an action model that identifies the process, the wide range of professional roles and tasks, and the many institutional resources involved. Case-finding, recording and data-gathering, and discovering gaps in service are the kinds of tasks the caseworker will most commonly undertake. To do so effectively, however, requires some knowledge of all the elements included in the model presented in this paper. ■
Nonlinear Spatiotemporal Integration by Electrical and Chemical Synapses in the Retina.

Electrical and chemical synapses coexist in circuits throughout the CNS. Yet, it is not well understood how electrical and chemical synaptic transmission interact to determine the functional output of networks endowed with both types of synapse. We found that release of glutamate from bipolar cells onto retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was strongly shaped by gap-junction-mediated electrical coupling within the bipolar cell network of the mouse retina. Specifically, electrical synapses spread signals laterally between bipolar cells, and this lateral spread contributed to a nonlinear enhancement of bipolar cell output to visual stimuli presented closely in space and time. Our findings thus (1) highlight how electrical and chemical transmission can work in concert to influence network output and (2) reveal a previously unappreciated circuit mechanism that increases RGC sensitivity to spatiotemporally correlated input, such as that produced by motion.
Spectroscopic Studies of Nanoparticulate Thin Films of a Cobalt-Based Oxygen Evolution Catalyst

Nanoparticle (NP) cobalt–phosphate (Co-Pi) water oxidation catalysts are prepared as thin films by anodic electrodeposition from solutions of Co2+ dissolved in proton-accepting electrolytes. Compositional and structural insight into the nature of the catalyst film is provided from advanced spectroscopy. Infrared spectra demonstrate that counteranions incorporate into the Co-Pi thin films and that the phosphate ion, among various anion electrolytes, exhibits the highest binding affinity to the cobalt centers. Atomic force microscopy images show a highly porous morphology of the thin film that is composed of Co-Pi NPs. Whereas conventional X-ray powder diffraction technique shows catalyst films to be amorphous, synchrotron-based X-ray grazing incidence diffraction reveals well-defined diffraction patterns that are indicative of long-range ordering within the film. Azimuthal scans imply that as-prepared films possess a highly preferred orientation and texture on the electrode surface.
GROUP SELECTION VERSUS INDIVIDUAL SELECTION: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS

The evolutionary role of group selection has been a topic of controversy for over half a century. Group selection is defined as the "process of genetic change brought about or maintained by the differential extinction and/or proliferation of populations" (Wade, 1976, 1977). Theoretical work suggests that group selection may be an effective evolutionary force only under very restrictive conditions. Experiments described in the following sections will test some of this theory and offer new insights into the necessary conditions for evolutionary change when the group is the evolutionary unit. Wade (1978) has categorized the models of group selection into two types, depending upon whether the groups are localized breeding demes or are panmictic. Group selection models in the first category (Wright, 1945; Maynard Smith, 1964; Levins, 1970; Boorman and Levitt, 1973; Gilpin, 1974, 1975; Levin and Kilmer, 1974) operate through the differential proliferation and/or loss of local demes and conform closely to the process which the current study examines. Models in the second category include those (e.g., by Wilson, 1975, 1977, 1979) which assume a single panmictic population whose members are isolated into groups at some stage of their life, and within which ecological interactions occur. Levin and Kilmer (1974), based on extensive computer simulations, concluded that four demographic and genetic conditions are necessary for gene frequency
The Measurement of Tax Shifting: Economics and Law

I. The problem: the theoretical prediction of tax shifting and incidence versus its actual measurement, 429. — Practical importance of the latter in administrative law in tax refunds, 430. — II. Limitations of the field: definitions, 433. — III. The law on tax burden shifting, 436. — Precedent for recognition of tax shifting, 437. — Absence of precedent for its measurement, 438. — IV. The economics of the measurement of tax burden shifting, 440. — Refund provisions of the 1936 Revenue Act, 441. — Economic precedent for analysis of margins, 443. — Business precedent in use of spreads, 446. — Implications of use of margins in measurement of tax burden shifting, 449. — Asserted impossibility of proof, 451. — Conclusion, 454.