cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Positive affect, childhood adversity, and psychopathology in psychiatric inpatients

Background: Low positive affect is closely related to common pathological responses to childhood adversity, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, but little is known about how the characteristics of early adversity experiences might be related to positive affect in adulthood. Objective: This study aimed to explore whether low positive affect is related to specific childhood adversities, including abuse, neglect, caretaker dysfunction, and low childhood social support. Method: Using structured interviews and self-report measure data collected from 173 adult psychiatric inpatients, this study examined the relationship between positive affect and symptoms of psychopathology, as well as how the number of types of abuse experienced, severity of adversity types (physical abuse and sexual abuse), childhood environment (childhood social support, neglect, and caretaker dysfunction), and number of non-abuse traumas related to positive affect. Results: Positive affect was significantly negatively related to several symptoms of psychopathology, including depression, dissociation, self-destructive behavior, PTSD, and global psychopathology. Individuals who experienced both physical and sexual abuse reported significantly less positive affect than those with only physical or no abuse experiences. Lower positive affect was predicted by lower childhood social support and greater severity of sexual abuse, with both factors accounting for unique variance in positive affect. Conclusion: These results suggest that individuals who experience multiple types of early adversity, more severe sexual abuse experiences, and less social support are at risk of psychological difficulties. Given the relatively strong association between positive affect and childhood social support, interventions to foster social support may be a means of increasing positive affect among individuals exposed to childhood adversity. Keywords: childhood adversity; positive affect; sexual abuse; social support; trauma (Published: 12 August 2013) For the abstract or full text in other languages, please see Supplementary files in the column to the right (under Article Tools) Citation: European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2013, 4 : 20771 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v4i0.20771
Reduction of habituation of prey-catching activity by alcohol intoxication in the frog.

Using either (1) a continuously moving dummy prey object or (2) a two-choice test between dummy objects, the rate of habituation of prey catching by frogs was measured. Frogs intoxicated with alcohol did not habituate as readily as did controls, indicating an alcohol-induced disinhibition, probably at the level of the optic tectum.
Pseudopotential study of bonding in the zinc-blende and rocksalt structures

The bonding nature of zinc-blende and rocksalt crystal structures are studied using pseudopotentials. NaCl and GaAs are used as prototypes and the characteristics of NaCl assumed to be in both crystal structures are studied. It is shown that the properties of the psedopotential can be used to help predict crystal structure.
Maize is Still Ancient in Prehistoric Ecuador: The View from Real Alto, with Comments on Staller and Thompson

Abstract In a recent JAS article, Staller and Thompson (2001) report on the occurrence of maize (Zea mays L.) cob phytoliths in residues in pottery from the late Valdivia Period site of La Emerenciana. While a valuable addition to the evidence for geographically wide-spread use of maize during the Valdivia period (Early Formative, 4500 bc –2000 bc , calibrated), the claims that the Late Valdivia La Emerenciana occurrence documents the earliest use of maize in Ecuador, and that maize use is ceremonial—rather than domestic—in focus during the Valdivia period, are unfounded. Maize is documented from the beginning of the Valdivia period, in domestic contexts, at the Real Alto site, and, with root crop cultivation, supported the fluorescence and expansion of Valdivia culture.
Role of metabolism on the DNA binding of MeIQx in mice and bacteria.

We report the effects of several inducers of P450 metabolizing enzymes on DNA adduct formation by 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) in C57BL/6 mice. We also examined the role of N:O-acetylation and the nitrenium ion in the genotoxicity of MeIQx, since these have been implicated in the activation of other aminoimidazoazaarenes (AIA) to DNA reactive species. Mice were given phenobarbital (PB), Aroclor 1254, beta-naphthoflavone (BNF) or corn oil, i.p., followed 3-5 days later with oral administration of MeIQx. Induction of Aroclor and BNF produced DNA with 8-fold more adducts than either the corn oil-alone or PB-treated animals. Both corn oil-alone and PB-treated animals were similar. Four major adducts were found in all cases with no differences among inducers as judged by co-chromatography. Azido-MeIQx induced calf-thymus-DNA adducts produced identical adduct profiles to those seen for the mouse DNA. Similar adduct profiles were obtained from Salmonella TA98, and the nitroreductase deficient strains (TA98NR and TA98/1,8-DNP6) exposed to MeIQx in the presence of Aroclor-induced-mouse-liver S9. Adduct frequencies in TA98/1,8-DNP6 were significantly lower than in TA98 and TA98NR. The data described in this report demonstrate that induction quantitatively increases adduct numbers but does not affect the types of DNA damage. These data also suggest that the same DNA reactive intermediates are formed in vivo as in vitro and support the hypothesis that the metabolism of MeIQx involves the P450I family of isozymes, N:O-acetyltransferases and possibly a nitrenium ion. The application of radioanalytic scanners for quantitation of 32P-postlabelling adduct maps is described.
Ion optics of a new time-of-flight mass spectrometer for quantitative surface analysis

Abstract A new time-of-flight instrument for quantitative surface analysis was developed and constructed at Argonne National Laboratory. It implements ion sputtering and laser desorption for probing analyzed samples and can operate in regimes of secondary neutral mass spectrometry with laser post-ionization and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The instrument incorporates two new ion optics developments: (1) “push–pull” front end ion optics and (2) focusing and deflecting lens. Implementing these novel elements significantly enhance analytical capabilities of the instrument. Extensive three-dimensional computer simulations of the instrument were conducted in SIMION 3D © to perfect its ion optics. The operating principles of the new ion optical systems are described, and a scheme of the new instrument is outlined together with its operating modes.
Optogenetic and Electrical Microstimulation Systematically Bias Visuospatial Choice in Primates

Optogenetics is a recently developed method in which neurons are genetically modified to express membrane proteins sensitive to light, enabling precisely targeted control of neural activity [1-3]. The temporal and spatial precision afforded by neural stimulation by light holds promise as a powerful alternative to current methods of neural control, which rely predominantly on electrical and pharmacological methods, in both research and clinical settings [4, 5]. Although the optogenetic approach has been widely used in rodent and other small animal models to study neural circuitry [6-8], its functional application in primate models has proven more difficult. In contrast to the relatively large literature on the effects of cortical electrical microstimulation in perceptual and decision-making tasks [9-13], previous studies of optogenetic stimulation in primates have not demonstrated its utility in similar paradigms [14-18]. In this study, we directly compare the effects of optogenetic activation and electrical microstimulation in the lateral intraparietal area during a visuospatial discrimination task. We observed significant and predictable biases in visual attention in response to both forms of stimulation that are consistent with the experimental modulation of a visual salience map. Our results demonstrate the power of optogenetics as a viable alternative to electrical microstimulation for the precise dissection of the cortical pathways of high-level processes in the primate brain.
EXCHANGE DEGENERACY AND SU(3) FOR BARYONS

It is assumed that the contributions of baryon Regge trajectories cancel in the imaginary parts of meson-baryon scattering amplitudes in states of the SU(3) representations 10* and 27. Predictions concerning interaction ratios, mass splitting, and particle mixing are made and compared with experiment.
Environmental-Induced Differences in Corticosterone and Glucocorticoid Receptor Blockade of Amphetamine Self-Administration in Rats

Rationale Rats raised in isolation self-administer more amphetamine than rats raised in enrichment.
Extended Stokes series: laminar flow through a loosely coiled pipe

Dean's series for steady fully developed laminar flow through a toroidal pipe of small curvature ratio has been extended by computer to 24 terms. Analysis suggests that convergence is limited by a square-root singularity on the negative axis of the square of the Dean number. An Euler transformation and extraction of the leading and secondary singularities at infinity render the series accurate for all Dean numbers. For curvature ratios no greater than , experimental measurements of the laminar friction factor agree with the theory over a wide range of Dean numbers. In particular, they confirm our conclusion that the friction in a loosely coiled pipe grows asymptotically as the one-quarter power of the Dean number based on mean flow speed. This contradicts a number of incomplete boundary-layer analyses in the literature, which predict a square-root variation.
Erratum to “Time-resolved molecular changes in a chemically reacting shocked energetic liquid”: [Chem. Phys. Lett. 232 (1995) 341]

Abstract Changes in time-resolved Raman spectra of amine sensitized nitromethane shocked to 14 GPa were investigated using an improved measurement system. The new results contradict the previous observation (Chem. Phys. Lett. 232 (1995) 341) regarding the apparent disappearance of the CN symmetric stretching mode (917 cm−1). Consequently, the conclusion about CN bond scission, made on the basis of that observation, is incorrect. The earlier results, though quite reproducible, were experimental artifacts caused by the rapidly growing absorbance and large increase in the background due to fluorescence and chemiluminescence.
A Pharmacological Analysis of the Substrates Underlying Conditioned Feeding Induced by Repeated Opioid Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens

It has previously been demonstrated that stimulation of opiate receptors within the nucleus accumbens results in marked hyperphagia, perhaps reflecting enhancement of taste palatability. Rats that have received multiple morphine treatments also increase feeding in response to environmental stimuli that have been associated with the morphine injections. The present investigation further examined this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, it was shown that induction of conditioned feeding was dose-dependent; significant conditioned feeding was obtained with repeated (n = 5) intra-accumbens injections of 5 or 10 μg/μl morphine but not with saline or 1 μg. The conditioned feeding response was blocked by systemic naltrexone (5 mg/kg). In the second experiment, co-treatment with either a D-1 (SCH 23390, 0.1 mg/kg) or D-2 (haloperidol, 0.25 mg/kg) antagonist did not block the development of conditioned feeding, nor did these drugs block morphine-induced feeding. In Experiment 3, it was found that systemic naltrexone blocked the expression of conditioned feeding (confirming Experiment 1), as did SCH-23390, whereas haloperidol did not affect expression of conditioned feeding. In the fourth experiment, we observed that significant conditioned feeding was induced with repeated treatment with the selective mu agonist D-Ala2, NMe-phe4, Glyol5-enkephalin (DAMGO, 2.5 μg), but not with the delta agonist D-Pen2,5-enkephalin (DPEN, 3.1 μg). The final experiment tested the diurnal variability of the expression of conditioned feeding, and it was found that the magnitude of the effect depended on time of day. In summary, the development of opioid-induced conditioned feeding depends on mu opiate receptor stimulation, but not dopamine receptor stimulation. Its expression, however, involves both opiate and D-1 receptor activation. These findings are considered in terms of putative neural mechanisms governing conditioned meal initiation, and implications for compulsive eating and bulimia are also discussed.
Why Induction Matters

Retention of a competent teaching force is a growing concern among the nation’s educators and policy makers. Providing new teachers with quality induction programs may mitigate significant teacher ...
Death after Pichinde Virus Infection in Large and Small Strain 13 Guinea Pigs

The lethal events of Pichinide virus infections were studied in large (> 36-week-old), small (4- to 6-week-old), and uninfected strain 13 guinea pigs. Time to death was shorter and the rate of body weight loss greater for large than for small virus-infected guinea pigs. Severely ill large guinea pigs developed a life-threatening, nonlactate metabolic acidemia with an increased anion gap, hypokalemia, and renal failure. Small infected guinea pigs near death demonstrated a modest increase in blood and plasma volume indices and in lung and heart permeability to albumin. This group showed a severe hypoxemia, elevated blood lactate, and bicarbonate ion concentrations with a doubled respiratory rate. These findings are consistent with respiratory failure due to obstruction of small airways. Although virus-infected guinea pig endothelial cells showed a decrease in DNA and protein synthesis, no change in bradykinin-induced intracellular calcium signaling was noted.
Spatial separation of the third-order intermodulation for amplifier linearization

A quadrature balanced structure is presented for linearizing amplifiers. It works by routing the most annoying distortion component (the third-order intermodulation) to a port, while routing the useful information signals to a distinct port. This arrangement is not prone to oscillations as the negative feedback method is. It also has advantages over predistortion and feedforward linearization methods, as it is simpler and needs no adjustments. Theoretically, third-order intermodulation products would be totally eliminated when using the proposed arrangement. In practice, it was observed that, even with non-perfectly balanced amplifiers, the third-order intermodulation level was reduced up to 17 dB. The fifth-order intermodulation components were not reduced.
Cytochemische Untersuchungen an Puffs isolierter Speicheldrüsen-Chromosomen von Chironomus

1. Die Wirkung von Proteasen, RNase und anderen Agentien auf die Oberflachenstruktur und den Gehalt an basischem Protein der puffs und Balbianiringe unfixierter isolierter Chromosomen von Chironomus tentans wurde untersucht. 2. In Gegenwart von Mg2+ ist die Oberflachenstruktur der Balbianiringe unbehandelter isolierter Chromosomen kornig. Nach Formol-Fixierung last sich in den puffs und Balbianiringen dieser Chromosomen mit Fastgreen-Farbung (pH 8,2) basisches Protein (= basisches puff-Protein) nachweisen, welches nicht an DNS gebunden ist. 3. Gegenuber Trypsin und α-Chymotrypsin ist, sofern Mg2+ im Medium vorhanden, die kornige Oberflachenstruktur der Balbianiringe wie auch deren basisches puff-Protein resistent; das chromosomale Histon dagegen wird zum grosten Teil zerstort, so das das Chromosom, auser in den Balbianiring-Regionen, stark quillt. 4. Die Resistenz der kornigen Oberflachenstruktur gegenuber Proteasen ist nicht bei allen Balbianiringen gleich gros. Sie ist zudem je nach Balbianiring verschieden stark Mg2+-abhangig. 5. RNase-Behandlung unfixierter Chromosomen hebt die Resistenz der kornigen Oberflachenstruktur der Balbianiringe gegenuber Proteasen auf; gleichzeitig fuhrt sie zu einem Verlust von basischem puff-Protein. 6. Es wird vermutet, das das basische puff-Protein ribosomalem Struktur-Protein entspricht. Ribosomen durften namlich nach der bei Lezzi (1967a) aufgestellten Hypothese wesentlich am Aufbau der puffs und Balbianiringe beteiligt sein. 7. Die unterschiedliche Resistenz der Balbianiringe sowie die unterschiedliche Mg2+-Abhangigkeit der Resistenz werden im Lichte dieser Hypothese interpretiert.
Characterization of Clostridial botulinum neurotoxin channels in neuroblastoma cells.

The channel and chaperone activities ofClostridial botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) A were investigated in Neuro 2a neuroblastoma cells under conditions that closely emulate those prevalent at the endosome. Channel activity occurs in bursts interspersed between periods of little or no activity. The channels are voltage dependent, opening only at negative voltages. Within bursts, the channel resides preferentially in the open state. The channels open to a main conductance of 105 ± 5 pS or 65 ± 4 pS in 200 mM CsCl or NaCl, respectively. The BoNT channels display a conspicuous subconductance of 10 ± 2 pS. The neuroblastoma cell line appears, therefore, to be a suitable system to characterize the BoNT channel and to pursue evaluation of plausible strategies for targeted drug delivery thereby minimizing the requirement forin vivo animal testing.
Rate compatible IRA codes using row splitting for 5G wireless

In this paper, we present families of rate compatible (RC) structured irregular repeat-accumulate (SIRA) and structured generalized irregular repeat-accumulate (SG-IRA) codes, which are particularly attractive for 5G wireless systems due to their linear-time encoding property. The family of codes is generated using a technique called row-splitting, in which a high-rate G-IRA code is designed as a mother code and lower-rate codes are generated from the mother code by splitting the rows of the systematic part of the parity-check matrix. We propose this technique as a way to support a variety of code rates for an Incremental Redundancy (IR) based hybrid ARQ (HARQ) scheme also known as Type-II HARQ for 5G millimeter wave wireless systems.
Directly observed relations in complete galaxy samples and the predictions of redshift-distance power laws.

Abstract Directly observed relations in complete galaxy samples (apparent magnitude or diameter vs. redshift) are compared with the predictions of redshift-distance power laws. The predictions are obtained by an objective, nonparametric, statistically uniform, and fully reproducible procedure. In all cases the linear law fits even more poorly than a cubic law, and the optimal law is approximately quadratic. Even a 1.2 power law is conspicuously better-fitting than a linear law. The results of the present study in terms of directly measured quantities are consistent with and confirm earlier studies in terms of theoretical quantities such as absolute magnitudes and diameters. They show that there is no positive evidence for the Hubble law in manifestly fair galaxy samples and that the law can be reconciled with the data in complete samples only, if at all, by the adjunction of a tissue of ancillary hypotheses, none of which is capable of direct observational substantiation.
Decreased natural cytotoxicity in mice with high incidence of mammary adenocarcinoma

Abstract In an attempt to gather evidence relevant to the question of whether natural killer (NK) cells play a role in resisting the development of primary tumors, we compared natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity in two substrains of C 3 H mice. Animals of the C 3 H OuJ substrain are at high risk for the formation of mammary adenocarcinomas, while C 3 Heb FeJ mice have a low incidence of such tumors. Natural cytotoxicity of splenic mononuclear cells was lower in the high-risk substrain, suggesting that a lesion in NK cell activity may be involved in murine mammary tumorigenesis. This difference was observed in animals between 5 and 37 weeks of age. There was no significant difference in the number of splenic large granular lymphocytes between the substrains. A significant difference in the ability of splenic lymphocytes from the two substrains to bind to the target cells was noted. Since the binding capacity of lymphocytes was greater in mice with reduced NK cell activity, the lesion in cytotoxicity may exist at a postbinding step in the lytic sequence. It is felt that the C 3 H mouse may provide a useful model for studying the role of NK cells in controlling primary tumors.
Estimating major sources of measurement error in individual intelligences scales: Taking our heads out of the sand

Abstract Four ubiquitous major sources of measurement error for individual intelligence scales were identified and discussed. It was argued that where these sources cannot be directly investigated, they should be estimated rather than ignored. The typical magnitude of error arising from each of content sampling, time sampling, scoring, and administration was estimated; their composite was found to produce a far larger standard error of measurement than manuals of individual intelligence tests typically report. Implications for practitioners are discussed.
Covariance Applications in Criticality Safety, Light Water Reactor Analysis, and Spent Fuel Characterization

A new covariance data library based on ENDF/B-VII.1 was recently processed for the SCALE nuclear analysis code system. The multigroup covariance data are discussed here, along with testing and application results for critical benchmark experiments. The cross section covariance library, along with covariances for fission product yields and decay data, is used to compute uncertainties in the decay heat produced by a burned reactor fuel assembly.
The composite structure of the monsoon depression

A composite three dimensional structure of the monsoon depression has been constructed using five monsoon depression cases of 1973. The parameters considered for compositing are wind components, temperature, relative humidity, surface pressure, cloud cover and precipitation. The distributions of these parameters are obtained with respect to the depression center as origin. The results indicate that the depression is an intense low pressure system with a central pressure of 990 mb. The associated circulation is very vigorous. Strongest winds of about 50 kts are noted in the southwest. The analyses of the pressure and wind fields suggest that the horizontal scale of the depression is about 1500 km. The field of temperature anomaly clearly brings out the cold core structure of the depression. The precipitation pattern shows that the rainfall rates exceeding 120 mm in 24 hrs occur to the west of the depression. The vertical cross-sections through the center of the depression of horizontal wind components indicate that the depression is confined to the lower troposphere from the surface up to 400 mb. The region ahead of the depression is characterized by strong cyclonic vorticity, convergence and upward motion. Relatively weak anticyclonic vorticity, divergence and subsidence are noted behind the depression. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1977.tb00706.x
Potential effects of reopening and expanding the Suez Canal on the shipment cost of crude oil

Abstract This paper examines the likely consequences for the economics of tanker operations of reopening the Canal. Specifically, the focus of this analysis is upon the cost of shipping crude oil from the Persian Gulf to ports in Europe and the United States in ships that transit the Canal at least in ballast. Before the Canal was closed in 1967, the Egyptian Government had begun a program to deepen and widen the Canal to allow for laden passage by VLCCs, and recently has resumed that program. This study provides an analysis of the shipping economics for the Canal with both its 1967 limitations and for an expanded version which would allow for 265,000 DWT tankers to pass through laden by 1980.
Exploiting Process Imbalance to Improve MPI Collective Operations in Hierarchical Systems

This work improves the performance of MPI collective communication operations in the presence of imbalanced process arrival times. High performance collective communications are crucial for the performance and scalability of applications, and imbalanced process arrival times are common in these applications. A micro-benchmark is used to investigate the nature of process imbalance with perfectly balanced workloads, and understand the nature of inter- versus intra-node imbalance. These insights are then used to develop imbalance-tolerant reduction, broadcast, and all-to-all algorithms, which minimize the synchronization delay observed by early arriving processes. These algorithms have been implemented and tested on a Cray XE6 using up to 32k cores with varying buffer sizes and levels of imbalance. Results show speedups over MPICH averaging 18.9x for reduce, 5.3x for broadcast, and 6.9x for all-to-all in the presence of high, but not unreasonable, imbalance.
Comparative analysis of phagocytosis of fungal cells by insect hemocytes versus horse neutrophils.

In this study, the phagocytic ability of Spodoptera exigua hemocytes was compared to horse neutrophils. In vitro assays showed that the insect granulocytes and horse neutrophils actively phagocytose FITC-labeled Paecilomyces farinosus blastopores opsonized with S. exigua hemolymph lectin or horse serum, respectively. Killing of fungal cells by the neutrophils and hemocytes was analyzed under in vitro conditions. Neutrophils reduced the growth of P. farinosus up to 65% whereas no fungicidal activity was observed with hemocyte monolayers. The production of oxygen metabolites by both phagocytic cells incubated with various elicitors (fungal cells, bacteria, phorbol myristate acetate) was examined using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Phagocytosis of opsonized microbes by horse neutrophils resulted in marked increased of chemiluminescence activity whereas no chemiluminescence was detected in similary challenged phagocytic insect hemocytes. Electron microscopy was used to examine phagocytic events and confirmed that insect phagocytes were unable to kill tested microbes.
Structure-function relationship of biological gels revealed by multiple-particle tracking and differential interference contrast microscopy: The case of human lamin networks

Lamin $B1$ filaments organize into a thin dense meshwork underlying the nucleoplasmic side of the nuclear envelope. Recent experiments in vivo suggest that lamin $B1$ plays a key structural role in the nuclear envelope, but the intrinsic mechanical properties of lamin $B1$ networks remain unknown. To assess the potential mechanical contribution of lamin $B1$ in maintaining the integrity and providing structural support to the nucleus, we measured the micromechanical properties and examined the ultrastructural distribution of lamin $B1$ networks in vitro using particle tracking methods and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. We exploit various surface chemistries of the probe microspheres (carboxylated, polyethylene glycol-coated, and amine-modified) to differentiate lamin-rich from lamin-poor regions and to rigorously extract local viscoelastic moduli from the mean-squared displacements of noninteracting particles. Our results show that human lamin $B1$ can, even in the absence of auxiliary proteins, form stiff and yet extremely porous networks that are well suited to provide structural strength to the nuclear lamina. Combining DIC microscopy and particle tracking allows us to relate directly the local organization of a material to its local mechanical properties, a general methodology that can be extended to living cells.
Anoxic oxidation of arsenite linked to denitrification in sludges and sediments

Abstract In this study, denitrification linked to the oxidation of arsenite (As(III)) to arsenate (As(V)) was shown to be a widespread microbial activity in anaerobic sludge and sediment samples that were not previously exposed to arsenic contamination. When incubated with 0.5 mM As(III) and 10 mM NO 3 − , the anoxic oxidation of As(III) commenced within a few days, achieving specific activities of up to 1.24 mmol As(V) formed g −1 volatile suspended solids d −1 due to growth (doubling times of 0.74–1.4 d). The anoxic oxidation of As(III) was partially to completely inhibited by 1.5 and 5 mM As(III), respectively. Inhibition was minimized by adding As(III) adsorbed onto activated aluminum (AA). The oxidation of As(III) was shown to be linked to the complete denitrification of NO 3 − to N 2 by demonstrating a significantly enhanced production of N 2 beyond the background endogenous production as a result of adding As(III)–AA to the cultures. The N 2 production corresponded closely the expected stoichiometry of the reaction, 2.5 mol As(III) mol −1 N 2 –N. The oxidation of As(III) linked to the use of common-occurring nitrate as an electron acceptor may be an important missing link in the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic.
Taxonomy of the bouteloua repens complex

An investigation was made of grasses variously referred toBouteloua americana,B. filiformis, B. radicosa, B. repens, B. bromoides, B. heterostega, B. pubescens, andB. williamsii. Four of these species,B. americana, B. williamsii, B. repens, andB. radicosa, are maintained as separate taxa; the other four are reduced to synonymy underB. repens. Described as new isB. longiseta, with a tropical distribution from Oaxaca, Mexico, south to Honduras. Chromosome counts of 2n = 20 forB. williamsii and 2n = 40 forB. longiseta are the first for these taxa. Counts of 2n = 20, 2n = 40, and 2n = 60, and a few aneuploid numbers, are reported forB. repens
Analysis of Cheese Using Step-Scan Fourier Transform Infrared Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

The potential of Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FT-IR/PAS) for examination of food and the package was demonstrated. Full-fat cheddar cheese slices wrapped in polymer package were chosen as the food sample for analysis. Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) in conjunction with the step-scan and digital signal processing (DSP) function was used to perform depth-profiling studies of the intact sample and package. Well-separated PAS bands of fat and protein were obtained in the spectra of cheddar cheese samples with minimum sample preparation. Cheese samples were kept in a dessicator overnight to minimize the effect of moisture on the PAS spectra. Depth profiling study of the cheese polymer package indicated that there is a diffusion of cheese components into the package during storage. Index Headings: Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy; Step-scan; Digital signal processing; Cheese; Package, Depth profiling.
Prediction of acute mammalian toxicity of organophosphorus pesticide compounds from molecular structure.

Abstract A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) investigation was done for the acute oral mammalian toxicity (LD50) of a set of 54 organophosphorus pesticide compounds. The compounds were represented with calculated molecular structure descriptors, which encoded their topological, electronic, and geometrical features. Feature selection was done with a genetic algorithm to find subsets of descriptors that would support a high quality computational neural network (CNN) model to link the structural descriptors to the - log(mmol/kg) values for the compounds. The best seven-descriptor non-linear CNN model found had an rms error of 0.22 log units for the training set compounds and 0.25 log units for the prediction set compounds.
Development of a theoretical screening tool to assess caries risk in Nevada youth.

Objectives One objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of caries among Nevada youth, subsequently comparing these data with national statistics. A second objective was to identify the risk factors associated with caries prevalence and severity in order to develop and tailor a theoretical screening tool for this cohort for future validation. Methods Researchers computed the prevalence rates of dental caries (D-score) and severity rates of decayed, missing, and filled teeth indices in a cohort of 9202 students, 13 to 18 years of age, attending public/private schools in the 2005/2006 academic year. Multiple regression established which of the 13 variables significantly contributed to caries risk, subsequently using logistic regression to ascertain the weight of contribution and odds ratios of significant variables. Results Living in counties with no municipal water fluoridation, increased exposure to environmental smoke, minority race, living in rural communities, and increasing age were the largest significant contributors (respectively). Exposure to tobacco, being female, lack of dental insurance, increased body mass index risk, and lack of dental sealants were also significant, but to a lesser extent. Nonsignificant factors included socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and family history of diabetes. Conclusions This study confirmed high caries prevalence and severity and identified significant risk factors for inclusion in a theoretical risk screening tool for future validation and translation for use in the early detection of caries risk in Nevada youth.
Groundwater Management and Salinity Control: A Case Study in Northwest Mexico

Policy issues associated with the management of a coastal groundwater aquifer and soil salinity are examined for an irrigation area in northwest Mexico. The primary policy issues are the intertemporal rate of use of the groundwater stock, the allocation of water between irrigation and leaching, and the selection of crops. A management model, cast in a dynamic programming format, indicates that the aquifer should be mined at a rapid rate near the beginning of the planning horizon, gradually decline through time, and converge to safe yield after twenty-nine years. Further, a larger percentage of total water use should be allocated to leaching to maintain soil salinity at lower levels.
Cluster-based parallel image processing toolkit

Many image processing tasks exhibit a high degree of data locality and parallelism and map quite readily to specialized massively parallel computing hardware. However, as network technologies continue to mature, workstation clusters are becoming a viable and economical parallel computing resource, so it is important to understand how to use these environments for parallel image processing as well. In this paper we discuss our implementation of parallel image processing software library (the Parallel Image Processing Toolkit). The Toolkit uses a message- passing model of parallelism designed around the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the parallel speedup obtained with the Parallel Image Processing Toolkit in a typical workstation cluster over a wide variety of image processing tasks. We also discuss load balancing and the potential for parallelizing portions of image processing tasks that seem to be inherently sequential, such as visualization and data I/O.
A systematic approach for radiographically evaluating joint disease in the foot

A methodic analysis of foot radiographs is valuable when evaluating for joint disease. The author presents a system that allows the interpreter to establish a list of expected differential diagnoses. This is especially useful when the arthritide does not present with its classic radiographic appearance.
A Logarithmic Voltage Quantizer

This paper describes an analog to digital converter which converts voltage into a number which is proportional to the logarithm of the voltage. The device is completely automatic. It can handle input data at the rate of 10,000 voltage samples per second. The accuracy of conversion or quantization is determined by the designer's selection of the circuit parameters. The Radiation Laboratory quantizer has a maximum quantization error of 5 per cent. Samples of duration greater than .5 microsecond can be quantized.
T Lymphocytes Promote the Antiviral and Inflammatory Responses of Airway Epithelial Cells

Hypothesis: T cells modulate the antiviral and inflammatory responses of airway epithelial cells to human rhinoviruses (HRV). Methods: Differentiated primary human nasal epithelial cells (HNEC) grown on collagen-coated filters were exposed apically to HRV14 for 6 h, washed thoroughly and co-cultured with anti-CD3/CD28 activated T cells added in the basolateral compartment for 40 h. Results: HRV14 did not induce IFNc, NOS2, CXCL8 and IL-6 in HNEC, but enhanced expression of the T cell attractant CXCL10. On the other hand, HNEC co-cultured with activated T cells produced CXCL10 at a level several orders of magnitude higher than that induced by HRV14. Albeit to a much lower degree, activated T cells also induced CXCL8, IL-6 and NOS2. Anti-IFNc antibodies and TNF soluble receptor completely blocked CXCL10 upregulation. Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between epithelial CXCL10 mRNA expression and the amounts of IFNc and TNF secreted by T cells. Likewise, increasing numbers of T cells to a constant number of HNEC in co-cultures resulted in increasing epithelial CXCL10 production, attaining a plateau at high IFNc and TNF levels. Hence, HNEC activation by T cells is induced mainly by IFNc and/or TNF. Activated T cells also markedly inhibited viral replication in HNEC, partially through activation of the nitric oxide pathway. Conclusion: Cross-talk between T cells and HNEC results in activation of the latter and increases their contribution to airway inflammation and virus clearance.
Instability of a novel multicolored flower trait in inbred and outcrossed soybean lines

A novel, multicolored flower trait with pink and purple sectors or pink and purple flowers on the same plant was found in the soybean line LN89-5320-8-53 that was derived from stocks containing the wp allele for pink flower color. Some all purple flowered or all pink flowered lines derived from the original mutable plant were inherited in a stable manner. However, many plants that are all pink or all purple flowered do not remain stable and they switch back to other phenotypes during inbreeding. High rates of somatic instability and reversions of the wp locus were observed during self-fertilization in which the percent of plants with multicolored flowers ranged from 0.3 to 28%. In contrast to the behavior of this trait during selfing, the instability of the wp-m allele is not transmissible during outcrossing and stabilizes to the recessive pink phenotype in the F2 plants. In addition, we demonstrate that other mutable alleles for seed color (r-m) and flower color (w4-m) do not interact genetically with stable pink derivatives of the wp-m allele when combined by crossing. In addition, the mutability of the w4-m allele is also reduced in crosses to the pink line. Similarly, stable white derivatives of the w4-m locus are not activated by the wp-m mutable allele. The opposite behaviors displayed by the wp-m mutable allele during selfing and outcrossing is unusual compared to other unstable soybean alleles and to mutable alleles resulting from transposable element insertions and excisions in many plant genes. Finally, we demonstrate that novel soybean seed coat colors are produced by a pleiotropic effect of the wp/wp flower color genotype in combination with the homozygous i/i genotype for seed color and that the wp, i, and t loci segregate independently.
Evidence of Wadati‐Benioff zone triggering following the Mw 7.9 Little Sitkin, Alaska intermediate depth earthquake of 23 June 2014

The 23 June 2014 Mw=7.9 earthquake that struck the Rat Islands region of Alaska was a rare intermediate-depth event followed by a vigorous aftershock sequence. The earthquake's location within a regional network has allowed us to study it in rich detail. Double-difference relocations of aftershocks and static stress modeling reveal some intriguing features; most aftershocks are not located on the main shock rupture plane, but are concentrated in the adjacent Wadati-Benioff zone in areas of increased stress. Further, a secondary plane of seismicity aligns well with a moderately dipping nodal plane reported by the Global Centroid Moment Tensor Project, and the separation of these locations and the main shock hypocenter from the slab indicates that the main shock ruptured into the oceanic mantle.
The Effect of Emotional Distance on Psychophysiologic Concordance and Perceived Empathy Between Patient and Interviewer

This preliminary study investigated the effect of emotional distance on psychophysiologic concordance and perceived empathy in a clinical population. Participants included 20 adult outpatients from a mental health clinic that underwent a brief semi-structured interview with a trained psychiatrist in either an emotionally neutral or an emotionally distant condition. Simultaneous skin conductance (SC) levels of the patient and interviewer were recorded and used to calculate a measure of psychophysiologic concordance. Interviewer gaze was rated by an independent observer and used as a proxy indicator of emotional distance. Observer ratings of interviewer gaze, SC concordance, and patient ratings of perceived interviewer empathy were significantly lower in the emotionally distant condition compared with the emotionally neutral condition (p < 0.05). Results suggest that increased emotional distance is associated with decreased psychophysiologic concordance and reduced subjective ratings of perceived empathy. The observed differences in psychophysiologic concordance support the use of this measure as a potential marker of empathy in a clinical population in an interview setting.
Some determinants of the reinforcing and punishing effects of timeout

Some determinants of the reinforcing and punishing properties of timeout were investigated in two experiments. Experiment I began as an attempt to reduce the frequency of tantrums in a 6-yr-old autistic girl by using timeout. Unexpectedly, the result was a substantial increase in the frequency of tantrums. Using a reversal design, subsequent manipulations showed that the opportunity to engage in self-stimulatory behavior during the timeout period was largely responsible for the increase in tantrums. Experiment II was initiated following the failure of timeout to reduce the spitting and self-injurious behavior of a 16-yr-old retarded boy. Using a multiple-baseline design, the nature of the timein environment was shown to be an important determinant of the effects of timeout. When the timein environment was "enriched", timeout was effective as a punisher. A conception of timeout in terms of the relative reinforcing properties of timein and timeout and their clinical implications are discussed.
Trop2 expression contributes to tumor pathogenesis by activating the ERK MAPK pathway

Trop2 is a cell-surface glycoprotein overexpressed by a variety of epithelial carcinomas with reported low to restricted expression in normal tissues. Expression of Trop2 has been associated with increased tumor aggressiveness, metastasis and decreased patient survival, but the signaling mechanisms mediated by Trop2 are still unknown. Here, we studied the effects murine Trop2 (mTrop2) exerted on tumor cellular functions and some of the signaling mechanisms activated by this oncogene. mTrop2 expression significantly increased tumor cell proliferation at low serum concentration, migration, foci formation and anchorage-independent growth. These in vitro characteristics translated to increased tumor growth in both subcutaneous and orthotopic pancreatic cancer murine models and also led to increased liver metastasis. mTrop2 expression also increased the levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 mediating cell cycle progression by increasing the levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin E as well as downregulating p27. The activation of ERK was also observed in human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells and colorectal adenocarcinoma cells overexpressing human Trop2. These findings demonstrate some of the pathogenic effects mediated by mTrop2 expression on cancer cells and the importance of targeting this cell surface glycoprotein. This study also provides the first indication of a molecular signaling pathway activated by Trop2 which has important implications for cancer cell growth and survival.
Mining recommendations from the web

In this paper we study the challenges and evaluate the effectiveness of data collected from the web for recommendations. We provide experimental results, including a user study, showing that our methods produce good recommendations in realistic applications. We propose a new evaluation metric, that takes into account the difficulty of prediction. We show that the new metric aligns well with the results from a user study.
Pyoderma gangrenosum after totally implanted central venous access device insertion

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an aseptic skin disease. The ulcerative form of pyoderma gangrenosum is characterized by a rapidly progressing painful irregular and undermined bordered necrotic ulcer. The aetiology of pyoderma gangrenosum remains unclear. In about 70% of cases, it is associated with a systemic disorder, most often inflammatory bowel disease, haematological disease or arthritis. In 25–50% of cases, a triggering factor such as recent surgery or trauma is identified. Treatment consists of local and systemic approaches. Systemic steroids are generally used first. If the lesions are refractory, steroids are combined with other immunosuppressive therapy or to antimicrobial agents. A 90 years old patient with myelodysplastic syndrome, seeking regular transfusions required totally implanted central venous access device (Port-a-Cath®) insertion. Fever and inflammatory skin reaction at the site of insertion developed on the seventh post-operative day, requiring the device's explanation. A rapid progression of the skin lesions evolved into a circular skin necrosis. Intravenous steroid treatment stopped the necrosis' progression. Early diagnosis remains the most important step to the successful treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum.
Some aspects of transductor design, with particular reference to discharge-lamp circuits

The design of transductors for dimming discharge lamps gives rise to certain problems whose solution is of interest in a wider field of application. The combination of these non-sinusoidal devices raises in an acute form the question of the general validity of transductor characteristic curves. It is shown that within certain limitations the use of these characteristics is justified. The wide range of load current required in this application is discussed in connection with the magnetic properties of the core material. Some of the effects of varying the curvature of the knee of the saturation curve are mentioned. Discrepancies between theory and practice are discussed with reference to a specific design.
Nurses’ Ethical Conflicts in Performance of Utilization Reviews:

This article describes the ethical conflicts that a sample of US nurse utilization reviewers faced in their work, and also each nurse's self-reported ethical orientation that was used to resolve the dilemmas. Data were collected from a sample of 97 registered nurses who were working at least 20 hours per week as utilization reviewers. Respondents were recruited from three managed care organizations that conduct utilization reviews in a large midwestern city. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect demographic data and to ask closed-response, short-answer and open-ended questions. Ethical conflicts reported by nurses were similar across utilization review settings and many were justice orientated. Self-reported ethical orientations were similar across organizations, with beneficence dominating. Implications of these findings are discussed.