cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Segmental reflex therapy for neurogenic contractures— a clinical study

The relaxation of spastic contracted muscles by the application of topical anaesthesia with benzocaine solution to the overlying skin was described by Sabbahi et al. in 1981, but was not confirmed by other authors. In 1989, Wolf and Minsk challenged Sabbahi et al.'s findings, bringing controversy to the subject. In this study, topical anaesthesia was repeated with one important modification: benzocaine was applied not only to the skin overlying the muscle, but segmentally to the entire dermatome, including the paravertebral area. The observed effect was seen in muscular relaxation at least equal to that described by Sabbahi et al., but surpassing it by far in duration. Case presentations are given. Segmental anaesthesia of the skin using the dermatomo-myotomic reflex is a simple and efficient procedure which deserves to be accepted in the management of neurogenic contractures.
Structure determination by restrained molecular dynamics using NMR pseudocontact shifts as experimentally determined constraints.

The structure of a DNA octamer d(TTGGCCAA)2 complexed to chromomycin-A3 and a single divalent cobalt ion has been solved by using the pseudocontact shifts due to the unpaired electrons on the cobal...
PREGNANEDIOL EXCRETION IN NORMAL WOMEN

MANY previous workers (1–7) have reported observations on the urinary excretion of pregnanediol during the normal menstrual cycle. Most of the results recorded have been obtained by the method of Venning (8, 9) which isolates pregnanediol as the complex, sodium pregnanediol glucuronidate. Difficulties with the Venning method have led to the development of more sensitive, reliable procedures which isolate pregnanediol in the free state. Relatively few observations on pregnanediol excretion in the normal menstrual cycle have been made by such methods (10, 11). It is the purpose of this paper to present further measurements of the daily excretion of pregnanediol determined in the free state in normal menstrual cycles correlated with the basal body temperature and to discuss the significance of pregnanediol excretion. METHODS The pregnanediol determinations were done by a modification developed by Astwood, Grady, and Wermer (12) of the method reported by Astwood and Jones in 1941 (13). The details of the proc...
Imaging the sources and full extent of the sodium tail of the planet Mercury

Observations of sodium emission from Mercury can be used to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of sources and sinks in the planet s surface-boundary-exosphere. We report on new data sets that provide the highest spatial resolution of source regions at polar latitudes, as well as the extraordinary length of a tail of escaping Na atoms. The tail s extent of approx.1.5 degrees (nearly 1400 Mercury radii) is driven by radiation pressure effects upon Na atoms sputtered from the surface in the previous approx.5 hours. Wide-angle filtered-imaging instruments are thus capable of studying the time history of sputtering processes of sodium and other species at Mercury from ground-based observatories in concert with upcoming satellite missions to the planet. Plasma tails produced by photo-ionization of Na and other gases in Mercury s neutral tails may be observable by in-situ instruments.
Erratum to: Words can slow down category learning

Words have been shown to influence many cognitive tasks, including category learning. Most demonstrations of these effects have focused on instances in which words facilitate performance. One possibility is that words augment representations, predicting an acrossthe-board benefit of words during category learning. We propose that words shift attention to dimensions that have been historically predictive in similar contexts. Under this account, there should be cases in which words are detrimental to performance. The results from two experiments show that words impair learning of object categories under some conditions. Experiment 1 shows that words hurt performance when learning to categorize by texture. Experiment 2 shows that words also hurt when learning to categorize by brightness, leading to selectively attending to shape when both shape and hue could be used to correctly categorize stimuli. We suggest that both the positive and negative effects of words have developmental origins in the history of word usage while learning categories. The online version of the original article can be found at http://dx.doi. org/10.3758/s13423-011-0103-z. C. L. Brojde (*) :C. Porter : E. Colunga Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA e-mail: chandrab@colorado.edu Psychon Bull Rev (2011) 18:1033 DOI 10.3758/s13423-011-0146-1
A New Two-Phase to Six-Phase Transformer Connection of One Hundred Per cent Apparatus Economy

A new transformer connection of 100 per cent apparatus economy is described for transformation from two-phase to six-phase and vice versa. Its merits from various standpoints are compared with those of the Scott and the Woodbridge connections.
Enhanced catalyst utilization in PEM fuel cells via ultrafast laser modification of the polymer exchange membrane surface

The only viable PEM-based fuel cell catalyst systems documented to date contain significant fractions of noble metals. Approaches to lowering the necessary content of these costly materials consist of at least some combination of (1) developing novel catalyst materials that contain alternative materials, and (2) creating ultra high surface area catalyst structures that allow for efficient use of the functional catalyst surfaces. In addressing the latter, we disclose here a fully novel methodology for augmenting the functional surface area of a membrane surface: ultrafast/femtosecond laser modification. This type of photon/solid interaction can result in unexpected morphologies as a result of the exceptionally high energy and short duration photon packets that are exploited. Results include morphological analyses as well as electrochemical testing which are combined to conclusively indicate that this approach is viable.
Bioavailability of desorption-resistant phenanthrene to the oligochaete Ilyodrilus templetoni.

We investigated bioavailability, as measured by the biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF), of reversibly sorbed and desorption-resistant phenanthrene to the deposit-feeding freshwater tubificid oligochaete Ilyodrilus templetoni. Desorption-resistant, phenanthrene-contaminated sediments were prepared by a sequential batch desorption method by washing with an iso-propanol solution. The BSAFs averaged 1.20 ± 0.32 and 0.59 ± 0.13 for reversibly sorbed phenanthrene and desorption-resistant phenanthrene, respectively, indicating a significantly reduced bioavailability of desorption-resistant phenanthrene. A generalized model assuming a linear relationship between pore-water concentration and normalized bioaccumulation described 91% of the variance for both measured and selected literature data of the BSAF. The reduced bioavailibility of desorption-resistant phenanthrene was thus well described by physical and chemical measures of partitioning between pore water and sediment.
Spectroscopy of Sound Transmission in Solid Samples

These laboratory experiments are designed to familiarize students with concepts of spectroscopy by using sound waves. Topics covered in these experiments include the structure of nitinol alloys and polymer chain stiffness as a function of structure and temperature. Generally, substances that are stiffer or have higher symmetry at the molecular level transmit sound more effectively, and the higher pitched sounds that they produce upon impact can be heard and visually observed using a laptop microphone and SpectrumView freeware. This lab is designed for use in an introductory undergraduate chemistry course, although the techniques can be used for more and less advanced courses. Additional related classroom demonstrations are also presented.
Revisiting “Color Names and Color Notions”: A Contemporary Examination of the Language and Attitudes of Skin Color Among Young Black Women

Employing the pioneering work of Charles Parrish as a basis of comparison, this study serves as a follow-up to “Color Names and Color Notions” by deconstructing the contemporary language and attitudes surrounding skin color. Nine focus groups with 58 black women between the ages of 18 and 25 reveal that the color names and color notions offered were consistent with many of the terms and stereotypes that Parrish found, thereby indicating that there has been no change in colorist ideology among African Americans. Participants discussed 40 color names regularly employed to describe light, medium, and dark skin tones. The terms and attitudes associated with light skin tones were generally negative; conversely, the terms and attitudes associated with dark skin tones were derogatory. The language and beliefs connected to medium skin tones indicate that colorism operates as a three-tiered structure rather than the traditionally situated binary paradigm.
Characterization and genetic mapping of simple repeat sequences in the tomato genome

Tomato genomic libraries were screened for the presence of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) with seventeen synthetic oligonucleotide probes, consisting of 2- to 5-basepair motifs repeated in tandem. GAn and GTn sequences were found to occur most frequently in the tomato genome (every 1.2 Mb), followed by ATTn and GCCn (every 1.4 Mb and 1.5 Mb, respectively). In contrast, only ATn and GAn microsatellites (n > 7) were found to be frequent in the GenBank database, suggesting that other motifs may be preferentially located away from genes. Polymorphism of microsatellites was measured by PCR amplification of individual loci or by Southern hybridization, using a set of ten tomato cultivars. Surprisingly, only two of the nine microsatellite clones surveyed (five GTn, three GAn and one ATTn), showed length variation among these accessions. Polymorphism was also very limited betweenLycopersicon esculentum andL. pennelli, two distant species. Southern analysis using the seventeen oligonucleotide probes identified GATAn and GAAAn as useful motifs for the detection of multiple polymorphic fragments among tomato cultivars. To determine the structure of microsatellite loci, a GAn probe was used for hybridization at low stringency on a small insert genomic library, and randomly selected clones were analyzed. GAn based motifs of increasing complexity were found, indicating that simple dinucleotide sequences may have evolved into larger tandem repeats such as minisatellites as a result of basepair substitution, replication slippage, and possibly unequal crossing-over. Finally, we genetically mapped loci corresponding to two amplified microsatellites, as well as nine large hypervariable fragments detected by Southern hybridization with a GATA8 probe. All loci are located around putative tomato centromeres. This may contribute to understanding of the structure of centromeric regions in tomato.
Light-Induced Melting of Colloidal Crystals in Two Dimensions

We demonstrate that particles confined to two dimensions (2D) and subjected to a one-dimensional (1D) periodic potential exhibit a rich phase diagram, with both ``locked floating solids'' and smectic phases. The resulting phases and phase transitions are studied as a function of temperature and potential strength. We find reentrant melting as a function of the potential strength. Our results lead to universal predictions consistent with recent experiments on 2D colloids in the presence of a laser-induced 1D periodic potential.
A comparison of methods of fitting several models to nutritional response data

A variety of models have been proposed to fit nutritional input-output response data. The models are typically nonlinear; therefore, fitting the models usually requires sophisticated statistical software and training to use it. An alternative tool for fitting nutritional response models was developed by using widely available and easier-to-use Microsoft Excel software. The tool, implemented as an Excel workbook (NRM.xls), allows simultaneous fitting and side-by-side comparisons of several popular models. This study compared the results produced by the tool we developed and PROC NLIN of SAS. The models compared were the broken line (ascending linear and quadratic segments), saturation kinetics, 4-parameter logistics, sigmoidal, and exponential models. The NRM.xls workbook provided results nearly identical to those of PROC NLIN. Furthermore, the workbook successfully fit several models that failed to converge in PROC NLIN. Two data sets were used as examples to compare fits by the different models. The results suggest that no particular nonlinear model is necessarily best for all nutritional response data.
Muscarinic receptor activation facilitates the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the rat dentate gyrus

Bath application of two different concentrations of muscarine produced two different effects on evoked responses in the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices. A concentration of 1 μM muscarine did not affect the evoked population spike or excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP), but facilitated the induction of LTP. In contrast, a concentration of 10 μM muscarine depressed both the population spike and EPSP, but had no effect on LTP induction. The M1 muscarinic receptor antagonist pirenzepine (1 μM) blocked the muscarine-induced facilitation of LTP, but had no effect on the depression of evoked responses. These data suggest that activation of M1 receptors can facilitate the induction of LTP.
Diabetes and preimplantation events of embryogenesis.

Abstract From animal and human studies is it clear that mammalian embryos are vulnerable to injury during the earliest preimplantation stages of development. Exposure to some agents during this brief period has resulted not only in fetal loss but also in malformations. Thus, the potential for maternal induced embryotoxicity exists earlier than previously expected. This period is marked by a drastic change in metabolic needs at the late morula stage. Glucose becomes the predominant exogenous energy substrate and enters the blastocyst via one of three facilitative glucose transporters, GLUT1, GLUT2, and GLUT3. It has been shown that maternal diabetes adversely affects the preimplantation embryo. Recent work has revealed that hyperglycemia leads to a downregulation of the GLUTs at the blastocyst stage in the mouse. This downregulation results in decreased glucose transport into the blastocyst of diabetic mice and thus lower intraembryonic free glucose levels. The embryos are starving themselves of the key substrate necessary for survival. Maternal diabetes also causes a decrease in the number of cells in rat blastocyst and recently hyperglycemia has been shown to induce apoptosis in the mouse blastocyst via cell death effector pathways involving BAX and caspases. Significant loss of key progenitor cells from the blastocyst may predispose these diabetic embryos to later developmental deficiencies manifesting as dysmorphogenesis, fetal loss or early growth delay. The hypothesis that the hyperglycemia-induced decrease in glucose transport triggers apoptosis is presented and discussed as a novel mechanism to explain preimplantation diabetic embryopathy.
Joy and sorrow: Explaining Chinese caregivers' reward and stress

Abstract This study explores positive and negative aspects of Chinese caregivers' experience, specifically, caregiving social reward as well as depression. Based on data collected in 1997–1999 with 110 caregivers who were then taking care of physically dependent parents or parents-in-law, this study finds that caregivers caring for elder parents with pensions reported higher levels of social rewards. Caregivers who were unemployed and had poor self-rated health reported higher levels of depression. Cultural values were found to have two dimensions of effect on caregiving experiences: while caregivers' report of strong filial responsibility was positively related to caregivers' depression scores, caregivers' report of social pressure was negatively related to their report of social reward. The author argues that the dual effect of family economic conditions and caregivers' cultural values calls for greater attention to elders' financial stability and caregivers' psychological well-being.
Estimating the effects of the onset of the energy crisis on residential energy demand

Abstract The onset of the energy crisis as indicated by the start of the Arab oil embargo gave both the private and public sector incentive to reduce the domestic demand for natural gas and oil. Through several mechanisms the residential consumer was encouraged to reduce the demand for energy in the home. We examine a community of almost-identical owner-occupied townhouses to assess the degree to which these mechanisms were effective. The homogeneity of the community removes many sources of variation which would plague an analysis of a random sample of American homes. The demand for natural gas, a fuel which is used only for space heating in our townhouses, was reduced significantly but the demand for electricity was unaffected by the onset of the crisis.
Vertical versus planar neural induction in Rana pipiens embryos.

Abstract The neural plate in the amphibian embryo is induced in the ectoderm by signals from the dorsal mesoderm. In the extensively studied species Xenopus laevis, such signals are believed to proceed along two alternate pathways, defined as vertical and planar induction. We have studied the relative importance of these pathways in Rana pipiens. In the embryo of this frog, dorsal mesoderm involution can be diverted from its normal course by injection of peptides that inhibit interaction of fibronectin with its receptor. In such embryos, dorsal mesoderm failed to migrate across the blastocoel roof but moved bilaterally along the equator, leading to the formation of two notochords. Neural tissue differentiation occurred in close association with each notochord, but no neural tissue formed along the dorsal midline as might have been predicted by a predominantly planar induction model. While in X. laevis planar induction has been reported to be a major pathway in neuralizing the ecoderm, the results presented here indicate that vertical induction predominates in initiating neural development in R. pipiens embryos.
Understanding all of water’s anomalies with a nonlocal potential

Though water in its liquid state is of central importance to a vast number of problems in the sciences, in engineering, and in health and environmentally related areas, it remains a mysterious and misunderstood material. It seems to violate the very basis of our 20th century scientific training—starting from first principles. For this reason, one of the most important of all scientific problems remains in a chaotic state of understanding, stifling progress in many other fields. Many scientists feel that this old problem must surely have been solved, or for other reasons is simply not worth worrying about, and continue to visualize water in incorrect ways. However, it is noteworthy that not until our own recent work was any one of the roughly ten anomalous properties of this liquid understood at a molecular level. In fact, it is rather easy to show that every intermolecular potential model currently used for water has the same basic flaw—too great a dominance by Coulomb terms. This flaw prevents such models from providing a realistic picture of water’s anomalous properties. Since water is more and more becoming considered not simply a solvent but an integral part of chemical and biological systems, it is now urgent to determine its true character. One has first to create a “working model” that is consistent with water’s anomalies. Next, because the “first principle” understanding of water extends only from the monomer to nanoscale clusters, a new intermolecular potential, whose consequences extend beyond nanoscale, is proposed. The success of this new potential in helping to explain all the anomalies supports the view that our new “working model” can provide a valid molecular-level description of this material.
Antihypertensive and renoprotective efficacy and safety of losartan. A long-term study in children with renal disorders.

Background Hypertension is a major risk factor for progressive renal failure. We assessed the long term efficacy and safety of losartan in lowering blood pressure (BP) and in preserving renal function in hypertensive children with chronic renal disorders. Methods Losartan was used in 45 consecutive hypertensive children with chronic renal parenchymal disorders and mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 99.4 mL/min/1.73 m2. Of the children, 21 had hypertension alone (H) and 24 had both hypertension and proteinuria (H+P). Assessment was done at baseline and at preselected time points: visit I, 1 year. Both BP control and GFR were the principal outcome measures, and proteinuria was a secondary outcome measure. Results The mean age was 12.85 years and follow-up was 2.42 years (visit IV). Compared with baseline the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP (MABP) fell by 9 to 12 mm Hg (all P < .01) in visit I. Diastolic BP and MABP remained significantly lower in all visits (P < .05 to .001), whereas systolic BP was not statistically lower in visit II. In visit IV the proportion of normotensive children increased significantly compared with baseline (P < .03 for systolic BP, P < .0004 for diastolic BP). In the H+P subgroup, optimal reduction in proteinuria ranging from 66% to 71% occurred in visits II to IV (all P < .01). Mean GFR declined at a rate of 9.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 /year before starting losartan, and 1.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 /year subsequently (P = NS). On long term follow-up, GFR fell by 15.9 mL/min/1.73 m2 in the H subgroup and by 5.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 in the H+P subgroup (P = NS). There was no correlation between BP measures and GFR or between the magnitude of BP lowering and proteinuria. Adverse effects (one serious) led to discontinuation of losartan in five children (11%). Conclusions Losartan therapy was associated with prolonged and sustained antihypertensive and renoprotective benefits in children with a variety of chronic renal parenchymal disorders. Such benefit may be more pronounced in children with combined hypertension and proteinuria. The agent was well tolerated in the majority of the children.
Ties That Bind? Leverage, Linkage, and Democratization in the Post-Cold War World

The end of the Cold War posed an unprecedented challenge to authoritarian regimes (see Whitehead 1996). The collapse of the Soviet Union, the ascendance of Western democracies, and the virtual disappearance of legitimate regime alternatives created powerful incentives for developing world elites to adopt formal democratic institutions. As a result, overtly authoritarian regimes disappeared from much of the globe, giving way, in most cases, to regimes based on multiparty elections. However, many of these emerging electoral regimes were not democracies. In countries as diverse as Belarus, Cambodia, Croatia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Serbia, Slovakia, Russia, Ukraine, Zambia, and Zimbabwe during the 1990s, competitive elections coexisted with substantial abuse of democratic procedures.17 We call these regimes competitive authoritarian: civilian regimes in which democratic institutions exist and permit meaningful competition for power, but in which the political playing field is so heavily tilted in favor of incumbents that the regime cannot be labeled democratic (Levitsky and Way 2002). Contrary to many expectations, these regimes were not simply “in transition” to democracy. Although some competitive authoritarian regimes democratized during the post-Cold War period (Croatia, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Taiwan), others remained stable and authoritarian (Cambodia, Cameroon, Malaysia, Russia, Zimbabwe). In other cases (Zambia in 1991, Ukraine in 1994, Georgia in 2003), autocratic governments fell but regimes nevertheless failed to democratize. These diverging regime paths were heavily influenced by countries' relationships to the West. To understand this variation, it is useful to treat the post-Cold War international environment as operating along two dimensions: Western leverage, or governments' vulnerability to external pressure, and linkage to the West, or the density of a country's ties to the United States, the European Union (EU), and Western-led multilateral institutions. Western leverage may be defined as governments' vulnerability to external democratizing pressure. International actors may exert leverage in a …
Fluorescence lifetime imaging of nuclear DNA: effect of fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Background DNA fluorescence dyes have been used to study DNA dynamics, chromatin structure, and cell cycle analysis. However, most microscopic fluorescence studies of DNA use only steady-state measurements and do not take advantage of the additional information content of the time-resolved fluorescence. In this paper, we combine fluorescence imaging of DNA with time-resolved measurements to examine the proximity of donors and acceptors bound to chromatin. Methods We used frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to study the spatial distribution of DNA-bound donors and acceptors in fixed 3T3 nuclei. Over 50 cell nuclei were imaged in the presence of an AT-specific donor, Hoechst 33258 (Ho), and a GC-specific acceptor, 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD). Results The intensity images of Ho alone showed a spatially irregular distribution due to the various concentrations of DNA or AT-rich DNA throughout the nuclei. The lifetime imaging of the Ho-stained nuclei was typically flat. Addition of 7-AAD decreased the fluorescence intensity and lifetime of the Ho-stained DNA. The spatially dependent phase and modulation values of Ho in the presence of 7-AAD showed that the Ho decay becomes nonexponential, as is expected for a resonance energy transfer (RET) with multiple acceptors located over a range of distances. In approximately 40 nuclei, the intensity and lifetime decrease was spatially homogeneous. In approximately 10 nuclei, addition of 7-AAD resulted in a spatially nonhomogeneous decrease in intensity and lifetime. The RET efficiency was higher in G2/M than in G0/1 phase cells. Conclusions Because RET efficiency depends on the average distance between Ho and 7-AAD, data suggest that the heterogeneity of lifetimes and spatial variation of the RET efficiency are caused by the presence of highly condensed regions of DNA in nuclei. Cytometry 41:178–185, 2000 © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Timing of videofluoroscopic, manometric events, and bolus transit during the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing

The aims of this study were to evaluate and quantify the timing of events associated with the oral and pharyngeal phases of liquid swallows. For this purpose, we recorded 0–20 ml barium swallows in three groups of volunteers using videoradiographic, electromyographic, and manometric methods. The study findings indicated that a leading complex of tongue tip and tongue base movement as well as onset of superior hyoid movement and mylohyoid myoelectric activity occurred in a tight temporal relationship at the inception of swallowing. Two distinct general types of normal swallows were observed. The common “incisor-type” swallow began with the bolus positioned on the tongue with the tongue tip pressed against the upper incisors and maxillary alveolar ridge. At the onset of the “dipper-type” swallow the bolus was located beneath the anterior tongue and the tongue tip scooped the bolus to a supralingual location. Beginning with tongue-tip peristaltic movement at the upper incisors, the two swallow types were identical. Swallow events that occurred after lingual peristaltic movement at the maxillary incisors showed a volume-dependent forward migration in time that led to earlier movement of the hyoid and larynx as well as earlier opening of the upper esophageal sphincter in order to receive the large boluses that arrived sooner in the pharynx during the swallow sequence than did smaller boluses. The study findings indicated that timing of swallow events should be considered in reference to both swallow type and bolus volume. The findings also indicated an important distinction between peristaltic transit and bolus clearance.
Optimal control for quasi-Newtonian flows with defective boundary conditions

We consider a generalized-Newtonian fluid with defective boundary conditions where only flow rates or mean pressures are prescribed on parts of boundary. The defect boundary condition problem is formulated as an optimal control problem in which a Neumann or Dirichlet boundary control is used for matching given flow rates or mean pressures. For the constrained optimization problem an optimality system is derived from which a solution of the problem is obtained. Computational algorithms are discussed and numerical results are also presented.
Unnecessary Child Care Exclusions in a State That Endorses National Exclusion Guidelines

OBJECTIVE No study has evaluated the association between state endorsement of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Public Health Association (APHA) national guidelines and unnecessary exclusion decisions. We sought to determine the rate of unnecessary exclusion decisions by child care directors in a state that endorses AAP/APHA guidelines and to identify factors that are associated with higher unnecessary exclusion decisions.
Pharmacognostical study of American berberis.

A historical survey of the drug berberis and its various therapeutic uses is presented. A comparative and detailed study is given of Berberis aquifolium, Berberis nervosa, and Berberis boliviana, consisting of morphological description; gross-structure study of the overground portions and the roots and rhizomes; detailed histological study and descriptions, dianostic histological elements, cell sizes, and cell-contents of powdered roots and rfizomes; and the compilation of a table of information helpful in establishing and detecting the botanical origin of powdered berberis. A complete histological study of the roots and rhizomes of Berberis boliviana, comparatively new in this country, is reported for the first time.
Psychophysiological and subjective indices of emotion as a function of age and gender

Old, middle-aged and young persons of both genders were presented with slides containing pictorial stimuli that varied in emotional content. Each picture was rated on three dimensions: (1) valence; (2) arousal; and (3) dominance, using a 25-point scale. Heart rate, skin conductance, and forehead and cheek EMG were recorded during each slide presentation. The old and middle-aged groups showed greatly attenuated psychophysiological responses, compared to the young group. However, the old and middle-aged subjects used more extreme ratings than the young subjects on both the valence and arousal dimensions. Females were more valence-sensitive than males, but males in general used more extreme ratings of arousal than females. These results suggest a tendency to report increased felt emotion but decreased physiological response to emotional stimuli across the life span.
Sympathetic Activation of A-Delta Nociceptors

Primary afferent units in the saphenous nerve of cats, functionally identified as A-delta myelinated nociceptors, were tested for their responses to stimulation of the sympathetic trunk. The units were subdivided functionally into A-mechano-heat receptors (AMHs), which respond to both noxious heat and pressure, and high-threshold mechanoreceptors (HTMs), which respond only to pressure.No units of either subdivision were activated by sympathetic stimulation (SS) prior to noxious heating of their receptive fields. However, six of the seven AMH units with the highest mechanical thresholds (>5 g von Frey) were activated by SS alone (10 Hz) after they had been sensitized by noxious heating of their receptive fields. Sensitized AMH units with lower mechanical thresholds (<5 g) were generally not activated by SS alone (1 of 22 units), and their responses to warming of their receptive fields were not altered by SS. The excitatory sympathetic action on AMH units was abolished by α-but not β-andrenergic blockade in...
Transient plasma estimation: A noise cancelling/identification approach

In this paper we discuss the application of a noise cancelling technique to extract energy storage information from sensors occurring during fusion reactor experiments on the Tandom Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). We show how this technique can be used to decrease the uncertainty in the corresponding sensor measurements used for diagnostics in both real-time and post-experimental environments. We analyze the performance of the algorithm on the sensor data and discuss the various tradeoffs. The algorithm suggested is designed using SIG, an interactive signal processing package developed at LLNL.
Long-Term Experience with Timolol Ophthalmic Solution in Patients with Open-Angle Glaucoma

Timolol was used by 37 glaucoma patients from 1 to 18 months. Of those 37 patients, 31 used timolol for three months or longer and 7 used timolol for over one year. Timolol produced sustained reductions in intraocular pressure with continuous administration and did not induce miosis, accommodative spasm, or other annoying side effects. Systemic absorption produced a mild slowing of resting pulse rate. In some patients, timolol's ocular hypotensive effects are additive to miotics and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
Obesity and Cancer Treatment : Weighing the Evidence

Obesity rates in the United States have increased tremendously over the past few decades. 1 Obesity is associated with an increased risk of several cancers, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and endometrial cancer, and is associated with higher cancer mortality rates. 2,3 Multiple factors contribute to the unfavorable survival rates in obese patients with cancer, including a higher likelihood of comorbid conditions and a higher likelihood of unfavorable tumor characteristics. In addition, systematic underdosing of chemotherapy in overweight and obese patients with breast cancer, 4-7 which occurs in up to 40% of patients, may contribute to the poorer survival rates, particularly among those with estrogen receptor (ER)–negative cancers. 8 This issue of theJournalofClinicalOncology features three studies that broadly address the complicated relationship between weight, factors associated with obesity, and cancer, spanning the bench to the bedside. Creighton and colleagues 9 examined the effect of insulinlike growth factor-2 (IGF-1) exposure on gene expression profiles in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. After developing an IGF-1 gene signature, the investigators assessed the IGF activation score in tumor samples contained within publicly available expression profile databases. The IGF gene signature was associated in this study with other known poor prognostic factors, such as ER-negative status, higher tumor grade, and higher stage. The authors conclude “Transcriptional targets of IGF-1 represent pathways of increased aggressiveness and possibly hormone independence i n... breast cancer.” The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of cancer biology in obese patients, who have higher levels of IGF-1 activity 10 and, in some studies (including the paper by Litton and colleagues in this issue of the Journal 11 ), a higher likelihood of ER-negative breast cancer.
Corn, Flour, Blue

The striking image of a Hopi kachina dancer, frozen midstride, graces this cover of EcoHealth. A work of awardwinning O’odham artist Michael Chiago, this traditional dancer represents an integral part of Hopi culture and spirituality. The word kachina refers to three manifestations of a spiritual concept: the spirits of nature, known as Cloud People; the masked performers who speak as Cloud People in ceremonial dances; and the brightly painted cottonwood dolls traditionally used to teach Hopi children and now widely collected (Colton 1959). Every year, the Cloud People arrive from the San Francisco Peaks—Nuvatukya’ovi—to bring rain to the Hopi, and the kachina dancers welcome them in ceremony. The kachina dancer on our cover is bedecked in blue corn, the cornerstone of Hopi life and myth. Although the details of the story vary from clan to clan, Hopi believe that their people emerged from three unique creations or ways of life (Vecsey 1983). Each way of life fell to destruction— by fire, ice, and flood—when people forgot to honor their Creator and quarreled among themselves. When the Hopi emerged into their current world, the fourth way of life, they became an agricultural people. To make this change, they encountered the god Maasaw and asked permission to Published online: June 19, 2012
Diagnostic value of biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based detection of prostate cancer in men without prior biopsies.

Objectives To determine the diagnostic yield of analysing biparametric (T2- and diffusion-weighted) magnetic resonance imaging (B-MRI) for prostate cancer detection compared with standard digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening. Patients and Methods Review of patients who were enrolled in a trial to undergo multiparametric-prostate (MP)-MRI and MR/ultrasound fusion-guided prostate biopsy at our institution identified 143 men who underwent MP-MRI in addition to standard DRE and PSA-based prostate cancer screening before any prostate biopsy. Patient demographics, DRE staging, PSA level, PSA density (PSAD), and B-MRI findings were assessed for association with prostate cancer detection on biopsy. Results Men with detected prostate cancer tended to be older, with a higher PSA level, higher PSAD, and more screen-positive lesions (SPL) on B-MRI. B-MRI performed well for the detection of prostate cancer with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80 (compared with 0.66 and 0.74 for PSA level and PSAD, respectively). We derived combined PSA and MRI-based formulas for detection of prostate cancer with optimised thresholds. (i) for PSA and B-MRI: PSA level + 6 x (the number of SPL) > 14 and (ii) for PSAD and B-MRI: 14 × (PSAD) + (the number of SPL) >4.25. AUC for equations 1 and 2 were 0.83 and 0.87 and overall accuracy of prostate cancer detection was 79% in both models. Conclusions The number of lesions positive on B-MRI outperforms PSA alone in detection of prostate cancer. Furthermore, this imaging criteria coupled as an adjunct with PSA level and PSAD, provides even more accuracy in detecting clinically significant prostate cancer.
The impact of two clinical shift allocation models on student experiences in an emergency medicine clerkship.

Background: Medical students on Emergency Medicine (EM) clerkships are traditionally assigned work shifts in a manner that provides a mix of daytime, evening, overnight, and weekend shifts. Whether or not this shift allocation model provides the optimal educational experience remains unclear. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of two different shift allocation models on the student's clerkship experience. Specifically, we set out to compare the traditional shift allocation model to a novel model designed to maximize teacher–learner continuity. Methods: This was a prospective, crossover, cohort study of medical students participating in an EM clerkship at one institution from January 1 through April 31, 2010. All students completed 2 weeks of shifts under the “traditional shift model” and 2 weeks of shifts under the “continuity-based shift model.” In the latter, the guiding principle of student shift allocation was continuity between teacher and learner. Students completed coded s...
Effect of Allethrin on Feeding Behavior of Insects.

SummaryAllethrin in tracer quantities prevented mosquitoes from ingesting blood from a living mouse or from a cylinder covered with animal membrane. Potent insecticidal structural analogues of allethrin were not potent feeding deterrents. Disassociation of feeding deterrent properties and insecticidal action of these compounds is suggested.
Rapid Nutritional Remodeling of the Host Cell upon Attachment of Legionella pneumophila

Upon entry of Legionella pneumophila into amoebas and macrophages, host-mediated farnesylation of the AnkB effector enables its anchoring to the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV) membrane. On the LCV, AnkB triggers docking of K(48)-linked polyubiquitinated proteins that are degraded by the host proteasomes to elevate cellular levels of amino acids needed for intracellular proliferation. Interference with AnkB function triggers L. pneumophila to exhibit a starvation response and differentiate into the nonreplicative phase in response to the basal levels of cellular amino acids that are not sufficient to power intracellular proliferation of L. pneumophila. Therefore, we have determined whether the biological function of AnkB is temporally and spatially triggered upon bacterial attachment to the host cell to circumvent a counterproductive bacterial differentiation into the nonreplicative phase upon bacterial entry. Here, we show that upon attachment of L. pneumophila to human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDMs), the host farnesylation and ubiquitination machineries are recruited by the Dot/Icm system to the plasma membrane exclusively beneath sites of bacterial attachment. Transcription and injection of ankB is triggered by attached extracellular bacteria followed by rapid farnesylation and anchoring of AnkB to the cytosolic side of the plasma membrane beneath bacterial attachment, where K(48)-linked polyubiquitinated proteins are assembled and degraded by the proteasomes, leading to a rapid rise in the cellular levels of amino acids. Our data represent a novel strategy by an intracellular pathogen that triggers rapid nutritional remodeling of the host cell upon attachment to the plasma membrane, and as a result, a gratuitous surplus of cellular amino acids is generated to support proliferation of the incoming pathogen.
A method of fast, sequential experimental design for linearized geophysical inverse problems

SUMMARY An algorithm for linear(ized) experimental design is developed for a determinant-based design objective function. This objective function is common in design theory and is used to design experiments that minimize the model entropy, a measure of posterior model uncertainty. Of primary significance in design problems is computational expediency. Several earlier papers have focused attention on posing design objective functions and opted to use global search methods for finding the critical points of these functions, but these algorithms are too slow to be practical. The proposed technique is distinguished primarily for its computational efficiency, which derives partly from a greedy optimization approach, termed sequential design. Computational efficiency is further enhanced through formulae for updating determinants and matrix inverses without need for direct calculation. The design approach is orders of magnitude faster than a genetic algorithm applied to the same design problem. However, greedy optimization often trades global optimality for increased computational speed; the ramifications of this tradeoff are discussed. The design methodology is demonstrated on a simple, single-borehole DC electrical resistivity problem. Designed surveys are compared with random and standard surveys, both with and without prior information. All surveys were compared with respect to a ‘relative quality’ measure, the post-inversion model per cent rms error. The issue of design for inherently ill-posed inverse problems is considered and an approach for circumventing such problems is proposed. The design algorithm is also applied in an adaptive manner, with excellent results suggesting that smart, compact experiments can be designed in real time.
The Effect of Surface Orientation on Silicon Oxidation Kinetics

The rate of thermal oxidation of silicon is orientation dependent indicating that the surface orientation is an important parameter in the kinetic mechanism. However, it has not been clearly established which properties of the silicon surface control the oxidation rate. This study uses five silicon surface orientations to investigate the effect of the density of silicon atoms on planes parallel to the surface and the effect of intrinisic oxide stress on the oxidation rates. At temperatures of 700°, 1000°, and 1100°C the initial order of the rates is . The crossover in rate to was observed at 700° and 1000°C, but not at 1100°C. A qualitative correlation is obtained between the order of the initial rates and the density of atoms on the five planes. Stress effects do not appear to be dominant in the thickness regime before the rates on the (110) and (111) orientations crossover, but the 1100°C results suggest that the crossover may be related to the development of intrinsic oxide stress at lower temperatures. A revised explanation of the crossover on the (110) and (111) orientations based on a stress‐related decrease in the transport of oxidant to the interface is proposed.
Use of Exfoliated Cells from Target Tissues to Predict Responses to Bioactive Food Components

A host of bioactive food components have been proposed to promote health and reduce the risk of disease states. It is clear that not all individuals respond identically to these essential and nonessential food com- ponents. Genetic polymorphisms may influence absorp- tion, metabolism and accumulation of bioactive food com- ponents, thereby influencing their actions in target tissues. Unfortunately, serum concentrations of bioactive food components may not correlate with tissue concentrations and may therefore under- or overestimate the response in target tissues. Exfoliated cells may be useful to assess the actions of nutrients in specific tissues. Although not exten- sively examined, evidence already suggests the usefulness of these cells in predicting changes in gene expression, DNA methylation, DNA damage, protein expression and accumulation of dietary components. Although there are limitations on the collection of exfoliated cells, the inacces- sibility of tissues they can represent raises intriguing pos- sibilities for their ability to predict the outcome of nutri- tional intervention studies. J. Nutr. 133: 1769 -1772, 2003.
Mechanistic basis of differences in water-use efficiency between a CAM and a C3 species of Peperomia (Piperaceae)

Under ecologically realistic environmental conditions, the water-use efficiency (WUE) of Peperomia scandens, a CAM plant, was higher than that of the C3 congener P. obtusifolia. This difference has been attributed to differences in stomatal activity between C3 and CAM plants, coupled with differences in the evaporative demand of the atmosphere during which the stomata are open. This explanation has apparently not, however, been experimentally tested. Thus, WUEs were compared in these species in two experiments in which the atmospheric evaporative demand was identical (or nearly so) during the period of stomatal opening (i.e. during the night for the CAM plant and during the day for the C3 species). In both experiments, the WUE of the CAM species was higher than that of the C3 species. These results suggest that factors other than differences in atmospheric environmental conditions must also be responsible for the observed differences in WUE. Because CO2 uptake rates of the CAM species were substantially lower than those of the C3 species, the lower WUE in the CAM species resulted primarily from lower transpiration rates. Lower rates of water loss in P. scandens, relative to rates in P. obtusifolia, were ascribed, in part, to lower stomatal densities. Thus, leaf morphological differences, in addition to differences in atmospheric evaporative demand, help to explain the high WUE typically measured in CAM plants.