cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selective reduction of second pain sensations by systemic morphine in humans

Abstract A variety of forms of painful stimulation were delivered to human subjects in order to determine whether therapeutic dosages of systemic morphine might produce significant attenuation of some forms of phasic pain that are tolerable for experimental usage. Consistent with previous reports, simple application of thermal or electrical energy to the skin (for 3 sec) produced sensations of pain that were not significantly reduced by prior administration of morphine. Similarly, subjects that were trained to focus their attention on the magnitude of the immediate (first) pain sensation evoked by brief electrical or mechanical stimulation did not report reduction by morphine of pain attributed to conduction in myelinated peripheral nociceptors. In contrast, the magnitude of late (second) pain sensations produced by brief pulses of electrical, thermal or mechanical stimuli to the same subjects was consistently reduced significantly by doses of 5 or 10 mg of morphine. The simplest interpretation of the effect on second pain intensity is that morphine preferentially attenuates input from unmyelinated nociceptors. This conclusion was reinforced by an experiment in which chemicals were applied to the skin. Morphine reduced pain produced by capsaicin (presumed to selectively excite unmyelinated peripheral afferents) but did not diminish pain elicited by bradykinin (presumed to excite Aδ and C nociceptors). Comparing long duration pains from chemical stimulation (lasting in excess of 5 min) with briefer pains elicited by 50 msec to 3 sec of stimulation did not support the notion that morphine acts selectively on tonic pain. Also, after-sensations that could be discerned following second pain were not eliminated by morphine, and paired pulse facilitation of first pain sensations remained after administration of morphine, indicating that temporal summation is not preferentially reduced. Regardless of duration, frequency or latency, pain arising exclusively from unmyelinated nociceptors was attenuated substantially, but other elicited sensations were not reliably affected. For example, detection thresholds for warmth were unaffected by morphine, demonstrating that input from all unmvelinated afferents is not reduced.
Lectin activation in Giardia lamblia by host protease: a novel host-parasite interaction

A lectin in Giardia lamblia was activated by secretions from the human duodenum, the environment where the parasite lives. Incubation of the secretions with trypsin inhibitors prevented the appearance of lectin activity, implicating proteases as the activating agent. Accordingly, lectin activation was also produced by crystalline trypsin and Pronase; other proteases tested were ineffective. When activated, the lectin agglutinated intestinal cells to which the parasite adheres in vivo. The lectin was most specific to mannose-6-phosphate and apparently was bound to the plasma membrane. Activation of a parasite lectin by a host protease represents a novel mechanism of host-parasite interaction and may contribute to the affinity of Giardia lamblia to the infection site.
Learning Markov networks: maximum bounded tree-width graphs

Markov networks are a common class of graphical models used in machine learning. Such models use an undirected graph to capture dependency information among random variables in a joint probability distribution. Once one has chosen to use a Markov network model, one aims to choose the model that “best explains” the data that has been observed—this model can then be used to make predictions about future data.We show that the problem of learning a maximum likelihood Markov network given certain observed data can be reduced to the problem of identifying a maximum weight low-treewidth graph under a given input weight function. We give the first constant factor approximation algorithm for this problem. More precisely, for any fixed treewidth objective k, we find a treewidth-k graph with an f(k) fraction of the maximum possible weight of any treewidth-k graph.
What is a desirable statistical energy function for proteins and how can it be obtained

Can one obtain a physical energy function for proteins from statistical analysis of protein structures? A direct answer to this question is likely “no”. A less demanding question is whether one can produce a statistical energy function that has the desirable features of a physical-based energy function. Such a desirable energy function would be founded on a physical basis with few or no adjustable parameters, reproduce the known physical characters of amino acid residues, be mostly database independent and transferable, and, more importantly, reasonably accurate in various applications. In this review, we show how such a desirable energy function can be obtained via introducing a simple physical-based reference state called DRIRE (Distance-scaled, Finite, Ideal-gas Reference state).
Pathogenicity of Chlamydia psittaci after serial passage in chicken embryos

Abstract The virulence in pregnant ewes of a single strain of Chlamydia psittaci was tested after the following treatments: (a) 110 serial passages in chicken embryos (CE) incubated at 37 C, and (b) 7 CE passages at 37 C followed by 10 CE passages at 40 C. Neither treatment caused significant reduction in abortions (P > 0.3) nor incidence of ewes shedding chlamydia in placentas or vaginal discharges (P > 0.5) compared to ewes inoculated with the original virulent strain.
Heat-Pump-Based Thermal Storage for Intermittent Electrical and Thermal Sources

Thermal storage is advocated as a means for energy storage in some grid-scale electric powerplants, such as for concentrating solar power (CSP). The efficiency of concentrating solar thermal collectors, however, decreases with increasing output temperature, making it difficult to achieve high thermal storage temperatures. A heat pump, as is well known, can operate in either cooling mode or heating mode, and in either case, the coefficient of performance is generally greater than one, enabling a multiplier effect that can serve to either increase or decrease the temperature of thermal storage. A simple steady-state analysis of the “round-trip” system efficiency for storing energy reveals the potential benefits of utilizing a heat pump or refrigerator in such systems. Provided that an inexpensive heat input source is available, the system storage efficiency can reach or even exceed unity, assuming that the energy supplied to the system as heat is neglected. For ice storage at 0 °C, increasing thermal input temperatures above 209 °C increases the system storage efficiency above unity.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
An ecosystem-based framework for governance and management of maritime cultural heritage in the USA

Abstract A new federal administration, alongside initiatives proposed by the President's US Commission on Ocean Policy, provides a timely and critical opportunity for maritime archaeologists and cultural resource managers to re-consider management frameworks for maritime cultural heritage in the USA. Policy is urgently needed that defines governments’ roles and responsibilities in protecting and managing maritime cultural heritage in federal waters. Implementation of a regional governance structure based on the tenets of ecosystem-based management is proposed in this paper to manage and develop these resources effectively. Through regional governance, the maritime heritage of the USA can be conserved for future generations, keeping its citizens connected to deep-rooted maritime traditions and contribute to the well-being, economic growth and development of coastal communities.
The Communal Function of Social Interaction on an Online Academic Newsgroup

Social relations in academic settings can be intensely problematic. Our case study joins the ongoing conversation among scholars interested in communication issues in academia by shifting analytic attention from individuals negotiating the boundaries of academic communities from the outside to how an academic community negotiates its own boundaries. Using analytic strategies from the ethnography of communication and ethnomethodology, we analyzed observable interaction on an online academic newsgroup (the Ethno hotline hosted by the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship, CIOS) to investigate how fellow academics criticized one another's communicative conduct in order to accomplish membering, the negotiation and affirmation of communal membership, and their community's identity. We approached such criticism as natural criticism, that is, criticism members of a self-identified community apply to the discursive conduct of those they see as communal members. We found that natural criticism functioned ...
Geometry of exclusion principles in discrete systems

Abstract Using an n-species system of difference equations with very general density dependent growth functions, we prove that weak dominance and invariance gives the exclusion of all the (n − 1)-dominated species in the system. This result is applied to very specific competition models. An example of coexistence in a competition model with no invariance is studied. A notion of strong dominance is developed in a general setting and shown to imply exclusion of the (n − 1)-dominated species. An example of a competition model illustrating that weak dominance plus invariance does not imply strong dominance is given.
Interpretations of Burial and Commemoration in Moravian and African Diasporas on St. John, Virgin Islands

I address change and continuity in mortuary practices from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries within enslaved and free populations on the former Danish and current US Virgin Island of St. John. Based on the evidence I present, St. John’s former residents created diverse burial sites for practical and symbolic reasons related to environment, kinship, socio-cultural politics, and religion. The following analysis reveals how people historically transformed identities of selves and communities as they perceived and commemorated the dead through meaningful mortuary sites and practices within dynamic local and regional contexts.
Effect of ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors on the growth of human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells in culture.

The effects of ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors on the growth of the human colon carcinoma cell line HT-29 were examined. Inhibitors were chosen for these studies that were specifically directed at each of the subunits of ribonucleotide reductase. The concentrations of drugs required to inhibit the growth of HT-29 cells by 50% (IC50) for hydroxyurea, 2,3-dihydro-IH-pyrazole-[2,3a]imidazole (IMPY), and 4-methyl-5-amino-1-formylisoquinoline thiosemicarbazone (MAIQ) were 206, 996, and 3.2 µM, respectively. Although the IC50 for deoxyadenosine alone was >2,000 µM, in the presence of 5 µM erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA), which protects deoxyadenosine from deamination by adenosine deaminase, it was reduced to 112 µM. The IC50 for deoxyguanosine was 1,060 µM. The addition of 8-aminoguanosine to protect deoxyguanosine from phosphorylysis by purine nucleoside phosphorylase did not increase the toxicity of deoxyguanosine in HT-29 cells. The combination of MAIQ or IMPY and deoxyadenosine/EHNA gave strong synergistic inhibition of HT-29 cell growth. The results of these studies indicate that ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors effectively block the growth of human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells and that combinations of inhibitors directed at the individual subunits of reductase result in synergistic inhibition of HT-29 cell growth in culture.
Mechanistic distinctions between excitotoxic and acidotic hippocampal damage in an in vitro model of ischemia.

Excitotoxicity is believed to underlie the selective loss of vulnerable neurons after transient ischemia, while lactic acidosis seems to be the principal feature and probable cause of tissue infarcts. Primary hippocampal cultures containing both neurons and astrocytes derived from fetal rats were used to examine the relative contributions of and interactions between excitotoxic and acidotic cell injury. Hypoxia-induced damage was energy dependent and involved the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Glucose above 1 mM could completely protect against hypoxia-induced injury in a pH range of 7.4–6.5, while the NMDA receptor antagonist D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (500 μM) during the posthypoxic period provided only partial protection in the absence of glucose. Astrocyte cultures were undamaged by ischemic-like treatment in this pH range, suggesting that hypoxia-induced cell death in mixed cultures was restricted to neurons. Lowering the extracellular pH to 7.0 and 6.5 caused no neuronal damage in no...
The enthalpy of dilution and thermodynamics of Na2CO3(aq) and NaHCO3(aq) from T = 298 K to T = 523.15 K and pressure of 40 MPa

Abstract Molar enthalpies of dilution ΔdilHmofNa2CO3(aq) were measured from molality m = 1.45 mol · kg − 1to m = 0.008 mol · kg − 1at seven temperatures from T = 298 K toT = 523 K at the pressure p = 7 MPa, and at four temperatures fromT = 371 K to T = 523 K at the pressurep = 40 MPa. Molar enthalpies of dilutionΔdilHm of NaHCO3(aq) were measured fromm = 0.98 mol · kg − 1tom = 0.007 mol · kg − 1at the same temperatures and pressures. Hydrolysis and ionization equilibria contribute substantially to the measured enthalpies under many of the conditions of this study. Explicit consideration of these reactions, using thermodynamic quantities from previous studies, facilitates a quantitative representation of apparent molar enthalpies, activity coefficients, and osmotic coefficients with the Pitzer ion-interaction treatment over the ranges of temperature, pressure, and molality of the experiments.
Nutrient Composition and Retention in Browned Ground Beef, Lamb, and Pork

Abstract This study documents the effects of browning meat and draining the drip on nutrient composition and retention in cooked ground beef, lamb, and pork at different fat levels of the raw product. In the brown-and-drain process, ground meats with higher initial fat levels lost more fat and cholesterol, as a percentage of the amount in the raw product, than did lower-fat meats. However, the total fat content and total calories for browned meat from a given amount (100 g) of raw meat remained higher for samples of higher initial fat levels. Browned (cooked) meat with 20% initial fat contained approximately 10% less protein on a raw weight basis than that with 10% initial fat. Similarly, the amount on a raw weight basis of most of the minerals in browned, ground beef and pork decreased by approximately 10% with a 10% rise in initial fat level. The mineral retention percentage, as pooled over all initial fat levels and meat animal species, varied from 84 to 96% among different minerals and the retention percentage for water-soluble vitamins (thiamin, niacin, and vitamin B 12 ) ranged from 66 to 78%. Raw meat particle size had little effect on nutrient composition or retention.
How many Stakes are Required to Measure the Mass Balance of a Glacier

Glacier mass balance is estimated for South Cascade Glacier and Maclure Glacier using a one-dimensional regression of mass balance with altitude as an alternative to the traditional approach of contouring mass balance values. One attractive feature of regression is that it can be applied to sparse data sets where contouring is not possible and can provide an objective error of the resulting estimate. Regression methods yielded mass balance values equivalent to contouring methods. The effect of the number of mass balance measurements on the final value for the glacier showed that sample sizes as small as five stakes provided reasonable estimates, although the error estimates were greater than for larger sample sizes. Different spatial patterns of measurement locations showed no appreciable influence on the final value as long as different surface altitudes were intermittently sampled over the altitude range of the glacier. Two different regression equations were examined, a quadratic, and a piecewise linear spline, and comparison of results showed little sensitivity to the type of equation. These results point to the dominant effect of the gradient of mass balance with altitude of alpine glaciers compared to transverse variations. The number of mass balance measurements required to determine the glacier balance appears to be scale invariant for small glaciers and five to ten stakes are sufficient.
When reasons matter: Quality of support affects reactions to increasing and consistent agreement

Evidence indicates that moving from a minority to a majority position has little impact on group identification. The present study investigated how reactions of former minorities and stable minorities to the group as a whole and their own faction were moderated by the quality of support they received for their position (genuine vs. superficial vs. unexplained). Former minorities identified more strongly with the group when others converted to their position for genuine than for superficial (or unexplained) reasons. The group identification of stable minorities did not vary as a function of the quality of support. Both former minorities and stable minorities identified more with their own faction when they received genuine than superficial (or unexplained) support. These findings clarify the important role of quality of support in group and faction identification. Moreover, they show that former minorities do identify with the group when they receive support they can trust.
FTIR analysis of storage behavior and sulfur tolerance in barium-based NOx storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts

Abstract A series of NO x storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts containing platinum, BaO, and iron supported on γ-Al 2 O 3 has been studied using FTIR spectroscopy. CO adsorption studies at room temperature have shown that the BaO phase can chemisorb large quantities of CO, and that platinum sites can become encapsulated by BaO, following a reducing pretreatment. Exposure of the catalysts to fuel-lean and fuel-rich conditions has revealed that the species that participates in the storage is a surface nitrite complex (prevalent below 350 °C), which is converted to a surface monodentate nitrate species above 350 °C. Both of these species have also been identified at room temperature and are bonded to the surface through BaO lattice oxygen atoms. A mechanism has been proposed to describe the storage and reduction process in which NO reacts directly with the BaO surface to form nitrite and monodentate nitrate. The role of platinum is to adsorb O 2 under lean conditions and reducing gases (H 2 or hydrocarbons) under rich conditions. Once adsorbed, the oxygen and reducing agents spill over onto nearby BaO sites and react with the adsorbed NO. The oxidation of NO to NO 2 on platinum does not appear in this work to be a critical step, in contrast to previous studies. Sulfur tolerance studies using SO 2 have confirmed the previous observation that promotion with iron increases the durability of NSR catalysts. However, FTIR results show that the improvement is caused by the formation of a previously unobserved bulk nitrate species and not to a decrease in the sulfate decomposition temperature.
Cellular contribution to supernumerary limbs in the axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum

Using the triploid cell marker, the cellular contribution from graft and stump to the supernumerary limbs which result from controlateral grafts of limb buds and regeneration blastemas in the axolotl has been analyzed. Grafts were made so as to appose anterior and posterior limb positions. Overall, the contribution from graft and stump tissue was found to be approximately equal although the position of the boundary between the two was variable from limb to limb. This result is consistent with models which suggest that intercalary regeneration is the driving force for patterning of the vertebrate limb. In addition, the pattern of cellular contribution to supernumerary limbs was consistently found to be asymmetrical in the dorsal-ventral axis. Hence, posterior limb tissue predominantly contributed cells to the posterior and dorsal part of the supernumerary limb whereas anterior limb tissue predominantly contributed cells to the anterior and ventral part of the supernumerary limb. The reason for this asymmetrical pattern remains unknown, but we suggest that it might result from a directional bias in intercalary regeneration, similar to that observed during intercalation in the proximal-distal axis of the urodele limb. Using the triploid cell marker in conjunction with a black/white pigmentation marker, the relationship between the cellular contribution boundary and the pigmentation boundary in supernumerary limbs has also been analyzed. It has been found that the positions of the two boundaries do not coincide, a result which suggests that the eventual location of pigment cells is not a good indicator of the location of nonpigment cells derived from graft and stump.
Secondary electron transfer in reaction centers of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. Out-of-phase periodicity of two for the formation of ubisemiquinone and fully reduced ubiquinone

Abstract Electron transfer between purified reaction centers from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides and exogenous ubiquinone has been studied in the presence of electron donors by measurements of light-induced absorbance changes following a sequence of short actinic light flashes. Each odd flash promotes the formation of a molecule of ubisemiquinone; after each even flash the semiquinone disappears and a molecule of the fully reduced quinone appears. We interpret these results by means of a model where a specialized molecule of ubiquinone is reduced by the primary electron acceptor in a one-electron transfer reaction after each flash, and is reoxidized by a molecule of the ubiquinone pool in a two-electron transfer reaction every two flashes.
Effect of aging on neurotransmitter receptor binding in rat and human brain.

Abstract β-Adrenergic and GABA receptor binding were measured in brain areas of rats 3 to 24 months of age. While GABA receptor binding was not significantly different across age in any area, β-adrenergic receptor binding was significantly reduced in the cerebellum and brain stem, but not cerebral cortex, of 24-month-old animals. The loss in β-adrenergic receptor binding does not correlate in a temporal fashion with the reported decrease in norepinephrine-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in the cerebellum which occurs as early as 12 months of age. An age-related reduction in β-adrenergic binding was also noted in human cerebellar tissue obtained at autopsy, suggesting that the cerebellar dysfunction seen with aging may be related to a loss of cerebellar neurons which receive noradrenergic input.
The "good" Boussinesq equation on the half-line

The initial–boundary value problem for the “good” Boussinesq (GB) equation on the half-line with data in Sobolev spaces is analysed via Fokas' unified transform method and a contraction mapping approach. First, the basic space and time estimates for the linear GB initial value problem are derived and then the corresponding estimates for the initial–boundary value problem with zero initial data are obtained. Using these estimates, the Fokas solution formula for the linear GB on the half-line is shown to belong to appropriate Sobolev spaces. Finally, well-posedness of the nonlinear initial–boundary value problem is established by showing that the mapping defined by Fokas' formula for GB, when the forcing is replaced with the Boussinesq nonlinearity, is a contraction mapping on a ball of the space C([0,T⁎];Hxs(0,∞)), s>1/2, where the lifespan T⁎ depends on the size of the initial and boundary data. In addition, this work extends the validity of the solution formulas obtained by the unified method for the linear GB initial–boundary value problem to a broader Sobolev setting.
First-year medical students and the aging patient: a curricular model.

: First-year medical students at UCLA are introduced to the special health problems of the elderly by a process in which they interview symptomatic volunteers at both extended care and ambulatory care facilities. In addition, they interview healthy elderly volunteers to gain information on gerontology and lifespan development, with supplementation from selected readings, films, lectures and panels. This curricular model seems effective in reducing prejudice about the aged and in training future physicians to render humane competent care in the field of geriatrics.
On-Line Identification of Hysteretic Systems

Using adaptive estimation approaches, a method is presented for the on-line identification of hysteretic systems under arbitrary dynamic environments The availability of such an identification approach is crucial for the on-line control and monitoring of nonlinear structural systems to be actively controlled. In spite of the challenges encountered in the identification of the hereditary nature of the restoring force of such nonlinear systems, it is shown through the use of simulation studies and experimental measurements that the proposed approach can yield reliable estimates of the hysteretic restoring force under a very wide range of excitation levels and response ranges.
Error exponents for composite hypothesis testing of Markov forest distributions

The problem of composite binary hypothesis testing of Markov forest (or tree) distributions is considered. The worst-case type-II error exponent is derived under the Neyman-Pearson formulation. Under simple null hypothesis, the error exponent is derived in closed-form and is characterized in terms of the so-called bottleneck edge of the forest distribution. The least favorable distribution for detection is shown to be Markov on the second-best max-weight spanning tree with mutual information edge weights. A necessary and sufficient condition to have positive error exponent is derived.
PZT printing applications, technologies, new devices

The author discusses the designs and principles of operation of several key piezoelectric printing devices. New developments in piezoelectric print head packaging and fabrication are illustrated by several examples. Particular attention is given to piezoelectric impact actuators and ink jet drop generators. On the basis of trend and current limitations of these developments, potential areas of improvement in the material characteristics for future printing applications are proposed. >
Laser deposited coatings of Co‐Cr‐Mo onto Ti‐6Al‐4V and SS316L substrates for biomedical applications

Functionally gradient bio-coating material was built by laser deposition. Co-Cr-Mo material was deposited on a Ti-6Al-4V substrate transitioning from 0% to 100%. Control over the cooling rate is shown to be a key to reduce the effects of thermal expansion differences of the materials. The microstructures and composition of the functionally gradient material (FGM) were characterized using an optical microscope, SEM, EDS, and XRD. EDS results showed a gradual transition to 50% Co-Cr-Mo and ∼100% Co-Cr-Mo on the top layer. XRD analysis showed the absence of a brittle intermetallic phase that forms between Titanium and Cobalt. As the amount of Co-Cr-Mo increased, the microhardness of the FGM samples significantly increased. A comparison was made between Co-Cr-Mo deposited on SS316L substrates as well as Ti-6Al-4V. The bonding strength of the coatings on both substrates was tested and found to meet the ASTM standard requirement.
Metabolism, pharmacokinetics and excretion of a potent tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist (CP-122,721) in rat: characterization of a novel oxidative pathway.

The metabolism, pharmacokinetics and excretion of a potent and selective substance P receptor antagonist, (+)-(2S,3S)-3-(2-methoxy-5-trifluoromethoxybenzlamino)-2-phenylpiperidine, CP-122,721, have been studied in rat following oral administration of a single dose of [14C]CP-122,721. Total recovery of the administered dose was 84.1 ± 1.1% for male rat and 80.9 ± 2.7% for female rat. Approximately 81% of the administered radioactivity recovered in urine and faeces were excreted in the first 72 h. Absorption of CP-122,721 was rapid in both male and female rat, as indicated by the rapid appearance of radioactivity in plasma. The plasma concentrations of total radioactivity were always much greater than unchanged drug, indicating early formation of metabolites. CP-122,721 t1/2 was 3.1 and 2.2 h for male and female rat, respectively. The plasma concentrations of CP-122,721 reached a peak of 941 and 476 ng ml−1 for male and female rat, respectively, at 0.5 h post-dose. Based on AUC0–tlast, only 1.5% of the circ...
Observer-based fault diagnosis for a class of nonlinear systems

The focus of this paper is the detection and diagnosis of parameter faults in nonlinear systems. The novelty of this contribution is that it handles the nonlinear fault distribution function. Since such a fault distribution function depends not only on the inputs and outputs of the system but also on unmeasured states, it causes additional complexity in fault estimation. The proposed diagnostic tool is based on the adaptive observer technique. Under the Lipschitz condition, a fault detection observer and adaptive diagnosis observer are proposed. Then, relaxation of the Lipschitz requirement is proposed and the necessary modification to the diagnostic tool is presented. Finally, the example of a one-wheel model with lumped friction is presented to illustrate the applicability of the proposed diagnosis method.
Longitudinal Microdynamics of Piezo-Driven Pipettes in Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

The Piezo-driven actuator is widely used as one critical part in the micromanipulation system for routine reproductive experiments such as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). The actuator can induce the fast mechanical motion on the pipette tip, which greatly facilitates the microinjection processes. It is of rather importance to choose the appropriate system parameters applied to the actuator. In our paper, we propose a mechanical model of the Piezo-driven actuator. We analyze the longitudinal micro-dynamic characteristics of Piezo-driven pipettes. The transient response of the pipette tip is obtained by numerical methods. We also study the effects of the excitation signals on the dynamics of the tip. The related experimental validation is conducted for our simulation results.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Prevention of late life suicide: When, where, why and how

Suicide in late life is discussed from the perspective of four guidelines derived from preventive medicine; preventive efforts (1) are beneficial in proportion both to the prevalence and severity of a disease, (2) must consider how the outcome might affect individuals and society as a whole, (3) should take into account biological, psychological and social dimensions, (4) can only be effective if important and 'alterable' risk factors are identified. Possible risk factors for late life suicide which may be altered include social isolation, stressful circumstances, and affective disorder. Primary prevention may involve outreach programs to decrease social isolation, secondary prevention may include education of primary care physicians, and tertiary prevention may, in patients with severe affective disorder, include hospitalization and aggressive somatic therapies.
Modulation recognition of spread spectrum signals using modulation domain measurements

The authors investigated the measurement and analysis of low-level spread spectrum signals without prior knowledge of the spreading code by using the modulation domain measurement technique. Signals were processed and measured with the HP 5372A modulation domain analyzer. Pseudorandom events can be captured and analyzed. The analysis includes the average carrier frequency, the relative phase, the hop/agile frequencies, and the amplitude with accurate time resolution. Eye patterns can be easily displayed. Software algorithms and hardware that allow this analysis with a 500-MHz signal bandwidth for signals up to 3 GHz are described. A theoretical review is followed by examples of the measurements. >
Bovine Aortic Endothelial Cells Contain an Angiotensin-(1–7) Receptor

Angiotensin-(1–7) is a novel peptide of the reninangiotensin system that counteracts the pressor and proliferative responses to angiotensin II. We now report that cultured bovine aortic endothelial...
Automatic context-aware dust and scratch removal in scanned images

In this paper, we propose a novel method for automatic dust and scratch detection and removal in scanned images. The proposed method combines morphological operations with local image analysis that guides adaptive, image dependent perceptual defect thresholding. This allows us to achieve reliable separation of defects and intrinsic image features, and yields high quality image restoration. The method is capable of detecting and removing defects of very low contrast and of various sizes; it is efficient computationally and can be utilized in real time applications.
Cutaneous Rhizopus in an Immunosuppressed Patient

The patient is an eight-year-old white male with a prior history of a small bowel transplant secondary to gastroschisis and a history of chronic rejection. He was admitted to the hospital to rule out rejection of his second small bowel transplant. During the admission he developed painful erythematous plaques with necrosis and hemorrhagic bullae on his left knee and left neck. Dermatology was consulted and biopsies and tissue cultures were obtained. On H&E there were multiple thick walled non-septate hyphae and the GMS stain showed right angle irregular branching hyphae with an affinity for blood vessels. A further work-up for disseminated disease was negative. The patient was diagnosed with cutaneous mucormycosis. The patient underwent extensive surgical debridement and was started on Ambisone and treated for six months with resolution. Primary cutaneous mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic deep fungal infection. It is the most acute and fatal of all fungal infections. There are multiple associated conditions including immunosuppression. This disease can be controlled with early diagnosis and a combination treatment plan. There are only a few reported cases in the pediatric population.
Automatic image annotation and retrieval using subspace clustering algorithm

The development of technology generates huge amounts of non-textual information, such as images. An efficient image annotation and retrieval system is highly desired. Clustering algorithms make it possible to represent visual features of images with finite symbols. Based on this, many statistical models, which analyze correspondence between visual features and words and discover hidden semantics, have been published. These models improve the annotation and retrieval of large image databases. However, image data usually have a large number of dimensions. Traditional clustering algorithms assign equal weights to these dimensions, and become confounded in the process of dealing with these dimensions. In this paper, we propose a top-down, subspace clustering algorithm as a solution to this problem. For a given cluster, we determine relevant features based on histogram analysis and assign greater weight to relevant features as compared to less relevant features. We have implemented four different models to link visual tokens with keywords based on the clustering results of our clustering algorithm and K-means algorithm, and evaluated performance using precision, recall and correspondence accuracy using benchmark dataset. The results show that our algorithm is better than traditional ones for automatic image annotation and retrieval.
Online, interactive learning of gestures for human/robot interfaces

We have developed a gesture recognition system, based on hidden Markov models, which can interactively recognize gestures and perform online learning of new gestures. In addition, it is able to update its model of a gesture iteratively with each example it recognizes. This system has demonstrated reliable recognition of 14 different gestures after only one or two examples of each. The system is currently interfaced to a Cyberglove for use in recognition of gestures from the sign language alphabet. The system is being implemented as part of an interactive interface for robot teleoperation and programming by example.
Do Politically Connected Firms Engage More or Less in Corporate Philanthropy

This paper examines the understudied question of whether politically connected firms engage more or less in corporate philanthropy than unconnected firms. We argue that, political connections have ...
Coupling of low-order LP modes propagating in cylindrical waveguides into whispering gallery modes in microspheres.

Whispering gallery modes in microspheres are excited by light delivered to them via optical fibers imbedded in a half-block coupler. The corresponding light intensity resonances in microspheres and coupling of two low-order linearly polarized modes in the fibers, LP01 and LP11, into the microspheres are observed. The LP01 and LP11 modes are delivered to the microsphere via a cylindrical optical fiber carrying light at two operating wavelengths, 1550 and 1300 nm correspondingly. The resonances behavioral differences generated by these fiber modes are also observed and explained. The properties of resonances generated by the LP01 and LP11 modes are analyzed using a linear polarizer inserted in the path of light propagating in optical fibers.
Abstract 153: Heart Rate Volatility as a Predictor for Mortality Within 48 Hours After Surgical Procedure

Introduction: Heart Rate Volatility (HRVO) is a physiological measure of sympathetic activity defined by volatility of the heart rate (HR) over fixed time intervals. Objectives: we sought to investigate the relationship between low HRVO (defined as SD<0.5 within a given time interval) during surgical procedures and higher mortality rates within 48 hours post-procedure. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all adult surgical procedures performed at our center from January 1, 2003 through July 1, 2013. Obstetrics, cardiothoracic, pediatric and liver transplant cases were excluded. Demographic, perioperative, hemodynamic, and mortality data were extracted from patients’ records. A propensity score matched case-control analysis was performed based on age, gender, ASA score, anesthesia type, Charlson index, ICD9 procedure code, emergency status, service year, use of beta blocker prior to procedure, HTN, diabetes and CHF. HRVO was calculated for each five minute interval of every case as the SD of all HR’s with...
THE LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF LEPROSY

I t is now more than three-quarters of a century since Armauer Hansen, in 1874, first made public his finding of the leprosy bacillus. Hansen was seeking an extrinsic agent, a contagia, as the cause of leprosy, in order to remove this malady from the category of hereditary diseases, where it has been so firmly intrenched by the authority of Danielssen and Boeck in 1847. He was convinced, on the basis of his investigations of syphilis, with which he was prone to compare leprosy, that leprosy was a contagious disease. In considering fixed films of leprous tissue examined microscopically, he states in the original report, “In some cells one finds bunches of rods and some cells are, as it were, packed with them.” Having made this preliminary announcement, Hansen carried on with sedulous zeal his study of the nature and distribution of the rods, and proved that, in lepromatous leprosy, they were to be found in all typical nodules, in the spleen, the liver, and particularly the lymph nodes. They were never present in healthy individuals or in patients with other diseases. He therefore concluded that these rods were the cause of leprosy. Coming as it did during the prelude to the acceptance of the germ nature of disease, his belief was shared by a relatively small number of leprologists. In connection with the discovery of the tubercle bacillus by Koch in 1882, a staining technique was developed which differentiated Hansen’s bacillus and Koch’s bacillus from other microorganisms. The stain could be applied directly to tissue films and the two germs detected if present in sufficient numbers. Thus, to the clinical signs and symptoms, there was now added the microscopic search for Hansen’s bacillus in the diagnosis of leprosy. Koch, however, promptly discerned the limitations of identifying an organism as the etiological agent in a suspected infectious disease by differential staining, because of possible contamination with extraneous saprophytic forms. He insisted, before any such relationship be advanced, that the germ seen in the stained film be grown in pure culture on artificial media, and that the inoculation of a susceptible laboratory animal with a suspension of the pure culture induce an infection identical with the natural occurring disease. These steps, later designated as “Koch’s Postulates,” were implemented and became the dogma to be fulfilled before sponsoring a specific germ as the cause of a specific disease. With the passage of time and the increases in knowledge of changes occurring in the host as a result of infection, two additional diagnostic approaches were developed : (1) serological reactions employing the serum of the patient in such tests as agglutination, precipitation, and complementfixation, noting particularly increases or decreases in the titer of the serum in successive samples; and (2) immunological reactions, i.e., the failure to induce disease in specifically immunized animals by the injection of suspensions of homologous virulent organisms or their toxic products. Un-
Effect of cell proliferation on levels and diversity of poly(A)-containing mRNA

Abstract The relationship between cell proliferation and the amount and diversity of polyribosome-associated poly(A)-containing messenger RNA [poly(A) + mRNA] has been investigated using a cloned AKR-mouse embryo cell culture system. The following results were obtained. First, an early response to the stimulation of proliferation of AKR-2B cells in culture is a rapid increase in the rate of accumulation of polyribosomal poly(A) + mRNA. This results in a large increase in the total poly(A) + mRNA content of rapidly proliferating cells compared to that found in resting cells. Second, the total amount of unique DNA sequence contributing to the poly(A) + mRNA populations of both growing and resting cells is not detectably different. This corresponds to 9000-11,000 diverse gene equivalents of DNA and represents the transcription of 0.8–0.9% of the haploid mouse genome. Third, most of the increased poly(A) + mRNA content of growing cells (>90%) reflects an increased rate of production of polysomal mRNA species which are also found in resting cells. Fourth, growing cells appear to contain some species of poly(A) + mRNA which are either absent or present in very low concentrations in non-growing cells. Within the limits of detection, however, all species of poly(A) + mRNA present in non-growing cells are also present in growing cells.
Elementary teachers’ use of language to label and interpret science concepts

This qualitative study examined how three teachers of upper elementary students used science vocabulary in their lessons. The data revealed that teachers used vocabulary to label science phenomena and interpret scientific concepts for students. The practice of labeling was used more extensively than interpreting. Teachers did not help their students understand why scientists use language in these two ways or how one informs the other. Implications for science educators include using inquiry to explicitly teach the purposes of scientific language in order to enhance elementary teachers’ knowledge of how vocabulary can aid student understanding of science.
Functional MRI of Sentence Comprehension in Children with Dyslexia: Beyond Word Recognition

Sentence comprehension (SC) studies in typical and impaired readers suggest that reading for meaning involves more extensive brain activation than reading isolated words. Thus far, no reading disability/dyslexia (RD) studies have directly controlled for the word recognition (WR) components of SC tasks, which is central for understanding comprehension processes beyond WR. This experiment compared SC to WR in 29, 9-14 year olds (15 typical and 14 impaired readers). The SC-WR contrast for each group showed activation in left inferior frontal and extrastriate regions, but the RD group showed significantly more activation than Controls in areas associated with linguistic processing (left middle/superior temporal gyri), and attention and response selection (bilateral insula, right cingulate gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and right parietal lobe). Further analyses revealed this overactivation was driven by the RD group's response to incongruous sentences. Correlations with out-of-scanner measures showed that better word- and text-level reading fluency was associated with greater left occipitotemporal activation, whereas worse performance on WR, fluency, and comprehension (reading and oral) were associated with greater right hemisphere activation in a variety of areas, including supramarginal and superior temporal gyri. Results provide initial foundations for understanding the neurobiological correlates of higher-level processes associated with reading comprehension.
Human Performance in Supply Chain Management

Although the concept of supply chain management (SCM) has been widely accepted among academics and practitioners, the influence of human performance on the supply chain has gained little research attention. Without satisfactory performance of qualified and capable employees dedicated to perform as trained, supply chain strategies are difficult to implement successfully. This article uses the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) to emphasize the importance of human performance in SCM and proposes a conceptual model. It is argued that effective management of human performance requires systematic effort across the supply chain. This article provides a detailed discussion on human resource management (HRM) practices that can help firms achieve and maintain superior supply chain human performance.
Mode of action of thyrocalcitonin.

Thyrocalcitonin was given to rats 2.5 hr after injecting 45Ca intravenously. The normal continuous fall in specific activity of blood calcium was interrupted by the action of thyrocalcitonin but there was no effect on the disappearance of radiocalcium from the circulation even though serum Ca fell 30–50%. The data were analyzed with a computer program encompassing a model for calcium exchange with compartments arranged in series. The model adequately reproduced the experimental results which led to the conclusion that thyrocalcitonin acts by inhibiting resorption of calcium from bone. (Endocrinology 82: 377, 1968)
Prediction of Giant Thermoelectric Efficiency in Crystals with Interlaced Nanostructure

We present a theoretical study of the thermoelectric efficiency of “interlaced crystals”, recently discovered in hexagonal-CuInS2 nanoparticles. Interlaced crystals are I–III–VI2 or II−IV−V2 tetrahedrally bonded compounds. They have a perfect Bravais lattice in which the two cations have an infinite set of possible ordering patterns within the cation sublattice. The material comprises nanoscale interlaced domains and phases with corresponding boundaries. Here we employ density functional theory and large-scale molecular dynamics calculations based on model classical potentials to demonstrate that the phase and domain boundaries are effective phonon scatterers and greatly suppress thermal conductivity. However, the absence of both structural defects and strain in the interlaced material results in a minimal effect on electronic properties. We predict an increase of thermal resistivity of up to 2 orders of magnitude, which makes interlaced crystals an exceptional candidate for thermoelectric applications.