cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypermnesia and total retrieval time

Recall performance sometimes improves over repeated recall attempts, a phenomenon dubbed hypermnesia. A critical theoretical issue is whether hypermnesia is due to repeated testing per se or increased retrieval time. The present experiments investigated by contrasting five testing conditions. All participants were presented with the same study list followed by either two shorter recall tests or a single longer test. In the multiple test conditions, the tests were either separated by a (filled) 7-minute interval (the multiple-split condition), or presented consecutively, with no break (the multiple-immediate condition). In the single test conditions, the test either began at the start of the recall session, after a (filled) 7-minute delay, or with a 7-minute interruption inserted in the middle. The multiple-split condition produced more reminiscence and hypermnesia than the multiple-immediate condition. More importantly, the multiple-split condition produced greater cumulative recall than any of the other ...
Dynamic programming of the Navier-Stokes equations

A class of optimal control problems in viscous flow is studied. Main results are the Pontryagin maximum principle and the verification theorem for the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation.
Noble gases in unequilibrated ordinary chondrites.

Abstract The rare gases were determined mass-spectrometrically in eleven unequilibrated ordinary chondrites. The amounts of primordial Ar, Kr and Xe are systematically greater than in ordinary chondrites proper. Primordial Ne was detected in only two of the meteorites. The amounts of the heavy rare gases Ar, Kr and Xe are approximately inversely proportional to the degree of equilibration of Fe in olivine, and are directly proportional to C contents. The primordial rare-gas contents of different pieces of Bishunpur, Krymka and Mezo-Madaras vary substantially, indicating that these meteorites are inhomogeneous in this respect. The heavy gases Ar, Kr and Xe are “planetary” in the sense of the model of Signer and Suess . The average primordial Ar86:Ar38 ratio of nine cases is 5.35 ± 0.16. Except for Xe129, the isotopic composition of Xe agrees with that of “average carbonaceous chondrites”. Carbonaceous chondrites, unequilibrated ordinary chondrites, and ordinary chondrites proper form a sequence of decreasing contents of primordial rare gases of the “planetary” type. This is consistent with a recent theory by Larimer and Anders on the formation of these meteorites. We infer from our results, however, that neon does not belong to the “planetary” component.
Debts, doubts, and disciplines

Latin American governments' catastrophic accumulation of foreign debt is still their most pressing concern-not so much because it continues to limit external financial resources and to bring internal economic growth to a standstill, but because macroeconomic remedies for the crisis are so politically charged. With financial resources scarce, governments are forced to make difficult decisions about which social classes will bear the brunt of austerity and which will receive the nation's limited resources. Predictably, these decisions are never benign. They generate serious social conflicts, in turn challenging the capacity of national governments to implement these policies. While macroeconomic policies have always generated debate and dissatisfaction in Latin American countries, there is evidence that the current conflicts are somewhat different. For one thing, debt crisis has brought widespread dissatisfaction, not only among the working class and the urban poor, but also among the middle classes and some sectors of the business community. All of them suffer from the inflation, scarce credit, unemployment, reduced public spending, and the growing power of internationally linked firms that accompany debt crisis and its attendant stabilization policies. Because these disparate class forces all have a reason to reject stabilization policies-although often for slightly different reasons-they often join together to oppose regimes that impose these policies. When placing coun-
Combined neurotrophic supplementation and caspase inhibition enhances survival of fetal hippocampal CA3 cell grafts in lesioned CA3 region of the aging hippocampus.

Abstract Fetal hippocampal CA3 cells show excellent survival when homotopically grafted into the kainic acid-lesioned CA3 region of the young adult hippocampus, a model of temporal lobe epilepsy. However, survival of these cells in the kainic acid-lesioned CA3 region of the aging hippocampus is unknown. We hypothesize that fetal CA3 grafts into the lesioned CA3 region of the middle-aged and aged hippocampus exhibit significantly diminished cell survival compared with similar grafts in the lesioned young adult hippocampus unless pre-treated and transplanted with factors that augment graft cell survival. We analyzed cell survival of 5′-bromodeoxyuridine-labeled embryonic day 19 CA3 grafts following their transplantation into the lesioned CA3 region of the middle-aged and aged rat hippocampus. Grafts were placed 4 days after an i.c.v. administration of kainic acid, and absolute cell survival of grafts was quantified 1 month after grafting using 5′-bromodeoxyuridine immunostaining of serial sections and the optical fractionator counting method. Grafts into both middle-aged and aged hippocampus exhibited analogous but significantly diminished cell survival (30% of injected cells) compared with similar grafts into the young adult hippocampus (72% cell survival). However, the extent of cell survival of CA3 grafts pre-treated and transplanted with a combination of neurotrophic factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 and the caspase inhibitor acetyl-tyrosinyl-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl-chloro-methylketone was significantly enhanced in both middle-aged and aged hippocampus (51–63% cell survival). These results underscore that aging impairs the conduciveness of the CA3 region for robust survival of homotopic fetal CA3 grafts after lesion. However, a combined neurotrophic supplementation and caspase inhibition significantly enhances survival of fetal CA3 cells in the lesioned aging hippocampus. Thus, pre-treatment and grafting of donor cells with a combination of factors that support growth of specific donor cells may considerably enhance survival and integration of fetal grafts into the lesioned aging CNS in clinical trials.
Allowing Students a Choice of Items on Objective Examinations

Measurement experts often advise against giving students an option of selecting which items on a test they choose to answer. A review of the related literature revealed that this caveat refers primarily to essay examinations. It was the purpose of this research to investigate the effects of permitting students the prerogative of selecting a proportion of the items on an objective test which they wished to exclude from the calculation of a grade. Findings regarding the effects of this practice on test reliability, test validity and on the students' relative test performance ranks suggest that it may not be as deleterious as we had been led to believe.
Anomalous copper diffusion through samarium

We report the observation of enhanced diffusion of Cu through thick films of Sm at temperatures of 250–300 K. The rate of diffusion of Cu to the surface is found to be independent of temperature. The time dependence of the intensities of the Sm divalent and trivalent features indicate the Cu occupies interstitial sites below the divalent Sm surface layer and above the trivalent Sm bulk. The measured binding energies of the divalent and trivalent Sm show no shift with respect to pure Sm, indicating the Cu does not react with the Sm. The spectral features associated with Cu indicate it is in an atomic‐like configuration. An examination of these intensities also provide evidence for heterogeneous mixed valence in Sm.
Ideal diode equation for organic heterojunctions. I. Derivation and application

The current-voltage characteristics of organic heterojunctions (HJs) are often modeled using the generalized Shockley equation derived for inorganic diodes. However, since this description does not rigorously apply to organic semiconductor donor-acceptor (D-A) HJs, the extracted parameters lack a clear physical meaning. Here, we derive the current density-voltage $(J\text{\ensuremath{-}}V)$ characteristic specifically for D-A HJ solar cells and show that it predicts the general dependence of dark current, open-circuit voltage $({V}_{oc})$, and short-circuit current $({J}_{sc})$ on temperature and light intensity as well as the maximum ${V}_{oc}$ for a given D-A material pair. We propose that trap-limited recombination due to disorder at the D-A interface leads to the introduction of two temperature-dependent ideality factors and show that this describes the dark current of copper phthalocyanine/${\text{C}}_{60}$ and boron subphthalocyanine/${\text{C}}_{60}$ cells at low temperature, where fits to the generalized Shockley equation break down. We identify the polaron pair recombination rate as a key factor that determines the $J\text{\ensuremath{-}}V$ characteristics in the dark and under illumination and provide direct measurements of this process in our companion paper II [N. C. Giebink, B. E. Lassiter, G. P. Wiederrecht, M. R. Wasielewski, and S. R. Forrest, Phys. Rev. B 82, 155306 (2010)]. These results provide a general physical framework for interpreting the $J\text{\ensuremath{-}}V$ characteristics and understanding the efficiency of both small molecule and polymer organic, planar and bulk HJ solar cells.
Dynamic lot sizing with random demand and non-stationary costs

We describe a formulation of the dynamic lot sizing problem when demand is random and the costs are non-stationary. Assuming that the distribution of the cumulative demand is known for each period and that all unsatisfied demand is backordered, the problem can be modeled as a mixed integer nonlinear program. An optimal solution algorithm is developed that resembles the Wagner-Whitin algorithm for the deterministic problem but with some additional feasibility constraints. We derive two important properties of the optimal solution. The first increases the computational efficiency of the solution algorithm. The second property demonstrates that the lot sizes used in the rolling-horizon implementation of this algorithm are bounded below by the optimal lot sizes for a stochastic dynamic programming formulation.
Acute rosiglitazone treatment is cardioprotective against ischemia-reperfusion injury by modulating AMPK, Akt, and JNK signaling in nondiabetic mice.

Rosiglitazone (RGZ), a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonist, has been demonstrated to possess cardioprotective properties during ischemia-reperfusion. However, this notion re...
Cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor P27kip1 is expressed at high levels in cells that express a myelinating phenotype

Terminal cellular differentiation is generally accompanied by exit from the cell cycle but the molecular basis of how the two events are coupled is poorly understood. In the central nervous system (CNS) the terminally differentiated, non-proliferating myelin-synthesizing cells, oligodendrocytes, arise from stem cells that are proliferation competent. To study the molecular mechanisms that link oligodendrocyte differentiation and cell cycle control, the D6P2T cell line has been used. This cell line responds similarly to oligodendrocytes in culture in response to increased cyclic AMP (cAMP). Upon increasing cAMP levels, D6P2T cells increase transcription of the endogenous myelin basic protein (MBP) gene. The increase in MBP gene transcription is accompanied by withdrawal of the cells from the cell cycle. The mechanism of cell cycle withdrawal in response to cAMP was found to involve a dramatic increase in the level of the cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor p27kip1 with little or no change in the levels of the cyclins D1 and E. The increase in p27kip1 is at least partially attributable to an increase in the mRNA levels for p27kip1. A striking increase in the cdk inhibitor p27kip1 was also shown to occur in vivo in oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for myelination in the CNS. In contrast to D6P2T cells, however, this increase in p27kip1 was accompanied by a decrease in the levels of cyclin E.
The group separation of the rare-earth elements and yttrium from geologic materials by cation-exchange chromatography

Abstract Demand is increasing for the determination of the rare-earth elements (REE) and yttrium in geologic materials. Due to their low natural abundance in many materials and the interferences that occur in many methods of determination, a separation procedure utilizing gradient strong-acid cation-exchange chromatography is often used to preconcentrate and isolate these elements from the host-rock matrix. Two separate gradient strong-acid cation-exchange procedures were characterized and the major elements as well as those elements thought to provide the greatest interference for the determination of the REE in geologic materials were tested for separation from the REE. Simultaneous inductively coupled argon plasma—atomic emission spectroscopy (ICAP—AES) measurements were used to construct the chromatograms for the elution studies, allowing the elution patterns of all the elements of interest to be determined in a single fraction of eluent. As a rock matrix, U.S. Geological Survey standard reference BCR— 1 basalt was digested using both an acid decomposition procedure and a lithium metaborate fusion. Hydrochloric and nitric acids were tested as eluents and chromatograms were plotted using the ICAP—AES data; and we observed substantial differences in the elution patterns of the REE and as well as in the solution patterns of Ba, Ca, Fe and Sr. The nitric acid elution required substantially less eluent to elute the REE and Y as a group when compared to the hydrochloric acid elution, and provided a clearer separation of the REE from interfering and matrix elements.
Analogies between structural and systems biology and systems-of-systems engineering in dynamic environments

Computer science and biology have inspired each other by drawing analogies. Biological molecules are even used directly as new material building blocks for creating next generation computer hard- and software. Recently, biology is moving to larger scales, generating datasets of high complexity and size. This allows moving from studies of individual biological entities such as proteins to their complex networks of interactions. Since cells are able to respond to perturbations over time, it is becoming an important variable in these studies. This is analogous to systems of systems engineering to operate in dynamic environments, requiring the efficient monitoring of external variables and intelligent choice of adequate responses. Here, we survey previous successes in exploiting analogies between biology and computer science and propose novel avenues and potential for cross-fertilization of research in dynamic systems modeling in biology and systems-of-systems engineering.
Nanostructured PVP/SiO 2 antireflective coating for solar panel applications

In this work, a nanostructured antireflective coating is created using a simple aqueous dip coating method. The addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone as an adhesion layer is shown to significantly impact the formation of nanostructures on the surface of the coating. The resulting variation in surface roughness creates a layer with a graded index of refraction. These films create an antireflective surface that increases the optical transmittance of glass substrates from 94.5% for silica nanoparticle films to 98.6% for PVP enhanced silica nanoparticle films at 500 nm wavelength.
Atrial natriuretic peptide production and natriuretic peptide receptors in the human uterus and their effect on myometrial relaxation.

Objective The objective of the study was to identify the effect of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on uterine contractility, production of ANP, and natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR) expression in human myometrial tissue. Study Design In an institutional review board–approved study, gravid human myometrium was obtained from patients undergoing cesarean section. Uterine contractility was examined using isometric force tension studies. After regular uterine contractions were obtained with oxytocin, ANP was added in increasing concentrations. ANP concentration was measured from myometrial tissue using radioimmunoassay (RIA). Primary myometrial cell culture was performed and treated with nifedipine vs oxytocin. RIA was performed on these cells and the cell culture media. Western blot analysis was performed on uterine tissue samples for natriuretic peptide receptors. Results With increasing concentration of ANP (starting at 3 pM), myometrial contraction frequency decreased. ANP was identified in primary cultured myometrial cells and cell culture media. Myometrial ANP concentration increased with advancing gestational age. The concentration of ANP decreased within myometrial cells treated with oxytocin. The amount of ANP in the cell culture media increased from cells treated with nifedipine. Western blot identified NPR-A, -B, and -C in myometrial tissue. NPR-A expression was significantly increased in preterm samples. Conclusion ANP has a dose dependent effect on uterine relaxation. ANP is present in human myometrial cells and appears to be secreted by myometrial cells. The concentration of ANP may vary with gestational age and modulators of uterine contractility. NPR-A, -B, and -C receptor proteins are present in myometrial tissue. NPR-A levels may correlate with gestational age.
Responses and Performance of Stabilized Full-Depth Reclaimed Pavements at the Minnesota Road Research Facility

This paper details the construction and analysis of three stabilized full-depth reclamation (SFDR) sections (Cells 2, 3, and 4) constructed at the Minnesota Road Research Facility on I-94 in 2008. Three test sections with different ratios of pulverized asphalt concrete to granular base were constructed, and the performance of full-depth reclaimed pavements stabilized with engineered emulsion was studied. Emulsion content and base structure varied between test sections. Each test section was designed for 3.5 million equivalent single-axle loads for a period of 5 years. As of June 30, 2012, the sections had been subjected to approximately 2.2 million such loads. Responses were measured with strain gauges embedded at the bottom of the hot-mix asphalt and SFDR layers in each test section. The strain gauges indicated that the bottom of both the hot-mix asphalt and the SFDR layers was subject to horizontal tensile strain from falling weight deflectometer testing and heavy vehicle loading. Pavement performance f...
The Circadian Regulatory Proteins BMAL1 and Cryptochromes Are Substrates of Casein Kinase Iε

The serine/threonine protein kinase casein kinase I e (CKIe) is a key regulator of metazoan circadian rhythm. Genetic and biochemical data suggest that CKIe binds to and phosphorylates the PERIOD proteins. However, the PERIOD proteins interact with a variety of circadian regulators, suggesting the possibility that CKIe may interact with and phosphorylate additional clock components as well. We find that CRY1 and BMAL1 are phosphoproteins in cultured cells. Mammalian PERIOD proteins act as a scaffold with distinct domains that simultaneously bind CKIe and mCRY1 and mCRY2 (mCRY). mCRY is phosphorylated by CKIe only when both proteins are bound to mammalian PERIOD proteins. BMAL1 is also a substrate for CKIein vitro, and CKIe kinase activity positively regulates BMAL1-dependent transcription from circadian promoters in reporter assays. We conclude that CKIe phosphorylates multiple circadian substrates and may exert its effects on circadian rhythm in part by a direct effect on BMAL1-dependent transcription.
The incidence of coexistent autonomic and vestibular dysfunction in patients with postural dizziness.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the incidence of coexistent peripheral vestibular dysfunction and cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in patients undergoing evaluation for dizziness exacerbated by postural changes. Materials and methods Retrospective case review of 56 sequential patients seen from 2003 to 2006 at a tertiary center for a primary complaint of dizziness who underwent both passive tilt table testing for evaluation of neurocardiogenic etiology and quantitative vestibular testing. The vestibular test battery consisted of alternating bithermal caloric testing; computerized sinusoidal vertical axis rotation (at frequencies 0.01–0.64) with infrared videonystagmography; and oculomotor and positional testing including bilateral Dix-Hallpike, head center supine, and 30-degree supine head turns right and left. Results Eight of the 56 subjects had caloric weakness. Forty-five subjects (80%) had abnormal tilt table test findings. The incidence of coexistent neurocardiogenic and vestibular test abnormalities was 10.7%. There was no significant association between abnormal tilt table test result and caloric weakness (Fisher exact test; P = .64). The degree of compensation seen on vestibule-ocular reflex gain testing did not affect tilt table findings ( χ 2 ; P = .872). Conclusions There is no difference in the rate of postural orthostatic intolerance in subjects with evidence of caloric weakness compared with those with normal caloric function.
Low-energy hydrogen sputtering of Au, Ni and stainless steel

Abstract Normal incidence sputtering yields have been measured for 200 – 2000 eV hydrogen ions on Au, Ni and 304 stainless steel films using a Rutherford backscattering technique. The measured yields agree well with recent results obtained at higher ion doses using the weight-loss method as well as with model calculations based on the binary collision approximation.
Sensitivity of the glycerol oxidation reaction to the size and shape of the platinum nanoparticles in Pt/SiO2 catalysts

Abstract The structure sensitivity of the catalytic oxidation of glycerol with atmospheric O2 in neutral pH water solutions was evaluated by using three series of silica-supported platinum catalysts. Transmission electron microscopy and CO titration experiments with infrared absorption spectroscopy detection were used to characterize the catalysts. Higher loadings led to larger average Pt nanoparticle sizes, but comparisons across catalysts made by different methods were unreliable because of differences in particle size distributions. Nevertheless, strong dependences of the selectivity for oxidation at the terminal versus central alcohol groups were identified as a function of both the extent of reaction and Pt particle size, with high conversions and large nanoparticles favoring terminal-carbon oxidation. Additional increases in turnover frequencies were also observed with increasing average metal nanoparticle size and with cuboctahedral versus tetrahedral Pt nanoparticles. On the other hand, no significant trends were seen in terms of further oxidation of glyceraldehyde to glyceric acid. The reported trends were ascribed to the general need for multi-atom surface Pt ensembles for conversion and to a possible unique access to the central carbonyl in glycerol only at low-coordination Pt sites.
Differential effects of N- and C-terminal deletions on the two activities of rubisco activase.

Spinach (Spinacea oleracea) leaf ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) activase was subjected to limited proteolysis with trypsin and directed deletions were made by modifying the spinach rubisco activase cDNA and expressing the 41-kDa isoform in Escherichia coli. Protein exposed to trypsin displayed a more rapid loss of the ability to promote the activation of decarbamylated rubisco than ATP hydrolysis (e.g., 10 and 50% activity remaining, respectively, after 1 h). A series of N-terminal deletions exhibited near abolition of rubisco activation after the 12th residue, a conserved tryptophan, was deleted. Conversely, a deletion of 19 residues at the C-terminus increased rubisco activation with little effect on ATP hydrolysis, resulting in an increased efficiency of activation. The C-terminal deletion mutant was further modified by a site-directed mutation in the ATP binding region (Q109E) which was previously observed to increase the efficiency of activation (J. B. Shen and W. L. Ogren, 1991, Plant Physiol. 99, 1201-1207). The efficiency of activation with this double mutant was greater than that for either of the original mutants. The results indicate that a conserved tryptophan in the N-terminal portion of rubisco activase is critical for promotion of the activation of rubisco, consistent with a possible role in interaction with rubisco. The C-terminus appears to have a regulatory effect on both rubisco activation and ATP hydrolysis.
Interactive mobile system for smoking cessation

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. We developed an interactive mobile system to facilitate smoking cessation by identifying which stage of change the patient was currently in and creating a custom intervention and cessation action plan based upon their feedback and experience. It is designed to follow the patient through their smoking cessation experience and adapt to their changing attitudes over time. We piloted this program with 49 current smokers hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The mobile smoking cessation system was generally well received by hospitalized patients. Improvement in attitudes and stage of change were noticed between pretest and posttest, suggesting an ability to help change patient's attitudes towards smoking and motivate them to quit. Providing real time decision support and tailoring the content shown to the patients to their personal profile can be a viable means in smoking cessation.
Food Security and the Role of the Grain Trade: Discussion

The author's paper is clearly an abridgment of a much larger World Bank study. It summarizes the writer's views on the general state of food security issues in the developing world. Also, it provides ideas on how third world countries are, and could be, using international grain markets, both cash and futures, to enhance the stability and efficiency of their own food systems. There is quite a bit of material about food security and international markets in this paper but very little about the grain trade specifically. In my opinion, a more apt title for this piece would be "Food Security and the Role of International Grain Markets." Neverthe-
Power and Cooking Time Relationships for Devitalization of Trichinae in Pork Roasts Cooked in Microwave Ovens

Power and cooking time combinations necessary to devitalize trichinae in pork roasts were determined using three power levels in each of two microwave ovens. The combinations obtained for an oven listed as producing 700 watts were: 100% power, 19.8 min/kg; 70%, 24.2 min/kg; and 30%. 55.0 min/kg. Those for a listed 625 watt oven were: 100% power, 24.2 min/kg; 70%, 26.4 min/kg; and 30%, 55.0 min/kg. Inadequate doneness in many roasts cooked with the safe combinations would necessitate additional cooking time before procedures could be recommended. Post-cooking temperatures during a 20-min standing period may either increase or decrease with no predictability.
Updates on the Management of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Despite being the most common sarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has only been widely recognized as a unique entity for just over a decade. The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of GIST. While surgery remains the only chance for cure, multimodal treatment that includes molecular therapy continues to develop. Optimal management of GIST requires careful radiographic, pathologic, medical and surgical care, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach. In this review we highlight recent developments in the management of GIST.
Acute right atrial strain: regression in normal as well as abnormal P-wave amplitudes with treatment of obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective To evaluate right atrial (RA) “strain” as reflected by changes in P-wave amplitude and vector in patients with COPD immediately before and immediately after beginning treatment of exacerbations. Background P-pulmonale (frequently temporary, reflecting acute RA strain) occurs under a variety of circumstances, including COPD. Emergency room (ED) ECGs in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD have suggested that P-pulmonale (P waves ≥ 2.5 in leads II, III, and aVF) tends to resolve subsequent to acute treatment. RA strain is defined as a response to RA stress (probably transient pressure rise and/or acute RA enlargement) in patients with COPD. Since P-pulmonale occurs in a small minority of patients with COPD, we investigated dynamic changes in size and mean vector (axis) of all frontal plane P waves in the ED vs the immediate subsequent ward ECG in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD. Methods We prospectively compared P-wave amplitude in the ED with the first in-patient ECG in 50 consecutive patients with acute exacerbations of COPD and in 20 consecutive nonpulmonary control patients, analyzing only ECGs showing sinus rhythm and in which P waves were clearly recorded. Despite using a calibrated magnifying graticule, it was difficult to interpret a dynamic change if the initial ED ECG had P-wave amplitude Results Of the patients with COPD, only seven patients (14%) had classical P-pulmonale on the ED ECG. Forty-eight of 50 consecutive patients (96%) demonstrated a decrease in P-wave amplitude between ED and subsequent ward ECGs. Two patients showed no change. The mean differences of P-wave amplitude between ED and ward ECGs in lead II was 0.78 mm, and that in lead aVF was 0.8 mm. The difference of the mean P-axis between ED and ward ECGs was − 5.24° (p Conclusions P-wave amplitude in patients with COPD decreases once an acute exacerbation subsides. Thus, P-wave amplitude and vector are dynamic and could reflect reduced RA strain. We question the traditional (1935) absolute cutoff of 2.5 mm for P-pulmonale as of limited value due to insensitivity, hence inappropriate for what this investigation demonstrates to be a continuous variable.
Countering inflammatory signals in obesity.

Although it is generally considered a proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin 6 (IL-6) has anti-inflammatory effects in macrophages by sensitizing them to IL-4 through upregulation of the IL-4 receptor.
The minimum degree distance of graphs of given order and size

In this note, we study the degree distance of a graph which is a degree analogue of the Wiener index. Given n and e, we determine the minimum degree distance of a connected graph of order n and size e.
Convergent and Discriminant Validity of Measures: Sources of Self-Esteem in the Classroom:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of teacher and student ratings of classroom sources of self-esteem in terms of a formulation offered by William Ja...
Algebra for Students with Learning Disabilities.

Counselors apparently believe that learning disabled students do not need or cannot learn algebra ergen Community College (BCC), like many schools and colleges, is facing a growing challenge of pro viding appropriate instruction to students with learning disabilities. Such accommodations as tutoring, untimed testing, note-takers, and readers have been used with some success. However, these accommodations are insufficient to ensure success in mathematics courses for most students with learning disabilities. disproportionate number of students with learning disabilities enrolled at BCC have graduat ed from high school with little exposure to algebraic concepts. When I ask my students with learning disabilities why they did not enroll in an algebra class in high school, their responses are almost always the same.
Spacing and orientation requirements of GcvA-binding sites 3 and 2 and the Lrp-binding region for gcvT::lacZ expression in Escherichia coli.

Both GcvA and Lrp are required for normal regulation of the gcv operon. Moving the GcvA-binding sites 3 and 2 and the Lrp-binding region either closer to, or further away from, the gcv promoter by approximately one helical turn of DNA resulted in a less than twofold decrease in glycine-mediated activation or inosine-mediated repression of a gcvT::lacZ fusion. Moving these sites approximately two helical turns of DNA away from the gcv promoter resulted in a further loss of both activation and repression; moving these sites approximately three helical turns of DNA from the gcv promoter resulted in an essentially complete loss of both glycine-mediated activation and inosinemediated repression. However, when these sites were moved by approximately 1.5 and 2.5 helical turns of DNA away from the gcv promoter, there was a complete loss of both glycine-mediated activation and inosine-mediated repression of the gcvT::lacZ fusion. The flexibility in the absolute distance of the GcvA- and Lrp-binding sites relative to the gcv promoter, but strict orientation dependence of these sites is consistent with a possible protein-protein interaction of either GcvA, Lrp, or both of these proteins with RNA polymerase. Because of the location of these target sites relative to the gcv promoter, it is also likely that DNA looping is required for this mechanism of regulation.
Attentional gradient for crossmodal proximal-distal tactile cueing of visual spatial attention

Past studies have established a crossmodal spatial attentional link among vision, audition, and touch. The present study examined the dependence of visual attention on the distance between a distal visual target (a changing element among static distractors) and the quadrant of the visual display cued by a proximal tactile stimulus. The distance between the center of the cued visual quadrant and the visual target was one of six values: 0, 90, 180, 350, 450, and 550 pixels. The distances of 0, 90, and 180 corresponded to the valid tactile cueing condition, where the tactile cue and the visual target occurred in the same quadrant. The distances of 350, 450, and 550 corresponded to the invalid tactile cueing condition, where the tactilely-cued quadrant did not match that of the visual change. Results from 10 young adults showed that mean response time increased with respect to the cue-target distance, thereby confirming a gradient of visual attention for proximal-distal tactile cueing. In addition, the response times for valid tactile cues were shorter than those for invalid tactile cues, confirming earlier findings that valid tactile cues facilitate visual search and invalid tactile cues interfere with visual search. The findings of the present study have implications for the design of multimodal attention-cueing systems for practical applications such as collision warning systems in automobiles.
Object Isolation for Cloud with DOMAIN RBAC

Cloud computing has taken technology into a mix of networking, virtualization and clustering environment which has opened up a new era with lots of opportunities thereby making business highly scalable. However there are several challenges that need to be addressed, in particular, security, which Forrester [1] has listed as being one of the most crucial concerns. One of the most effective and time-tested ways to ensure security is via Role Based Access Control (RBAC) [2]; with emphasis in cloud computing environments on data protection, authentication and authorization. RBAC provides a policy framework to enable delegation of responsibilities of the super user permissions to other users. This framework helps define non-root users with proper authorizations to perform specific system administration tasks. However it does not provide a mechanism to define the set of objects on which these roles could be exercised. By default, all Role based tasks can be performed on all objects of that type. Therefore to address this issue DOMAIN RBAC has been implemented, with object isolation feature included, as an extension of RBAC. Object Isolation marks a boundary across system resources and users by defining which users can access specified resources on the system while the RBAC roles would determine what operations can be performed on the accessible resources. In this paper we present and describe a method by which object isolation has been implemented via DOMAIN RBAC along with a use case. We also illustrate our approach by showing how it is implemented on IBM's AIX version 7 Operating System which can be leveraged in cloud environment.
Design of Efficient ARQ Schemes with Anti-Jamming Coding for Cognitive Radios

We introduce simple yet efficient ARQ protocols in conjunction with two types of anti-jamming coding techniques - rateless coding and piecewise coding - for cognitive radios. For piecewise coding, we propose to employ systematic codes to facilitate efficient selected retransmissions and design short codes to maximize secondary user throughput. For rateless coding, we consider a protocol that transmits new parity packets during retransmission and show that this scheme is stable if the jamming rate of the system is within a certain range. For both anti-jamming coding schemes, the corresponding simple ARQ protocols provide significant improvement in secondary user throughput. Moreover, the piecewise coding together with its ARQ protocol offers similar or better throughput performance compared with the rateless coding counterpart, without incurring the stability issue.
The evolution of the finance growth nexus

The fundamentalist view of growth in East Asia seems to have won the debate although the argument regarding the efficacy of interventionist industrial policies remains unsettled. To explore the role of financial institutions, the empirical literature needed an available measure of the extent of financial development. Quickly, and perhaps mistakenly, the role of financial institutions came to be defined by the size of the sector's activity. That is an economy with more intermediary activity was assumed to be doing more to generate efficient allocations. Increases in the quantity of intermediation were assumed to be synonymous with increases in the quality. The size of the financial sector is usually measured by the quantity of intermediation relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To explore the role of financial institutions, the empirical literature needed an available measure of the extent of financial development. Quickly, and perhaps mistakenly, the role of financial institutions came to be defined by the size of the sector's activity. That is an economy with more intermediary activity was assumed to be doing more to generate efficient allocations. Increases in the quantity of intermediation were assumed to be synonymous with increases in the quality. The size of the financial sector is usually measured by the quantity of intermediation relative to GDP.
Spectral domain analysis of a square microstrip spiral antenna

An Archimedean two-wire square spiral antenna is studied numerically by the spectral domain method. Complete antenna characteristics including input impedance, radiation efficiency, radiation pattern, and axial ratio are computed and presented. The goal of the authors' work is to design a microstrip spiral antenna operating at 8.0 GHz. >
Rental experience and likelihood to purchase rental car insurance among young adults

Purpose – Several studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between experience in an activity and perceived risk for the individual in the activity. That is, as experience increases, perceived risk decreases. This phenomenon has been labeled risk acculturation. The present study aims to examine prior rental car experience for its effect on estimated odds of an accident and likelihood to purchase rental car insurance.Design/methodology/approach – A convenience sample of 19‐24 year old students read a car rental scenario within a questionnaire and responded to questions regarding past risk behavior, car rental experience, perceived risk, likelihood of insurance purchase, and related topics.Findings – Compared to people who had not rented a car before, people with prior rental experience estimated the odds of an accident involving their vehicle to be significantly less likely (a risk acculturation effect). Also, subjects with prior rental car experience were significantly less likely to purchase a co...
A Comparison of Warming Interventions on the Temperatures of Inpatients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery

This study compared the effects of two different warming interventions in the preoperative setting on the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative temperatures of patients undergoing colorectal surgery in an inpatient setting. The study was performed to determine whether prewarming patients for at least 30 minutes would result in postoperative temperatures of 36° C (96.8° F) or higher within 15 minutes of their arrival in the postanesthesia care unit. The results indicated that prewarming devices did not result in reduced proportions of patients who subsequently experienced hypothermia. One reason may be that all the patients were warmed with a forced-air warming device before induction in the OR. Our study does not recommend a specific intervention for a prewarming strategy but indicates that prewarming may contribute to normothermia in the immediate postoperative period.
Cognitive Impact of Subcortical Vascular and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is an important, but heterogeneous, cause of cognitive impairment and dementia. Several subtypes of ischemic vascular dementia (IVD) have been proposed, including multiinfarct dementia, strategic infarct dementia, Binswanger’s syndrome, and subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD). Recently, SIVD has been defined by the presence of dementia often with prominent dysexecutive rather than amnestic features, combined with hyperintensities in subcortical gray and white matter as visualized by proton density and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).1,2 (In this article, CVD and sCVD refer to pathological findings, whereas IVD and SIVD refer to clinical diagnoses.) Several mechanisms have been postulated whereby subcortical cerebrovascular disease (sCVD) may cause or contribute to progressive cognitive impairment. According to the lacunar hypothesis, infarcts that are strategically located in frontal-subcortical loops may lead to abrupt changes in cognition and behavior.3 In Binswanger’s syndrome, hypoperfusion and demyelination of the deep white matter are postulated to cause slowly progressive cognitive impairment, gait disturbance, and urinary incontinence.4 In most cases of slowly progressive dementia, however, many investigators posit occult Alzheimer’s disease (AD), rather than lacunes, as the predominant cause of dementia.5 Mixed or combined contributions have also been proposed, with CVD and AD pathological changes contributing independently to dementia.6,7 Further elucidation of the cognitive impact of combined AD and CVD pathology depends on autopsy studies, because histological examination remains the best method for ascertaining the extent and severity of microscopic AD and CVD pathological alterations within the brain. A major goal of the Ischemic Vascular Dementia (IVD) program project (PO1-AG12435) is to elucidate how CVD leads to cognitive impairment, either alone or in combination with AD. In this research project, individuals with cognitive impairment attributed to SIVD or AD, as well as cognitively normal (CN) elderly subjects, are followed longitudinally to autopsy with repeat neuropsychological testing and structural MRI studies. Previous analyses from this project have shown that MR-assessed volumes of the hippocampus and cortical gray matter are stronger predictors of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline than are MR-assessed volumes of white matter hyperintensities and lacunes.8–10 The spectrum of pathological changes observed in the first 20 autopsy cases (eg, including frequent cortical microinfarcts and hippocampal sclerosis [HS])11 and the neuropsychological correlates for the first 46 autopsy cases12 have been published previously. We now report data from the first 79 consecutive autopsies regarding (1) correlations between clinical diagnosis and pathological findings, and (2) the relative contributions of CVD, AD pathology, and HS to cognitive impairment.
Modular assembly of designer PUF proteins for specific post-transcriptional regulation of endogenous RNA

Background Due to their modular repeat structure, Pumilio/fem-3 mRNA binding factor (PUF) proteins are promising candidates for designer RNA-binding protein (RBP) engineering. To further facilitate the application of the PUF domain for the sequence-specific RBP engineering, a rapid cloning approach is desirable that would allow efficient introduction of multiple key amino acid mutations in the protein. Here, we report the implementation of the Golden Gate cloning method for an efficient one-step assembly of a designer PUF domain for RNA specificity engineering.
The pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy

Purpose of reviewThis review will analyze contemporary information concerning the possible pathogenetic mechanisms involved in IgA nephropathy, emphasizing studies in humans rather than experimental animals.Recent findingsDeposition of IgA in the glomeruli, the hallmark of IgA nephropathy, may be a
Rational design of a NIR-emitting Pd(II) sensor via oxidative cyclization to form a benzoxazole ring

By using the substituent effect to tune the palladium(II)-involved reactivity, a new probe is found to respond quantitatively to Pd(II). Unexpectedly, the probe gave an emission band in the desirable near-infrared (NIR) region (780 nm), thus providing the first NIR sensor for palladium detection.
Challenges for Translational Psychopharmacology Research: The Need for Conceptual Principles

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the challenges for translational psychopharmacology research and discusses the need for conceptual principles to overcome these challenges. In the nascent phase of psychopharmacology, one of the research goals was to construct behavioral profiles of prototypic drugs mainly in laboratory animals and to identify in these profiles features that can be translated to clinical applications. These concerns range from drug responses that characterize individuals as being particularly vulnerable or resilient for disorders of varying psychiatric diagnoses to identifying compounds that are promising as pharmacotherapies. The chapter presents that the link between preclinical and clinical studies in psychopharmacology is intensified by continuously emerging methodological innovations that seek to enhance the translational value of experimental models. In the course of the first six decades of psychopharmacological research, experimental models prevailed and were refined that successfully contributed to the study of neurobiological mechanisms and medication development. The current discussion of principles that govern translational research in psychopharmacology emphasizes the importance of a sound conceptual basis for selecting core symptoms of psychiatric disorders when constructing and refining experimental models.