cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels by the plant alkaloid ryanodine

At micromolar concentrations, ryanodine interacts with the dihydropyridine receptor of rabbit skeletal muscle transverse tubules. Ryanodine displaces specifically bound [3H]PN200-110 with an apparent inhibition constant of approx. 95 μM and inhibits dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels in the same preparation with an IC50 of approx. 45 μM. These concentrations of ryanodine are approximately three orders of magnitude higher than those required to saturate binding of the alkaloid to the ryanodine receptor of sarcoplasmic reticulum and to open the calcium release channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum (i.e. 20 nM (1988) J. Gen. Physiol. 92, 1–26). Thus at sufficiently high dose, ryanodine may affect SR as well as plasma membrane Ca permeabilities.
Delayed matching of visual materials by a bottlenosed dolphin aided by auditory symbols

A bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with good underwater and aerial visual acuity was tested in visual matching-to-sample (MTS) paradigms. Attempts to train visual identity MTS directly, using two simple two-dimensional patterns as sample stimuli and as alternatives (comparison stimuli), met with little success, in keeping with previously observed difficulties of this auditory-specialized species for learning complex tasks utilizing simple visual materials. Pairing of each visual sample with a unique sound, to produce a compound auditory-visual sample, while retaining the two visual alternatives, resulted in the dolphin’s learning both auditory-visual symbolic matching and visual-visual identity matching. At 0-sec delay, performance with the auditory element of the sample alone was equivalent (76%) to performance with the visual element alone; performance with the compound was distinctly better (95%–98% correct). Testing with longer delays using the visual element alone resulted in successful matching through to a maximum delay of 34 sec. These results provided the first demonstration of delayed MTS in a dolphin using visual materials, and complemented other data showing the ready capability of this species for delayedauditory MTS. It appeared that the dolphin solved the visual MTS task by forming auditory codes to represent the visual materials, and that these auditory codes were eventually replaced with purely visual codes.
Effect of Cholesterol Transport Inhibitors on Steroidogenesis and Plasma Membrane Cholesterol Transport in Cultured MA-10 Ley dig Tumor Cells*

These studies were directed toward understanding the cellular actions of inhibitor drugs that affect steroidogenesis and cholesterol transport. We investigated the microfilament inhibitor cytochalasin-D, the microtubule inhibitor colchicine, the calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine, and the inhibitor of acidic vesicle function nigericin. We found that all of these compounds caused dose-dependent inhibition of progesterone synthesis in the MA-10 cells. Each compound also inhibited (Bu)2cAMP-stimulated pregnenolone synthesis, indicating that each inhibited a fundamental process required for steroidogenesis. Each compound was next evaluated for inhibitory actions on cholesterol transport to and from the plasma membrane. On the basis of inhibitor sensitivity, two different categories of cholesterol transport were defined. Transport of newly synthesized or low density lipoprotein-derived cholesterol from the cell interior to the plasma membrane was inhibitor insensitive. Plasma membrane cholesterol internaliz...
Discrimination of Schroeder-phase harmonic complexes by normal-hearing and cochlear-implant listeners.

The temporal fine structure (TFS) of sound contributes significantly to the perception of music and speech in noise. The evaluation of new strategies to improve TFS delivery in cochlear implants (CIs) relies upon the assessment of fine structure encoding. Most modern CI sound processing schemes do not encode within-channel TFS per se, but some TFS information is delivered through temporal envelope cues across multiple channels. Positive and negative Schroeder-phase harmonic complexes differ primarily in acoustic TFS and provide a potential test of TFS discrimination ability in CI users for current and future processing strategies. The ability to discriminate Schroeder-phase stimuli was evaluated in 24 CI users and 7 normal-hearing listeners at four fundamental frequencies: 50, 100, 200, and 400 Hz. The dependent variables were percent correct at each fundamental frequency, average score across all fundamental frequencies, and a maximum-likelihood-predicted threshold fundamental frequency for 75% correct. CI listeners scored better than chance for all fundamental frequencies tested. The 50-Hz, average, and predicted threshold scores correlated significantly with consonant–nucleus–consonant word scores. The 200-Hz score correlated with a measure of speech perception in speech-shaped noise. Pitch-direction sensitivity is predicted jointly by the 400-Hz Schroeder score and a spectral ripple discrimination task. The results demonstrate that the Schroeder test is a potentially useful measure of clinically relevant temporal processing abilities in CI users.
Total body irradiation for bone marrow transplantation: The Memorial sloan-Kettering cancer center experience

In May 1979, Memorial Sloan-Kettering embarked on a programme of hyperfractionated TBI (HFTBI), 1320 cGy in 11 fractions over 4 days with partial lung shielding (1 HVL), followed by cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg/d x 2d) for cytoreduction prior to allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Anterior and posterior chest wall electron "boosts" were given to the areas blocked (600 cGy in 2 fractions) on the last two days of treatment. Since then, we have treated over 600 patients with HFTBI, the majority for allogeneic BMT. Several modifications have occurred over the years. We have added a "boost" electron dose of 400 cGy to the testes in all male leukemic patients; this reduced testicular relapses from a rate of 14% (4/28) to 0%. In an attempt to increase engraftment of T-depleted BMTs, we added one additional fraction; since our present dose/fraction was also increased to 125 cGy, we now deliver a total dose of 1500 cGy in 12 fractions over 4 days for allogeneic transplants. Tolerance to HFTBI has been excellent relative to the single dose (SD) regimen utilised prior to May, 1979. The incidence of fatal interstitial pneumonitis (IP) decreased from 50% in the SD regimen to 18% after the introduction of HFTBI. In children, the incidence of IP was only 4% with HFTBI. With the introduction of T-depleted marrows, fatal IP in adults has decreased also, e.g. to less than 10% in CML patients. With conventional BMT after HFTBI, relapse at 5 years has been exceedingly low (e.g. in children, 13% for ALL, 2nd remission and 0% for AML, 1st remission) and engraftment has been 100%. With matched T-depleted BMT, rejections have occurred in 15% overall; the incidence of graft failure has not been reduced by the higher dose of HFTBI. Relapses in this setting are equivalent to relapses with conventional BMT for AML, but appear to be increased for ALL. Radiobiological findings related to HFTBI will also be discussed.
Effects of buspirone differ from those of gepirone and 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) on unpunished responding of pigeons.

Abstract Under several behavioral procedures, such as punished responding and drug discrimination, the effects of the atypical anxiolytic buspirone are similar to those of its analogue gepirone, and to those of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT. Similarities in the effects of these compounds occur despite the fact that buspirone produces strong dopaminergic actions, whereas both gepirone and 8-OH-DPAT effects mainly appear to be serotonergically mediated. When keypeck responding of pigeons was maintained under a multiple 3-min fixed-interval, 30-response fixed ratio schedule of food presentation, responding under both the fixed-interval and fixed-ratio schedules was decreased over a range of buspirone doses (0.3–5.6 mg/kg). As has been reported with many antipsychotic compounds, performance under the fixed-interval schedule was more sensitive to the rate-decreasing effects of buspirone. In contrast, both gepirone (0.03–3.0 mg/kg) and 8-OH-DPAT (0.03–1.0 mg/kg) increased responding under the two schedules. Differences in the effects of buspirone from the other compounds in this study, compared to the similar effects of these drugs obtained using other procedures, emphasize the importance of the specific behavior as a determinant of drug action. The multiple fixed-interval, fixed-ratio schedule may be useful for delineating the relative balance of dopaminergic and serotonergic effects produced by drugs that are less apparent using other behavioral procedures. Additionally, since the effects of these substances under the multiple fixed-interval, fixed-ratio schedule closely parallel the different neurochemical changes produced by these drugs, further analyses of other novel anxiolytic drugs under this procedure will complement the study of these compounds using other methods and should aid in the eventual clarification of the behavioral and neurochemical actions of this class of drugs.
On the coupling of intrinsic spin with the rotation of the earth

Abstract The results of recent experiments that have unsuccessfully searched for exotic spin-dependent interactions are interpreted instead in terms of spin-rotation coupling. The apparent coupling of nuclear spin of atomic mercury with the rotation of the earth has been observed by Venema et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 68 (1992) 135]. The significance and implications of this result for the physics of accelerated systems are briefly discussed.
A multiple-trait breeding program for improving the symbiosis for N2 fixation betweenMedicago sativa L. andRhizobium meliloti

The goal of breeding alfalfa for increased N2 fixation potential is addressed. A chronological progression of breeding, physiological, microbiological, and plant pathological research is described. Studies describing the interrelationships among plant morphological, plant physiological, andRhizobium effectiveness traits are summarized. It was concluded that N2 fixation in alfalfa is affected by coordinated responses among many physiological and biochemical traits. The simultaneous improvement of many factors in the symbiosis requires a comprehensive multiple-step breeding program. The current program includes selection in the glasshouse for seedling vigor,Rhizobium preference, shoot growth, nodule mass, root growth, nitrogenase (as measured by acetylene reduction), and nodule enzyme activity. The inclusion of additional selection traits is anticipated. Field evaluations of N2 fixation potential of alfalfa populations are made with15N isotope dilution techniques. Plant germplasm sources used in the breeding program include several heterogeneous populations which have good combining ability and pest resistance when they are intercrossed. Significant progress has been made in achieving the goal of breeding alfalfa for improved N2 fixation.
Microwave frequency dependence of integer quantum Hall effect: Evidence for finite-frequency scaling.

We present ac measurements of the diagonal conductivity ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathit{x}\mathit{x}}$, in the integer quantum Hall regime for frequency f between 0.2 and 14 GHz and temperature T\ensuremath{\ge}50 mK. Re(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathit{x}\mathit{x}}$) was obtained from the measured attenuation of a coplanar transmission line on the sample surface. For f\ensuremath{\gtrsim}1 GHz, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathit{x}\mathit{x}}$ peaks between IQHE minima broaden as f increases, roughly as (\ensuremath{\Delta}B)\ensuremath{\propto}${\mathit{f}}^{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, where \ensuremath{\Delta}B is the peak width. \ensuremath{\gamma}=0.41\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04 for spin-split peaks, and for spin-degenerate peaks \ensuremath{\gamma}=0.20\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05. We interpret our data in terms of dynamic scaling. Our \ensuremath{\gamma}, when compared with existing estimates of the localization length exponent \ensuremath{\nu}, is consistent with assigning a dynamic exponent z=1.
DISTINCT SMALL-DISTANCE SCALING BEHAVIOR OF ON-OFF INTERMITTENCY IN CHAOTIC DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

On-off intermittency in chaotic dynamical systems refers to the situation where some dynamical variables exhibit two distinct states in their course of time evolution. One is the ‘‘off’’ state, where the variables remain approximately a constant, and the other is the ‘‘on’’ state, where the variables temporarily burst out of the off state. Previous work demonstrates that there appears to be a universal scaling behavior for on-off intermittency. In particular, the length of off time intervals, or the length of the laminar phase, obeys the algebraic scaling law. We present evidence that there are in fact distinct classes of on-off intermittency. Although the statistics of their laminar phase obeys the algebraic scaling, quantities such as the average transient time for trajectories to fall in a small neighborhood of the asymptotic off state exhibit qualitatively different scaling behaviors. The dynamical origin for producing these distinct classes of on-off intermittency is elucidated. @S1063-651X~96!08907-6#
Offering telephone counseling to smokers using pharmacotherapy

Whereas telephone-based counseling has been found to be effective in supporting smokers interested in quitting smoking, it is not known whether proactive efforts to reach smokers receiving cessation medications will enhance their likelihood of successful quitting. We had an opportunity to test, in a health plan setting, an offer of telephone-based counseling with smokers identified from health plan records as recently filling a prescription for nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion. After we removed 31 members determined to be ineligible, 1,329 were randomly allocated to receive an invitation either to telephone-based counseling (n = 663) or to a control group (n = 666). On average, 7 days (range = 3-15 days) elapsed from the day of the prescription fill until the Center for Health Promotion began calling to invite members to participate in telephone counseling. The Center for Health Promotion was able to reach 49% of those in the intervention group (323/663). Of these members, 118 (37%) declined any participation. Therefore, in response to the proactive contact, 63% (205/323) of those reached and 31% (205/663) of those eligible participated in some smoking cessation counseling. At the 3-month follow-up, we observed an increased quit rate (33.1% vs. 27.4%) among health plan members randomized to telephone-based smoking cessation counseling. The results varied by gender and amount smoked. In addition, the variables associated with quitting in a multivariate logistic regression model included older age and using more than 30 days of medication.
The Role of the Part-time Physician-Teacher in Dermatology

A s we approach the 21st century, specialty training programs in dermatology are feeling increasing pressures that have begun to erode clinical teaching. Full-time faculty members are being asked to spend more time in patient care to support an increasing portion of their income or are spending more time to develop laboratory data and write grant applications to survive in a brutally competitive academic world. Other faculty members are leaving academic medicine for private practice having decided that the risk-reward ratio is no longer acceptable. In California, the state government has implemented a plan that decreases specialty residency positions and their funding in favor of primary care positions. Third-party payers are becoming more restrictive in paying for inpatient and outpatient dermatologic services. Dermatologic inpatient services in some university teaching programs have been eliminated. Third-party payers are also balking at subsidizing teaching and research activities at teaching hospitals.
921-74 Biological Response to Appropriately Placed Bard Clamshell Septal Occluder Devices in the Canine Heart

The Bard Clamshell Septal Occluder Device has been used to close various congenital defects. Little is known about the long term biological response to device placement. The original Bard Clamshell ® Septal Occluder Device (OD) has been revised to decrease the risk of arm fractures. This study evaluates and compares the long term response to placement of the new Bard Clamshell II Septal Occluder Device (BSO) and the OD. Twenty three dogs underwent blade atrial septostomy followed by balloon dilation. A 23 mm device was deployed 2 weeks later to close the ASD. Dogs were evaluated angiographically at 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, 1 year and 2 year intervals. A portion of the dogs were sacrificed at each of these intervals. Explant xrays, gross and microscopic evaluation were then performed on the excised heart. Ten dogs underwent placement of the OD, and thirteen dogs the BSO. In the OD group, 1/10 dogs had an arm fracture between 3 and 6 months after placement. In the SSO group, 0/13 dogs had arm fractures. There was no evidence of thrombus formation in either group on angiographic follow-up or pathologic evaluation. By one month, in both groups, the device was at least 50% endothelialized with a normal healing response. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed neointima formation with an endothelialized surface. There was generally a focal foreign body reaction with macrophages and foreign body giant cells at the tissue/device interface. Focal areas of capillary formation in developing granulation tissue were seen within the fibrosed edges of the device, and were secondary to a rigid device within moving tissue. The device was completely endothelialized by 3 months. At six months, there was normal healing in both groups. In the OD group, microscopic calcium deposition was noted in 2/2 dogs sacrificed at one year. Gross evaluation on the two year OD dogs showed normal healing. One year and two year dogs in the BSO group (3/3 each) are awaiting sacrifice. In both groups, SEM indicated no evidence of metal corrosion or fatigue. In conclusion, appropriately placed Clamshell Occluder devices are well tolerated up to 2 years in the canine heart with complete endothelialization by 3 months post-implantation. There are no significant differences up to 6 months in the healing response between the old and new device designs. The new devices have not fractured to date.
Operational Control Statement

All engineers concerned with the design of an automated process require a clear understanding of the desired operation. The Operational Control Statement clearly expresses the control desired in a simplified, tabular form that electrical engineers and nonelectrical engineers can readily write and read. It expresses requirements for starting, sustaining, interlocking, time delay, sequenced events, shutdown, memory, and alternating events, in a concise manner. The method is quicker to write, easier to read, and quicker to review than presently used methods.
Jordan-algebraic aspects of optimization: randomization

We describe a version of a randomization technique within a general framework of Euclidean Jordan algebras. It is shown how to use this technique to evaluate the quality of symmetric relaxations for several non-convex optimization problems.
The EPS Matrix as an Adaptive Bastion for Biofilms: Introduction to Special Issue

The process of biofilm formation has knowingly, and even unsuspectingly, baffled scientists for almost as long as the field of microbiology itself has existed. This Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS) specifically addresses an important component of the biofilm, the extracellular matrix. This matrix forms the protective secretions that surround biofilm cells and afford a “built environment” to contain biofilm processes. During the earlier days of microbiology, it was intriguing to Claude ZoBell that attached bacteria sometimes were able to proliferate when their planktonic counterparts were unable to grow [1]. During the 1970s, this attached state was beginning to be explored [2], and it was realized to be anchored in a matrix of slime-like molecules. The slime-like matrix together with cells was to be called the “biofilm”, a term developed by the late Bill Costerton, Bill Characklis and colleagues. The scientific revelation that attached bacteria were different from free (i.e., planktonic) cells in their physiological behavior and adaptability, launched an era of focused exploration in this area of microbiology. It was initially surprising, though not unexpected in retrospect, that interest in biofilms has grown and now infiltrates virtually all aspects of our scientific study. Since that time there has been a near-exponential growth in the numbers of scientific publications addressing biofilms owing to their immediate relevance to ecology, biotechnology, health and industry. [...]
Ferromagnetoelastic Resonance in Thin Films. II. Application to Nickel

In Paper I we presented a formal treatment of ferromagnetoelastic resonance (FMER) in thin films. In the present paper, this method is applied to the calculation of resonance lines of nickel at room temperature and at 25.92 GHz, a $K$-band frequency. It is shown that the FMER conditions are the following: (i) The film thickness nearly equals an odd-integral number of half-wavelengths of the elastic wave at the ferromagnetic-resonance frequency under the spin-unpinned and traction-free boundary conditions, or under the spin-pinned and traction-free boundary conditions; (ii) the film thickness nearly equals an even-integral number of half-wavelengths of the elastic wave under the spin-pinned and deformation-free boundary conditions. The thickness range over which the linewidth enhancement occurs is about 3% of the FMER thickness. The effect of the elastic damping on the linewidth enhancement is discussed. The angular dependence of the linewidth is examined in detail, along with the resonance-frequency shift and line shape. Finally, the relationship of the FMER problem to that of phonon generation is discussed briefly.
Foster Mother–Infant Bonding: Associations Between Foster Mothers' Oxytocin Production, Electrophysiological Brain Activity, Feelings of Commitment, and Caregiving Quality

This study examined the biological processes associated with foster mother-infant bonding. In an examination of foster mother-infant dyads (N = 41, mean infant age = 8.5 months), foster mothers' oxytocin production was associated with their expressions of behavioral delight toward their foster infant and their average P3 response to images of all infant faces in the first 2 months of the relationship. Three months later, foster mothers' oxytocin production was still associated with delight toward their foster infant and was also specifically associated with their P3 response to an image of their foster infant. Similar to biologically related mothers and infants, oxytocin appears to be associated with foster mothers' brain activity and caregiving behavior, with patterns suggestive of bond formation.
Performance characteristics of high-purity mid-wave and long-wave infrared type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice infrared photodiodes

The authors report on recent advances in the development of mid-, long-, and very long-wavelength infrared (MWIR, LWIR, and VLWIR) type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice infrared photodiodes. The residual carrier background of binary type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes of cut-off wavelengths around 5 μm has been studied in the temperature range between 10 and 200 K. A four-point, capacitance-voltage technique on mid-wavelength and long-wavelength type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice infrared photodiodes reveal residual background concentrations around 5 × 1014 cm-3. Additionally, recent progress towards LWIR photodiodes for focal plane array imaging applications is presented. Single element detectors with a cut-off wavelength, λc,50%, of 10.2 μm demonstrated detectivities of approximately 1 × 1011 cmHz1/2W-1 and quantum efficiencies of 32% at the peak responsivity wavelength of around 7.9 μm. Furthermore, high-performance VLWIR single element photodiodes are discussed. The silicon dioxide passivation of VLWIR photodiodes is also presented, which resulted in an approximately 5 times increase of the sidewall resistivity. The latest developments in this material system lend further support for its use as a high-performance alternative for infrared optical systems compared to the current state-of-the-art imaging systems, especially those approaching the long-wavelength and very-long-wavelength infrared.
Theoretical Model with Reciprocal Effects of Youthful Crime and Drug Use

The purpose of this study of 1,093 adolescents from six public high schools was to see if a social control model with several reciprocal relationships between social learning elements and delinquency was useful. The same hypothesized model was applied to criminal behavior, alcohol use, and other drug use. Whereas the hypothesized theoretical model does explain considerable variation in frequency of alcohol use and of criminal behavior (22% and 24%, respectively), it does not account for much variance in drug use (6%). On the other hand, there are several reciprocal relationships in common across these forms of delinquency. The study clearly supports the need to formulate and test models with reciprocal effects. The social work implications of these findings are discussed.
Video Clips as a Data Source for Safety Performance

Improved safety is an important goal, but there is difficulty in gathering data and identifying practices that lessen the margin of patient safety in real dynamic complex medical workplaces. Video clips as data are a rich source to examine safety performance. Video clips have utility for participants to review their activities and for analysts to extract quantitative data. Focusing video data collection around brief, risky but beneficial tasks, to illustrate patterns of use that occur in Trauma Centers during patients' resuscitation, can simplify participation consent, confidentiality and data analysis problems. However such video clip acquisition (5–15 minute duration) does not appear to compromise the quality of the content, that can facilitate identification of team performance, communication, ergonomic, and systems factors affecting patient safety. Comparisons of task performance under two levels of task urgency was particularly revealing of areas where patient safety performance can be improved and a...
Management of staple line leaks following sleeve gastrectomy

Abstract Background Leaks after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) are not very frequent but are a difficult complication that can become chronic. Various treatment options have been suggested but no definitive treatment regimen has been established. The aim of our study is to report leak complications after LSG, their management, and outcomes. Methods Between June 2008 and October 2013, a total of 539 patients underwent laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at our institution. A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database was performed for all LSG patients, noting the outcomes and complications of the procedure. Results Fifteen (2.8%) patients presented with a leak after LSG. The diagnosis was made at a mean of 27.2±29.9 days (range, 1–102) after LSG. Eight (53.3%) patients underwent conservative treatment initially and 6 (75.0%) of these patients required stenting as secondary treatment. Although leaks from 3 patients resolved with stenting, the other 3 required restenting and 2 eventually underwent conversion to gastric bypass. Five (33.3%) patients underwent endoscopic intervention, closing the leak with fibrin glue (n = 3) or hemoclips (n = 2). Two (13.3%) patients who were diagnosed with a leak immediately after LSG before discharge had their leak oversewn laparoscopically with an omental patch. Leaks in 9 (60.0%) patients did not heal after the first intervention, and the mean number of intervention required was 2.3±1.7 times (range, 1–7) for the treatment of this condition. Conclusion Management of leaks after LSG can be challenging. Early diagnosis and treatment is important in the management of a leak. However, it can be treated safely via various management options depending on the time of diagnosis and size of the leak.
c-Myc and epidermal stem cell fate determination

The epidermis is sustained by a multipotent stem cell population that gives rise to cells of different fates including those forming hair follicles, interfollicular epidermis and associated glands such as sebaceous glands. The most intriguing evidence comes from using a variety of mouse models with which studies have found the WNT pathway to be involved in regulating stem cell fate decisions. These mouse models have been used to analyze different members of the WNT pathway in the epidermis and altogether suggest that different levels of β-catenin correlate with the adoption of different epidermal stem cell fates. Recent data specifically analyzing c-Myc, a downstream target of the WNT pathway, has found that c-Myc can divert epidermal stem cells to a sebaceous gland fate at the expense of hair follicles. Also, newly emerging data using gene expression profiling techniques have uncovered a more direct role of c-Myc in stem cell fate determination.
Neuroethics vs Neurophysiologically and Neuropsychologically Uninformed Influences in Child-Rearing, Education, Emerging Hunter-Gatherers, and Artificial Intelligence Models of the Brain:

Potentially negative long-term consequences in four areas are emphasized, if specific neuromaturational, neurophysiological, and neuropsychological facts within a neurodevelopmental and ecological context are neglected in normal functional levels of child development and maturational lag of the frontal lobe system in “Attention Deficit Disorder,” in education (reading/writing and arithmetic), in assessment of cognitive functioning in hunter-gatherer populations, specifically modified in the service of their survival, and in constructing computer models of the brain, neglecting consciousness and intentionality as criticized recently by Searle.
Hyperactivation of the Drosophila Hop Jak kinase causes the preferential overexpression of eIF1A transcripts in larval blood cells

Abstract Jak kinase–Stat protein pathways play a critical role in the response of blood cells to a range of cytokines and growth factors. We are using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system to elucidate additional components of Jak-Stat pathways, and to determine how abnormalities in this pathway lead to hematopoietic leukemia-like defects. To identify downstream targets, we conducted a molecular screen for genes whose transcripts are overexpressed in response to activation of the Drosophila Hop Jak kinase. We identified a Drosophila homolog of eIF1A, a eukaryotic initiation factor found in humans and other eukaryotes. D-eIF1A is highly overexpressed in the hemocytes and lymph glands of third instar larvae carrying the dominant, gain-of-function mutation hopTum-l. A quantitative comparison of poly(A)+ RNA levels between D-eIF1A and other known Drosophila translation initiation factors indicates that D-eIF1A transcripts preferentially overaccumulate in response to the hyperactive Hop pathway. Our results support the model that D-eIF1A is one of the target genes through which the Drosophila Jak kinase pathway regulates hemocyte development.
Soul and Body in Plato and Descartes

Although they are often grouped together in comparison with non-dualist theories, Plato's soul-body dualism, and Descartes' mind-body dualism, are fundamentally different. The doctrines examined are those of the Phaedo and the Meditations. The main difference, from which others flow, lies in Plato's acceptance and Descartes' rejection of the assumption that the soul ( = intellect) is identical with what animates the body.
Effects of murine viral leukemia on spleen nucleoside deaminase: purification and properties of the enzyme from leukemic spleen.

Abstract A 400-fold increase was observed in the specific activity of nucleoside deaminase (cytidine aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.5) in the spleen of mice infected with Friend murine leukemia virus. The enzyme was purified 100-fold from the spleen of leukemic mice. It was sensitive to SH reagents and stimulated by dithiothreitol and GSH. Different pH responses were observed in the presence or absence of dithiothreitol. Cytidine was deaminated at a greater rate than deoxycytidine; cytosine or its nucleotides were not deaminated. The molecular weight determined by gel filtration was 74 000.
What’s Love Got To Do With It?: Social Functioning, Perceived Health, and Daily Happiness in Married Octogenarians

This study examined day-to-day links between perceived health and happiness and between time spent with others and happiness in 47 older adult couples over an 8-day period. Marital satisfaction and time spent with others were explored as potential moderators of links between health and happiness. For both men and women, hierarchical linear modeling revealed daily links between more time spent with others and greater happiness. Daily links between time spent with one's partner and happiness were strongly moderated by marital satisfaction. For both men and women, marital satisfaction buffered day-to-day links between poorer perceived health and a decline in happiness, but time spent with others did not. This study provides support for the role of marital satisfaction in protecting older adults' happiness from daily fluctuations in perceived physical health and for the influence of social connections in promoting happiness in the lives of older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
Information seeking and source selection among ePatients with cancer: Findings from the HINTS 2005

This study is a secondary analysis of the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) of 5,586 randomly chosen Americans, conducted by the National Cancer Institute. The current study focuses on a subset of this dataset and includes the responses of ePatients (n=252) – people with history of cancer researching cancer topics from the Internet-, and other cancer information seekers (n=1,740). A series of t-tests and chi-square tests was conducted to obtain insight into the socio-demographic, communication, and information-seeking characteristics the two groups possess. Compared to other cancer information seekers, ePatients were older; poorly employed or retired; more likely to have health coverage (insurance or Medicare, etc.); non-immigrant; more likely to pay higher attention to media coverage of health news; more likely to e-mail to doctors; more likely to trust information from the Internet; less likely to trust information from family/friends or radio; and more likely to have higher search expertise. More than half of the ePatients used the Internet for their primary information source, but growing number of the ePatients preferred doctors as the most preferred information source. The findings reveal five patterns in information and communication behaviors of ePatients. Implications from HINTS for health information providers were suggested.
The Older Adult Health and Mood Questionnaire: A Measure of Geriatric Depressive Disorder:

Depressive disorders are a common problem in late life, requiring consistent and reliable screening by clinicians. Such screening should be based upon the most recent criteria available to facilitate diagnostic and nosologic agreement. This study presents a new screening instrument for geriatric depressive disorders based upon DSM-III-R criteria and the known differences in the display of depression that occur among older persons. The Older Adult Health and Mood Questionnaire (OAHMQ) is a 22-item questionnaire with sound psychometric properties and high validity. Its validation included comparisons with diagnostic assessments by geriatrically-trained psychiatrists and psychologists, and factor analysis. Using a three-part division of "normal," "clinically significant depressive symptoms," and "probable major depression," its sensitivity is .80 and its specificity is .87 for major depression, and .92 and .87, respectively, for any depressive disorder. Separate scoring of affective symptoms versus other symptoms of depression (i.e., physiologic, cognitive, or behavioral) can be useful for diagnostic and research purposes.
Nicotinic acid-associated myopathy: A report of three cases

C urrently, the lay public and most physicians are very concerned about achieving-,lower serum cholesterol levels. This concern is a result of several studies showing that reducing total cholesterol with drug treatment could decrease the morbidity and mortality of coronary heart disease [1-3]. Since then, reviewers [4] and expert panels [5] have advocated nicotinic acid as the drug of choice for those hypercholesterolemic patients whose condition has not responded to dietary therapy. These recommendations are based on studies demonstrating that nicotinic acid is effective in lowering cholesterol levels [2,3,6,7] with acceptable side effects and cost. The most common adverse effects of nicotinic acid have been flushing, pruritus, gastrointestinal intolerance, skin hyperpigmentation, and occasional hypotension [6-10]. Other more rare adverse effects include acanthosis nigricans, toxic amblyopia, atrial arrhythmias, and panic attacks [6,9-12]. Laboratory abnormalities have also been reported including elevation of plasma glucose, uric acid, aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, and serum bilirubin [8-10]. Occasionally, jaundice and fulminant hepatitis have been reported secondary to nicotinic acid [13-16]. We report three cases of nicotinic acid-associated myopathy. We are unaware of previous reports of this adverse effect.
The duodenal mucosa in patients with renal failure: Response to 1,25(OH)2D3

The duodenal mucosa in patients with renal failure: Response to 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 . The structure of the duodenal mucosa was evaluated i n duodenal biopsy samples obtained from patients with moderate renal failure (MRF) and in dialysis patients (HD) in an effort to examine the possibility that changes in duodenal mucosa may contribute to the impaired calcium absorption in renal failure (RF). The effect of therapy with 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 on the duodenal mucosa in the HD patients was also studied. The results show that both MRF and HD patients have reduction in calcium reabsorption and in the length of their intestinal villi and crypts of Lieberkuhn. In the HD patients, these structural changes were more severe. Treatment with 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 produced significant improvement in calcium reabsorption (P 2 D 3 therapy, and suggest that these derangements may play a role in the defective calcium reabsorption in RF. La muqueuse duodenale chez les malades en insuffisance renale: Reponse au 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 . La structure de la muqueuse duodenale a ete evaluee sur des biopsies duodenales de malades atteints d'insuffisance renale moderee (MFR) et de malades en hemodialyse (HD) afin d'etudier l'hypothese selon laquelle des modifications de la muqueuse duodenale pourraient contribuer a l'alteration de l'absorption du calcium au cours de l'insuffisance renale. L'effet du traitement par 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 sur la muqueuse duodenale a ete etudie chez les malades HD. Les resultats montrent que les malades MRF et HD ont une diminution de l'absorption du calcium et de la longueur de leurs villosites intestinales et de leurs cryptes de Lieberkuhn. Chez les malades HD ces modifications de structure sont encore plus severes. Le traitement par 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 determine une amelioration significative de l'absorption du calcium (P 2 D 3 et suggerent que ces modifications peuvent jouer un role dans le deficit de au cours de RF.
Prebreakdown current and noise in insulators

Haworth and Bozorth, as well as von Hippel, many years ago observed that the prebreakdown current in dielectrics may be accompanied by characteristic noise phenomena of a not clearly established origino Lately, several scientists have ascribed this noise to impact ionization in the dielectric and deduced the number and height of these avalanches from it. This interpretation appears very doubtful, because the onset of impact ionization in the presence of field emission should normally lead to breakdown(l). To clarify the situation, the present authors have investigated the origin of the noise and its frequency spectrum in some detail.
Autophagosome dynamics in neurodegeneration at a glance

Autophagy is an essential homeostatic process for degrading cellular cargo. Aging organelles and protein aggregates are degraded by the autophagosome-lysosome pathway, which is particularly crucial in neurons. There is increasing evidence implicating defective autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Recent work using live-cell imaging has identified autophagy as a predominantly polarized process in neuronal axons; autophagosomes preferentially form at the axon tip and undergo retrograde transport back towards the cell body. Autophagosomes engulf cargo including damaged mitochondria (mitophagy) and protein aggregates, and subsequently fuse with lysosomes during axonal transport to effectively degrade their internalized cargo. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we review recent progress on the dynamics of the autophagy pathway in neurons and highlight the defects observed at each step of this pathway during neurodegeneration.
The transition from bursting to continuous spiking in excitable membrane models

Mathematical models for excitable membranes may exhibit bursting solutions, and, for different values of the parameters, the bursting solutions give way to continuous spiking. Numerical results have demonstrated that during the transition from bursting to continuous spiking, the system of equations may give rise to very complicated dynamics. The mathematical mechanism responsible for this dynamics is described. We prove that during the transition from bursting to continuous spiking the system must undergo a large number of bifurcations. After each bifurcation the system is increasingly chaotic in the sense that the maximal invariant set of a certain two-dimensional map is topologically equivalent to the shift on a larger set of symbols. The number of symbols is related to the Fibonacci numbers.
Directed evolution can rapidly improve the activity of chimeric assembly-line enzymes.

Nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) are produced by NRP synthetase (NRPS) enzymes that function as molecular assembly lines. The modular architecture of NRPSs suggests that a domain responsible for activating a building block could be replaced with a domain from a foreign NRPS to create a chimeric assembly line that produces a new variant of a natural NRP. However, such chimeric NRPS modules are often heavily impaired, impeding efforts to create novel NRP variants by swapping domains from different modules or organisms. Here we show that impaired chimeric NRPSs can be functionally restored by directed evolution. Using rounds of mutagenesis coupled with in vivo screens for NRP production, we rapidly isolated variants of two different chimeric NRPSs with ≈10-fold improvements in enzyme activity and product yield, including one that produces new derivatives of the potent NRP/polyketide antibiotic andrimid. Because functional restoration in these examples required only modest library sizes (103 to 104 clones) and three or fewer rounds of screening, our approach may be widely applicable even for NRPSs from genetically challenging hosts.
An efficient direct parallel spectral-element solver for separable elliptic problems

An efficient direct parallel elliptic solver based on the spectral element discretization is developed. The direct solver is based on a matrix decomposition approach which reduces multi-dimensional separable problems to a sequence of one-dimensional problems that can be efficiently handled by a static condensation process. Thanks to the spectral accuracy and the localized nature of a spectral element discretization, this elliptic solver is spectrally accurate and can be efficiently parallelized, and it can serve as an essential building block for large scale high-performance solvers in computational fluid dynamics and computational materials science.
Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage System (SMES) for Improved Dynamic System Performance

A Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage System (SMES) consists of a high inductance coil emulating a constant current source. Such a SMES system, when connected to a power system, is able to inject/absorb active and reactive power into or from a system. The active power injected into the system is controlled by varying the duty cycle of the switches in the dc-dc chopper while the SMES coil is discharging into the system. The reactive power is controlled by the magnitude of the converter output voltage. The storage setup is tested on a WSCC 3 machine 9 bus system. The behavior of the system is tested for a three phase fault on the network at different locations. The transient behavior of the system is observed with and without the SMES unit. The SMES unit is able to damp out the post-fault oscillations within a short time.
Fault Location for the NEPTUNE Power System

The objective of the North Eastern Pacific Time-Series Undersea Networked Experiment (NEPTUNE) program is to construct an underwater cabled observatory on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing the Juan de Fuca Tectonic Plate. The power system associated with the proposed observatory is unlike conventional terrestrial power systems in many ways due to the unique operating conditions of underwater cabled observatories. In the event of a backbone cable fault, the location of the fault must be identified accurately so that a repair ship can be sent to repair the cable. Due to the proposed networked, mesh structure, traditional techniques for cable fault identification can not achieve the desired level of accuracy. In this paper, a system-theoretic method is proposed for identification of the fault location based on the limited data available. The method has been tested with extensive simulations and is being implemented for the field test in Monterey, California. In this study, a lab test is performed for the fault location function
Recent findings into the potential of gene therapy to reverse heart failure.

The incidence of heart failure (HF) is ever growing and the mortality of HF patients is similar to patients suffering from cancer disease. The central clinical problem is a lack of therapies to target the underlying molecular defects that lead to chronic ventricular dysfunction. Substantial evidence points to a final common pathway in failing myocardium, including distinct changes in intracellular Ca2+-cycling and β-adrenergic receptor signaling. An attractive strategy to address these alterations is cardiac gene therapy and several distinct approaches have been undertaken during the last decade with impressing therapeutic benefit, at least in animal HF models. The present focus of research is the clinical translation of cardiac gene therapy including the optimization of vectors, delivery strategies and testing the compatibility with established pharmacologic treatment to improve the prognosis of HF in the near future.