cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CONDITIONED INDUCTION OF PARADOXICAL SLEEP IN THE RABBIT.

Abstract Earlier electroencephalographic studies showed that sleep, including both spindle-slow wave and paradoxical phases, could be induced in estrogen-primed ovariectomized rabbits by low-frequency (5 cycle/sec) electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus or limbic system and that the threshold varied with the hormonal status of the animal. The present investigation inquired whether electrically-induced paradoxical sleep might be conditioned to respond to a neutral pure (500 cycle/sec) tone. The results in eleven out of fourteen rabbits reveal that when the threshold of the response to the unconditioned electrical stimulus is low, a conditioned response can be elicited following as few as five pairings of unconditional and conditional stimuli, to which the animal has previously become habituated. At this time a tone of somewhat different frequency (650 cycle/sec) arouses the rabbit whether presented alone or paired with the unconditional stimulus. The conditioned paradoxical sleep response is rapidly lost if not frequently reinforced by pairing with the unconditional stimulus. The conditioned response is also lost when the hormonal status changes to the extent that the unconditional stimulus threshold is considerably elevated.
Ulcerative Mycosis Caused by Aphanomyces invadans in Channel Catfish, Black Bullhead, and Bluegill from Southeastern Louisiana

Abstract Eight cases of chronic ulcerative mycosis affecting populations of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, black bullhead Ameiurus melas, and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus cultured in recreational fishing ponds were submitted to the Louisiana Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory between April 2000 and January 2002. Diseased clinical specimens presented with multiple foci of skin ulceration, typically overlying more extensive areas of granulomatous myositis that extended to the vertebral column in advanced cases. Lesions were predominated by fields of plump macrophages and multinucleated giant cells surrounding nonseptate, thick-walled hyphae with nonparallel cell walls suggestive of an oomycete. Because deep ulcerative mycoses in other fish species in the western Atlantic (USA), Australia, and Southeast Asia have been attributed to Aphanomyces spp., diagnostic methods were employed to isolate and identify this oomycete along with other potential pathogens. The organism was isolated from sites deep in the mu...
Effect of Single Gene Substitution on the Melanocyte System of the C57Bl Mouse : Quantitative and Qualitative Histology

ON theoretical grounds, “racial” colour differences could be caused by a variety of factors (differences in the number of melanocytes, in melanin content, in melanosome morphology, in tyrosinase activity, and so on)1. It is known2–6 that colour differences in the guinea-pig and in man are not a consequence of any difference in the number of melanocytes. In these species, the inheritance of colour differences is more complicated than in the C57 mouse, where, for example, a single gene substitution at the D locus produces dramatic colour differences7. The C57Bl mouse (–DD–) is black, whereas the DBL mouse (–dd–) is dilute brown. It is not known, however, whether this gene substitution affects only the quality and quantity of pigment produced or is manifested by a reduction in the number of melanocytes. Furthermore, no thorough comparative study of the melanocyte system in the DBL strain, assessing melanocyte morphology in various body regions and thus determining possible effects of the tissue environment on the morphology of DBL melanocytes, has been carried out. Markert and Silvers reported8 that melanoblast differentiation in the “dilute” genotype is determined by factors intrinsic to melanoblasts, yet they later showed that, in certain cases (in transplants to the anterior chamber of the eye), the tissue environment also strongly influences the morphology of melanocytes9.
Can Summer Vacation Be Detrimental To Learning? An Empirical Look

Abstract This study examined the performance of four autistic boys each trained to a criterion of 80 percent correct on two sets of noun labels. After training, one set of labels was reviewed twice a week for nine weeks (summer vacation); the other set received no additional training. Performance on both sets was then retested. Each boy showed greater retention of the rehearsed compared with the unrehearsed material; one, placed on a VR3 schedule of reinforcement during the final stages of training, showed slightly better retention of the unrehearsed material than two trained exclusively with a CRF schedule. The authors argue that these data provide beginning support for the contention that seriously developmentally disabled children need to be in a program which offers year‐round schooling rather than an 180‐day school year.
Embryological features of Tofieldia glutinosa and their bearing on the early diversification of monocotyledonous plants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although much is known about the vegetative traits associated with early monocot evolution, less is known about the reproductive features of early monocotyledonous lineages. A study was made of the embryology of Tofieldia glutinosa, a member of an early divergent monocot clade (Tofieldiaceae), and aspects of its development were compared with the development of other early divergent monocots in order to gain insight into defining reproductive features of early monocots. METHODS Field-collected developing gynoecial tissues of Tofieldia glutinosa were prepared for histological examination. Over 600 ovules were sectioned and studied using brightfield, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence microscopy. High-resolution digital imaging was used to document important stages of megasporogenesis, megagametogenesis and early endosperm development. KEY RESULTS Development of the female gametophyte in T. glutinosa is of a modified Polygonum-type. At maturity the female gametophyte is seven-celled and 11-nucleate with a standard three-celled egg apparatus, a binucleate central cell (where ultimately, the two polar nuclei will fuse into a diploid secondary nucleus) and three binucleate antipodal cells. The antipodal nuclei persist past fertilization, and the process of double fertilization appears to yield a diploid zygote and triploid primary endosperm cell, as is characteristic of plants with Polygonum-type female gametophytes. Endosperm development is helobial, and free-nuclear growth initially proceeds at equal rates in both the micropylar and chalazal endosperm chambers. CONCLUSIONS The analysis suggests that the shared common ancestor of monocots possessed persistent and proliferating antipodals similar to those found in T. glutinosa and other early-divergent monocots (e.g. Acorus and members of the Araceae). Helobial endosperm among monocots evolved once in the common ancestor of all monocots excluding Acorus. Thus, the analysis further suggests that helobial endosperm in monocots is homoplasious with those helobial endosperms that are present in water lilies and eudicot angiosperms.
‘Clumped’ isotope geochemistry

Clumped isotope geochemistry is concerned with the state of ordering of rare isotopes within natural materials. That is, it examines the extent to which heavy isotopes (D, ^(13)C, ^(15)N, ^(18)O, etc.) bond with or near each other rather than with the sea of light isotopes in which they swim.
Surgery in the patient with neurologic disease.

Neurologic disorders comprise a wide spectrum of conditions, many of which present distinct issues and challenges when the need for surgery arises. The approach to these patients varies greatly depending on the type of neurologic disease present, the planned procedure, the urgency of the procedure, and other clinical characteristics of the patient. This article discusses surgery in the patient with neurologic disorders in three broad categories. First, patients with existing neurologic disease may need preoperative medical evaluation before general surgery. In this situation, the emphasis is usually on assessment of operative risk, although the consultant may also have substantial participation in perioperative management. The second category of patients is those who present for neurosurgery. The neurosurgical procedure is often essential or urgent, and the role of the medical consultant is geared more toward optimizing the preoperative medical regimen and managing medical problems perioperatively. Finally, there are a number of medical management issues that tend to coexist commonly with neurologic disease, and the third section of this article discusses some of these. The management issues discussed are hypertension, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis, postoperative delirium, and hyponatremia.
Interdisciplinary approach to conversion disorders in adolescent girls

Abstract In patients in whom physical causes of symptoms have been adequately ruled out, the authors recommend that positive evidence for a diagnosis of conversion disorder be sought. A well-supported diagnosis of conversion disorder can help avoid “doctor shopping” and unnecessary ongoing and repeated medical procedures. By involving the primary physician in the diagnosis at an early stage, the ground is set for a cooperative treatment program and better patient acceptance of the emotional component. Five descriptive cases in girls aged 12½ to 16 years are presented.
Clinically Relevant Cell Sources for TMJ Disc Engineering

Tissue-engineering of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc aims to provide patients with TMJ disorders an option to replace diseased tissue with autologous, functional tissue. This study examined clinically relevant cell sources by comparing costal chondrocytes, dermal fibroblasts, a mixture of the two, and TMJ disc cells in a scaffoldless tissue-engineering approach. It was hypothesized that all constructs would produce matrix relevant to the TMJ disc, but the mixture constructs were expected to appear most like the TMJ disc constructs. Costal chondrocyte and mixture constructs were morphologically and biochemically superior to the TMJ disc and dermal fibroblast constructs, and their compressive properties were not significantly different. Costal chondrocyte constructs produced almost 40 times more collagen and 800 times more glycosaminoglycans than did TMJ constructs. This study demonstrates the ability of costal chondrocytes to produce extracellular matrix that may function in a TMJ disc replacement.
Smoking tobacco along with marijuana increases symptoms of cannabis dependence.

Aim User practices/rituals that involve concurrent use of tobacco and marijuana – smoking blunts and “chasing” marijuana with tobacco – are hypothesized to increase cannabis dependence symptoms.
Sun-induced Freckles in Children and Young Adults. A Correlation of Clinical and Histopathologic Features

Sun-induced freckles are a risk factor for epidermal and melanocytic neoplasia. Whereas sun-induced freckles in children and older adults may be clinically indistinguishable, and sun-induced freckles in older adults usually consist of increased numbers of intraepidermal melanocytes, the histology of sun-induced freckles in children remains unsettled. Using L-3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-paraffin sections, the authors examined six sun-induced freckles and adjacent nonpigmented skin (ANP) in as many white male subjects, ages 10 to 23 years. Melanocyte frequency was expressed as the ratio of DOPA-reactive melanocytes to total epidermal basal unit cells. For each case, melanocyte frequencies in freckles were significantly greater than in ANP. Cellular atypia of melanocytes was noticed in four of six freckles. Reactivity of melanocytes for HMB-45 was noticed in two freckles studied, compared with no reactivity in three specimens of ANP studied. The authors conclude the sun-induced freckles in the young may consist of a hyperplasia of melanocytes (i.e., similar to solar lentigines in the elderly), sometimes with cellular atypia, and that these findings may be relevant to melanocytic neoplasia.
High resolution cardiac mapping with voltage sensitive dyes

Optical probes have been used to monitor cardiac action potentials since the mid 1970s [1]. This method now permits mapping of cardiac propagation and recovery with resolution that is unattainable by conventional mapping techniques. This paper will review the basis of voltage-sensitive fluorescence, fluorescence detection, and applications of optical mapping to cardiac electrophysiology research.
Short stature in anorexia nervosa patients

In the treatment of many anorexia nervosa (AN) patients, we observed clinically that these girls were short in stature. In order to test this hypothesis, we reviewed the height records of all patients seen with a previous diagnosis of AN in an eight-year period. Of 104 patients, 85 were suitable for study and were compared to a control group of 85 age-matched subjects. Seventy-six percent of the AN patients (mean age 15.8 years) were below the 50th height percentile for age; 14.1% were below the 5th percentile; 36.4% were between the 5th and 24th percentile; and 25.8% were between the 25th and 49th percentile. Parental height was available for 35 subjects. The AN patients were significantly shorter than their parents, and comparison suggests an impairment of growth rather than a familial etiology. As 80% of subjects developed AN after menarche, malnutrition does not appear to be responsible for the observed height deficits.
The Politics of Social Pluralism: Some Reflections on Lamennais

"More and more it is clear," wrote J. N. Figgis in 1911, "that the mere individual's freedom against an omnipotent State may be no better than slavery; more and more it is evident that the real question of freedom in our day is the freedom of smaller unions to live within the whole."1 The prophetic quality of these words can hardly be lost upon even the most insensitive observer of our own time. The effects of two world wars together with influences of totalitarianism have been to expand the power of the state and-what is more striking-faith in the power of the state to a degree never before reached in European history. The spontaneous social unities of men become fewer and weaker, and ever more subject to governmental suspicion. Yet at no time has the individual-American, Englishman, Russian-with all his solitary virtues been the object of greater adulation by government and press. "Man versus the state" is as false an antithesis today as it has always been. The state grows upon what it gives to the individual; and the individual cannot but find a kind of vicarious power satisfaction in what he freely grants to the state. No state in the modern world, not even the totalitarian state, tyrannizes the individual as such. Always the most socially restrictive law or decree is inspired by solicitude for the individual citizen. Does a law make trade union activity difficult or impossible? It is but to give freedom to the individual worker. Are the corporate rights of the family further restricted? It is but to guarantee the individual rights of the members. Is the autonomy of the cooperative menaced by a new tax bill? It is but to give
Passive laser phase noise suppression technique for fiber interferometers

A novel passive technique for the suppression of low-frequency phase noise in interferometric fiber sensors is proposed. The technique is based on the cancellation of phase noise in the in-phase and quadrature (sine and cosine) components of the interferometer output prior to final demodulation, using the differentiate and cross-multiply methods. The technique was experimentally demonstrated using both an Nd:YAG source and a diode laser-based system. It is shown that the technique can provide a noise reduction of greater than 40 dB. Results of a laboratory-based simulation of this concept are presented.
Association of porphyria cutanea tarda with hereditary hemochromatosis.

Abstract Background An increased frequency of hereditary hemochromatosis gene mutations occurs in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of peripheral blood for hemochromatosis gene ( HFE ) mutations is available for clinical use. Early detection and treatment of hereditary hemochromatosis limit disease progression and improve life expectancy. Objective We present 8 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda subsequently found to have hereditary hemochromatosis or mutations in the HFE gene. Methods Retrospective review of patients in whom both porphyria cutanea tarda and hereditary hemochromatosis or HFE gene mutations were diagnosed between 1976 and 2000. Results Eight patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (6 males, 2 females; age range, 4-60 years; mean age at diagnosis of porphyria cutanea tarda, 42 years) were subsequently found to have hepatic iron overload or HFE gene mutations. Two patients had liver biopsy findings compatible with homozygous hereditary hemochromatosis. In the other 6 patients, HFE gene analysis revealed 3 homozygous C282Y, 1 compound heterozygous C282Y/H63D, and 2 heterozygous C282Y mutations. Seven patients (88%) had no specific signs or symptoms of hereditary hemochromatosis at diagnosis. In 5 patients (63%), the diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis or HFE gene mutation was initially suspected by the dermatologist. Conclusion Porphyria cutanea tarda can be an important cutaneous marker for patients with mutations of the HFE gene. HFE gene analysis should be done in patients who present with porphyria cutanea tarda. The dermatologist may play a key role in the early diagnosis of subclinical hereditary hemochromatosis in patients who present with porphyria cutanea tarda.
Behavioral effects of opioid peptide agonists DAMGO, DPDPE, and DAKLI on locomotor activities.

Abstract The effects of the μ-selective agonist DAMGO (ICV doses of 0.00, 0.01, 0.1, or 1.0 μg), the δ-selective agonist DPDPE (ICV doses of 0.00, 0.1, 1.0, or 10.0 μg), and the κ-selective agonist DAKLI (ICV doses of 0.00, 0.01, 0.1, or 1.0 μg) were tested in rats for 60 min in an activity monitor. The durations in seconds of linear locomotor time, rearing time, stereotypy time, and margin time (thigmotaxis) were measured during six 10-min time blocks. DAMGO (0.1 and 1.0 μg) resulted in biphasic effects, inhibition followed by hyperactivity for linear locomotor, rearing, and stereotypy times, and an inhibition of thigmataxis. DPDPE (10.0 μg) was associated with monophasic potentiation of linear locomotor activity and mixed effects in stereotypy times. DAKLI did not effect horizontal, rearing, or margin times; only stereotypy times resulted of in mixed effects of DAKLI. THe differentail behavioral profiles were discussed in reference to the three opioid receptor subtypes.
Circadian clock in Xenopus eye controlling retinal serotonin N-acetyltransferase.

Circadian rhythms are controlled by endogenous oscillators or clocks. These clocks exhibit a persistent period of approximately 24 h in constant conditions, a specific phase relationship to a periodic cue (zeitgeber) in the external environment, and plasticity in that the phase of the clock may be altered in response to a phase change in the zeitgeber1. Although many processes exhibit circadian rhythmicity, the nature and location of endogenous clocks remain poorly defined. Recent evidence in vertebrates suggests that the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus and the avian pineal gland contain clocks that affect the rhythmicity of indoleamine metabolism2. The vertebrate retina also exhibits a circadian rhythm of serotonin N-acetytransferase activity (NAT, EC 2.1.1.4)3–5, a key enzyme controlling melatonin synthesis, and of photoreceptor disk shedding6,7. The latter process may be regulated by melatonin8, and the immediate cellular events seem to be controlled locally within the eye9–11. Although sustained oscillation and entrainment were not demonstrated, data suggesting that an ocular circadian clock influences disk shedding have been reported9. We sought evidence for an ocular clock by studying retinal NAT activity in Xenopus eye cups maintained in culture and report here both sustained oscillation and entrainment of the in vitro system. The data indicate that in addition to the suprachiasmatic nucleus and pineal gland, the eye itself must be regarded as the locus of a circadian clock in vertebrates.
Seismic Behavior of Buried PE Pipelines Subject to Fault Offsets

The paper presents the results of a series of centrifuge tests on the behavior of buried PE pipe subject to the fault offset hazard. The tests simulated both Strike-Slip (SS) and Normal offsets. Besides fault type, the three main parameters that were varied include the pipe burial depth, the intersection angle between the pipe axis and the fault (SS faults) and the direction of faulting (SS with right lateral or left lateral offset). Instrumentation allowed acquisition of pipe strain data which was decomposed into axial strain and flexural (bending) strain components. The paper will describe the rates at which strain decreases with distance from the fault, and the strong influence of burial depth and intersection angle on the magnitude of axial and flexural strain. New instrumentation allowed acquisition of the normal pressure between the buried PE pipe and the surrounding soil. As one might expect the normal pressure varied in the circumferential direction, as well as with distance from the fault. These pressures were used to estimate force-deformation characteristics of the equivalent ‘soil-springs’. Unlike the 2-D behavior assumed for soil-spring models currently used in practice, the centrifuge results show that the behavior is actually 3-D in nature. Fortunately, as will be shown in the paper, 2-D soil-spring models yield conservative results in terms of pipe strains.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Gadamer's hermeneutics and social theory

(1987). Gadamer's hermeneutics and social theory. Critical Review: Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 91-108.
Poststructural Writerly Representation: Screenplay as Creative Analytic Practice

Based on the need to expand literature on sorority women and explore all women’s negotiations of gendered discourses, I conducted an ethnographic study of a southern sorority grounded in a priori notions of discourse, discipline, subjectivity, and performativity as theorized by Michel Foucault and Judith Butler. The findings of this study were represented through a creative analytic screenplay that illuminated the ways sorority women learned gendered expectations, were disciplined towards compliance, and sometimes resisted or reinterpreted expectations of the dominant discourse of “ladylike.” This manuscript explores the use of the ethnographic screenplay as data representation, specifically focusing on the methods of creating composite characters, content, settings, scenes, and director’s comments. Exploring the use of this creative analytic practice helps to challenge notions of “traditional research” and makes space for “doing representation differently.”
Using a configuration management tool to coordinate software development

I describe a naturalistic study of one organization's use of a configuration management tool to coordinate the development of a software product. In this organization, the developers use the tool routinely to reduce the complexities of coordinating their development efforts. I examine how the tool provides mechanisms of interaction that let the developers work with each other. I identify four aspects of these mechanisms: difficulties of representing work, the multiple levels that they operate at, the possibilities for coordination they provide, and their role in supporting a model of work.
Synthesis and Characterization of 4,4-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-Diaza-s-Indacene (BODIPY)-Labeled Fluorescent Ligands for the Mu Opioid Receptor

Abstract A series of opioid ligands utilizing the 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) fluorophores 4,4-difluoro-5,7-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-propionic acid or 4,4-difluoro-5-(4-phenyl-1,3-butadienyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-propionic acid were synthesized and characterized for their ability to act as a suitable fluorescent label for the mu opioid receptor. All compounds displaced the mu opioid receptor binding of [3H]Tyr- d -Ala-Gly-(Me)Phe-Gly-ol in monkey brain membranes with high affinity. The binding of fluorescent ligands to delta and kappa receptors was highly variable. 5,7-Dimethyl-BODIPY naltrexamine, “6-BNX,” displayed subnanomolar affinities for the mu and kappa opioid receptors (Ki 0.07 and 0.43 nM, respectively) and nanomolar affinity at the delta (Ki 1.4 nM) receptor. Using fluorescence spectroscopy, the binding of 6-BNX in membranes from C6 glioma cells transfected with the cloned mu opioid receptor was investigated. In these membranes containing a high receptor density (10–80 pmol/mg protein), 6-BNX labeling was saturable, mu opioid specific, stereoselective (as determined with the isomers dextrorphan and levorphanol), and more than 90% specific. The results describe a series of newly developed fluorescent ligands for the mu opioid receptor and the use of one of these ligands as a label for the cloned mu receptor. These ligands provide a new approach for studying the structural and biophysical nature of opioid receptors.
Cognitive competencies and aggressive behavior: A developmental study

A number of studies have demonstrated that increased socially related cognitive skills are associated with decreases in aggressive behavior. However, the link between aggression and intelligence or academic skills is less evident. While some research indicates that poor academic performance is related to aggression, it is unclear which components of intellectual ability and performance are critical to the management of aggressive behaviors. In two independent longitudinal studies of elementary school-age children, the relationship among several aspects of cognitive competence and several aspects of aggressive behavior were examined. The results of the first study showed that aggressive behavior observed in kindergarten children was more closely related to academic performance in the first and second grades than to general cognitive ability (IQ). The results of the second study, a comprehensive three-year investigation of upper elementary school-age children, indicated that teachers' assessments of aggression and parents' ratings of cruelty were consistent over time for boys, but not for girls. The intercorrelations among aggression measures within each of the three years also revealed stable sex differences. Boys identified as aggressive in the classroom were more likely to be perceived as aggressive, cruel, and/or delinquent at home, but for girls, there was little correlation between aggression at school and in the home. The analyses relating measures of cognitive functioning to indices of aggressive behavior made clear the importance of discriminating among various facets of these psychological constructs. IQ had a negligible relationship with aggression and a weak inverse relationship to delinquency. An overall index of cognitive functioning was a somewhat more consistent negative correlate of aggression, cruelty, and delinquency, especially for boys. A similar pattern was found for the correlates of academic performance. Academic disability was strongly related to delinquency in boys, and to a lesser degree to aggression in boys. Of the several cognitively related factors that were explored, Low Need Achievement manifested the strongest and most consistent relationships with the different facets of aggression and antisocial behavior, especially in boys. The implications of these results for psychological interventions in the school are discussed.
Effects of meals and time of day on postural blood pressure responses in young and elderly subjects.

• Previous data suggest that postural and postprandial hypotension are common in elderly subjects. This study evaluated the effect of age, meals, and time of day on supine and standing blood pressure (BP) and heart rate in healthy young and elderly subjects. A postural BP protocol was performed on 10 young and 16 elderly subjects during an overnight stay. The protocol included first morning and postprandial readings. The systolic and diastolic BP responses to standing were not significantly different between the two groups and were not affected by time of day. Postprandial recumbent BPs declined significantly only in the older subjects. There was no effect of meals on the BP response to standing. We conclude that healthy elderly subjects have a postprandial decline in BP even when supine. However, the BP response to standing is similar in young and elderly subjects and is not impaired by overnight rest or meals. This suggests that the regulation of BP after meals and with standing may be different. (Arch Intern Med. 1989;149:2757-2760)
Mobile Observations of a Quasi-Frontal Transient Moisture Boundary in the Deep South

AbstractA protocol for the collection and analysis of high-resolution (≤300 m) temperature and humidity data along a transect using an unmodified passenger vehicle is described. A case is investigated of a weak dissipating cold front that became disconnected from its upper-tropospheric support and interacted with a developing Gulf of Mexico return flow. The changing relationships between the thermal and moisture gradients are described through cross-section analyses of the mobile, surface synoptic, and radiosonde data, extending from Texas to Alabama. The mobile transect data facilitated description of subsynoptic-scale airmass transition zones in the vicinity of the frontal remnant, as well as other variations within air masses. Similarities and differences are noted relative to previous studies of cold fronts, drylines, and coastal fronts.
Interpreting epidemiologic studies of developmental neurotoxicity: Conceptual and analytic issues

This paper discusses issues pertaining to the validity, precision, and interpretation of epidemiologic studies of neurotoxicity. With regard to validity, the critical issues pertain to the appropriate strategy for confounder adjustment, particularly when confounders are complex, multi-faceted constructs, and to the need for greater clarity and transparency in articulating the causal relationships implicit in the analytic approach applied. With regard to precision, the critical issue is a need to identify the contributors to the substantial variability observed in the effect estimates that describe dose-response and dose-effect relationships. In addition to methodological sources, such as imprecision in estimating dose at the critical organ site(s), true inter-individual differences in susceptibility to a neurotoxicant could also contribute to the variability. Variability might be reduced by taking full account of factors such as co-exposures or health co-morbidities, genetic polymorphisms, and the social ecology of exposure. With regard to interpretation, we need to do a better job as a field conveying to risk assessors and others the ecological significance of the types of performance deficits observed following neurotoxicant exposure, emphasizing the distinction between individual and population risk. A final issue discussed is the need to define standards for the conduct, analysis, and reporting of epidemiologic studies of neurotoxicity, similar to those developed for other fields.
Effect of sodium orthovanadate on the hepatobiliary clearance of rose bengal in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Sodium orthovanadate is known to promote glucose uptake in muscle and adipose tissues and has been suggested as a possible oral hypoglycemic agent. In addition, insulin-dependent diabetes has been shown to alter the hepatobiliary clearance of several drugs in rats. This study has determined whether orthovanadate, like insulin, can reverse diabetes-induced changes in the biliary excretion of endogenous bile acids and in the hepatobiliary clearance of rose bengal. Six groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were used; normal, insulin-treated normal, vanadate-treated normal, diabetic, insulin-treated diabetic, and vanadate-treated diabetic. Diabetes was induced by injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg, i.v.). One week later, insulin (2-4 U/day, s.c.) and sodium orthovanadate (877 +/- 82 mumol/kg/day, p.o.) treatments were initiated. After 4 weeks, the clearance and biliary excretion of rose bengal (60 mumol/kg, i.v.) were determined for 3 hr. Bile flow rate, rose bengal excretion, and excretion of endogenous bile acids were unchanged in the two treated normal groups and in the insulin-treated diabetic rats. These parameters were increased in untreated diabetic and vanadate-treated diabetic rats as compared with normal. Pharmacokinetic analyses indicated that total and biliary clearances of rose bengal were increased in diabetic rats and that orthovanadate did not reverse these changes. However, liver weight and serum glucose concentrations were reduced by orthovanadate treatment. These data indicate that the oral insulinomimetic chemical sodium orthovanadate effectively reversed some, but not all, of the diabetes-induced alterations of hepatic function.
Imaging approaches for monitoring chemotherapy

Positron emission tomography (PET) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) are two, often complementary, imaging modalities of great potential use for monitoring tumor therapy. They permit physiologic measures such as metabolism, perfusion, small vessel permeability and others to be made. Such measures might prove valuable supplements to the usual morphologic measures now commonly used. We give here an overview of some of the salient features of both methodologies for making such physiologic measurements.:
Calculation of cylindrical blast wave propagation with counterpressure

This relationship is compared in Fig 2 with test results obtained from Ref 2 A typical load-deflection curve is shown in Fig 3 The point of intersection (7 of the initial and final slopes of the load deflection curve is assumed to determine the critical buckling load and is chosen for comparison with theoretical results Clearly, our analysis is restricted to stress levels at which plasticity does not play a dominant role
Delayed matching to sample in pigeons: Effects of delay of reinforcement and illuminated delays

Abstract Pigeons show relatively poor memory when trained on 0-s delayed matching and tested with longer delays. We hypothesized that one reason for the effect of delay may be a loss of association between sample responding and reinforcement. To test this hypothesis, we compared the effect of standard delays inserted between the offset of the sample and the onset of the comparison stimuli with similar delays inserted between the comparison response and reinforcement. We also manipulated whether the delay was dark or lit because there is some evidence that lit delays are disruptive but filled intervals may also help bridge delays. In Experiment 1, pigeons were trained with a 0-s delay and were tested with longer delays. When both delays and delay illumination were novel, we found no effect of delay of reinforcement and only a small effect of delay illumination. In Experiment 2, to eliminate the effect of the novelty of the delay and delay illumination, pigeons were trained with delays from the start. Results indicated once again that delay of reinforcement had little effect on matching accuracy. However, in Experiment 2, delay illumination produced a general decline in matching accuracy and when it preceded comparison choice its effect increased with increasing delay. The results indicate that the rate of forgetting seen in the typical delayed matching experiment is not due to delay of reinforcement for attention to the sample. The results also confirm that lighting the delay after the sample is detrimental to delayed matching. Surprisingly perhaps, lighting the delay after the comparison response is also detrimental to delayed matching. Finally, it was concluded that a more accurate assessment of the rate of forgetting in delayed matching can be obtained by training with variable delays from the outset.
Admission control mechanisms for continuous queries in the cloud

Amazon, Google, and IBM now sell cloud computing services.We consider the setting of a for-profit business selling data stream monitoring/management services and we investigate auction-based mechanisms for admission control of continuous queries. When submitting a query, each user also submits a bid of how much she is willing to pay for that query to run. The admission control auction mechanism then determines which queries to admit, and how much to charge each user in a way that maximizes system revenue while being strategyproof and sybil immune, incentivizing users to use the system honestly. Specifically, we require that each user maximizes her payoff by bidding her true value of having her query run. We design several payment mechanisms and experimentally evaluate them. We describe the provable game theoretic characteristics of each mechanism alongside its performance with respect to maximizing profit and total user payoff.
A group of APL functions for computer-assisted instruction

Computer-Assisted Instruction is claimed to be an important application of APL on microcomputers. Features are described that make APL the language of choice for one type of computer-assisted instruction.
Vocal cord paralysis in myasthenia gravis following anesthesia.

Our patient demonstrated two unusual features: (1) severe upper airway obstruction due to bilateral vocal cord paralysis as first manifestation of a myasthenic syndrome; and (2) precipitation of this syndrome following surgery and anesthesia with succinylcholine. In addition, this case illustrates use of ventilatory measurements through an endotracheal tube for documenting the patient's progress and response to medications, most dramatically during performance of an edrophonium test.
Wavelet noise reduction for frequency-resolved optical-gating measurements of ultrashort laser pulses

Frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) is a technique for measuring ultrashort laser pulses that involves producing a spectrogram of the pulse and then retrieving the intensity and phase of the electric field using a phase-retrieval algorithm. Since noise on experimental FROG traces reduces the performance of the retrieval algorithm, removing the noise is crucial. In previous work we have shown that subtracting the mean of the noise, optimized lowpass filtering, and suppression of the corners of the trace provides an efficient tool for denoising FROG traces. The recent development of wavelet noise-reduction techniques for signal and image processing now provides a new method for attacking this problem. We apply a two- dimensional discrete wavelet transform to the noisy FROG trace, threshold the wavelet coefficients, and perform the inverse wavelet transform to regain the trace. In combination with other noise-filtering methods, this efficiently removes noise from the trace and improves the algorithm's ability to retrieve the intensity and phase of the pulse accurately, especially in fairly low-noise situations, where extremely high accuracy is desired. In addition to wavelet- coefficient thresholding, we also investigate the possibility of using a geometrical scheme for filtering the wavelet coefficients, thus combining data compression and noise reduction.
The Stanford Virtual Router: a teaching tool and network simulator

The virtual router project is an effort to develop a platform to facilitate research and teaching of network routing. It allows to set up a virtual topology of routers and network links and to run userspace programs on the simulated hardware. Unlike existing network simulators such as ns2, the system operates with real IP packets in real time. This makes it possible for students or researchers to generate traffic with real, standard clients and servers and evaluate performance over the simulated topology.
Nbs Laser Power And Energy Measurements

The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) maintains a set of electrically calibrated calorimeters designed and built specifically for laser energy measurements. These calorimeters are used as national reference standards for the calibration of optical power and energy meters. NBS offers laser measurement services based on the standard calorimeters to the public at a variety of laser wavelengths and power ranges. The uncertainties associated with these measurements have recently been re-evaluated.
The characteristics of cavitation in superplastic metals and ceramics

It is now well established that cavities are often formed during superplastic deformation. However, experimental investigations suggest important differences in the nature of the cavitation in typical superplastic metals and ceramics. These differences are demonstrated with reference to a superplastic Cu-based alloy and yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP). By using a quantitative metallographic procedure and scanning video images, measurements are presented showing the size, shape, and configuration of internal cavities in these two materials after deformation at high temperatures.
Reading Bodies from Hidden Places: Reflections on Disability in the Christian Tradition

This article reflects on Brian Brock and John Swinton's Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader (2012), noting its groundbreaking contribution to the study of bodies in the Christian tradition. This article considers the problem of historiography illumined by this text and the absence of colonialism as an aspect of periodization and post-colonial thought as a lens through which to analyze disability.
Methods for selecting flower quality based on consumer evaluation

The quality ranking of a sample of Gerbera cut-flowers varies greatly from one person to another. Further, there are significant differences between the rankings assigned by a panel of trained horticulturalists and a panel sampled from the general public. Therefore, the selection of a panel to evaluate the flower quality component of a breeding program is very important to the outcome. If the purpose of a program is to breed (those) flowers preferred by the general public then the selection of flowers should be done by a panel sampled from the general public. The prediction of consumer preferences by multiple linear regression techniques using eleven flower characters was not successful. Much greater predictive value was obtained by measuring the perceived information content of flowers. This indicates that flower characteristics which increase flower complexity may be preferred. Implications to the practical breeding program are discussed.
Multiple Sources of Striatal Inhibition Are Differentially Affected in Huntington’s Disease Mouse Models

In Huntington's disease (HD) mouse models, spontaneous inhibitory synaptic activity is enhanced in a subpopulation of medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs), which could dampen striatal output. We examined the potential source(s) of increased inhibition using electrophysiological and optogenetic methods to assess feedback and feedforward inhibition in two transgenic mouse models of HD. Single whole-cell patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that increased GABA synaptic activity impinges principally on indirect pathway MSNs. Dual patch recordings between MSNs demonstrated reduced connectivity between MSNs in HD mice. However, while connectivity was strictly unidirectional in controls, in HD mice bidirectional connectivity occurred. Other sources of increased GABA activity in MSNs also were identified. Dual patch recordings from fast spiking (FS) interneuron-MSN pairs demonstrated greater but variable amplitude responses in MSNs. In agreement, selective optogenetic stimulation of parvalbumin-expressing, FS interneurons induced significantly larger amplitude MSN responses in HD compared with control mice. While there were no differences in responses of MSNs evoked by activating single persistent low-threshold spiking (PLTS) interneurons in recorded pairs, these interneurons fired more action potentials in both HD models, providing another source for increased frequency of spontaneous GABA synaptic activity in MSNs. Selective optogenetic stimulation of somatostatin-expressing, PLTS interneurons did not reveal any significant differences in responses of MSNs in HD mice. These findings provide strong evidence that both feedforward and to a lesser extent feedback inhibition to MSNs in HD can potentially be sources for the increased GABA synaptic activity of indirect pathway MSNs.
Cell cycle-dependent adriamycin uptake in Chinese hamster cells

Adriamycin fluorescence was measured by flow cytometry after exposing synchronized Chinese hamster (line CHO) cells to a fixed dose of adriamycin (ADR). Three synchrony methods were used: mitotic selection, isoleucine-deficient culture and pretreatment with low doses of ADR. Approximately a 1.6- to 2-fold increase in ADR fluorescence intensity was observed for cells in G2 + M compared to cells in G1. An increase in ADR fluorescence was also noted for cell populations exhibiting a G2 block after pretreatment with low-dose ADR. No significant difference in fluorescence intensity was observed for G1 cell populations with two different volume distributions. Results suggest that the magnitude of ADR fluorescence is affected by the cell cycle distribution and that cellular susceptibility to drug-induced cytokinetic changes during exposure must also be taken into consideration when measuring ADR uptake.
Design tradeoff considerations for tactical cryocoolers

The trade-offs that must be considered when selecting a cryocooler for infrared detector cooling are complex. When split- Stirling cryocoolers are used, the designer can select the expander separately from the compressor. However, there will be performance implications. Larger systems provide benefits in terms of performance margin and operating lifetime, but may not meet size and mass goals. Larger cryocoolers tend to generate more heat, albeit over a larger surface area, and generate higher vibration forces. The expander coldfinger must be stiff enough to achieve image plane motion requirements. The transfer tube should be as short and with as few bends as possible, while the path available for the transfer tube may be affected by the geometry of the expander and compressor. Several characteristics of tactical cryocoolers are considered in this paper in such a way that trends can be identified and design choices can be clarified. A step-by-step approach is recommended that will lead to a design solution in the most direct manner. This is accomplished by starting with "show-stopper" choices, then progressing to choices where concessions can be more easily made. The implications of the interfaces to the cryocooler will also be briefly discussed. Cryocooler developments at RVS that will expand the available design space are described. This enabling technology provides more options in terms of cryocooler size and performance, and continues the trend toward longer operating lifetime and higher reliability.
Comparison of 250 MHz electron spin echo and continuous wave oxygen EPR imaging methods for in vivo applications

Purpose: The authors compare two electron paramagnetic resonance imaging modalities at 250 MHz to determine advantages and disadvantages of those modalities for in vivo oxygen imaging. Methods: Electron spin echo (ESE) and continuous wave (CW) methodologies were used to obtain three-dimensional images of a narrow linewidth, water soluble, nontoxic oxygen-sensitive trityl molecule OX063 in vitro and in vivo. The authors also examined sequential images obtained from the same animal injected intravenously with trityl spin probe to determine temporal stability of methodologies. Results: A study of phantoms with different oxygen concentrations revealed a threefold advantage of the ESE methodology in terms of reduced imaging time and more precise oxygen resolution for samples with less than 70 torr oxygen partial pressure. Above∼100 torr, CW performed better. The images produced by both methodologies showed pO2 distributions with similar mean values. However, ESE images demonstrated superior performance in low pO2 regions while missing voxels in high pO2 regions. Conclusions: ESE and CW have different areas of applicability. ESE is superior for hypoxia studies in tumors.