cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SPECT quantification of [123I]iomazenil binding to benzodiazepine receptors in nonhuman primates: I. Kinetic modeling of single bolus experiments.

The aim of this work was to study the feasibility and reproducibility of in vivo measurement of benzodiazepine receptors with single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in the baboon brain. Arterial and brain regional activities were measured for 420 min in three baboons after single bolus injection of the benzodiazepine antagonist [123I]iomazenil. Data were fit to a three-compartment model to derive the regional binding potential (BP), which corresponds to the product of the receptor density, (Bmax) and affinity (1/KD). Regional BP values (from 114 in striatum to 241 in occipital) were in good agreement with values predicted from in vitro studies. Constraining the regional volume of distribution of the nondisplaceable compartment to the value measured during tracer constant infusion experiments in baboons (Laruelle et al., 1993) improved the identifiability of the rate constants. Each experiment was repeated to investigate the reproducibility of the measurement. The regional average reproduci...
The body as a transitional object in bulimia

In this paper we attempt to explore the unique meaning of the body for the bulimic patient. In contrast with Selvini-Palazzlis's view of the body as a persecutory object in anorexia nervosa, we suggest that a more primitive meaning or function underlies the role of the body in bulimia. Specifically the body becomes a transitional object, a vehicle for the representing of the maternal object and then the repudiation of her. A synthesis of the cognitive and object relations lines of development is presented to elucidate this role.
How will aspen respond to mountain pine beetle? A review of literature and discussion of knowledge gaps

Abstract There has been speculation that quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) dominance of forests will increase due to mortality caused by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) (MPB). High aspen sucker densities have been observed in the years following MPB-caused pine mortality, but it remains unclear if this disturbance will result in a pulse of aspen recruitment to forest overstories. Many factors will affect aspen recruitment and overstory health. Surviving conifer overstory and advance regeneration will limit available light and other resources, potentially decreasing aspen suckering, growth, and survival. Following the creation of MPB-caused canopy openings, mortality rates of overstory aspen may increase due to exposure or damage by falling snags. Severe browsing damage may prevent suckers from successfully recruiting to the canopy where there are high domestic and/or wild ungulate densities, even where forest conditions promote aspen recruitment. Climate and weather variability will also mediate aspen response to MPB. Research that focuses specifically on effects of MPB-caused forest structure changes on aspen suckering, recruitment, and overstory health, and the potential for browsing and climate to interact with these effects, is needed to inform our understanding of how MPB-caused mortality will affect aspen in western North America.
Relationship between leaf development and primary photosynthetic products in the C4 plant Portulaca oleracea L.

The photosynthetic products of Portulaca oleracea differ greatly depending on leaf age and length of exposure to 14CO2. Mature leaves of P. oleracea fix 14CO2 primarily into organic and amino acids during a 10-s exposure period. Less than 2% of the 14CO2 fixed appears in phosphorylated compounds. In contrast, incorporation into amino acids can account for over 60% of the total 14CO2 fixed by young leaves in an equal time period, and incorporation into alanine alone can account for up to one half of this amount. Senescent leaves display a quantitative shift of primary products toward phosphorylated compounds with a concomitant reduction of the label residing in malate and asparate. About 8 times more phosphoglyceric acid is produced in senescent leaves than in mature leaves. The aspartate/ malate ratio is not constant and depends on the length of time the leaves are exposed to 14CO2 and the age of the leaves under study. It appears as if the stage of leaf development is one of the most important factors determining the operation of a particular enzyme system in C4 plants.
Intravenous vincristine infusion: Phase I trial

In an attempt to sustain potentially cytotoxic concentrations of vincristine in man, a five-day continuous infusion of vincristine after an initial intravenous bolus injection was administered to 30 patients with refractory malignancies. Three dosage levels were explored (0.5 mg/m2, 0.75 mg/m2, and 1.0 mg/m2 daily for five days). Neurologic and hematologic toxicity were severe at the high dose level, whereas mild to moderate toxicity occurred at the 0.5 and 0.75 mg/m2 dose levels. Objective responses were noted in 11 patients (37%) with the following malignancies: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (4), acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia (2), chronic granulocytic leukemia in blast crisis (1), carcinoma of the breast (3), and small cell carcinoma of the lung (1). Responses were observed at each infusion dose level. Nine of the 11 responders had previously progressed while receiving conventional intravenous bolus injection of vincristine. These data suggest that the clinical usefulness of vincristine may be enhanced by the use of infusion techniques. A maximum daily dose of 0.5 mg/m2 given for five days is recommended for future trials of intravenous vincristine infusion.
Pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Substance use disorder (SUD) occurs commonly in patients with schizophrenia and is associated with a poor outcome. Despite this common comorbid occurrence (and its negative impact on the course of schizophrenia), there have been very few studies assessing pharmacological strategies for optimal treatment of these patients. A number of theories have been advanced to help explain the high rate of substance use disorder in patients with schizophrenia. Our group has suggested that the brain reward circuit dysfunction model, which may incorporate aspects of all of these models, may help direct research aimed at developing new pharmacological treatments for patients with schizophrenia and co-occurring SUD. Although typical antipsychotic medications appear to be of limited value in these patients, emerging, but preliminary, data suggest that the atypical antipsychotics, particularly clozapine, may be particularly helpful. The role of adjunctive medications, such as those medications that have recently been shown to be useful for the treatment of alcoholism, may have a role in the treatment of these patients, although only naltrexone has, thusfar, been carefully tested in these comorbid patients. Further studies are indicated to assess the role of novel pharmacologic treatment strategies for these patients. Ultimately, any medication given to these patients will need to be prescribed within psychosocial treatment programs aimed at assisting these patients in limiting and ultimately ceasing substance use.
Hematopoietic stem cells encoding porcine factor VIII induce pro-coagulant activity in hemophilia A mice with pre-existing factor VIII immunity.

The development of inhibitory antibodies directed against factor VIII (fVIII) remains the most significant clinical complication associated with the treatment of hemophilia A. Recently, we demonstrated that transplantation of genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells containing a high-expression porcine fVIII transgene promoted sustained high-level fVIII expression in naive hemophilia A mice. In the current study, a similar gene transfer strategy was tested in hemophilia A mice harboring clinically significant anti–human factor VIII (anti-hfVIII) inhibitory antibody titers. Although the majority of mice contained circulating antibodies that cross-reacted with and inhibited porcine fVIII activity, transplantation of genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells containing a porcine fVIII transgene into myeloablated hemophilia A mice induced high-level fVIII activity. Furthermore, anti-hfVIII antibody titers steadily declined throughout the course of the study. However, non-myeloablative transplantation conditioning resulted in only partial success. No correlation between pre-transplantation antibody titers and post-transplantation fVIII activity levels or donor cell engraftment was observed. These data suggest that hematopoietic stem cell transplantation–based gene therapy incorporating a high-expression porcine fVIII transgene can be utilized successfully to treat hemophilia A patients harboring anti-hfVIII inhibitors.
Absorption of controlled‐release iron

A multiple-dose double radioiron technic was used to compare absorption of iron administered as a controlled release (CR) capsule and as an elixir; both formulations contained 50 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulfate. When taken by normal subjects in the fasting state, mean absorption from the elixir and CR capsule averaged 4.92% and 4.38%, which gave a CR capsule:elixir ratio of 0.89. This difference was not significant, but when taken with meals that inhibit absorption of dietary iron by different degrees, absorption of the CR formulation was superior. CR capsule:elixir absorption ratios averaged 1.70 from a meal that is mildly inhibitory and 3.13 from a meal that causes more marked inhibition. It is concluded that CR iron formulations may offer a therapeutic advantage to patients who take oral iron with meals to avoid gastrointestinal side effects.
Political Incorporation among Immigrants from Ten Areas of Origin: The Persistence of Source Country Effects:

Using four years of data from the Current Population Survey, this study examines the effect of country of origin on two types of political incorporation among immigrants - citizenship and voting - in the contemporary United States. Results show that country of origin is a statistically significant predictor of citizenship acquisition for nine of ten immigrant groups and for voter turnout for five of ten groups, net of income, education, length of residence in the United States, and other demographic characteristics. The findings also suggest that country of origin matters as much for how it interacts with other key characteristics, such as education and income, as for the independent influence it exerts on these two political processes. For immigrants from most countries under examination, lower levels of education and income discourage citizenship acquisition. An exception is found among Britons, for whom lower levels of income encourages naturalizing. In the voting process, higher levels of education encourage voter turnout for most immigrant groups. Though country of origin has a greater effect on naturalizing than on voting, it significantly impacts both types of political incorporation. The differing effects of country of origin and other demographic factors on naturalizing and voting, respectively, suggest the two processes are distinct from one another.
Expansion of cytolytic CD8+ natural killer T cells with limited capacity for graft-versus-host disease induction due to interferon γ production

T cells with natural killer cell phenotype and function (NKT cells) have been described in both human and murine tissues. In this study, culture conditions were developed that resulted in the expansion of CD8(+) NKT cells from bone marrow, thymus, and spleen by the timed addition of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin 2 (IL-2), and anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. After 14 to 21 days in culture, dramatic expansion of CD3(+), CD8(+), alphabetaT-cell receptor(+) T cells resulted with approximately 20% to 50% of the cells also expressing the NK markers NK1.1 and DX5. The CD8(+) NKT cells demonstrated lytic activity against several tumor target cells with more than 90% lysis by day 14 to day 21 of culture. Cytotoxicity was observed against both syngeneic and allogeneic tumor cell targets with the greatest lytic activity by the cells expressing either NK1.1 or DX5. The expanded CD8(+) NKT cells produce T(H)1-type cytokines with high levels of IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Expansion of the CD8(+) NKT cells was independent of CD1d. Ly49 molecules were expressed on only a minority of cells. A single injection of expanded CD8(+) NKT cells was capable of protecting syngeneic animals from an otherwise lethal dose of Bcl1 leukemia cells. Expanded CD8(+) NKT cells produced far less graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) than splenocytes across major histocompatibility barriers, even when 10 times the number of CD8(+) NKT cells as compared to splenocytes were injected. This reduction in GVHD was related to IFN-gamma production since cells expanded from IFN-gamma knock-out animals caused acute lethal GVHD, whereas cells expanded from animals defective in fas ligand, fas, IL-2, and perforin did not. These data indicate that CD8(+) NKT cells expanded in this fashion could be useful for preserving graft-versus-leukemia activity without causing GVHD.
Exploiting Jamming-Caused Neighbor Changes for Jammer Localization

Jamming attacks are especially harmful when ensuring the dependability of wireless communication. Finding the position of a jammer will enable the network to actively exploit a wide range of defense strategies. In this paper, we focus on developing mechanisms to localize a jammer by exploiting neighbor changes. We first conduct jamming effect analysis to examine how the communication range alters with the jammer's location and transmission power using free-space model. Then, we show that a node's affected communication range can be estimated purely by examining its neighbor changes caused by jamming attacks and thus, we can perform the jammer location estimation by solving a least-squares (LSQ) problem that exploits the changes of communication range. Compared with our previous iterative-search-based virtual force algorithm, our LSQ-based algorithm exhibits lower computational cost (i.e., one step instead of iterative searches) and higher localization accuracy. Furthermore, we analyze the localization challenges in real systems by building the log-normal shadowing model empirically and devising an adaptive LSQ-based algorithm to address those challenges. The extensive evaluation shows that the adaptive LSQ-based algorithm can effectively estimate the location of the jammer even in a highly complex propagation environment.
Involvement of the Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Signaling Pathway in TBI Pathology and Neurocognitive Outcome

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) sets in motion cascades of biochemical changes that result in delayed cell death and altered neuronal architecture. Studies have demonstrated that inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) effectively reduces apoptosis following a number of stimuli. The Wnt family of proteins, and growth factors are two major factors that regulate GSK-3 activity. In the absence of stimuli, GSK-3 is constitutively active and is complexed with Axin, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), and casein kinase Iα (CK1α) and phosphorylates s-Catenin leading to its degradation. Binding of Wnt to Frizzled receptors causes the translocation of GSK-3 to the plasma membrane, where it phosphorylates and inactivates the Frizzled co-receptor lipoprotein-related protein 6 (LRP6). Furthermore, the translocation of GSK-3 reduces s-Catenin phosphorylation and degradation, leading to s-Catenin accumulation and gene expression. Growth factors activate Akt, which in turn inhibits GSK-3 activity by direct phosphorylation, leading to a reduction in apoptosis. Methodology/Principal Findings Using a rodent model, we found that TBI caused a rapid, but transient, increase in LRP6 phosphorylation that is followed by a modest decrease in s-Catenin phosphorylation. Phospho-GSK-3β immunoreactivity was found to increase three days post injury, a time point at which increased Akt activity following TBI has been observed. Lithium influences several neurochemical cascades, including inhibiting GSK-3. When the efficacy of daily lithium was assessed, reduced hippocampal neuronal cell loss and learning and memory improvements were observed. These influences were partially mimicked by administration of the GSK-3-selective inhibitor SB-216763, as this drug resulted in improved motor function, but only a modest improvement in memory retention and no overt neuroprotection. Conclusion/Significance Taken together, our findings suggest that selective inhibition of GSK-3 may offer partial cognitive improvement. As a broad spectrum inhibitor of GSK-3, lithium offers neuroprotection and robust cognitive improvement, supporting its clinical testing as a treatment for TBI.
A quantitative method for measuring regional in vivo fatty-acid incorporation into and turnover within brain phospholipids: review and critical analysis

An experimental method and its associated mathematical model are described to quantitate in vivo incorporation rates into and turnovers of fatty acids (FAs) within stable brain metabolic compartments, particularly phospholipids. A radiolabeled FA is injected i.v. in a rat, and arterial plasma unacylated FA radioactivities and unlabeled concentrations are sampled until the animal is killed after 15 min, when the brain is analyzed biochemically or with quantitative autoradiography. Unbound unacylated label in blood easily crosses the blood-brain barrier; rapidly equilibrates in the unacylated FA, acyl-CoA and phosphatidate-diacylglycerol brain pools; then is incorporated into phospholipids and other stable metabolic compartments. Uptake and incorporation of labeled FAs are independent of cerebral blood flow at constant brain blood volume. Different labeled FAs enter specific sn positions of different brain phospholipids, suggesting that a combination of probes can be used to investigate metabolism of these phospholipids. Thus, [9,10-3-H]palmitate preferentially labels the sn1 position of phosphatidylcholine; [1-14C]arachidonate the sn2 positions of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine; and [1-14C]docosahexaenoate the sn2 positions of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. The FA model provides an operational equation for rates of incorporation of FAs into brain phospholipids, taking into account intracerebral recycling and de novo synthesis of the FA, as well as entry into brain of FA from acylated blood sources. The equation is essentially independent of specific details of the proposed model, and can be used to calculate turnovers and half-lives of FAs within different phospholipid classes. For the model to be most applicable, experiments should satisfy conditions for pulse-labeling of the phospholipids, with brain sampling times short enough to minimize exchange of label between stable metabolic compartments. A 15-20 min sampling time satisfies these criteria. The FA method has been used to elucidate the dynamics of brain phospholipids metabolism in relation to brain development, brain tumor, chronically reduced auditory input, transient ischemic insult, axotomy with and without nerve regeneration, and cholinergic stimulation in animals with or without a chronic unilateral lesion of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis.
On the effectiveness of consumer boycotts organized through the internet: the market model

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of consumer boycotts, which have been launched by individuals using the internet, in inflicting economic harm on the targeted firms.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the event study technique to analyze the market's response to consumer boycotts launched by individuals using the internet.Findings – The results show that consumer boycotts launched by individuals on the internet are ineffective in inflicting economic harm on the targeted firm.Research limitations/implications – Despites the buzz about the “dark side” of marketing using the internet, the stock market does not react significantly to boycotts launched by individuals using the internet. However, the small sample size of 63 events tampers the temptation to generalize the findings. Future studies can be conducted with a larger sample size with a different time horizon for a deeper understanding.Practical implications – In spite of the findings of this study, managers s...
Understanding What Participants in Empirical Bioethical Studies Mean: Historical Cautions From William James and Ludwig Wittgenstein

Methods from psychology are informing much empirical research in bioethics by helping to understand the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of people as they relate to a variety of bioethical issues. This can lead to improvements in practice or policy only if the subjective mental states under study have been characterized accurately. In this article, I describe two cautions from the history of psychology concerning the accurate characterization of mental states that have significant implications for how we elicit and interpret data in empirical bioethical studies. Both make reference to tendencies of mind that can be difficult to combat and that are the cause of other more specific methodological errors. The first historical caution, William James's “psychologist's fallacy,” warns against substituting the ethicist/researcher's point of view with that of the person under study. Failure to appreciate this essentially egocentric bias can result in asking people to report on things (e.g., probability of benefit ...
Cross-linking Fc receptors stimulate splenic non-B, non-T cells to secrete interleukin 4 and other lymphokines

Spleen cell populations depleted of both B and T lymphocytes produce interleukin 4 (IL-4) in response to stimulation with immunoglobulins bound to the surface of culture dishes. In the presence of interleukin 3 (IL-3), plate-bound (PB) IgE and PB-IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b are excellent stimulants, whereas PB-IgA and PB-IgM fail to stimulate IL-4 production. In the absence of IL-3, PB-IgE stimulates relatively modest production of IL-4, whereas PB-IgG2a generally does not. The response to PB-IgE is inhibited by soluble IgE; antibody to Fc gamma receptor II inhibits the response to PB-IgG2a. Thus, separate receptors mediate these stimulations, and Fc receptor cross-linkage is required for IL-4 production. Depletion of cells expressing asialo-GM1 does not diminish IL-4 production in response to PB immunoglobulins, indicating that natural killer cells are not essential for non-B, non-T cell production of IL-4. In addition to IL-4, non-B, non-T cells produce IL-3, but no detectable interleukin 2 or interferon gamma. Non-B, non-T cells may be an important source of lymphokines in a variety of immune responses and may serve to amplify the effects of T cells of the TH2 type.
Electron microscopy of synapses in reptile spinal cord.

Abstract The spinal cord of the reptile Anolis carolinensis was examined by electron microscopy. Motor neurons appear as multipolar cells 30–60 μm in diameter. Two types of synaptic endings are endings are present on motor neurons. The first type is characterized by distinct synaptic clefts measuring 15–20 nm between pre- and postsynaptic membranes, and by clear presynaptic vesicles. The second type of synapse, which is less common, is characterized by gap junctions between pre- and postsynaptic membranes. AT these synapses, there are also clusters of clear vesicles close to the presynaptic membrane adjacent to the gap junction. These findings indicate that both chemical and electrical synaptic transmission are present in the spinal cord of Anolis .
The extended Thomas-Fermi density matrix

Abstract The extended Thomas-Fermi model is used to obtain an expression for the density matrix. The result is discussed in terms of the Wigner distribution function and compared with the DME of Negele and Vautherin as well as with the approximation of Campi and Bouyssy.
Defined Minimal Growth Medium for Acanthamoeba polyphaga

Nutritional requirements of Acanthamoeba polyphaga (strain PD) were compared to those reported for A. castellanii. Although A. polyphaga and A. castellanii have essentially the same minimal amino acid requirements--arginine, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine--A. polyphaga cannot utilize acetate as sole carbon source, but A. castellanii can if the medium is supplemented with glycine.
Reliability of Prehospital Real-Time Cellular Video Phone in Assessing the Simplified National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale in Patients With Acute Stroke: A Novel Telemedicine Technology

Background and Purpose—The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is the gold standard to assess patients with acute stroke. We aimed to examine the feasibility and reliability of prehospital real-time cellular video phone (VP) in performing the NIHSS. Methods—Forty physicians prospectively performed a simplified NIHSS (sNIHSS) on a standardized patient remotely using VP with the assistance of a bedside emergency medical technician and later performed a bedside examination. We tested the hypothesis that there is high reliability between these 2 methods. Physicians were timed and sNIHSS scores were recorded. Finally, physicians were asked to rate the VP technology. Results—A total of 480 pair comparisons of the sNIHSS scores between the VP and bedside examination were generated. After adjusting for the physician's specialty, level of training, and certification status, there was a strong positive linear correlation (r=0.97, P<0.01) between the 2 methods with high average physician reliability (...
Sensory control of dauer larva formation in Caenorhabditis elegans

As a sensory response to starvation or overcrowding, Caenorhabditis elegans second-stage larvae may molt into a developmentally arrested state called the dauer larva. When environmental conditions become favorable for growth, dauer larvae mold and resume development. Some mutants unable to form dauer larvae are simultaneously affected in a number of sensory functions, including chemotaxis and mating. The behavior and sensory neuroanatomy of three such mutants, representing three distinct genetic loci, have been determined and compared with wild-type strain. Morphological abnormalities in afferent nerve endings were detected in each mutant. Both amphid and outer labial sensilla are affected in the mutant CB1377 (daf-6)X, while another mutant, CB1387 (daf-10)IV, is abnormal in amphidial cells and in the tips of the cephalic neurons. The most pleitropic mutant, CB1379 (che-3)I, exhibits gross abnormalities in the tips of virtually all anterior and posterior sensory neurons. The primary structural defect in CB1377 appears to be in the nonneuronal amphidial sheath cells. The disruption of neural organization in CB1377 is much greater in the adult than in the L2 stage. Of all the anterior sense organs examined, only the amphids are morphologically affected in all three mutants. Thus, one or more of the amphidial neurons may mediate the sensory signals for entry into the dauer larva stage in normal animals. Using temperature-sensitive mutants we determined that the same defects which block entry into the dauer stage also prevent recovery of dauer larvae.
Effect of Initial Boundary-Layer State on Subsonic Jet Noise

Significant differences in subsonic jet noise databases have been reported in recent review papers. Specifically, university-type facilities involving higher contraction ratios andpossibly cleanerflows are noted to yield higher levels of noise relative to data from industrial-type facilities. An experimental investigation is carried out in an attempt to understand the sources of the anomaly. It is inferred that differences in jet core turbulencemay not be the source. An observation in a previous study is confirmed showing that two nozzles of the same diameter but different internal geometry can produce a difference in subsonic jet noise. The present measurements demonstrate that the noisier nozzle involves a highly disturbed laminar, or nominally laminar, boundary-layer state as opposed to a turbulent state with the other. The former boundary-layer state with the noisier nozzle is actuallymarked by larger turbulence intensities, consistent with the higher radiated noise. Although the boundary-layer characteristics were not reported with the earlier databases, the present results suggest that differences therein might be a source of the anomaly.
Pressure-tuned first-order phase transition and accompanying resistivity anomaly in Ce Zn 1 − δ Sb 2

The Kondo lattice system Ce Zn0.66 Sb2 is studied by electrical resistivity and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements at several pressures. At P=0 kbar, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic transitions appear at 3.6 and 0.8 K, respectively. The electrical resistivity at TN dramatically changes from the Fisher-Langer type (ferromagneticlike) to the Suezaki-Mori (SM) type near 17 kbar, i.e., from a positive divergence to a negative divergence in the temperature derivative of the resistivity. The pressure-induced SM-type anomaly, which shows thermal hysteresis, is easily suppressed by a small magnetic field (1.9 kOe for 19.8 kbar), indicating a weakly first-order nature of the transition. By subtracting a low-pressure data set, we directly compare the resistivity anomaly with the SM theory without any assumption on backgrounds, where the negative divergence in dρ dT is ascribed to enhanced critical fluctuations in the presence of superzone gaps. © 2005 The American Physical Society.
Plant tissue analysis for explosive compounds in phytoremediation and phytoforensics.

Plant tissue analysis methods were evaluated for six explosive compounds to assess uptake and phytoforensic methods development to quantify explosives in plant to obtain the plant data for the evaluation of explosive contamination in soil and groundwater. Four different solvent mixtures containing acetonitrile or methanol were tested at variable extraction ratios to compare the extraction efficiency for six explosive compounds: 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), pentaerythritoltetranitrate (PETN), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2ADNT), and 2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN), in Laurel Willow (Salix pentandra) stem and range grass Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) using LC-MS/MS. Plant tissues were spiked with 500 ng/g of explosives and extracted using ultrasonically-assisted solvent extraction. With the ratio of fresh plant mass to solvent volume of 1:20 for willow and 1:40 for big bluestem grass, results indicated that ...
Generative semantic clustering in spatial hypertext

This paper presents an iterative method for generative semantic clustering of related information elements in spatial hypertext documents. The goal is to automatically organize them in ways that are meaningful to the user. We consider a process in which elements are gradually added to a spatial hypertext. The method for generating meaningful layout is based on a quantitative model that measures and represents the mutual relatedness between each new element and those already in the document. The measurement is based on attributes such as metadata, term vectors, user interest expressions, and document locations. We call this model relatedness potential, because it represents how much the new element is related and thus attracted to existing elements as a vector field across the space. Using this field as a gradient potential, the new element will be placed near the most attracted elements, forming clusters of related elements. The relative magnitude of contribution of attributes to relatedness potential can be controlled through an interactive interface.Unlike prior clustering methods such as k-means and self-organizing-maps, relatedness potential works well in iterative systems, in which the collection of elements is not defined a priori. Further, users can invoke relatedness potential to re-cluster elements, as they engage in on-the-fly provisional acts of direct manipulation reorganization and latching of a few most significant elements. A preliminary study indicates that users find this method generates spatial hypertext documents that are easier to read.
Regional changes in brain serotonin after head x-irradiation and its significance in the potentiation of barbiturate hypnosis.

Regional Changes in Brain Serotonin After Head X-Irradiation and its Significance in the Potentiation of Barbiturate Hypnosis
Feature metathesis and the change of PIE *du̯ to Classical Armenian - rk -*

This paper reexamines the correspondence of Classical Armenian -rk- with Proto-Indo-European *du and attempts to explain the change in a phonologically plausible way without recourse to illicit clusters or ad hoc rules not otherwise operational in the language. Instead, the change of *du to -rk- is analyzed in Optimality framework as an instantiation of the Armenian sonority-based metathesis. Instead of the expected segment metathesis, however, I argue that this cluster underwent metathesis only of the feature [±continuant]. The need for feature metathesis rather than segment metathesis for this sequence was motivated by a TETU effect (The Emergence of The Unmarked) due to the markedness of the segment [w] in Classical Armenian. The markedness of [w] in Classical Armenian is supported by the later glide fortition seen in forms such as gini “wine”, from PIE *uoiniio-.
UNDERSTANDING THE INEQUALITY PROBLEMATIC: From Scholarly Rhetoric to Theoretical Reconstruction

Research in the area of inequality has not been accompanied by the development of inclusive theory. Despite a growing knowledge base, we are lacking a comparably strong understanding of how gender, race, and class operate simultaneously. In part because of specialization within the discipline, sociologists' call for the analysis of gender, race, and class is largely rhetorical. Any effort to remedy these limitations requires a return to fundamental assumptions. Especially important in this regard is that researchers explore mechanisms that (re)produce inequalities and then integrate these insights into a more comprehensive and dynamic theoretical frame. To this end, the author develops and offers a theory of inequality processes based on two central claims: embeddedness and social relations. By reconceptualizing gender, race, and class inequality as a set of embedded processes that exist only in relationship to each other, avenues for development in sociological theory, research, and practice become more ...
A new implementation algorithm of second-order IIR digital filters

In the implementation of a second-order IIR digital filter, five multiplications and four additions are required for each output sample calculation. In this correspondence we present a new implementation algorithm which requires four multiplications and seven additions per output sample, and the output sequence can be produced at uniform rate without introducing any artificial delay in the filter. Since the number of operations (such as multiplication, addition, data transfer, etc.) between any two consecutive input samples are kept the same, the design of the control section is quite simple. For the circumstances where multiplication time dictates the filter speed, the new algorithm achieves 20 percent improvement on the filter speed.
Serotonin transporter expression in rat brain regions and blood platelets: Aging and glucocorticoid effects

Hyperactivity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is more common in elderly depression than in younger cohorts and glucocorticoids are known to influence serotonergic systems. The current study explores the interaction of glucocorticoids with aging on serotonin transporter expression and function. Continuous infusions of dexamethasone (26 days) reduced transporter expression in the aged brain but the ability of imipramine to inhibit synaptosomal [ 3 H]serotonin uptake was unimpaired. These effects were unique to aged animals, as prior work with young adults found no effects of dexamethasone on transporter expression. In contrast to the effects in the brain, there were no differences in platelet transporter expression between young and old rats nor did dexamethasone treatment affect the values in the aged group: thus, the platelet may not reliably model these aspects of CNS function. The results suggest that there are basic biologic differences in the effects of glucocorticoids in aged vs. young brain that could contribute to lowered effectiveness to antidepressants in elderly depression; if transport capacity is already reduced by the effects of increased glucocorticoids, further inhibition of transport by antidepressants would have proportionally less impact on synaptic serotonin concentrations.
Caries resistance in children with chronic renal failure: plaque pH, salivary pH, and salivary composition

We studied properties of saliva and of dental plaque which affect the caries process in an effort to understand the low prevalence of caries in patients with chronic renal failure. Plaque pH, before and following carbohydrate exposure, saliva pH, and saliva composition were evaluated in children and adolescents with chronic renal failure (n = 10) and successful renal transplantation (n = 11), and in two comparison groups of healthy children with few caries (n = 15) and numerous caries (n = 15). Salivary urea nitrogen concentration was elevated in all subjects with elevated serum urea nitrogen concentration. Chronic renal failure subjects had significantly higher salivary urea nitrogen concentration than transplanted subjects. Plaque pH correlated directly with salivary urea nitrogen concentration and was significantly more alkaline in chronic renal failure than transplant or comparison groups. Salivary urea nitrogen concentration accounted for the majority of variability in plaque pH; salivary pH and salivary phosphorous contributed negligibly. Absolute pH drop following carbohydrate exposure did not differ among groups, but because baseline plaque pH was elevated for chronic renal failure subjects, minimum pH did not attain cariogenic levels. Our data support the hypothesis that the relative paucity of caries in patients with chronic renal failure results from alteration of plaque by metabolic end products of urea metabolism. Our data further suggest that transplanted patients whose renal function is normal may be at increased risk of caries, especially if enamel hypoplasia is present and oral hygiene is poor.
Advances in Imaging of Cardiac Allograft Rejection

Endomyocardial biopsy with its inherent invasiveness and morbidity calls for the development of noninvasive imaging methods to evaluate heart transplant recipients. While conventional imaging technologies report on anatomical and metabolic changes in heart grafts, macrophage-targeted imaging could allow disease detection before gross anatomical and functional changes have occurred. One important approach in magnetic resonance–based molecular imaging exploits an increased T2/T2* relaxation effect, occurring when phagocytic cells localized in the heart graft take up iron-oxide nanoparticles. This methodology of nanoparticle reporting on immune cell accumulation in the graft combined with precise functional and morphological information of cardiac MRI has potential to supplant endomyocardial biopsy. The use of multifunctional nanoparticles fit for multiple imaging modalities (magnetic, optical, and nuclear) will help improve methods of ex vivo and in vitro imaging of allograft rejection and also further our knowledge of allograft rejection by providing a tool for nondestructive serial in vivo assessment.
Serotonin-activated adenylate cyclase during early development of Schistosoma mansoni

Schistosoma mansoni infection is a major parasitic disease which afflicts 200 million people, mostly in developing countries. The parasite has a complex life cycle during which it is parasitic on a snail at the larval stage and on a mammalian host as an adult. In addition, there are two free-swimming stages: miracidia, which must penetrate the snail host, and cercariae, which leave the snail to find the correct mammalian host. On penetration into the mammalian host, the cercaria loses its tail and is referred to as a schistosomule. Adult stages of Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke)1,2 and S. mansoni3 have probably the highest adenylate cyclase activity reported, and in both parasite the enzyme can be activated by serotonin. Studies on Fasciola have shown that GTP is necessary for serotonin activation. One possible main function of high adenylate cyclase activity is the regulation by cyclic AMP of anaerobic glycolysis, which is the main source of energy in the adult stage of these parasites5,6. We have compared the activities of adenylate cyclase in different developmental stages of Schistosoma. We report here that the cercariae have low adenylate cyclase activity which responds only poorly to activation by serotonin and GTP. However, in schistosomules cultures in vitro7, we found that within the first 4 days the cyclase system changed from one showing low serotonin activation, similar to that of cercariae, to one of high activity similar to that found in the adults.
Isolation and Characterization of Bromination Products of Zr(C5H5)2Br2

The reaction of Zr(C5H5)2Br2 with bromine can be used as an effective route to Zr(C5H5)Br3. Through the slow addition of reactants, Zr(C5H5)Br3 can be isolated in crystalline form. An X-ray diffrac...
The dimensionality and antecedents of emotional labor strategies

Abstract This investigation had two purposes. The first was to determine whether the display of naturally felt emotions is distinct from surface acting and deep acting as a method of displaying organizationally desired emotions. The second purpose was to examine dispositional and situational antecedents of surface acting, deep acting, and the expression of naturally felt emotions. Results supported a three-dimensional structure separating deep acting, surface acting, and the expression of naturally felt emotions. In addition, the dispositional and situational variables exhibited theoretically consistent and distinct patterns of relationships with the three emotional labor strategies. Overall, the results of this study expand the nomological network of surface acting and deep acting and suggest that the expression of naturally felt emotions is a distinct strategy for displaying emotions at work and should be included in research on emotional labor.
Ler of pathogenic Escherichia coli forms toroidal protein-DNA complexes.

Enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli are related pathotypes of bacteria that cause acute watery diarrhoea and haemorrhagic colitis, respectively, and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli can lead to a serious complication known as haemolytic uraemic syndrome. In both bacteria the global regulatory protein Ler controls virulence. The ler gene is found within the locus of enterocyte effacement, or LEE, encoding a type III secretion system necessary for injecting effector proteins into intestinal epithelial cells and causing net secretory diarrhoea. The nucleoid-associated protein H-NS silences, whereas Ler serves as an anti-silencer of, multiple LEE operons. Although Ler has a higher affinity for DNA than does H-NS, the precise molecular mechanism by which Ler increases LEE transcription remains to be determined. In this report we investigate the oligomerization activity of Ler. In solution, Ler forms dimers and soluble aggregates of up to 5000 kDa molecular mass, and appears to oligomerize more readily than the related protein H-NS. An insertional mutation into the Ler linker region diminished oligomerization activity. Despite being proteins of similar mass and having homologous DNA-binding domains, Ler and H-NS complexed to DNA migrated to distinct locations, as determined by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, implying that the related proteins form different 3D shapes in the presence of DNA. Lastly, we present electron microscopy images of toroidal Ler–DNA structures that are predicted to be involved in stimulating gene expression.
Analysis of Rare, Exonic Variation amongst Subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Population Controls

We report on results from whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 1,039 subjects diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 870 controls selected from the NIMH repository to be of similar ancestry to cases. The WES data came from two centers using different methods to produce sequence and to call variants from it. Therefore, an initial goal was to ensure the distribution of rare variation was similar for data from different centers. This proved straightforward by filtering called variants by fraction of missing data, read depth, and balance of alternative to reference reads. Results were evaluated using seven samples sequenced at both centers and by results from the association study. Next we addressed how the data and/or results from the centers should be combined. Gene-based analyses of association was an obvious choice, but should statistics for association be combined across centers (meta-analysis) or should data be combined and then analyzed (mega-analysis)? Because of the nature of many gene-based tests, we showed by theory and simulations that mega-analysis has better power than meta-analysis. Finally, before analyzing the data for association, we explored the impact of population structure on rare variant analysis in these data. Like other recent studies, we found evidence that population structure can confound case-control studies by the clustering of rare variants in ancestry space; yet, unlike some recent studies, for these data we found that principal component-based analyses were sufficient to control for ancestry and produce test statistics with appropriate distributions. After using a variety of gene-based tests and both meta- and mega-analysis, we found no new risk genes for ASD in this sample. Our results suggest that standard gene-based tests will require much larger samples of cases and controls before being effective for gene discovery, even for a disorder like ASD.
Neurophysiological Changes in Aged Striatal Neurons in Rats

Our laboratory has been studying some of the changes that occur in the basal ganglia of cats and rats as they age from young adults through middle age to senescence. In previous published research we identified a series of neurophysiological and morphological alterations in caudate nucleus neurons in aging cats (Levine et al., 1986a; Levine et al., 1987a; 1987b; Levine et al., 1988).
Arachnoid cysts: a diffuse spinal fluid absorption abnormality?

Background Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis is quite complex, and does not always present in a diffuse form such as hydrocephalus. In some situations, a focal manifestation of this global circulation abnormality is identified, such as arachnoid cysts (most often in the temporal fossa). These patients with temporal arachnoid cysts develop shunt dependency, as spinal fluid circulation seems to be affected permanently.
The incorporation of the A2 protein to produce novel Qβ virus-like particles using cell-free protein synthesis.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) have been employed for a number of nanometric applications because they self-assemble, exhibit a high degree of symmetry, and can be genetically and chemically modified. However, high symmetry does not allow for a single unique modification site on the VLP. Here, we demonstrate the co-expression of the cytotoxic A2 protein and the coat protein of the bacteriophage Qβ to form a nearly monodispersed population of novel VLPs. Cell-free protein synthesis allows for direct access and optimization of protein-synthesis and VLP-assembly. The A2 is shown to be incorporated at high efficiency, approaching a theoretical maximum of one A2 per VLP. This work demonstrates de novo production of a novel VLP, which contains a unique site that has the potential for future nanometric engineering applications. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012