cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cholinergic Mechanisms in Mental Illness: Anticholinergic Hallucinogens

For more than half a century, hallucinogenic substances have intrigued experimentalists seeking to understand the peculiar perceptual disturbances and thought disorders of the insane. Early studies of mescaline, opium alkaloids, and morphine have been followed more recently by interest in the amphetamines, LSD, and psilocybin. A special enthusiam for LSD was generated in many observers who ascribed significance to its ability in uniquely small quantities to stimulate perceptual distortions without confusion or disorientation, simulating naturally occurring psychoses. The mode of action of LSD and mescaline was related to the effects on centrally active catechol amines and their breakdown products. Interest in the biogenic amines was further enhanced by the development of reliable laboratory measures and by demonstrations that orally administered monoamine-oxidase inhibitors may have favorable effects in the treatment of some mental disorders, particularly depressive states.
Analyzing the Longitudinal K-12 Grading Histories of Entire Cohorts of Students: Grades, Data Driven Decision Making, Dropping out and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis.

School personnel currently lack an effective method to pattern and visually interpret disaggregated achievement data collected on students as a means to help inform decision making. This study, through the examination of longitudinal K-12 teacher assigned grading histories for entire cohorts of students from a school district (n=188), demonstrates a novel application of hierarchical cluster analysis and pattern visualization in which all data points collected on every student in a cohort can be patterned, visualized and interpreted to aid in data driven decision making by teachers and administrators. Additionally, as a proof-of-concept study, overall schooling outcomes, such as student dropout or taking a college entrance exam, are identified from the data patterns and compared to past methods of dropout identification as one example of the usefulness of the method. Hierarchical cluster analysis correctly identified over 80% of the students who dropped out using the entire student grade history patterns from either K-12 or K-8.
Investigation of membrane structure using fluorescence quenching by spin-labels. A review of recent studies.

Fluorescence quenching is the loss of fluorescence intensity which is observed when a fluorescent molecule or group interacts with another molecule or group, called the quencher. By use of tryptophan residues of proteins, together with specific probe molecules, quenching can be applied to problems of biological and model membrane structure. Quenching interactions are short range (<50 A) so that structure on the scale of molecular dimensions can be examined. This review summarizes the recent applications of fluorescence quenching by spin (nitroxide)-labeled molecules to problems of membrane structure, including determination of the distance of membrane-bound molecules from the membrane surface, the strength of lipid-protein interactions and the strength of protein-protein interactions within membranes. The unique advantages and the limitations of this powerful method are examined.
A Focus Group Study on African American Living Donors' Treatment Preferences, Sociocultural Factors, and Health Beliefs About Apolipoprotein L1 Genetic Testing.

Introduction:Because apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) risk variants may contribute to live donors’ kidney failure postdonation, professional guidelines suggest informing potential donors with African ance...
Abstract 803: Identification of compensatory pathway for glutamate production

Measurement and Methods: In this study, we sought to expand our knowledge of glutamine metabolism beyond glutaminolysis. Using mass spectroscopy-based stable isotope-resolved metabolomics (SIRM) with 13C515N2-labeled-glutamine, we precisely identified the metabolites produced from glutamine both in vitro and in vivo. Tumors were harvested 2 hours post first glutamine injection. Metabolites were then extracted from tumors, and analyzed using Agilent 6520 Q-TOF mass spectrometer and 1H-NMR. Metabolite intensities were later normalized to protein concentration following analysis. Results: Our results showed that total glutamate levels were lower in BPTES-NP treated tumors as compared to vehicle control ones. Interestingly, we found an increase in (m+5) labeled glutamate (mass of the parent ions (m) and 5 more mass units due to 13C415N1-glutamate or 13C5-glutamate labelling) in BPTES-NP treated tumors as compared to the vehicle control tumors. Moreover, we found that (m+5) glutamate is a product of (m+7) glutamine being converted to (m+5) alpha-ketoglutaramate (KGM) via glutamine-pyruvate transaminase and further on into alpha-ketoglutarate (aKG) by omega-amidase, which can finally produce the identified (m+5) glutamate through glutamate dehydrogenase. Further analysis using 1H-NMR detailed a significant increase in overall KGM intermediate intensity in treatment groups compared to the control groups, confirming the upregulation of compensatory pathway (glutamine-KGM- aKG-glutamate) to produce glutamate upon treatment of GLS1 inhibitor. Conclusion: These results explain the reasons behind the limited clinical outcomes for single therapy with a GLS1 inhibitor, and provide potential therapeutic targets: glutamine-pyruvate transaminase, for combination treatments with GLS1 inhibitors to prevent the compensation for glutamate production amid GLS1 inhibition. Citation Format: Ryoichi Asaka, Tu Nguyen, Brian J. Krisch, Karim Nabi, Addison Quinones, Jessica Tan, Marjorie J. Antonio, Ting Li, Felipe Camelo, Kiet Nguyen, Sunag Udupa, Edward Gabrielson, Anne Le. Identification of compensatory pathway for glutamate production [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 803.
Neck disability in patients with cervical spondylosis is associated with altered brain functional connectivity

Cervical degenerative disease is a major cause of neck disability, but it has been understudied in patients with cervical spondylotic (CS), largely due to the fact that the neurological impairment associated with this condition tends to be the primary treatment focus. This observational study examined the cerebral functional alterations occurring in advanced cervical spondylosis and myelopathy using resting state functional MRI. Associations between functional connectivity (FC) and neck disability using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) were assessed. Results of the study demonstrated an increase in FC with increasing in neck disability in regions associated with sensorimotor system (both postcentral gyri and precentral gyri, bilaterally, with the SMA; bilateral precentral gyri and the left postcentral gyrus, with the left superior frontal gyrus; bilateral SMA and the left putamen, with the superior frontal gyri). Accounting for the difference in neurological function (mJOA score), strong connectivity between the precentral gyri and the SMA associated with the neck disability. Consistent with studies in chronic pain conditions, these findings suggest neck disability is associated with altered cerebral FC in cervical spondylosis patients.
Optical second-harmonic generation from the NiSi2/Si(111) interface

Optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a promising technique for the study of buried interfaces.1,2 During growth in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), we have measured the intensity of second-harmonic radiation generated by NiSi2 on Si(111) as a function of sample azimuthal orientation and silicide overlayer thickness. P-polarized 700-nm light from a YAG-pumped dye laser was incident at 60° off normal, and p-polarized second-harmonic radiation was detected. Figure 1 shows the second-harmonic intensity observed from clean Si(111) 7×7 and from a 33-A layer of epitaxial type B silicide on Si(111) ("A" and "B" refer to overlayer orientation; see Ref. 3). The intensity maxima are reduced and reversed in direction by the addition of the silicide overlayer.
Human milk sIgA antibody in relation to maternal nutrition and infant vulnerability in northern Kenya

Background The maternal buffering hypothesis posits that human lactation biology can buffer milk against the mild-to-moderate malnutrition that occurred routinely in evolutionary history through the mobilization of maternal body reserves. This perspective may provide insights for understanding human milk immune content variation, such as milk sIgA, which protects infants' intestines from microbial colonization and prevents diarrheal disease. Objective To investigate how maternal delivery of sIgA to milk may vary in a way that can buffer milk against maternal malnutrition, while taking into consideration infants' varying needs for immune protection across age or by sex. Methodology A cross-sectional study analyzed archived milk specimens from breastfeeding mothers in Ariaal communities of northern Kenya surveyed during the 2006 Horn-of-Africa drought. Multiple regression models for ln-transformed sIgA were constructed using maternal nutrition, infant age/sex and their interactions as predictors. Maternal nutrition variables included iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Infant vulnerability was considered high in young age and/or male sex. Results and implications Milk sIgA did not significantly differ by maternal IDA. Milk sIgA increased with infant age and maternal MUAC (n = 202). Significant interactions were observed between infant age and maternal VAD and between infant sex and maternal MUAC, such that milk sIgA content was low for younger infants particularly among VAD mothers, while among mothers with low MUAC, sIgA was lower for male infants. Results imply that mothers' ability to deliver/buffer milk sIgA may be lowered when nutritional stress is combined with high infant vulnerability to infection. Lay summary Human milk sIgA antibody content was low for younger infants among vitamin A deficient mothers. Among mothers with small arm-circumference, milk sIgA was lower for sons. Double burden of raising young or male infants with high needs for immune protection and being malnourished, might lower maternal sIgA delivery to milk.
Electrohydrodynamic generation of atmospheric turbulence

The role of electrohydrodynamics on the generation of atmospheric turbulence is studied theoretically and numerically. A nonlinear feedback loop is identified whereby charged aerosols self-induce an electric field, resulting in a body force on the ionized air, augmenting the atmospheric turbulence.
[WC313] Leadership Skills Series #2: General Leadership & Purpose/Values

This second publication in the Leaders Skills Series provides Extension professionals with recommendations on how to utilize short leadership videos under the topics of general leadership and purpose/values as tools to develop specific leadership skills. In particular, these videos focus on everyday leadership, utilizing grit, finding one’s purpose and learning how to feel good about work. This publication introduces four videos that can be accessed online and utilized in a number of learning environments like training or meetings. A brief synopsis, a link to the video, and recommended discussion questions are provided for each video.
Probabilistic Semantic Segmentation Refinement by Monte Carlo Region Growing.

Semantic segmentation with fine-grained pixel-level accuracy is a fundamental component of a variety of computer vision applications. However, despite the large improvements provided by recent advances in the architectures of convolutional neural networks, segmentations provided by modern state-of-the-art methods still show limited boundary adherence. We introduce a fully unsupervised post-processing algorithm that exploits Monte Carlo sampling and pixel similarities to propagate high-confidence pixel labels into regions of low-confidence classification. Our algorithm, which we call probabilistic Region Growing Refinement (pRGR), is based on a rigorous mathematical foundation in which clusters are modelled as multivariate normally distributed sets of pixels. Exploiting concepts of Bayesian estimation and variance reduction techniques, pRGR performs multiple refinement iterations at varied receptive fields sizes, while updating cluster statistics to adapt to local image features. Experiments using multiple modern semantic segmentation networks and benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for the refinement of segmentation predictions at different levels of coarseness, as well as the suitability of the variance estimates obtained in the Monte Carlo iterations as uncertainty measures that are highly correlated with segmentation accuracy.
Anthropology and the Anthropocene: Criticisms, Experiments, and Collaborations

The Anthropocene, a proposed name for a geological epoch marked by human impacts on global ecosystems, has inspired anthropologists to critique, to engage in theoretical and methodological experime...
The impact of developmental behavioral pediatrics in a population of children with Down syndrome

Abstract Purpose Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a unique developmental profile with an increased risk for co-morbid neurodevelopmental diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), among others. A delay in a diagnosis of these conditions can impact the health and psychosocial wellbeing of the child and family. The purpose of this study was to assess identification of secondary co-morbid neurodevelopmental diagnoses within an academic DS specialty Clinic. Design and methods A retrospective chart review of secondary co-morbid neurodevelopmental diagnoses including children with DS ages 2 to 17 years old, with a visit encounter in a pediatric DS specialty clinic between January 2018 to August 2019 was conducted. Comparisons included diagnoses identified before (T1) and after (T2) inclusion of developmental behavioral specialists as pediatric DS providers. Two sample t-tests, Chi-square test and Fisher's exact t-test were utilized to compare categorical and non-categorical variables. Results 145 children were identified in T1 of which 51.7% were male. 225 children were seen in T2, 56.0% were male. Increased detection of several co-morbid conditions occurred between T1 and T2 including language disorder (p Conclusion Developmental/behavioral assessment is integral for detection of co-morbid conditions among a pediatric DS population and prevention of diagnostic overshadowing. Practice implications Interprofessional teams, including pediatric nurse practitioners, play a key role in providing health supervision and assessment for a pediatric DS population.
Co-evolution of institutional and organizational factors in explaining offshore outsourcing

Abstract Offshore outsourcing of business functions is widely practiced by firms in advanced economies. Although scholars have argued for various theoretical perspectives in explaining its nature and implications, a coherent explanation of how crucial factors that aid this growing phenomenon coevolve has not been offered. Further, a potential gap in the extant literature concerns inadequate simultaneous attention to clients and providers – the key actors in offshore outsourcing. With an aim to fulfill these research gaps, we provide in this paper an integrated framework wherein we delineate various institutional and organizational factors that coevolve to enable engagement of clients and providers in offshore outsourcing. Our conceptualization draws from information obtained by interviewing 46 executives of 31 firms of the Indian business process outsourcing industry.
The effect of the perfluorocarbon emulsion Oxycyte™ in an ovine model of severe decompression illness.

Background The treatment of decompression sickness (DCS) with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) serves to decrease intravascular bubble size, increase oxygen (O2) delivery to tissue and enhance the elimination of inert gas. Emulsified perfluorocarbons (PFC) combined with breathing O2 have been shown to have similar effects animal models. We studied an ovine model of severe DCS treated with the intravenous PFC Oxycyte™ while breathing O2 compared to saline control also breathing O2. Methods Juvenile male sheep (N=67; weight 24.4±2.10kg) were compressed to 257 feet of sea water (fsw) in our multiple large-animal chamber where they remained under pressure for 31 minutes. Animals then were decompressed to surface pressure and randomized to receive either Oxycyte at 5mL/kg intravenously (IV) or 5mL/kg saline IV (both receiving 100% O2) 10 minutes after reaching surface pressure. Mortality was recorded at two hours, four hours, and 24 hours after receiving the study drug. Surviving animals underwent perfusion fixation and harvesting of the spinal cord at 24 hours. Spinal cord sections were assessed for volume of lesion area and compared. Results There was no significant difference in survival at two hours (p=0.2737), four hours (p=0.2101), or 24 hours (p=0.3171). Paralysis at 24 hours was not significantly different. However, spinal cord lesion area was significantly smaller in the Oxycyte group as compared to the saline group, with median spinal cord lesion areas 0.65% vs. 0.94% (p=0.0107). Conclusion In this ovine model of severe DCS the intravenous PFC Oxycyte did not reduce mortality but did ameliorate spinal cord injury when used after the onset of DCS.
The Poor, The Military, and Tyranny

The case of China shows us that, even though a large, well-educated middle-class is emerging—and becoming scientifically oriented and open to democracy—the existence of a vast poor in a population of a billion people allows the totalitarian regime to recruit a huge army and police force to support the despotic acts of the “regime.” Iran’s Persian Guard is likewise recruited from the poor and working-class to support the theocratic despotism of the Ayatollahs. Venezuela’s military is similarly recruited.
Infecting the Hippocratic Oath

Somewhere deep within the labyrinth of regulations promulgated since Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) in 2009 exists health care’s very own Kobayashi Maru. Mindful of the draconian consequences in deviating from the so-called HIPAA Privacy Rule, health care practitioners who follow these national standards to defend individual medical records and other protected health information (“PHI”) sometimes must stand down like a Star Fleet cadet forced to watch the entire crew and passengers of another vessel perish. On the other hand, those rogue clinicians who chose rescue over risk may face attack from federal and state authorities.
A zero-one law for random walks in random environments on $\mathbb{Z}^2$ with bounded jumps

Zerner and Merkl proved a 0-1 law for directional transience for planar random walks in random environments. Later, Zerner provided a simplified proof. We extend the result to non-planar i.i.d. random walks in random environments on $\mathbb{Z}^2$ with bounded jumps. As an application, we complete a characterization of directional transience (for a given direction) for random walks in Dirichlet environments with bounded jumps in all dimensions. Such a characterization was previously known for the nearest-neighbor case of Dirichlet environments.
Hyperspherical approach to dipolar droplets beyond the mean-field limit

We apply a hyperspherical formulation to a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate with dipolar and contact interactions. Central to this approach is a general correspondence between $K$-harmonic hyperspherical methods and a suitable Gaussian ansatz to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, regardless of the form of the interparticle potential. This correspondence allows one to obtain hyperspherical potential energies for a wide variety of physical problems. In the case of the dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate, this motivates the inclusion of a beyond-mean-field term within the hyperspherical picture, which allows us to describe the energies and wave functions of excitations of self-bound dipolar droplets outside the mean-field limit.
Abstract #4460: The \#946;-Spectrin ELF and Smad3/Smad4 signaling play an important role in suppression of optic glioma

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-\#946;) represents a large family of growth and differentiation factors that mobilize complex signaling networks to regulate cellular differentiation, proliferation, motility, adhesion, and apoptosis. The adaptor protein ELF ( E mbryonic L iver F odrin; \#946;-Spectrin, non PH domain, isoform2 ) is a potent regulator of tumorigenesis through its ability to affect TGF-\#946; tumor suppressor function, specifically Smad3 and Smad4 signaling. Disruption of ELF results in loss of Smad3/Smad4 activation and, therefore, a disruption of the TGF-beta pathway. We have observed that elf +/- and elf +/- /Smad3 +/- mice develop visceromegaly and multiple cancers including nephroblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and optic gliomas with phenotypic characteristics frequently observed in patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), a hereditary human cancer overgrowth syndrome. Several reports document the association of optic gliomas as well as neural crest tumors with the development of BWS. These observations led us to pursue the function of ELF and the TGF-\#946; pathway in neural tumorigenesis and tumor suppression. Immunohistochemical labeling with p-Tau, PCNA, Cyclin A and CDK4 showed a substantial increase in expression in the neural tissue of elf +/- /Smad4 +/- mice compared to wild type control, indicating an escape from TGF-\#946; growth inhibition. Furthermore, the optic gliomas exhibited a marked loss in the expression of ELF when compared to normal tissues. Analysis of optic gliomas in the elf +/- /Smad3 +/- double heterozygous mice in comparison with reported characteristics of human gliomas was also analyzed. These results suggest that elf +/- and elf +/- /Smad3 +/- mice provide an important animal model for optic gliomas and provide insight into the role of the TGF-\#946; signaling pathway in the pathology of patients with BWS, as well as sporadic gliomas. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 4460.
Proteus vulgaris osteomyelitis of the mandible: Report of a case

Abstract A case of osteomyelitis of the mandible caused by the microorganism Proteus vulgaris is presented. Successful management in an uncooperative patient was achieved only after ad hoc modifications of standard surgical procedures.
Conservation Tillage Study

There was also a marked difference in corn yields between the continuous corn and the corn-soybean rotation. In the past twelve years, rotated corn on the Kalona soil averaged 5 to 15 bushels/acre higher yield than the continuous corn. On the Nira soil, there was a 25 to 33 bushels/acre difference. The higher yield differences on the Nira soil may be attributed in part to some sidehill seep wetness problems in the continuous corn in spite of drainage tile that has been installed. Although there were year-to-year variations, for most years these yield differences were present.
Recommender system for auction sites

Recommender systems have become an important tool for marketing products to customers by learning and monitoring their behavior. Many of the current recommender systems available use structured information to make the "suggestions" which over time have been proven to accurately suggest products which customers would want to view. Amazon.com has implemented an excellent recommender system that uses structured data. A recommender system based on uncontrolled or unstructured data would allow auction websites to benefit from this technology. Websites such as ebay.com and ubid.com could integrate a recommender system into their websites and provide a higher level of service to their customers.
An objective character believability evaluation procedure for multi-agent story generation systems

The ability to generate narrative is of importance to computer systems that wish to use story effectively for entertainment, training, or education. One of the focuses of intelligent virtual agent research in general and story generation research in particular is how to make agents/characters more lifelike and compelling. However, one question that invariably comes up is: Is the generated story good? An easier question to tackle is whether a reader/viewer of a generated story perceives certain essential attributes such as causal coherence and character believability. Character believability is the perception that story world characters are acting according to their own beliefs, desires, and intentions. We present a novel procedure for objectively evaluating stories generated for multiple agents/characters with regard to character intentionality - an important aspect of character believability. The process transforms generated stories into a standardized model of story comprehension and then indirectly compares that representation to reader/viewer mental perceptions about the story. The procedure is illustrated by evaluating a narrative planning system, Fabulist.
Can Clinical Judgment Detect Children With Speech-Language Problems?

Pediatricians often rely on clinical judgment derived from observation or parental concern to identify children with developmental problems. The less popular but recommended alternative is to repeatedly administer standardized screening tests. Such tests are time consuming but, unlike clinical judgment, have known detection rates. Preliminary research concerning clinical judgment showed that clusters of parental concerns related to their childrens9 performances on screening tests. In the present study, previous research was refined by assessment of the meaning of parents9 concerns about their childrens9 speech-language development. In this study of 157 families seeking pediatric care, 72% of children whose speech-language screening yielded positive results had parents who were concerned about their speech-language development. Of children with negative screening results, 83% had parents with no concerns about their speech-language development. Although standardized screening tests should be used occasionally in the developmental surveillance process, the findings show that the problems of most children with developmental problems were detected through clinical judgment based on parental concern.
A Commentary on Inclusion and the Development of a Positive Self-Identity by People with Disabilities

A growing number of concerned individuals throughout the world, including people with disabilities, their parents, and educators, are advocating that students with disabilities be educated in the mainstream of neighborhood classrooms and schools. However, some disability-rights advocates believe that if people with disabilities are to have a well-developed sense of identity as adults, they need to have had opportunities in their school years to associate with other people (both children and adults) having similar characteristics and interests. In this article, we examine this issue and provide one perspective on how it might be addressed.
Budget increases for U.S. science agencies

The majority of the appropriations bills for the U.S. federal budget for fiscal year 2002 have been signed by President George W. Bush, and the overall outlook for science looks good. A number of science agencies received healthy increases that are above the figures proposed by the Bush administration earlier this year. The appropriations bill for Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies (H.R. 2620) is one of the most important, as it funds both NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Signed into law by the president on November 26, the “VA-HUD” bill provides NASA with a budget of $14.8 billion. This is an increase of $540 million, or 3.8%, above FY01 levels, and 1.9% above the administration's request of $14.51 billion. The increment for NSF's $4.79-billion budget for FY02 is $372.5 million, an increase of 8.4% above the previous year's funding. This amount is $319 million more than the agency requested. The Bush administration requested an increase of only 1.3%.
Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on GABA transport in rat brain synaptosomes

Initial velocities of uptake of GABA have been measured in rat brain synaptosomes from animals which had been exposed to oxygen at high pressure (OHP) and compared to similar measurements in normobaric controls. For hypothalamus, no changes in GABA uptake occurred subsequent to exposure to OHP. For cortical synaptosomes, however, exposure to OHP resulted in a decreased velocity of GABA uptake at all combinations of [Na] and [GABA] used. The OHP data were found to fit the same transport model as found previously for control data. Thus, OHP exposure did not alter the basic mechanism by which sodium and GABA interact with the carrier in the process of transport. However, the constants which quantitate the model were changed by OHP exposure. As a consequence, the several kinetic parameters which are calculated from the model change in the OHP animals. These kinetic parameters are compared to similar calculations for both normobaric control animals and normobaric aged animals. Although the effects of OHP do not precisely parallel the effects of aging, the alterations in kinetic parameters are in several ways similar in the aged and OHP animals.
PREDICTION OF AXIAL-FLOW TURBOMACHINE PERFORMANCE BY BLADE-ELEMENT METHODS

Application of blade-element methods to the estimation of a rotating blade row in an axial- flow pump or compressor
Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

As an on-line separation method, capillary electrophoresis (CE)-mass spectrometry (MS) distinguishes analytes by both their differences in electrophoretic mobilities and structural information. CE-MS combines the advantages of CE and MS so that information on both high separation efficiency and molecular masses and/or fragmentation can be obtained in one analysis. During the past few years CE-MS has undergone significant development both in instrumentation and application. Several ionization methods have been used for CE-MS. These include electrospray ionization, ion spray or pneumatically assisted electrospray ionization, and continuous-flow fast atom bombardment. The direct coupling of CE to desorption MS has not yet been reported, although publications have appeared on the off-line coupling of CE with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization and 252Cf plasma desorption MS using fraction collection. Numerous new applications of CE-MS have been published in the areas of biological sciences, pharmaceutical and drug metabolism, and environmental analysis. The majority of applications of CE-MS have been in the field of biological and biochemical studies. Several limitations associated with CE-MS have precluded the technique being widely accepted for routine analysis. The major limitation is its relatively poor concentration sensitivity. The concentration detection limits of currently available CE-MS instrumentation are too high for most real-world applications. Other drawbacks with CE-MS include the fluctuation in analyte migration time and limitations in electrolyte selections. Approaches to improve the concentration sensitivity of CE-MS include on-line preconcentration either by capillary isotachophoresis or chromatographic methods. Another solution to increasing the sensitivity of CE-MS is the development of alternative types of mass spectrometers which offer the potential for greater sensitivity, such as ion trap, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers. Coated capillaries are useful in improving separation efficiencies of biomolecules by minimizing their adsorption onto the CE capillary walls. At present, CE-MS is still not generally considered for routine analysis mainly due to its limited concentration sensitivity. As a complementary separation method to LC-MS with extremely high efficiency, CE-MS has the potential for wide acceptance in the future. The popularity of CE-MS will continue to grow, as more sensitive MS instrumentation and CE-MS interface are developed.
Polyethylenimine-modified pluronics (PCMs) improve morpholino oligomer delivery in cell culture and dystrophic mdx mice

We investigated a series of small-sized polyethylenimine (PEI, 0.8/1.2 k)-conjugated pluronic copolymers (PCMs) for their potential to enhance delivery of an antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) in vitro and in dystrophic mdx mice. PCM polymers containing pluronics of molecular weight (Mw) ranging 2–6 k, with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) 7–23, significantly enhanced PMO-induced exon-skipping in a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter-based myoblast culture system. Application of optimized formulations of PCMs with PMO targeted to dystrophin exon 23 demonstrated a significant increase in exon-skipping efficiency in dystrophic mdx mice. Consistent with our observations in vitro, optimization of molecular size and the HLB of pluronics are important factors for PCMs to achieve enhanced PMO delivery in vivo. Observed cytotoxicity of the PCMs was lower than Endo-porter and PEI 25 k. Tissue toxicity of PCMs in muscle was not clearly detected with the concentrations used, indicating the potential of the PCMs as effective and safe PMO carriers for treating diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
Integrated pest management of Ips pini (Col., Scolytidae) populations in south-eastern Montana.

Second growth ponderosa pine forests of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation of south-eastern Montana sustained a chronic Ips pini outbreak between 1978 and 1994. Studies determined the emergence and seasonal flight patterns of the scolytids with regards to temporal and spatial distribution of host material as well as population changes during the year. These changes related to the dry-down rate of host material (thinning and logging slash) and the availability of slash; an index of population change (IPC) was developed to estimate seasonal changes in the Ips population from spring to autumn. Principal management components of an integrated pest management system included (1) an emphasis on creating thinning and logging slash between August and December, a time that provides quickly degrading host material for the overwintering Ips population while not providing suitable host material for the subsequent spring flight; (2) restrictions on winter logging as slash produced during this period provided suitable hosts for the first spring flights of I. pini; and (3) restrictions on the use of trap logs or pheromones to lower Ips populations as these materials provide kairomones for the predators (Enoclerus lecontei, Enoclerus spegeus and Temnochila chlorodia) that partition their I. pini host across the spring, summer and autumn.
Human suspicious activity recognition in thermal infrared video

Detecting suspicious behaviors is important for surveillance and monitoring systems. In this paper, we investigate suspicious activity detection in thermal infrared imagery, where human motion can be easily detected from the background regardless of the lighting conditions and colors of the human clothing and surfaces. We use locally adaptive regression kernels (LARK) as patch descriptors, which capture the underlying local structure of the data exceedingly well, even in the presence of significant distortions. Patch descriptors are generated for each query patch and for each database patch. A statistical approach is used to match the query activity with the database to make the decision of suspicious activity. Human activity videos in different condition such as, walking, running, carrying a gun, crawling, and carrying backpack in different terrains were acquired using thermal infrared camera. These videos are used for training and performance evaluation of the algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves good performance in suspicious activity recognition.
Chaos in Josephson Junctions Induced by Picosecond Current Pulses

We report studies of intermittent chaos in hysteretic Josephson junctions induced by ultrashort electrical pulses. Substantial changes in the junction dc I-V characteristics, including an excessive low frequency noise, a novel re-entry state wherein the dynamics became chaotic at low dc bias, but returned to the zero-voltage state at higher biases, and a complicated behavior for very high amplitude input pulses were experimentally observed. The threshold switching curve was different from that in the static limit. The experimental findings are in good agreement with numerical simulations based on the resistively and capatively shunted junction model.
The strong couplings in a space with torsion

Abstract A generally covariant field theory, characterized by an asymmetric metric, an asymmetric connection, and an arbitrary gauge group is investigated as a possible formal basis for the experimentally observed strong couplings. Transposition invariance is put into correspondence with TCP invariance. The parts of the connection irreducible under both coordinate and gauge groups are identified with the independent boson fields. Representations of the strong and electromagnetic couplings of the baryon-meson system are found, subject to the same dynamical uncertainties as global and unitary symmetry. In the simplest version the pion and kaon fields correspond to the Hermitian torsion, while the vector bosons, including the photon, correspond to the anti-Hermitian torsion.
A model of Io's local electric field for a combined Alfvénic and unipolar inductor far-field coupling

[1] In this paper we develop an equation for Io's electric field/electric potential which includes Io's inhomogeneous and anisotropic conductances and treats Io's far-field interaction in both limits: the unipolar inductor and the Alfven wing models. We solve this equation for constant conductances within an elliptically shaped Ionian ionosphere, which leads to useful analytic expressions for properties of Io's local interaction, specifically, the total electric current driven by Io's interaction. Several previous calculations underestimated the total electric current by a factor of two. Oversimplifications of the Alfvenic current system might be one of the reasons. Our expressions also show that it is not the voltage across Io's ionosphere, as often assumed, that is physically related to the electric current; but it is the electric field and the extensions of the ionosphere in both directions. We show in addition that the Alfvenic and unipolar inductor models lead to different properties of Io's local interaction, e.g., the maximum plasma speed up around Io is higher in the Alfvenic coupling case.
Efficient Algorithm Design for GPR Imaging of Landmines

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is used to image and detect subterranean objects, for example, in landmine detection. Although full 3-D inversion of GPR measurements is possible for simple algorithms such as backprojection, it is impractical when using more advanced algorithms that involve $\ell_1$ -minimization. Many of the algorithms used for GPR imaging involve the storage, or online generation, of a huge dictionary matrix created from discretizing a high-dimensional nonlinear model. This parametric model includes all the target features that need to be extracted, including 3-D location, object orientation, and target type. As more parameters are added to the model, the dimensionality increases. If uniform sampling is done over high-dimensional parameter space, the size of the dictionary and the complexity of the inversion algorithms rapidly grow, exceeding the capability of real-time processors. This paper shows that strategic structuring of the dictionary, which takes advantage of translational invariance in the model, can reduce the dictionary storage by several orders of magnitude and exploit the fast Fourier transform for fast computation of previously highly impractical, bordering on impossible, 3-D GPR imaging problems.
What Kind of Interventions Can Help Users from Falling for Phishing Attempts: A Research Proposal for Examining Stage-Appropriate Interventions

Because successful phishing attacks are expensive to society, it is imperative to understand how to promote protective behavior for IS end-users. Our research program in progress will extend IS Security research by empirically testing a theoretical hybrid continuum-stage model of protective behavior of IS end-users. The results of the first step of our research program confirmed that users progress through stages of preventive behavior, ranging from a denial stage (Stage 0), an awareness stage (Stage 1), and, finally, a coping and planning stage (Stage 2) over time. Thus, there is a need to understand how we can design and empirically test stage-appropriate interventions to move users from one stage to the next. Informed by the literature in health behavior change models, this proposed second phase of our research program will longitudinally monitor the effects of both simulated phishing attempts and stage-appropriate interventions in a field experiment.
Olfactory discrimination of social status in the brown lemming

This study was conducted to determine whether female brown lemmings would discriminate between dominant and subordinate conspecific males on the basis of odor cues. A free-choice, Y-shaped olfactometer was used to determine olfactory preferences. Estrous females preferred the odor of dominant males over that of subordinates. They also preferred the odor of socially naive males that subsequently emerged as dominants when paired encounters were staged. In contrast, diestrous females preferred the odor of to-be-subordinate males. Dominant males had heavier testes and seminal vesicles, thus suggesting an androgen-based odor difference between these two classes of males.
Research on Flat Panel Display Measurements at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has initiated a new program on performance measurements for flat panel displays. Prior to this progress, NIST completed an assessment of industry needs for measurements and standards to assist in the development of high-resolution displays. As a result of this study, a new laboratory has been established to characterize the electrical and optical performance of flat panel displays. The services of the laboratory will be available to commercial panel manufacturers and users. NIST, as a neutral third party, intends to provide technical assistance in the development of standards and measurement practices for flat panel display characterization.
5-HT1A agonist effects on punished responding of squirrel monkeys.

Abstract Buspirone and other drugs that act as 5-HT1A agonists appear to be clinically effective anxiolytics in humans, yet their anticonflict effects, though robust in pigeons, are equivocal in rodents. In the present study we examined the effects of the benzodiazepine midazolam and a series of 5-HT1A agonists on punished responding of squireel monkeys. Lever presses were reinforced according to a fixed-interval 3-min schedule; in addition, each thirtieth lever press was punished. Midazolam produced large increases in response rates, whereas none of the 5-HT1A compounds produced any increases in responding. Most of these drugs decreased response rates at the higher doses examined. Although the reasons for the discrepancy between species in the anticonflict effects of serotonergic anxiolytics cannot be specified, the different anatomical distribution of 5-HT1A binding sites across species may suggest a different functional role for this receptor.
A model for the intrinsic gate capacitances of short channel MOSFETs

Abstract In this paper we present a model for the gate charge and the intrinsic gate capacitances in the strong inversion regime of a short-channel MOSFET. The model accounts for various second-order effects such as carrier velocity saturation, channel-length modulation and mobility degradation. An accurate model for the d.c. characteristics is first developed which guarantees the continuity of the current and its first and second derivatives with respect to the drain voltage at the transition from the linear to the saturation region. The gate charge is then computed and the gate capacitances are derived. Finally, the theoretical predictions of the model are compared to the experimental data available from the literature.
Gating and permeability of ion channels produced by botulinum toxin types A and E in PC12 cell membranes

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is known to produce cationic channels in artificial bilayers. This study examined ion channels formed by BoNT in native membranes from cultured PC12 cells under conditions approximating those thought to occur during toxin internalization. Membrane patches were excised from PC12 cells using patch electrodes and exposed to symmetrical solutions containing either 200 mM CsCl, RbCl or KCl. The patch pipettes also contained 1-5 microg/ml BoNT buffered to pH 5.3 while the bath solutions were buffered to pH 7.0. In the presence of toxin, bursts of ion channel openings were observed. These toxin-induced channels were most active with a negative voltage applied to the same side as the toxin (cis). The increased activity at negative voltages was due to an increase in mean open time of e-fold per 120 mV and a decrease in mean closed time between bursts of e-fold per 110 mV. The shorter mean closed time within a burst was independent of membrane voltage. While BoNT-induced ion channels started as a single conductance level of 27 pS (KCl), 34 pS (RbCl) or 46 pS (CsCl) they typically increased in roughly equal steps to five or more times the original channel conductance. These higher conductance BoNT 'channels' opened and closed synchronously and could be distinguished from superposition of multiple independent channels. Despite differences in putative transmembrane sequences between BoNT/A and BoNT/E, both serotypes evidenced the same channel conductance and mean open time.
Surface changes at fertilization: integration of sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) sperm and oocyte plasma membranes.

To examine the integration and fate of the sperm plasma membrane following its incorporation into the oocyte plasma membrane, we have fertilized sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) gametes reciprocally labeled with cationized ferritin. When unlabeled oocytes were inseminated with labeled sperm, cationized ferritin acceptors moved laterally from the sperm plasma membrane into the fertilization cone and surrounding microvilli, mixing with components of the oocyte plasmalemma. Labeled oocytes inseminated with unlabeled sperm produced extremely large fertilization cones, completely devoid of cationized ferritin, while the remainder of the oocyte surface remained heavily labeled. Surface area measurements indicated that if all the sperm plasmalemma were utilized to delimit a fertilization cone it would provide less than 10% of the total surface membrane. Evidence is presented indicating that a principal source of membrane to the expanding fertilization cone of inseminated oocytes is from microvilli, i.e., microvilli are retracted to accommodate fertilization cone formation. Membrane delimiting the fertilization cone has a much lower affinity for agents (cationized ferritin and concanavalin A) that stain negatively charged and carbohydrate moieties compared to other regions of the oocyte surface. These ultrastructural observations indicate that significant rearrangements occur in the oocyte and sperm plasma membranes following gamete fusion which give rise to asymmetries in membrane topography; components of both membranes are redistributed within the bilayer adjacent to and delimiting the fertilization cone.