cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 4008: p75NTRis overexpressed in vestibular schwannomas and protects cells from apoptosis due to suppressed c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity

Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) represent benign Schwann cell (SC) neoplasms arising from the eighth cranial nerve and account for 8-10% of all intracranial neoplasms. Denervation by axotomy leads to increased p75NTR expression, JNK activation, and eventual death of SCs. In contrast to SCs, VS cells survive in the absence of axons and here we investigated the interactions of p75NTR and JNK signaling on the survival response of cultured primary human VS cells. Using qRT-PCR and western blotting, we find that p75NTR is over-expressed in VS cells compared with normal nerve. However, in contrast to normal SCs, treatment of cultured VS cells with pro-NGF, a high affinity ligand for p75NTR, failed to induce apoptosis. We confirmed that VS cells express sortilin, a co-receptor with p75NTR to bind pro-NGF and induce apoptosis. We further show that VS cells display persistent JNK phosphorylation and activity compared with normal SCs. Treatment of VS cultures with the JNK inhibitors, I-JIP or SP600125, results in decreased proliferation, increased apoptosis, and increased accumulation of mitochondrial superoxides. Overexpression of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase prevents apoptosis due to suppressed JNK. These results suggest that persistent JNK contributes to the survival of VS cells, at least in part, by suppressing accumulation of mitochondrial superoxides. Treatment of VS cultures with proNGF protected the cells from apoptosis due to JNK inhibition. This protective effect is specific to proNGF and not seen with other neural derived growth factors such as neuregulin-1 (NRG-1). Indeed treatment with NRG-1 increased apoptosis in cultures with suppressed JNK activity. Further, VS cells lack Trk expression supporting the notion that the protective effect of proNGF is mediated by p75NTR. These results suggest that, in contrast to normal SCs which undergo apoptosis in response to p75NTR and JNK signaling, these signals promote VS cell survival. Such differences may account for the ability of VS cells to proliferate and survive in the absence of axons. Support: DOD NF050193 and NIDCD R01DC009801 Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4008.
The spiral of advocacy: How state-based LGBT advocacy organizations use ground-up public communication strategies in their campaigns for the “Equality Agenda”

Abstract This article outlines the communication and outreach strategies used by state-based LGBT advocacy organizations. Leaders of these organizations explained through in-depth interviews that their campaigns address four policy areas: non-discrimination, hate crimes, safe schools, and relationship recognition. LGBT citizens and allies serve as spokespersons. They convey stories of the LGBT experience and reinforce LGBT issues as mainstream concerns. State-level advocacy emphasizes that substantive change occurs from the ground up; change nationally requires a critical mass of support first at local levels. This article demonstrates how public relations can serve as a tool for democracy and an instrument of social change, and how “managing legitimacy” can be placed as central to the public relations’ process.
Decentralized Governance, Constitution Formation, and Redistribution

What determines the relative strength of central and regional governments? Why do centers engage in more or less geographically based economic redistribution? And why do some centers redistribute from urban to rural areas while others do the opposite? This research answers these questions with reference to decentralized politics at key constitutional moments. Much contemporary research underscores the importance of the intergovernmental balance of power – be it in taxing authority or decision making autonomy – on economic outcomes. Many features of that balance are rooted in bargains struck at the time of constitution writing. Here, I suggest that the key ingredients in such bargains are the number of conflicting geographically salient factor endowments, the distribution of inter-regional inequality, and the degree of intra-state inequality within rural and urban regions. The greater the level of factoral conflict, the more elites who engage in constitutional negotiations are likely to constrain the central government by providing for substantial regional veto authority. Higher levels of inter-regional inequality heighten demands for inter-regional redistribution. Given some level of regional demand for central redistribution, whether its net effect is in favor of urban or rural regions will depend on the coalitional implications of inequality within regions. I examine the argument in light of the U.S., Argentine, and Indian processes of constitution formation.
Individualized medicine and the microbiome in reproductive tract

Humans have evolved along with the millions of microorganisms that populate their bodies. These microbes (1014) outnumber human cells by 10 to 1 and account for 3x 106 genes, more than ten times the 25,000 human genes. This microbial metagenome acts as our “other genome” and like our own genes, is unique to the individual. Recent international efforts such as the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) and the MetaHIT Project have helped catalog these microbial genomes using culture-independent, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing. This manuscript will describe recent efforts to define microbial diversity in the female reproductive tract because of the impact that microbial function has on reproductive efficiency. In this review, we will discuss current evidence that microbial communities are critical for maintaining reproductive health and how perturbations of microbial community structures can impact reproductive health from the aspect of infection, reproductive cyclicity, pregnancy and disease states. Investigations of the human microbiome are propelling interventional strategies from treating medical populations to treating individual patients. In particular, we highlight how understanding and defining microbial community structures in different disease and physiological states heave lead to the discovery of biomarkers and, more importantly, the development and implementation of microbial intervention strategies (probiotics) into modern day medicine. Finally this review will conclude with a literature summary of the effectiveness of microbial intervention strategies that have been implemented in animal and human models of disease and the potential for integrating these microbial intervention strategies into standard clinical practice.
Alexander Crummell and the strategy of challenge by adaptation

The Reverend Alexander Crummell, nineteenth‐century black leader, advocated the development of leadership and culture as answers to racism. The strength of his analysis was its consonance with the prevailing Social Darwinistic values of self‐help and self‐determination; the analysis reinforced basic fantasies of the society and attacked social dynamics where they were most vulnerable.
Processing, performance and biodegradability of a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester/starch system

Abstract Composites of a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester, polybutylene succinate adipate (PBSA), with granular corn starch were investigated for processability, mechanical and thermal properties, and biodegradability. The PBSA/starch films were prepared with starch contents of 5%–30% by weight and processed by blown film extrusion. Increasing the starch content led to an increase in modulus and decreases in tensile strength, elongation to break and toughness. The rate of biodegradation in soil, as measured by respirometry, increased significantly as the starch content was increased to 20% and then plateaued. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the starch granules were embedded in the continuous-phase PBSA and that starch promotes the biodegradation of PBSA. Gel permeation chromatography indicated a molecular weight decrease for the PBSA after soil exposure and confirmed that biodegradation was enhanced by the presence of starch. The results demonstrated that the biodegradable PBSA/starch system has mechanical properties useful for blown film applications.
Inclusion of In-Situ Velocity Measurements into the UCSD Time-Dependent Tomography to Constrain and Better-Forecast Remote-Sensing Observations

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) three-dimensional (3-D) time-dependent tomography program has been used successfully for a decade to reconstruct and forecast coronal mass ejections from interplanetary scintillation observations. More recently, we have extended this tomography technique to use remote-sensing data from the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) on board the Coriolis spacecraft; from the Ootacamund (Ooty) radio telescope in India; and from the European Incoherent SCATter (EISCAT) radar telescopes in northern Scandinavia. Finally, we intend these analyses to be used with observations from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), or the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) now being developed respectively in Australia and Europe. In this article we demonstrate how in-situ velocity measurements from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) space-borne instrumentation can be used in addition to remote-sensing data to constrain the time-dependent tomographic solution. Supplementing the remote-sensing observations with in-situ measurements provides additional information to construct an iterated solar-wind parameter that is propagated outward from near the solar surface past the measurement location, and throughout the volume. While the largest changes within the volume are close to the radial directions that incorporate the in-situ measurements, their inclusion significantly reduces the uncertainty in extending these measurements to global 3-D reconstructions that are distant in time and space from the spacecraft. At Earth, this can provide a finely-tuned real-time measurement up to the latest time for which in-situ measurements are available, and enables more-accurate forecasting beyond this than remote-sensing observations alone allow.
Evaluation of Probability Density Functions to Approximate Particle Size Distributions of Representative Pharmaceutical Aerosols

Abstract The purpose of this work was to evaluate the application of probability density functions (PDFs) and curve-fitting methods to approximate particle size distributions emitted from four pharmaceutical aerosol systems characterized using standard methods. The aerosols were produced by a nebulizer, pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI), dry powder inhaler (DPI) and nasal spray. PDFs selected for analysis were (i) log-normal, (ii) upper-limit, (iii) Nukiyama–Tanasawa (iv) Rosin–Rammler and (v) modified Rosin–Rammler. Two curve-fitting methods were used to estimate the adjustable parameters of the PDFs: linear least-squares fit of the cumulative distribution function (Method A) and non-linear least-squares fit of the probability density function (Method B). Large truncation of the pMDI and DPI particle size distributions obtained by cascade impaction resulted in poor fits of the PDFs. The nebulizer and nasal spray were not affected by truncation and were well represented by the Rosin–Rammler and log-normal PDFs, respectively (Method B only). Probability distribution functions (Method B) were fitted without bias from linear coordinate transformation and produced significantly better fits than Method A for each aerosol system (p
Cardioregulatory nerves in Limulus polyphemus.

Abstract 1. 1. Dorsal nerves 6 through 13 and the pericardial nerves have been examined for their role in cardioregulation in Limulus polyphemus. 2. 2. Nerve 6 and the pericardial nerves appear to have no cardioregulatory function. 3. 3. Nerves 7 through 13 often carry both inhibitory and acceleratory fibers but the inhibitory function predominates in nerves 7 and 8 while the acceleratory function predominates in the more posterior nerves. 4. 4. The cardioregulatory fibers in the abdominal cardiac nerves enter the heart directly.
Overview of the MEDLI Project

The Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) Project's objectives are to measure aerothermal environments, sub-surface heatshield material response, vehicle orientation, and atmospheric density for the atmospheric entry and descent phases of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) entry vehicle. The flight science objectives of MEDLI directly address the largest uncertainties in the ability to design and validate a robust Mars entry system, including aerothermal, aerodynamic and atmosphere models, and thermal protection system (TPS) design. The instrumentation suite will be installed in the heatshield of the MSL entry vehicle. The acquired data will support future Mars entry and aerocapture missions by providing measured atmospheric data to validate Mars atmosphere models and clarify the design margins for future Mars missions. MEDLI thermocouple and recession sensor data will significantly improve the understanding of aeroheating and TPS performance uncertainties for future missions. MEDLI pressure data will permit more accurate trajectory reconstruction, as well as separation of aerodynamic and atmospheric uncertainties in the hypersonic and supersonic regimes. This paper provides an overview of the project including the instrumentation design, system architecture, and expected measurement response.
An additivity theorem for the genus of a graph

Abstract The main goal of this paper is to prove a new additivity theorem for the genus of a graph. The theorem is true only by making a natural modification to the definition of the genus of an embedding. The (generalized) genus of a graph G will equal the connectivity of the minimum connected surface for which G is embeddable. The connectivity of a surface equals the genus if it is unorientable and twice the genus if it is orientable. We show that (generalized) genus is additive over edge (vertex) amalgams, i.e., if G is obtained from disjoint graph, H 1 and H 2 by identifying an edge (vertex) in H 1 with an edge (vertex) in H 2 then generalized genus of G equals the sum of the generalized genus of H 1 plus the generalized genus of H 2 . We introduce a new combinatorial representation of an embedding which seems to lend itself to combinatorial arguments for embedding of graphs on unoriented surfaces.
A Model of Flow in a Closed-Loop Thermosyphon Including the Soret Effect

This theoretical study addresses the nature of convective motions in a toroidal loop of binary fluid oriented in the vertical plane and heated from below. The boundaries of the loop are impermeable, but gradients of the solute can be set up by Soret diffusion in the direction around the loop. The existence and stability of steady solutions are discussed over the Rayleigh number-Soret coefficient parameter plane. When the Soret coefficient is negative, periodic and chaotic oscillations analogous to those of thermohaline convection are predicted. When the Soret coefficient is positive, relaxation oscillations and low Rayleigh number chaotic motions are found. Both sets of phenomena are predicted to occur for realistic thermosyphon parameters.
General relativistic gravitation as the theory of broken symmetry of intransitive groups of transformations

General relativistic gravitational theories are constructed from suitable intransitive continuous groups of transformations. A minimal invariant variety forms the unperturbed universe. The formalism of the group is generalized to have the symmetry of its action on this manifold broken by gauge potentials. The theory is expressed in these potentials and it is shown how the present symmetry breaking is related to a general metric. The physical interpretation of the formalism is outlined.
Cytokines regulate IGF binding proteins in the CNS

Growth factor induction is a major component of the response to central nervous system trauma. The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) are among the molecules induced by injury that have demonstrated neuroprotective actions. Induction of IGFBPs 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been documented following injury and are hypothesized to function in transport or localization of the IGFs to injured cells. It is unclear what factors lead to induction of these molecules following trauma, however, several cytokines including ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) have been described as major injury signals and can induce aspects of reactive gliosis. To establish whether these cytokines also are responsible for inducing the IGFBPs following CNS injury, we injected CNTF or IL-1 beta intracerebrally into the neocortex of adult rats and measured changes in mRNA expression for the IGFBPs. IGFBP-2 mRNA showed a dramatic increase by 24-48 h following either CNTF or IL-1 beta injection as compared with the contralateral side injected with heat-inactivated cytokine. Neither CNTF nor IL-1 beta caused alterations in BP3 or BP5. Levels of BP4 and BP6 mRNAs also were unchanged following CNTF injection. These results suggest that IGFBP2 is uniquely regulated among the IGFBPs in the CNS and is induced by cytokines that signal CNS injury.
Thermomechanical analysis and durability of commercial micro-porous polymer Li-ion battery separators

Static and dynamic thermomechanical analysis was performed with a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) to identify thermal and mechanical transitions for commercially available polymer separators under mechanical loading. Clear transitions in deformation mode were observed at elevated temperatures. These transitions identified the onset of separator “shutdown” which occurred at temperatures below the polymer melting point. Mechanical loading direction was critical to the overall integrity of the separator. Anisotropic separators (Celgard 2320, 2400 and 2500) were mechanically limited when pulled in tensile in the transverse direction. The anisotropy of these separators is a result of the dry technique used to manufacture the micro-porous membranes. Separators prepared using the wet technique (Entek Gold LP) behaved more uniformly, or biaxially, where all mechanical properties were nearly identical within the separator plane. The information provided by the DMA can also be useful for predicting the long-term durability of polymer separators in lithium-ion batteries exposed to electrolyte (solvent and salt), thermal fluctuations and electrochemical cycling. Small losses in mechanical integrity were observed for separators exposed to the various immersion environments over the 4-week immersion time.
Rate of decomposition of C60 and C70 heated in air and the attempted characterization of the products

Abstract Solid C60 and C70 were decomposed by heating in air at temperatures ranging from 150 to 250 °C and times ranging from 1 to 743 h. The products dissolved increasingly poorly with increasing temperatures and longer times. The rates at which soluble fullerenes were extracted from products decreased also with longer time of heating. Extrapolations of decomposition rates to 25 °C suggested that a fullerene mix containing 15 mole% C70 became totally insoluble in toluene after about 450 y, while that time is about 2,000 y for C60. Analytical techniques for the characterization of products included X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, mass-spectrometry and electron microprobe analysis. The insoluble products contained no detectable amounts of fullerenes. The products were partially soluble in acetone, methanol, and water. The insoluble portions contained a fine-grained, black powder consisting of very small carbon particles. The products contained substances with aromatic bonds and with C  O, C-C and carboxylic groups.
Feeling happy versus feeling good : the processing of discrete and global categories of emotional expressions by children and adults

The use of analytic and holistic modes of processing in the recognition of emotional expressions was explored. Five- and 7-year-old children as well as adults were presented with slides of emotional expressions with different parts of the faces exposed. In Condition 1 (discrete categories), individuals were asked to press a button for each of the target emotions: happiness, surprise, fear, and anger. In Condition 2 (global categories), the target terms were feels goodand feels bad. Individual features were better for identifying global categories than discrete categories, and younger children relied more on single than on combinations of features. The classification of emotional expressions may not fit a classic hierarchical model of categorization, and recognition of each emotion appears to follow different courses of development
Bradykinin induces superoxide anion release from human endothelial cells

The time-dependent release of superoxide anion (O2-) from bradykinin (Bk)-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC) was measured as the superoxide dismutase-inhibitable reduction of ferricytochrome C employing a novel application of microspectrophotometry. In the absence of Bk, O2- release by EC was not detectable. EC exposure to Bk (10(-6) to 10(-5) M) resulted in a rapid release of O2-. The release of O2- occurred within 5 minutes of exposure. O2- release was partially inhibited by indomethacin (63 +/- 6%), thus suggesting that arachidonic acid metabolism, through cyclooxygenase, contributes to EC O2- production. EC O2- release may be an important component in the pathophysiologic actions of Bk on vascular function.
TOPICAL GLYCERYL TRINITRATE AS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT IN RAYNAUD'S DISEASE

The effects of topical glyceryl trinitrate in Raynaud's disease were compared with those of placebo in a double-blind, crossover trial in 17 patients with bilateral Raynaud's disease and an associated collagen disease, who were receiving oral sympatholytic agents at the maximum levels they could tolerate. 1% glyceryl trinitrate ointment or a placebo of lanolin was applied to one hand only for 6 weeks, then patients changed to the other preparation for 6 weeks. The results were evaluated every 2 weeks. The frequency of attacks, severity of attacks, and size of ulcers in the treated hand were significantly lower when the patients were using glyceryl trinitrate ointment than when they were using placebo. The treatment of Raynaud's disease may be improved by using topical glyceryl trinitrate ointment as an adjunct to a basic regimen of oral sympatholytic agents. Glyceryl trinitrate ointment may obviate the need for more aggressive treatment, such as intraarterial reserpine, in selected patients.
Liberation of agrobacterium tumefaciens dna from the crown gall tumor cell DNA from the crown gall tumor cell DNA by shearing

Abstract Unsheared DNA from normal or crown gall tumor tissue of tobacco and the sheared DNA from the normal tissue gave only one band (ϱ = 1.694) on CsCl density-gradient centrifugation. CsCl density-gradient centrifugation of sheared DNA from the tumor tissue, however, produced two bands, one corresponding to tobacco DNA (ϱ = 1.694) and the other corresponding to A. tumefaciens DNA (ϱ= 1.717). These results further strengthen the concept that crown gall tumor formation may involve integration of bacterial genome with the host cell genome.
John Nash: Three Phases in the Career of a Beautiful Mind

This article is the Helen Flanders Dunbar Lecture presented at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City in 2002, the centennial year of her birth. It focuses on three periods in the evolution of Nash’s mental illness, the predelusional, delusional, and postdelusional periods, and provides a psychoanalytic interpretation of each.
Social and Personal Factors as Predictors of Earthquake Preparation: The Role of Support Provision, Network Discussion, Negative Affect, Age, and Education1

Panel data collected in 1991 as part of the University of Southern California Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG) were used to predict reported preparation activities prior to and in response to the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake. In late 1994 and early 1995, 163 panelists (representing 107 multigenerational families) were interviewed by phone about their earthquake experiences. The best 1991 predictor of pre-quake preparation was the extent of instrumental support respondents provided to network members. Earthquake preparation activities undertaken after the quake were associated with the amount and cost of damage experienced during the quake, 1991 neuroticism scores, age (inversely), and having preparedness encouraged by multiple network sources. The results highlight the importance of social roles (e.g., support provision) and discussion by informal network sources in the adoption of public health and safety messages.
Tinidazole for bacterial vaginosis

Tinidazole has been used for bacterial vaginosis (BV) outside the USA for almost four decades. Tinidazole has recently been resurrected and FDA approved for trichomoniasis and BV in the USA and is being restudied as an alternative to metronidazole for BV. In vitro antimicrobial activity and pharmacokinetics studies indicate that when compared directly with metronidazole, tinidazole has minor but possibly relevant antimicrobial as well as pharmacokinetic advantages. Clinical comparisons have been infrequent, although the limited head-to-head studies indicate minimal therapeutic advantage with tinidazole. Perhaps the more relevant differences relate to the enhanced tolerance and reduced toxicity of tinidazole. Currently, studies are still ongoing directly comparing the clinical efficacy of metronidazole and tinidazole. These studies should establish the role of tinidazole in the treatment of BV; however, cure rates are unlikely to be significantly different.
Numerical simulation of the fluid dynamics of 2D rigid body motion with the vortex particle method

A viscous vortex particle method is presented for computing the fluid dynamics of two-dimensional rigid bodies in motion. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a fractional step procedure. Smooth particles carry vorticity and exchange strength to account for convection and viscous diffusion. The spurious slip resulting from this half-step is identified with a surface vortex sheet, and the slip is eliminated by diffusing the sheet to adjacent particles. Particles are remeshed every few time steps to a Cartesian grid with a 'body-ignorant' interpolation using simple symmetric stencils. Kelvin's circulation theorem remains enforced by accounting for the circulation leaked into the body during this procedure, and redistributing it to the particles in the subsequent sheet diffusion. The stability and convergence with respect to numerical parameters are explored in detail, with particular focus on the residual slip velocity. The method is applied to two problems that demonstrate its utility for investigating biological locomotion: a flapping elliptical wing with hovering insect kinematics, with good agreement of forces with previous simulations and experiments; and a three-linkage 'fish' undergoing undulatory mechanics.
Knowledge networks: Dilemmas and paradoxes

Abstract After defining knowledge networks and the basic concepts of paradox and dilemmas, I analyze a sample of paradoxes/dilemmas commonly associated with them involving culture, structure, cognition, and actionable knowledge. In doing this I focus on how one side of the dilemmas is often associated with negative connotations that drive managers away from that choice. So, for example, hoarding, while it clearly benefits individuals in certain contexts, is typically viewed as a selfish act that hurts the collective. I conclude this essay with a discussion of the need for managers to deliberately confront dilemmas.
MODELING POST-FLEDGING SURVIVAL OF LARK BUNTINGS IN RESPONSE TO ECOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

We evaluated the influences of several ecological, biological, and methodological factors on post-fledging survival of a shortgrass prairie bird, the Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys). We estimated daily post-fledging survival (n = 206, 82 broods) using radiotelemetry and color bands to track fledglings. Daily survival probabilities were best explained by drought intensity, time in season (quadratic trend), ages ≤3 d post-fledging, and rank given drought intensity. Drought intensity had a strong negative effect on survival. Rank was an important predictor of fledgling survival only during the severe drought of 2002 when the smallest fledglings had lower survival. Recently fledged young (ages ≤3 d post-fledging) undergoing the transition from nest to surrounding habitat experienced markedly lower survival, demonstrating the vulnerable nature of this time period. Survival was greater in mid and late season than early season, corresponding to our assumptions of food availability. Neither mark type nor sex of attending parent influenced survival. The model-averaged product of the 22-d survival calculated using mean rank and median value of time in season was 0.360 ± 0.08 in 2001 and 0.276 ± 0.08 in 2002. Survival estimates that account for age, condition of young, ecological conditions, and other factors are important for parameterization of realistic population models. Biologists using population growth models to elucidate mechanisms of population declines should attempt to estimate species-specific of post-fledging survival rather than use generalized estimates.
Positive Affect as a Source of Resilience for Women in Chronic Pain.

A sample of 124 women with osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia, or both, completed initial assessments for demographic data, health status, and personality traits and 10-12 weekly interviews regarding pain, stress, negative affect, and positive affect. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that weekly elevations of pain and stress predicted increases in negative affect. Both higher weekly positive affect as well as greater positive affect on average resulted in lower negative affect both directly and in interaction with pain and stress. Finally, increases in weekly negative affect and higher average negative affect related to greater levels of pain in subsequent weeks. In contrast, higher levels of overall positive affect predicted lower levels of pain in subsequent weeks.
Performance considerations for an operating system transaction manager

Results of a previous comparison study (A. Kumar and M. Stonebraker, 1987) between a conventional transaction manager and an operating system (OS) transaction manager indicated that the OS transaction manager incurs a severe performance penalty and appears to be feasible only in special circumstances. Three approaches for enhancing the performance of an OS transaction manager are considered. The first strategy is to improve performance by reducing the cost of lock acquisition and by compressing the log. The second strategy explores the possibility of still further improvements from additional semantics to be built into an OS transaction system. The last strategy is to use a modified index structure that makes update operations less expensive to perform. The results show that the OS will have to implement essentially all of the specialized tactics for transaction management that are currently used by a database management system (DBMS) in order to match DBMS performance. >
Evaluating predictive models of critical live fuel moisture in the Santa Monica Mountains, California

Large wildfires in the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California occur when low levels of live and dead fuel moisture coincide with Santa Ana wind events. Declining live fuel moisture may reach a threshold that increases susceptibility to large wildfires. Live fuel moisture and fire history data for the Santa Monica Mountains from 1984 to 2005 were used to determine a potential critical live fuel moisture threshold, below which large fires become much more likely. The ability of live fuel moisture, remote sensing, and precipitation variables to predict the annual timing of 71 and 77% live fuel moisture thresholds was assessed. Spring precipitation, measured through the months of March, April, and May, was found to be strongly correlated with the annual timing of both live fuel moisture thresholds. Large fires in the Santa Monica Mountains only occurred after the 77% threshold was surpassed, although most large fires occurred after the less conservative 71% threshold. Spring precipitation has fluctuated widely over the past 70 years but does not show evidence of long-term trends. Predictive models of live fuel moisture threshold timing may improve planning for large fires in chaparral ecosystems.
Changes in survivorship, behavior, and morphology in native soft-shell clams induced by invasive green crab predators.

Many studies on invasive species show reduced native densities, but few studies measure trait-mediated effects as mechanisms for changes in native growth rates and population dynamics. Where native prey face invasive predators, mechanisms for phenotypic change include selective predation, or induced behavioral or morphological plasticity. Invasive green crabs, Carcinus maenas, have contributed to declines in native soft-shell clams, Mya arenaria, in coastal New England, USA. We tested the hypothesis that clam ability to detect chemical cues from predators or damaged conspecifics would induce greater burrowing depth as a refuge from invasive crabs, and greater burrowing would require increased siphon growth. To determine how crab predation affected clam survivorship and phenotypic traits in the field, clams in exclosure, open, and crab enclosure plots were compared. Crab predation reduced clam density, and surviving clams were deeper and larger, with longer siphons. To determine whether the mechanism for these results was selective predation or induced plasticity, phenotypes were compared between clams exposed to chemical cues from crab predation and clams exposed to seawater in laboratory and field experiments. In response to crab predation cues, clams burrowed deeper, with longer siphons and greater siphon mass. Overall, crab predation removed clams with shorter siphons at shallow depths, and crab predation cues induced greater burrowing depths and longer siphons. Longer siphons and greater siphon mass of deeper clams suggests clams may allocate energy to siphon growth in response to crabs. By determining native behavior and morphological changes in response to an invasive predator, this study adds to our understanding of mechanisms for invasive impacts and illustrates the utility of measuring trait-mediated effects to investigate predator–prey dynamics.
Mechanisms of multifocal breast cancer: An immunocytochemical study☆

The issue of whether multifocal breast cancer represents intramammary spread from a single primary tumor or multiple synchronous tumors remains unresolved. We have used a series of immunocytochemical markers, B72.3, DF3, c-erbB-2, SP-1, CEA, and p53, to attempt to answer this question. Of 24 cases with separate discrete synchronous tumors in the same breast, 10 were histologically and immunocytochemically identical, five were histologically similar but immunocytochemically different, two were histologically different but immunocytochemically identical, and in seven cases the tumors were different both histologically and immunocytochemically. In seven of the 24 cases lymph nodes containing metastatic tumor were also available; in each instance, the immunoreactivity of the metastasis was similar to one or other of the tumors in the breast. This study indicates that multifocal breast cancer may result from either intramammary spread from a single primary tumor or multiple synchronous primary tumors.
Ontogeny of apomorphine-induced stereotypy and its D1 and D2 receptor mediation in rats depleted of dopamine as neonates.

The ontogeny of apomorphine-induced stereotypy in rats treated with 6-OHDA (100 μg) or its vehicle on postnatal Day 3 was determined on Days 6, 21, or 60–90. Stereotypic sniffing and mouthing behavior were produced by apomorphine in control and DA-depleted animals as early as Day 6. Animals depleted of DA as neonates exhibited supersensitivity to these behavioral effects from Day 6 into adulthood. The relative contributions of D1 and D2 receptor activation to apomorphine-induced behaviors were determined by measuring the ability of specific D1 or D2 antagonists to block these effects in adults. Blockade of D1 receptors with SCH 23390 or D2 receptors with clebopride suppressed apomorphine-induced stereotypy in both vehicle- and 6-OHDA-treated rats. However, adults depleted of DA as neonates were less sensitive to the DA antagonists than were control rats. These results demonstrate that apomorphine-induced stereotypy is present as early as postnatal Day 6. Rats depleted of DA as neonates continue to exhibit these behaviors, even at lower doses of apomorphine than were necessary in control animals. Finally, coactivation of D1 and D2 receptors appears necessary for apomorphine-induced stereotypy in both groups of rats. © 1992 Wiley & sons. Inc.
Time-varying closed-loop modeling of autonomic control in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome during cold face stimulation.

Adults with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are known to have impaired autonomic function but the corresponding effects in children appear to be more subtle. Model-based analysis of the cardiovascular response to cold face test (CFT) was used to quantify daytime autonomic dysfunction. The increase in transfer gain between respiration and RRI was not different between controls and OSAS. However, the transfer gain between "surrogate cardiac output" (pulse pressure ÷ R-R interval) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the transfer gain between cardiac output and SBP both increased significantly in controls but not in OSAS during CFT. These findings suggest that the parasympathetic function remains relatively normal in pediatric OSAS, but cardiovascular sympathetic reactivity is impaired.
Process simulation of the fluidized‐bed copper oxide process sulfation reaction

The Fluidized-Bed Copper Oxide Process is a regenerative process for the simultaneous removal of both sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) from the flue gas of coal-fired boilers. An ideal-flow reactor model for SO2 removal was formulated based on a sulfation reaction kinetics model developed using data from a microbalance reactor. Experimental data obtained from a fluidized-bed reactor having a cross section measuring 1.02 m by 1.22 m (40 in. by 48 in.) were used to validate the model. The variables in the model were systematically varied to predict reactor performance under different operating conditions. The process variables studies were (1) sorbent copper content, (2) reactor bed depth, and (3) reaction temperature. The reactor performance predictions showed that increasing the copper content of the sorbent from 5 percent to 7 percent would lower the required sorbent recirculation rate by 30 percent. The expanded-bed depth in the reactor was also an important parameter. Effective performance of the process can be obtained with lower sorbent recirculation rates if the expanded-bed depth in the reactor is increased.
A VLIW architecture for executing multi-scalar/vector instructions on unified datapath

This paper proposes new processor architecture for accelerating data-parallel applications based on the combination of VLIW and vector processing paradigms. It uses VLIW architecture for processing multiple independent scalar instructions concurrently on parallel execution units. Data parallelism is expressed by vector ISA and processed on the same parallel execution units of the VLIW architecture. The proposed processor, which is called VecLIW, has unified register file of 64×32-bit registers in the decode stage for storing scalar/vector data. VecLIW can issue up to four scalar/vector operations in each cycle for parallel processing a set of operands and producing up to four results. However, it cannot issue more than one memory operation at a time, which loads/stores 128-bit scalar/vector data from/to data cache. Four 32-bit results can be written back into VecLIW register file. The complete design of our proposed VecLIW processor is implemented using VHDL targeting the Xilinx FPGA Virtex-5, XC5VLX110T-3FF1136 device. The required numbers of slice registers and LUTs are 3,992 and 14,826 (14,570 for logic and 256 for memory), respectively. The number of LUT-FF pairs used is 17,425, where 13,433 for unused flip-flops, 2,599 for unused LUT, and 1,393 for fully used LUT-FF pairs.
Psychiatric problems in individuals with autism, their parents and siblings

The objective of this paper is to review psychiatric problems in children and adults with autism and related disorders and their first-degree relatives, with a focus on: (1) why they present with psychiatric problems; (2) rates of psychiatric disorders; (3) clinical features important in diagnosis and differential diagnosis; (4) treatment. The data come from published reports of psychiatric problems in individuals with autism, Asperger's disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified and their relatives and the clinical experience of the author and other experts. Children and adults with autism may present with psychiatric problems because of the core defining features of autism, cognitive impairments, medical disorders, other psychiatric symptoms and disorders, and life experiences related to having autism. The data suggest that depression, anxiety, impairing compulsive behaviours, attentional problems, hyperactivity, and sleep problems occur commonly in individuals with autism. Ti...
Terrestrial support of detritivorous fish populations decreases with watershed size

Consumers in aquatic food webs can be supported by terrestrial and aquatic primary production. However, we know little about how allochthony, i.e., the proportion of consumer biomass derived from terrestrial organic matter, varies along environmental gradients. Using hydrogen isotopes (deuterium), we quantified allochthony of an ecologically dominant detritivorous fish species (gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum) in reservoir ecosystems, along a gradient of watershed land use (agriculture vs. forest). We predicted that allochthony would decline with an increase in the proportion of watershed land composed of agriculture (% agriculture). This is based on the supposition that as % agriculture increases, so does the export of dissolved inorganic nutrients to lakes, stimulating algal production and reducing the importance of terrestrial organic carbon subsidies. Allochthony accounted for ∼34% of gizzard shad production (mean of 11 lakes), although this fraction varied greatly (0–68%) among lakes and isotope mi...
Particulate Mercury in the Atmosphere: Its Significance, Transport, Transformation and Sources

The importance of particulate mercury (Hg(p)) in the transport, chemistry and deposition of this toxic metal has long been underestimated and largely ignored. While it was once believed to constitute a small percentage of total atmospheric mercury, Hg(p) may contribute a significant portion of the deposition of this metal to adjacent natural waters. Recent measurements of Hg(p) in several urban/industrial areas have documented that Hg can be associated with large particles (>2.5 µm) and in concentrations similar to those of the vapor phase Hg (ng/m3). As part of ongoing effort to diagnose the sources, transport and deposition of Hg to the Great Lakes and other Great Waters, the University of Michigan Air Quality Laboratory (UMAQL) has investigated the physical and chemical properties of particulate-phase Hg in both urban and rural locations. It appears that particulate Hg may be the one of the most difficult of the Hg measurements to perform, and perhaps the one of the most important for deposition and source apportionment studies. Particulate Hg concentrations measured in rural areas of the Great Lakes Region and Vermont ranged from 1 to 86 pg/m3 whereas Hg(p) levels in urban/industrialized areas were in the range 15 pg/m3 to 1.2 ng/m3.
Nutrient intakes of men and women collegiate athletes with disordered eating.

The objective of this study was to assess the macro- and micronutrient intakes of men and women collegiate athletes with disordered eating behaviors and to compare the nutrient intakes of athletes with restrictive- versus binge-eating behaviors. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I University athletes (n = 232) were administered an anonymous, written questionnaire to compare nutrient intakes, desired weight change, and weight control behaviors in athletes with restrictive- (R) and binge(B) eating behaviors to those in asymptomatic (A) athletes. T-tests, χ 2 statistic, and ANOVA were used to test for differences among disordered eating groups within genders (p < 0.05). Data are means ± standard error of the mean. Among men athletes, those with disordered eating consumed a smaller percentage of energy from carbohydrate compared to controls (R = 49.7 ± 1.5; B = 48.7 ± 2.3; A = 53.4 ± 0.7%). Among female athletes, those with disordered eating wanted to lose a greater percentage of their current body weight than did asymptomatic athletes (B = -6.1 ± 1.4; R = -6.7 ± 1.1; A = -3.7 ± 0.4%). Women who were classified with binge eating consumed significantly more alcohol than did controls (B = 6.8 ± 1.3; A = 3.9 ± 0.4 g alcohol per day). Athletes with disordered eating were more likely to report restricting their intake of carbohydrate and fat and using supplements to control their weight than asymptomatic athletes. Disordered eating was not associated with greater frequencies of inadequate micronutrient intake in either gender. Athletes with disordered eating may be at significantly greater risk for nutritional inadequacies than athletes who are asymptomatic due to macronutrient restriction and greater alcohol consumption.
Differential contributions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus to auditory trace fear conditioning

The effect of excitotoxic lesions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus on the acquisition and expression of auditory trace fear conditioning was examined in two studies. In Experiment 1, animals received excitotoxic lesions of either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus or sham surgeries one week prior to conditioning, and were tested 24 h later. In Experiment 2, animals received excitotoxic lesions of either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus or sham surgeries 24 h after training, and were tested one week after surgery. Both pre- and post-training lesions of ventral hippocampus impaired the acquisition and expression, respectively, of auditory trace fear conditioning. Pre-training lesions of dorsal hippocampus had no effect on the acquisition of trace fear conditioning, while post-training lesions of dorsal hippocampus dramatically impaired expression during subsequent testing. Although in some cases animals with lesions of ventral hippocampus exhibited locomotor hyperactivity, it is unlikely that the pattern of observed deficits can be attributed to this effect. Collectively these data suggest that the dorsal and ventral hippocampus may contribute differentially to the mnemonic processes underlying fear trace conditioning.