cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in (Bi 1-x In x ) 2 Se 3 Thin Films: From Topological to Band Insulator

Replacing some of the Bi atoms with In transforms Bi 2 Se 3 from a topological to a band insulator. We have used time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy to study carrier dynamics in (Bi 1-x In x ) 2 Se 3 films across this transition.
Situating Opera: Period, Genre, Reception

Prologue. Why opera? Why (how, where) situate? 1. Anatomy of a war horse: Il trovatore from A to Z 2. On opera and society (assuming a relationship) 3. Opera and the novel: antithetical or complementary? 4. Opera by other means 5. Opera and/as lyric 6. From separatism to unity: aesthetic theorizing from Reynolds to Wagner 7. Toward a characterization of modernist opera 8. Anti-theatricality in twentieth-century opera 9. A brief consumer's history of opera Epilogue. Why (what, how, if) opera studies? Works cited.
EEG and fMRI Studies of the Mozart Effect

This chapter provides an overview of surface brain wave EEG studies done at the University of Vienna. The results are dramatic and give the first neurophysiological support for the Mozart effect. The EEG coherence analysis is designed to measure the degree of synchrony between the activities of two brain regions from two scalp surface electrodes during a specific higher brain function task as compared to a testing condition. This is perfect for examining the Mozart effect. All pairs of electrodes can be examined or just neighboring pairs as in this experiment. This local coherence has the big advantage of giving a great color-coded brain imaging representation of what happens during the behavioral task. The results are quite visually striking and demonstrate the first evidence for the neurophysiological basis of the Mozart effect. The chapter further discusses first dramatic results for fMRI studies of the Mozart effect.
Mitochondrial Quality Control via the PGC1α-TFEB Signaling Pathway Is Compromised by Parkin Q311X Mutation But Independently Restored by Rapamycin

Following its activation by PINK1, parkin is recruited to depolarized mitochondria where it ubiquitinates outer mitochondrial membrane proteins, initiating lysosomal-mediated degradation of these organelles. Mutations in the gene encoding parkin, PARK2, result in both familial and sporadic forms of Parkinson9s disease (PD) in conjunction with reductions in removal of damaged mitochondria. In contrast to what has been reported for other PARK2 mutations, expression of the Q311X mutation in vivo in mice appears to involve a downstream step in the autophagic pathway at the level of lysosomal function. This coincides with increased PARIS expression and reduced expression of a reciprocal signaling pathway involving the master mitochondrial regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC1α) and the lysosomal regulator transcription factor EB (TFEB). Treatment with rapamycin was found to independently restore PGC1α-TFEB signaling in a manner not requiring parkin activity and to abrogate impairment of mitochondrial quality control and neurodegenerative features associated with this in vivo model. Losses in PGC1α-TFEB signaling in cultured rat DAergic cells expressing the Q311X mutation associated with reduced mitochondrial function and cell viability were found to be PARIS-dependent and to be independently restored by rapamycin in a manner requiring TFEB. Studies in human iPSC-derived neurons demonstrate that TFEB induction can restore mitochondrial function and cell viability in a mitochondrially compromised human cell model. Based on these data, we propose that the parkin Q311X mutation impacts on mitochondrial quality control via PARIS-mediated regulation of PGC1α-TFEB signaling and that this can be independently restored via upregulation of TFEB function. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mutations in PARK2 are generally associated with loss in ability to interact with PINK1, impacting on autophagic initiation. Our data suggest that, in the case of at least one parkin mutation, Q311X, detrimental effects are due to inhibition at the level of downstream lysosomal function. Mechanistically, this involves elevations in PARIS protein levels and subsequent effects on PGC1α-TFEB signaling that normally regulates mitochondrial quality control. Treatment with rapamycin independently restores PGC1α-TFEB signaling in a manner not requiring parkin activity and abrogates subsequent mitochondrial impairment and neuronal cell loss. Taken in total, our data suggest that the parkin Q311X mutation impacts on mitochondrial quality control via PARIS-mediated regulation of PGC1α-TFEB signaling and that this can be independently restored via rapamycin.
A Survey of Scholarly Journals Using Open Journal Systems

A survey of 998 scholarly journals that use Open Journal Systems (OJS), an open source journal software platform, captures the characteristics of an emerging class of scholar-publisher open access journals. The journals in the sample follow traditional norms for peer-reviewing, acceptance rates, and disciplinary focus, but as a group are distinguished by the number that offer open access to their content, growth rates in new titles, participation rates from developing countries, and extremely low operating budgets. The survey also documents the limited degree to which open source software can alter a field of communication, for OJS appears to have created a third path, dedicated to maximizing access to research and scholarship, as an alternative to traditional scholarly society and commercial publishing routes. Normal 0 0 1 129 739 6 1 907 11.773 0 0 0
Brain Differently Changes its Algorithms in Parallel Processing of Visual Information

Feedback from the visual cortex (V1) to the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) in macaque monkey increase contrast gain of LGN neurons for black and white (B&W) and for color (C) stimuli. LGN parvocellular cells responses to B&W gratings are enhanced by feedback multiplicatively and in contrast independent manner. However, in magnocellular neurons corticofugal pathways enhance cells responses in a contrast-dependent non-linear manner. For C stimuli cortical feedback enhances parvocellular neurons responses in a very strong contrast-dependent manner. Based on these results [13] we propose a model which includes excitatory and inhibitory effects on cells activity (shunting equations) in retina and LGN while taking into account the anatomy of cortical feedback connections. The main mechanisms related to different algorithms of the data processing in the visual brain are differences in feedback properties from Vl to parvocellular (PC) and to magnocellular (MC) neurons. Descending pathways from Vl change differently receptive field (RF) structure of PC and MC cells. For B&W stimuli, in PC cells feedback changes gain similarly in the RF center and in the RF surround, leaving PC RF structure invariant. However, feedback influence MC cells in two ways: directly and through LGN interneurons, which together changes gain and sizes of their RF center differently than gain and size of the RF surround. For C stimuli PC cells operate like MC cells for B&W. The first mechanism extracts from the stimulus an important features in a independent way from other stimulus parameters, whereas the second channel changes its tuning properties as a function of other stimulus attributes like contrast and/or spatial extension. The model suggests novel idea about the possible functional role of PC and MC pathways.
Lymphocyte populations in joint tissues from dogs with inflammatory stifle arthritis and associated degenerative cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate lymphocyte populations in stifle synovium and synovial fluid of dogs with degenerative cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR). STUDY DESIGN Prospective clinical study. ANIMALS Dogs (n=25) with stifle arthritis and CCLR, 7 dogs with arthritis associated with cartilage degeneration (osteoarthritis [OA]), and 12 healthy Beagle dogs with intact CCL. METHODS Arthritis was graded radiographically in CCLR dogs. After collection of joint tissues, mononuclear cells were isolated and subsequently analyzed using flow cytometry for expression of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD21. RESULTS The proportions of CD4(+) T helper lymphocytes, CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and CD3(+) CD4(-) CD8(-) T lymphocytes were increased in synovium from dogs with CCLR compared with synovium from healthy Beagle dogs (P<.05). The proportion of CD3(+) CD4(-) CD8(-) T lymphocytes in synovial fluid was increased in dogs with CCLR compared with dogs with OA (P<.05). In dogs with CCLR, the proportion of CD3(+) CD4(-) CD8(-) T lymphocytes in synovial fluid was inversely correlated with radiographic arthritis (S(R) =-0.68, P<.005). CONCLUSION Lymphocytic inflammation of stifle synovium and synovial fluid is an important feature of the CCLR arthropathy. Lymphocyte populations include T lymphocytes expressing CD4 and CD8, and CD3(+) CD4(-) CD8(-) T lymphocytes. Presence of CD3(+) CD4(-) CD8(-) T lymphocytes was associated with development of stifle synovitis. Further work is needed to fully identify the phenotype of these cells.
The Why and How of Psychiatric Consultation

This chapter discusses how psychiatric consultation requests are generated, and describes the actual procedure of performing psychiatric consultation step by step.
Restriction Endonuclease and nif Homology Patterns of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 Derivatives With and Without Nitrogen Fixation Competence

DNAs from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 derivatives that differ in nitrogen-fixing ability produced similar electrophoretic patterns with five different restriction enzymes. Our data support the hypothesis of common ancestry for these derivatives. Derivatives I-110 and L1-110 differed as much as 100-fold in acetylene reduction activity when they were tested with several soybean cultivars in both greenhouse and field experiments. While possessing nodulating ability, derivative L1-110 is deficient in symbiotic nitrogen-fixing ability, whereas derivative I-110 is symbiotically competent. Hybridization of nifDK and nifH probes from B. japonicum to Southern blots of restricted DNAs from strain USDA 110 derivatives produced similar patterns. This finding indicates similar structural gene organization for both derivative I-110 and derivative L1-110 and implies that the difference in symbiotic nitrogen fixation is probably not due to structural gene rearrangements. However, our hybridization data do not rule out the possibility of differences in expression of structural nif genes or alterations in the structure or expression of other genes required for symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
Security in data networks

The explosive growth of data networks and their commercial application is driving the need for improved security. This paper aims to raise awareness of the features of secure data networks and the role that encryption plays in this context. An overview of data network security is provided by examining a number of currently available technologies, and how they may be combined to provide a secure network. This is illustrated by a review of existing and proposed encryption services offered by BT/Concert. Taking a glimpse into the future, the ATM Forum‘s proposals for security in ATM networks are summarised.
Symmetry analysis of large two-dimensional clusters of coupled cavity resonators

A comprehensive symmetry analysis of 2-D clusters with either a square or hexagonal lattice is being performed to determine the dependence of the wave impedance and the propagation constant on the frequency and the azimuthal direction of wave propagation. The boundary conditions for reflection-free, multiport impedance matching around the perimeter of finite clusters are being formally defined. Generalized matrix-algorithms have been derived that formally express the open-circuit impedance matrix of a cluster of finite extent, as seen from the external ports, aligned around the structure perimeter. These algorithms use a multilevel diakoptic approach, by tearing the cluster into progressively smaller subdivisions, while maintaining geometrical similarity, and conserving the translation-, rotation-, and reflection-symmetry of the whole system. Formal expressions have been obtained for the 2-D traveling-wave amplitude and phase patterns generated by any given distribution of mutually coherent excitation sources. >
Vitrification-based cryopreservation of Drosophila embryos

Currently, over 30,000 strains of Drosophila melanogaster are maintained by geneticists through regular transfer of breeding stocks. A more cost effective solution is to cryopreserve their embryos. Cooling and warming rates > 1O,000°C/min. are required to prevent chilling injury. To avoid the lethal intracellular ice normally produced at such high cooling rates, it is necessary to use ≥50% (w/w) concentrations of glass-inducing solutes to vitrify the embryos. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to develop and evaluate ethylene glycol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone based vitrification solutions. The resulting solution consists of 8.5M ethylene glycol + 10% polyvinylpyrrolidone in D-20 Drosophila culture medium. A two stage method is used for the introduction and concentration of these solutes within the embryo. The method reduces the exposure time to the solution and, consequently, reduces toxicity. Both DSC and freezing experiments suggest that, while twelve-hour embryos will vitrify using cooling rates >200°C/min., they will devitrify and be killed with even moderately rapid warming rates of ~1,900°C/min. Very rapid warming (~100,000°C/min.) results in variable numbers of successfully cryopreserved embryos. This sensitivity to warming rate is typical of devitrification. The variability in survival is reduced using embryos of a precisely determined embryonic stage. The vitrification of the older, fifteen-hour, embryos yields an optimized hatching rate of 68%, with 35-40% of the resulting larvae developing to normal adults. This success rate in embryos of this age may reflect a reduced sensitivity to limited devitrification or a more even distribution of the ethylene glycol within the embryo.
Limitations and Strengths of Pan-Asian Advertising Media: A Review for International Advertisers

Economic growth in Asia has led to a proliferation in the supply of pan-regional media. Most of these are elitist media targeting affluent businessmen and travellers. The increasing importance of the Chinese-speaking market spurs the growth of Chinese language pan-Asian media. The emergence of satellite television networks popularizes pan-regional media to a broader audience, although its penetration is still small in comparison to local media. When selecting pan-regional media for advertising in the region, advertisers are advised to use data from pan-Asian audience surveys, publication audit figures and competitive advertising expenditure reports in examining the cost-efficiency of each media vehicle. In choosing between pan-regional and local media, advertisers should consider the homogeneity and socio-economic status of their target audience, the importance of international recognition and consistency in image for the brand, geographic strengths, and other added values of the media.
Pressure analysis of the ballet foot while en pointe

Pointe dancing (dancing on the extreme ends of the toes with the aid of a toe shoe) as performed by the advanced female ballet dancer, causes unnatural loading of the foot. This leads to many acute and chronic conditions such as blisters, bunions, bruised toenails, tendinitis and degenerative joint disease. To determine the effectiveness of the current shoe, the authors measured the normal pressure distribution on the foot en pointe. Sampling the entire forefoot in the toebox of a pointe shoe showed that pressures are localized at the bony prominences and at the ends of the toes. About 5% of total force is found at the heel and ball of the foot. The pressures on the forefoot range from 0 to 500 kPa and account for about 80% of the total axial force, the remaining 15% being supported by shear forces on the skin. Lubricating the foot and shoe causes peak pressures to increase by as much as 43% and causes difficulty because the foot slips about in the shoe. Further study may result in a shoe design that distributes pressure more evenly over the entire foot, eliminating peak pressures and thus reducing injury. >
Lower rather than higher levels of B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-pro-BNP and BNP) predict short-term mortality in end-stage heart failure patients treated with nesiritide.

Elevated plasma natriuretic peptides in heart failure (HF) usually indicate a poor outcome and low levels a compensated state. In advanced chronic HF, however, low levels may reflect an impaired neurohormonal response. To assess this hypothesis, this study analyzed whether N-terminal–pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT–pro-BNP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were related to mortality in 40 patients treated for decompensated chronic HF. Cardiovascular mortality during follow-up (10 ± 1 months) was 40%. BNP levels were lower in patients who died (487 ± 60 vs 836 ± 99 pg/ml, p
Coupled wind-forced controls of the Bering–Chukchi shelf circulation and the Bering Strait throughflow: Ekman transport, continental shelf waves, and variations of the Pacific–Arctic sea surface height gradient

Abstract We develop a conceptual model of the closely co-dependent Bering shelf, Bering Strait, and Chukchi shelf circulation fields by evaluating the effects of wind stress over the North Pacific and western Arctic using atmospheric reanalyses, current meter observations, satellite-based sea surface height (SSH) measurements, hydrographic profiles, and numerical model integrations. This conceptual model suggests Bering Strait transport anomalies are primarily set by the longitudinal location of the Aleutian Low, which drives oppositely signed anomalies at synoptic and annual time scales. Synoptic time scale variations in shelf currents result from local wind forcing and remotely generated continental shelf waves, whereas annual variations are driven by basin scale adjustments to wind stress that alter the magnitude of the along-strait (meridional) pressure gradient. In particular, we show that storms centered over the Bering Sea excite continental shelf waves on the eastern Bering shelf that carry northward velocity anomalies northward through Bering Strait and along the Chukchi coast. The integrated effect of these storms tends to decrease the northward Bering Strait transport at annual to decadal time scales by imposing cyclonic wind stress curl over the Aleutian Basin and the Western Subarctic Gyre. Ekman suction then increases the water column density through isopycnal uplift, thereby decreasing the dynamic height, sea surface height, and along-strait pressure gradient. Storms displaced eastward over the Gulf of Alaska generate an opposite set of Bering shelf and Aleutian Basin responses. While Ekman pumping controls Canada Basin dynamic heights ( Proshutinsky et al., 2002 ), we do not find evidence for a strong relation between Beaufort Gyre sea surface height variations and the annually averaged Bering Strait throughflow. Over the western Chukchi and East Siberian seas easterly winds promote coastal divergence, which also increases the along-strait pressure head, as well as generates shelf waves that impinge upon Bering Strait from the northwest.
A study of the meanings assigned to the term psychosomatic among health professionals.

problem: Noting that many nurses tend to hold a narrow view of the term “psychosomatic,” the authors explored the meanings assigned to the term psychosomatic among registered nurses (N = 189) employed in a variety of settings. methods: The Psychosomatic Attitude Scale (PAS) was used to categorize the meaning of psychosomatic as either imaginary, functional, structural, or holistic. findings: Although nurses theoretically espouse a holistic approach to client care, only 46% of the nurses sampled gave a holistic interpretation of the term psychosomatic. A holistic interpretation was more common among nurses who had an internal health locus of control and who were extroverted and intuitive in their personality profile. Further, nurses with a higher level of education and who practiced in maternity or psychiatric settings were more holistic in their understanding of the term psychosomatic. conclusions: The authors advocate further study of how beliefs, values, and personality traits interact to influence the nurse's interpretaton of the term “psychosomatic.”
Ziprasidone: a novel antipsychotic agent with a unique human receptor binding profile.

Abstract Ziprasidone is a novel antipsychotic agent with a unique combination of pharmacological activities at human receptors. Ziprasidone has high affinity for human 5-HT receptors and for human dopamine D 2 receptors. Ziprasidone is a 5-HT 1A receptor agonist and an antagonist at 5-HT 2A , 5-HT 2C and 5-HT 1B/1D receptors. Additionally, ziprasidone inhibits neuronal uptake of 5-HT and norepinephrine comparable to the antidepressant imipramine. This unique pharmacological profile of ziprasidone may be related to its clinical effectiveness as a treatment for the positive, negative and affective symptoms of schizophrenia with a low propensity for extrapyramidal side effects, cognitive deficits and weight gain.
Divergence time estimates for the early history of animal phyla and the origin of plants, animals and fungi

In the past, molecular clocks have been used to estimate divergence times among animal phyla, but those time estimates have varied widely (1200670 million years ago, Ma). In order to obtain time es...
Dowker spaces and paracompactness questions

Abstract We construct, in ZFC, a hereditarily collectionwise normal, hereditarily metaLindelof, hereditarily realcompact Dowker space. This answers a question of R. Hodel (also asked by S. Watson and D. Burke) and another question of M.E. Rudin.
Morphine tolerance in mice changes response of heroin from μ to δ opioid receptors

Heroin produced antinociception in the tail flick test through mu receptors in the brain of ICR and CD-1 mice, a response inhibited by 3-O-methylnaltrexone. Tolerance to morphine was produced by subcutaneous morphine pellet implantation. By the third day, the heroin response was produced through delta opioid receptors. The response was inhibited by simultaneous intracerebroventricular (i.c. v.) administration of naltrindole, a delta opioid receptor antagonist. More specifically, delta1 rather than delta2 receptors were involved because 7-benzylidenenaltrexone, a delta1 receptor antagonist, inhibited but naltriben, a delta2 antagonist, did not. Also, antinociception produced by i.c.v. heroin was inhibited by intrathecal administration of bicuculline and picrotoxin consistent with the concept that delta1 receptors in the brain mediated the antinociceptive response through descending neuronal pathways to the spinal cord to activate GABAA and GABAB receptors rather than spinal alpha2-adrenergic and serotonergic receptors activated originally by the mu agonist action in naive mice. The mu response of 6-monoacetylmorphine, a metabolite of heroin, was changed by morphine pellet implantation to a delta2 response (inhibited by naltriben but not 7-benzylidenenaltrexone). The agonist action of morphine in these morphine-tolerant mice remained mu. Thus, the opioid receptor selectivity of heroin and 6-monoacetylmorphine in the brain is changed by production of tolerance to morphine. Such a change explains how morphine tolerant mice are not cross-tolerant to heroin.
Phenomenological Hamiltonian for Pions, Nucleons, and $\Delta$ Isobars: Applications to the Pion Deuteron System

A phenomenological model of the interactions between pions, nucleons, and $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ isobars is constructed. The mass operator is defined on a Hilbert space made up of $\mathrm{NN}$, $N\ensuremath{\Delta}$, and $\mathrm{NN}\ensuremath{\pi}$ states with the following interaction mechanism: (1) a $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rightleftarrows}N\ensuremath{\pi}$ vertex in the $\ensuremath{\pi}N\ensuremath{-}{P}_{33}$ channel, (b) two-body $\ensuremath{\pi}N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}N$ interactions in other $\ensuremath{\pi}N$ channels, and (c) two-body interactions for $\mathrm{NN}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{NN}$, $N\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}N\ensuremath{\Delta}$, and $\mathrm{NN}\ensuremath{\rightleftarrows}N\ensuremath{\Delta}$ transitions. The model is Lorentz invariant and satisfies cluster separability. The interactions are parametrized by analytic separable forms with parameters determined by fitting the $\ensuremath{\pi}N$ scattering phase shifts for $l\ensuremath{\le}1$ up to 300 MeV and $\mathrm{NN}$ scattering phase shifts for $l\ensuremath{\le}4$ up to 800 MeV. In fitting parameters and in the applications, nonrelativistic approximations are used for the baryons in the $N\ensuremath{\Delta}$ and $\mathrm{NN}\ensuremath{\pi}$ channels. The model so determined gives a satisfactory description of pion absorption by deuterons and of elastic pion-deuteron scattering. Multiple rescattering of pions between $N$ and $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ as well as $\mathrm{NN}$ interactions in $\mathrm{NN}\ensuremath{\pi}$ intermediate states are found to be important in channels coupled to $N\ensuremath{\Delta}s$ waves. These effects enhance the cross sections for ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}+d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{pp}$ by 40% in the resonance region. From the two-baryon Hamiltonian we construct a many-body Hamiltonian for nonrelativistic baryons.NUCLEAR REACTIONS A model of interactions between $\ensuremath{\pi}$, $N$, and $\ensuremath{\Delta}$. Applications to the pion-deuteron system.
Data assimilative hindcast on the Southern Flank of Georges Bank during May 1999: frontal circulation and implications

Abstract The circulation of the tidal front along the Southern Flank of the Georges Bank region during May 1999 is examined for the purpose of understanding the transport of larval fish for periods of days to a week. Assimilation of shipboard ADCP data from several Georges Bank cruises into 3-D models is used to produce the hindcast circulation. Adjustments to boundary nodal elevations are estimated to minimize the misfit between model and observations both in frequency and time domains as described in Lynch and Hannah (J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol 18 (2001) 962) and Lynch and Naimie (Cont. Shelf Res. 22 (2002) 2191). An intercomparison of different methods of applying the adjustments is completed using drifter records and dye patch trajectories to provide a measure of skill. The computed flow fields show a skill of 2.4 km day - 1 when compared to (unassimilated) drifter trajectories. The tracking of a dye-patch recovers an observed near-bottom cross-bank flow component that is not present without assimilation. Using these flow fields we then investigate the importance of the front as a retention mechanism using passive particle simulations. Wind, heat flux, and tides control the circulation across and along the tidal mixing front. Three 3-day time periods, before, during and after a wind event during May 1999 were studied. Model simulations suggest a highly variable cell-like circulation in the frontal region (onshore near the bottom, upwelling shoalward of the front, offshore at mid-depth and downwelling seaward of the front) that controls the exchange and retention of particles. During the periods when the cell-like circulation is active the highest accumulation of particles occurs in the areas surrounding the front.
Antigenic relationship of Geotrichum candidum strains.

Twelve cultures ofGeotrichum candidum have been examined by agglutination, agglutinin adsorption, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and dermal sensitivity tests. Because of widespread cross reactivity between the strains in these tests, it was concluded that surface and internal sharing of antigens exists.
Tumor Necrosis Factor α Enhances Nicotinic Receptor Up-regulation via a p38MAPK-dependent Pathway

Abstract A response by key neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to sustained nicotine exposure is up-regulation. Although this unusual receptor characteristic contributes to processes ranging from aging to addiction, the normal physiologic reason for this response is unknown. We find that up-regulation of [3H]epibatidine binding and function in HEK293 cells stably expressing α4β2-nAChR is significantly enhanced by co-application of the proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor α. The mechanism of tumor necrosis factor α-enhanced up-regulation requires transcription, new protein synthesis, and signaling through p38MAPK as demonstrated by complete inhibition using SB 202190. This finding extends the possibilities for nAChR-inflammatory interactions in normal physiological processes and offers novel insights into endogenous mechanisms that can modify up-regulation.
Chromatic and luminance systems deficits in glaucoma

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of glaucoma, at different stages of the disease process, on the two color-opponent systems and on the luminance system. Discrimination thresholds were measured along the two equiluminant cardinal color axes (RG and YV) and along an achromatic luminance axis (LD) in 27 patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and in 13 glaucoma suspects. Patients with OAG showed increased thresholds along all three axes. The threshold increases correlated significantly with the level of visual field loss. For glaucoma suspects, thresholds were also increased along all three axes. A subgroup of patients with OAG, those with pigmentary glaucoma, showed minimal increases in threshold along the RG axis. To further investigate this finding an additional 15 patients, seven with primary OAG and eight with pigmentary glaucoma were run in a two-alternative forced-choice experiment. For patients with pigmentary glaucoma, thresholds were increased less along the RG axis. The results of the study for OAG patients and glaucoma suspects are consistent with deficits in the two color-opponent systems, and in the luminance system.
Distributions During Cryoprotective Agent Loading in a Microchannel

Cryopreservation of cells and tissues is critical to long term storage and off the shelf availability of biomaterials for a variety of disciplines[1]. Typical cryopreservation protocols aim to remove intracellular water by exposing the sample to a cryoprotective agent (CPA) to create an osmotic pressure gradient[2]. While CPAs are useful in preventing cell damage due to intracellular ice formation, the dehydration process can induce harmful osmotic shock[3].Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Neurostructural abnormalities in pediatric anxiety disorders

Functional neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated abnormalities in fear and threat processing systems in youth with anxiety disorders; however, the structural neuroanatomy of these systems in children and adolescents remains largely unknown. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), gray matter volumes were compared between 38 medication-free patients with anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder; social phobia; separation anxiety disorder, mean age: 14.4±3 years) and 27 comparison subjects (mean age: 14.8±4 years). Compared to healthy subjects, youth with anxiety disorders had larger gray matter volumes in the dorsal anterior cingulate and had decreased gray matter volumes in the inferior frontal gyrus (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex), postcentral gyrus, and cuneus/precuneus. These data suggest the presence of structural differences in regions previously implicated in the processing and regulation of fear in pediatric patients with anxiety disorders.
Applications of telomerase in urologic oncology

Vertebrates have special structures at the ends of their chromosomes, known as telomeres, which are composed of 5- to 15-kb pairs of a guanine-rich hexameric repeat (TTAGGG)n. In normal somatic cells there is a progressive degradation of telomeres with aging. The cell can afford to lose only a finite number of these telomeres before significant sequences of the parent DNA are lost, resulting in chromosomal instability and cell death. However, germ-cell telomeres are maintained despite multiple rounds of replication. This suggests that they produce an enzyme that maintains their telomere length. This enzyme, a ribonucleoprotein, is called telomerase. In this review, we discuss the presence of telomerase activity in various human cancers and, in particular, in urologic tumors. We describe the potential clinical utility of detection of the presence of telomerase activity in cells from voided urine samples of patients with bladder cancer.
Recurrence of a vertebral artery dissecting pseudoaneurysm after successful stent-supported coil embolization: case report.

Objective and importance Dissecting aneurysms of the intracranial vertebral artery are increasingly recognized as a cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. We present a case involving technical success of the stent-supported coil embolization but with recurrence of the dissecting pseudoaneurysm of the intracranial vertebral artery. The implications for the endovascular management of ruptured dissecting pseudoaneurysms of the intracranial vertebral artery are discussed. Clinical presentation A 36-year-old man with a remote history of head injury had recovered functionally to the point of independent living. He experienced the spontaneous onset of severe head and neck pain, which progressed rapidly to obtundation. A computed tomographic scan of the head revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage centered in the posterior fossa. The patient underwent cerebral angiography, which revealed dilation of the distal left vertebral artery consistent with a dissecting pseudoaneurysm. Intervention Transfemoral access was achieved under general anesthesia, and two overlapping stents (3 mm in diameter and 14 mm long) were placed to cover the entire dissected segment. Follow-up angiography of the left vertebral artery showed the placement of the stents across the neck of the aneurysm; coil placement was satisfactory, with no residual aneurysm filling. Approximately 6 weeks after the patient's initial presentation, he developed the sudden onset of severe neck pain. A computed tomographic scan showed no subarachnoid hemorrhage, but computed tomographic angiography revealed that the previously treated left vertebral artery aneurysm had recurred. Angiography confirmed a recurrent pseudoaneurysm around the previously placed Guglielmi detachable coils. A test balloon occlusion was performed for 30 minutes. The patient's neurological examination was stable throughout the test occlusion period. Guglielmi detachable coil embolization of the left vertebral artery was then performed, sacrificing the artery at the level of the dissection. After the procedure was completed, no new neurological deficits occurred. On the second day after the procedure, the patient was discharged from the hospital. He was alert, oriented, and able to walk. Conclusion We appreciate the value of preserving a parent vessel when a dissecting pseudoaneurysm of the intracranial vertebral artery ruptures in patients with inadequate collateral blood flow, in patients with disease involving the contralateral vertebral artery, or in patients with both. However, our case represents a cautionary note that patients treated in this fashion require close clinical follow-up. We suggest that parent vessel occlusion be considered the first option for treatment in patients who will tolerate sacrifice of the parent vessel along its diseased segment. In the future, covered stent technology may resolve this dilemma for many of these patients.
Acute failure of automatic respirations secondary to a unilateral brainstem infarct.

A case of failure of automatic respiration with sleep apnea is described in a patient with a unilateral lateral medullary tegmental lesion. This case is the first known with autopsy confirmation in which a unilateral lesion has caused this syndrome.
Ergonovine test for coronary artery spasm

I concur wholeheartedly with Coma-Canella et al. [1] that ergonovine test is very worthwhile in diagnosing coronary artery spasm (CAS). However, I would like to make several comments in the following. First, although CAS typically occurs in diseased coronary arteries as in Prinzmetal’s variant angina [2], it may also occur in normal coronary arteries, the so-called Fvariant of the variant_ [3]. In as many as 75% of patients referred for study with the diagnosis of variant angina [4]. Second, whereas exercise test is usually very useful in diagnosing typical angina pectoris, exercise test is usually negative in CAS [5]. Third, the only certain method of diagnosing CAS is by selective coronary arteriography. However, angiographic observations of CAS during routine studies in the cardiac catheterization laboratories are rare, and usually made by chance except when contrast injections are performed during an episode of variant angina. The incidence of CAS observed during routine coronary arteriographic studies is low, because of: (1) the frequent occurrence of Fbenign_ catheter-induced spasm, especially of the right coronary artery; (2) the common practice of premedicating patients with atropine which tends to mask CAS [6]; (3) the routine use of sublingual nitroglycerine for repeated left ventriculography preceding coronary arteriography; (4) delay in exchanging a preformed coronary catheter when the coronary artery in spasm is not the one for which the catheter is designed; (5) concern over repeated injections of the spastic coronary artery during angina with alarming ECG changes and reflex reaction of prompt nitroglycerine administration; (6) the relatively small statistical chance of occurrence at angiography of transient CAS in a sedated
Analysis of some forest management strategies in Côte d'Ivoire: a regional case study

Abstract Extensive forest harvesting in Cote d'Ivoire has raised concern over the long-term timber supply from the country's national forests. To alleviate anticipated timber shortages in the future, the Ivorien government is shifting its management emphasis to reforestation. This paper examines existing and alternative forest management scenarios using a multiperiod linear programming model. Three issues addressed by the model are: economic returns, timber removal, and timber inventory. Emphasis is given to individual firms and their financial capability to conduct reforestation. A regional case study consisting of six forest companies and eleven primary timber species is presented and examined.
“Jzapatavive!”: The Ezln, Indigenous Politics, and the Autonomy Movement in Mexico

Since the Zapatista uprising on January 1,1994 in Chiapas, Mexico, observers have speculated about the relationship between the EZLN and the national Indian movement. This paper provides an historical background for the emergence of the national Indian movement, looking specifically at the issue of Indian autonomy and its antecedents in peasant movements during the 1970s and 1980s. Particular attention is paid to the regional autonomy movement among theTojolabal Maya peoples of eastern Chiapas.
Abrupt Laryngeal Engagement During Stop Plosive-Vowel Transitions in Children With Repaired Cleft Palate and Adequate Velopharyngeal Closure: Aerodynamic and Sound Pressure Level Evidence

Objective: To determine whether children with repaired cleft palate and adequate velopharyngeal closure exhibit abrupt laryngeal engagement during stop plosive-vowel transitions as compared with children without cleft palate. Design: A prospective group design was used with convenience sampling of patients at a university craniofacial center. Participants: Participants were 25 children (15 boys, 10 girls) with repaired cleft palate (mean age = 10.9 years, standard deviation = 1.5 years) and 20 children (10 boys, 10 girls) without cleft palate (mean age = 10.8 years, standard deviation = 1.8 years). All children with cleft palate had adequate velopharyngeal closure as determined by aerodynamic testing. Main Outcome Measures: (1) Peak oral airflow was determined during the release of /t/ in the word “two” during a counting task. (2) An index of laryngeal engagement defined as the ratio of the maximum oral airflow declination to peak oral airflow was calculated during the release of /t/. (3) Sound pressure l...
Factorization of nonnegative matrices—II

Abstract Suppose A is an n × n nonnegative matrix. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for A to be factored as LU , where L is a lower triangular nonnegative matrix, and U is an upper triangular nonnegative matrix with u ii = 1.
Human monkeypox: an emerging zoonotic disease

Zoonotic monkeypox virus is maintained in a large number of rodent and, to a lesser extent, nonhuman primate species in West and central Africa. Although monkeypox virus was discovered in 1958, the prototypic human cases were not witnessed until the early 1970s. Before this time, it is assumed that infections were masked by smallpox, which was then widely endemic. Nevertheless, since the 1970s, reported monkeypox virus infections of humans have escalated, as have outbreaks with reported human-to-human transmission. This increase is likely due to numerous factors, such as enhanced surveillance efforts, environmental degradation and human urbanization of areas where monkeypox virus is maintained in its animal reservoir(s) and, consequently, serve as a nidus for human infection. Furthermore, viral genetic predispositions enable monkeypox virus to infect many animal species, represented in expansive geographic ranges. Monkeypox virus was once restricted to specific regions of Africa, but its environ has expanded, in one case intercontinentally--suggesting that human monkeypox infections could continue to intensify. As a zoonotic agent, monkeypox virus is far less sensitive to typical eradication measures since it is maintained in wild-animal populations. Moreover, human vaccination is becoming a less viable option to control poxvirus infections in today's increasingly immunocompromised population, particularly with the emergence of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. An increased frequency of human monkeypox virus infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals, may permit monkeypox virus to evolve and maintain itself independently in human populations.
Expression levels of genes likely involved in glucose-sensing in the obese Zucker rat brain.

AbstractIt has been suggested that certain cells in the brain, like pancreatic β-cells, use glucose transporter-2 (GLUT-2), glucokinase and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) to sense glucose in the service of multiple aspects of energy balance. The obese Zucker rat displays numerous disturbances in energy homeostasis and may provide a model of dysfunctional expression of genes related to nutrient control systems. Using real-time RT-PCR we measured gene expression for three of the pancreatic glucose-sensing markers and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the medial, lateral hypothalamus and hindbrain of lean and obese Zucker rats of both genders. Additionally, we measured circulating levels of glucose, leptin, insulin, corticosterone and glucagon. The results indicate that GLUT-2 mRNA expression is decreased, whereas glucokinase is increased in the hindbrain of obese rats. NPY mRNA level is significantly higher, whereas GLP-1R is significantly lower in the medial hypothalamus in obese individuals. Gender-relat...
The political valuation of life

Squaring life with money was never, in any society, a simple affair. Even in our highly commercialized world, the valuation of human existence through pecuniary means continues to be surrounded by all kinds of moral prohibition. Thus institutions dealing in the monetary commensuration of life (or death) often need to carry out a considerable amount of symbolic work before they succeed in making their business acceptable. It is through such cultural elaboration, for instance, that companies proposing life insurance policies (insurance policies tied to the life of an individual) and, later, viatical settlements (the purchase of life insurance policies for a cash fee, typically from owners with shorter life expectancy) were able to obtain social approval for their activities (Zelizer 1979; Heimer 2003; Quinn 2008) or that a partial market for human tissue finally developed in the US (Healy 2006). But other similar trades are still illegal today. Yet it is also true that dollars and life (as well as, correlatively, death) get mixed much more often than we are willing to recognize. In advanced industrial societies, the process of monetary commensuration is often controlled by large, bureaucratic organizations endowed with what Max Weber (1978) called rational-legal authority. Public policy agencies and courts but also corporations or insurance companies concerned with risk management routinely rely on economic methodologies to compensate relatives for a personal loss, chart courses of action in health or environmental policy, or choose between programs of workplace safety. Under their influence, the highly moral and emotional boundary between life and death has undergone a rationalistic conversion, which has both managed to keep the moral issues hidden and permitted a pragmatic expansion of economic calculus to promote various public or corporate goals.
Optimal Project Scheduling with Materials Ordering

Abstract A mixed integer 0–1 programming formulation of a Project Scheduling-Materials Ordering Problem (PSMOP) is presented that provides an optimal schedule of project activities and materials orders. It is proven that an optimal solution may be found by decomposing the problem into the derivation of the project schedule and the subsequent derivation of materials lot sizes.
Visuospatial neglect in normal subjects: altered spatial representations induced by a perceptual illusion.

Previous studies have suggested that the representation of space is distorted in patients with hemispatial neglect. To examine the nature of the altered spatial representation, we developed an analog of neglect in normal subjects using bisections of the Judd visual illusion (e.g., <---<) whose direction (facing left/right/both) and fin angle (14 degrees/45 degrees/76 degrees) were orthogonally varied. Subjects made bisection errors that deviated significantly in a direction opposite to that in which the fins pointed, and these deviations decreased as fin angle increased. We replicated these findings in a second task in which subjects were given the midpoint and placed the two fins at the ends of an imaginary shaft (e.g., < x <, note: dot = true center). These findings suggest that the geometric properties of the display have a strong influence on the representation of space, and thus may be used to induce a distorted perception of space analogous to that observed in patients with visuospatial neglect.
Novel Screening Assay for the Selective Detection of G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Heteromer Signaling

Drugs targeting G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) make up more than 25% of all prescribed medicines. The ability of GPCRs to form heteromers with unique signaling properties suggests an entirely new and unexplored pool of drug targets. However, current in vitro assays are ill equipped to detect heteromer-selective compounds. We have successfully adapted an approach, using fusion proteins of GPCRs and chimeric G proteins, to create an in vitro screening assay (in human embryonic kidney cells) in which only activated heteromers are detectable. Here we show that this assay can demonstrate heteromer-selective G-protein bias as well as measure transinhibition. Using this assay, we reveal that the δ-opioid receptor agonist ADL5859, which is currently in clinical trials, has a 10-fold higher potency against δ-opioid receptor homomers than δ/μ-opioid receptor heteromers (pEC50 = 6.7 ± 0.1 versus 5.8 ± 0.2). The assay enables the screening of large compound libraries to identify heteromer-selective compounds that could then be used in vivo to determine the functional role of heteromers and develop potential therapeutic agents.