cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 21 Visual agnosia.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the clinical types of visual agnosia and related syndromes, the anatomic systems underlying normal and abnormal visual processing, and information regarding clinical assessment of these conditions. Visual agnosia is divided into two types: apperceptive agnosia and associative agnosia. Apperceptive agnosia is a disorder of complex visual perceptual processing. Individuals with this condition are not blind since they can describe their visual experience, yet they do not have sufficient higher-level visual perception to accurately recognize objects. An individual with visual associative agnosia experiences a normal percept stripped of its meaning. The problem is in the process of associating a perception with more general knowledge-based representations. The most common cause of associative visual agnosia is bilateral infarction of the posterior cerebral arteries. Bilateral lesions involving the inferior temporo-occipital junction and subjacent white matter are the most common anatomic lesions associated with this associative visual agnosia. A patient with visual agnosia will have normal or near-normal visual capacity. More detailed tests of visual and perceptual processing are often needed to make distinctions among the various types of visual agnosia. A battery of tests of higher-order visual perceptual processing (Visual Object and Space Perception Battery—VOSP) are developed. This test is useful for demonstrating deficits in object and space perception. A similar test, focusing on object recognition (Birmingham Object Recognition Battery—BORB), is also available.
Nonparametric Methods for Big Data Analytics

Nonparametric methods provide more flexible tools than parametric methods for modeling complex systems and discovering nonlinear patterns hidden in data. Traditional nonparametric methods are challenged by modern high dimensional data due to the curse of dimensionality. Over the past two decades, there have been rapid advances in nonparametrics to accommodate analysis of large-scale and high dimensional data. A variety of cutting-edge nonparametric methodologies, scalable algorithms, and the state-of-the-art computational tools have been designed for model estimation, variable selection, statistical inferences for high dimensional regression, and classification problems. This chapter provides an overview of recent advances on nonparametrics in big data analytics.
Examining tunnel current responses to acoustic excitation for STMs in gaseous environments

Scanning tunneling microscopes are used to examine surfaces and surface properties with sub-nanometer precision. However, this high precision means these microscopes are extremely sensitive to vibration. A large body of work has examined vibration isolation systems that damp any vibration mechanically transmitted from the environment to the microscope through solid material. Less work has examined the effect of acoustic vibrations transmitted from the environment to the microscope through a gaseous atmosphere. For STMs housed in gaseous environments, such as gloveboxes, an understanding of how acoustic noise manifests within the tunneling current is essential to effectively isolate the microscope. In this paper, we examine an acoustic noise signal of a single frequency in order to clearly identify the presence or absence of the peak in the FFT of the STM tunneling current. We demonstrate that during imaging, even though the acoustic noise can significantly degrade the image, the frequency peak of the acoustic noise signal does not clearly appear in the FFT of the tunneling current. Thus, the best way to identify acoustic noise and isolate scanning tunneling microscopes it is while the tips are engaged but not scanning. Further, we achieve atomic resolution on HOPG in a glovebox with the pumps running, demonstrating that acoustic noise can be mitigated using a homemade, foam-lined acoustic shell.Scanning tunneling microscopes are used to examine surfaces and surface properties with sub-nanometer precision. However, this high precision means these microscopes are extremely sensitive to vibration. A large body of work has examined vibration isolation systems that damp any vibration mechanically transmitted from the environment to the microscope through solid material. Less work has examined the effect of acoustic vibrations transmitted from the environment to the microscope through a gaseous atmosphere. For STMs housed in gaseous environments, such as gloveboxes, an understanding of how acoustic noise manifests within the tunneling current is essential to effectively isolate the microscope. In this paper, we examine an acoustic noise signal of a single frequency in order to clearly identify the presence or absence of the peak in the FFT of the STM tunneling current. We demonstrate that during imaging, even though the acoustic noise can significantly degrade the image, the frequency peak of the acou...
High-Throughput Single-Cell Sequencing of both TCR-β Alleles

Allelic exclusion is a vital mechanism for the generation of monospecificity to foreign Ags in B and T lymphocytes. In this study, we developed a high-throughput barcoded method to simultaneously analyze the VDJ recombination status of both mouse TCR-β alleles in hundreds of single cells using next-generation sequencing.
Adjusting College Costs for Noncredit Enrollments: An Issue for Data Geeks or Policy Makers?:

Objective: In the first study of its kind, the impact of excluding noncredit enrollments in calculations of spending in community colleges is explored. Noncredit enrollments are not reported to Int...
Re-Authoring to Reconcile Religious Beliefs with Sexual Orientation: A Narrative Study

AbstractNarrative qualitative research design was used to understand the processes of three lesbians with Oneness Pentecostal backgrounds who reconciled their religious beliefs with their affection...
Heart Failure Prevention in Older Patients Using Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction: Potential Role of Diuretics.

Abstract Objectives This study assessed the potential role of differential diuretic drugs in preventing incident acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in the SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) study. Background SPRINT showed that intensive blood pressure reduction in older patients (50 to 97 years of age) resulted in 36% fewer incident cases of ADHF. However, some investigators have questioned whether this was due merely to intergroup differences in diuretic medications. Methods Detailed use of medication data prospectively collected throughout the trial were examined. Results ADHF events occurred in 173 of 9,361 participants. Diuretic medication increased in both arms from screening to baseline visit (from 45% to 50% in the standard arm; and from 43% to 63% in the intensive arm) and then remained steady. The lowest use of diuretic agents was among participants in the standard arm who never had an ADHF event. Withdrawal of diuretic agents at the baseline visit occurred in 6.1% (n = 284) of participants in the standard arm and 2.3% (n = 107) of participants in the intensive arm. Of these, only 11 developed ADHF during the trial (10 in the standard arm, 1 in the intensive arm), and only 1 occurred ≤1 month after diuretic withdrawal. The benefit of ADHF reduction remained significant even after excluding those 11 participants (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.5 to 0.94; p = 0.02). Most ADHF events occurred in participants who were taking prescribed diuretic therapy at the last visit, prior to the ADHF event. There was limited use of loop ( Conclusions No evidence was found to suggest that the reduction in new ADHF events in SPRINT was due to differential diuretic use. (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial [SPRINT]; NCT01206062 ).
USDA thanks Academy for assistance

Thank you for your strong support of H.R. 4322, the Breast-feeding Promotion Act of 1992. Your efforts to work with key lawmakers for the passage of this important legislation will bring the proposed national breast-feeding promotion campaign one step closer to reality. As you know, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Academy have collaborated on several national efforts to improve breast-feeding rates in the United States, especially among the vulnerable, low-income population served by USDA food assistance programs.
Onset of Dendritic Li Electrodeposition: Experimental and Modeling Studies Highlighting the Critical Role of Li+ Transport within the SEI Layer

High-energy density batteries are essential for powering future electric vehicles. One major hurdle to the progress in developing rechargeable energy-dense Li-metal batteries is the dendritic electrodeposition of Li during the battery charging process. In this contribution, we report on our investigations of the onset time for dendritic growth during galvanostatic electrodeposition of Li metal. Using a combination of electrochemical and optical microscopy techniques, we observe that Li dendrites initiate at a time when the surface overpotential during galvanostatic electrodeposition reaches a local maximum value. This observation is explained using an analytical transport model. Within the framework of this model, the Li+ concentration within the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) at the Li–SEI interface decreases gradually as the SEI becomes thicker over time. At the dendrite onset time (τonset), the Li+ concentration at the Li–SEI interface approaches zero. Due to such Li+ depletion, surface roughness on the Li electrode amplifies, eventually producing dendrites. Once dendrites form, they rupture the SEI, which then lowers the surface resistance for Li plating. Model predictions of how τonset varies with current density and electrode soak time are found to be in qualitative agreement with experimental observations. Support for this model is gained by the application of pulsed currents, which mitigate Li+ concentration depletion within the SEI, delaying or preventing the formation of dendrites. The effect of temperature on τonset is also investigated and discussed within the framework of the transport model. Figure 1
Fast and accurate Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) reconstruction with NABLA-N network

Reducing Magnetic Resonance (MR) image acquisition time can potentially help to reduce cost and make the MRI based assessment more accessible for the patients care. The GRAPPA and Compressive Sensing (CS) have been applied for image reconstruction from the data where original sampled at a rate inferior to the Nyquist-Shannon sample theory. However, most of the existing techniques are iterative and time-consuming, as a result these methods are not suitable for the real-time applications for MRI reconstruction problem. Nowadays, the Deep Learning (DL) based methods have been showing state-of-the-art performance for different image acquisition and reconstruction tasks including MRI reconstruction. The DL based solution is more robust, generic, transferable, and faster. Hence, the deep learning-based solution can be used to deploy a real-time and faster MRI reconstruction system. In this work, we applied the NABLA-N deep learning model for the MRI reconstruction in both image-domain and frequency-domain (k-space). For evaluating the model, the experiments have conducted on publicly available MRI reconstruction challenge dataset. The results demonstrate that the NABLA-N Net (∇N-Net) model is capable to reconstruct high-quality MR images and show that kspace reconstruction model is better and more capable compared to image-space based reconstruction model.
Trainable Mathematical Model of Fuel Supply of a Ship Diesel Engine as an Element of a Synergetic System

The latest generation power systems require a high level of expertise in control, diagnostics and operational systems. Reducing the extensiveness of the subjective factor demands an intensive expert approach. Synergetics is the new solution after agent technologies.
Splitting Hairs: The 11th Circuit's Take on Workplace Bans Against Black Women's Natural Hair in EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions

What does hair have to do with African descendant women’s employment opportunities in the 21st century? In this Article, Professor Greene demonstrates that Black women's natural hair has much to do with their ability to obtain and maintain employment as well as their enjoyment of dignity, equality, and agency in contemporary workplaces. When Black women wear natural hairstyles like afros, locks, twists, braids, they are often subjected to harassment, demotions, discipline, termination and denial of employment for which they are qualified. However, when Black women have challenged natural hairstyle bans as race discrimination violative of federal laws like Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, federal courts have issued hair splitting decisions that decree: federal anti-discrimination law protects African descendants when they are discriminated against for adorning afros but statutory protection ceases once they grow their naturally textured or curly hair long or don it in braids, twists, or locks. Thus, generally, Black women subjected to discrimination because of their natural hair lack any form of legal redress. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals recent decision in EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions (2016) preserved this status quo by holding that an employer’s revocation of a job offer to an African American woman for refusing to cut off her dreadlocks did not violate Title VII because locks are not an “immutable” racial characteristic of African descendants presumably like an afro. Professor Greene explains that federal courts’ strict application of this “legal fiction” known as the immutability doctrine—and the biological notion of race that informs it—have greatly contributed to this incoherency in anti-discrimination law that triggers troubling, tangible consequences in the lives of Black women. Indeed, natural hairstyle bans effectively require Black women to wear straightened hairstyles, which Black women often achieve through costly, time-consuming, and physically damaging procedures like weaves, wigs, hair extensions, chemical relaxers and/or the application of extreme heat to their hair. Thus, workplace bans against natural hair are not a superficial matter; they can negatively impact Black women's physical, economic, and emotional well being. Moreover, Professor Greene argues that the 11th Circuit's recent dismissal of the EEOC’s case, which affirms the legality of straight hair mandates imposed upon Black women, exacerbates the “hyper-regulation of Black women’s bodies via their hair” in the 21st century workplace.
Effects of hydrothermal treatments on destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in sewage sludge

Abstract Sewage sludge has become a sink of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) due to the ineffectiveness of PFAS removal during conventional activated sludge treatment process. In this study, we evaluated the performance of an enhanced method for PFAS extraction from sewage sludge. Significant matrix effect was observed for samples derived from untreated and hydrothermally treated sludge. Extra steps for removing potential interferences were thus needed to reduce these matrix effects and improve the accuracy of PFAS quantification. Hydrothermal treatment at 165 °C for 0.5/2 h and 250 °C for 0.5 h increased the concentration of extractable PFAAs in treated sludge. Increasing the temperature to 300 °C resulted in complete degradation of PFCAs after hydrothermal processing, but still increased the concentrations of PFSAs and PFAA precursors. The concentration increase could be due to the conversion of PFAA precursors to PFAAs and the release of PFAAs from sewage sludge during thermal treatment. Ca(OH)2 addition to hydrothermal treatment completely removed PFAA precursors but significantly increased the extractable PFAAs, except PFHpA and PFHxS, at 165 °C and all PFSAs at 300 °C. This study revealed the difficulties in extracting and quantifying PFAS in sludge and demonstrated the need for further research on finding suitable solutions for complete removal or destruction of PFAS in highly heterogeneous sewage sludge.
Understanding Tool Synthesis Behavior and Safe Finite State Machine Design.

High-reliability design requires understanding synthesis tool behavior and best practices. Detection and protection against illegal states and transitions is important for critical Finite State Machines (FSMs) within high reliability applications. Single Event Upsets (SEUs) probability is increasing with decreasing circuit dimensions and voltage [1]. SEU handling must be analyzed post optimization to ensure designed protections are still functional. In this work the default behavior of three synthesis tools interacting with high reliability FSMs is discussed. Post-synthesis netlists of test FSMs are analyzed for optimization induced changes that affect reliability during a SEU. Best practices are proposed to curtail aggressive optimizers.
IBM: A Long and Illustrious Legacy of Focusing on Gender Diversity:

This article includes some key initiatives run by IBM to ensure gender balance at senior levels. IBM’s stand for creating a work environment where everyone brings their whole selves to work and cre...
Therapeutic targeting of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome

There is no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in spite of the relatively large number of patients with the diagnosis. In this report, we provide an overview of preclinical studies and a description of completed and future clinical trials in humans with ARDS. Preclinical studies dealing with acute lung injury have suggested roles for complement and complement receptors, as well as the evolving role of histones, but details of these pathways are inadequately understood. Anti-inflammatory interventions have not been convincingly effective. Various cell growth factors are being considered for clinical study. Interventions to block complement activation or its products are under consideration. Stem cell therapies have shown efficacy in preclinical studies, which have motivated phase I/II trials in humans with ARDS.
Perspectives on Global Risk Factor Surveillance

In the last decade of the 20th century we witnessed a watershed in public health. Three seminal events occurred that changed the landscape for public health surveillance. The first was the rise of chronic disease and health promotion into the mainstream of public health. A great epidemiologic transition occurred throughout the 20th century. At the beginning of the century in the United States the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; by the end of the century it was nearly 80 years. In 1900 most people died from pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other infectious disease; by the end of the century the overwhelming majority died from heart disease, cancer, and stroke—pneumonia and influenza being relegated to causes of death in the elderly and the frail. With this transition we realised that the actual causes of death could be attributed to lifestyle behaviours, notably tobacco use, poor eating practises, substance abuse, and lack of exercise. Furthermore, we realised that these behaviours are often highly associated ways of living linked to social determinants.
SU-E-T-469: Implementation of VAs Web-Based Radiotherapy Incident Reporting and Analysis System (RIRAS)

Purpose: This Web-based Radiotherapy Incident Reporting and Analysis System (RIRAS) is a tool to improve quality of care for radiation therapy patients. This system is an important facet of continuing effort by our community to maintain and improve safety of radiotherapy.Material and Methods: VA’s National Radiation Oncology Program office has embarked on a program to electronically collect adverse events and good-catch data of radiation treatment of over 25,000 veterans treated with radiotherapy annually. This VA-Intranet based software design has made use of dataset taxonomies and data dictionaries defined in AAPM/ASTRO reports on error reporting. We used proven industrial and medical event reporting techniques to avoid several common problems faced in effective data collection such as incomplete data due to data entry fatigue by the reporters, missing data due to data difficult to obtain or not familiar to most reporters, missing reports due to fear of reprisal etc. This system encompasses the entire feedback loop of reporting an incident, analyzing it for salient details, and developing interventions to prevent it from happening again. The analysis reports with corrective, learning actions are shared with the reporter/facility and made public to the community (after deidentification) as part of the learning process. Results: Till date 50 incident/good catches have been reported in RIRAS and we have completed analysis on 100% of these reports. This is done due to the fact that each reported incidents is investigated and a complete analysis/patient-safety-work-product report is generated by radiation oncology domain-experts. Conclusions Because of the completeness of the data, the system has enabled us to analyze process steps and track trends of major errors which in the future will lead to implementing system wide process improvement steps and safe standard operating procedures for each radiotherapy treatment modality/technique and fulfills our goal of “Effecting Quality While Treating Safely”. RIRAS developed and copyrighted by TSG Innovations Inc.
MR SAFETY AT HIGH MAGNETIC FIELDS

SUMMARY Well over 100,000,000 MR imaging scans have been completed without any evident injury to the patients from the static field. Those few cases in which patient safety has been compromised can be attributed to the inadvertent presence of ferromagnetic materials or cardiac pacemakers. Results on humans in fields up to 8 T and on animals up to 16 T12, 14 indicate that there is a substantial margin of safety remaining above the highest fields now in clinical use. These fields are in the range of 3 T to 4 T. This safety margin, of course, is no indication that efforts should not continue to energetically search for signs of unexpected field-related health issues. In particular, there is need for improved techniques to protect pa tients from injuries caused by the occult presence of ferromagnetic foreign bodies. It may be some time before whole-body MR imaging magnets operating above 8 T become available to study human ability to withstand even stronger fields. However, small bore magnets designed to permit NMR chemistry studies at frequencies approaching 1 GHz may soon be available in the range of 20 to 25 T and these will no doubt be used to see if small animals can tolerate fields of this strength.84,106 Although there have been many reports of potentially harmful biological effects of magnetic fields on cells, tissues, or organisms, none of these has been thoroughly verified and firmly established as a scientific fact. The lack of more serious effects of magnetic fields on tissues is attributed to their very weak diamagnetic susceptibility. At very high field strengths there is considerable evidence for mild sensory effects such as vertigo, metallic taste, and magnetophosphenes, but there is no evidence that these effects are harmful. These effects, vertigo in particular, can be reduced by moving patients slowly while they are in regions of very strong fields. There is a need for additional studies to support the belief that extended exposure to magnetic fields during interventional MR imaging and related activities is not harmful. Although there is no evidence for a cumulative effect of magnetic field exposure on health, such further studies of the exposed populations will be helpful in establishing rational guidelines for occupational exposure to magnetic fields.
Sensitivity of Stock Returns to Changes in the Term Structure of Interest Rates — Evidence from the German Market

For a long time, interest rates have been considered one of the macroeconomic factors determining stock returns. The role of interest rates in the return generating process of stocks has therefore been extensively investigated in general, but particularly so with regard to financial institutions, which are often deemed to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than stocks from other industries. Generally, this specific sensitivity has been attributed to i.) the predominant role of financial (i.e. nominal) assets and liabilities on the balance sheets of financial intermediaries and ii.) the maturity transformation performed especially by depository institutions and the resulting maturity mismatch of assets and liabilities (see [14] for an extensive review).
Neuroendocrine-Immune Interactions: Implications for Health and Behavior

Over the past several decades, an immense body of data has been gathered which convincingly demonstrates that the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems interact in meaningful ways that influence the maintenance of health and the development of disease. While early studies focused on the impact of nervous and endocrine system factors on immune regulation, intriguing new data on the effects of the immune system on nervous system function indicate that the communication pathways between the nervous and immune systems are bidirectional. Moreover, increasing data from clinical studies suggest that these communication pathways may be relevant to the development, course, and outcome of both immune-related and neuropsychiatric diseases. In this chapter, we will review the body of data that substantiates interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, and will integrate these data into a model of the role of neuroendocrine–immune interactions in health and illness.
Gene Inactivation and Tissue‐specific Metabolism

The application of gene inactivation strategies targeting genes with various metabolic functions has greatly advanced our understanding of metabolism at both the cellular and physiological level. Whole-body genomic ablation of a gene of interest may be achieved using transgenic methods to introduce a null allele. Alternatively, the Cre-loxP recombinase system allows for the generation of animals harbouring a tissue-specific gene inactivation. Another approach is to alter the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) abundance of the target gene using RNA interference (RNAi) or antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) methods. Together, these strategies help elucidate gene function through association of metabolic phenotypes with gene inactivation at a defined genetic locus. Keywords: transgenic mice; metabolism; gene knockout; RNA interference; Cre-loxP
[Comment on “New Moon”] “New” Lunar knowledge not so new

The December 13, 1995, Eos “In Brief” column refers to the “new” establishment of knowledge of the geometrical dependence of the Moon's diffuse reflectivity for phase angles under 1.5°, normally inaccessible to Earth-based observation because of lunar eclipse, as derived by Bonnie Buratti using Clementine data. This knowledge was first “new” 26 years ago when my colleagues and I derived it as members of the Apollo Orbital Photographic Reconnaissance Team [Pohn et al., 1969; Wildey and Pohn, 1969]. Although a good deal larger than Clementine and in a lower lunar orbit, the Apollo Command Module was also a negligible source of shadow as seen from the lunar surface against a 1/2° wide Sun and thus permitted the derivation without worry of eclipse by the 2° wide Earth.
Suggestions for further reading

The following suggestions for further general readings in atmospheric chemistry are listed in approximately increasing order of difficulty and/or comprehensiveness. Hobbs, P. V., Basic Physical Chemistry for the Atmospheric Sciences , 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2000. Brimblecombe, P., Air Composition and Chemistry , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996. Meszaros, E., Atmospheric Chemistry: Fundamental Aspects , Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1981. Harrison, R. M., S. J. de Mora, S. Rapsomanikis, and W. R. Johnston, Introductory Chemistry for the Environmental Sciences , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991. Schlesinger, W. H., Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change , Academic Press, New York, 1997. Wayne, R. P., Chemistry of Atmospheres , Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1991. Warneck, P., Chemistry of the Natural Atmosphere , Academic Press, 1988. Finlayson-Pitts, B. J., and J. N. Pitts, Jr., Atmospheric Chemistry , John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1986. Seinfeld, J. H., and S. N. Pandis, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics , John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1998.
Inhibition of Early Vaccinia Virus Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Interferon-Treated Chicken Embryo Fibroblasts

Abstract Pretreatment of chicken embryo cells with homologous but not heterologous interferon inhibits the synthesis of vaccinia virus early messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). This inhibition is seen in the presence of cycloheximide, i.e., in the absence of protein synthesis, suggesting that the virion-bound transcriptase may be the target of the antiviral activity associated with interferon treatment. The inhibition of viral mRNA synthesis is dependent on the amount of chicken interferon used. The nonviral interferon inducer, polyriboinosine·polyribocytidine, similarly inhibits viral early mRNA synthesis in a dose-specific manner. The helical polynucleotide polydeoxyinosine·polyribocytidine, which is not an effective interferon inducer in chicken embryo cells, has no effect on viral ribonucleic acid synthesis.
The role of personality and learning experiences in social cognitive career theory

Abstract We sought to extend the empirical literature on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) by testing (a) the posited indirect effect of personality on interests through learning experiences and sociocognitive mechanisms, and (b) hypotheses that self-efficacy percepts and outcome expectations derive from corresponding career-relevant learning experiences. Participants (327 college students) completed a measure of the Big Five personality factors and measures of learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interests corresponding to each of Holland’s (1997) six RIASEC themes. Results of path analyses indicated that personality’s relation to interests was mediated via learning experiences and sociocognitive mechanisms; however, the extent of that mediation varied considerably across the different personality–interest relations. Findings also indicated strong support, across Holland themes, for SCCT’s hypothesized relations of learning experiences to self-efficacy and outcome expectations; however, for five of the six Holland themes, the relation between learning experiences and outcome expectations was at least partially mediated through self-efficacy.
Broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor marimastat-induced musculoskeletal side effects in rats.

Objective To characterize the clinical and histopathologic changes in a rat model of broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)–induced musculoskeletal syndrome (MSS), and to facilitate research into the causes and treatments of MSS in humans. Methods Male Lewis rats weighing 150–180 gm were administered 10–30 mg of the broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor marimastat over a 2-week period via surgically implanted subcutaneous osmotic pumps. The animals were monitored and scored for the onset and severity of MSS, using clinical and histologic parameters. Results Marimastat-treated rats exhibited various clinical signs, including compromised ability to rest on their hind feet, high-stepping gait, reluctance or inability to move, and hind paw swelling. Histologically, marimastat-treated rat joints were characterized by soft tissue and bone changes, such as increased epiphyseal growth plate, synovial hyperplasia, and increased cellularity in the joint capsule and extracapsular ligaments. The severity of MSS, as judged by clinical criteria (2 blinded observers using 3 clinical parameters), paw volume, and histologic score, was nearly identical. The observed changes were indistinguishable from those reported for primate models and mimic MSS in humans. Conclusion This simple and sensitive model of MSS is an attractive alternative for studying the pathology of MSS.
An incremental algorithm for maintaining the dominator tree of a reducible flowgraph

We present a new incremental algorithm for the problem of maintaining the dominator tree of a reducible flowgraph as the flowgraph undergoes changes such as the insertion and deletion of edges. Such an algorithm has applications in incremental dataflow analysis and incremental compilation.
A Double-Blind Study of Tofranil Pamoate vs. Tofranil Hydrochloride

.~ To allow a wider flexibility of dosages as well as ease of admin­ istration for those patients who find tablets hard to swallow, a palatable liquid suspen­ sion was developed in the form of imipramine pamoate. In the stomach, imipramine pamoate is converted to imipramine hydrochloride by the action of hydrochloric acid, assurring in­ testinal absorption of imipramine. Absorption studies in human volunteers fail to show any reliable differences in blood levels of imipramine following test doses of the pamoate and the hydrochloride when the test dose is administered postprandially.4 When taken before meals, however, test doses of the pamoate are followed by inadequate absorption of imipramine. It has previously been reported that single daily dose of imipramine is as effective as divided doses. 5 The objective of this study was to com­ pare the efficacy and side effects of a single evening dose of Tofranil Pamoate 75 mg. (HCI equivalent) with that of Tofranil HCI 25 mg. t.i.d. in alleviating depression in ambu­ latory clinic patients using a double blind, paraIIel group design. Method: Forty-three patients entered the trial, with 41 completing the fuII course of treatment. The primary diagnosis for all pa
Current-Mode CMOS Imaging Sensor With Velocity Saturation Mode of Operation and Feedback Mechanism

We present a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imaging sensor containing two novelties in the field of current mode sensing. First, the in-pixel read-out transistor operates in velocity saturation mode and allows for high linearity between integrated photo charges and output current of the pixel. Second, the column parallel read-out circuitry includes a novel current conveyor with a feedback mechanism, which improves linearity of the output current and leads to improvements in fixed pattern noise. Correlated double sampling, a noise reduction technique, is performed on-chip via current mode circuits to improve spatial noise characteristics of the imager. A prototype of the proposed imaging sensor was fabricated in 0.18 μm triple well CMOS process. The sensor operation and measurements are presented.
Optical and structural properties of lateral epitaxial overgrown GaN layers

The optical and microstructural properties of laterally grown GaN overlayers nucleated on GaN stripes by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy have been investigated. TEM studies indicate that the high density of threading dislocations in the GaN substrate originating at the underlying interface of GaN with the AlN buffer layer, propagate through the window overgrown region. In contrast, the dislocation density is substantially lower in the laterally grown region. Spatially resolved Raman scattering results are consistent with improved material quality on the laterally overgrown region. Low-temperature photoluminescence measurements show that a shallow acceptor is present in the selectively grown region.
Excimer laser perturbations of methane flames: High temperature reactions of OH and CH

An ArF excimer laser was used to perturb radical concentrations and a tunable dye laser was used to follow the rise and subsequent decay of OH and CH in rich (ϕ = 1.6–1.8) atmospheric pressure methane flames. The excimer beam is only slightly focussed to minimize temperature excursions and the influence of diffusion and convection on the decay rates. The observed OH decay is consistent with that predicted using a detailed kinetic mechanism. The observed CH decay is much faster than predicted. The effects of equivalence ratio and height above burner suggests that a major CH decay channel involving an intermediate with higher concentration in rich flames is not properly treated in the mechanism.
Analysis of clinicopathologic predictors of oncologic outcome provides insight into the natural history of surgically managed papillary renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND. To gain further insight into the natural history of papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC), the authors evaluated oncologic impact of important clinical and pathologic prognostic factors and performed survival analyses in a large group of contemporary patients surgically treated for pRCC. METHODS. The institutional nephrectomy database was searched for patients who were managed with radical or partial nephrectomy for pRCC or clear cell RCC (cRCC) from 1994 to 2006. RESULTS. A total of 2157 patients with pRCC (n = 245) or cRCC (n = 1912) met protocol inclusion criteria. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed equivalent 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) in the nonmetastatic pRCC patient group and revealed significantly decreased CSS in pRCC patients with distant metastases compared with matched cRCC patient cohorts. Presence of venous tumor thrombus was associated with a significant decrease in CSS and was an independent prognostic feature in pRCC patient cohort but not in patients with cRCC (5-year CSS pRCC = 35%; cRCC = 66%; P = .012). Patients with pRCC were at a significantly increased risk of harboring metastatic lymph nodes compared with patients with cRCC (13% and 8.6%, respectively; P = .019); however, presence of lymph node metastases in patients with pRCC was associated with a relatively indolent disease course (5-year CSS pRCC = 65%; cRCC = 19%; P = .029). CONCLUSIONS. The authors demonstrated significant differences in presentation, prognostic features, and patient outcomes among papillary and clear cell histologic subtypes of RCC. The authors' findings may potentially link unique molecular genetics that have been reported in pRCCs to its distinct clinical behavior. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Ultrashort pulses in erbium-fiber figure-eight lasers: limitations of intracavity dispersion

Sources of ultrashort soliton pulses are essential for any future implementation of ultrafast (~100 Gbit/s) communications systems. Figure-eight erbium-fiber lasers (F8L’s) mode locked with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) have been demonstrated as sources of subpicosecond pulses, with several groups reporting lengths of approximately 300 fs.1 The pulses typically consist of a soliton-like component and a dispersive component shed from the main pulse by the variation with amplification and loss of the pulse energy from E1(τ), the energy of a fundamental soliton of width τ. This dispersive wave is resonantly enhanced at specific wavelengths by the periodicity over a cavity round trip, yielding a characteristic sideband spectrum seen in subpicosecond F8L’s.1–3
The recognition problem for line bigraphs

Given are two graphs H"1=(V,E"1) and H"2=(V,E"2) on the same vertex set. The line bigraph is the bipartite graph with the disjoint union of E"1 and E"2 as vertex set, and an edge between e"[email protected]?E"1 and e"[email protected]?E"2 if the edges have some common vertex in V. We first show that the problem to determine whether a given bipartite graph is the line bigraph of two such graphs is NP-complete. We then present two special cases where the question can be solved in polynomial time. A C"4-free bipartite graph is a line bigraph if and only if each component of the graph obtained by removing all degree-2 vertices has at most one cycle. Using the intersection multigraph of the set of all large bicliques, we then show that there is an efficient recognition algorithm for recognizing line bigraphs of two graphs both having minimum degree at least 3.
The contingent morality of war: establishing a diachronic model of jus ad bellum

According to most accounts of just war theory, jus ad bellum is concerned with the morality of initiating war. This gives jus ad bellum a temporal dimension, making it a set of principles that are applied to judge belligerents’ actions at the outset of a war, but that cannot be revisited after a war begins. I challenge this synchronic conception of jus ad bellum by arguing that the considerations the principles of jus ad bellum are meant to judge can, and often do, change substantially over the course of wars. It is inappropriate to determine the ad bellum justice of a war solely based on how the principles of jus ad bellum are satisfied at a war’s outset. Because of the mercurial nature of war, jus ad bellum principles should be applied diachronically, as moral norms that can be used to guide or to judge belligerents even after a war has been initiated.
Effects on retention of posttraining amphetamine injections in mice: interaction with pretraining experience.

These experiments examined the effects of d-amphetamine on retention of one-trial inhibitory (passive) avoidance training in mice. Water-deprived mice were pretrained to lick from a water spout at the end of a darkened compartment. Footschock was administered during licking after 4, 6, or 7 days of pretraining. Retention performance (latency to lick) was measured 24 h after training. The effects on memory of posttraining amphetamine varied not only with amphetamine dose but also with the amount of pretraining. In animals pretraining for 7 days, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg but not 0.03, 0.1, or 3.0 mg/kg posttraining amphetamine significantly enhanced later retention performance. In mice pretrained for 6 days, 1 mg/kg amphetamine also enhanced retention performance. However, in mice pretrained for only 4 days, 1 mg/kg amphetamine impaired later retention performance. These results are consistent with the view that posttraining treatments may affect memory storage processes by interacting with training-related arousal levels.
Neuronal Activity-Dependent Cell Survival Mediated by Transcription Factor MEF2

During mammalian development, electrical activity promotes the calcium-dependent survival of neurons that have made appropriate synaptic connections. However, the mechanisms by which calcium mediates neuronal survival during development are not well characterized. A transcription-dependent mechanism was identified by which calcium influx into neurons promoted cell survival. The transcription factor MEF2 was selectively expressed in newly generated postmitotic neurons and was required for the survival of these neurons. Calcium influx into cerebellar granule neurons led to activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent phosphorylation and activation of MEF2. Once activated, MEF2 regulated neuronal survival by stimulating MEF2-dependent gene transcription. These findings demonstrate that MEF2 is a calcium-regulated transcription factor and define a function for MEF2 during nervous system development that is distinct from previously well-characterized functions of MEF2 during muscle differentiation.
Crystal structures of three lead(II) acetate-bridged di­amino­benzene coordination polymers

Poly[tris­(acetato-κ2O,O′)(μ2-acetato-κ3O,O′:O)tetra­kis­(μ3-acetato-κ4O,O′:O:O′)bis­(benzene-1,2-di­amine-κN)tetra­lead(II)], [Pb4(CH3COO)8(C6H8N2)2]n, (I), poly[(acetato-κ2O,O′)(μ3-acetato-κ4O,O′:O:O′)(4-chloro­benzene-1,2-diamine-κN)lead(II)], [Pb(CH3COO)2(C6H7ClN2)]n, (II), and poly[(κ2O,O′)(μ3-acetato-κ4O,O′:O:O′)(3,4-di­amino­benzo­nitrile-κN)lead(II)], [Pb(CH3COO)2(C7H7N3)]n, (III), have polymeric structures in which monomeric units are joined by bridging acetate ligands. All of the PbII ions exhibit hemidirected coordination. The repeating unit in (I) is composed of four PbII ions having O6, O6N, O7 and O6N coordination spheres, respectively, where N represents a monodentate benzene-1,2-di­amine ligand and O acetate O atoms. Chains along [010] are joined by bridging acetate ligands to form planes parallel to (10-1). (II) and (III) are isotypic and have one PbII ion in the asymmetric unit that has an O6N coordination sphere. Pb2O2 units result from a symmetry-imposed inversion center. Polymeric chains parallel to [100] exhibit hydrogen bonding between the amine and acetate ligands. In (III), additional hydrogen bonds between cyano groups and non-coordinating amines join the chains by forming R22(14) rings.
Two-body phenomenology and inclusive cross sections in the triple-Regge region

We propose that Mueller-Regge theory be tested in the triple-Regge region by taking ratios of inclusive cross sections which receive contributions from similar trajectories, so that normalized triple-Regge vertices are not needed. The remaining residues and trajectory functions are then determined using phenomenological fits to two-body differential cross sections. We consider three classes of fragmentations, involving baryon exchange, hypercharge exchange, and exotic exchange, respectively, and compare our predictions with available experimental data. Reasonable agreement with experiment is found in all cases.
Isotopic fractionation of noble gases by diffusion in liquid water: Molecular dynamics simulations and hydrologic applications

Abstract Despite their great importance in low-temperature geochemistry, diffusion coefficients of noble gas isotopes in liquid water ( D ) have been measured only for the major isotopes of helium, neon, krypton and xenon. Data on the diffusion coefficients of minor noble gas isotopes are essentially non-existent and so typically have been estimated by a kinetic-theory model in which D varies as the inverse square root of the isotopic mass ( m ): D ∝ m −0.5 . To examine the validity of the kinetic-theory model, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the diffusion of noble gases in ambient liquid water. Our simulation results agree with available experimental data on the solvation structure and diffusion coefficients of the major noble gas isotopes and reveal for the first time that the isotopic mass-dependence of all noble gas self-diffusion coefficients has the power-law form D ∝ m − β with 0 β 20 Ne/ 22 Ne and 36 Ar/ 40 Ar isotopic ratios in three representative hydrologic studies. Our new modeling results indicate that kinetic isotopic fractionation by diffusion may play a significant role in noble gas transport processes in groundwater.
Phencyclidine-induced increases in striatal neuron firing in behaving rats: reversal by haloperidol and clozapine.

Amphetamine and related drugs of abuse facilitate dopamine transmission in the striatum. This action is believed to underlie the increase in firing of striatal motor-related neurons after amphetamine administration in behaving rats. The present study extended this electrophysiological investigation to phencyclidine (PCP), a nonamphetamine psychomotor stimulant that acts primarily as a noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Like amphetamine, PCP (1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 mg/kg) increased the activity of striatal motor-related neurons concomitant with behavioral activation. These effects were blocked by subsequent administration of either 1.0 mg/kg haloperidol or 20.0 mg/kg clozapine, typical and atypical neuroleptics, respectively. Dizocilpine (MK-801), another noncompetitive NMDA antagonist, mimicked the effect of PCP. Collectively, these results indicate that amphetamine and NMDA antagonists exert comparable effects on striatal motor-related neurons, suggesting that the response of these cells to psychomotor stimulants is regulated by a dopaminergic-glutamatergic influence.
Characterization of CCL19 and CCL21 in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective The aim was to characterize the expression of CCL19 and CCL21 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial tissue and to examine their regulation and pathogenic role in macrophages and RA synovial tissue fibroblasts.