cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theory of nonexponential NMR signal decay in liver with iron overload or superparamagnetic iron oxide particles

A quantitative theory is proposed for the nonexponential NMR proton signal decay observed in liver with iron overload or superparamagnetic iron oxide particles. This effect occurs for Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequences and is argued to be a direct consequence of the strong magnetic field inhomogeneities generated by the iron, rather than being due to tissue compartments. An approximate mathematical form is given for the signal decay, which is fit to experimental data for samples of rat liver with iron oxide particles, for samples of marmoset liver with hemosiderosis, and for in vivo human liver with hereditary hemochromatosis. The fitting parameters obtained are consistent with the pattern of iron deposition determined from histology. For the case of hereditary hemochromatosis, a good correlation is found between a parameter characterizing the nonexponential decay and the iron concentration. Implications for practical MR quantification of hepatic iron are discussed.
Glasses With High Nonlinear Refractive Indices

Glasses with High Nonlinear Refractive IndicesHiroyuki Nasu, James S. Lin, John Lau and J. D. MackenzieDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles,California 90024AbstractIn the past, a great deal of theoretical and experimental efforts have been devoted tothe development of glasses with low nonlinear refractive index mainly because of laserrequirements. Recently, however, interests in rapid self- induced refractive index changesin materials have focussed the importance of high nonlinear refractive indices. This reportis concerned with the theoretical and experimental development in the preparation of glasseswith very high nonlinear refractive index.In glasses, the average observed value of nonlinear refractive index, n2, is about 0.Olx10 Ilesu. Changes in nz are dependent on the third order electronic polarization which inturn is governed by (a) the linear electronic polarization (b) the absorption frequency and(c) the product of the density of polarizable atoms or molecules and oscillator strength.With these consideration, theoretical calculation of n2 have been made for glass samples,and discussed with their IR and visible spectra.IntroductionRecent development of high power laser requires special materials for optical system.The refractive index (n) can be expressed asn = no + n2
The moderating role of attachment insecurities in the association between social and physical pain

We examined the effects of social exclusion and attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) on physical pain sensitivity, hypothesizing that anxiety would predict greater physical pain sensitivity only following social exclusion. Participants were either included in or excluded from a computer-based ball-tossing game and then completed a coldpressor task. Anxious men showed greater physical pain sensitivity when excluded, but not when included. Moreover, individuals (men and women) high on both anxiety and avoidance showed greater physical pain sensitivity when excluded, but not when included. Conclusions: Anxious individuals’ heightened physical pain sensitivity following exclusion is a manifestation of hyperactivation of their attachment systems, and when threatened, avoidant individuals who are also high in anxiety are less successful in deactivating their attachment systems.
Shyness as a determinant of interpersonal distance.

A measure of interpersonal distance from either a same-sex or opposite-sex individual was recorded for 31 male and 42 female subjects who were classified as either very or not shy individuals. As p...
Elucidating marine virus ecology through a unified heartbeat.

Marine environments teem with viruses. They are not only the most abundant (109 to 1010 virus l−1) and diverse biological entities in the oceans, but their parasitic lifestyles collectively turn over >25% of global photosynthetically fixed carbon through cell lysis, fuel upper ocean respiration by channeling dissolved organic matter to heterotrophic bacteria, and drive the tempo of microbial evolution by catalyzing the exchange of genetic material (1, 2). In these contexts, viruses are the great engines of oceanic biogeochemistry and microbial evolution. Unfortunately, methodological limitations and the rapid “mosaic” nature of virus evolution (3) have significantly hindered our understanding of virioplankton biology and ecology. Marine viruses come in an astounding array of morphologies, lifestyles, genome organization, and sizes, ranging from the immense nucleocytoplasmic large double-stranded (ds)DNA-containing viruses (NCLDVs), which contain the Pandoraviruses [with up to 2.5-Mb genomes (4)], to the extremely small single-stranded (ss)DNA and RNA representatives characterized by only three to four genes and ∼0.3% the relative genome size [∼1.7–11 Kb (5⇓–7)]. Microbial autotrophs and heterotrophs alike fall prey to this parasitic pressure, with a majority of marine viruses targeting bacteria (bacteriophages) as high abundance targets (109 L−1). Unlike the cellular life of eukarya, bacteria, and archaea, for which universally shared small subunit ribosomal RNA genes have revolutionized our understanding of cellular diversity, ecology, and evolution (8), viruses lack a universally conserved phylogenetic marker. PCR-based approaches have historically targeted specific genes within particular virus subclades [e.g., DNA polymerase genes for viruses infecting eukaryotic microalgae (9) or genes encoding the major capsid protein (g23) of T4-like myoviruses (10)]. “Omic” approaches have since provided unprecedented insight into virus diversity and even a glimpse into inferred function (11), but infection lifestyles have remained elusive given most virus-derived sequences have no database matches (12 … [↵][1]1Email: bidle{at}marine.rutgers.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
A reusable framework for health counseling dialogue systems based on a behavioral medicine ontology

Automated approaches to promoting health behavior change, such as exercise, diet, and medication adherence promotion, have the potential for significant positive impact on society. We describe a theory-driven computational model of dialogue that simulates a human health counselor who is helping his or her clients to change via a series of conversations over time. Applications built using this model can be used to change the health behavior of patients and consumers at low cost over a wide range of media including the web and the phone. The model is implemented using an OWL ontology of health behavior change concepts and a public standard task modeling language (ANSI/CEA-2018). We demonstrate the power of modeling dialogue using an ontology and task model by showing how an exercise promotion system developed in the framework was re-purposed for diet promotion with 98% reuse of the abstract models. Evaluations of these two systems are presented, demonstrating high levels of fidelity to best practices in health behavior change counseling.
Lactation Records Adjusted for Days Open in Sire Evaluation

Abstract Holstein sires were evaluated by the Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison method from 227,232 mature equivalent 305-day first lactation milk records. Records were adjusted for period open, and sires were reevaluated by the same procedure. Evaluations changed even for sires having more than 2,000 daughters. The average change in evaluations was nearly zero, and the correlation of deviations between the two comparisons with the original evaluation was zero. Thus, changes in evaluation were independent of a sire's genetic value. A separate study indicated that Holstein adjustment factors can serve for all breeds on a practical basis. Heritabilities of days open were essentially zero for each breed.
Stress in “cathodic” plasma oxides as a function of processing parameters

Stress in SiO2 films grown via a “cathodic” plasma oxidation process has been examined as a function of growth and processing conditions. The total stress for oxides grown at 350° C in either 85% Ar/15%O2 or 100% O2 ambients at 700 W, 4 MHz, and a total pressure of 80 mTorr was found to be identical. It was observed that annealing these oxides for 24 hr at 700° C in an ultra-pure oxygen ambient did not have any effect on the electrical properties, but that the stress did increase slightly. Electrical properties were measured on MOS capacitors, specifically focusing on net fixed oxide charge and breakdown strength. In addition, both as-grown and annealed samples were subjected to 8.5 × 106 rad(SiO2) Al Kα ionizing radiation to simulate exposure to X-ray lithography. Notwithstanding the generation of a large areal density of net coulombic charge in the insulator, the presence of these defects did not cause a measurable change in the interfacial stress level. Surprisingly, it was found that about 16% of the wafers plastically deformed during oxide growth at 350° C and about 35% of the wafers were found to be deformed after annealing of the oxides at 700° C. Dry, thermal oxides grown at 700° C were seen to possess similar electrical properties but exhibited a higher stress than the plasma oxides.
FOUNDATIONS AS TRUTHS WHICH ORGANIZE MATHEMATICS

The article looks briefly at Feferman’s most sweeping claims about categorical foundations, focuses on narrower points raised in Berkeley, and asks some questions about Feferman’s own foundations. Among many different senses of foundations, the one that mathematics needs in practice is a recognized body of truths adequate to organize definitions and proofs. Finding concise principles of this kind has been a huge achievement by mathematicians and logicians. We put ZFC and categorical foundations both into this context.
STRUCTURAL BASIS FOR INHIBITION OF MAMMALIAN ADENYLYL CYCLASE BY CALCIUM

Type V and VI mammalian adenylyl cyclases (AC5, AC6) are inhibited by Ca2+ at both sub- and supramicromolar concentration. This inhibition may provide feedback in situations where cAMP promotes opening of Ca2+ channels, allowing fine control of cardiac contraction and rhythmicity in cardiac tissue where AC5 and AC6 predominate. Ca2+ inhibits the soluble AC core composed of the C1 domain of AC5 (VC1) and the C2 domain of AC2 (IIC2). As observed for holo-AC5, inhibition is biphasic, showing “high-affinity” (Ki = ∼0.4 μM) and “low-affinity” (Ki = ∼100 μΜ) modes of inhibition. At micromolar concentration, Ca2+ inhibition is nonexclusive with respect to pyrophosphate (PPi), a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to ATP, but at >100 μM Ca2+, inhibition appears to be exclusive with respect to PPi. The 3.0 A resolution structure of Gαs·GTPγS/forskolin-activated VC1:IIC2 crystals soaked in the presence of ATPαS and 8 μM free Ca2+ contains a single, loosely coordinated metal ion. ATP soaked into VC1:IIC2 crystals ...
“Electroactive Beads” for Ultrasensitive DNA Detection

Electrical transduction of DNA hybridization events is a major challenge in genoelectronics. Here we report on a new strategy for amplifying electrical DNA sensing based on the use of microsphere tags loaded internally with a redox marker. The resulting “electroactive beads” are capable of carrying a huge number of the ferrocenecarboxaldehyde marker molecules and hence offer a remarkable amplification of single hybridization events. This allows chronopotentiometric detection of target DNA down to the 5.1 × 10-21 mol level (∼31 000 molecules) in connection to 20 min of hybridization and “release” of the marker in an organic medium. The dramatic signal amplification advantage is combined with a remarkable discrimination against a huge excess (107) of noncomplementary nucleic acids. Such electroactive beads hold great promise for multitarget detection (in connection to spheres loaded with different redox markers) and for enhancing the sensitivity of other bioassays.
Evaluating performance of an Appalachian oak forest dynamics model

An Appalachian-oak forest in a small montane watershed was sampled to calibrate and test an existing forest dynamics simulation model. Indices developed in earlier studies by Whittaker were used to estimate the response of different tree species to soil moisture. As is the case in many forest modeling applications, neither detailed environmental data at a micro-spatial scale nor quantitative historical stand data were available for the study.
Effects of uremic serum on isolated cardiac myocyte calcium cycling and contractile function.

Effects of uremic serum on isolated cardiac myocyte calcium are similar to that seen with ouabain and can be prevented by cycling and contractile function. co-incubation with an antibody fragment to digitalis, which Background. Diastolic dysfunction occurs in patients with also attenuates the sodium pump inhibitory effect, we suggest chronic renal failure. Moreover, serum from uremic patients that this (these) substance(s) circulating in uremic sera and contains one or more inhibitors of the plasmalemmal Na,K- inhibiting the sodium pump also causes the acute diastolic ATPase (sodium pump). We hypothesized that a circulating dysfunction seen in our system. substance present in uremic sera contributes to both sodium pump inhibition and diastolic dysfunction. Methods. Serum samples were obtained from six patients Patients with renal failure develop cardiac complica- with chronic renal failure and diastolic dysfunction. Results. Their serum samples caused marked inhibition of tions extremely frequently. In end-stage renal disease Na,K-ATPase purified from dog kidney at all concentrations (ESRD) patients treated with hemodialysis in the United studied (all P 0.01) and also impaired ouabain-sensitive States, mortality rates exceed 20% per year with more rubidium uptake by myocytes isolated from Sprague-Dawley than 50% attributed to cardiac mortality (1). Although rats (P 0.01). These cardiac myocytes were studied for their the term "uremic cardiomyopathy" had previously been contractile function with video-edge detection and calcium me-
Fourier transform IR spectroscopy of Co2+ excitations in KZn1−xCoxF3

Abstract From a temperature-dependent study of the IR absorption spectrum of crystals of cubic KZn1−xCoxF3 (with 0
Asynchronous Message Service for Deep Space Mission Operations

While the CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) File Delivery Protocol (CFDP) provides internationally standardized file transfer functionality that can offer significant benefits for deep space mission operations, not all spacecraft communication requirements are necessarily best met by file transfer. In particular, continuous event-driven asynchronous message exchange may also be useful for communications with, among, and aboard spacecraft. CCSDS has therefore undertaken the development of a new Asynchronous Message Service (AMS) standard, designed to provide common functionality over a wide variety of underlying transport services, ranging from shared memory message queues to CCSDS telemetry systems. The present paper discusses the design concepts of AMS, their applicability to deep space mission operations problems, and the results of preliminary performance testing obtained from exercise of a prototype implementation.
Upper ocean T-S variations in the Greenland Sea and their association to climatic conditions

[1] Hydrography from the Nordic seas from 1951 to 2003 was analyzed focusing on the upper ocean conditions during known periods of deep mixing. The analysis used data from NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center and from International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Oceanographic Database. Because of the sparseness of the wintertime data, only summertime data are analyzed, primarily at 200 m, which retains memory of previous winter’s effects below summer mixed layer. It is found that the salinity variability in the central Greenland Gyre follows closely the sea level pressure (SLP) fluctuations found along the Greenland Coast, e.g., at Angmagssalik. Corresponding large-scale SLP field resembles North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in its negative index phase. The dissimilarity between the central gyre salinity fluctuations and the incoming Atlantic water salinity fluctuations suggests that mixing with other water masses (Arctic origin waters and recirculating Atlantic waters) present in the central gyre is important in modifying the incoming Atlantic water salinity at interannual timescales. However, the largest freshwater addition to the Atlantic waters takes place in the Norwegian Sea or even further upstream in the North Atlantic. The variability of this freshwater intake resembles the NAO index on multidecadal timescales.
|Vub| from exclusive B and D decays.

We propose a model-independent method to determine the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |Vub| from exclusive B and D decays. Combining information obtainable from B→ρlν¯l, B→K*νν¯, D→ρl¯νl, and D→K*l¯νl, a determination of |Vub| is possible, with an uncertainty from theory of around 10%. Theoretical uncertainties in the B→K*ll¯ decay rate are discussed.
A boy with a limp

thought to be a complication of acute rickets until Thomas Barlow of London identified it as a separate entity in 1893, and as being no different from adult scurvy. Scurvy is still found intermittently in developed countries, especially among food faddists, alcoholics, the elderly, and men who live alone. Infants fed exclusively cows’ milk formula, and children with neurodevelopment disabilities and psychomotor retardation are at additional risk. The diagnosis of scurvy can often be made by the presence of characteristic clinical findings and a history of a diet inadequate in ascorbic acid. Scurvy can mimic many other medical diseases such as vasculitis, blood dyscrasias, deep vein thrombosis, and rheumatic disorders. Patients with scurvy are often extensively investigated for other systemic disorders, including leukaemia, as in the present case. Presentation with tenderness of the limbs and the pain elicited by movement can often lead to the erroneous diagnosis of arthritis. The present case clearly shows that despite advances in medicine, living conditions, and nutrition, scurvy still can occur and highlights the need for continued medical awareness of this potentially life-threatening disease by all health professionals.
Does lumpiness matter in an open economy? Studying international economics with regional data

Abstract This paper addresses the empirical question whether the regional distribution of production factors within countries is ever so uneven that it triggers specialization of production that makes regions produce different sets of goods at different factor prices. Due to the different welfare effects of trade policy in a country with regional specialization, this is an important question. In addition, it is a question about the legitimacy of treating a country as a relatively homogenous unit. In answering these questions, I implement the concept of “lumpiness” as introduced by Courant and Deardorff [J. Polit. Econ. 100 (1992) 198]. I find that lumpiness or an uneven regional distribution of production factors that induces intranational specialization and different regional factor prices is not an issue for Japan, the United Kingdom and maybe not even for India.
STILL: Exploit Code Detection via Static Taint and Initialization Analyses

We propose STILL, a generic defense based on Static Taint and Initialization analyses, to detect exploit code embedded in data streams/requests targeting at various Internet services such as Web services. STILL first blindly disassembles each request, generates a (probably partial) control flow graph, and then uses novel static taint and initialization analysis algorithms to determine if strong evidence of self-modifying (including polymorphism) and/or indirect jump code obfuscation behavior can be collected. If such evidence exists, STILL will raise an alarm and block the request; otherwise, STILL will perform another form of static taint analysis to check whether unobfuscated or other types of obfuscated exploit code (e.g., metamorphism, etc) is embedded in the request. To the best of our knowledge, compared with existing static analysis approaches developed for the same purpose, STILL is (a) the first one that can detect self-modifying code and indirect jump, and (b) a more comprehensive static analysis solution in defending against anti-signature, anti-static-analysis and anti-emulation code obfuscation (for all the code obfuscation techniques we are aware of, STILL is robust to all but one).
Crystal Chemistry of Metastable Alloy Phases

Knowledge of the metastable crystalline alloy phases that can be prepared from the liquid or vapor by non-equilibrium methods is useful because the descriptive crystal chemistry of an alloy system should include metastable phases stable with respect to the components but unstable respective to other intermediate phases [1]. Alloy phases within a certain range of positive free energy of formation are also of interest, especially for systems without equilibrium phases. Accordingly, there have been some systematic “hunts” for metastable alloy phases (MAP’s) that can be prepared by rapid liquid quenching, reviewed in Refs. 2–7. The principal results of these studies on disordered (element-like) and ordered MAP’s and some additional data are presented here.
Implications of Conducting Trend Analyses of Emergency Department Visits Using Publicly Released Masked Design Variables

Study objective We examine whether using public National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) data with masked design variables produces different estimates, standard errors, and confidence intervals (CIs) for the temporal trend of overall and injury-related emergency department (ED) visits compared with using unmasked data housed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Methods We obtained counts of ED visits with their standard errors for unmasked data from published summaries from 1999 through 2006. Public files with masked design variables were used to estimate visit counts and rates with standard errors for each year, using the Taylor series linearization method. Weighted least squares linear regressions were used for trend analysis to estimate the annual change in visits. Results Compared with using unmasked data, using masked data produced similar estimates of overall ED visit counts and rates for each year from 1999 through 2006 but overestimated standard errors by 27% on average (range 12% to 45%). According to unmasked data, overall ED visit counts increased by 1.973 million annually (standard error 0.747; 95% CI 0.145 to 3.800). With masked data, the estimated change was 1.977 million visits annually (standard error 0.894; 95% CI –0.210 to 4.164). As for injury-related ED visit counts, masked data overestimated the standard error by 16% for trend. Although neither unmasked nor masked data suggested a statistically significant annual increase of overall or injury-related ED visit rate, masked data overestimated the standard error by 16%. Conclusion Using masked public data overestimated standard errors for trend of counts and rates for overall and injury-related ED visits and resulted in wider CIs.
Safe operating and safe design areas of induction motor drives

An overview of safe operating areas of induction motors under various control options is presented. The concept of safe design area of a drive system is introduced. A computer aided design method is developed to achieve the best match between a given load and the proposed drive system. Practical examples of scalar and vector controlled systems illustrate the described approach to the optimal design of drive systems with induction motors. >
Modern Spanish once-removed in Philippine Creole Spanish: The case of Zamboangueno

Philippine Creole Spanish, formed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, underwent partial decreolization toward the end of the Spanish presence in the Philippines, particularly in the city of Zamboanga. Following the American occupation of the Philippines, virtually all Spanish linguistic influence has disappeared, but contemporary Zamboangueno continues to exhibit continuing incorporation of elements of standard Spanish, in the nearly total absence of a pool of Spanish speakers. The present study explores the status of the Zamboanguefio dialect, discusses the various stages of decreolization in the direction of Spanish, and suggests possible avenues for the continued introduction of elements from an acrolect which, for all intents and purposes, is no longer generally available to residents of Zamboanga. (Creole studies, contact vemaculars)
Pattern generation with multiple robots

We develop decentralized controllers for a swarm of robots to generate a desired two-dimensional geometric pattern specified by a smooth function while maintaining specified relative distance constraints. The controllers are decentralized in the sense that the robots do not exchange or sense each other's state information. However, we assume that the robots have range sensors allowing them to obtain information about distances to neighbors within a known range. We establish stability and convergence properties of the controllers
Sex Differences in Alcohol Preference and Drinking Patterns Emerge during the Early Postpubertal Period in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Young male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (30 days old) were assigned randomly to three treatment groups: (1) alcohol treatment--received beer with 5% ethanol added, food, and water ad libitum; (2) pair-fed treatment--received nonalcoholic beer plus sucrose and food to match intake by the alcohol-treated animals; and (3) control treatment--received food and water ad libitum. Animals were tested for alcohol preference for 24 hr and then received their assigned treatments for a period of 30 days, followed by a period of abstinence before alcohol preference testing again at 74 days of age. Males given free access to beer and water did not drink large quantities of beer. Females given free access to beer and water drank a lot of beer on the first day, but decreased intake until approximately 52 days of age. A developmental change in young female rats at approximately 52 days of age resulted in increased voluntary ethanol intake, possibly caused by hormonal changes associated with the establishment of estrous cycles. When the animals were tested for alcohol preference at 74 days of age after a period of abstinence, males and females in the pair-fed group had greater alcohol preference than animals in the other groups. Females in the pair-fed group had greater alcohol intake based on body weight than males in the pair-fed group and males and females in all other groups. These results provide insight into sex differences in the development of voluntary drinking behavior and responses of drinking behavior to the early stress of pair-feeding.
Stimulatory and inhibitory action of estradiol on TSH secretion.

Subcutaneous administration of low doses of estradiol benzoate (EB: 0.004, 0.016, 0.064, 0.256 txg daily, 9–11 days) to rats ovariectomized for 28–30 days resulted in stimulation or inhibition of pituitary-thyroid function. The relatively low dose of 0.064 /xg elevated pituitary and plasma TSH levels and induced thyroid hyperplasia. A higher dose level (.256 μg) inhibited TSH secretion by the pituitary and caused involution of the thyroid gland. The biphasic action of estradiol of TSH secretion was not attributable to alterations in the thyroxine (T4) binding capacity of the blood proteins. Resin uptake of radiothyroxine from plasma was significantly decreased in rats treated with propylthiouracil (PTU) or in animals subjected to thyroidectomy, ovariectomy and hypothalamic lesioning. The administration of EB to hypothyroid rats failed to influence appreciably T4 resin uptake from plasma. In contrast, a critical dose level of EB (.02 μg daily, 7–8 days) stimulated TSH secretion in thyroidectomized, ovariec...
MDCT coronary angiography - postprocessing, reading, and reporting: last but not least

Significant literature on MDCT coronary angiography (MDCT-CA) has emerged in the last decade concerning patient's selection, technical aspects of different generations of CT equipment, ECG gating, contrast material and beta-blockade administration, acquisition parameters, and radiation dose. However, the literature regarding postprocessing, reading, and reporting is not so extensive. This review highlights the main elements of MDCT-CA data analysis, thereby allowing the radiologist to take full advantage of this technology and enable a structured report to be generated, promoting best practice with high-quality results.
Developmental regulation of the carbohydrate composition of glycoproteins associated with central nervous system myelin.

: Glycoproteins from central nervous system myelin were evaluated for developmental alterations in their carbohydrate composition by autoradiographic analysis of radioiodinated lectin binding after separation by high-resolution sodium dodecyl sulfate-pore gradient slab gel electrophoresis (SDS-PGE). Sixteen lectin-binding components were assessed in highly purified myelin preparations from 15-day, 18-day, and adult rat brains, using the lectins Triticum vulgaris (wheat germ agglutinin) and Ulex europeus (gorse agglutinin I). Developmental changes in lectin binding for individual glycoproteins were evaluated semiquantitatively by comparing densitometric scans of the auto radiographs. Both increases and decreases in lectin binding for individual components were observed as a consequence of development, as well as the appearance and disappearance of lectin binding to three low-molecular-weight components. No changes in electrophoretic mobility and hence glycoprotein molecular weight were observed in any components when using these lectins. These developmental changes in lectin binding suggest that increases in glycoprotein (receptor) density occur, as well as an elaboration of oligosaccharide branching for individual glycoproteins. In addition, the appearance of a new glycoprotein in the adult myelin membrane could imply a new functional role not present in the immature membrane. These observations suggest that dynamic alterations of myelin-associated glycoproteins occur during development. Such developmental regulation of membrane glycoproteins increases the significance of their potential role in myelination and myelin maintenance.
Developing an International Space Station curriculum for the Bootstrapped Learning program

DARPA's Bootstrapped Learning (BL) program is aimed at advancing the state of the art in instructable computing. Two objectives of this program are developing a general electronic student that makes use of machine learning algorithms to learn from the kind of focused instruction typically provided by a human teacher and creating a repository of automated curricula that can be taught to the student. This paper focuses on the second objective, describing a curriculum developed for the BL program to both instruct and test the student that places the electronic student (eStudent) in the role of an International Space Station (ISS) flight controller. The eStudent is taught how to detect and diagnose single-fault problems within the thermal control system of the ISS. During each lesson, the eStudent interacts with an ISS simulator to review alerts and access telemetry values. To obtain greater visibility into its diagnostic reasoning, the eStudent is trained to create an external representation of its reasoning about the current problem - a diagnostic rationale. This includes describing potential problems, hypothesizing possible events and states, positing possible causal explanations as rationale assertions, seeking evidence for or against these assertions, projecting possible risks, and using possible risks to focus attention when developing a rationale. In addition to describing the curriculum developed as part of the first year of the BL program, we also describe some of the future directions we will investigate as part of the second year. 1,2
The Feasibility of Enhancing Psychiatric Outpatients' Readiness to Change Their Substance Use

OBJECTIVE: This stage I therapy development study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a brief motivational intervention for outpatients with severe and persistent mental illness and drug use problems and examined preliminary indicators of outcome. METHODS: A motivational intervention was evaluated with 22 outpatients. The intervention consisted of four individual sessions that were guided by the therapeutic principles of motivational interviewing. All participants met DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse or dependence within the previous six months and were not engaged in treatment for substance abuse. Substance use, treatment involvement, and attitudes toward substance use and cessation were assessed before and after the intervention and at a three-month follow-up session. RESULTS: The feasibility of the motivational intervention was demonstrated. The median time to completion of the intervention was 28 days. It was possible to retain psychiatric outpatients in the intervention, and the patient...
Differential effects of a selective dopamine D1-like receptor agonist on motor activity and c-fos expression in the frontal-striatal circuitry of SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

Background: Molecular genetic studies suggest the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) may be implicated in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As little is known about the potential motor role of D1R in ADHD, animal models may provide important insights into this issue. Methods: We investigated the effects of a full and selective D1R agonist, SKF-81297 (0.3, 3 and 10 mg/kg), on motor behaviour and expression of the plasticity-associated gene, c-fos, in habituated young adult male Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR), the most commonly used animal model of ADHD, and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY; the strain from which SHR were derived). Results: SHR rats were more behaviourally active than WKY rats after injection with vehicle. The 0.3 mg/kg dose of SKF-81297 increased motor behaviour (locomotion, sifting, rearing, and sniffing) in both SHR and WKY rats. Total grooming was also stimulated, but only in WKY rats. The same dose increased c-fos mRNA expression in the piriform cortex of both strains. The 3 mg/kg dose increased sifting and sniffing in both strains. Locomotion was also stimulated towards the end of the testing period. The intermediate dose decreased total rearing in both strains, and produced a significant increase in c-fos mRNA in the striatum, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tuberculum, and in the cingulate, agranular insular and piriform cortices. The 10 mg/kg dose of SKF-81297 produced a biphasic effect on locomotion, which was characterized by an initial decrease followed by later stimulation. The latter stimulatory effect was more pronounced in SHR than in WKY rats when compared to their respective vehicle-injected groups. The 10 mg/kg dose also stimulated sifting and sniffing in both strains. Both the 3 and 10 mg/kg doses had no effect on total grooming. The 10 mg/ kg dose induced significantly higher levels of c-fos mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens and adjacent cortical regions (but not striatum) of SHR when compared to WKY rats. Conclusion: The present results suggest a potential alteration in D1R neurotransmission within the frontal-striatal circuitry of SHR involved in motor control. These findings extend our understanding of the molecular alterations in SHR, a heuristically useful model of ADHD.
Help versus Harm: The Impact of NGO Interventions

Aiding Peace? The Role of NGOs in Armed Conflict. By Jonathan Goodhand. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2006. ITDG Publishing (ISBN: 9-78158826462-6). The slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994 marked one example among many during the twentieth century in which genocide occurred and the international community failed to intervene. By contrast, the world's powers were moved to action in 1999 when NATO forces intervened in the former Yugoslavia to prevent the kind of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo that had been seen previously in Bosnia. These two cases, in particular, set the stage for the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, which was established in 2000 to forge a consensus on when and how humanitarian intervention should occur. The Commission's report, The Responsibility to Protect, lays out a perspective that has received growing international support. It argues “that sovereign states have a responsibility to protect their own citizens from avoidable catastrophe—from mass murder and rape, from starvation—but that when they are unwilling or unable to do so, that responsibility must be borne by the broader community of states” (International Commission 2001:VIII). However, this perspective is only one side of an ongoing debate that Jonathan Goodhand analyzes in Aiding Peace? The Role of NGOs in Armed Conflict . It is the maximalist approach, which argues that humanitarians should intervene to stem violence and protect the innocent. An alternative perspective—the minimalist approach—holds that humanitarians should not expand their activities and mandates but, rather, should retreat to the purer, more neutral position that the aid community has occupied in the past. This debate is a response to the empirical reality that, over the past decades, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have come to play a larger and larger role in relief and development work. As the level and range of NGO activities has grown, however, many observers have increasingly questioned their effectiveness and accountability. Although it was once assumed that NGO work must be improving …
New Developments in Diabetes Management: Medications of the 21st Century

Abstract Background Suboptimal blood glucose control among patients with type 2 diabetes continues to support the need for new pharmacologic approaches. Objective The purpose of this commentary was to highlight newly available and soon-to-be available agents that are promising tools for targeting specific pathophysiologic pathways in the management of diabetes. Methods Published evidence to support the application of novel incretin-based therapies, dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT)-2 inhibitors, other oral agents and insulins for managing specific aspects of type 2 diabetes, as well as disadvantages associated with those novel medications, are discussed. Results Several new glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonists with different time frames of action, although each has unique advantages and disadvantages, have been through clinical trials. Examples of these are lixisenatide and albiglutide. Currently available DPP-4 inhibitor agents, important for inhibiting the breakdown of endogenous GLP-1, have not been associated with weight gain or hypoglycemia. SGLT-2 inhibitors, which do not depend on insulin secretion or insulin action, may be advantageous in that they appear to be broadly efficacious at all stages of diabetes. New insulin analogues, such as degludec and U-500, improve glycemic control without contributing to hypoglycemia. Conclusions Advances in pharmacologic options offer the promise of improving glycemic control for longer periods, with limited glycemic fluctuations, hypoglycemia, and weight gain. However, the effectiveness of these agents ultimately depends on their availability to providers managing the health care of patients at high risk for poor diabetes outcomes and patients’ use of them as directed. Long-term effectiveness and safety trials are ongoing.
Reintroduction of Castilleja levisecta: Effects of Ecological Similarity, Source Population Genetics, and Habitat Quality

A suite of ecological and genetic factors are likely to contribute to reintroduction performance. Potential factors include the ecological similarity between seed source and introduction site, population size and genetic diversity of seed sources, and the habitat quality of the introduction site. We conducted common garden experiments with golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta), an endangered species from the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A., in order to test hypotheses about reintroduction performance and to provide management recommendations. Ten common gardens, each composed of C. levisecta individuals grown from seed from six of the remaining populations, were planted into field conditions and monitored during two growing seasons. Plant community characteristics were important predictors of observed variation in C. levisecta performance. Exotic species-cover at common garden sites was associated with a reduction in performance of first-year C. levisecta transplants, while survival to the second growing season increased with increasing similarity in plant functional groups between source and common garden sites. Although measures of genetic diversity, population size, and geographic distance are often used to make conservation decisions during species recovery, here they were poor predictors of C. levisecta performance and establishment. We recommend choosing material for reintroduction from ecologically similar habitats, rather than those most proximate geographically, and selecting recovery sites with low exotic species abundance.
Skull base cerebrospinal fluid fistula.

A skull base CSF fistula occurs when there is a defect at the skull base and the subarachnoid space communicates with the extracranial space. Galen in the 2nd century aD was the first to describe leakage of CSF after cranial trauma.5 The term “rhinorrhea” was coined by Thomson3 while describing spontaneous nasal CSF leaks in patients. There exist a number of constants in neurosurgery with respect to achieving good outcomes for our patients. These include an intimate knowledge of surgical anatomy, meticulous technique to avoid injury to vital tissue, sharp attention to hemostasis, and so forth. This issue of Neurosurgical Focus deals with one of these constants that is paramount in cranial, skull base, and spinal neurosurgery, that is, exclusion of the CSF space from the external environment. Failure to obtain adequate closure, resulting in the loss of CSF and the communication of privileged internal space with the exterior milieu, can have a disastrous influence on the eventual outcome of an otherwise uneventful operation. Techniques to restore or maintain seclusion of the space occupied by CSF around the brain and spinal cord is the subject of this issue. The importance of closing the dural defect was put forward by Grant in 1923.2 Walter Dandy,1 in 1926, published the first report on the surgical repair of CSF rhinorrhea. He used muscle and fascia to close a frontal sinus defect. Using an endoscope in the repair of a skull base defect was proposed by Wigand in 1981.4 In recent years endonasal endoscopic approaches to the cranial base have been particularly in vogue. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that this issue has a particular emphasis on techniques applied in these procedures to achieve satisfactory closure. This aspect of contemporary cranial base surgery has taken advantage of the unique expertise of neurosurgeons and our otorhinolaryngology colleagues. Our ability to traverse the nasoand oropharyngeal spaces to reach the skull base and intracranial compartment has realized significant advancements in the past years. New biological and structural materials as well as innovative vascularized tissue transfer techniques have contributed equally to an enhanced ability to create seals that prevent egress of CSF. The level of facility with these techniques, built on the collective experience of others in our field, is demonstrated in this issue. Treating CSF fistulas, whether from surgical or accidental trauma, remains a critical clinical and surgical challenge. Our results are certainly not perfect; however, a high standard is reachable with adherence to certain principles and proficiency with contemporary techniques. (http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2012.5.FOCUS12164)
Daily Reports of Positive and Negative Affect and Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among College Student and Nonstudent Young Adults

ABSTRACTBackground: Daily affect and substance use covary among college students, but little is known about these associations among young adults not in college. Objectives: The current pilot study examines associations between positive and negative affect and alcohol and marijuana use, with a focus on differences between college student and nonstudent young adults. Methods: High school seniors completed a baseline survey during the spring of 2012 and were then randomly selected to participate in an intensive measurement follow-up. Participants in the follow-up (N = 72, 40.3% men, 77.8% White, 66.7% full-time college students) completed up to 14 consecutive web-based daily surveys during the fall after high school completion. Multilevel models in which days (Level 1) were nested in persons (Level 2) were estimated. Results: Weekend days were associated with increased alcohol use among all young adults, increased marijuana use among college students, and decreased marijuana use among nonstudents. For young...
Dietary fiber, plasma insulin, and obesity

The relationship between obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia is briefly reviewed. The possibility is considered that excess insulin secretion is the cause rather than the result of insulin resistance and obesity. Glucose administration is one of the most frequently studied of those factors known to stimulate insulin secretion. Much less well documented is the fact that meals of equal protein, fat, and carbohydrate content may cause different responses of plasma glucose and insulin. An experiment is reported in which the effects of a high-carbohydrate, high-fiber meal administered to seven healthy young adults were compared with the effects of a meal equally high in carbohydrate but composed largely of glucose in liquid formula form. The high-fiber meal caused an insulin rise less than half that caused by the liquid formula meal although the plasma glucose response to the two meals was not significantly different. The hypothesis is proposed that a high-carbohydrate, fiber-depleted diet, high in simple sugars, by repeatedly stimulating an excessive insulin response, may lead to insulin resistance and obesity in susceptible individuals and may play a role in the common occurrence of obesity in industrialized societies.
Drug-induced QT interval prolongation and torsades de pointes: Role of the pharmacist in risk assessment, prevention and management

Torsades de pointes (TdP) is a life-threatening arrhythmia associated with prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval on the electrocardiogram. More than 100 drugs available in Canada, includi...
Origin of Psychology Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine Related in the Huangdi Scripture

The Nature and Characteristics of Psychical Activities, and the Dissertation Concerning Relations between Psychology and Internal Organs Elucidated in《Huangdi Scripture》, in particularly the Fundamental Psychic Theories of Diseases Caused by Emotional Factors and Combined Psychical/Physical Treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Still Have an Irreplaceable Reference Value and Instruction Significance in the Domain of Clinical Practice and Theory Research in nowadays.