cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dopamine Depletion in Nucleus Accumbens Influences Locomotion But Not Force and Timing of Operant Responding

This experiment examined the role of dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens in regulating beam pressing and locomotor responses. Six rats were rewarded with sucrose on a partial reinforcement schedule for pressing force-sensitive beams. Open-field locomotor activity, and the force and timing characteristics of operant motor responses were recorded. It is known that low doses of apomorphine decrease DA tone through activating DA autoreceptors, resulting in suppression of both operant responses and locomotion. Our results showed that DA depletion in the nucleus accumbens, induced by bilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine, did not affect the force and timing of operant responses: neither did it reverse the suppressive effects of low doses of apomorphine on the force and timing of operant responses. However, accumbens DA depletion did block the suppressive effect of apomorphine on open-field locomotion. These results were interpreted as support for the hypothesis that the suppressive effects of low doses of apomorphine on locomotion, but not on operant beam pressing, are mediated mainly by DA autoreceptors in the mesolimbic pathway.
Homology of the paired fins in fishes

Recent and fossil fishes may be divided into groups having both pectoral and pelvic fins, pectorals only, pelvics only, or with a second pair of fins located anteriorly and seemingly not homologous with pelvics. In some groups the pelvics are located near the cloaca, with an extensive hiatus between the pectoral and pelvic neuromeres; other groups are of an intermediate character, while in a third group the second pair of fins appears to have no relationship to the pelvics. The character of the innervation indicates that they could hardly have been derived from the latter, and the few nerves, consecutive with the brachial plexus, which supply them suggest origin from the posterior elements of the dermal series, the anterior of which became the pectoral fins. Instances even occur (Polynemus) in which a third pair of appendages has been derived from the original pectoral complex.
Construct and Criterion-Related Validity of the Adult-Attitudes toward Computers Survey for a Sample of Professional Nurses

While the literature indicates that attitudes towards computers and associated technologies needs further investigation in health care environments, there is a lack of formal research directed towards determining how professional nurses view the impact of computers in their work setting. The purposes of this study were to locate a valid instrument for assessing nurses' attitudes toward computers and to examine nurses' attitudes in relation to selected variables. The Adult-Attitudes Toward Computers Survey (Adult-ATC Survey) was administered to a sample of 210 practicing nurses who also responded to questions regarding their background experiences, work setting, use of computers, and attitudes toward this technology. A principal factor analysis using oblique and varimax rotations produced a conceptually meaningful 2-factor solution with high alpha reliabilities. Correlations are reported between each of the demographic variables and the subscales of the Adult-ATC Survey. The results of this study support t...
The rotating disk: Reply to Grøn

It is argued that Gron's criticism of our treatment of the rotating disk in special relativity is incorrect: Our results pertain to an acceleration program different from his but physically no less legitimate.
An Approach to Design a SOA Services Governance Architecture for an u-Healthcare System with Mobility

Ubiquitous health u-Health system is focused on the concept of providing medical service and assistance to the patients "anywhere and anytime" regardless of their locations. Existing mobile u-Healthcare systems have problems in lacking one or the other S.C.A.L.E. Scalability, Connectivity, Adaptability, Liability, and Ease-of-use criterion that any ubiquitous system must support. They become expensive during set up, reconfiguration, and modification as no proper and efficient solution is available. Also, they lack security, privacy, and wireless accessibility features so all these problems can prevent the system from being expanded widely. The objective of this paper is to implement a u-Healthcare system based on wireless mobile technology using Service Oriented Architecture SOA. Applying Service Governance of Service Oriented Architecture helps make all services more secure, reusable, interoperable, available, and imposes all the features a ubiquitous system should have. A prototype system uSG-Health was developed using the approach for demonstrating the functionality and ability of the proposed u-Healthcare system.
Grain Policy in Chinese Villages: Yield Response to Pricing, Procurement, and Loan Policies

This paper assesses the effects of pricing, procurement, and loan policies on China's grain economy. A dynamic control model of the village leader is specified. Parameters of structural and control equations are estimated using time-series cross-section data. Simulation results show that pricing and procurement policies are not effective in raising yields, because of conflicting objectives of local officials. Loan policies can increase yields. The paper concludes that rural policies often have contradictory effects that can arise for a number of reasons. An important reason is the fact that local officials in a reforming economy have greater decision-making discretion than higher-level officials and execute policies to meet their own objectives.
Serial Head Ultrasound Studies in Preterm Infants: How Many Normal Studies Does One Infant Need to Exclude Significant Abnormalities?

Serial Head Ultrasound Studies in Preterm Infants: How Many Normal Studies Does One Infant Need to Exclude Significant Abnormalities?
Wetting on cylinders and spheres

A fluid (or Ising-like) system in contact with a uniformly curved substrate, such as a cylinder or sphere, exhibits a surface phase diagram which is different from that when the substrate is flat. Using both an interface model and a Landau theory that includes surface field and surface coupling enhancement parameters, we find that the effects of curvature may be subsumed into an effective bulk (ordering) field. Complete and critical wetting transitions are thus suppressed. At bulk coexistence, the mean-field phase diagram exhibits curvature-induced prewetting and critical prewetting transitions. In d=3, finite-size effects smear the prewetting transitions that would otherwise take place in cylindrical or spherical geometries. The Landau theory employs a nonanalytic, piecewise parabolic approximation to the usual quartic polynomial in the free-energy functional. This approximation produces a global surface phase diagram with the correct topology, even though it is unsuited for the description of multicritical phenomena, such as wetting tricriticality. Other strengths and weaknesses of the approximation are described.
Theoretical study on strain-induced variations in electronic properties of monolayer MoS2

Ultrathin MoS2 sheets and nanostructures are promising materials for electronic and optoelectronic devices as well as chemical catalysts. To expand their potential in applications, a fundamental understanding is needed of the electronic structure and carrier mobility as a function of strain. In this paper, the effect of strain on electronic properties of monolayer MoS2 is investigated using ab initio simulations based on density functional theory. Our calculations are performed in both infinitely large two-dimensional (2D) sheets and one-dimensional (1D) nanoribbons which are theoretically cut from the sheets with semiconducting $$ [\bar{1}100] $$ (armchair) edges. The 2D crystal is studied under biaxial strain, uniaxial strain, and uniaxial stress conditions, while the 1D nanoribbon is studied under a uniaxial stress condition. Our results suggest that the electronic bandgap of the 2D sheet experiences a direct-indirect transition under both tensile and compressive strains. Its bandgap energy (E g) decreases under tensile strain/stress conditions, while for an in-plane compression, E g is initially raised by a small amount and then decreased as the strain varies from 0 to −6 %. On the other hand, E g at the semiconducting edges of monolayer MoS2 nanoribbons is relatively invariant under uniaxial stretches or compressions. The effective masses of electrons at the conduction band minimum (CBM) and holes at the valence band maximum (VBM) are generally decreased as the in-plane extensions or compressions become stronger, but abrupt changes occur when CBM or VBM shifts between different k-points in the first Brillouin zone.
Two-dimensional supersymmetric sigma-models on Ricci-flat Kähler manifolds are not finite

Abstract We present an explicit superspace calculation of the quantum corrections, up to four-loop order in perturbation theory, for the N = 2 non-linear σ-model in two-dimensions. At the four-loop level we find a non-zero contribution to the β-function which does not vanish on a Ricci-flat Kahler manifold. We discuss the relevance of this result in connection with superstring compactification.
New highly efficient photorefractive polymer composite for optical-storage and image-processing applications

Reversible holographic storage and beam amplification has been achieved in a new polymer composite using a low-power semiconductor visible laser diode emitting at 674nm. This material shows substantially better performance than the existing photorefractive polymeric materials. A diffraction efficiency of 5%, a gain coefficient of 30cm−1 and a net gain of 6cm−1 have been measured in 105 μm-thick samples with an applied field of 40V/μm.
Risks and Benefits of Statin Use in Young People with Type 1 Diabetes

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Despite advances in the management of microvascular complications of T1D, there is a lack of similar progress in reduction of macrovascular complications. Dyslipidemia is one of the major contributory factors for macrovascular complications in T1D, but the literature suggests significant under-treatment of this risk factor in children and adolescents with diabetes. Statins have shown to be both effective and safe in young people with familial hypercholesterolemia and adults with diabetes mellitus, but the role for statins in children and adolescent with T1D remains unclear and controversial. In this review, we will summarize the risks and benefits of statin use in young people with T1D.
Topological diversity in zinc coordination polymers with 5-substituted isophthalate and bis(4-pyridylmethyl)piperazine ligands

The structures of luminescent divalent zinc coordination polymers containing a 5-substituted isophthalate ligand and the long-spanning hydrogen-bonding capable tethering ligand bis(4-pyridylmethyl)piperazine (bpmp) show a wide variety of two- and three-dimensional topologies. {[Zn(NO2ip)(Hbpmp)][ZnCl(H2O)(NO2ip)]}n (1, NO2ip = 5-nitroisophthalate) possesses parallel two-fold interpenetrated cationic (4,4) coordination polymer grids along with embedded anionic one-dimensional (1-D) chain motifs. The chloride-free derivative {[Zn5(NO2ip)6(Hbpmp)2(bpmp)]·2H2O}n (2) manifests trinuclear units linked into a complex doubly interpenetrated 4,8-connected binodal 3-D lattice with (456)2(414614) topology. {[Zn(OHip)(bpmp)]·H2O}n (3, OHip = 5-hydroxyisophthalate) has a five-fold interpenetrated diamondoid topology, while [Zn2(tBuip)2(bpmp)]n (4, tBuip = 5-tert-butylisophthalate) shows a two-fold interpenetrated primitive cubic net based on dimeric units. {[Zn(OMeip)(bpmp)]·8H2O}n (5, OMeip = 5-methoxyisophthalate) adopts an undulating (4,4) single-grid 2-D topology. {[Zn(sip)(Hbpmp)]·4H2O}n (6, sip = 5-sulfoisophthalate) displays a novel three-fold interpenetrated 3,5-connected binodal lattice with (426)(426583) topology.
Sequence and characterization of an Ehrlichia chaffeensis gene encoding 314 amino acids highly homologous to the NAD A enzyme.

DNA sequence analysis of the nadA gene of Ehrlichia chaffeensis revealed a 942 bp open reading frame with the capacity to encode 314 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of the E. chaffeensis quinolinate synthetase A (NAD A) has 53.6% identity and 82% similarity to the NAD A of the cyanelle of Cyanophora paradoxa. Portions of the homologous genes of E. canis and E. muris were also sequenced. The amino acid sequences of the NAD A of E. canis and E. muris have 89.2% and 93.2% homology, respectively, to the NAD A of E. chaffeensis. We propose that the nadA gene may be an excellent candidate for a genetic tool for the phylogenetic study of ehrlichiae.
Materials and Their Specifications for Vascular Prostheses. Specifications and Performance Standards

: Specification and performance standards represent distinctly different criteria for safe and effective cardiovascular materials and devices, in distinct areas of materials and device conversions, with consideration of implant as well as physiological assault. Cardiovascular device failures need more definitive, realistic, and creative approaches to devising standards of performance with relevance to the physiological environment.
Analytical solutions for a two-level system driven by a class of chirped pulses

We present analytical solutions for the problem of a two-level atom driven by a class of chirped pulses. The solutions are given in terms of Heun functions. By use of the appropriate chirping parameters, an enhancement of four orders of magnitude in the population transfer is obtained.
Factors Contributing to Corrosion of Steel Pilings in Duluth-Superior Harbor

Abstract Field observations and laboratory testing were used to conclude that aggressive localized corrosion of carbon steel pilings in Duluth-Superior Harbor, Minnesota and Wisconsin, is caused by...
Damping in 1 GHz laterally-vibrating composite piezoelectric resonators

This paper focuses on experimentally verifying the physics of damping in 1 GHz laterally-vibrating composite piezoelectric resonators. This work confutes a previously developed theory of interfacial dissipation, a slip phenomenon occurring at the interface between dissimilar materials, which associated damping to a stress jump (or difference in Young's moduli (ΔE)) of the materials forming the interface. This work finds that damping in 1 GHz laterally-vibrating AlN resonators could be attributed to either interfacial dissipation due to an acoustic velocity jump (Δv) or thermoelastic dissipation (TED) in the electrodes.
The triterpenoid 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic-acid methyl ester has potent anti-diabetic effects in diet-induced diabetic mice and Lepr(db/db) mice.

The triterpenoid 2-Cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic-acid (CDDO) and its methyl ester (CDDO-Me) are undergoing clinical trials in cancer and leukemia therapy. Here we report that CDDO-Me ameliorates diabetes in high fat diet-fed type 2 diabetic mice and in Leprdb/db mice. CDDO-Me reduces proinflammatory cytokine expression in these animals. Oral CDDO-Me administration reduces total body fat, plasma triglyceride, and free fatty acid levels. It also improves glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance tests. Its potent glucose-lowering activity results from enhanced insulin action. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp reveals an increased glucose infusion rate required to maintain euglycemia and showed a significant increase in muscle-specific insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (71% soleus, 58% gastrocnemius) and peripheral glucose clearance as documented by a 48% increase in glucose disposal rate. CDDO-Me activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and via LKB1 activation in muscle and liver in vivo. Treatment of isolated hepatocytes with CDDO-Me directly stimulates AMPK activity and LKB1 phosphorylation and decreases acetyl-coA carboxylase activity; it also down-regulates lipogenic gene expression, suppresses gluconeogenesis, and increases glucose uptake. Inhibition of AMPK phosphorylation using compound C and lentiviral-mediated knockdown of AMPK completely blocks the CDDO-Me-induced effect on hepatocytes as well as C2C12 cells. We conclude that the triterpenoid CDDO-Me has potent anti-diabetic action in diabetic mouse models that is mediated at least in part through AMPK activation. The in vivo anti-diabetogenic effects occur at a dose substantially lower than that used for anti-leukemia therapy. We suggest that CDDO-Me holds promise as a potential anti-diabetic agent.
Vibrational Analysis of Terephthalate and Terephthalate-D4 Ions

Infrared and Raman spectra of the terephthalate and terephthalate-d4, ions have been obtained. Normal coordinate analysis was carried out for both ions by transferring force fields from previous work on aromatic esters and p-nitro-benzoate and then refining all the force constants for the carboxylate groups and the diagonal force constants for the benzene rings by a first-order perturbation technique. An interpretation of the observed spectra has been proposed and selected eigenvectors have been presented.
Formation and evolution of ripples on ion-irradiated semiconductor surfaces

We have examined the formation and evolution of ripples on focused-ion-beam (FIB) irradiated compound semiconductor surfaces. Using initially normal-incidence Ga+ FIB irradiation of InSb, we tuned the local beam incidence angle (θeff) by varying the pitch and/or dwell time. For single-pass FIB irradiation, increasing θeff induces morphological evolution from pits and islands to ripples to featureless surfaces. Multiple-pass FIB irradiation of the rippled surfaces at a fixed θeff leads to island formation on the ripple crests, followed by nanorod (NR) growth. This ripple-NR transition provides an alternative approach for achieving dense arrays of NRs.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw and bisphosphonates: a comparison with white phosphorus, radium, and osteopetrosis.

Introduction. Recent reports of bisphosphonate-associated jaw osteonecrosis are reminiscent of earlier incidents in which a comparable syndrome was caused by occupational exposure to white phosphorus or radium. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is also caused by an inherited disease: osteopetrosis. This review analyzes the biomedical and social aspects of these four situations associated with jaw osteonecrosis. Results. Clinical evidence is contradictory but suggests aminobisphosphonates cause rare cases of jaw necrosis. In addition to jaw problems, generalized skeletal defects characterize osteopetrosis and exposure to phosphorus or radium and there is evidence of decreased bone resorption in these conditions and with bisphosphonate therapy. Conclusion. Bisphosphonate-induced jaw necrosis appears to be an on-target toxicity as the same mechanism, inhibition bone resorption, probably underlies both the therapeutic and adverse effects. Since bisphosphonates are retained for long periods by bone the theoretical pote...
Minimization of construction errors in bent-wire protein models.

Two kinds of errors are found in protein models made with the tool of Rubin and Richardson. Global errors result from the accumulation of many errors too small to localize, while local errors are assignable to particular bends in the model. We here locate the sources of local errors, and show how to minimize both kinds of errors.
Nitric oxide synthase in human and rat lung: immunocytochemical and histochemical localization.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) produces nitric oxide, a mediator of potential importance in numerous physiologic and inflammatory processes in the lung. We localized constitutive NOS (c-NOS) and inducible NOS (i-NOS) within lung tissue by immunoperoxidase labeling with specific antibodies or by histochemical demonstration of the characteristic NADPH diaphorase activity of NOS. We analyzed human airway (n = 4) or parenchyma (n = 10) specimens obtained from uninvolved areas of surgical tumor resections. We also studied human fetal lung samples (n = 6) and normal or inflamed (16 h after intratracheal LPS instillation) rat lung tissue. Immunostaining with anti-c-NOS identified c-NOS antigen in rat lung nerves, endothelium, and airway epithelium. Normal or inflamed rat macrophages were not stained. Human nerve elements and large-vessel endothelium showed immunostaining with the anti-c-NOS, but no labeling of the airway or alveolar epithelium was seen. Immunostaining with anti-i-NOS showed strong labeling of rat m...
Molecular cloning and characterization of the guinea pig cholinephosphotransferase gene.

Abstract Cholinephosphotransferase (CPT), the terminal enzyme in the de novo synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC), has an important role in regulating the acyl group of PC in mammalian cells. A 593 bp cDNA coding for the 3 ′ -end of the CPT gene has been cloned from guinea pig liver using degenerative oligos based on the human CPT gene. It has 85% amino acid homology with the human CPT enzyme and amino acid variations were found to cluster at few points. Restriction enzyme polymorphisms were found particularly with respect to Bam HI and Nco I. Hydrophobic and helix plot analysis of the sequence shows a similar pattern to human counterpart except for amino acid residues 142–179 and 173–179. PCR analysis suggested that a predominant pseudogene may be present in guinea pig and also the intronic sequences were much shorter when compared to the human CPT gene. We are the first to report on the C-terminal 195 amino acid residues of the CPT gene from any animal species alike in many aspects of cellular metabolism. The probable differences in genomic organization and its expression in different cancer cells have been discussed here having CPT as an important target for cancer drug development.
Medicaid enrollment choice into managed care health plans.

Rural Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Medicaid recipients were surveyed to identify factors that influenced their enrollment choice between two managed care health plans and the traditional Medicaid fee-for-service plan. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses provided evidence that the Medicaid institutional information structure directly influenced recipient decision to enroll in managed care plans. Current smokers were more likely to choose a managed care plan in this sample. There was no evidence that health status, health service use patterns, marital status, or ethnicity was related to the enrollment decision. Of those who chose the traditional Medicaid fee-for-service plan, 41 percent reported that they did not understand what managed care was.
Parallel high throughput soft-output sphere decoder

Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output communication systems demand fast sphere decoding with high performance. We propose a high throughput soft-output fixed complexity sphere decoder (PFSD) that is parallel and has comparable performance to list fixed complexity sphere decoder (LFSD) and K-best sphere decoder. In addition, we propose a parallel QR decomposition algorithm to lower the preprocessing overhead, and a low complexity LLR algorithm to allow parallel update of LLR values. We demonstrate the BER and computation complexity advantages of the PFSD algorithm in a 4×4 16-QAM system. The PFSD algorithm has been mapped onto Xilinx XC4VLX160 FPGA. The resulting PFSD decoder can produce 8 candidate vectors per clock cycle, and achieve upto 75Mbps throughput for 4×4 64-QAM configuration at 100MHz with low control overhead.
Coactivation of Foxa2 through Pgc-1β promotes liver fatty acid oxidation and triglyceride/VLDL secretion

Summary Forkhead transcription factor Foxa2 activates genes involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and is regulated by insulin. Activation of Foxa2 in the liver leads to increased oxidation and secretion of fatty acids in the form of triacylglycerols (TAGs), a process impaired in type 2 diabetes. Here, we demonstrate that Foxa2 is coactivated by PPARγ coactivator β (Pgc-1β). Adenoviral expression of Foxa2 and Pgc-1β in livers of ob/ob mice results in decreased hepatic TAG content and increased plasma TAG concentrations. In addition, the concerted action of Foxa2/Pgc-1β activates genes in mitochondrial β oxidation and enhances fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, Foxa2/Pgc-1β induce the expression of microsomal transfer protein, thereby increasing apoB-containing VLDL secretion. This process is inhibited by insulin through a Foxa2-dependent mechanism. These data demonstrate that Foxa2/Pgc-1β regulate hepatic lipid homeostasis by affecting the clearance rate of fatty acids through oxidation and/or secretion of lipids in response to insulin.
Cocaine use associated with increased suicidal behavior in depressed alcoholics

The aim of this study was to determine whether depressed alcoholics who used cocaine would display a higher prevalence of suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation than depressed alcoholics who did not use cocaine. Forty-one depressed alcoholics participated in this prospective study of consecutively admitted inpatients. Seventeen patients (41.5%) had made a suicide attempt during their current depressive episode, and all but 1 of these attempts occurred during the week prior to their hospitalization. Ten patients used cocaine in the week prior to hospitalization, and 7 of these 10 (70%) had made a suicide attempt during that week. In contrast, only 32% of the depressed alcoholics who did not use cocaine made a suicide attempt during that week (p < .05). Suicidal ideation was also more prevalent in alcoholics who used cocaine. These data provide evidence that cocaine use is associated with an increased prevalence of suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation in depressed alcoholics.
Relative contributions to the plasmon line shape of metal nanoshells

Nanoshells are mesoscopic particles consisting of a dielectric core coated with a metal shell, in particular gold or silver, of uniform nanometer scale thickness. This topology supports plasmon excitations with frequencies that are sensitively dependent on the relative radii of the nanoparticle's core and shell. The plasmon linewidth for this geometry is typically quite broad, nominally 100 nm or more in wavelength at plasmon resonance wavelengths in the near infrared. Several distinct physical mechanisms control the plasmon lineshape: phase retardation effects, including multipolar plasmon contributions; inhomogeneous broadening due to core and shell size distributions; and electron scattering at the shell interfaces. These mechanisms are examined in terms of their relative contributions to the plasmon line shape for nanoshells fabricated with diameters of 100--250 nm.
Conformations of Bioorganic P(V) Cyclic Nucleotide Model Compounds

Abstract Compounds containing pentacovalent phosphorus in six-member rings have been synthesized. These are structural models for potential enzyme or substrate adducts of CAMP. The presence of twist rather than chair form P(V) containing rings was demonstrated by 1H NMR analysis.
Precise evaluation of polarization mode dispersion by separation of even- and odd-order effects in quantum interferometry

The use of quantum correlations between photons to separate measure even- and odd-order components of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and chromatic dispersion in discrete optical elements is investigated. Two types of apparatus are discussed which use coincidence counting of entangled photon pairs to allow sub-femtosecond resolution for measurement of both PMD and chromatic dispersion. Group delays can be measured with a resolution of order 0.1 fs, whereas attosecond resolution can be achieved for phase delays.
Barriers to subsidies: why low-income families do not use child care subsidies

Abstract Child care affordability is a problem for low-income families. Child care subsidies are intended to reduce child care expenses and promote parental employment for poor families. Yet many families fail to utilize the child care subsidies for which they are eligible. This research investigates barriers to utilizing child care subsidies. Found barriers include parents’ beliefs that they either did not need or were not eligible for subsidy. Knowingly eligible families avoided applying for subsidies because of hassles and restrictions, real or perceived, associated with accessing the subsidy system. Even families receiving subsidies were confused about subsidy regulations. The major predictors of subsidy use were prior welfare experience, single parenthood, family/household income, hours of employment, use of center care and in-home care, and receipt of court ordered child support. Policy recommendations include developing better methods for disseminating information about subsidy eligibility and reducing barriers associated with specific subsidy regulations.
Regulation of growth hormone-releasing hormone and somatostatin from perifused, bovine hypothalamic slices. II. Dopamine receptor regulation

An in vitro perifusion system for bovine hypothalamic tissue was utilized to examine the role of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the regulation of somatostatin (SRIF) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) release. Up to three sagittal slices (600 microns) of bovine hypothalamus, immediately parallel to the midline, were cut in an oxygenated balanced salt solution at 4 degrees C, placed in 5 cc syringes, and perifused at 37 degrees C with oxygenated minimum essential medium-alpha at a flow rate of 0.15 ml/min. Five experiments were conducted, and medium effluent was collected every 20 min before (two samples), during (one or three samples), and after (six samples) treatment. Areas under SRIF and GHRH response curves (AUC), adjusted by covariance for pretreatment values, were calculated from samples collected during the treatment/post-treatment period. Activation of D1 receptor with 10(-8) M and 10(-6) M SKF 38393 increased AUC for SRIF from 5.6 (control) to 420 and 500 +/- 57.8 ng.ml-1 min, but 10(-10) M SKF 38393 was ineffective. Relative to controls, release of GHRH was decreased 50% in the 10(-6) M SKF 38393 group. Blockade of D1 receptors with SCH 23390 had no effect on basal release of either SRIF or GHRH, but prevented SKF 38393-induced release of SRIF and SKF 38393-induced suppression of GHRH. In contrast, quinelorane, a D2 receptor agonist, and haloperidol, which blocks D2 receptors, did not affect release of SRIF or GHRH. We concluded that activation of D1 dopamine receptors, but not D2 dopamine receptors, stimulates release of SRIF and inhibits release of GHRH from the bovine hypothalamus.
A transcriptional regulatory element critical for CHRNB4 promoter activity in vivo

Abstract Genome-wide association studies have underscored the importance of the clustered neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit genes with respect to nicotine dependence as well as lung cancer susceptibility. CHRNB4, which encodes the nAChR β4 subunit, plays a major role in the molecular mechanisms that govern nicotine withdrawal. Thus, elucidating how expression of the β4 gene is regulated is critical for understanding the pathophysiology of nicotine addiction. We previously identified a CA box regulatory element, (5′-CCACCCCT-3′) critical for β4 promoter activity in vitro . We further demonstrated that a 2.3-kb fragment of the β4 promoter region containing the 5′-CCACCCCT-3′ regulatory element in the β4 gene promoter (CA box) is capable of directing cell-type specific expression of a reporter gene to a myriad of brain regions that endogenously express the β4 gene. To test the hypothesis that the CA box is critical for β4 promoter activity in vivo , transgenic animals expressing a mutant form of the β4 promoter were generated. Reporter gene expression was not detected in any tissue or cell type at embryonic day 18.5 (ED 18.5). Similarly, we observed drastically reduced reporter gene expression at postnatal day 30 (PD30) when compared to wild type (WT) transgenic animals. Finally, we demonstrated that CA box mutation results in decreased interaction of the transcription factor Sp1 with the mutant β4 promoter. Taken together these results demonstrate that the CA box is critical for β4 promoter activity in vivo .
Computer simulation studies of the fully solvated wild-type and mutated GnRH in extended and beta-turn conformations.

Abstract The conformational preference of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and its Lys8 mutant, studied earlier with a continuum model, was revisited using an explicit solvent model and thermodynamic integration to calculate the solvents contribution to the conformation-dependence of its free energy. In addition, the Proximity Criterion was used to further analyze the effects of conformational changes.
Using historical and experimental data to reveal warming effects on ant assemblages.

Historical records of species are compared with current records to elucidate effects of recent climate change. However, confounding variables such as succession, land-use change, and species invasions make it difficult to demonstrate a causal link between changes in biota and changes in climate. Experiments that manipulate temperature can overcome this issue of attribution, but long-term impacts of warming are difficult to test directly. Here we combine historical and experimental data to explore effects of warming on ant assemblages in southeastern US. Observational data span a 35-year period (1976–2011), during which mean annual temperatures had an increasing trend. Mean summer temperatures in 2010–2011 were ∼2.7°C warmer than in 1976. Experimental data come from an ongoing study in the same region, for which temperatures have been increased ∼1.5–5.5°C above ambient from 2010 to 2012. Ant species richness and evenness decreased with warming under natural but not experimental warming. These discrepancies could have resulted from differences in timescales of warming, abiotic or biotic factors, or initial species pools. Species turnover tended to increase with temperature in observational and experimental datasets. At the species level, the observational and experimental datasets had four species in common, two of which exhibited consistent patterns between datasets. With natural and experimental warming, collections of the numerically dominant, thermophilic species, Crematogaster lineolata, increased roughly two-fold. Myrmecina americana, a relatively heat intolerant species, decreased with temperature in natural and experimental warming. In contrast, species in the Solenopsis molesta group did not show consistent responses to warming, and Temenothorax pergandei was rare across temperatures. Our results highlight the difficulty of interpreting community responses to warming based on historical records or experiments alone. Because some species showed consistent responses to warming based on thermal tolerances, understanding functional traits may prove useful in explaining responses of species to warming.
Stepwise Sliding of Single Actin and Myosin Filaments

Dynamics of sliding were explored in isolated actin and myosin filaments. Sliding occurs in steps. The steps are integer multiples of 2.7 nm, which is equal to the monomeric repeat along the actin filament. When filaments were forced to slide in the reverse direction, the size paradigm was the same. This size paradigm is parallel to that seen in the kinesin-microtubule system, where step size is an integer multiple of the tubulin repeat along the microtubule.
On minimal Gerschgorin sets for families of norms

In this note, the minimal Gerschgorin setG is defined for a matrixA, relative to a matrixD and a familyF of norms. This minimal Gerschgorin set is shown to be an inclusion region for the eigenvalues of a related collection $$\widehat\Omega $$ of matrices, i.e., $$\sigma (\widehat\Omega ) \subseteq G.$$ The main result is a necessary and sufficient condition for equality to hold in the above inclusion. In addition, examples are given, one for which equality does not hold in the above inclusion.
Surgery of the frontal recess and sinus: The utility of a computed tomography image-guidance system in selected cases

Surgery of the frontal sinus can be very challenging, given the highly variable and complex anatomy of the frontal sinus and frontal recess. Most endoscopic procedures directed at the frontal sinus are performed in patients who previously underwent sinus surgery. In these patients, it is common to find anatomic variants that predispose the patient to frontal sinus disease, as well as scarring and osteoneogenesis. Many patients have a combination of these factors. In particular, incomplete removal of the obstructing agger nasi cell and frontal cells may be identified. Given the variable anatomy of the region and the close proximity to vital structures, image-guidance may serve as a useful adjunct to the surgeon in selected cases. Two situations where we have found image-guidance particularly useful are in cases of severe scarring and osteoneogenesis and in cases where obstructing frontal cells are present.
Conversion of metal carbides to carbide derived carbon by reactive ion etching in halogen gas

The excellent tribological properties, very low friction coefficient, ~0.05, of the recently discovered carbide derived carbon (CDC) films have shown them to be excellent candidates in many applications where friction and wear are dominating issues in performance. In this work we examine the feasibility of employing a reactive ion etching process (RIE) with chlorine gas at low temperature, as opposed to the current high temperature chlorination process, in achieving the conversion of metal carbide films into amorphous carbon films. The overall goal is develop a process that is friendlier to microfabricated devices towards employing the tribological properties of CDC films in such devices. We examine this RIE processing using both bulk scale and thin film specimens. These metal-carbide specimens are subjected to a halogen containing ion plasma at reduced pressure in order to leach out the metal, resulting in an amorphous carbon film, a so-called carbide-derived carbon (CDC) process. This reactive ion etching process has been used to produce carbon layers on multiphase carbide materials containing silicon and titanium. The resulting carbon layers have been characterized using a variety of techniques. The results on the bulk scale specimens, via Raman spectrometry, indicated that RIE processing can indeed achieve conversion, while results of the thin films indicated that although conversion occurred poor adhesion of the films to the substrate resulted spallation during friction testing attempts.
A valence isomer of a dialane

The compound (η5-C5Me5)Al→Al(C6F 5)3, which is the first valence isomer of a dialane, has been prepared by treatment of [Al(η5-C5Me5)]4 with Al(C6F5)3 and characterized by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy.
Thioglycollate, Peroxidase, Neutral Red, Serpentine Cord, and Niacin Tests for Group Differentiation of M. Tuberculosis, Anonymous (Atypical) Acid-Fast Bacilli, and Saprophytic Mycobacteria

In previous studies’-3 it was observed that the thioglycollate, peroxidase, neutral red, and serpentine cord tests were useful for group differentiation of M. tuberculosis, atypical acid-fast bacilli, and saprophytic mycobacteria. The present investigation was undertaken to determine further the differential potential of these procedures, and to ascertain whether the niacin test4’5 could also be used to help in the differentiation of these groups of organisms. Materials and Methods
The library assemblage: creative institutions in an information society

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical analysis of the concept of an “institution” in order to understand the potential of the library as an institution. Design/methodology/approach – The work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari is used to build a theoretical foundation from which to construct a vision of institutions, particularly libraries, as a tools for social justice rather than market forces. Findings – It is possible to analyse institutions and libraries in particular, in terms of codes and rules that constrain behaviour. The concept of institutions as assemblages can be used as an alternative in order to emphasise the creative and transformative potential of institutions. Originality/value – The paper contributes to a small body of critical literature that examines the theoretical principles that can ground library services as tools for advocacy.
Rotational stiffness of American football shoes affects ankle biomechanics and injury severity.

While previous studies have investigated the effect of shoe–surface interaction on injury risk, few studies have examined the effect of rotational stiffness of the shoe. The hypothesis of the current study was that ankles externally rotated to failure in shoes with low rotational stiffness would allow more talus eversion than those in shoes with a higher rotational stiffness, resulting in less severe injury. Twelve (six pairs) cadaver lower extremities were externally rotated to gross failure while positioned in 20 deg of pre-eversion and 20 deg of predorsiflexion by fixing the distal end of the foot, axially loading the proximal tibia, and internally rotating the tibia. One ankle in each pair was constrained by an American football shoe with a stiff upper, while the other was constrained by an American football shoe with a flexible upper. Experimental bone motions were input into specimen-specific computational models to examine levels of ligament elongation to help understand mechanisms of ankle joint failure. Ankles in flexible shoes allowed 6.7±2.4 deg of talus eversion during rotation, significantly greater than the 1.7±1.0 deg for ankles in stiff shoes (p = 0.01). The significantly greater eversion in flexible shoes was potentially due to a more natural response of the ankle during rotation, possibly affecting the injuries that were produced. All ankles failed by either medial ankle injury or syndesmotic injury, or a combination of both. Complex (more than one ligament or bone) injuries were noted in 4 of 6 ankles in stiff shoes and 1 of 6 ankles in flexible shoes. Ligament elongations from the computational model validated the experimental injury data. The current study suggested flexibility (or rotational stiffness) of the shoe may play an important role in both the severity of ankle injuries for athletes.
What happens to applicants for psychotherapy

Five hundred consecutive applicants for psychotherapy at the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health were followed up. Of the applicants, 51.8% entered, 37.2% withdrew before treatment and 11% were rejected by the Center. Of the withdrawers, 37.7% reported having entered, and another 9.2% having applied for treatment elsewhere. Only 8% of dropouts from individual therapy during the first six sessions had entered, and no one else had applied for treatment elsewhere. This difference was found to be significant beyond the. 01 level. A very significant difference was found between terminators before the eighth and those after the seventeenth session in terms of frequency of sessions. Only 8% of the former, but 100% of the latter were seen twice a week.
A modified cohort method for secular trend analysis: Heart disease mortality in the USA 1914 – 1963 and follow-up to 1983

Abstract The principles behind the analysis of secular trends of cause-specific mortality rates by ‘current’ and ‘cohort’ methods were subjected to theoretical examination. A more general method, named here the ‘midpoint’ method, was found for which the ‘current’ and ‘cohort’ methods are special types of limiting cases. It is shown that the span of time over which the causes of disease act, and the period of life, whether early or late, in which they are predominantly concentrated will determine which of these three methods is appropriate for each specific cause of death. For ‘cumulative’ diseases (of which atherosclerosis and hypertension are thought to be examples), defined as diseases which accumulate slowly over the greater part of a lifetime under the influence of etiologic factors that are widely dispersed in time, the data favor the ‘midpoint’ method as the most appropriate one of the three. Secular trends in diseases of the heart in the USA from 1914 – 1963 were examined in 1968 by this method, thus generating predictions about the trends to be expected after 1963. Although no definitive conclusion could be reached at that time, the probabilities then favored the hypothesis that the etiologic forces which contribute to heart disease mortality reached a peak around 1930 or earlier, and that the subsequent decline had not yet given evidence of ending. Predictions of secular declines in mortality rates attributed to diseases of the heart made in 1968 are compared here with the subsequent 20 years of experience by specific age-race-sex groups. Validation of the midpoint cohort method of analysis is claimed. The peak in heart disease mortality that occurred in 1968 is seen as a temporary fluctuation within the grand pattern of 20th Century USA.
Analysis of energy fluxes and land surface parameters in a grassland ecosystem: a remote sensing perspective

A remote sensing-based land surface characterization and flux estimation study was conducted using Landsat data from 1997 to 2003 on two grazing land experimental sites located at the Agricultural Research Services (ARS), Mandan, North Dakota. Spatially distributed surface energy fluxes [net radiation (R n), soil heat flux (G), sensible heat (H), latent heat (LE)] and surface parameters [emissivity (e), albedo (α), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and surface temperature (T sur)] were estimated and mapped at a pixel level from Landsat images and weather information using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) procedure as a function of grazing land management: heavily grazed (HGP) and moderately grazed pastures (MGP). Energy fluxes and land surface parameters were mapped and comparisons were made between the two sites. Over the study period, H, e and T sur from HGP were higher by 6.7%, 18.2% and 2.9% than in MGP, respectively. The study also showed that G, LE and NDVI were higher by 1.3%, 1.6% and 7.4% for MGP than in HGP, respectively. The results of this study are beneficial in understanding the trends of land surface parameters, energy and water fluxes as a function of land management.
Maintenance of Summer Monsoon Circulations: A Planetary-Scale Perspective

Abstract The monsoon circulation, which is generally considered to be driven by the landmass–ocean thermal contrast, like a gigantic land–sea breeze circulation, exhibits a phase reversal in its vertical structure; a monsoon high aloft over a continental thermal low is juxtaposed with a midoceanic trough underlaid by an oceanic anticyclone. This classic monsoon circulation model is well matched by the monsoon circulation depicted with the observational data prior to the First Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) Global Experiment (FGGE). However, synthesizing findings of the global circulation portrayed with the post-FGGE data, it was found that some basic features of major monsoon circulations in Asia, North America, South America, and Australia differ from those of the classic monsoon circulation model. Therefore, a revision of the classic monsoon theory is suggested. With four different wave regimes selected to fit the horizontal dimensions of these monsoon circulations, basic features common to ...
A Mathematical Morphology Approach For Finding Mesoscale Ocean Features

Mathematical morphology provides an approach to digital image processing based on shape. Images are viewed as mathematical point sets rather than numerical functions. [51 Thus, mathematical morphology is an alternative to traditional image processing transforms. The algorithm used to find eddies and the North Wall of the Gulf Stream is based on the image transformations of opening and closing, defined in terms of the familiar erosion and dilation operations. [6] An opening is an erosion'followed by a dilation of the eroded image. A closing is a dilation followed by an erosion of the dilated image. The implementation opens the image and then closes the opened image at a particular threshold intensity. The output of this step is the input to the next step, opening and closing at a higher threshold. The process is repeated until a stable division into objects and background has been found.