cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Air righting: role of the NMDA receptor channel and hippocampal LTP.

Abstract Air righting results in an animal turning over when it is dropped from a height in an inverted position. In the rat, air righting is a complex set of movements that depends only on an intact labyrinth and the normal vestibular input. Visual modulation of air righting does not develop until adulthood; and the ability to estimate the time to impact requires bilateral visual cues and indicates that air righting is a complex set of perceptually controlled movements and learning. The general purpose of this study was to determine the role of the NMDA receptor-ion channel on air righting and hippocampal LTP. Specifically: to measure the effects of various doses of CPP, an NMDA receptor antagonist, and MK-801, an ion channel blocker, on (a) air righting and (b) hippocampal LTP induction in medial perforant path–granule cell synapses. The following doses were used: CPP—0, 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg i.p.; MK-801—0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 mg/kg i.p. Data were analyzed by appropriate ANOVAs and post hoc tests. Results were significant and demonstrate dose-dependent impairment of air righting and inhibition of LTP for both CPP and MK-801, implicating the role of the NMDA receptor and Na + /K + /Ca 2 + channel in these effects. Air righting is a complex behavior and appears to be dependent upon NMDA mediated hippocampal LTP.
Fear of adverse events should not prevent the use of appropriate antihypertensive drug therapy.

Abstract A recent publication reported that Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial participants with 10-year cardiovascular disease risk less than 11.5% derived more harm than benefit from intensive treatment. The authors consider that serious adverse events (SAEs) are of equal importance to that of either all-cause death or the primary composite outcome (myocardial infarction, other acute coronary syndromes, stroke, heart failure, or death from cardiovascular causes). Under this premise, one death would correspond to 2.7 SAEs and a primary outcome to 1.8 SAEs overall, and to be between 6 and 18 times as important as an SAE in the intensive treatment group. In our opinion, patient utility should be considered when clinical decisions are made for the treatment of hypertension.
Do the Low WHRs and BMIs Judged Most Attractive Indicate Better Health

It is widely claimed that in well-nourished populations, very low female waist–hip ratios (WHRs) together with low body mass indices (BMIs) are judged attractive by men because these features relia...
Distinctive mechanisms underlie the loss of SMARCB1 protein expression in renal medullary carcinoma: morphologic and molecular analysis of 20 cases

Renal medullary carcinoma is a rare but highly aggressive type of renal cancer occurring in patients with sickle cell trait or rarely with other hemoglobinopathies. Loss of SMARCB1 protein expression, a core subunit of the switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex, has emerged as a key diagnostic feature of these tumors. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this loss remains unclear. We retrospectively identified 20 patients diagnosed with renal medullary carcinoma at two institutions from 1996 to 2017. All patients were confirmed to have sickle cell trait, and all tumors exhibited a loss of SMARCB1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry. The status of SMARCB1 locus was examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using 3-color probes, and somatic alterations were detected by targeted next-generation sequencing platforms. FISH analysis of all 20 cases revealed 11 (55%) with concurrent hemizygous loss and translocation of SMARCB1, 6 (30%) with homozygous loss of SMARCB1, and 3 (15%) without structural or copy number alterations of SMARCB1 despite protein loss. Targeted sequencing revealed a pathogenic somatic mutation of SMARCB1 in one of these 3 cases that were negative by FISH. Tumors in the 3 subsets with different FISH findings largely exhibited similar clinicopathologic features, however, homozygous SMARCB1 deletion was found to show a significant association with the solid growth pattern, whereas tumors dominated by reticular/cribriform growth were enriched for SMARCB1 translocation. Taken together, we demonstrate that different molecular mechanisms underlie the loss of SMARCB1 expression in renal medullary carcinoma. Biallelic inactivation of SMARCB1 occurs in a large majority of cases either via concurrent hemizygous loss and translocation disrupting SMARCB1 or by homozygous loss.
Shades of Blue: A review of the hiring, recruitment, and selection of female and minority police officers

Abstract Diversity of police personnel, especially regarding representation of female and racial/ethnic minority officers, is an important step in improving positive police-community relations. Historically, both female and minority applicants have faced challenges in recruitment, hiring, and selection. By systematically reviewing literature available from 2000 to present, this paper identifies persistent challenges and programs aimed at overcoming such deficits in the United States. The studies use samples ranging from potential applicants in college settings to large police agencies, and use primarily quantitative approaches. This review identified four areas that affect hiring of minority and female officers: (1) organizational and external predictors, (2) motivations and attitudes, (3) effective recruitment strategies, and (4) screening process barriers. Recent research has only topically addressed these concerns, while simultaneously revealing significant limitations regarding sample sizes, research design, and implementation in the field. Directions for future research and implications for policy are discussed.
Classifying Stages of Mild Cognitive Impairment via Augmented Graph Embedding

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a clinically intermediate stage in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). MCI does not always lead to dementia. Some MCI patients may stay in the MCI status for the rest of their life, while others will develop AD eventually. Therefore, classification methods that help to distinguish MCI from earlier or later stages of the disease are important to understand the progression of AD. In this paper, we propose a novel computational framework - named Augmented Graph Embedding, or AGE - to tackle this challenge. In this new AGE framework, the random walk approach is first applied to brain structural networks derived from diffusion-weighted MRI to extract nodal feature vectors. A technique adapted from natural language processing is used to analyze these nodal feature vectors, and a multimodal augmentation procedure is adopted to improve classification accuracy. We validated this new AGE framework on data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Results show advantages of the proposed framework, compared to a range of existing methods.
Ceilândia’s Art in Adirley Queirós’s Branco sai, preto fica

This chapter argues that Queiros’s 2014 film Branco sai, preto fica—using hyperbole and fantasy—portrays the Plano Piloto and Ceilândia at war with one another over the image of Brasilia. The film represents Ceilândia as the soul of the city, a clandestine art hub resisting being quashed by a racist, elitist, dystopian Plano Piloto (the city without a soul). Slow, inscrutable, repetitive, and jarring, the documentary forgoes facts, explanations, narrative continuity, and extensive dialogue. The film’s emphasis on the visual and the aural prompts contemplation about where Ceilândia’s art—particularly music—is made. Branco Sai explores how Ceilândia’s spaces of counterhegemonic artistic expression are produced, regulated, and assigned value in ways that influence ceilandenses’ identity. These spaces are associated with low-income, black, and geographically peripheral citizens whose art is entwined in a struggle to be recognized as possessing a creative right to the city.
Good Code Sets via Coprime Powers

It is shown that a good code set with minimum peak cross-correlations (i.e. $1/N$ in unity magnitude codes of length $N$ ) can be generated by replacing $z$ , in any good code $(c_N[n] \ \overset z{\Leftrightarrow} C_{N}(z))$ , by a set of coprime powers, each of which generates a member of the set. This is achieved by allowing only two elements of any two codes, one from each, in the set to meet at any relative delay within the correlation window. By beginning with a good code set, each of its members can be transformed into a good code set using the same coprime powers, resulting in a correspondingly larger good code set. All the codes are transmitted using the same frequency/channel. This approach of generating good code sets results in sparse codes. However, by spreading the generating code elements by any good code or members of a good code set, the average code efficiency can be significantly increased, while still keeping the average cross-correlation small. Such sets could be used in MIMO radar and orthogonal netted radar systems.
Interactive Effects of Parent Emotion Socialization and Child Physiological Reactivity in Predicting Adolescent Borderline Personality Disorder Features

Theories suggest that a transaction between child biological vulnerability and parent emotion socialization underlies the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) features. Yet, few studies have examined the interaction between these factors prospectively in at-risk samples. Consequently, this study tested whether parental reactions to children’s negative emotions moderated the effect of the child’s physiological reactivity to stress in predicting adolescent BPD features in a sample of youth with and without clinical elevations in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were 61 children (52% female) and parents (90% mothers). When children were 9–13 years old, their physiological reactivity to a social stressor was assessed based on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and skin conductance level (SCL) reactivity; parents also reported on their supportive and non-supportive reactions to their child’s negative emotions. Children were followed-up four to five years later at ages 14–18 years old and their BPD features were assessed based on parent and adolescent report. Significant interactions between children’s SCL reactivity and parental reactions to children’s negative emotions were found in predicting adolescent BPD features. Children with low SCL reactivity to social stress and parents high in supportive/low in non-supportive reactions were lowest in adolescent BPD features. However, greater SCL reactivity predicted greater adolescent BPD features specifically when the parent was high in support or low in non-support. Childhood ADHD symptoms also significantly predicted greater adolescent BPD features. Findings suggest that children with different patterns of SCL reactivity may respond differently to parental reactions to their emotions.
RNA-SeQC 2: Efficient RNA-seq quality control and quantification for large cohorts.

Summary Post-sequencing quality control is a crucial component of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data generation and analysis, as sample quality can be affected by sample storage, extraction, and sequencing protocols. RNA-seq is increasingly applied to cohorts ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of samples in size, but existing tools do not readily scale to these sizes, and were not designed for a wide range of sample types and qualities. Here, we describe RNA-SeQC 2, an efficient reimplementation of RNA-SeQC (DeLuca et al., 2012) that adds multiple metrics designed to characterize sample quality across a wide range of RNA-seq protocols. Availability and implementation The command-line tool, documentation, and C ++ source code are available at the GitHub repository https://github.com/getzlab/rnaseqc. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Kauffman Indicators of Entrepreneurship: 2017 National Report on Early-Stage Entrepreneurship

The Kauffman Indicators of Early-Stage Entrepreneurship is a set of measures that represents new business creation in the United States, integrating several high-quality, timely sources of information on early-stage entrepreneurship. This report presents national trends in early-stage entrepreneurship for the years 1996–2017 in the United States, as well as trends for specific demographic groups when possible.
Research-to-Resource: Confronting and Overcoming Music Teacher Burnout:

Teaching music can be a stressful endeavor. Decades of research findings indicate that music teachers are especially prone to professional burnout. The purpose of this research-to-resource article ...
Nuclear tests mean new weapons

The only real reason for continued nuclear testing is to design new weapons systems. The stockpile's reliability can be maintained through non-nuclear testing and computer simulation.
Identification of a peptide inhibitor of the cardiac sarcolemmal Na+-Ca2+ exchanger

The deduced amino acid sequence of the cardiac sarcolemmal Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger has a region which could represent a calmodulin binding site. As calmodulin binding regions of proteins often have an autoinhibitory role, a synthetic peptide with this sequence was tested for functional effects on Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange activity. The peptide inhibits the Na(+)-dependent Ca2+ uptake (KI approximately 1.5 microM) and the Nao(+)-dependent Ca2+ efflux of sarcolemmal vesicles in a noncompetitive manner with respect to both Na+ and Ca2+. The peptide is also a potent inhibitor (KI approximately 0.1 microM) of the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange current of excised sarcolemmal patches. The binding site for the peptide on the exchanger is on the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane. The exchanger inhibitory peptide binds calmodulin with a moderately high affinity. From the characteristics of the inhibition of the exchange of sarcolemmal vesicles, we deduce that only inside-out sarcolemmal vesicles participate in the usual Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange assay. This contrasts with the common assumption that both inside-out and right-side-out vesicles exhibit exchange activity.
Physiological differences between strong and weak frog neuromuscular junctions: a study involving tetanic and posttetanic potentiation

This paper describes the extent of release and terminal variability among normal frog sartorius neuromuscular junctions and seeks physiological correlates for these differences. Terminal length varied over approximately a 10-fold range, quantal content and release per unit terminal length (“release efficacy”) over much larger ranges. For purposes of comparison of different junctions, release efficacy in a Ringer's containing 0.25 mM Ca2+ was determined in all cases. In a Ringer's containing 0.1 mM Ca2+, tetanic stimulation causes a buildup of evoked release and of miniature endplate potential (mEPP) frequency. The mEPP frequency at the end of the tetanus is proportional to the evoked release level. Following the tetanus, the mEPP frequency declines in a multiexponential fashion, with the 2 longest decay phases, representing augmentation and posttetanic potentiation (PTP), both having time constants that are positively linearly correlated with the synaptic release efficacy. Longer or higher-frequency tetanic stimulation resulted in a longer time course of decay of mEPP frequency. In a Ca2(+)-free/EGTA Ringer's, tetanic stimulation causes no evoked release, but does lead to an increased mEPP frequency, presumably due to a buildup of free Ca2+ displaced from internal stores by the Na+ influx. Following the tetanus, the mEPP frequency declines to resting level with a time constant that is essentially the same for all junctions, regardless of their release efficacy in Ca2(+)- containing Ringer's. These findings indicate that stronger terminals have a greater influx of Ca2+ per unit length during action potential invasion, but that in the absence of external Ca2+, tetanic stimulation results in comparable release of Ca2+ from internal stores in all terminals and comparable accumulation of Ca2+ in some large compartment, the subsequent emptying of which determines the time course of PTP.
Insertions of up to 17 amino acids into a region of alpha-tubulin do not disrupt function in vivo.

Abstract Microtubules in yeasts are essential components of the mitotic and meiotic spindle and are necessary for nuclear movement during cell division and mating. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two alpha-tubulin genes, TUB1 and TUB3, either of which alone is sufficient for these processes when present in a high enough copy number. Comparisons of sequences from several species reveals the presence of a variable region near the amino terminus of alpha-tubulin proteins. We perturbed the structure of this region in TUB3 by inserting into it 3, 9, or 17 amino acids and tested the ability of these altered proteins to function as the only alpha-tubulin protein in yeast cells. We found that each of these altered proteins was sufficient on its own for mitotic growth, mating, and methods of yeast. We conclude that this region can tolerate considerable variation without losing any of the highly conserved functions of alpha-tubulin. Our results suggest that variability in this region occurs because it can be tolerated, not because it specifies an important function for the protein.
Impact of roots on ground water quality

Preferential flow is perhaps the major chemical transport process influencing the rapid and typically unexpected movement of agricultural chemicals to ground water. Plant roots are a major contributor to preferential flow mechanics as they form spatial voids which can be used as preferential flow pathways. Chemical transport of atrazine, deethylatrazine, and bromide solutions concentrations under tilled and no-tilled corn fields was evaluated below the active root zone. Additionally, the impact of roots on flow pathways was visualized using a soluble dye (Brilliant Blue FCF). Pictures of the dye-stained pattern were subsequently digitized to determine the cross-sectional area used for transport as a function of depth. Bromide transit times through the field soils were not influenced by tillage practice, whereas atrazine transport was strongly influenced by tillage practice. Under no-till field conditions, atrazine was rarely detected but deethylatrazine concentrations were greater than those observed under tilled field conditions. Visual observation indicated that the dye under no-tillage was more predominant in the corn row, indicative of transport through void root channels. No-tillage practices may decrease the likelihood of ground water contamination through leaching due to the formation of stable root channels where an organic carbon source and microbial population are preferentially located to degrade pesticides.
Alterations of adenylyl cyclase-linked G proteins in rat liver during aging

beta-Adrenergic stimulation of adenylyl cyclase in rat liver increases during aging. We examined whether this increase is related to alterations in the stimulatory and inhibitory G proteins (Gs and Gi) linked to adenylyl cyclase. Levels of immunoreactive alpha- and beta-subunits of Ga and Gi in liver plasma membranes from 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-mo-old rats were unchanged with age, as was pertussis toxin-catalyzed [32P]ADP ribosylation of Gi alpha. Cholera toxin-catalyzed [32P]ADP ribosylation of Ga alpha and Gs bioactivity, assessed as reconstitution of adenylyl cyclase activity in S49 cyc- cell membranes, increased two- to threefold between 6 and 12-18 mo, and declined by 24 mo. Recombinant ADP ribosylation factor (ARF) enhanced cholera toxin labeling of Gs alpha at all ages, yet abolished the increase in toxin labeling at 12-18 mo. Auto-ADP ribosylation of the cholera toxin A1 peptide also increased transiently with age. Alteration of Gs alpha, as reflected by increased cholera toxin labeling and Gs bioactivity, may be involved in the regulation of beta-adrenergic-responsive adenylyl cyclase in rat liver during aging. Moreover, changes in endogenous ARF levels could contribute to age differences in cholera toxin labeling of Gs alpha.
A discussion about integrated techniques

There are many different dimensions of software development that can potentially involve integration. Examples include integrating different views of a software system (e.g., data, processing), domain-independent versus domain-specification information, legacy software with newly developed software, and existing techniques with newly developed techniques. The majority of the discussion focuses on the integration of informal and formal techniques for software development. The group concluded that there are two general approaches to achieve this integration. The first approach, one that has been studied the most extensively, is called transformation. Rules are needed to transform the informal notation to the formal notation. The second approach, called convergence, refers to refinement of an informal notation to a more formal notation.
Work in progress - use of CPU prototyping and logic analyzers to cultivate troubleshooting skills

One skill that is particularly difficult to teach and difficult to master, is the integration of complex systems. Students reach the 90% completion point of a project naively confident that components that work together in simulation will work in hardware. Students in the computer architecture prototyping laboratory often discover this optimism to be unfounded. In the laboratory, students design, build, and test a multicycle CPU (central processing unit), pipelined CPU, and cache memory. Starting Fall 2004, logic analyzers were incorporated to allow for more complete observation of hardware behavior. Previously, all hardware troubleshooting was accomplished through switches, light-emitting diodes, and memory dumps. Student opinions regarding the value of the logic analyzers varied widely, but over 50% of students reported that the logic analyzers helped them to isolate hardware problems, and 65% of students used them to verify correct operation of their designs
Scaling of high harmonic generation with visible driver wavelengths

The wavelength scaling of high harmonic generation efficiency and cutoff is studied with different visible driver wavelengths from a tunable optical parametric amplifier. A λ−5.9 scaling relation for the efficiency is measured.
Electron-Electron and Positron-Electron Scattering Measurements

A counter experiment is described which measures the absolute differential electron-electron scattering cross section in the energy interval 0.6 to 1.2 Mev and the absolute differential positron-electron scattering cross section in the energy interval 0.6 to 1.0 Mev. The ratio of these cross sections is also measured with somewhat increased accuracy. The technique of measurement combines good resolution with large energy transfers between the particles to permit a sensitive test of the relativistic features of the M\o{}ller and Bhabha formulas. The results verify the M\o{}ller formula within the 7 percent experimental error. The Bhabha formula is verified within the 10 percent experimental error. The ratio of the M\o{}ller to the Bhabha formula is verified within about 8 percent experimental error.
Role of metals in oxygen radical reactions

Partially-reduced forms of dioxygen or "oxy-radicals" (superoxide, O2-/HO2; hydrogen peroxide, H2O2; hydroxyl radical X OH) and oxidants of comparable reactivity are implicated in an increasing number of physiological, toxicological, and pathological states. Transition metal catalysis is recognized as being integral to the generation and the reactions of these activated oxygen species. Factors such as pH and chelation govern the reactivity of the transition metals with dioxygen and "oxy-radicals" and therefore influence the apparent mechanisms by which oxidative damage to phospholipids, DNA, and other biomolecules is initiated. In biological systems the concentrations of redox-active transition metals capable of catalyzing these reactions appears to be relatively low. However, under certain conditions metal storage and transport proteins (ferritin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin, etc.) may furnish additional redox active metals.
Introduction to 2013 Journal of Clinical Virology supplement on HIV testing algorithms.

Presentations at the 2012 HIV Diagnostics Conference http://www.hivtestingconfrence.org) documented significant rogress with validation and implementation of a new algorithm or the laboratory diagnosis of HIV. The algorithm proposed in 010 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, tlanta, GA) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories APHL, Silver Spring, MD), begins with 4th generation screening ests that detect HIV p24 antigen in addition to HIV-1 and HIV-2 ntibodies, followed by a supplemental antibody assay to validate he presence of HIV-1 or HIV-2 antibodies and, if necessary, nucleic cid testing to identify HIV in patients who have not yet developed ntibodies. An increasing body of evidence now demonstrates the benets of prompt antiretroviral therapy for persons with acute and arly HIV infection. Prompt initiation of effective treatment helps reserve immune function, reduces the risk of onward viral transission, and may limit the size of the reservoir of latent virus that s established early after infection. These observations give rise to autious hope for more effective use of antiretroviral therapy to ork toward a functional cure. The challenge, until now, has been to evelop effective and economical techniques to identify HIV infecion during its earliest stages. With the new diagnostic algorithm, his is now practical.
Multi-destination segmentation based on push and pull motives: pleasure trips of students at a U.S. university.

Abstract A total of 1,488 responses obtained from an internet-based survey were analyzed to determine push and pull motivation of university students toward multi-destinations and to assess if there were statistically significant differences across the top 10 domestic destinations. Based on the analysis, six push and pull forces were appropriately delineated and substantial differences were found across the destinations. The results of this study can help more effectively predict how student travelers are pushed and pulled, and how these forces differ across U. S. domestic destinations. Marketing implications are discussed by destination.
Primary and secondary superresolution by data inversion.

Superresolution by data inversion is the extrapolation of measured Fourier data to regions outside the measurement bandwidth using postprocessing techniques. Here we characterize superresolution by data inversion for objects with finite support using the twin concepts of primary and secondary superresolution, where primary superresolution is the essentially unbiased portion of the superresolved spectra and secondary superresolution is the remainder. We show that this partition of superresolution into primary and secondary components can be used to explain why some researchers believe that meaningful superresolution is achievable with realistic signal-to-noise ratios, and other researchers do not.
“They Are Our Human Secret Weapons”: The Military Intelligence Service and the Role of Japanese-Americans in the Pacific War and in the Occupation of Japan1

Under a shroud of secrecy and with the backing of the U.S. War Department, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) trained and graduated nearly 6,000 linguists—of whom the majority were Japanese‐Am...
The Development of Civilian Emergency Medical Care During an Insurgency: Current Status and Future Outlook in Iraq

We review the development of civilian out-of-hospital and hospital-based emergency medical care in Iraq, focusing on the non-Kurdish regions. Emergency medicine in the country has made encouraging steps during the last several years, including the establishment of national emergency medicine policy, the training of out-of-hospital caregivers, the education of physicians currently working in Iraqi emergency departments, and the development of emergency medicine residency programs, among others. The utilization of a national Emergency Medicine Working Group has been a key resource in the development of emergency medicine in the country, a strategy we recommend to others aiding low- and middle-income nations.
Postearthquake Recovery of a Water Distribution System: Discrete Event Simulation Using Colored Petri Nets

Planning and preparedness is essential for any resilient infrastructure system. Modeling and simulation give engineers and planners a better understanding of the system and help them make better decisions. The objective of this study is to demonstrate an improved model for the disaster restoration process by using a discrete event simulation approach. The study also aims to help improve the postearthquake restoration process by simulating restoration curves. In this paper, colored Petri nets are used to model the system and to simulate its behavior. The resource allocation after a rare event such as an earthquake differs from the resource allocation of other projects and processes in that the time to do the repair and recovery is not known before the event, and the priorities might change for different operational plans and strategies. The trunk network of the Tokyo water distribution system was used as an example to present the scenario and to model the restoration process. The timed simulation allowed v...
Dynamical study of remanent magnetization in nanoparticles

Abstract For collections of noninteracting nanoparticles, we study the reduced static remanent magnetization, m R , produced by the removal of a saturating magnetic field. We show that, except for special cases such as easy uniaxial anisotropy, m R depends on both the ramp-down rate of the field and the energy dissipation rate of the spin dynamics. Using the Landau–Lifshitz equation, we illustrate this result with explicit dynamical calculations of m R for cubic and for mixed cubic–uniaxial anisotropies.
Exogenous visual orienting is associated with specific neurotransmitter genetic markers: a population-based genetic association study.

Background Currently, there is a sense that the spatial orienting of attention is related to genotypic variations in cholinergic genes but not to variations in dopaminergic genes. However, reexamination of associations with both cholinergic and dopaminergic genes is warranted because previous studies used endogenous rather than exogenous cues and costs and benefits were not analyzed separately. Examining costs (increases in response time following an invalid pre-cue) and benefits (decreases in response time following a valid pre-cue) separately could be important if dopaminergic genes (implicated in disorders such as attention deficit disorder) independently influence the different processes of orienting (e.g., disengage, move, engage). Methodology/Principal Findings We tested normal subjects (N = 161) between 18 and 61 years. Participants completed a computer task in which pre-cues preceded the presence of a target. Subjects responded (with a key press) to the location of the target (right versus left of fixation). The cues could be valid (i.e., appear where the target would appear) or invalid (appear contralateral to where the target would appear). DNA sequencing assays were performed on buccal cells to genotype known genetic markers and these were examined for association with task scores. Here we show significant associations between visual orienting and genetic markers (on COMT, DAT1, and APOE; R2s from 4% to 9%). Conclusions/Significance One measure in particular – the response time cost of a single dim, invalid cue – was associated with dopaminergic markers on COMT and DAT1. Additionally, variations of APOE genotypes based on the e2/e3/e4 alleles were also associated with response time differences produced by simultaneous cues with unequal luminances. We conclude that individual differences in visual orienting are related to several dopaminergic markers as well as to a cholinergic marker. These results challenge the view that orienting is not associated with genotypic variation in dopaminergic genes.
4660 Patients with clinically suspected sphincter of oddi dysfunction are more likely to have pancreatic sphincter hypertension if pancreatic ductography is abnormal.

The incidence of pancreatic ductographic abnormalitites (PDA) in patients with normal and abnormal pancreatic orifice manometry is not known. AIM: Evaluate the incidence of (PDA) in patients with clinically suspected SOD who undergo pancreatic manometry (PSOM). METHOD: The MUSC GI Trac data base was reviewed for consecutive patients with clinically suspected SOD who had successful unequivocal PSOM between 2/94 and 11/99. Patients with pancreas divisum, prior pancreatic duct or orifice therapy, and failed/inadequate pancreatic ductography were excluded from analysis. The ductographic findings of duct dilatation, duct irregularity and irregular side branch changes, were compared individually and as a group with the findings of PSOM. PSOM was performed using a standard 5 F aspirating catheter (Wilson-Cook,Winston-Salem, NC) and PSH diagnosed if the mean pressure from two leads was >40 mmHg. RESULTS: Of 833 patients (mean age 46.3 yrs, range 16-86yrs., M/F 218/615), 429 (52%) had abnormal PSOM (ie PSH) and 431 (52%) had at least one PDA. At least one PDA was present in 248/429 (58%) of patients diagnosed with PSH, and 45% (181/402) with no PDA had PSH (p
European Economic Growth: Comments on the North-Thomas Theory

IN a recent article Profs. Douglass C. North and Robert Paul Thomas advanced what they described as "An Economic Theory of the Growth of the Western World".1 For economic historians who have wrestled with the problem for some time, this attempt at a "new explanation"2 of western economic growth is valuable because it reinforces the growing concern for systematic examination of the relationships between individuals, institutions, and long-run trends in the pre-industrial European economy. Nevertheless, the conclusion that the "implications and promise" of the synthesis offered "are revolutionary enough"3 is an overstatement, while the overall synthesis arouses certain reservations. The theory proposed by North and Thomas relies heavily upon three components. The first is a model for cyclical fluctuations in the pre-industrial economic life of Europe which is virtually identical with that of B. H. Slicher van Bath.4 This model defines the relative changes in the cost (or price) of land and labour as changes in population alter the ratio between the two. It incorporates the relative elasticities which have been found in the supply and demand curves for foodstuffs as opposed to those for raw materials and industrial products. The North-Thomas formulation uses the Slicher van Bath model to demonstrate the presence of shifting factor proportions in the economy of sixteenth-century Europe. These shifts, they maintain, augmented by the increased mercantile opportunities connected with Atlantic expansion, generated a unique pattern of institutional change in western Europe. North and Thomas then elaborate this last observation into the second major element of their model, a "theory of institutional change".5 The shifts in factor proportions so heightened the possibilities of profit from production for the market that they exceeded the costs of the institutional innovations needed to change the organization of production and distribution of income. The result was the steady introduction of "secondary" institutional changes such as enclosures, joint-stock companies, government support of certain guilds, and regulation of quality. The accumulation of new secondary institutions during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries eventually forced a change in the "fundamental" or constitutional institutions of the society.
Puzzles in Hadronic Charmonium Decays

Recent results of experimental studies of hadronic decays of charmonium states using the BES detector are reported. A number of puzzling features are observed. Foremost among these is the large discrepancy between the decay rates for J/ψ and ψ(2S) decays to ρπ and $K^*\bar{K}$ final states, first observed by the Mark II experiment. We find suppressions for ψ(2S) decays to these modes of factors in excess of sixty and twenty, respectively. Similar, although less dramatic, suppressions of vector plus tensor meson final states are also observed. No suppression is seen for axialvector plus pseudoscalar meson decays, but a strong flavor-SU(3) violation is seen in $K_1\bar{K}$ final states that has an opposite character for the J/ψ and ψ(2S).
Neuronal cell death in nervous system development, disease, and injury (Review)

Neuronal death is normal during nervous system development but is abnormal in brain and spinal cord disease and injury. Apoptosis and necrosis are types of cell death. They are generally considered to be distinct forms of cell death. The re-emergence of apoptosis may contribute to the neuronal degeneration in chronic neurodegenerative disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, and in neurological injury such as cerebral ischemia and trauma. There is also mounting evidence supporting an apoptosis-necrosis cell death continuum. In this continuum, neuronal death can result from varying contributions of coexisting apoptotic and necrotic mechanisms; thus, some of the distinctions between apoptosis and necrosis are becoming blurred. Cell culture and animal model systems are revealing the mechanisms of cell death. Necrosis can result from acute oxidative stress. Apoptosis can be induced by cell surface receptor engagement, growth factor withdrawal, and DNA damage. Several families of proteins and specific biochemical signal-transduction pathways regulate cell death. Cell death signaling can involve plasma membrane death receptors, mitochondrial death proteins, proteases, kinases, and transcription factors. Players in the cell death and cell survival orchestra include Fas receptor, Bcl-2 and Bax (and their homologues), cytochrome c, caspases, p53, and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases. Some forms of cell death require gene activation, RNA synthesis, and protein synthesis, whereas others forms are transcriptionally-translationally-independent and are driven by posttranslational mechanisms such as protein phosphorylation and protein translocation. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell death in nervous system development, injury and disease can lead to new therapeutic approaches for the prevention of neurodegeneration and neurological disabilities and will expand the field of cell death biology.
Chemical and Dynamical Effects on Cloud Droplet Number : Implications for Estimates of the Aerosol Indirect Effect

[1] Most aerosol-cloud-climate assessment studies use empirical aerosol number/droplet number relationships, which are subject to large variability. Historically, this variability has been attributed to unresolved variations in updraft velocity. We revisit this postulation and assess the effects of both updraft velocity and chemical composition on this variability. In doing so we utilize an inverse modeling approach. Using a detailed numerical cloud parcel model and published aerosol characteristics, with published correlations of cloud droplet versus sulfate and cloud droplet versus aerosol number as constraints, we determine a most probable size distribution and updraft velocity for polluted and clean conditions of cloud formation. A sensitivity analysis is then performed to study the variation in cloud droplet number with changes in aerosol chemistry and updraft velocities. This addresses the need to estimate the importance of chemical effects on spatial scales relevant for global climate models. Our analysis suggests that the effect of organic surfactants can introduce as much variability in cloud droplet number as the effect of expected variations in updraft velocity. In addition, the presence of organics seems to further enhance the sensitivity of droplet concentration to vertical velocity variability. The variability from organic surfactants is seen to be insensitive to variations in aerosol number concentration, implying that such effects can affect cloud droplet number consistently over large spatial scales. Our findings suggest that organics can be as important to the aerosol indirect effect as the effect of unresolved cloud dynamics, and they illustrate the potential and complex role of chemical effects on aerosol-cloud interactions.
Localization of antimicrobial peptides on polymerized liposomes leading to their enhanced efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Antimicrobial peptide IG-25 (a truncated version of LL-37 of the cathelicidin family) tethering an azido-capped poly(ethylene glycol) chain at the N-terminus was site-specifically attached to alkynyl-terminated polymerized liposomes using copper catalyzed “click” reaction, leading to an 18 fold enhancement in efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa when compared to LL-37 without any increase in cytotoxicity to human corneal epithelial cells.
The silent epidemic of neurodevelopmental injuries.

Childhood maltreatment in the United States was recently recognized as a major public health problem by several influential sources including the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine (1,2). An extensive survey conducted by the National Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS3) revealed that roughly 1.5 million children were abused or neglected in 1993. This number of documented cases most likely underestimates the true prevalence, given that many cases of maltreatment go unrecognized (2). Moreover, according to the three available NIS reports, the incidence of childhood maltreatment has been steadily increasing over the past 3 decades (see also NIS4 for a good summary of this issue). Although increased reporting might explain some of the data, it is unlikely to explain this alarming trend fully (3). In the absence of effective interventions, maltreated children go on to develop a host of behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and medical sequelae that are chronic and in many cases refractory to treatment (2,4–6). The relationship between early life adversity (ELA) and mental illness has now been documented with both retrospective and prospective studies (reviewed in [2]), and several reports have consistently documented that more than one-half (!) of the individuals with chronic mental illness have been physically, verbally, or sexually abused early in life (7,8). Although most clinicians and researchers will endorse the notion that ELA is associated with increased risk for chronic mental illness, few appreciate the true magnitude of this problem. Better awareness of the burden that exposure to ELA places on adult psychiatric services represents the first step necessary towards transforming current psychiatric interventions. This paradigm shift should substitute the current focus on symptom-reduction with one that focuses on prevention and incorporates a neurodevelopmental framework to diagnose and treat ELA-associated psychopathology. These interventions will require a sound biological understanding of normal neurodevelopment and how ELA interferes with this process.
Federal Reserve Policy and the Structure of Interest Rates on Government Securities

Introduction, 19. — I. The theory of interest rate structure, 19. — II. Origin and evolution of the rate structure, 27. — III. Effects of maintenance of the yield pattern, 27. — IV. Significance to credit policy of maintaining the yield structure, 36. — V. Conclusions for policy, 40. — VI. Interest rate structures and compensatory open market operations, 41.
Intrahippocampal injection of kainic acid produces significant pyramidal cell loss in neonatal rats.

Abstract Previous reports 655 have indicated that pyramidal cells in the developing rat hippocampal formation are not destroyed by intraventricular or inlraperitoneal administration of kainic acid. We examined the neurotoxic properties of kainic acid and ibotenic aeid following intrahippocampal injection in neonatal rats and found significant pyramidal cell death following injection of 1.0 μg kainic acid in 6, 7 and 9-day-old pups. At doses 2.5 or live times this amount, significant pyramidal cell loss was obtained in 5-day-old rats as well. The susceptibility of pyramidal neurons to kainic acid increased as a function of age. The developing hippocampus was considerably more vulnerable to ibotenic acid compared with kainic acid, in contrast to the order of potency reported in adult rats. The increased sensitivity of CA3 pyramidal cells parallels the development of the mossy fiber innervation to the dendrites of these cells supporting the twofold mechanism suggested by Coyle for kainic acid neurotoxicity; that is, a direct cytotoxic action via postsynaptic receptors as well as increased sensitivity due to the presence of excitatory inputs.
Incidence cytology, and histopathology of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in the bone marrow.

Trephine and aspiration bone marrow biopsies were performed at time of initial diagnosis in 108 consecutive lymphoma patients. These have been evaluated to determine: 1) incidence, degree, and pattern of involvement; and 2) cytologic and histopathologic characteristics, for each type of lymphoma as classified by Rappaport. Forty cases exhibited marrow involvement. Nodular poorly-differentiated lymphocytic lymphomas (PDLL-N) more frequently exhibited marrow involvement than did diffuse poorly-differentiated lymphocytic lymphomas (PDLL-D) (p <.05). Study of cytology in blood and marrow smears and trephine imprints indicated that PDLL-D is a diverse group with two relatively distinct subgroups: an intermediate differentiated form (idll) and a more poorly-differentiated form (pdll). PDLL-N is a more homogeneous group with a distinctive cell type—the hematogone-like lymphocyte. While it may be difficult to differentiate lymphoma in the marrow from benign lymphocytic aggregates and lymphoma in the blood from lymphocytic leukemia, helpful distinguishing features exist.
Peritonitis in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Peritonitis is the most important complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). We reviewed our experience with peritonitis over a 2 1/2-year period. Our patients spent 4% of their total time on dialysis in hospital due to peritonitis. Thirty-eight percent of the episodes of peritonitis were treated without hospitalization. We evaluated the dialysate bag change technique as commonly performed with currently available devices (extension tubing and titanium Luerlock Tenckhoff catheter adapter). The aseptic techniques described for dialysis extension tubing changes appear adequate (with no increased incidence of peritonitis demonstrated shortly after an extension tubing set change). Long-term sterility is maintained at the dialysate bag puncture port and at the orifice of the dialysis catheter adapter (no positive cultures from the bag port and orifice of the titanium adapter). Etiologic diagnosis of uremia was not a risk factor predisposing to peritonitis. The incidence of peritonitis was greater among patients with less formal education and lower income. Our data suggest that patients with less formal education and of lower economic status be carefully evaluated before commencing CAPD.