cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1616: Phosphoprotein enrichment pathway analysis tools for studying cancer signaling

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Cancer development and progression is driven by dysregulated signaling transduction, which is predominantly regulated by serine, threonine, and tyrosine phosphorylation. Consequently, MS-based phosphoproteomics, which can identify and quantitate thousands of phosphopeptides, provides a powerful quantitative tool to detect and comprehensively catalog alterations in cancer signaling cascades that cannot be captured by analysis of DNA or RNA alone. Unfortunately, the complexity of the datasets generated by these advanced proteomic methodologies are still not matched with well-established or fully tested bioinformatics tools to extract critical pathways from these high-dimensional phosphoprotein data. Here, we present two approaches for identifying pathways with altered phosphorylation patterns: Protein Set Enrichment Analysis (PSEA) and Protein Interaction Enrichment Network Analysis (PIENA). Development of these tools was inspired by two published methods utilizing gene expression datasets to identify disrupted gene sets: Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Gene Interaction Enrichment Network Analysis (GIENA), respectively. PSEA, through pathway scoring, extracts pathways that show a uniform directional phosphorylation change through all protein members of that set. As in the traditional GSEA method, an enrichment score is calculated for each pathway based on intensity values from all detected phosphopeptides. The second method, PIENA, looks for notable differences in phosphorylation between phosphopeptide pairs. Ultimately, this approach identifies pathways enriched with altered phosphoprotein interactions. Both methods have been used to identify changes in signaling states for two lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, A549 and H358, treated with either control or a novel phosphatase activator with anti-cancer properties. Both PSEA and PIENA identify pathways classically implicated in cancer, including p53, mitosis and cell cycle progression, insulin secretion, immune regulation, and RAS signaling cascades. Furthermore, the ERK pathway is consistently found to be significantly disrupted in both A549 and H358. This corroborates biological findings that this novel drug has activity against KRAS mutated cell lines. Although future cellular experiments will help to confirm the detailed mechanism of this drug's effects, our current results demonstrate the advantage of these new pathway identification tools in providing unbiased and global identification of key drivers of signaling. Citation Format: Danica Wiredja, Yu Liu, Daniela Schlatzer, Giridharan Gokulrangan, Goutham Narla, Mark Chance. Phosphoprotein enrichment pathway analysis tools for studying cancer signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1616. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1616
Turnover of terminal nucleotides of soluble ribonucleic acid in intact reticulocytes.

Abstract The incorporation of adenine-8-14C and cytidine-3H into the soluble ribonucleic acid (sRNA) of intact rabbit reticulocytes in vitro was studied. The 14C which is incorporated into the sRNA is located primarily in the adenosine of the terminal pCpCpA group. The incorporated 3H appears to be predominantly in the 2 cytidine monophosphate residues of the terminal group. Studies on the kinetics of the incorporation of adenine and cytidine into ATP, CTP, and sRNA indicate a turnover time of 4 to 8 hours for the terminal adenosine and an average of about 30 hours for the 2 CMP residues of the terminal group. Puromycin at 100 µg per ml had little or no effect on the incorporation of adenine and cytidine into the sRNA of the intact reticulocytes although it inhibited the rate of incorporation of leucine into protein by 98%.
Ascorbate oxidase. Inhibition, activation, and pH effects.

Highly purified ascorbate oxidase has several characteristics not reported previously. The monoanion is the active form of the reductant substrate. The rate-limiting reaction in the catalytic cycle at ascorbate saturation requires protonation of a negatively charged enzymic group with a pK′ near pH 8. Although citrate buffers are commonly used for assay of this enzyme, the univalent citrate anion is a competitive inhibitor with respect to ascorbate. Piperazine-N,N′-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) anions also inhibit competitively but EDTA has no effect except to prevent the nonenzymic oxidation of ascorbate. The maximal velocity of the isolated enzyme can be increased severalfold by treatment with excess ascorbate in the absence of oxygen. This activation process may involve generation of additional catalytically competent sites.
Turning the Endangered Species Inside Out

Within a week, both the Fifth and D.C. Circuits upheld the takings prohibitions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as applied to species found only in single states, against Commerce Clause challenges. Both cases reach the same result, but the legal analysis used to get there could hardly be more different. In GDF Realty, the Fifth Circuit found the requisite "substantial impact" on commerce by treating the species themselves as commodities and aggregating the economic impact of all endangered species "takings". The D.C. Circuit, by contrast, held in Rancho Viejo that the true object of ESA regulation is not endangered species, but the commercial development that threatens them, which plainly falls within Congress's powers to regulate under the Commerce Clause. The two courts saved the threatened arroyo toads and subterranean invertebrates, but they read the Endangered Species Act as if it were two different statutes.This curious divergence can only be understood in light of the unsettled state of Commerce Clause jurisprudence following United States v. Lopez and United States v. Morrison. Those two decisions upended fifty years of conventional wisdom about the limits on Congress's power under the Commerce Clause – namely, that there were effectively none – and left lower courts with an uncertain new framework to apply. Of the two cases considered here, Rancho Viejo represents the abler attempt to square the ESA with the new Commerce Clause doctrine, because its analysis is more objective than GDF Realty's and more clearly satisfies the strictures of Lopez and Morrison. But like GDF Realty, Rancho Viejo must present the ESA's impact on commerce, which is peripheral in the statutory design, as the Act's core object – must turn the ESA "inside out," so to speak – in order to justify it under the Commerce Clause. This cramped conception of the statute does not convincingly justify all of its applications. The shortcomings of Rancho Viejo do not represent sloppiness on the part of the D.C. Circuit, however. Instead, they reflect the failure of the Lopez and Morrison framework to meet the Supreme Court's stated aspiration to distinguish "between what is truly national and what is truly local".
Beliefs of teachers versus non-teachers about people who stutter.

Abstract Purpose Although prior research has investigated teachers’ beliefs about people who stutter (PWS), this work has not indicated how these beliefs compare with those of the general public or taken into account key demographic variables that may be related to these beliefs. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate whether beliefs about PWS in teachers are different from those in the general public. The second purpose of this study was to examine whether gender is related to beliefs about PWS for teachers, who are more frequently women. Methods Analyses were based on questionnaire responses regarding beliefs about PWS from 269 teachers and 1388 non-teachers in the United States. Due to their potential link to beliefs about PWS, familiarity with PWS and sociodemographic variables were included in the statistical model for this study. Results Teachers’ beliefs about PWS are no different than those of people in non-teaching professions. Findings also indicated that, regardless of whether respondents were teachers, women had more accurate beliefs about PWS than men. The statistical model tested indicated that beliefs about PWS were more accurate when the respondents were older, had more education, and had familiarity with a PWS. Conclusion In the first study to compare teachers’ beliefs about PWS to the general public, findings indicated that teachers are no more accurate than the public in their beliefs about PWS. Associations found between these beliefs and several variables may indicate some promising mechanisms for improving beliefs, such as increased familiarity with individuals who stutter. Educational Objectives: Readers should be able to: (a) describe stuttering's potential effects on children's participation in the school setting; (b) identify actions teachers can take to improve the school experience of their students who stutter; (c) summarize findings regarding teachers’ beliefs about people who stutter (PWS); (d) identify key variables that are associated with beliefs about PWS.
Practice, systems and technology for seniors

This paper explores how research teams in Intel’s Digital Health Group are using ethnography to identify ‘designable moments’—spaces, times, objects, issues and practices which suggest opportunities for appropriate interventions. It argues that technology innovation should aim to incorporate the views, experiences and practices of users from the start of the design process to support independent living and develop culturally sensitive enhancements that contribute towards wellbeing and a life of quality for local older populations.
An autoradiographic and electron microscopic study of retino-hypothalamic connections.

Retino-hypothalamic connections have been studied autoradiographically in the rat, guinea pig, rabbit, cat and monkey following the intravitreal injection of 3H-leucine or 3H-proline, and electron microscopically following unilateral eye removal in the guinea pig and monkey. In each of the species examined evidence has been found for a direct projection from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, but to no other region of the hypothalamus. The projection to the suprachiasmatic nucleus is always bilateral (even in the albino guinea pig, in which all other components of the retinal projection are crossed) but from grain counts in our autoradiographs it appears that the input to the contralateral nucleus is about twice as heavy as that on the ipsilateral side. Most of the retinal fibers appear to terminate within the ventral part of the nucleus where they form asymmetric synapses either upon small dendritic branches or dendritic spines. The possible role of this retinal projection to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in mediating a variety of light-induced neuroendocrine responses is discussed.
Economic Inequality, Pareto, and Sociology: The Route Not Taken

Economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) developed a general theory of social inequality inspired by his discovery of similarities in the shape of the income distribution across societies. Pareto’s approach is characterized by (a) a focus on individual, continuous income variation rather than discrete classes; (b) attention paid to the entire socioeconomic distribution rather than summary statistics; (c) an emphasis on social heterogeneity (labor supply) rather than a view of social structure as a collection of empty places (labor demand); and (d) a conception of the inequality structure—and movements of individuals within it—as resulting from the distribution of human abilities interacting with a structure of opportunities (i.e., a structure of social selection). Pareto’s vision—part of the common patrimony of economics and sociology—foreshadows emergent approaches to socioeconomic inequality.
In vivo neurochemistry of the brain in schizophrenia as revealed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), an application of the methods of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), is a functional imaging modality that provides a view of localized biochemistry in vivo. A number of studies applying MRS to the neurochemistry of schizophrenia have been reported, which encompass a range of patient populations, states of medication, anatomic regions, nuclear species, and MRS techniques. A brief review of the history and methodology of NMR and MRS is presented. Comparison is made of MRS capabilities with other functional imaging modalities. Aspects of the neurochemistry of schizophrenia relevant to MRS studies are reviewed, as are the reported MRS studies involving patients with schizophrenia. Areas of consistent findings include decreased phosphomonoesters and increased phosphodiesters in frontal lobes, and decreases in the putative neuronal cell marker, N-acetylaspartate, in temporal lobes. Studies of neurotransmitters such as glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and glutamine have generated inconsistent results. New insights into alterations in neurochemistry in schizophrenia have been provided by MRS. Studies of neurotransmitters have future potential with improvements in field strength and in spectral editing techniques. MRS has the potential to measure brain medication levels and simultaneous effects on neurochemistry. MRS may assist in characterizing high-risk populations, and ultimately guide medication use.
Precipitation evolution in Al-Zr and Al-Zr-Ti alloys during isothermal aging at 375-425 °C

Abstract Formation of Al 3 Zr or Al 3 (Zr 1− x Ti x ) precipitates with a metastable L1 2 structure was investigated in conventionally solidified A1–0.1 Zr, Al–0.2 Zr, Al–0.1 Zr–0.1 Ti, and Al–0.2 Zr–0.2 Ti (at.%) alloys aged isothermally at 375, 400, or 425 °C. Pronounced hardening results from nanometer-scale, spheroidal Al 3 Zr or Al 3 (Zr 1− x Ti x ) (L1 2 ) precipitates within solute-enriched dendrites. Interdendritic regions contain a significantly lower number density of coarser cauliflower-, rod- and plate-shaped precipitates with the L1 2 structure. Neither the magnitude of the peak-aged hardness, nor the subsequent loss in hardness due to overaging, is affected by ternary additions of Ti. After extended aging times (1600 h) at 425 °C, there is no difference in the mean precipitate radii of spheroidal Al 3 Zr or Al 3 (Zr 1− x Ti x ) precipitates, confirming that Ti additions do not improve the coarsening resistance. Comparison with prior coarsening studies on Al 3 Zr, and Al 3 (Zr 1− x V x ), Al 3 (Zr 1− x Ti x ) and Al 3 (Zr 1− x − y V x Ti y ) (L1 2 ) precipitates at 425 °C confirms the lack of an effect from ternary alloying additions.
Oesophageal wall stress and muscle hypertrophy in high amplitude oesophageal contractions.

Abstract Excessive wall stress is a known stimulus for muscle growth. We recently reported a thickened muscularis propria in patients with high amplitude oesophageal contractions (HAEC). The goal of this study was to determine oesophageal wall stress in normal subjects and patients with HAEC. A manometry catheter equipped with a high frequency ultrasound (US) transducer was used to record pressure and US images simultaneously in 10 healthy subjects and 11 patients with HAEC. Recordings were obtained at 2 and 10 cm above the lower oesophageal sphincter during water swallows. The changes in circumferential wall stress during oesophageal contraction in both groups are relatively small because of an increase in the wall thickness-to-radius ratio during contraction. Patients show a greater muscle thickness than normal subjects at rest and at the peak of contraction. The wall stress in patients is elevated at the 2 cm but not at the 10-cm level as compared to normal subjects. Wall strain is not different between the two groups. Increase in wall thickness during oesophageal contraction maintains low wall stress. A greater wall stress in patients with HAEC may be a stimulus for the increased wall thickness.
Atrial fibrillation pacing decreases intravascular shear stress in a New Zealand white rabbit model: implications in endothelial function.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by multiple rapid and irregular atrial depolarization, leading to rapid ventricular responses exceeding 100 beats per minute (bpm). We hypothesized that rapid and irregular pacing reduced intravascular shear stress (ISS) with implication to modulating endothelial responses. To simulate AF, we paced the left atrial appendage of New Zealand White rabbits (n = 4) at rapid and irregular intervals. Surface electrical cardiograms were recorded for atrial and ventricular rhythm, and intravascular convective heat transfer was measured by microthermal sensors, from which ISS was inferred. Rapid and irregular pacing decreased arterial systolic and diastolic pressures (baseline, 99/75 mmHg; rapid regular pacing, 92/73; rapid irregular pacing, 90/68; p < 0.001, n = 4), temporal gradients ( $${\partial\tau/\partial t}$$ from 1,275 ± 80 to 1,056 ± 180 dyne/cm2 s), and reduced ISS (from baseline at 32.0 ± 2.4 to 22.7 ± 3.5 dyne/cm2). Computational fluid dynamics code demonstrated that experimentally inferred ISS provided a close approximation to the computed wall shear stress at a given catheter to vessel diameter ratio, shear stress range, and catheter position. In an in vitro flow system in which time-averaged shear stress was maintained at $${{\tau_{\rm avg}} = 23 \pm 4\, {\rm dyn}\, {\rm cm}^{-2} {\rm s}^{-1}}$$ , we further demonstrated that rapid pulse rates at 150 bpm down-regulated endothelial nitric oxide, promoted superoxide (O 2 .− ) production, and increased monocyte binding to endothelial cells. These findings suggest that rapid pacing reduces ISS and $${\partial\tau/\partial t}$$ , and rapid pulse rates modulate endothelial responses.
Shaping the norms that regulate international commerce of embryos.

Abstract As various embryo technologies in livestock were developed and evolved to a state of usefulness over the past 40 years, scientists with a specific interest in infectious diseases sought to determine the epidemiologic consequences of movement, especially international movement, of increasing numbers of embryos. Many of the foundational studies in this area were reported in Theriogenology , beginning in the 1970s and especially throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Unquestionably, Theriogenology has been a widely used venue for dissemination of basic information on this subject, which ultimately led to the development of the now universally accepted techniques for certification of embryo health. Today it is well-recognized that movement in commerce of embryos, especially in vivo –derived embryos, is a very low-risk method for exchange of animal germ plasm. This paper chronicles the evolution of strategies for health certification of embryos. An overview is provided of the calculated efforts of practitioners, scientists, and regulators to organize, forge necessary partnerships, stimulate needed research, provide purposeful analysis of the results, and, through these processes, guarantee the universal acceptance of efficient protocols for certifying the health of embryos intended for movement in international commerce.
A negative correlation between the induction of long-term potentiation and activation of immediate early genes

Abstract In the present study we examined the relationship between the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized rats and activation of immediate early genes (IEGs; c- fos and zif /268 using several different high-frequency stimulation paradigms. Stimulation parameters that effectively induced LTP were not associated with IEG activation. Conversely, stimulation parameters that failed to induced LTP consistently resulted in IEG activation. These results suggest that there is a negative correlation between IEG activation and LTP, and that activation of IEGs is neither necessary nor sufficient for the induction of LTP.
The Relationship between Historic Industrial Site Use and Environmental Contamination

A methodology is presented for estimating the probability that particular classes of environmental contaminants will be of concern at brownfield redevelopment sites. These probabilities are predicted by a logistics model that is based on qualitative information about site history and status. This qualitative information comprises data that would be collected through a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), including historic site use, current use and ownership status, and the nature of adjacent properties. The model is fit and demonstrated using a set of 59 former industrial sites in southwestern Pennsylvania that were collected from the files of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). Predictive models are developed for exceedances of contaminants as grouped into the following classes: metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, fuel hydrocarbons, and PCBs. A procedure for estimating the parametric uncertainty of the model predictions is also illustrated. This method can serve as a starting point for more effective usage of existing Phase I ESA information and for evaluation of the benefit of obtaining additional site information. By increasing the decision-making value of existing (or inexpensive) data, this method can help to reduce the information asymmetry that may be an obstacle to redevelopment.
Adaptive instruction dispatching techniques for Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) processors

Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) provides a technique to improve resource utilization ability by sharing key data-path components among multiple independent threads. When critical resources are shared by multiple threads, effective use of these resources proves to be the most important factor in fully exploiting the system potential. Transient behaviors of various threads in terms of their execution parallelism can easily affect utilization efficiency of these shared resources. To commit more resources to threads that are more active allows for better resource utilization and thus higher throughput. In this paper, we propose a real-time dynamic scheduler for the SMT which dispatches instructions from threads based on thread-activeness information gathered in real time and dynamically adjusts dispatching priorities among threads accordingly. An extensive simulation shows a significant gain in system throughput by this technique. The performance of the proposed dispatching technique is evaluated on different workload mixtures created based on instruction-level parallelism available in each thread. An average of 6.5% and maximum of 15% performance improvement is observed with the proposed dispatching technique.
MINIMAL SPARSE SAMPLING FOR FOURIER-POLYNOMIAL CHAOS IN ACOUSTIC SCATTERING

Single frequency acoustic scattering from an uncertain surface (with sinusoidal components) admits an efficient Fourier-polynomial chaos (FPC) expansion of the acoustic field. The expansion coefficients are computed nonintrusively, i.e., by functional sampling from existing acoustic models. The structure of the acoustic decomposition permits sparse selection of FPC orders within the framework of the Smolyak construction. The main result shows a minimal, sparse sampling required to exactly reconstruct FPC expansions of Smolyak form. To this end, this paper defines two concepts: exactly discretizable orthonormal, function systems (EDO); and nested systems created by decimation or “fledging.” An EDO generalizes the Nyquist-Shannon sampling conditions (exact recovery of “bandlimited” functions given sufficient sampling) to multidimensional FPC expansions. EDO criteria replace the concept of polynomially exact quadrature. Fledging parallels the idea of sub-sampling for sub-bands, from higher to lower level. The FPC Smolyak construction is an EDO fledged from a full grid EDO. An EDO results exactly when the sampled FPC expansion can be inverted to find its coefficients. EDO fledging requires that the lower level (1) has grid points and expansion orders nested in the higher level, and (2) derives its map from the samples to the coefficients from the higher level map. The theory begins with a single dimension fledged EDO, since a tensor product of fledged EDOs yields a fledged tensor EDO. A sequence of nested EDO levels fledge recursively from the largest EDO. The Smolyak construction uses telescoping sums of tensor products up to a maximum level to develop nested EDO systems for sparse grids and orders. The Smolyak construction transform gives exactly the inverse of the weighted evaluation map, and that inverse has a condition number that expresses the numerical limitations of the Smolyak construction.
On the 'vorticity' formulation of the adjoint equations and its solution using the vortex method†

Adjoint equations arise in many problems of optimal flow control and estimation. This paper discusses the ‘vorticity’ (i.e. non-primitive) formulation of such equations in the case of the wake control problem. First we derive the ‘vorticity’ form from the primitive form of the adjoint equations, and then show how it can be efficiently solved using the vortex method. We also discuss some implementation issues and present sample results. This article was chosen from Selected Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Vortex Flows and Related Numerical Methods (UC Santa-Barbara, 17-20 March 2002) ed E Meiburg, G H Cottet, A Ghoniem and P Koumoutsakos.
Mechanocatalysis for biomass-derived chemicals and fuels

Heterogeneous catalysis cannot be easily applied to solids such as cellulose. However, by mechanically grinding the correct catalyst and reactant, it is possible to induce solid–solid catalysis or mechanocatalysis. This process allows a wide range of solids to be effectively utilized as feedstock for commercially relevant compounds. Here we show a set of structural and physical parameters important for the implementation of catalysts in mechanocatalytic processes and their application in the catalytic depolymerization of cellulose. Using the best catalysts, which possess high surface acidities and layered structures, up to 84% of the available cellulose can be converted to water-soluble compounds in a single pass. This approach offers significant advantages over current methods - less waste, insensitivity to feedstock, multiple product pathways, and scalability. It can be easily integrated into existing biorefineries - converting them into multi-feedstock and multi-product facilities. This will expand the use of non-food polysaccharide sources such as switch grass.
Infrared laser photolysis - A new tool for the study of prebiotic chemistry

Infrared laser induced dielectric breakdown and multiphoton absorption experiments on CH4/NH3 'atmospheres' are described. It is found that HCN, a central intermediate in prebiotic chemistry, is a principal product. This, combined with the fact that dielectric breakdown appears to have much in common with ordinary electric sparks, suggests that the laser could be a useful tool in studies of prebiotic chemistry. Several possible experiments in this vein are suggested.
Attachment Theory, Loss and Trauma: A Case Study

This article discusses applications of attachment theory and theories of bereavement to the treatment of trauma with loss of the mother in young children. The article suggests guidelines that may b...
Symmetry-breaking aspects of the roughening transition in gauge theories

Abstract An infinitely long chromoelectric flux tube breaks translation invariance in transverse directions spontaneously. We argue that the associated Goldstone bosons live effectively in 1 + 1 dimensions and therefore, by the Mermin-Wagner-Coleman theorem, destabilize the flux tube. A large class of effective lagrangians describing the long-wavelength fluctuations of (finite) flux tubes is furthermore shown to give rise to a quark potential V(L) = αL + β + γL−1 + O(L−2), where γ is a universal constant.
A survey of frequently identified vulnerabilities in commercial computing semiconductors

This paper summarizes the high level approach taken to security validation by design teams at a CPU Semiconductor manufacturer from architecture, through design, simulation and post-si testing. We review several functional areas that in our experience frequently yield vulnerabilities, describe some of the issues commonly found there, and touch on why these areas can be problematic. By highlighting these issues we hope to encourage future work in academia and industry on techniques to better find, mitigate, or prevent these problems.
Platelet factor 4 antigen in megakaryocytes.

The localization of platelet factor 4 (PF4) in the megakaryocyte has been determined by indirect immunofluorescent studies using monospecific rabbit antibody to human PF4. Also, specific staining has demonstrated that platelets in peripheral blood contain PF4 antigen. Absorption studies established that the staining was specific for PF4. Using this technique, it has been demonstrated that PF4 is also localized in the megakaryocytes in bone marrow. The existence of PF4 antigen in the megakaryocytes suggests that PF4 may be synthesized in the megakaryocytes.
Unusual presentation of an Amazon parrot (Amazona species) with hepatocellular carcinoma

Non-haematopoietic hepatic malignancies are uncommon in birds. The clinical presentation (i.e. chronic buphthalmos)and non-specific radiographic findings observed in this adult Amazon parrot (Amazona spp.) were not consistent with previous reports describing the natural behaviour of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma in birds.
Food and Habitat Use by Different Sizes of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) in Alamo Lake, Arizona

ABSTRACT Each of three size groups of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) differed in foraging behavior and habitat use in an Arizona reservoir. Small bass ( 38 cm TL) were generally found as solitary individuals near submerged structures suitable for ambush feeding. The allometric growth of these fish may have rendered them too bulky to effectively forage in the limnetic zone. Differences in habitat use and foraging behavior for different sizes of largemouth bass in the reservoir appear to be the result of the interaction of the behavioral flexibility of the species, site-specific resources and ecomorphological constraints.
Trans-European access to national case law: the Caselex project

Starting from the description of the reasons why the transnational access to case law is important especially in the context of European legal systems, some major information systems providing access to this type of data are presented. Then, Caselex (Case Law Exchange), a project financed by the EU Commission aiming at deploying a service equipped with a variety of semantic tools facilitating the transnational and multilingual access to national case law, is highlighted. It has been developed by a strong public-private partnership and has as major targets legal professional categories as well as citizens.
EPR spectra in gamma-irradiated single crystals of K3Cu(CN)4☆

Abstract Gamma-irradiated single crystals of K 3 Cu(CN) 4 at 100 K exhibit EPR spectra due to two paramagnetic copper-centered species. The g and 63 Cu hyperfine tensors have been measured for both species and located within the crystal structure. One of the spectra is assigned to Cu(CN) 3 3− , a trigonal planar Cu 0 radical in which the unpaired electron is essentially confined to a Cu 4 p z orbital. The second entity is believed to be pseudotetrahedral Cu(CN) stagerred 4 2− , formally a Cu 2+ species, but with surprisingly high unpaired spin density in the C 2 s orbitals.
NOCTURNAL SLEEP OF NARCOLEPTICS.

Abstract The EEG patterns and eye movements of nine narcoleptics during nocturnal sleep were compared with those of normals. Seven of the nine narcoleptics showed a distinctive phenomenon which is virtually unknown in other pathological conditions or in normals. The narcoleptics had stage 1 rapid eye movement (REM) periods at sleep onset rather than approximately 90 min after sleep onset as most subjects do. This was interpreted as suggesting that narcoleptics are susceptible to “precocious triggering” of the pontine reticular formation. Other manifestations of narcoleptic sleep which distinguished it from that of normals were: (1) a superabundance of body movements; (2) the presence of 9–11 c/sec activity in anterior EEG leads; (3) a tendancy to have less than a normal amount of large slow wave activity.
Giant energy density in [001]-textured Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics

Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) based compositions have been challenging to texture or grow in a single crystal form due to the incongruent melting point of ZrO2. Here we demonstrate the method for achieving 90% textured PZT-based ceramics and further show that it can provide highest known energy density in piezoelectric materials through enhancement of piezoelectric charge and voltage coefficients (d and g). Our method provides more than ∼5× increase in the ratio d(textured)/d(random). A giant magnitude of d·g coefficient with value of 59 000 × 10−15 m2 N−1 (comparable to that of the single crystal counterpart and 359% higher than that of the best commercial compositions) was obtained.
Symptomatic Chiari type I malformation after radiation therapy in an infant: case report.

OBJECTIVE: One previous case report has described the development of a Chiari I malformation in a child after fractionated radiation therapy to the anterior cranial base. The authors present an additional case of a 17-month-old girl treated for an isolated, malignant, rhabdoid tumor of the right neck with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgical exploration, and radiation therapy. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient developed a Chiari I malformation and cervical syringomyelia 1.5 years after the treatment. The patient experienced two episodes of unresponsiveness before diagnosis, and the malformation was then identified on magnetic resonance imaging scans. INTERVENTION: Suboccipital decompressive craniectomy and C1 laminectomy with autologous duraplasty were performed. RESULTS: Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed reconstitution of cerebrospinal fluid at the foramen magnum and ascent of the cerebellar tonsils. The patient remains asymptomatic 5.5 years after treatment. CONCLUSION: The importance of this association is discussed in the context of the increasing use of radiation therapy in young children and infants.
The effects of role playing variations on the assessment of assertive behavior

The effects of role playing variations on the assessment of assertive behavior were investigated with 48 untrained low assertive college students. The effects of stimulus presentation (taped vs. live) and the number of subject responses required (single vs. multiple) were assessed on three dependent variables—assertive content, response length, and anxiety level. Results indicated that mode of stimulus presentation significantly influenced the level of subjective anxiety, while number of subject responses required significantly affected response length. Role playing variations did not significantly affect the content of responses.
Assembled nanoparticle films with crown ether–metal ion “sandwiches” as sensing mechanisms for metal ions

Specialized nanoparticles known as monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) were affixed with metal selective crown ether (CE) functional groups and assembled into novel thin films to form potential metal ion sensing materials. Films of MPCs modified with potassium specific 15-crown-5 ligands (CE-MPCs) were successfully assembled using both dithiol linkages and ester-coupling reactions. Film responses to potassium are observed spectroscopically as the manifestation of changing interparticle spacing within a film in the presence and absence of potassium. Growth dynamics, film structure, and metal response are examined. Additionally, the important role of flexibility, especially in the interconnectivity of the CE-MPCs within the film and between the CE groups themselves, is experimentally identified.
Endovascular administration after intravenous infusion of thrombolytic agents for the treatment of patients with acute ischemic strokes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of combined intravenous and intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic strokes and to evaluate its associated risks, using magnetic resonance imaging as a triage tool. Intravenous treatment followed by intra-arterial infusion may increase the rate of recanalization and lead to better clinical results, with reduced frequency of intracranial hemorrhage. METHODS: Our Brain Attack Team evaluated patients who presented within 3 hours after symptom onset. Patients who did not demonstrate improvement and exhibited no evidence of intracranial hemorrhage on head computed tomographic scans were treated with intravenously administered recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (0.6 mg/kg) and underwent emergency magnetic resonance imaging of the head. T2-weighted turbo-gradient and spin echo and echo-planar diffusion- and perfusion-weighted imaging scans were obtained. Patients with evidence of imaging abnormalities indicating acute cortical infarction underwent cerebral angiography. After determination of vessel occlusion, intra-arterially administered urokinase (up to 750,000 units) or intra-arterially administered recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (maximal dose, 0.3 mg/kg) was used to achieve recanalization. RESULTS: We treated 45 patients with this protocol. The mean age was 67 +/- 13 years, and 58% of the patients were women. There was a significant improvement in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores after treatment. There was good correlation between abnormal perfusion-weighted imaging findings and cerebral angiographic findings (complete vessel occlusion). The incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was 4.4% in this cohort. Seven patients died in the hospital, and the majority of survivors (77%) experienced good outcomes (Barthel index of >or=95) 3 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that this protocol is feasible and that combined intravenous and intra-arterial thrombolysis to treat acute ischemic strokes is sufficiently safe to warrant further evaluation.
How many covarions per species

Fitch and Markowitz (1970) have proposed that a limited number of codons in a given gene can undergo favorable mutations, or mutations leading to amino acid substitutions of little or no effect. These mutations are widely termed "neutral," and Fitch and Markowitz call the codons "concomitantly variable codons" or eovarions. When a favorable or neutral mutation takes place, the set of covarions may be altered: some former members of the set may no longer mutate without consequence, and mutation at other codons may now be innocuous or favorable for the first time. This concept seems to reconcile the observation of strong restriction of substitution sites with the hypothesis that most amino acid substitutions in evolution have been random and of no adaptive significance (King and Jukes, 1969; Crow and Kimura, 1970). This hypothesis extends to electrophoretic polymorphism as well (Crow, 1972; Fitch, 1972; Milkman, 1972). I wish to note one hidden assumption made by Fitch and Markowitz (1970) when they apply the limitations on a single allele (with, say, ten covarions) to an entire species. They assume that an entire species is characterized by a single covarion set at any one time. But in fact the number of codons that can accept a mutation in a species should by now far exceed that in an individual. The average number of such codons (covarions) per individual will of course remain the same, and this is what the authors suggest determines observed substitution rates.
Regulation of Contraction by PKA Phosphorylation of Myosin Binding Protein C and Troponin I in Murine Skinned Myocardium

In skinned myocardium, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA)-catalyzed phosphorylation of cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) and troponin I (cTnI) leads to a decrease in myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity and an acceleration in the kinetics of cross-bridge cycling. To examine the relative roles of cTnI and cMyBP-C phosphorylation in altering contractile function, we determined the Ca2+-sensitivity of force (pCa50) and the rate of force redevelopment (ktr) in untreated and PKA-treated murine myocardium expressing: (1) phosphorylatable cTnI and cMyBP-C (WT), (2) non-phosphorylatable cTnI with serines23/24/43/45 and threonine144 residues mutated to alanines (cTnIala5), (3) phosphorylatable cTnI on a cMyBP-C null background (cMyBP-C-/-), and (4) non-phosphorylatable cTnI on a cMyBP-C null background (cTnIala5/cMyBP-C-/-). A novel aspect of this study was the use of 2,3-Butandione Monoxime (BDM) treatments to reduce the basal levels of myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation to near zero in order to more accurately define the functional consequences of removing cMyBP-C and/or cTnI phoshorylation in transgenic myocardium. Our results showed that in the absence of RLC phosphorylation, PKA-treatment decreased pCa50 in WT, cTnIala5, and cMyBP-C-/- myocardium by 0.13, 0.08 and 0.09 pCa units, respectively, but had no effect in cTnIala5/cMyBP-C-/- myocardium. In WT and cTnIala5 myocardium, PKA treatment increased ktr at submaximal levels of activation; however, treatment did not have an effect on ktr in cMyBP-C-/- and cTnIala5/cMyBP-C-/- myocardium. Together, these results indicate that the attenuation of the myofilament force response following PKA treatment is due to phosphorylation of both cTnI and cMyBP-C and that the reduced Ca2+-sensitivity of force mediated by phosphorylation of cMyBP-C is most likely due to an increased rate constant of cross-bridge detachment that also contributes to an acceleration of cross-bridge cycling kinetics.
B CELLS IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS: A POSSIBLE TARGET FOR THERAPY

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in the skin and other visceral organs and it is associated with immune activation characterized by autoantibody production, release of various cytokines and T-lymphocyte activation. Several recent lines of evidence in animal models and in SSc patients indicate a potential role for B cells in the SSc. B cells have arisen as a possible player in tissue fibrosis in some experimental models and, since IL-6 produced by B cells, along with TGF-β, may induce matrix synthesis and less collagen degradation, targeting B cells could be one way to reduce ECM deposition and reduce the inflammatory background. Both SSc patients and tight-skin mice, a genetic model of SSc, have intrinsic B-cell abnormalities characterized by chronic B-cell activation. SSc patients present an increased number of naive B cells and an activation of memory B cells, despite a reduction in their number. B cells from SSc patients exhibit increased expression of CD19. Remarkably, CD19 loss or B-cell depletion using antimouse CD20 antibody suppresses the development of skin hyperplasia and autoimmunity in tight-skin mice. Additionally, recent studies revealed a possible beneficial effect of anti-human CD20 antibody (Rituximab) therapy on skin fibrosis and lung involvement in SSc patients. These studies reported also the safety of Rituximab in SSc patients. All these findings suggest a possible role of antiCD20 treatment in SSc patients.
Against the Mind Argument

The Mind Argument is an argument for the incompatibility of indeterminism and anyone’s having a choice about anything that happens. Peter van Inwagen rejects the Mind Argument not because he is able to point out the flaw in it, but because he accepts both that determinism is incompatible with anyone’s having a choice about anything that happens and that it is possible for someone to have a choice about something that happens. In this paper I first diagnose and clear up a confusion in recent discussions of the Mind Argument and then go on to show why it is a bad argument.
Acute antinociceptive tolerance and unidirectional cross-tolerance to endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 given intraventricularly in the rat.

The effect of the pretreatment with endomorphin-1 or endomorphin-2 given into anterior 4th ventricle (i.vt.) on the antinociception with the tail-flick test induced by subsequent intraventricular (i.vt.) injection of endomorphin-1 or endomorphin-2 were studied in rats. The i.vt. pretreatment with 30 nmol of endomorphin-1 or 60 nmol of endomorphin-2 developed an antinociceptive tolerance to the subsequently challenging dose of i.vt.-administered endomorphin-1 or endomorphin-2, respectively, with different time courses. The endomorphin-1-induced antinociceptive tolerance reached a maximal level at 2 h, recovered slowly in 24 h after the pretreatment with endomorphin-1, whereas endomorphin-2-induced antinociceptive tolerance developed in 1 h and recovered in 4 h. Rats made tolerant to endomorphin-1 by i.vt. pretreatment with endomorphin-1 exhibited nearly no cross-tolerance to endomorphin-2 to produce antinociception. On the other hand, rats made tolerant to endomorphin-2 exhibited a complete cross-tolerance to endomorphin-1 to produce antinociception. We propose that different degrees of receptor endocytosis for receptor inactivation after stimulation of mu-opioid receptors by endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 and/or two separate subtypes of mu-opioid receptors are involved in the antinociception induced by endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2.
Diagnosis and Management of Acyanotic Heart Disease: Part II - Left-to-right Shunt Lesions

In this review, the clinical features and management of most commonly encountered acyanotic, left-to-right shunt lesions are discussed. Patients with small defects, especially in childhood, are usually asymptomatic while moderate to large defects in infancy may present with symptoms. Hyperdynamic precordium, widely split and fixed second heart sound, ejection systolic murmur at the left upper sternal border and a mid-diastolic flow rumble at the left lower sternal border are present in atrial septal defects, holosystolic murmur at the left lower border is characteristic for a ventricular septal defect whereas a continuous murmur at the left upper sternal border is distinctive for patent ductus arteriosus. Clinical diagnosis is not usually difficult and the diagnosis can be confirmed and quantitated by non-invasive echocardiographic studies. Whereas surgical intervention was used in the past, transcatheter methods are increasingly used for closure of atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus. Small ventricular septal defects may not need to be closed whereas medium and large defects may require surgical closure. Transcatheter closure of both muscular and membranous ventricular septal defects is feasible by transcatheter methodology, but these techniques are experimental at the time of this writing.