cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cortical somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, and NADPH diaphorase neurons: Normal anatomy and alterations in alzheimer's disease

Somatostatin and neuropeptide Y are two neuropeptides that are of particular interest in Alzheimer's disease because they are reported to be depleted in cerebral cortex. In the present study we examined somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase neurons in nine cortical regions in both normal and Alzheimer's disease brains. These three neurochemical markers show a high degree of co-localization (greater than 90%) in nonpyramidal neurons that are primarily distributed in cortical layers II-III, V-VI, and, most prominently, in infracortical white matter. The highest cell density was in temporal and parietal association cortex. The major morphological abnormality in Alzheimer's disease brains was a marked pruning and distortion of fiber plexuses with an apparent reduction in fiber density. In contrast, perikaryal density was preserved except for a reduction in parietal association cortex. Approximately 10 to 15% of senile plaques in the inferior temporal gyrus contained abnormal neurites. Additional abnormal collections of neurites without plaque cores were frequently found in layers II-III and V-VI. Neuropeptide Y and somatostatin were co-localized in abnormal neurites, suggesting an origin from local intrinsic neurons in which the two peptides are co-localized. Double immunofluorescence staining for both tau protein, a major antigenic component of paired helical filaments, and either somatostatin or neuropeptide Y showed that these neurons do not contain tau-immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles. The morphological correlate of reduced somatostatin and neuropeptide Y content in Alzheimer's disease brain therefore appears to be a distortion and reduction in fiber plexuses. In addition, it is apparent that these neurons can develop widespread morphological abnormalities in the absence of neurofibrillary tangle formation.
Multifaceted, Cross-Generational Costs of Hybridization in Sibling Drosophila species

Maladaptive hybridization, as determined by the pattern and intensity of selection against hybrid individuals, is an important factor contributing to the evolution of prezygotic reproductive isolation. To identify the consequences of hybridization between Drosophila pseudoobscura and D. persimilis, we estimated multiple fitness components for F1 hybrids and backcross progeny and used these to compare the relative fitness of parental species and their hybrids across two generations. We document many sources of intrinsic (developmental) and extrinsic (ecological) selection that dramatically increase the fitness costs of hybridization beyond the well-documented F1 male sterility in this model system. Our results indicate that the cost of hybridization accrues over multiple generations and reinforcement in this system is driven by selection against hybridization above and beyond the cost of hybrid male sterility; we estimate a fitness loss of >95% relative to the parental species across two generations of hybridization. Our findings demonstrate the importance of estimating hybridization costs using multiple fitness measures from multiple generations in an ecologically relevant context; so doing can reveal intense postzygotic selection against hybridization and thus, an enhanced role for reinforcement in the evolution of populations and diversification of species.
Order of play in strategically equivalent games in extensive form

“Can we find a pair of extensive form games that give rise to the same strategic form game such that, when played by a reasonable subject population, there is a statistically significant difference in how the games are played?” (Kreps, 1990, p. 112). And if yes, “can we organize these significant differences according to some principles that reflect recognizable differences in the extensive forms?” Both questions are answered positively by reporting results from three different experiments on public goods provision, resource dilemmas, and pure coordination games.
Effects of supplemental lysine and methionine in low protein diets on weight gain and body composition of young channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation with lysine, methionine, or both in low protein but amino acid (AA)-replete diets on weight gain and body composition of channel catfish (mean initial weight: 10–11.9 g/fish) raised under laboratory conditions. In experiment 1, a 2×3 factorial arrangement with two feeding rates (approximately 75 and 100% satiation) and three test diets was used. Diets 1 and 2 were formulated to contain 32 and 24% crude protein, respectively. Diet 3 was the same as diet 2 except that 0.4% supplemental lysine was added. Fish were fed once daily for 12 weeks. In experiment 2, a 2×4 factorial arrangement with two dietary protein levels (24 or 28%) and four AA supplements was used. Lysine, methionine, or both were supplemented to the basal diets to bring the level of these two essential AAs to 30% above the requirement for channel catfish. Fish were fed once daily to approximate satiation for 12 weeks. In both experiments, five aquaria were used in each dietary treatment. In experiment 1, regardless of feeding rate, fish fed diets containing 24% protein with or without supplemental lysine gained less weight and converted feed less efficiently than fish fed the 32% protein diet. There were no differences in weight gain between fish fed the 24% protein diets with and without supplemental lysine. Feed efficiency of fish fed the 24% protein diet with supplemental lysine was higher than that of fish fed the diet without supplemental lysine. Fillet fat of fish fed diets containing 24% protein with or without supplemental lysine was greater than that of fish fed the 32% protein diet. There were no differences in fillet fat between fish fed the 24% protein diets with and without supplemental lysine. Fillet protein was not affected by diet or feeding rate. In experiment 2, regardless of dietary protein concentration, no significant differences were observed in weight gain, feed consumption, feed efficiency, or fillet composition among fish fed diets with or without supplemental AAs. Results from this study indicate that supplementation with lysine and/or methionine in low protein but AA-replete diets is not beneficial for channel catfish.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COMPOSITION OF THE SODIUM “PREGNANEDIOL” GLUCURONIDE COMPLEX IN HUMAN PREGNANCY, WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO DIETHYLSTILBESTROL THERAPY

SINCE the publication in 1946 (1) of data on the augmentative effect of diethylstilbestrol upon “pregnanediol” excretion in pregnancy, two groups of investigators (2, 3) have reported their inability to confirm this observation. These later investigators measured pregnanediol colorimetrically following its extraction from acid-hydrolyzed urine, whereas the original work was based upon the gravimetric determination of the sodium “pregnanediol” glucuronide complex (NaPG) by the Venning procedure (4). The possibility that the glucuronide of the administered diethylstilbestrol accounted for the rise in NaPG has been eliminated by the demonstration that stilbestrol glucuronide is not recovered in measurable amounts by the Venning method (5). In seeking for some other explanation for the discrepancy in findings, curves of excretion both for pregnanediol freed by acid hydrolysis and for “pregnanediol” as NaPG were followed in 22 pregnant women. Urines were collected at intervals of from one to seven days, starti...
Inducible Toll-like Receptor and NF-κB Regulatory Pathway Expression in Human Adipose Tissue

Objective: Inflammatory activity in fat tissue has recently been implicated in mechanisms of insulin resistance and obesity-related metabolic dysfunction. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in innate immune responses and recent studies implicate the TLR pathway in mechanisms of inflammation and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to examine differential TLR expression and function in human adipose tissue. Methods and Procedures: We biopsied subcutaneous abdominal fat from 16 obese subjects (age 39 ± 11 years, BMI 49 ± 14 kg/m2) and characterized TLR expression using quantitative real-time PCR and confocal immunofluorescence imaging. In tissue culture, we stimulated isolated human adipocytes with Pam3CSK4 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (TLR2 and TLR4 agonists, respectively) and quantified TLR activity, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 nuclear activation using real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence. Results: TLR1, 2, and 4 protein colocalized with adiponectin in human adipocytes with TLR4 exhibiting the highest immunohistochemical expression. Using real-time PCR, we confirmed higher level of gene expression for TLR4 as compared to other members of the TLR family (TLR1, 2, 7, 8) in human adipose depots (P < 0.001). In tissue culture, adipocyte TLR2/TLR4 mRNA expression and protein increased significantly following Pam3CSK4 and LPS (P < 0.001). TLR2/TLR4 stimulation was associated with NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and proinflammatory cytokine production. Discussion: The findings demonstrate that TLRs are inducible in adipose tissue and linked with downstream NF-κB activation and cytokine release. Adipose stores may play a dynamic role in the regulation of inflammation and innate immunity in human subjects via modulation of the TLR/NF-κB regulatory pathway.
Reliability Engineering for Facility Effectiveness

The problem of optimizing the effectiveness of a large scientific facility is considered in a discussion of the probabilistic, statistical, engineering, and managerial aspects of reliability.
The role of DNA hypermethylation in human neoplasia.

Cancer development and progression is dictated by a series of alterations in genes such as oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, DNA repair genes, and others. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that is profoundly altered in most cancers. Recently, hypermethylation of CpG-rich areas located in the promoter of genes (CpG islands) has been shown to be commonly implicated in silencing tumor suppressor genes in cancer. By cloning and characterizing a large number of such CpG islands hypermethylated in colon cancer, we found that two processes explain most of these events. Age-related CpG island methylation in a subset of cells in normal tissues, followed by intensification of methylation in cancer cells explains the majority of hyper-methylation events in colon cancer and may provide a mechanistic link between aging and cancer formation. Most of the other CpG islands methylated in colon cancer can be explained by a newly described phenotype, the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) which results in multiple methylation events in a subset of cancers. CIMP accounts for the majority of sporadic colon cancers characterized by microsatellite instability, as well as most tumors with k-ras mutations. Understanding further the factors that lead to, and modulate, aberrant methylation in cancer may provide novel avenues for prevention and treatment of this disease.
Relative effects of low socio-economic status, parental smoking and poor scholastic performance on smoking among high school students.

Abstract Previous studies have established that parental smoking, socio-economic status and scholastic performance are all related to smoking in high school students. A study of 1814 students at a high school in Western Pennsylvania confirmed the three factors previously identified as corelates of smoking in teenagers. Findings of this study also showed that of the three factors scholastic performance was clearly the strongest, with parental smoking next in strength and socio-economic status a weak third. These results are discussed in relation to similar findings on antisocial behavior in teenagers and interpreted following Gold and Mann [1], in terms of smoking as a defense against a derogated self-image.
Alterations in Ca2+-dependent and Ca2+-independent release of catecholamines in preparations of rat brain produced by ethanol treatment in vivo

Compared to preparations from control animals, superfused striatal slice preparations from brains of rats treated chronically with ethanol released a significantly greater fraction of stored [3H] dopamine on depolarisation in 40 mM K+. Similarly, the electrically-evoked release of [3H]-norepinephrine from cortical slices and of [3H]-dopamine from striatal slices is also increased, although with this mechanism of depolarisation the change is significant only in the case of [3H] norepinephrine release. In contrast to this tendency to enhancement of Ca2+-dependent depolarisation-induced release, a reduced fraction of stored [3H]-catecholamines was released from these preparations by the indirect sympathomimetics tyramine and (+)-amphetamine. The catecholamine release induced by these indirect sympathomimetics is largely independent of external Ca2+ and the results are interpreted as suggesting that chronic alcohol treatment changes the distribution of catecholamine neurotransmitters between storage pools in the nerve terminal which do or do not require Ca2+ entry for release.
A trust region method for constructing triangle-mesh approximations of parametric minimal surfaces

Given a function f"0 defined on the unit square @W with values in R^3, we construct a piecewise linear function f on a triangulation of @W such that f agrees with f"0 on the boundary nodes, and the image of f has minimal surface area. The problem is formulated as that of minimizing a discretization of a least squares functional whose critical points are uniformly parameterized minimal surfaces. The nonlinear least squares problem is treated by a trust region method in which the trust region radius is defined by a stepwise-variable Sobolev metric. Test results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.
Synthesis of imidazolium salts and their application in epoxy montmorillonite nanocomposites

Considerable research has been conducted in improving the performance characteristics of nanocomposites, however, relatively few attempts have been made to address the thermal stability of nanocomposites. An attempt is being made to improve the thermal properties of nanocomposites by synthesizing imidazolium salts from 2-methyl imidazole and ion exchanging the salts with clay minerals. This study focuses on the role of the chemistry of imidazolium salt(s) used in functionalizing clay and processing conditions in the formulation of epoxy nanocomposites. The nanodispersion of clay in an epoxy matrix is evaluated qualitatively by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). We demonstrate the use of LCSM for quantitative image analysis and to study the dispersion of clay layers, tagged with a fluorescent dye in the epoxy matrix. XRD and TEM results reveal that the hand mixed nanocomposite has tactoid morphology, while ultrasonicated organoclay (without hydroxyl group) epoxy nanocomposite exhibits a mixed morphology, and an ultrasonicated organoclay (with hydroxyl group) epoxy nanocomposite had well dispersed clay distribution in the epoxy matrix. Results from the three complimentary techniques enable the characterization of the clay platelets over several length scales ranging from the micrometer to the nanometer scale.
The national cancer data base report on cancer of the vagina

BACKGROUND This study was conducted to determine practice patterns in the management of vaginal malignancy. METHODS The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), a large central registry of hospital case data, was reviewed for the 10-year period 1985-1994 for patients registered with a primary diagnosis of vaginal cancer. Patients with a prior history of malignancy were excluded. RESULTS Between 1985-1994 4885 cases of vaginal cancer were submitted to NCDB. More than 90% were epithelial neoplasia with approximately 25% of these in situ lesions only. Squamous carcinoma was more common as the age of the patient progressed. Adenocarcinomas represented nearly all the carcinomas in the group of patients age < 20 years and were observed less frequently with advanced age. Relative survival at 5 years was stage-related: Stage 0: 96%; Stage I: 73%; Stage II: 58%; and Stages III-IV: 36%. Melanoma had an extremely poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only 14%. A significant number of sarcomas occurred in children for whom chemotherapy played a major role in treatment. Chemotherapy was used less frequently in the older patients. Survival was better in the younger patients (90% vs. 30% in the older patients). CONCLUSIONS Although vaginal cancer is the rarest of genital malignancies, it appears that treatment and results from the NCDB reported from multiple institutions followed prescribed treatment guidelines. Cancer 1998;83:1033-1040. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Simulation of protein crystal nucleation

To attempt to understand the physical principles underlying protein crystallization, an algorithm is described for simulating the crystal nucleation event computationally. The validity of the approach is supported by its ability to reproduce closely the wellknown preference of proteins for particular space group symmetries. The success of the algorithm supports a recent argument that protein crystallization is limited primarily by the entropic effects of geometric restrictions imposed during nucleation, rather than particular energetic factors. These simulations provide a new tool for attacking the problem of protein crystallization by allowing quantitative evaluation of new ideas such as the use of racemic protein mixtures.
A direct projection method for Markov chains

A direct method based on oblique projections is adapted to compute the stationary distribution vector of a finite Markov chain. The algorithm can also be used to compute the group inverse of the corresponding generator matrix. It is shown how to update the stationary vector and other quantities of interest when one row of the transition probability matrix is modified. A GTH-like variant that appears to compute the stationary probabilities to high relative accuracy is developed.
Ventral mesencephalic neurons containing both cholecystokinin- and tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivities project to forebrain regions.

The coexistence of cholecystokinin- and tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivities within neurons of the rat ventral mesencephalon was analyzed by using an indirect immunofluorescence technique for the simultaneous demonstration of two antigens in the same tissue section. A high degree of colocalization was observed in the substantia nigra pars compacta, in which 80–90% of all labeled neurons at rostral and up to 70% at intermediate levels contained both cholecystokinin and tyrosine hydroxylase. At caudal levels, the incidence of colocalization declined to approximately 30–50%. All of the immunoreactive perikarya in the substantia nigra pars lateralis were labeled with both substances. Other areas of the ventral midbrain that exhibited a moderate proportion of neurons immunoreactive for both cholecystokinin and tyrosine hydroxylase included the ventral tegmental area, interfascicular nucleus, and rostral and caudal linear nuclei. In addition, coexistence was occasionally observed within neurons of the central and ventral periaqueductal gray matter, supramammillary region, peripeduncular region, retrorubral field, and, extremely rarely, within the substantia nigra pars reticulata. Cell bodies containing tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity (indicative of dopamine) usually outnumbered those containing the peptide except in the supramammillary region and in the ventral periaqueductal gray matter, where the cholecystokinin perikarya were present in higher numbers. The double-labeling colocalization technique was combined with fluorescence retrograde tracing to determine some of the forebrain projections of these neurons. Ventral midbrain neurons containing both cholecystokinin and tyrosine hydroxylase were found to project to the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. These projections originated from neurons located predominantly in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the ventral tegmental area. Thus, cholecystokinin occurs within the well-known dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway in the rat. Overall, these results demonstrate that a significant proportion of the dopamine neurons giving rise to the ascending mesotelencephalic projections also contain the peptide cholecystokinin.
Effects of a Controlled-Usage Alcohol Education Program Based on the Health Belief Model

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects that a controlled-usage alcohol education program had on a university population. The program was developed incorporating factors of the Healt...
Fitness consequences of seed size in the valley oak Quercus lobata Née (Fagaceae).

We examined the functional relationship between seed size and seedling performance in the valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee) by means of a 13-year common garden experiment. Acorns were collected from five localities throughout the range of valley oak in autumn 1997, weighed and measured, and planted at Sedgwick Reserve, Santa Barbara County, California, USA. In the short term, larger acorns produced larger seedlings that had lower survival than seedlings from smaller acorns. In the longer term, large seeds correlated positively with both seedling size and survival, with path analyses indicating that the latter effect was primarily indirect via initial seedling size. The longer-term relative growth rate was only weakly related to seed size, being a combination of a slight positive direct influence of seed size on relative growth rate and a comparable negative indirect effect via larger initial seedling size. These results generally matched the predictions of the “seedling size effect hypothesis” (larger seeds yield larger seedlings with greater competitive abilities), the only one of the three hypotheses we examined that predicts an inverse relationship between seed size and initial survival and a positive relationship between seed size and longer-term relative growth rate. The factors influencing the relationships between seed size and seedling performance are complex and may involve both direct effects of seed size and indirect effects mediated through initial seedling size. Although the seedling size effect was the most important in our study, other factors may be important under different environmental conditions and/or at different growth stages.
Linear models of buckling and stress-stiffening

Linear models for estimating the limits of elastic stability and the effects of stress stiffening are formulated, starting from the assumption that in its reference configuration the elastic body is subjected to an initial stress field which satisfies the equations of linear elasticity. When the body is subjected to some kinematically admissible perturbation then the work done by the initial stress field, due to the product term of the Green-Lagrange strain tensor, accounts for the geometric terms in the equilibrium equations which represent the effects of the initial stress field. Examples are presented.
Defining neurocognitive impairment in HIV: deficit scores versus clinical ratings.

Because HIV-related neurocognitive impairment is usually mild and variable, clinical ratings (CR) and global deficit scores (GDS) are recommended for detecting HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The CR approach requires impairment in at least two ability domains while the GDS considers number and severity of impairments across all measures. We examined classification agreement and clinical correlates of the two methods. Neurocognitive functioning of 1574 HIV-infected participants was assessed via a comprehensive, seven-domain neuropsychological battery. Global neurocognitive impairment was defined for each participant independently by CR and GDS. Participants were classified into four categories (Dually-normal, [impaired by] CR-only, [impaired by] GDS-only, or Dually-impaired). There was 83% concordance between CR and GDS classifications; in total, 56% of participants were deemed impaired by CR and 41% were classified as impaired by GDS. Impairment by GDS virtually guaranteed CR impairment, but 16% of participants were additionally classified as impaired only by CR. As compared to Dually-normal participants, those classified as Dually and CR-only impaired were more likely to have AIDS, have more severe co-occurring conditions, have more severe depressive symptoms, be unemployed, and have more everyday functioning complaints (ps < .05). Impairment classifications of the two methods were in high agreement; however, more people were classified as impaired using the CR approach compared to the GDS approach. Those impaired according to CR-only showed fewer neurocognitive and functional deficits than the Dually-impaired participants, but more of these deficits than Dually-normal participants. The CR approach may be most appropriate for detecting more subtle forms of neurocognitive impairment. Clinicians and researchers should recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each method when evaluating neurocognitive complications in HIV.
Quantitative Rayleigh thermometry for high background scattering applications with structured laser illumination planar imaging

This work demonstrates structured laser illumination planar imaging (SLIPI) for Rayleigh thermometry with high background scattering. Two coherent laser beams were crossed to produce an interference pattern, from which the modulated Rayleigh signal was collected. The modulated signal serves as a signature that identifies information about Rayleigh scattering from the probe volume against additional contributions in the image from background scattering. This work shows that the structured nature of the illumination allows for a simplified background correction. The experimental approach is validated in a non-premixed methane/air flame, and the temperature is found to be in excellent agreement with previous experimental and computational results. Rayleigh SLIPI is then applied to a high background scattering application as part of the full-field temperature measurement of sooting non-premixed ethylene/air flames. For these flames, standard Rayleigh background corrections are impossible since scattering from soot just outside the field of view is the main source of the background. Good agreement is found between SLIPI and intensity-ratio thin-filament pyrometry-derived temperature along their adjoining interface in the flame.
Computational Ion Optics Design Evaluations

Ion optics computational models are invaluable tools in the design of ion optics systems. In this study a new computational model developed by an outside vendor for use at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is presented. This computational model is a gun code that has been modified to model the plasma sheaths both upstream and downstream of the ion optics. The model handles multiple species (e.g. singly and doubly-charged ions) and includes a charge-exchange model to support erosion estimations. The model uses commercially developed solid design and meshing software to allow high flexibility in ion optics geometric configurations. The results from this computational model are applied to the NEXT project to investigate the effects of crossover impingement erosion seen during the 2000-hour wear test.
Family history of affective illness in schizophrenia patients: Symptoms and cognition

This study examined the relationship between having a family history of affective disorder and neuropsychological functioning and PANSS symptoms in schizophrenia patients falling into four exclusive family history groups (affective spectrum disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, both, or neither). Schizophrenia patients with a family history of affective illness had the best performance on IQ tests and executive function measures. Symptoms showed fewer family history group differences. Schizophrenia patients with a family history of affective disorder may be a distinct subtype in the group of schizophrenias and may be biologically more similar to patients with serious affective disorder.
A Dynamic Traveling Salesman Problem with Stochastic Arc Costs

We propose a dynamic traveling salesman problem TSP with stochastic arc costs motivated by applications, such as dynamic vehicle routing, in which the cost of a decision is known only probabilistically beforehand but is revealed dynamically before the decision is executed. We formulate this as a dynamic program DP and compare it to static counterparts to demonstrate the advantage of the dynamic paradigm over an a priori approach. We then apply approximate linear programming ALP to overcome the DP's curse of dimensionality, obtain a semi-infinite linear programming lower bound, and discuss its tractability. We also analyze a rollout version of the price-directed policy implied by our ALP and derive worst-case guarantees for its performance. Our computational study demonstrates the quality of a heuristically modified rollout policy using a computationally effective a posteriori bound.
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS IN THE DEEP WATER OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC1

Differcnccs in the concentrations of inorganic phosphate and of total phosphorus in scawater are interprctcd as representing the prescncc of organically bound phosphorus. This fraction is ncgligiblc in most of the deep water of the North Atlantic but was present in substantial amounts in the western end of a section at 40” N lat sampled during the Intcrnational Geophysical Year program in October 1957. Rcpcatcd observations in a section bctwecn Woods Hole and Bermuda and at a station south of Bermuda during the period 1958-61 have demonstrated variations in organic phosphorus in deep water which follow approximately a seasonal cycle and which appear to bc related to variations in salinity. During 1959, when the salinity of the water was most nearly constant, the organic phosphorus disappeared from the deep water at a rate of approximately 0.1 pg-at./( liter x year), which is considered an uncorrected cstimatc of decomposition in situ. Possible sources of the organic phosphorus in the deep water arc discussed. The most probable source appears to be in the low-salinity subarctic intermediate water.
Reflection of localized beams from a nonlinear absorbing interface

Beam propagation and reflection are studied at the interface between a Kerr medium and a saturable absorbing nonlinear medium. For spatial solitons propagating nearly tangent to the interface, slowly varying envelope theory describes beam behavior. Phenomena are studied using numerical beam propagation and dynamical systems arguments. Projecting the dynamics onto the soliton modes of the nonabsorbing medium, an effective-particle theory is developed for the reflected beam. The results of the effective-particle theory and the numerical analysis are compared, and a heuristic criterion for predicting reflection and absorption of beams is derived.
Dynamic Gain Control of Dopamine Delivery in Freely Moving Animals

Activity changes in a large subset of midbrain dopamine neurons fulfill numerous assumptions of learning theory by encoding a prediction error between actual and predicted reward. This computational interpretation of dopaminergic spike activity invites the important question of how changes in spike rate are translated into changes in dopamine delivery at target neural structures. Using electrochemical detection of rapid dopamine release in the striatum of freely moving rats, we established that a single dynamic model can capture all the measured fluctuations in dopamine delivery. This model revealed three independent short-term adaptive processes acting to control dopamine release. These short-term components generalized well across animals and stimulation patterns and were preserved under anesthesia. The model has implications for the dynamic filtering interposed between changes in spike production and forebrain dopamine release.
Quantitative elastic-property measurements at the nanoscale with atomic force acoustic microscopy

We are developing metrology for rapid, quantitative assessment of elastic properties with nanoscale spatial resolution. Atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) methods enable measurements of modulus at either a single point or as a map of local property variations. The information obtained furthers our understanding of nanopatterned surfaces, thin films, and nanoscale structures.
Spontaneous Emotional Facial Expression Detection

Change in a speaker's emotion is a fundamental component in human communication. Automatic recognition of spontaneous emotion would significantly impact human-computer interaction and emotion-related studies in education, psychology and psychiatry. In this paper, we explore methods for detecting emotional facial expressions occurring in a realistic human conversation setting—the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Because non-emotional facial expressions have no distinct description and are expensive to model, we treat emotional facial expression detection as a one-class classification problem, which is to describe target objects (i.e., emotional facial expressions) and distinguish them from outliers (i.e., non-emotional ones). Our preliminary experiments on AAI data suggest that one-class classification methods can reach a good balance between cost (labeling and computing) and recognition performance by avoiding non-emotional expression labeling and modeling.
High Order Contingency Selection Using Particle Swarm Optimization and Tabu Search

There is a growing interest in investigating the high order contingency events that may result in large blackouts, which have been a great concern for power grid secure operation. The actual number of high order contingency is too huge for operators and planner to apply a brute-force enumerative analysis. This thesis presents a heuristic searching method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and tabu search to select severe high order contingencies. The original PSO algorithm gives an intelligent strategy to search the feasible solution space, but tends to find the best solution only. The proposed method combines the original PSO with tabu search such that a number of top candidates will be identified. This fits the need of high order contingency screening, which can be eventually the input to many other more complicate security analyses. Reordering of branches of test system based on severity of N-1 contingencies is applied as a pre-processing to increase the convergence properties and efficiency of the algorithm. With this reordering approach, many critical high order contingencies are located in a small area in the whole searching space. Therefore, the proposed algorithm tends to concentrate in searching this area such that the number of critical branch combinations searched will increase. Therefore, the speedup ratio is found to increase significantly. The proposed algorithm is tested for N-2 and N-3 contingencies using two test systems modified from the IEEE 118-bus and 30-bus systems. Variation of inertia weight, learning factors, and number of particles is tested and the range of values more suitable for this specific algorithm is suggested. Although illustrated and tested with N-2 and N-3 contingency analysis, the proposed algorithm can be extended to even higher order contingencies but visualization will be difficult because of the increase in the problem dimensions corresponding to the order of contingencies.
Agricultural pollutant penetration and steady state in thick aquifers.

The leakage of pollutants from agricultural lands to aquifers has increased greatly, driven by increasing fertilizer and pesticide use. Because this increase is recent, ground water pollutant concentrations, loads, and exports may also be increasing as pollutants penetrate more deeply into aquifers. We established in an aquifer profile a ground water recharge and pollutant leakage chronology in an agricultural landscape where 30 m of till blankets a 57-m thick sandstone aquifer. Pollutant concentrations increased from older ground water (1963) at the aquifer base to younger ground water (1985) at its top, a signal of increasing pollutant leakage. Nitrate-N increased from 0.9 to 13.2 mg/L, implying that leakage increased from 1.9 to 16.5 kg/ha/year. Nitrate load and export could increase from 130% to 230% before reaching a steady state in 20 to 40 years. Chloride increases were similar. Pesticide residues alachlor ethane sulfonic acid (ESA), metolachlor ESA, and atrazine residues partially penetrated the aquifer profile. Their concentration-age-date patterns exhibited an initial increase and then a leveling corresponding to the timing of product adoption and leveling of demand. Unlike NO3, projecting pesticide residue steady states is complicated by the phasing in and out of pesticide products over time; for example, neither alachlor nor atrazine is currently used in the area, and newer products, which have not had time to transit to the aquifer, have been adopted. The circumstances that resulted in the lack of a pollutant steady state are not rare; thus, the lack of steady states in agricultural region aquifers may not be uncommon.
Regulation of Wnt signaling by nociceptive input in animal models.

Central sensitization-associated synaptic plasticity in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) critically contributes to the development of chronic pain, but understanding of the underlying molecular pathways is still incomplete. Emerging evidence suggests that Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in regulation of synaptic plasticity. Little is known about the potential function of the Wnt signaling cascades in chronic pain development. Fluorescent immunostaining results indicate that β-catenin, an essential protein in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, is expressed in the superficial layers of the mouse SCDH with enrichment at synapses in lamina II. In addition, Wnt3a, a prototypic Wnt ligand that activates the canonical pathway, is also enriched in the superficial layers. Immunoblotting analysis indicates that both Wnt3a a β-catenin are up-regulated in the SCDH of various mouse pain models created by hind-paw injection of capsaicin, intrathecal (i.t.) injection of HIV-gp120 protein or spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Furthermore, Wnt5a, a prototypic Wnt ligand for non-canonical pathways, and its receptor Ror2 are also up-regulated in the SCDH of these models. Our results suggest that Wnt signaling pathways are regulated by nociceptive input. The activation of Wnt signaling may regulate the expression of spinal central sensitization during the development of acute and chronic pain.
Evaluation of two web-based alcohol interventions in the U.S. military.

Objective:The U.S. military has traditionally had high rates of alcohol misuse and alcohol-related problems, necessitating effective treatment programs that minimize participant burden. Web-based interventions have shown promise as efficient treatment options for college students and adults but have not been widely evaluated in the military. This study evaluated the efficacy of two web-based alcohol interventions originally created for civilians and then adapted for U.S. military personnel.Method:Two web-based alcohol interventions, Alcohol Savvy and Drinker's Check-Up, were adapted for use among military populations. The interventions were evaluated using a convenience sample of 3,070 active-duty military personnel at eight installations. Following a baseline survey, participants were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: (a) Alcohol Savvy, (b) Drinker's Check-Up, or (c) control (no program participation). Follow-up surveys were completed by 1,072 participants 1 month following baseline and by 5...
Surface Ultrastructure of Rheumatoid Articular Cartilage

Six rheumatoid articular cartilage specimens, which appeared grossly normal and were shown to be free of pannus when examined under the light microscope, were examined electron microscopically. For comparison, normal-appearing cartilage specimens from 2 patients with meniscus injury and 2 with degenerative joint disease (DJD) were also examined. In all cases the normal-appearing joint surface of rheumatoid cartilage was abnormal. Amorphous-appearing material was present to a depth varying between 6 and 25 micron. Some of this material had the appearance of fibrin deposited at the cartilage surface, but much appeared to represent breakdown products of the cartilage matrix, i.e. degraded collagen and proteoglycan. DJD cartilage did not show similar changes. The findings suggest that the surface of rheumatoid articular cartilage, even when grossly normal in appearance, is degraded by enzymes either present in the synovial fluid or released by polymorphonuclear cells in close contact with the cartilage surface.
Induction and Consequences of the Type I IFN Response to Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive intracellular bacterial pathogen. During infection of host cells, L. monocytogenes introduces microbial components into both vacuolar compartments and the cytoplasm. Innate receptors in these compartments recognize the pathogen and induce pro-inflammatory cytokines, including type I interferons (IFNs). Strikingly, production of type I IFNs and responsiveness to these cytokines is deleterious to the host during infections by L. monocytogenes and several other bacteria. Hence, a better understanding of their regulation has potential importance for antimicrobial therapy. Recent studies have revealed involvement of cytosolic immune sensors and pathways in host detection of L. monocytogenes components and stimulation of type I IFN production. This chapter will examine these receptors and their downstream adaptor and effector molecules that have proven to be vital for signal transduction and subsequent type I IFN secretion.
Jewish defense league: The rhetoric of resistance

“Above all, we see a different Jew arising from the ashes and decay of Auschwitz. It is a Jew who pauses to look the world in the eye; to stare directly at those who, for centuries, burned and stabbed and drowned and hanged and gassed us; to softly say: Up against the wall, world.”
Is Prison Increasing Crime

Scholars have identified various ways in which incarceration may unintentionally cause crime. What the literature lacks, however, is an attempt to catalog all of the crime-causing, or "criminogenic," effects of incarceration, and estimate their aggregate impact. This Article makes an initial attempt to do just that. Drawing inferences from existing data, the Article estimates that as of roughly a decade ago, incarceration practices were driving up crime rates by at least 7 percent, and were preventing as little as 13 percent of would-be-crime. However, given trends since then, we may now be at or near a tipping point where prison is causing a net increase in crime. The implications of this phenomenon are also addressed.
Great Expectations (B)

A Japanese construction manager in Nepal is faced with a local work force that seems to him to have unreasonable demands and requests. After having several confrontations with his local engineering staff, he must decide how to handle a situation that is deteriorating day by day. The B case describes how the manager handled the situation so students can compare their suggestions with what happenedright or wrong. See also the A case (UVA-OB-0739).
Katharine Sharp's "A Catechism for Librarians" Revisited

Developments in technical services since the turn of the century are reviewed by analyzing "A Catechism for Librarians," an unpublished manuscript written by Katharine Sharp (University Librarian at the University of Illinois from 1897 to 1907). Sharp's approach to library administration, acquisitions and collection development, cataloging and classification, acquisitions and collection development, cataloging and classification, binding and preservation, and circulation are compared to methods currently used in public and academic libraries. Library practices have been influenced enormously by developments in technology, most notably the computer, but the basic problems of technical services and the goals of libraries have remained quite similar to those about which Sharp wrote in the early 1900s.
VERTICAL STRUCTURE OF THE NEARSHORE CURRENT AT DELILAH: MEASURED AND MODELED

Comprehensive field measurements were made of the vertical current structure on a barred beach profile at the DELILAH project duriiig October of 1990. The current was measured with five electromagnetic current meters mounted on a mobile sled which was stationed at three to eight cross-shore positions. The incident directional wave spectra, bathymetry, tide, wind, and cross-shore wave transformation were also measured. A numerical model was developed to calculate the random wave transformation based on the model of Dally, Dean, and Dalrymple (1985) (Larson and Kraus 1991) and the local vertical current structure (Putrevu and Svendsen 1991). The model predicted the shape of the current profiles well with a root-mean-square error in velocity of 5.9 cm/sec. The model tended to underpredict the velocity over the bar crest.
Micro-physical models for simulating realistic ice accretions

The paper presents a detailed study of the various micro-physical processes occurring during ice accretion at various scales. These processes must he considered in order to accurately simulate ice accretion shape, size, roughness, extent, structural, thermodynamic, electrostatic, and dielectric properties for predicting degradation and protection system performance during aircraft operations. The presentation hegins with a basic description of those phenomena and properties at each scale utilizing a consistent nomenclature and cataloging method. The highest scale is then described in full by using a detailed set of graphics that presents spacial and temporal phenomena. The paper ends with a summary of the required, enhanced, and novel models based on the above scale study. This pdper is an excerpt from a complete work that considers all appropriate scales and complete physical modeling methods, algorithms, variables, and equations.
Control of magnitude and direction of the continuous bioelectric currents associated with organic polarity.

In previous work it has been shown that the apical ends of isolated stem of Obelia colonies are electropositive (galvanometer circuit) to middle or basal regions of the same stem.1 These differences of electric potential are maintained and therefore a continuous output of electrical energy occurs under normal conditions of life in sea water. The processes upon which this output of energy depends can be inhibited in a perfectly reversible manner by cyanide, ether and chloroform.Tissues of the stem, the electric potentials of which have been repeatedly and reversibly decreased, retain their normal capacity for growth and regeneration and also their normal sequence when removed to pure sea water.The normal electrical polarity of the stem as a whole is a result of the inequality of the P.D.s across the ecto-endoderm of the apical (young) and basal (old) ends of the stem. The ecto-endoderm of the apical end is usually the seat of the highest P.D. From this it follows that removal or reversal by means of cyanid...
Algorithms in the diagnosis and management of exotic diseases. X. Echinococcosis.

E. granulosus is worldwide in distribution but is most frequently found in the sheepand cattleraising areas of Australasia, South America, South Africa, the Soviet Union, and the Mediterranean littoral. The infection is relatively uncommon in the United States, but both imported and autochthonous cases have been reported. Indigenously acquired cases have been described in 15 states, and the complete cycle of transmission involving sheep, dogs, and humans has been found in California and Utah [1]. Echinococcosis is also endemic in Alaska but has a different epidemiological pattern [2].