cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age-related changes in the central visual field for short-wavelength-sensitive pathways.

The sensitivity of short-wavelength-sensitive (SWS) cone pathways throughout the central 30-deg visual field was determined in both eyes of 62 normal volunteers between the ages of 20 and 72 years. We found an average SWS cone pathway sensitivity decrease with age of ~0.15 log unit per decade. The sensitivity reduction was approximately linear, with a slightly larger decrease beyond the age of 50 years. The age-related SWS cone pathway sensitivity reductions also became larger as a function of increasing stimulus eccentricity. Measurements of ocular-media absorption characteristics in each eye revealed that 30–40% of the age-related sensitivity loss could be attributed to reductions in transmission of short-wavelength light by the ocular media. After corrections for preretinal media transmission loss, the decrease in the sensitivity of SWS cone pathways with age was ~0.09 log unit per decade. This age-related loss is greater than age-related sensitivity decreases in the middle-wavelength-sensitive and/or long-wavelength-sensitive cones (appoximately 0.06 to 0.07 log unit per decade). In the age group older than 60 years, there was an inverse relationship between media-corrected SWS cone pathway sensitivity and media absorption characteristics (i.e., media-corrected SWS cone pathway sensitivity was higher in eyes with lower media transmission of short wavelengths). This relationship was not so evident for younger subjects. A similar inverse relationship between transmission loss in the ocular media and SWS cone pathway sensitivity was found between left and right eyes of the same individual. These findings raise the possibility that reductions in short-wavelength transmission by the ocular media may have a long-term protective effect against light-induced damage to SWS cone pathways.
Transfer versus lengthening of the posterior tibial tendon in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

Transfer of the posterior tibialis tendon to the dorsum of the foot was compared with lengthening of this tendon in 15 patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.Patients undergoing tendon transfer (N = 9) had a longer operating time and two perioperative complications, but retained plantigrade posture of their feet even after walking ceased. By contrast, lengthening of the posterior tibialis tendon (A/ = 6) was associated with a recurrent equinovarus foot deformity that frequently interfered with shoe wear. Although transfer of the posterior tibialis is out of phase and technically more demanding, the unique prolongation of posterior tibialis strength in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy makes this operation a better option for these patients.
The impact of a fungicide and an insecticide on soybean growth, yield, and profitability

Abstract A growing number of soybean producers have begun to incorporate below threshold fungicide and insecticide treatments into their management programs in attempts to increase yield. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of a fungicide and insecticide on soybean yield and growth when disease and insect pressure is minimal. Soybean was planted at three locations across Indiana, USA, in 2009 and 2010 and treated with various combinations of glyphosate, pyraclostrobin, and lambda-cyhalothrin. Yield was increased by 100 kg ha−1 and 150 kg ha−1 by a R4 application of pyraclostrobin alone and by lambda-cyhalothrin alone, respectively. Seed mass was increased 3% by pyraclostrobin, while seed number m−2 was increased 5% by lambda-cyhalothrin. No other yield component was influenced by the fungicide or insecticide. Economic analysis using Simulation and Econometrics to Analyze Risk (SIMETAR) demonstrated a single, post application of glyphosate to be the most efficient treatment option across a range of risk attitudes. This study indicates that yield increases are possible using below threshold applications of fungicides and insecticides. However, growers may not benefit from such applications if input costs are higher than the economic returns of the increased yield.
Abstract A256: Rational combination of the IGF‐1R/IR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), OSI‐906, with the MEK inhibitor, U0126, results in synergistic and apoptotic effects in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines

Background: Signaling by the insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF‐1R) promotes cell growth, migration and survival in several human tumor types. IGF‐1R is overexpressed in CRC and is associated with a poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy. Our prior transcriptional profiling analysis of CRC cell lines treated with the small molecule IGF‐1R/IR TKI, OSI‐906, indicated that overexpression of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway conferred resistance to OSI‐906. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rational combination of the MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126, and OSI‐906 against human CRC cell lines. Methods and Results: The antiproliferative effects of OSI‐906 and U0126 were assessed as single agents and in combination using the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) cell viability assay. Twenty‐eight CRC cell lines were exposed to either OSI‐906 (0–5µM), or U0126 (0–20µM). In reference to OSI‐906, cell lines with IC50 ≤ 1µM were considered sensitive (S) and cell lines with IC50 ≥ 5µM were deemed resistant (R). Likewise, cell lines with IC50 10µM were considered R. We selected 12 cell lines for combination studies according to the following conditions: 1) S to both drugs, 2) R to both drugs, 3) S to OSI‐906 but R to U0126, and 4) R to OSI‐906 but S to U0126, and treated them with varying doses of the two drugs as single agents and in combination. Combination effects between OSI‐906 and U0126 were evaluated using the Chou and Talalay method. Robust synergy was observed in most CRC cell lines, including those that were resistant to OSI‐906 or U0126. Apoptosis was then analyzed using bioluminescent caspase 3/7 detection and validated through analysis of PARP cleavage by immunoblotting. Surprisingly, some of the cell lines demonstrated induction of apoptosis when exposed to the combination but not with either agent alone. The CRC cell lines with the greatest apoptotic induction were inherently sensitive to OSI‐906 in the SRB assay. Conclusion: Our prior transcriptional profiling data revealed elevated expression of genes in the MAPK pathway in cell lines that were less sensitive to OSI‐906, providing the basis for rational combination therapy with U0126. Interestingly, the combination of OSI‐906 and U0126 displayed synergy in nearly all cell lines tested, regardless of sensitivity to either compound. Similarly, the apoptosis exhibited by some CRC cell lines could not be predicted by the sensitivity profile, or RAS/RAF mutational status. However, CRC cell lines with the greatest synergistic induction of apoptosis were sensitive to OSI‐906. Further pathway and transcriptional profiling analysis is ongoing to reveal the underlying mechanism(s) of the observed synergy. These results, if further validated in vivo, will support the rational combination of OSI‐906 and a MEK inhibitor in patients with CRC. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):A256.
Preparation of Tip-Protected Poly(oxyphenylene) Coated Carbon-Fiber Ultramicroelectrodes

A high-yield, reliable, and reproducible method has been successfully developed to fabricate poly(oxyphenylene)-coated carbon fiber ultramicroelectrodes (POCF UMEs) with tip radii r<2 μm. During the insulation process, the tip of the electrochemically etched electrode is protected by inserting it into an inert polymer while the remainder of the electrode is insulated by electrochemical deposition of a 1–3 μm thick poly(oxyphenylene) film. Optimum conditions for poly(oxyphenylene) deposition are developed and the resulting carbon fiber UMEs showed good cyclic voltammetric behavior even after storage for more than one year. These UMEs were tested for use as amperometric scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) tips and successfully imaged Au/Kel-F and Al/SiCp metal matrix composites.
A study of the electrochemical properties of conducting polymers for application in electrochemical capacitors

Conducting polymers can be doped and dedoped rapidly to high charge density and as a result are potential active materials for use in electrochemical capacitors. We discuss three schemes by which conducting polymers can be utilized in electrochemical capacitors and in the third of these, which employs a conducting polymer that can be both n- and p-doped, high energy and power densities are demonstrated. Polythiophenes can be both n- and p-doped reversibly and we have tested a number of poly-3-arylthiophenes in order to achieve the best n-doping at thick polymer films. We have found that poly-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-thiophene, in a solution of 1 mol dm−3 tetramethylammonium trifluoromethanesulfonate in acetonitrile, can be n- and p-doped, both reversibly and to high charge density. Such key properties for high power, energy storage devices have not been demonstrated before with conducting polymer active materials. We propose that the improvement in polymer n-dopability that results from derivitization of thiophene with aryl substituents in the 3-position, is probably achieved thanks to electron transfer from the negatively charged polythiophene backbone to the aryl substituent. This proposal is discussed in the light of modeling information and of voltammetric data. Further supporting information is provided by electron microscopy, impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance results.
Further studies of reversal learning with singly presented stimuli in pigeons and goldfish

The performance of pigeons and goldfish was studied in a series of discrete-trial red-green discrimination reversals, with stimuli presented singly and the time of response to each measured. Both animals showed progressive improvement, but it took different forms. In the pigeons, there was a decline over reversals in the temporal stability of inhibition and an increase in the rate of inhibitory development. In the goldfish, there was a general increase in speed of response to the positive stimulus. The results are compared with those obtained in previous experiments.
α-Synuclein Binds Large Unilamellar Vesicles as an Extended Helix†

Interactions between the synaptic protein α-Synuclein and cellular membranes may be relevant both to its native function as well as its role in Parkinson’s disease. We use single molecule Forster resonance energy transfer to probe the structure of α-Synuclein bound to detergent micelles and lipid vesicles. We find evidence that it forms a bent-helix when bound to highly curved detergent micelles, whereas it binds more physiological 100 nm diameter lipid vesicles as an elongated helix. Our results highlight the influence of membrane curvature in determining α-Synuclein conformation, which may be important for both its normal and disease-associated functions.
19F Chemical Shift Imaging Technique to Measure Intracellular pO2 In Vivo Using Perflubron

Rationale and Objectives. There is a linear relation between the T1 relaxation rate of fluorine-19 (19F) of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) and the partial pressure of the oxygen (pO2) dissolved in the PFC. A line scan technique was used to overcome the significant chemical shift and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of in vivo 19F magnetic resonance imaging. This study was designed to determine whether the line scan technique could detect the effect of oxygen on 19F T1. In addition, its ability to detect changes in intracellular pO2 when the inspired gas was raised from 20% to 100% O2 also was investigated. Methods. The T1 relaxation rate of samples of perflubron emulsion diluted from 3.5% to 70% w/v and equilibrated with N2—02 gas mixtures (pO2 range = 10–450 mm Hg) was measured using the line scan technique. The gas and emulsion pO2 were measured with a blood gas analyzer. The liver T1 relaxation rate was measured in three rabbits given 5 ml/kg perflubron emulsion 4 and 8 days earlier as they breathed room air and then 100% O2. We used a prototype cylindrical coil double-tuned to hydrogen-1 (1H) and 19F and selected a line through the liver. The scanning parameters yielded a voxel size of 20 × 20 × 15.6 mm. Liver and blood samples were obtained postsacrifice for perflubron concentration measurement. Results. A linear relation between the 19F T1 relaxation rate (1/T1) of the 3.5% w/v emulsion and dissolved pO2 was established with a slope of 0.0033 (sec−1/mm Hg) and a correlation coefficient of .991. As the PFC concentration increased by 1,900%, the slope increased by 21.2%. The 1/T1 for the liver was 0.182 ± 0.004 sec−1 at baseline. It increased to 0.247 ± 0.022 sec−1 when rabbits breathed 100% O2 (p = .023), which corresponded to an increase in intracellular pO2 of 19.7 mm Hg. The liver-to-blood PFC concentration ratio was 500:1. Conclusion. In vitro measurements with the line scan technique replicated the established linear dependence of 1/T1 on pO2. In vivo measurements indicated a 20-mm Hg increase in intracellular pO2 of liver phagocytes when the inspired gas was changed from 20% to 100% O2.
Self-Destruction in the Line of Duty

Three cellular processes, microautophagy, macroautophagy, and the cytoplasm-to-vacuole (Cvt) pathway, are involved in the cargo delivery from the cytosol to the vacuole or lysosome. Recent findings have identified Cvt19 at the receptor for specific cargo binding in the Cvt pathway.
Alteration of Marrow Cell Gene Expression, Protein Production, and Engraftment into Lung by Lung‐Derived Microvesicles: A Novel Mechanism for Phenotype Modulation

Numerous animal studies have demonstrated that adult marrow-derived cells can contribute to the cellular component of the lung. Lung injury is a major variable in this process; however, the mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesize that injured lung is capable of inducing epigenetic modifications of marrow cells, influencing them to assume phenotypic characteristics of lung cells. We report that under certain conditions, radiation-injured lung induced expression of pulmonary epithelial cell-specific genes and prosurfactant B protein in cocultured whole bone marrow cells separated by a cell-impermeable membrane. Lung-conditioned media had a similar effect on cocultured whole bone marrow cells and was found to contain pulmonary epithelial cell-specific RNA-filled microvesicles that entered whole bone marrow cells in culture. Also, whole bone marrow cells cocultured with lung had a greater propensity to produce type II pneumocytes after transplantation into irradiated mice. These findings demonstrate alterations of marrow cell phenotype by lung-derived microvesicles and suggest a novel mechanism for marrow cell-directed repair of injured tissue.
Who Benefits from Affirmative Action? The Case of the AEA Summer Minority Program 1986-1990

Since 1974, the American Economic Association Summer Minority Program (AEASMP) has provided minority undergraduates with intensive training in the core areas of economics. From 1986 to 1990, while the program was at Temple University, this consisted of advanced undergraduate instruction in microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, and mathematics. As a form of affirmative action aimed at increasing the number of minority economists, the AEASMP is subject to many of the controversies surrounding more standard affirmative action programs. Upon becoming managing director of the AEASMP in 1989, I explicitly attempted to alter the admissions policy in favor of students from lesser backgrounds, favoring those from poorer families and coming from less prestigious institutions. Access to the records of all students who applied to the AEASMP while it was at Temple provides a unique chance to analyze the effect of a change in the underlying philosophy of an affirmative action program. Specifically, I examine the impact of the change in philosophy on who was admitted to the AEASMP. Then, using the grades of students admitted to the summer program, I estimate the effect of the change in admissions procedures on the performance of students in the program. Finally, I test whether students in 1989-1990 performed better than students with similar characteristics in 1986-1988, to see whether there was greater "value-added" by the program in its last two years.
A stochastic model of immune-modulated malaria infection and disease in children

We develop a simple three-state stochastic description of individual malaria infections that relates dynamics of disease and immune status to age and previous exposure, under different intensities of transmission. We apply the resulting individual-based community models to examine the effects of drug treatment and vaccination on the frequency and severity of disease in ensembles of children. The several broad qualitative similarities between our results and field observations include potential rebound effects following intervals of drug treatment.
Electron Capture Dissociation for Structural Characterization of Multiply Charged Protein Cations

For proteins of <20 kDa, this new radical site dissociation method cleaves different and many more backbone bonds than the conventional MS/MS methods (e.g., collisionally activated dissociation, CAD) that add energy directly to the even-electron ions. A minimum kinetic energy difference between the electron and ion maximizes capture; a 1 eV difference reduces capture by 103. Thus, in an FTMS ion cell with added electron trapping electrodes, capture appears to be achieved best at the boundary between the potential wells that trap the electrons and ions, now providing 80 ± 15% precursor ion conversion efficiency. Capture cross section is dependent on the ionic charge squared (z2), minimizing the secondary dissociation of lower charge fragment ions. Electron capture is postulated to occur initially at a protonated site to release an energetic (∼6 eV) H• atom that is captured at a high-affinity site such as −S−S− or backbone amide to cause nonergodic (before energy randomization) dissociation. Cleavages betwe...
Motivating the U.S. Voter: The Functions of Elaboration and Political Motives When Using TV and the Internet

This study tests the assumptions underlying a model that would combine elements of uses and gratifications and the elaboration likelihood model. The assumptions are as follows: (a) Media goals are more adequately fulfilled by using multiple channels, (b) there is a relationship between ritualized and instrumental media use orientations, and central and peripheral route message processing, (c) those who process information via the central route are likely to use both television and the Internet to seek political information, and (d) those who use political media message instrumentally and process them through the central route are likely to participate in political activities. The results showed that those who used both television and the Internet for political needs were more gratified than those who used only one of these channels. For television viewers, age, education, political content affinity, and receiver involvement predicted greater political activity. For Internet users, age, education, social i...
Floral Diversity in Relation to Playa Wetland Area and Watershed Disturbance

There are 25,000-30,000 playa wetlands in the intensively cultivated Southern Great Plains of the United States. Knowledge of area and watershed influences on wetland flora are needed to guide their conser- vation. We surveyed plant-community composition in 224 playas over 360,000 km 2 and examined the rela- tionships of species richness and diversity (Shannon's) to playa area and watershed disturbance. The rela- tionship of increasing species diversity to increasing area is most often hypothesized to be associated with an increasing number of habitats and/or larger populations as area increases. Watershed disturbance ( peren- nial grassland vs. annual cropland) was included to determine its relationship to floral diversity and bioin- vasion by exotic species. For all (terrestrial and wetland) plant species and all playas, there were only mar- ginal relationships ( r 2 � 0.1) between area and richness and diversity. Analyses supported the hypothesis that the number of habitats affects playa plant diversity because number of habitats changed little as playa area increased. Tests on only wetland plant species suggested stronger ( r 2 � 0.2) relationships between rich- ness and area. This relationship also was not likely related to increased population size, because large playas remain flooded longer than small playas, and therefore wetland plant species have a greater opportunity to become established. Finally, playas with cropland watersheds had more ( p � 0.05) exotic species, higher di- versity, and fewer perennial species than playas with grassland watersheds. Because watershed cultivation has altered playa hydroperiod and increased frequency of disturbance, playas are associated with a flora dominated more by annuals and exotics. Conservation efforts aimed at preserving playa wetland plant diver- sity and native communities should focus not only on the area of the wetland but also on the condition of its watershed.
The intrinsic scintillation efficiency of plastic scintillators for 60Co gamma excitation

Abstract Various scintillators were exposed to the gamma rays from a 60Co source, and the energy released per second by these scintillators as scintillation photons was determined by using a photodiode calibrated to a known electron/photon efficiency for a given scintillator. The number of scintillation photons at any given energy and the efficiency of the photodiode were determined. To ensure gamma-ray and electron equilibrium in the scintillator and to minimize light-trapping effects, the scintillators were spheres surrounded by a spherical shell of nonactivated scintillator base material (polystyrene). The gamma-ray energy absorbed per second by the scintillators was determined by measuring the gamma-ray flux with an “air equivalent”-cavity ion chamber. The intrinsic efficiency (energy released per energy absorbed) was determined to an accuracy of ≈8% for Pilot-B, NE-102, and MEL-150C - i.e., (3.1±0.3)%, (2.9±0.2)%, and (2.5±0.2)% respectively. In addition, the efficiency of stilbene was determined by this technique to be 5.1%; but, because of stilbene's anisotropic emission, the error in the measurement is uncertain.
Maintenance of Bone Mass in Patients Receiving Dialytic Therapy

To determine what factors contribute to and change bone mineral density (BMD) in dialysis patients, serial lumbar spine dual x-ray absorptiometry studies were analyzed by stepwise regression analysis in 67 black dialysis patients. The patients were 50.5 ± 2.0 years of age (mean ± SE) and 49% were men; the patients had received dialytic therapy for 3.7 ± 0.5 years. The mean initial BMD z-score was 0.147 ± 0.182. By cross-sectional analysis, the BMD increased in the male and premenopausal female patients but decreased in the postmenopausal female patients by 2.5% g/cm 2 /decade of life, less than that observed in black patients with normal renal function. Univariate analysis and stepwise regression analysis demonstrated radiographic evidence of osteopenia (β-coefficient = -0.180 ± 0.050; P = 0.001) and prior parathyroidectomy (β-coefficient = 0.133 ± 0.070; P = 0.054) as the only variables significantly correlated to the BMD. The effects of biochemical variables and different treatments on the ΔBMD, calculated as the difference between each patient's first and second BMDs divided by the interval in years, were evaluated by stepwise regression analysis in 41 patients. The mean interval between the two BMDs was 18.4 ± 1.02 months (range, 5 to 34 months) and the ΔBMD was 0.025 ± 0.018 g/cm 2 /yr, increasing in 65% of the patients. By univariate and stepwise regression analysis, the mean monthly serum total alkaline phosphatase concentration was the only variable that correlated with the ΔBMD (β-coefficient = 0.0001; P = 0.030). Eleven patients had three or more BMDs, demonstrating an increase in bone mass with time on dialysis (mean slope=0.004 ± 0.004). In conclusion, black dialysis patients have a relative preservation of lumbar spine BMD over time. The etiology for the maintenance of bone density is unclear, and whether this represents structurally sound lamellar bone and is protective to fracture is unknown.
10.7 A 6.75-to-8.25GHz 2.25mW 190fs rms integrated-jitter PVT-insensitive injection-locked clock multiplier using all-digital continuous frequency-tracking loop in 65nm CMOS

Sub-harmonically injection locked oscillators provide a simple means for generating very-low-noise high-frequency clocks in a power, and area efficient manner [1-5]. Ideally, a free-running oscillator can be locked to the Nth harmonic of a reference clock simply by injecting narrow pulses at reference frequency (F REF ) into the oscillator, such that F OUT =NF REF . In the locked state, the oscillator tracks the reference clock and its close-in phase noise is greatly suppressed. As such, the phase noise of an injection-locked clock multiplier (ILCM) is limited only by the noise of reference clock. However, in practice, there are several design challenges that limit usage of ILCMs. First, lock-in range (ΔF L ) of the injection-locked oscillator is limited. Therefore, separate frequency tuning, typically performed using a phase-locked loop (PLL) is needed to bring the oscillator free-running frequency (F FR ) to be within the lock-in range, i.e., F ERR = F FR -NF ref L [5]. If F ERR ≠0 (but L ), injection ensures phase locking but causes a reference spur whose magnitude is proportional to F ERR [1]. The second major challenge is the voltage and temperature (VT) sensitivity of ILCM. F ERR increases as F FR drifts due to VT variations, which degrades phase noise and spurious performance and may even lead to loss of lock once F ERR exceeds ΔF L [4]. This is especially problematic in the case of high-Q LC oscillators because of their relatively small ΔF L . Techniques to extend ΔF L by reducing N or lowering Q are undesirable as smaller N mandates higher F REF and lower Q incurs a large power penalty.
Common origin of the innominate and carotid arteries: prevalence, nomenclature, and surgical implications.

Aortic arch branching consisting of a common origin of the innominate and carotid arteries (COIC) is a normal variant of aortic arch branching in which the right innominate artery and the left common carotid artery share a common trunk and the left subclavian artery arises separately, leaving only two branches arising from the aortic arch. Adachi classified this branching pattern as type B in 1928, but it has also been referred to as a bovine arch, a common brachiocephalic trunk, and, at our institution, an ovine arch. The prevalence of COIC has been reported to be anywhere from 3% to 29% based on angiographic and autopsy studies that comprise relatively small sample sizes. This wide range suggests that the true prevalence is unclear. In addition, the prevalence in individuals with and without structural heart disease has not been clearly defined. Detailed and accurate preoperative anatomic diagnosis is critical to the surgical management of congenital heart disease. Knowledge of the brachiocephalic artery anatomy is relevant in certain surgical procedures and, thus, is routinely defined and communicated to the surgical team. The objectives of this study are to: determine the prevalence of COIC in a large population of individuals with and without structural heart disease; discuss the appropriate nomenclature of this variant; and describe the potential surgical implications.
Jacobi fields on statistical manifolds of negative curvature

Abstract Two entropic dynamical models are considered. The geometric structure of the statistical manifolds underlying these models is studied. It is found that in both cases, the resulting metric manifolds are negatively curved. Moreover, the geodesics on each manifold are described by hyperbolic trajectories. A detailed analysis based on the Jacobi equation for geodesic spread is used to show that the hyperbolicity of the manifolds leads to chaotic exponential instability. A comparison between the two models leads to a relation among statistical curvature, stability of geodesics and relative entropy-like quantities. Finally, the Jacobi vector field intensity and the entropy-like quantity are suggested as possible indicators of chaoticity in the ED models due to their similarity to the conventional chaos indicators based on the Riemannian geometric approach and the Zurek–Paz criterion of linear entropy growth, respectively.
Clinical and Pathologic Effects of a Modified Technique for Application of Spiral Prostheses to the Cervical Trachea of Dogs

A modified surgical technique for application of extraluminal polypropylene spiral prostheses (PSP) to the trachea was developed. A portion of the segmental blood supply to the collapsed segment of trachea was maintained by fenestrating rather than completely dissecting the right lateral pedicle. Polypropylene spiral prostheses were applied to the cervical trachea of 12 dogs (group I) via the modified technique and to 12 dogs (group II) with the identical surgical dissection but without PSP applied. Clinical abnormalities included mild coughing in group I dogs and swelling of the incisions in both groups. Limited necrosis and moderate degeneration and inflammation were observed histologically in both groups. Pathologic changes were worse in the caudal cervical segment of the trachea. Mucosal regeneration was present on day 10 in both groups. Transmural tracheal necrosis was not observed. The modified technique for application of PSP is recommended by the authors because it provides adequate surgical exposure and the blood supply preserved by segmentally dissecting the right lateral pedicle is adequate to maintain tracheal viability.
Design concept and prototype development of a flexible integrated vision system

Many industrial tasks require sophisticated vision interpretation, yet demand low cost, high speed, accuracy, and flexibility. To be fully effective, future machine vision systems must be able to handle complex industrial parts. This includes verifying or recognizing incoming parts, and determining the location and orientation of the part within a short cycle time. It is generally required that the cycle time required by the part-feeding system be less than that of the subsequent processes where parts are fed. To achieve this goal, a Flexible Integrated Vision System (FIVS) has been developed. FIVS offers performance and cost advantages by integrating the imaging sensor, control, illumination, direct digitization, computation, and data communication in a single unit. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Biochemistry of Sodium Channels from Mammalian Muscle

Sodium channels from rat and rabbit skeletal muscle have been isolated, characterized, and functionally reconstituted. These channel proteins closely resemble those purified from the eel electroplax and from rat brain. Work now in progress on the determination of the primary sequence of the 260 kDa subunit through the cloning and sequencing of the muscle message should shed further light on the relationship between these unique voltage-sensitive sodium channels.
Electrocardiographic Findings in Cardiac Transplantation

This paper outlines the electrocardiographic course of a 46-year-old recipient of a cardiac transplant in whom direct myocardial leads were implanted. There was one episode of decreased QRS voltage with an intraventricular conduction delay, suggestive of an acute immunologic rejection. On one occasion bradycardia occurred, and this was treated by ventricular pacing. There was also an episode of supraventricular tachycardia. Vagotonic maneuvers or agents would not have been appropriate treatment for this arrhythmia. In the presence of both donor and recipient P waves, the interpretation of some of the arrhythmias was difficult. Since the QRS voltage is important in diagnosing early rejection, great care was taken in accurately standardizing the electrocardiogram and in reproducibly placing electrocardiographic leads. The myocardial leads were found to reflect voltage changes more clearly than surface leads. The presence of myocardial wires also proved convenient for pacing. The use of a right atrial record...
A Clock Ticks in Pancreatic β Cells

Circadian rhythm is a pervasive feature of life, programmed by the conserved core clock machinery. A recent study in Nature (Marcheva et al., 2010) reveals that core clock components regulate β cell function and integrate insulin secretion into rhythmic metabolic regulation, providing new insight into the pathogenesis of diabetes.
Directive decision devices: Reversing the locus of authority in human–computer associations

Abstract With respect to human–computer relationships, the long-prevailing presumption is that the latter will perforce be bound in service to the former. Recently, however, both the public and business administration arenas have seen the first appearances of what these pages see as an essentially novel class of computer constructs, Directive Decision Devices. Unlike decision aids, Decision Support Systems or the conciliatory computer constructs encountered in conventional man–machine compacts, directive decision devices are designed not to assist people, but to supersede them. Towards this end, directive decision devices are fitted out to function as de facto decision-makers, and so can be assigned administrative or managerial responsibilities that would otherwise have remained with people. Directive decision devices can then come in two forms: (i). Those designed to outright displace human functionaries, and so configured to operate as entirely autonomous entities, and (ii). Those intended to be deployed in company with humans, but with the latter positioned as the subservient parties. Along either of these two lines, it will be argued here, the emergence of directive decision devices presages a perhaps seismic shift in the balance of practical power from people to computer apparatus.
Implementing efficient conservation portfolio design

Abstract Modern tools for cost-effective conservation reserve site planning require the planner to have information about spatial distributions of conservation costs and benefits. Climate change creates unprecedented uncertainty about future land values and species habitat ranges, such that conservation scientists cannot map costs and benefits with certainty anymore. This paper contributes to the literature on the economics of conservation in the face of climate change uncertainty. It advances a new method for using modern portfolio theory to choose lands to protect that yield total conservation returns with less uncertainty. It explores the implications for portfolio recommendations of variation in the correlations between ecological and land-value responses to climate change. It also tests the robustness of the method to shortcuts that might be taken to simplify analysis, identifying problems that arise if conservation costs are ignored in portfolio analysis and demonstrating when portfolio recommendations are sensitive to how ecological benefits are quantified.
Functional characterization of Na(+)/H(+) exchangers in primary cultures of prairie dog gallbladder.

Gallbladder Na+ absorption is linked to gallstone formation in prairie dogs. We previously reported Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE1-3) expression in native gallbladder tissues. Here we report the functional characterization of NHE1, NHE2 and NHE3 in primary cultures of prairie dog gallbladder epithelial cells (GBECs). Immunohistochemical studies showed that GBECs grown to confluency are homogeneous epithelial cells of gastrointestinal origin. Electron microscopic analysis of GBECs demonstrated that the cells form polarized monolayers characterized by tight junctions and apical microvilli. GBECs grown on Snapwells exhibited polarity and developed transepithelial short-circuit current, I sc, (11.6 ± 0.5 µA · cm−2), potential differences, V t (2.1 ± 0.2 mV), and resistance, R t (169 ± 12 Ω · cm2). NHE activity in GBECs assessed by measuring dimethylamiloride-inhibitable 22Na+ uptake under a H+ gradient was the same whether grown on permeable Snapwells or plastic wells. The basal rate of 22Na+ uptake was 21.4 ± 1.3 nmol · mg prot−1 · min−1, of which 9.5 ± 0.7 (~45%) was mediated through apically-restricted NHE. Selective inhibition with HOE-694 revealed that NHE1, NHE2 and NHE3 accounted for ~6%, ~66% and ~28% of GBECs’ total NHE activity, respectively. GBECs exhibited saturable NHE kinetics (V max 9.2 ± 0.3 nmol · mg prot−1 · min−1; K m 11.4 ± 1.4 mM Na+). Expression of NHE1, NHE2 and NHE3 mRNAs was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. These results demonstrate that the primary cultures of GBECs exhibit Na+ transport characteristics similar to native gallbladder tissues, suggesting that these cells can be used as a tool for studying the mechanisms of gallbladder ion transport both under physiologic conditions and during gallstone formation.
Bioinformatical assay of human gene morbidity

Only a fraction of eukaryotic genes affect the phenotype drastically. We compared 18 parameters in 1273 human morbid genes, known to cause diseases, and in the remaining 16 580 unambiguous human genes. Morbid genes evolve more slowly, have wider phylogenetic distributions, are more similar to essential genes of Drosophila melanogaster, code for longer proteins containing more alanine and glycine and less histidine, lysine and methionine, possess larger numbers of longer introns with more accurate splicing signals and have higher and broader expressions. These differences make it possible to classify as non-morbid 34% of human genes with unknown morbidity, when only 5% of known morbid genes are incorrectly classified as non-morbid. This classification can help to identify disease-causing genes among multiple candidates.
Language Work at International Criminal Courts

AbstractThis article seeks to bring the often-invisible labor of interpreters and language assistants at the International Criminal Court and the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia into sharper focus. I highlight the far-reaching and extensive tasks of language workers, paying particular attention to their efforts to negotiate and mediate witnesses' accounts of atrocity, including sexualized violence, inside and outside international courtrooms. In doing so, I illustrate how language work is central to the life of an international court and the vision of international criminal accountability. I argue that attention to the dynamics of language work provides opportunities to consider the project of international criminal justice in new and important ways, focusing on its practical work, its social encounters and its complex engagement with relations of difference.
Differential mode-locked cavity for measurements of minute displacements

A laser cavity with interwoven pulse trains provides a unique environment for intracavity interferometry. In a linear configuration 3 nm displacement is converted to 1 kHz shift in beat frequency.
Investigation of the heat transfer in TEMHD driven swirling lithium flow

Abstract Thermoelectric magnetohydrodynamic (TEMHD) driven flow was recently observed directly in SLiDE experiment when the lithium is heated by a non-uniform electron beam and affected by the magnetic field in the same direction. This type of flow is believed to have the ability transferring the heat from the hot spot to the cool part efficiently in a convection way. Detailed temperature distribution and heat transfer in this flow is investigated with the help of infrared camera system. A 3D convection heat transfer model is applied to explain the experiment results.
Fever, Weight Loss, Cough, and Chest Pain in a HIV-Positive Man

1. What are this patient’s most striking clinical and laboratory findings? 2. How do you explain this patient’s most striking clinical and laboratory findings? 3. What is this patient’s most likely diagnosis? 4. What are the forms of presentation of this patient’s disease? 5. What laboratory methods are available for diagnosing this patient’s disease? 6. Why was fiberoptic bronchoscopy with collection of BALF performed on our patient? 7. What are other pulmonary infectious conditions that can occur in immunocompromised and HIV-infected individuals? 8. What are the measures to prevent infection with the pathogens that can cause infection in immunocompromised and HIV-infected individuals? 9. What is the most appropriate treatment of our patient’s disease?
A novel extrinsic reference method for assessing the vitamin A value of plant foods

Background: The amounts of vitamin A that are metabolically derived from specific carotene-containing foods are largely unknown. Objective: We sought to develop an improved method for estimating the metabolic vitamin A potential of provitamin A carotenoids by using [ 2 H 4 ]retinyl acetate (d 4 -RA) as an extrinsic reference standard. Design: Healthy subjects consumed a standardized test meal containing 6 mg p-carotene as either raw carrot or spinach, either 20 or I g added fat, and 6.0 μmol d 4 -RA. Concentrations of unlabeled (d 0 ) retinyl esters (RE), labeled (d 4 ) RE, and carotenoids in the plasma triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein fraction (d < 1.006 kg/L) were determined in serial blood samples with HPLC and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Baseline-corrected areas under the curve for d 0 -RE, d 4 -RE, and carotenoids were calculated, and the masses of absorbed d 0 -retinol and carotenes were estimated assuming 80% absorption of the d 4 -RA reference dose. Results: In trials with ample (20 g) fat (n = 6), 7 ± 4% of the 6 mg β-carotene ingested was taken up as p-carotene plus RE with 0.3 ± 0.1 mg as retinol. Test meals without carotenes yielded no β-carotene or d 0 -RE response and there was no effect of treatment (either fat amount or vegetable, n = 6) on the mean d 4 -RE area under the curve. The lower-than-expected vitamin A yields were attributed to poor intestinal uptake rather than to low conversion of p-carotene to RE. Conclusion: The triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein and d 4 -RA method, which controls for variation in chylomicron kinetics in vivo and RE recovery during analysis, is useful for obtaining quantitative estimates of the vitamin A potential of single meals.
Human Performance Models and Rear-End Collision Avoidance Algorithms

Collision warning systems offer a promising approach to mitigate rear-end collisions, but substantial uncertainty exists regarding the joint performance of the driver and the collision warning algorithms. A simple deterministic model of driver performance was used to examine kinematics-based and perceptual-based rear-end collision avoidance algorithms over a range of collision situations, algorithm parameters, and assumptions regarding driver performance. The results show that the assumptions concerning driver reaction times have important consequences for algorithm performance, with underestimates dramatically undermining the safety benefit of the warning. Additionally, under some circumstances, when drivers rely on the warning algorithms, larger headways can result in more severe collisions. This reflects the nonlinear interaction among the collision situation, the algorithm, and driver response that should not be attributed to the complexities of driver behavior but to the kinematics of the situation. Comparisons made with experimental data demonstrate that a simple human performance model can capture important elements of system performance and complement expensive human-in-the-loop experiments. Actual or potential applications of this research include selection of an appropriate algorithm, more accurate specification of algorithm parameters, and guidance for future experiments.
Hospitality Marketing: A Retrospective Analysis (1960-2010) and Predictions (2010-2020)

Looking at the evolution of marketing as recorded in the pages of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly , one sees a continual increase in the complexity of the marketing issues for the hospitality ind...
Culturally Divergent Responses to Mortality Salience

Two experiments compared the effects of death thoughts, or mortality salience, on European and Asian Americans. Research on terror management theory has demonstrated that in Western cultural groups, individuals typically employ self-protective strategies in the face of death-related thoughts. Given fundamental East-West differences in self-construal (i.e., the independent vs. interdependent self), we predicted that members of Eastern cultural groups would affirm other people, rather than defend and affirm the self, after encountering conditions of mortality salience. We primed European Americans and Asian Americans with either a death or a control prime and examined the effect of this manipulation on attitudes about a person who violates cultural norms (Study 1) and on attributions about the plight of an innocent victim (Study 2). Mortality salience promoted culturally divergent responses, leading European Americans to defend the self and Asian Americans to defend other people.
Upregulation of Endothelial Receptor for Oxidized LDL (LOX-1) by Oxidized LDL and Implications in Apoptosis of Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells Evidence From Use of Antisense LOX-1 mRNA and Chemical Inhibitors

A specific lectin-like endothelial receptor for oxidized low density lipoprotein (LOX-1), distinct from the scavenger receptor in monocytes/macrophages, has been identified and cloned. In this study, we examined the regulation of LOX-1 by oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and determined the role of LOX-1 in ox-LDL-induced apoptosis of cultured human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs). Incubation of HCAECs with ox-LDL (40 microg/mL), but not native LDL, for 24 hours markedly increased LOX-1 expression (mRNA and protein). After 48 hours of preincubation of HCAECs with a specific antisense to LOX-1 mRNA (antisense LOX-1), ox-LDL-mediated upregulation of LOX-1 was suppressed (P<0.01). In contrast, treatment of HCAECs with sense LOX-1 had no effect. Ox-LDL also induced apoptosis (determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling and DNA laddering) of HCAECs in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. LOX-1 played an important role in ox-LDL-mediated apoptosis of HCAECs because antisense LOX-1 inhibited this effect of ox-LDL. Polyinosinic acid and carrageenan, 2 different chemical inhibitors of LOX-1, also decreased ox-LDL-mediated apoptosis of HCAECs. Nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB was markedly activated in ox-LDL-treated HCAECs. The critical role of NF-kappaB activation became evident in experiments with antisense LOX-1, which abolished ox-LDL-mediated NF-kappaB activation. In this process, an NF-kappaB inhibitor, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, also inhibited ox-LDL-mediated apoptosis of HCAECs. These findings indicate that ox-LDL upregulates its own endothelial receptor. Ox-LDL-induced apoptosis is mediated by the action of LOX-1. In this process, NF-kappaB activation may play an important role as a signal transduction mechanism.
Colonic Bacteria: A Source of γ-Aminobutyric Acid in Blood

AbstractBlood contains more of the major inhibitory neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), than does cerebrospinal fluid. However, the source and physiologic importance of this compound in the peripheral circulation are unknown. We have found that blood drawn from the portal vein of normal rabbits contains twice the concentration of GABA as that drawn simultaneously from the abdominal aorta. Also, human-derived colonic bacteria grown anaerobically secreted a large amount of GABA equivalents into culture media when measured by a radioreceptor technique. The production of inhibitory neuroactive substances, such as GABA, by colonic bacteria may play a role in the pathogenesis of certain disease states, for example, hepatic encephalopathy.