cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal Patterning of Speech and Gaze in Social and Intellectual Conversations

ABSTRACT The function of a conversation may be revealed in its underlying temporal form. Fifty 10-minute conversations were obtained from subjects who were high or low in social skill or who received instructions producing a social or an intellectual set. Computer techniques were used to examine second by second changes in speech and gaze and compute amount and mean duration of speech and gaze episodes, conditional probabilities linking speech with gaze, and congruence between subjects in speech parameters. The notion that people converse for social or intellectual reasons, with their attention focused respectively upon their partners or upon lexical meaning and abstract ideas, provides a scheme for understanding a number of aspects of nonverbal patterning.
Singapore--from microprocessors to microarrays?

Singapore hopes to become the R&D and manufacturing hub for the East Asian biotechnology industry, but it may find that its past success in IT does not predict future success in biotechnology.
Quantification of Cell Movement Reveals Distinct Edge Motility Types During Cell Spreading

Actin-based motility is central to cellular processes such as migration, bacterial engulfment, and cancer metastasis, and requires precise spatial and temporal regulation of the cytoskeleton. We studied one such process, fibroblast spreading, which involves three temporal phases: early, middle, and late spreading, distinguished by differences in cell area growth. In these studies, aided by improved algorithms for analyzing edge movement, we observed that each phase was dominated by a single, kinematically and biochemically distinct cytoskeletal organization, or motility type. Specifically, early spreading was dominated by periodic blebbing; continuous protrusion occurred predominantly during middle spreading; and periodic contractions were prevalent in late spreading. Further characterization revealed that each motility type exhibited a distinct distribution of the actin-related protein VASP, while inhibition of actin polymerization by cytochalasin D treatment revealed different dependences on barbed-end polymerization. Through this detailed characterization and graded perturbation of the system, we observed that although each temporal phase of spreading was dominated by a single motility type, in general cells exhibited a variety of motility types in neighboring spatial domains of the plasma membrane edge. These observations support a model in which global signals bias local cytoskeletal biochemistry in favor of a particular motility type.
The Effect of Position on Ventricular Pressure in Shunted and Unshunted Individuals. A Telemetric Study

We have previously reported the development and clinical use of a telemetric monitoring device for shunt systems (Chapman et al. 1981). From 1978 to the present approximately 100 of these sensors (Telesensor Radionics, Inc., Burlington, MA., USA) have been implanted. The majority have been used in the context of treating hydrocephalus due to a variety of etiologies. A small group of patients have had telesensors placed in conjunction with ventricular catheters at the time of surgery for posterior fossa tumors associated with obstructing hydrocephalus. In this circumstance the device is used for monitoring post-operative intracranial pressures (Chapman et al. 1984). A small group of patients has subsequently required shunting in the post-operative period. This has left a population of patients who are not hydrocephalic and have not been shunted yet retain an indwelling ventricular catheter connected to the telesensor device. This has afforded us the opportunity to study ventricular fluid pressure (VFP) in a “normal” population of non-hydrocephalic patients.
Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors

As mentioned in the previous chapter, besides the significance of matrix simplification through elimination, it is often important to simplify a matrix by preserving its eigenvalues. Eigenvalues and their associated eigenvectors are useful in a variety of situations. But what are eigenvalues and eigenvectors and why are they important in the study of physical and natural phenomena? The answers to these questions are given in this chapter.
Extendability and Paradox

In this essay we examine the revenge problem as it arises with respect to accounts of both the set-theoretic and the semantic paradoxes. First we review revenge as it arises in the set-theoretic setting – the Burali-Forti paradox – and outline its modal-structural resolution, highlighting the roles played by the logic of plurals, modal principles, and especially the extendability of models of set theory on this account. We then we turn to the semantic paradoxes, especially the Liar, and develop an analogy between the problems of expressive incompleteness and revenge affecting proposals to resolve the semantic paradoxes, on the one hand, and, on the other, the always incomplete and extendable nature of domains of sets on the modal structural approach to set theory. We then argue for a corresponding parallelism in resolutions of the set-theoretic and the semantic paradoxes. Focusing on recent accounts stemming from the work of Martin and Woodruff (Philosophia, 5(3):213–217, 1975) and Kripke (Journal of Philosophy, 72:690–716, 1975), we formulate a modal account of the extendability of languages on the Embracing Revenge account of the semantic paradoxes (see, e.g. Cook, Embracing Revenge: On the Indefinite Extendability of Language, 2007; Schlenker, Review of Symbolic Logic, 3(3):374–414, 2010) analogous to the formulation of extendability principles for set theoretic universes on the modal structural approach. Finally, however, we examine an interesting dis-analogy via a meta-revenge version of the Liar paradox that seems to have no analogue in the set-theoretic context, and we show how the solution to this puzzle also highlights even deeper connections between the modal-structural account of set theory and the Embracing Revenge account of truth and semantics.
Reading Interventions for Students with Reading and Behavioral Difficulties: a Meta-analysis and Evaluation of Co-occurring Difficulties

This meta-analysis systematically identified reading intervention research for students with reading difficulties and problem behaviors in grades K–12 to determine the (a) impact of these reading interventions on reading outcomes and (b) extent to which reading outcomes varied based on student characteristics (e.g., grade, disability), intervention characteristics (e.g., group size, additional behavioral supports), and quality indicator characteristics. Follow-up analyses investigated three of the four hypothesized mechanisms underlying the high co-occurrence rate between reading difficulties and problem behaviors: (a) reading difficulties lead to future problem behaviors, (b) problem behaviors lead to future reading difficulties, and (c) a bi-directional association exists between reading difficulties and problem behaviors. Eleven studies were identified. There was a statistically significant main effect of reading interventions on reading outcomes (g = 0.86, p < .01). We did not find evidence to support either of the three stated hypotheses. The primary limitation of this study was a lack of reading intervention research for students with reading difficulties and problem behaviors. Due to the limited sample of intervention research to investigate the first three hypotheses, future intervention research is needed to better understand the relationship between reading and behavior difficulties. Furthermore, future reading intervention research is needed to better understand how to best develop a program of instruction for this population of students.
Neuroticism biases memory self-report in women.

Reports of memory problems are associated with cognitive decline risk and other adverse health outcomes, and the personality trait of neuroticism is known to influence these reports. Since women te...
Fake Trademark Specimens: An Empirical Analysis

United States trademark law requires that a mark be used in commerce for it to qualify for registration at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Applicants prove that they have met the use requirement by submitting to the PTO photographic specimens of their use of the mark in commerce. This Piece reports the results of new empirical work showing that an appreciable number of U.S. trademark applications originating in China include fraudulent specimens of use. In particular, with respect to use-based applications originating in China that were filed at the PTO in 2017 solely for apparel goods, we estimate that 66.9% of such applications included fraudulent specimens. Yet 59.8% of these fraudulent applications proceeded to publication, and 38.9% then proceeded to registration. If these applications are representative of the overall population of Chinese-origin applications in that year, then approximately 14.0% of all such use-based applications filed with the PTO in 2017 were fraudulent. Fraudulent registrations worsen the problems of trademark depletion and clutter, undermine the integrity of the trademark register, and hurt legitimate businesses that may benefit from using these marks. We therefore recommend legislative action to make it easier for third parties and the PTO to cull these marks from the register and systematic improvement by the PTO to ensure that applications with fraudulent specimens are not registered in the first instance.
On permutation tests for comparing restricted mean survival time with small sample from randomized trials

Between-group comparison based on the restricted mean survival time (RMST) is getting attention as an alternative to the conventional logrank/hazard ratio approach for time-to-event outcomes in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The validity of the commonly used nonparametric inference procedure for RMST has been well supported by large sample theories. However, we sometimes encounter cases with a small sample size in practice, where we cannot rely on the large sample properties. Generally, the permutation approach can be useful to handle these situations in RCTs. However, a numerical issue arises when implementing permutation tests for difference or ratio of RMST from two groups. In this article, we discuss the numerical issue and consider six permutation methods for comparing survival time distributions between two groups using RMST in RCTs setting. We conducted extensive numerical studies and assessed type I error rates of these methods. Our numerical studies demonstrated that the inflation of the type I error rate of the asymptotic methods is not negligible when sample size is small, and that all of the six permutation methods are workable solutions. Although some permutation methods became a little conservative, no remarkable inflation of the type I error rates were observed. We recommend using permutation tests instead of the asymptotic tests, especially when the sample size is less than 50 per arm.
Perspectives of caregivers with child welfare involvement in a supportive housing program

SummaryThe literature is absent on qualitative research that documents perspectives of caregivers involved in child welfare and who participated in a U.S. Housing First supportive housing intervent...
An angiosperm woodland in the Javelina Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Big Bend National Park, Texas, U.S.A.

Abstract Part of a paleo-forest comprised of eight in situ permineralized tree stumps is preserved in the Javelina Formation (middle Maastrichtian, c. 69 Ma) near Alamo Creek in western Big Bend National Park. The stumps are rooted in an immature organic-rich paleosol resembling a modernday Aquept, developed in a landscape depression subject to gleization with a shallow fluctuating groundwater table. Seven of the stumps pertain to the dicotyledonous angiosperm Metcalfeoxylon, and one is a cuppressoid/podocarpoid conifer, indicating that is part of a mixed conifer-dicot forest. The site exhibits a woodland architecture, with stands of closely spaced trees separated on average by 10 m, and open gaps over 100 m in between. Trunk diameters vary from 33 to 97 cm, with estimated crown heights from 23 to 48 m, and represent trees of varied ages in a mature forest. Irregular growth rings are developed in the conifer wood, but absent in the Metcalfeoxylon woods. The local climate may have had one or more annual dry seasons, and the conifers were either more susceptible to moisture stress, or genetically predisposed to express growth rings more markedly than the contemporaneous dicots. Metcalfeoxylon is also the dominant tree type at another paleo-forest preserved near McKinney Spring in the underlying Aguja Formation (late Campanian, c. 75 Ma). Metcalfeoxylon may have grown preferentially in low-lying riparian environments subject to flooding and burial by alluvial overbank deposits, thus favorable to preservation of the stumps in situ. A deficiency of precipitation, along perhaps with browsing pressure exerted by dinosaur herbivores, may have been responsible for maintaining the open woodland physiognomy evident at both sites.
From Virtue to Grit: Changes in Character Education Narratives in the U.S. from 1985 to 2016

How did narratives about character education in the United States change between 1985 and 2016 and what does this reveal about the changing meaning of character over this time period? Policymakers and pundits have frequently invoked ideas of “good” versus “bad” character as they attempt to blame individuals for their own circumstances. It makes sense to trace these narratives in their various forms, beginning with the discourse around character and children. Character education programs are a natural object to study in order to capture these narratives. Despite this, sociologists have largely ignored character education, which leaves a significant gap in the scholarly knowledge about both character education and the social construction of designations of “good” versus “bad” character more generally. In this paper, I address this gap by examining the narratives around character education between 1985 and 2016. After analyzing 600 articles from Education Week and the New York Times mentioning character education, I find that there is a significant expansion of the ways in which advocates argue for character education in the schools. Whereas earlier narratives encouraged character education as a means to teach students how to be good, moral people starting in the early 2000s, these narratives expanded to include teaching character as a means to improve academic performance. This finding is significant as we continue to see both education reformers pushing for character education as a tactic to improve achievements and policymakers and pundits invoking character flaws as a means to blame individuals for structural inequality.
Digitalizing land administration: The geographies and temporalities of infrastructural promise

Abstract Blockchain technology has been explored recently for digitalizing land administration in different parts of the world. It has been viewed as contributing to formalization of property rights in the Global South, and enhancing coordination of real estate markets in the Global North. Suggesting that blockchain applications may entail an unrealistic promise of effecting change in property relations through technical means, the article explores the integration of blockchain with existing modes of land administration in three countries – Ghana, Georgia, and Sweden. It investigates the broader embeddedness of blockchain-based land registries in non-digital infrastructural modalities and the peopled infrastructures of informal networks. It argues that the abstraction of blockchain may obscure the complex layering of formal and informal, institutionalized and grassroots texture of property rights and claims to land. Investigating the “infrastructural promise” of blockchain through narratives advanced around this novel “automated trust” mechanism, the article explores the potential of blockchain land registries to perpetuate territories of dispossession grounded in colonial legacies and present-day inequalities.
Recent advances in palladium-catalyzed (hetero)annulation of CC bonds with ambiphilic organo(pseudo)halides

Palladium has proven to be effective in catalyzing the (hetero)annulation of CC bonds with ambiphilic organo(pseudo)halides. Through the employment of appropriate ambiphilic coupling partners, efficient annulation of a variety of allenes, 1,3-dienes, strained alkenes, styrenes, and other CC bond variants can be achieved to provide direct access to numerous useful hetero- and carbocyclic scaffolds. In this Feature Article, we summarize palladium-catalyzed (hetero)annulation methods reported since 2005 (spanning just over 15 years) and discuss outstanding challenges in this area of study.
Pediatric lichen planus: a systematic review of 985 published cases.

BACKGROUND Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory disorder usually occurring in middle-aged adults. Data are scarce in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE To describe the patients' characteristics, clinical presentation, and management of pediatric LP. METHODS A systematic literature review of pediatric LP was performed in the Medline and Cochrane databases up to February 1, 2020. Demographic and clinical data were extracted for analysis, in addition to laboratory and histology findings, treatments used, and response to treatment. LP pemphigoides (LPP) was further pooled for a subcategory analysis. RESULTS One hundred and sixty-four articles were included representing 985 patients. The most common country of origin was India. The most common clinical signs were flat-topped papules (51%); the linear variant was present in 9%. Oral involvement was present in 22%. The most commonly used treatment was topical corticosteroids followed by systemic corticosteroids. The mean duration of treatment was 124.4 days. LPP patients had a short disease duration before diagnosis (4.1 months, P < 0.001) and failed previous treatment more frequently (P < 0.001). Systemic corticosteroids were more often prescribed in this subgroup (75%, P < 0.001) with more recurrence after treatment (31%, P = 0.048). LIMITATIONS Lack of randomized controlled studies, in addition to publication bias. CONCLUSION In children, LP had a wide polymorphous clinical presentation, and the reported cases were mostly from India. The linear variant was more common and the oral mucosa was less affected in children. LPP, a rare subtype in children, was treated with systemic corticosteroids and recurred more frequently.
Imaging neuroinflammation with TSPO: A new perspective on the cellular sources and subcellular localization

Abstract Translocator Protein 18 kDa (TSPO), previously named Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptor, is a well-validated and widely used biomarker of neuroinflammation to assess diverse central nervous system (CNS) pathologies in preclinical and clinical studies. Many studies have shown that in animal models of human neurological and neurodegenerative disease and in the human condition, TSPO levels increase in the brain neuropil, and this increase is driven by infiltration of peripheral inflammatory cells and activation of glial cells. Therefore, a clear understanding of the dynamics of the cellular sources of the TSPO response is critically important in the interpretation of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies and for understanding the pathophysiology of CNS diseases. Within the normal brain compartment, there are tissues and cells such as the choroid plexus, ependymal cells of the lining of the ventricles, and vascular endothelial cells that also express TSPO at even higher levels than in glial cells. However, there is a paucity of knowledge if these cell types respond and increase TSPO in the diseased brain. These cells do provide a background signal that needs to be accounted for in TSPO-PET imaging studies. More recently, there are reports that TSPO may be expressed in neurons of the adult brain and TSPO expression may be increased by neuronal activity. Therefore, it is essential to study this topic with a great deal of detail, methodological rigor, and rule out alternative interpretations and imaging artifacts. High levels of TSPO are present in the outer mitochondrial membrane. Recent studies have provided evidence of its localization in other cellular compartments including the plasma membrane and perinuclear regions which may define functions that are different from that in mitochondria. A greater understanding of the TSPO subcellular localization in glial cells and infiltrating peripheral immune cells and associated function(s) may provide an additional layer of information to the understanding of TSPO neurobiology. This review is an effort to outline recent advances in understanding the cellular sources and subcellular localization of TSPO in brain cells and to examine remaining questions that require rigorous investigation.
A Review of “Dixie Emporium: Tourism, Foodways, and Consumer Culture in the American South”

Anthony Stanonis's edited volume Dixie Emporium: Tourism, Foodways, and Consumer Culture in the American South is a welcome and provocative addition to the tourism literature on the American South ...
Exploring the Nomological Network of Workplace Deviance: Developing and Validating a Measure of Constructive Deviance

This paper explores the nomological network of workplace deviance by incorporating constructive deviance behavior. Constructive deviance focuses on behaviors that are intended to benefit the organization. In a series of three studies, a reliable and valid measure of constructive deviance behavior is developed. Individual and contextual-level factors that facilitate constructive and destructive deviance are examined. The results suggest that while Machiavellianism is an important personality variable in predicting both constructive and destructive deviance, role breadth self-efficacy is a central mechanism in understanding constructive but not destructive deviance. It was also found that access to information within the organization is a central contextual variable in eliciting both forms of deviance. Future research and implications are discussed.
THE PHYSICO‐MATHEMATICAL SUBSTRATA OF BIOLOGIC RELATIVITY: Cybernetics of Biologic Systems

Primordial pattern is the name given by Grigg to the curve representing the response of many biologic systems to a single stimulus. This curve consists of a fast ascent and a lingering descent. The equation had been chosen empirically to describe the primordial pattern. This equation taken in isolation does not reveal its close interconnection with the physical world. In this paper it is seen as one of the solutions of a second‐order damped system representable by the differential equation with zero initial displacement but some initial velocity. Such a system involves contributing responses by components of threekinds: inertial, restoring and resistive. This observation should stimulate scientists to extract these different components from any biologic response. The resistive component is a term proportional to the first derivative of the response with respect to time. Evidence for the necessity of this frictional component to obtain a primordial pattern is presented. Such frictional component imparts to...
Neurocognitive assessment of persons with HIV disease.

Publisher Summary Neuropsychological testing represents a valid and reliable indicator of brain injury in HIV. It has the advantages of being reasonably sensitive and noninvasive and has measuring abilities that relate to the demands of everyday life. Depending on the length and comprehensiveness of batteries, testing results vary in their sensitivity and specificity. Screening measures reduce the cost of time and difficulties may be picked up by moderate to relatively short batteries. However, these usually are good for the assessment of severe impairment but are less sensitive to a mild to moderate impairment. The detection of impairment is important, especially if it is considered that a treatment may arrest the course of the central nervous system (CNS) disease or even reverse it. Neuropsychological testing has to be performed carefully. The tests should have appropriate and relevant normative data for the person being tested. The use of demographically adjusted norms is important because they assist in the correct diagnosis of neurocognitive pathology. Without the use of demographically corrected and appropriate norms, over- or under-pathologization of cognitive abilities may occur.
Aromaticity and Conjugation in 1,2-Benzoquinone Valence Isomers and Congeners

Abstract In this chapter, we describe ortho-benzoquinone and its congeners where exocyclic groups are CH2, S, NH, or O. The two valence isomer forms include a bicyclo[4.2.0]octane system with an aromatic benzenoid ring fused to a four-membered ring, and a nonaromatic cyclohexadienic ring with two exocyclic double bonds. Ten types of pairs of valence isomers of ortho-benzoquinone are described, including hydrocarbons, monothio-derivatives, monoaza-derivatives, mono-oxa-derivatives, dithia-derivatives, thia-aza-derivatives, oxa-thia-derivatives, diaza-derivatives, oxa-aza-derivatives, and dioxa-derivatives. The relative stabilities of these 20 valence isomers are presented. Less-exhaustive literature surveys are provided for systems, where the heteroatoms include Si, Ge, Sn, P, As, Sb, Se, Te, and various metals. The factors that contribute to the energy balance between valence isomers are aromaticity, steric strain, bond strength, bond length, and electronegativity.
Evaluation of thermally conductive adhesives for bonding heat sinks to electronic packages

Two thermally conductive adhesives have been evaluated and found suitable to cover a wide spectrum of heat sink bonding applications. The first adhesive was selected to enhance thermal performance of plastic quad flat packs. In an evolutionary manner, its use was extended to metal, ceramic and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) plastic packages. An empirical fatigue model was developed and coupled with thermal measurements to support bonding to ceramic. The first adhesive offers a lower cost manufacturing process. A second adhesive, that is low in modulus of elasticity was selected to accommodate the severe CTE mismatch between silicon and aluminum. It provides a stable mechanical bond and thermal path in applications where the CTE mismatch is large. Thus, both adhesives and associated processes are used to cover a wide spectrum of heat sink bonding to electronic components. >
Feature point identification and regional registration in sequences of non-structured texture images

The authors propose a new methodology for identification of feature points in non-structured texture images and suggest how they can be used to perform regional registration when precise (pixel-wise) registration is not possible. The specific motivation behind this work is the analysis of sequences of mammographic images of the same patient with the objective of detecting changes indicative of cancer. Because of intractability of precise mammogram registration the authors propose regional mammogram registration and comparison by using feature points. This paper focuses on extraction and pairing of the feature points. The proposed technique is tested on 50 mammogram pairs and verified by visual inspection involving three human subjects, an experienced radiologist and two casual observers.
Nephrotic and Nephritic Syndrome in the Newborn

Glomerular disorders in infancy can include nephrotic and nephritic syndromes. Congenital nephrotic syndrome (CNS) is most commonly caused by single gene mutations in kidney proteins, but may also be due to congenital infections or passive transfer of maternal antibodies that target kidney proteins. Prenatal findings of increased maternal serum α-fetoprotein and enlarged placenta suggest CNS. Neonatal nephritis is rare; its causes may overlap with those of CNS and include primary glomerulonephritis, systemic disease, infections, and transplacental transfer of maternal antibodies. These syndromes in the neonate can cause significant morbidity and mortality, making urgent diagnosis and treatment necessary.
N-(2-formyl-1-methylimidazol-4-yl)-2,2-dimethylpropanamide: a versatile reagent for preparing imidazole-amine ligands with variable second-coordination spheres

Two synthetic pathways to N-(2-formyl-1-methylimidazol-4-yl)-2,2-dimethylpropanamide from 1-methyl-2-carboxaldehyde are described. The reagent serves as a useful synthon for reductive amination reactions with primary and secondary amines in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride to yield a series of ligands with second coordination sphere functional groups. Protocols for the syntheses of related imidazole synthons functionalized in the 4-position with amino acids, Schiff bases, and other amides are also reported.
Evidence-Based Practice, Person-in-Environment, and Clinical Social Work: Issues of Practical Concern

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a movement that has gained recent momentum in social work following the tradition of evidence-based medicine (EBM). Use of EBP as a guiding philosophy of clinical social work practice has been debated among academics, researchers, and clinicians for more than a decade. An area of complexity within EBP involves selecting the best available evidence while accounting for the person-in-environment model that has traditionally guided our profession. In this article, the author discusses differences between these two models of practice and problems that clinicians might encounter when attempting to adhere to both models concurrently. Case illustrations are used to illuminate the importance of the person-in-environment model to clinical social work practice in the time of EBP. Issues specific to the values and mission of social work are closely examined.
Prolonged pyrexia and hepatitis: Q fever.

PRESENTATION Despite an ever-expanding spectrum of available tests, fever of unknown origin remains a diagnostic dilemma. A 40-year-old Nepalese man living in Rhode Island presented with a 1-week history of nausea, vomiting, fevers, and frontal headache. He denied neck stiffness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rash, or urinary symptoms. In the emergency department, he had a temperature of 100.4 F (38.0 C) and was tachycardic to 108 beats per minute. His physical examination was otherwise normal. Lumbar puncture demonstrated no pleocytosis. Polymerase chain reaction testing of cerebrospinal fluid was negative for herpes simplex virus and enterovirus; a western blot was negative for Lyme IgM and IgG. Whole-body computed tomography was unrevealing. The patient was discharged but returned 4 days later with persistent headaches and fever, so he was admitted for further workup. His past medical history was notable for hypertension, for which he took chlorthalidone, and anxiety, for which he was prescribed paroxetine. Three years earlier, he had completed a 9-month course of isoniazid for latent tuberculosis infection. He lived with his wife and denied new sexual contacts, as well as use of any alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs. The patient had not travelled outside of New England following his emigration from Nepal 3 years before. He lived in an urban area and worked as a maintenance worker at a suburban warehouse where he had rodent contact and cut the grass but he denied tick bites. He had visited a farm
Uncoupled cerebral blood flow and metabolism after severe global ischemia in rats.

In a rat model of complete global brain ischemia (neck tourniquet) lasting either 3 min or 20 min, we monitored global CBF (sagittal sinus H2 clearance) and CMRO2 for 6 h to test the hypothesis tha...
Dynamics of shear-transformation zones in amorphous plasticity: Energetic constraints in a minimal theory

We use energetic considerations to deduce the form of a previously uncertain coupling term in the shear-transformation-zone (STZ) theory of plastic deformation in amorphous solids. As in the earlier versions of the STZ theory, the onset of steady deformation at a yield stress appears here as an exchange of dynamic stability between jammed and plastically deforming states. We show how an especially simple ``quasilinear'' version of this theory accounts qualitatively for many features of plasticity such as yielding, strain softening, and strain recovery. We also show that this minimal version of the theory fails to describe certain other phenomena, and argue that these limitations indicate needs for additional internal degrees of freedom beyond those included here.
Function and feeling machines: a defense of the philosophical conception of subjective experience

Philosophers of mind typically group experiential states together and distinguish these from intentional states on the basis of their purportedly obvious phenomenal character. Sytsma and Machery (Phil Stud 151(2): 299–327, 2010) challenge this dichotomy by presenting evidence that non-philosophers do not classify subjective experiences relative to a state’s phenomenological character, but rather by its valence. However we argue that S&M’s results do not speak to folk beliefs about the nature of experiential states, but rather to folk beliefs about the entity to which those experiential states are attributed. In two experiments, we demonstrate that ordinary attributions of subjective experiences (of smell and felt emotions) to a simple robot are not sensitive to valence, but instead respond to functional assumptions about the entity to which the states are (or are not) attributed.
Extracellular pH modulates the activity of cultured human osteoblasts.

The effect of medium pH on the activity of cultured human osteoblasts was investigated in this study. Osteoblasts derived from explants of human trabecular bone were grown to confluence and subcultured. The first-pass cells were incubated in Hepes-buffered media at initial pHs adjusted from 7.0 to 7.8. Osteoblast function was evaluated by measuring lactate production, alkaline phosphatase activity, proline hydroxylation, DNA content, and thymidine incorporation. Changes in medium pH were determined from media pHs recorded at the beginning and end of the final 48 h incubation period. As medium pH increased through pH 7.6, collagen synthesis, alkaline phosphatase activity, and thymidine incorporation increased. DNA content increased from pH 7.0 to 7.2, plateaued from pH 7.2 to 7.6, and increased again from pH 7.6 to 7.8. The changes in the medium pH were greatest at pHs 7.0 and 7.8, modest at pHs 7.4 and 7.6, and did not change at 7.2, suggesting that the pHs are migrating towards pH 7.2. Lactate production increased at pH 7.0 but remained constant from 7.2 to 7.8. These results suggest that in the pH range from 7.0–7.6 the activity of human osteoblasts increases with increasing pH, that this increase in activity does not require an increase in glycolytic activity, and that pH 7.2 may be the optimal pH for these cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 68:83–89, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Searching for a Rosetta Stone: Genetic data and clinical patient management

Advances in genetic medicine have accelerated rapidly with the development of increasingly powerful tools for gene sequencing. The promise of patient-specific genetic diagnosis has loomed large in cardiac electrophysiology, which has been at the leading edge of specialties poised to take advantage of this technology. Several familial channelopathic diseases had already been well characterized clinically using classical techniques of careful phenotypic analysis and mapping of patterns of heritability. These clinical phenotypes could be mapped in many cases to point mutations in a handful of genes, and the effects of these mutations on membrane electrophysiology could be characterized to draw a direct connection from gene to disease. We have moved far beyond that translational beachhead now. As the complete human genome comes into focus as a book that can be read letter by letter—in a clinically relevant time frame and at feasible expense—the playing field for genomics in cardiology is changing quickly. In the accompanying article submitted by Priest et al, a dramatic demonstration of the application of next generation sequencing to an exceedingly ill and unstable infant shows just how much and how quickly we can identify the genomic underpinnings of channelopathy and how difficult it can be to use that information. One would expect that specific knowledge of the underlying molecular defect in these diseases would be likely to lead to targeted therapies that directly repair or compensate the pathophysiologies associated with individual mutations. Although there has been considerable interest in developing gene-specific therapies for channelopathies, success with this type of approach has in fact been quite limited. Recent work in the field has recognized that the complex interdependence of many specific ionic currents suggests a much more refined understanding of repolarization at a systems level will be necessary to design such precision therapies. While
The endocytic machinery in nerve terminals surrounds sites of exocytosis.

Abstract In most models of endocytosis, the endocytic machinery is recruited from the cytoplasm by cytoplasmic tails of the plasma membrane proteins that are to be internalized. This does not appear to be true at synapses where the endocytic machinery required for synaptic vesicle recycling is localized to membrane-associated ‘hot spots' [1,2]. In Drosophila neuromuscular junctions, the multi-domain protein Dap160 is also localized to hot spots [3] and has some characteristics expected of an anchoring protein. Anchoring the endocytic machinery to the plasma membrane might help contribute to the remarkable speed of synaptic vesicle recycling [4]. Here, we report that the endocytic machinery surrounds sites that are believed to be sites of exocytosis. We propose that the radial distribution of the synaptic vesicle recycling machinery already present on the plasma membrane in unstimulated nerve terminals is a fundamental unit of pre-synaptic organization and allows the nerve terminal to extract maximum recycling efficiency out of conventional endocytic machinery.
In vitro uptake of estradiol and progesterone in the hamster uterus relative to the time of embryo transfer and stage of development.

Abstract The normal time for cleavage to the 2- and 8-cell stages of development of naturally ovulated hamster embryos is 25–27.5 and 59–61 h respectively, after ovulation and mating. The corresponding values for PMS-hCG treated hamsters were 33–35.5 and 62–64 h respectively. When 2-cell embryos, obtained by this timing method, were transferred to the oviductal bursa on Day 2 of the cycle, and when 8-cell embryos were transferred to the uterus on Day 3 of the cycle, implantation rates of 61.5 and 64.0% respectively, were obtained. The current study was conducted to determine the effects of transfer on estradiol and progesterone uptake by the uterine tissue on Day 14 after mating. A 2-fold increase in estradiol uptake was observed in superovulated, nonpregnant uteri when compared with nonsuperovulated animals. This level was also significantly higher than with nonsuperovulated pregnant animals and of animals receiving 2-cell embryo transfers. Estradiol uptake increases of 3.2 and 1.2-fold were noted for animals receiving 8-cell embryo transfers in naturally and superovulated groups respectively. Superovulation resulted in increased progesterone uptake. Transfer of 2- and 8-cell embryos resulted in a 15.8 and 109.9% increase in progesterone uptake respectively in naturally ovulated hamsters. Similar values for superovulated hamsters were 16.2 and 87.6% respectively. The 8-cell embryos, however, were transferred about four hrs prior to the time for normal 8-cell cleavage and this, coupled with increased estradiol uptake by the embryos themselves, resulted in an elevated estradiol and progesterone uptake in the uterine tissue even when measured on Day 14 of pregnancy. The degree of increase was less with superovulated animals receiving 8-cell embryos, reflecting higher levels of estradiol and progesterone uptake in control tissues. This could account for the slight delay in development of superovulated embryos.
Investigating laser-blood vessel interaction with color Doppler optical coherence tomography

ABSTRACT A non-invasive method of imaging laser irradiated blood vessels, and of tracking the healing response, has been achievedusing Color Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography (CDOCT). This method may increase understanding of the mechanismsbehind treatment of vascular disorders such as port wine stains. The CDOCT system uses a superluminescent diode with acenter wavelength of 1280 nm. Pulsed dye and KTP lasers operating at 585 and 532 nm, respectively, were used to irradiaterat and hamster dorsal skin flap window models. The window model is a chronic preparation which exposes subdermal bloodvessels while maintaining a thickness of normal skin. Irradiation sites were imaged with CDOCT prior to and immediatelyafter laser irradiation, and at intervals up to several days following irradiation. The CDOCT signal was processed to provideboth magnitude and color Doppler images. The Doppler signal provides an estimate of the blood flow velocity.The response of blood vessels to radiant exposures above and below the threshold for vessel coagulation wasmeasured. An increase in the blood vessel backscattered signal was observed as blood and vessel walls were coagulated.Changes in blood flow velocity were noted in cases where vessels constricted or flow became occluded.Keywords: healing response, KTP laser, port wine stains, pulsed dye laser
A Critical Review of Human Performance Reliability Predictive Methods

Similarities and differences among 22 methods of quantitatively predicting operator and technician performance are described. Emphasis has been given to eight methods most fully developed and most likely to be used by system engineers. Two general techniques are employed: analysis of historical data and computer-simulation of behavioral processes. No general purpose methodology is available; each method deals with some types of tasks and systems more efficiently than others. In general, simulation-based methods are more powerful than nonsimulation methods. Most methods output probability estimates of successful task/system performance and completion time, but are relatively insensitive to equipment design parameters, manpower selection and training needs. With only one exception no operability method utilizes a formal data base as input and in most cases the parameters these input data describe are not specifically indicated. For most methods validation and/or system application data are either lacking or incomplete.
STRUCTURE AND ANTIDEPRESSANT ACTIVITY OF IMIPRAMINE ANALOGUES.

Abstract Almost one hundred imipramine analogues, mainly iminodibenzyls, iminostilbenes, and phenothiazines, were screened for central antidepressant activity. The test was based on the characteristic behavioral syndrome (spontaneous excitation) produced in rats by treatment with a desmethylimipramine-type drug and Ro 4-1284, a benzoquinolizine that rapidly releases brain catecholamtnes. In addition to desmethylimipramine and desmethylamitriptyline, the test has disclosed seventeen other potential antidepressants, including two phenothiazines which also possessed tranquilizing properties. From the results, certain relationships between structure and antidepressant activity are discernible and may be described in terms of the essential parts of the ring system, the length of the sidechain, and the nature and position of substituent groups. The majority of the active compounds are secondary methylamines and a few are primary amines. In general, the tertiary amines do not act as antidepressants and in many instances act as sedatives. In fact, sedative agents are sometimes converted to antidepressants by N-demethylation. Some implications of these findings are discussed.
Noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac allograft rejection in an orthotopic canine model

Background. A decline in the R wave voltage obtained from surface electrocardiograms once correlated with cardiac allograft rejection. With cyclosporine therapy, however, these electrocardiographic findings became inconsistent, occurring only during severe rejection episodes. Despite cyclosporine use, intramyocardial unipolar peak-to-peak amplitudes obtained from plunge electrodes are reported to be highly sensitive and specific for diagnosing rejection. These reports are based on heterotopic grafts, which atrophy over time, making long-term voltage changes during rejection difficult to interpret. The purpose of this study was to use analysis of unipolar peak-to-peak amplitudes as a prospective monitoring tool for diagnosing orthotopic cardiac allograft rejection. Methods. Ten adult mongrel dogs underwent orthotopic heart transplantation with the attachment of four intramyocardial leads. The unipolar peak-to-peak amplitudes were measured daily and compared with endomyocardial biopsy results. Results. We found that intramyocardial unipolar peak-to-peak amplitude analysis had a sensitivity and a specificity of 100% for diagnosing rejection. We also found that as the number of myocardial leads increased, the sensitivity of detecting rejection also increased. Conclusions. We conclude that unipolar peak-to-peak amplitude analysis is an accurate noninvasive means for early detection of cardiac allograft rejection in an orthotopic model. Its success should allow less frequent, more selective use of endomyocardial biopsy.
Innovative Therapy for Classic Galactosemia - Tale of Two HTS

Classic Galactosemia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by the deficiency of galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GALT), one of the key enzymes in the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism. While the neonatal morbidity and mortality of the disease are now mostly prevented by newborn screening and galactose restriction, long-term outcome for older children and adults with this disorder remains unsatisfactory. The pathophysiology of Classic Galactosemia is complex, but there is convincing evidence that galactose-1-phosphate (gal-1P) accumulation is a major, if not the sole pathogenic factor. Galactokinase (GALK) inhibition will eliminate the accumulation of gal-1P from both dietary sources and endogenous production, and efforts toward identification of therapeutic small molecule GALK inhibitors are reviewed in detail. Experimental and computational high-throughput screenings of compound libraries to identify GALK inhibitors have been conducted, and subsequent studies aimed to characterize, prioritize, as well as to optimize the identified positives have been implemented to improve the potency of promising compounds. Although none of the identified GALK inhibitors inhibits glucokinase and hexokinase, some of them cross-inhibit other related enzymes in the GHMP small molecule kinase superfamily. While this finding may render the on-going hit-to-lead process more challenging, there is growing evidence that such cross-inhibition could also lead to advances in antimicrobial and anti-cancer therapies.
Who comes when: personality differences in early and later participation in a university subject pool

This study used a comprehensive measure of personality, the NEO PI-R to assess the broad traits and narrower facets of personality that predict time of participation in a University subject pool across one semester. A variety of additional demographic and academic variables (e.g. grade point average, semesters completed, current number of semester credits being taken, total degree credits earned) were investigated as they related to both time of participation and enjoyment of participation. Significant associations were found that replicated previous research (e.g. extraverts participate later; compliant persons participate earlier) and previously unreported associations were identified (e.g. openness and its facets correlate significantly with time of participation). Suggestions as to how to avoid these potential experimental confounds and increase truer random assignment of subject pool participants to experimental research are made.