cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FoxO Transcription Factors and Stem Cell Homeostasis: Insights from the Hematopoietic System

The forkhead O (FoxO) family of transcription factors participates in diverse physiologic processes, including induction of cell-cycle arrest, stress resistance, differentiation, apoptosis, and metabolism. Several recent studies indicate that FoxO-dependent signaling is required for long-term regenerative potential of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment through regulation of HSC response to physiologic oxidative stress, quiescence, and survival. These observations link FoxO function in mammalian systems with the evolutionarily conserved role of FoxO in promotion of stress resistance and longevity in lower phylogenetic systems. Furthermore, these findings have implications for aging in higher organisms and in malignant stem cell biology, and suggest that FoxOs may play an important role in the maintenance and integrity of stem cell compartments in a broad spectrum of tissues.
Robust Channel Estimation and Detection for Uplink Control Channel in 3GPP-LTE

In this paper, we present improved channel estimation and detection methods applicable for control channel in 3GPP-LTE. The physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) carries the vital information to the evolved-Node-B (eNB) such as Hybrid-ARQ (HARQ) ACK/NACK corresponding to the downlink assignment and channel quality information (CQI) for resource allocation. A robust detection of control channel helps in supporting higher data rates with low latency to the user-equipments (UEs). The PUCCH is a narrow-band code multiplexed channel and hence the inter-user interference becomes the performance limiting factor. This interference becomes severe in the presence of timing errors (leading to loss in code orthogonality) and near-far problem. The improved receiver presented in this paper employ the complex exponential functions for channel estimation and a joint minimum mean squared error (MMSE) data detection and hence are robust to timing errors and near-far problem. Also, we exploit the pilot structure for reducing the complexity of the joint channel estimation. Simulation results provided shows that the proposed receiver breaks the error floor encountered in the single user receiver.
Improving success of novel therapeutics for cognitive aspects of psychiatric disease: a bridge too far?

Never has it been more difficult for companies interested in the discovery of novel treatments for psychiatric disorders. Scientists, investors and, most importantly, patients have been left disappointed by sev -eral late-stage clinical failures and dwind-ling successful drug launches despite rising costs of development
Some Kinematical Results Concerning Steady Flows and Extensional Flows

Vector fields used as local reference directions (i.e., base vectors) for the representation of tensorial physical quantities need not be directly associated with any curvilinear coordinate system. Such vector fields form an “anholonomic” system and their use in differential geometry has been expounded by mathematicians*. In classical fluid mechanics the significance of the streamline direction or the vorticity direction and their use as reference directions for tensorial physical quantities were long recognized. Besides, in certain classes of hydrodynamic flows there are material surfaces and one or more families of material lines whose tangent or normal vectors may be naturally included in a convected anholonomic reference system. However, because the constitutive equations of classical fluid mechanics are not history-dependent, there is no compelling need to trace the evolution of kinematical variables of a material element and, therefore, the use of convected anholonomic reference systems is not essential. On the other hand, the response functionals of rheological fluids with memory depend on the history of kinematical variables. The component forms of such relationships may be considerably simplified when an appropriate intrinsic reference system is used.
Pharmacokinetics of the three radioiodinated dopamine D2 receptor ligands [123I]IBF, [123I]epidepride and [123I]2'-ISP in nonhuman primates.

Abstract The pharmacokinetics of three radioiodinated high affinity dopamine D 2 receptor binding ligands—two benzamide neuroleptics (IBF and epidepride) and the butyrophenone neuroleptic analog 2′-iodospiperone (2′-ISP)—were measured in nonhuman primates. [ 123 I]IBF and [ 123 I]epidepride were prepared by iododestannylation of the corresponding tributylstannyl derivative, whereas [ 123 I]2′-ISP was labeled by (NH[in4]) 2 SO 4 mediated iodide for bromide exchange starting from 2′-bromospiperone. Labeled products were purified by HPLC and were obtained in > 93% radiochemical purity and > 7000 Ci/mmol sp. act. After i.v. injection in baboons, serial arterial plasma samples were extracted with ethyl acetate (IBF and epidepride) or denatured with methanol (2′-ISP) and analyzed by HPLC. For IBF, plasma levels of parent compound dropped to 50% of the plasma activity within 20 min post injection and the major radiometabolite was lipophilic. For epidepride, it took 30–40 min for parent content to reach 50% and the major radiometabolite was polar. For 2′-ISP, parent composition dropped to 60% after about 15 min. Arterial input curves for IBF and epidepride fit three-exponential models with terminal half-life of 54–76 and 50–59 min, respectively. Whole body images were acquired using the conjugate counting method. The distribution of all three agents was qualitatively similar, with major excretion through the hepatobiliary route. Peak whole brain uptake, observed within 20 min for all three tracers, was estimated as 7% injected dose for [ 123 I]IBF, 8% for [ 123 I]epidepride and 5% for [ 123 I]2′-ISP.
Naltrexone effects on food-and codeine-maintained responding in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract The delivery of food or the i.v. injection of codeine maintained lever pressing in rhesus monkeys during alternating periods of daily experimental sessions. Responding was maintained by food or codeine under a chain differential reinforcement of other behavior 30 sec (DRO 30), fixed-ratio 30 response (FR 30) schedule of reinforcement. Maximum FR rates of codeine-reinforced responding were maintained by 25–47 μg/kg per injection codeine. Both lower (8 μg/kg per injection) and higher (80–800 μg/kg per injection) doses of codeine maintained lower FR response rates. FR rates of food-maintained responding only decreased as a function of codeine dose. Response rates during the DRO component of the schedule, when either food or codeine maintained responding, were extremely low (
Reversing the Phillips' curve: A microfoundation

Abstract Cross-country comparisons have indicated that high inflation may be correlated with reduced levels of output and employment. This paper offers a microfoundation for this phenomenon in a rational expectations framework. A further result of the approach chosen is that anticipated money supply changes have real effects while unanticipated changes have none. Both of these results conflict with popular macroeconomic preconceptions and thus sound a cautionary note in the construction of macroeconomic models.
Factors influencing dialysis patients' completion of advance directives

Although chronic dialysis patients support the use of advance directives, they rarely complete them. We asked 80 chronic dialysis patients (60 receiving in-center hemodialysis and 20 receiving peritoneal dialysis) why they had not completed an advance directive, and gave them the opportunity to complete a dialysis-specific living will and to designate a health care proxy. Questionnaires containing the dialysis-specific living will, patient demographic information, and questions about advance directives were distributed during a routine hemodialysis session or peritoneal dialysis clinic visit by a nurse working in the unit. Forty-one hemodialysis patients and 14 peritoneal dialysis patients completed the questionnaires (69% response rate). The mean age was 53 +/- 15 years and the mean time on dialysis was 5 +/- 5 years. Fifty-eight percent of the patients were women, 57% were white, 67% were hospitalized in the past year, 23% were employed, 70% had children, and 21% lived alone (43% lived with a partner and 11% lived with parents). All patients thought advance directives were a good idea, but only 35% had completed one and only seven (14%) had discussed wishes for life-sustaining therapy with their nephrologist; 34 patients (67%) had discussed their wishes with their family. Most said they had not completed an advance directive because their family knew what they would want (12 of 32 patients [38%]). Thirty-nine patients who completed the questionnaire also completed the dialysis-specific living will (71%). Those who did not complete the dialysis-specific living will chose not to because they were not sure what they would want done (12 of 16 patients [75%]). The only demographic factor that influenced completion of the dialysis-specific living will was having children: more patients with children did not complete the will (12 of 37 patients [32%] with children v two of 16 patients [13%] without children; P = 0.02). The dialysis-specific living will asks about choices for life-sustaining treatment (cardiopulmonary resuscitation and dialysis) based on one's health state (current health; permanent coma; terminal illness; mild, moderate, or severe stroke; dementia). Using patient-specific advance directives that focus on health states rather than life-sustaining interventions (eg, the dialysis-specific living will) and repeated discussion of advance directives and advance care planning initiated by dialysis unit staff may improve the completion of advance directives by chronic dialysis patients. The appropriate focus of such issues should include family involvement and health states rather than treatment interventions.
Texture classification by a two-level hybrid scheme

In this paper, we propose a novel feature extraction scheme for texture classification, in which the texture features are extracted by a two-level hybrid scheme, by integrating two statistical techniques of texture analysis. In the first step, the low level features are extracted by the Gabor filters, and they are encoded with the feature map indices, using Kohonen's SOFM algorithm. In the next step, the encoded feature images are processed by the Gabor filters, Gaussian Markov random fields (GMRF), and Grey level co- occurrence matrix (GLCM) methods to extract the high level features. By integrating two methods of texture analysis in a cascaded manner, we obtained the texture features which achieved a high accuracy for the classification of texture patterns. The proposed schemes were tested on the real microtextures, and the Gabor-GMRF scheme achieved 10 percent increase of the recognition rate, compared to the result obtained by the simple Gabor filtering.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Vertically aligned nanocomposite electrolytes with superior out-of-plane ionic conductivity for solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract Two-phase (Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95)0.5/(Zr0.92Y0.08O1.96)0.5 (GDC/YSZ) nanocomposite thin films with vertically aligned structure are grown as the electrolyte for thin film solid oxide fuel cells (TFSOFCs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirm that GDC and YSZ grow as separated, high crystallinity nanocolumns with tunable column width on both single crystal and polycrystalline anode substrates. Impedance measurements demonstrate ∼50% enhancement in ionic conductivity compared to pure single-crystal-like GDC thin film. The enhanced properties in the GDC/YSZ vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) system may be attributed to two-phase strain coupling and the fast ionic transport rate along the vertical interfaces. The VAN is applied in thin film SOFC as a part of the electrolyte in the single cells. The overall power density increases more than 40% compared with that of the cells without VAN electrolyte. This work demonstrates the first VAN nanostructured electrolyte with the essential vertical ion-transport channels. The new VAN electrolyte provides superior out-of-plane ionic conductivity compared to those single phase electrolytes as well as the nanolayered electrolytes.
Approach to congenital heart disease in the neonate

Congenital heart disease in the newborn is a unique and complex problem faced by both pediatricians and cardiologists as it requires skillful handling and balancing of both neonatal issues as well as cardiac physiology. Babies with cyanotic and acyanotic heart disease are physiologically different from each other and management has to be tailored to the individual diagnosis and clinical status. Rapid diagnosis and appropriate management is the key to reducing mortality and morbidity in this fragile patient population. The following review deals with the common presentations of heart problems in a newborn baby and methods of diagnosis, investigative modalities, recent advances and approach to management.
Geometric algorithms for detecting and calculating all conic sections in the intersection of any two natural quadric surfaces

Abstract One of the most challenging aspects of the surface-surface intersection problem is the proper disposition of degenerate configurations. Even in the domain of quadric surfaces, this problem has proven to be quite difficult. The topology of the intersection as well as the basic geometric representation of the curve itself is often at stake. By Bezout′s Theorem, two quadric surfaces always intersect in a degree four curve in complex projective space. This degree four curve is degenerate if it splits into two (possibly degenerate) conic sections. In theory the presence of such degeneracies can be detected using classical algebraic geometry. Unfortunately in practice it has proven to be extremely difficult to make computer implementations of such methods reliable numerically. Here, we present geometric algorithms that detect the presence of these degeneracies and compute the resulting planar intersections. The theoretical basis of these algorithms-in particular, proofs of correctness and completeness-are extremely long and tedious. We briefly outline the approach, but present only the results of the analysis as embodied in the geometric algorithms. Interested readers are referred to R. N. Goldman and J. R. Miller (Detecting and calculating conic sections in the intersection of two natural quadric surfaces, part I: Theoretical analysis; and Detecting and calculating conic sections in the intersection of two natural quadric surfaces, part II: Geometric constructions for detection and calculation, Technical Reports TR-93-1 and TR-93-2, Department of Computer Science, University of Kansas, January 1993) for details.
Sparse model inversion and processing of spatial frequency-domain electromagnetic induction sensor array data for improved landmine discrimination

Frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors have been shown to provide target signatures which enable discrimination of landmines from harmless clutter. In particular, frequency-domain EMI sensors are well-suited for target characterization by inverting a physics-based signal model. In many model-based signal processing paradigms, the target signatures can be decomposed into a weighted sum of parameterized basis functions, where the basis functions are intrinsic to the target under consideration and the associated weights are a function of the target sensor orientation. When sensor array data is available, the spatial diversity of the measured signals may provide more information for estimating the basis function parameters. After model inversion, the basis function parameters can form the foundation of model-based classification of the target as landmine or clutter. In this work, sparse model inversion of spatial frequency-domain EMI sensor array data followed by target classification using a statistical model is investigated. Results for data measured with a prototype frequency-domain EMI sensor at a standardized test site are presented. Preliminary results indicate that extracting physics-based features from spatial frequency-domain EMI sensor array data followed by statistical classification provides an effective approach for classifying targets as landmine or clutter.
Diagnosis of Congenital Syphilis by Combining Treponema pallidum-Specific IgM Detection with Immunofluorescent Antigen Detection for T. pallidum

Most infants at risk for congenital syphilis can be identified easily by a positive maternal serologic test for syphilis. However, a diagnosis of congenital syphilis can be difficult to make in an individual infant. Seven infants with delayed-onset congenital syphilis and 101 newborns at risk for congenital syphilis were evaluated for characteristic physical findings and laboratory-detectable abnormalities of congenital syphilis. By using a combination of Western blot for T. pallidum-specific IgM detection and immunofluorescent antigen detection for the identification of T. pallidum, a diagnosis of congenital syphilis was made in all 7 infants with delayed-onset congenital syphilis and 24 of the 101 newborns at risk for congenital syphilis. However, T. pallidum-specific IgM was negative in 6 of the 24 newborns with congenital syphilis. T. pallidum-specific IgM detection alone is inadequate for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis.
Study of natural convection in horizontal annuli

Abstract Natural convection of gases in a horizontal annulus, where the inner cylinder is heated by the application of a constant heat flux and the outer cylinder is isothermally cooled, is studied numerically. Detailed results of temperature, velocity and heat transfer are presented for a wide range of Rayleigh numbers extending from conduction to the convection-dominated steady flow regime, and diameter ratios of 1.2–10. A crescent-shaped eddy dominates for the small diameter ratio and a kidney-shaped flow pattern appears for the large diameter ratio as observed by previous investigators in their flow visualization studies. The inner wall temperature is a function of diameter ratio and Rayleigh number. An increase in Rayleigh number based on the same temperature difference for the inner wall boundary condition of constant heat flux or constant temperature increases the heat transfer rate; however, the increase is larger for the constant heat flux case. At large diameter ratios ( κ ≥ 10), the heat transfer rates are the same for both types of heating, and a single cylinder in an infinite atmosphere gives nearly the same results.
Oxacillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcal carriage rates in neonatal intensive care nurses and non-patient care hospital personnel.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) have emerged in recent years as a common cause of sepsis in critically ill newborn infants.‘-’ Infections are often caused by strains resistant to the semisynthetic penicillinase-resistant penicillins. Such is the case in our nursery, where surveillance culturing has indicated that colonization occurs in more than 80% of infants within 2 weeks of admission to the infant intensive care unit. Sepsis caused by CNS has been previously associated with the presence of a central venous catheter and with infusion of hyperalimentation fluid.4 Routine surveillance culturing of hyperalimentation fluids in our hospital has rarely yielded CNS. Other possible sources of oxacillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (R-CNS) that could explain the rapid colonization of infants are the hands and noses of patient care personnel. Maki et al .6 reported that R-CNS frequently colonized the hands of intensive care unit personnel. Our purpose was to compare R-CNS colonization rates of two groups of hospital employees: infant intensive care unit personnel (PCP) and non-patient care personnel (NPCP), to de-
PROTON DECAY IN SO(10) SUPERSYMMETRIC GRAND UNIFIED THEORIES

We calculate the proton lifetime in a SO(10) supersymmetric grand unified theory [SUSY GUT] with U(2) family symmetry. This model fits the low energy data, including the recent data for neutrino oscillations. We discuss the predictions of this model for the proton lifetime in light of recent SuperKamiokande results which significantly constrain the SUSY parameter space of the model.
Androgens increase gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuron firing activity in females and interfere with progesterone negative feedback.

GnRH neurons are the central regulators of fertility, and their activity is modulated by steroid feedback. In women with hyperandrogenemic infertility and in animal models of these disorders, elevated androgen levels interfere with progesterone (P) negative feedback. Our previous work showed that steroids altered the frequency and amplitude of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission to GnRH neurons. Specifically, P inhibited GABA transmission, which can excite GnRH neurons, whereas dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increased GABA transmission. In this study the GnRH neuron firing rate was examined in the same animal models. Adult (>2 months) female mice were ovariectomized and treated for 8–12 d with implants containing estradiol (E), E and P, E and DHT, or E, P, and DHT. Targeted extracellular recordings were used to examine the long-term firing activity of green fluorescent protein-identified GnRH neurons in brain slices from these mice. In comparing E alone to E plus P animals, P increased the percentage of ti...
EVALUATION OF HUMAN HEPATOCYTE CHIMERIC MICE AS A MODEL FOR TOXICOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION USING PANOMIC APPROACHES - EFFECT OF ACETAMINOPHEN ON THE EXPRESSION PROFILES OF PROTEINS AND ENDOGENOUS METABOLITES IN LIVER, PLASMA AND URINE

Toxicological responses to acetaminophen (APAP) overdose were evaluated in human hepatocytes transplanted chimeric mice using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE)-based proteomics and (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomics. Huge variations, which were supported by histopathological findings, were observed in proteins expression in chimeric mice liver. The proteomic analysis of the livers showed that the proteins involved in the pathways of lipid/fatty acid metabolism, glycolysis and energy metabolism/production were affected. In addition, oxidative stress-related proteins showed altered expression. The metabonomic analysis of urine and plasma revealed alterations of endogenous metabolites, which were the intermediates involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Those findings were already confirmed in normal mice. We hypothesized that the mechanism of APAP-induced effects on chimeric mice liver was in accordance with the mechanism observed in normal mice. Therefore, these toxicopanomic approaches successfully revealed that the mechanisms in humans were identical with "known" APAP-induced hepatotoxicity detected in chimeric mice. Further investigations are needed to detect idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity in humans using chimeric mice.
Photoelectron spectroscopy of the laser-excited X surface state on GaAs(110) using synchrotron radiation

An excited surface state on GaAs(110) has been investigated using a technique which populates the state with a laser pulse and measures its properties by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. Measurements of momentum, energy, and lifetime show that this is an intrinsic surface state near [ital [bar X]] in the surface Brillouin zone which equilibrates with bulk conduction electrons during the 5-ns pump pulse. The narrow photoelectron band increases linearly in kinetic energy with the probe photon energy, and no final-state effects appear in the limited energy range investigated.
Landmine detection using discrete hidden Markov models with Gabor features

We propose a general method for detecting landmine signatures in vehicle mounted ground penetrating radar (GPR) using discrete hidden Markov models and Gabor wavelet features. Observation vectors are constructed based on the expansion of the signature's B-scan using a bank of scale and orientation selective Gabor filters. This expansion provides localized frequency description that gets encoded in the observation sequence. These observations do not impose an explicit structure on the mine model, and are used to naturally model the time-varying signatures produced by the interaction of the GPR and the landmines as the vehicle moves. The proposed method is evaluated on real data collected by a GPR mounted on a moving vehicle at three different geographical locations that include several lanes. The model parameters are optimized using the BaumWelch algorithm, and lane-based cross-validation, in which each mine lane is in turn treated as a test set with the rest of the lanes used for training, is used to train and test the model. Preliminary results show that observations encoded with Gabor wavelet features perform better than observation encoded with gradient-based edge features.
Sieges and Customs of War at the Opening of the Eighteenth Century

M XUCH of the 4nnals of war is concerned with sieges. Until the French Revolution, which changed the character of war, the number of sieges exceeded the number of battles, as the possession of a hostile fortress was of greater positive value than the results of the average field victory; and the fortress served as a counter of exchange at the peace. Large armies, inferior roads, imperfect means of supply, and unwieldy trains, made decisive battles rare. There was no maneuvering in the modern sense, so strategy and tactics were fettered. The king built his fortresses along the well-defined geographical routes of invasion which were also the historical routes, and citizens of large cities and towns raised walls against an enemy. Fortified cities on the frontier exposed to sudden attack, and those in the interior whose populations were of questionable loyalty, were strengthened by the king with citadels which he garrisoned with royal troops, not local militia. These citadels were equally secure against an attack from without the city and a revolt from within; but the majority of them were built solely with a political end in view. Free cities, as a rule had no citadels. Municipalities objected strongly to their erection as they gave added strength to the local royal authority.' Fortress commanders were independent of the provincial government and in some European countries the commander of the citadel was
Punishment and reward in children’s instrumental learning

Kindergarten children were both punished and rewarded for performing a motor response, with no specific alternative response available. Punishment given early in training partially suppressed behavior, while punishment introduced later was ineffective. These results, which contradict comparable animal data, are explained in terms of differential orientation to the stimulus situation for children and rats.
Execution time requirements for encipherment programs

Although encipherment has often been discussed as a means to protect computer data, its costs are not well established. Five experiments were conducted to measure the cpu time on a CDC 6400 required by additive ciphers programmed both in assembly language and in Fortran: a “null transformation” to measure the time to move data without encipherment; encipherment with a one-word key; encipherment with a 125-word key; double key encipherment; and encipherment using a pseudo random key. The results were analyzed for consistency over 100 runs, and the effects of constant and intermittent errors were considered.Timing rates for assembly language encipherment ranged from 498,800 characters per second for a pseudo random key cipher to 2,092,000 characters per second for a constant one-word key cipher. The latter is almost equivalent to the rate required simply to move data without encipherment. Fortran tests required over four times as much cpu time. This paper introduces the idea of enciphering time coefficient the ratio of enciphering time to the time taken to fetch and store data without encipherment.
Health-related Internet use among cancer survivors: data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, 2003–2008

Increasing prevalence of Internet and new technologies are changing the communication pattern for patients and caregivers across the cancer care continuum. To date, little is known on how cancer survivors in the USA utilize the Internet for health-related purposes. This knowledge is crucial in developing effective communication programs to achieve quality and equitable cancer care. Data from 2003, 2005, and 2008 iterations of the NCI-sponsored Health Information National Trends Survey(HINTS) were analyzed to: (1) compare health-related Internet use (hereafter HRIU) between individuals with and without a cancer diagnosis, (2) report trends, prevalence, and user profiles of HRIU, including support group participation, emailing provider, buying medicine online, and cancer information seeking on the Internet. Descriptive analyses and weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. While Internet penetration is growing over the years across the USA, cancer survivors access the Internet at a lower rate than general population (49.4% to 56.4% vs. 63.1% to 66.3%). Once on the Internet, they are more likely to use it for health-related purposes. Disparities in Internet access persists, as higher likelihood of Internet access is associated with younger age, higher education, non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity, metropolitan residence, and better self-rated health. On the other hand, among Internet-accessing survivors, socio-demographic, and health factors do not play a significant role in determining the pattern of HRIU. The study identifies an increasing trend in HRIU among survivors, though the digital divide remains in Internet access. The findings also point to opportunities for narrowing the divide and using Internet to better serve survivors’ needs, as individuals from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences are equally engaging in health-related activities on the Internet. To increase equity and effectiveness in communication and cancer care, Internet access, functions, and technology literacy are important factors to be considered.
Age-Related Changes in Emotion Recognition: How, Why, and How Much of a Problem?

Isaacowitz and Stanley review age differences in facial emotion recognition, an ability tied to effective socioemotional functioning but often marked by age-related decline. They highlight major findings from the past decade and conclude that age-related declines exist but are least pronounced for positive relative to negative emotions. They discuss possible motivational and structural explanations for this positivity effect, and they describe future research avenues for evaluating age-related differences in more ecologically valid contexts. In this commentary, we discuss each of these topics. We state that many complexities that arise when interpreting age differences are similar to issues raised by emotion scholars who have studied intrapersonal and interpersonal processes outside of the developmental literature. We argue that theoretical and methodological lessons gained from these emotion scholars would provide insight to interpret current findings and direct future research in life-span development.
Correction of humoral derangements from mutant superoxide dismutase 1 spinal cord

Objective We sought to define molecular and cellular participants that mediate motor neuron injury in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using a coculture system. Methods We cocultured embryonic stem cell–derived motor neurons with organotypic slice cultures from wild-type or SOD1G93A (MT) mice. We examined axon lengths and cell survival of embryonic stem cell–derived motor neurons. We defined and quantified the humoral factors that differed between wild-type and MT organotypic cultures, and then corrected these differences in cell culture. Results MT spinal cord organotypic slices were selectively toxic to motor neurons as defined by axonal lengths and cell survival. MT spinal cord organotypic slices secreted higher levels of nitric oxide, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-12p70 and lower levels of vascular endothelial growth factor. The toxicity of MT spinal cord organotypic cultures was reduced and axonal lengths were restored to near normal by coculturing in the presence of reactive oxygen species scavenger, vascular endothelial growth factor, and neutralizing antibodies to IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12. Interpretation MT spinal cord organotypic cultures overexpress certain factors and underexpress others, creating a nonpermissive environment for cocultured motor neurons. Correction of these abnormalities as a group, but not individually, restores axonal length to near normal. Such a “cocktail” approach to the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis should be investigated further. Ann Neurol 2006;60:716–728
Brain cholesterol: XVI. Incorporation of different precursors into baboon tissue sterol

The relative order of incorporation of 1-C14-acetate and 2-3H-acetate into tissue cholesterol was similar. Short term fasting tended to decrease incorporation of acetate into liver and adrenal sterol. Other tissues, particularly neural, had the same or showed an increased incorporation. This relative order of incorporation found for acetate was different when U-14C-glucose was used. Cholesterol values from neural tissue after glucose were greater than non-neural sterol values.
Rebutting formally valid counterexamples to the Humean "is-ought" dictum

Various formally valid counterexamples have been adduced against the Humean dictum that one cannot derive an “ought” from an “is.” There are formal rebuttals—some very sophisticated now (e.g., Charles R. Pigden’s and Gerhard Schurz’s)—to such counterexamples. But what follows is an intuitive and informal argument against them. I maintain that it is better than these sophisticated formal defenses of the Humean dictum and that it also helps us see why it implausible to think that we can be as decisive about the truth or falsity of the dictum as both the formal counterexamples or formal barriers to them purport to be.
Extremal Properties of Resonance Eigenvalues

The minimax theorem for the eigenvalues of Hermitian operators is reviewed and its inverse (maxmini) theorem is derived. The connection between the Hylleraas-Undheim theorem (HUT) and the minimax theorem is clarified, and an extension of the HUT to compound resonance states is obtained. Thus, rigorous upper bounds on the resonance energies may be obtained without the explicit use of the exact open-channel projection operators. The exchange and rearrangement problems are also considered.
2014 Charleston Conference Workshop Report: Keeping It Real: A Comprehensive And Transparent Evaluation Of Electronic Resources

The all-day assessment workshop offered at the 2014 Charleston Conference, Keeping It Real: A Comprehensive and Transparent Evaluation of Electronic Resources, was filled with useful, practical inf...
Electrokinetics in Microfluidic Channels Containing a Floating Electrode

Electrokinetic transport within a buffer-filled microchannel incorporating a flat bipolar electrode is investigated. The key finding is that the presence of the electrode disrupts the passage of electrical current through the microchannel and thereby alters the uniformity of the local electric field. Electroosmotic flow further modulates the local field gradient. These dynamics are demonstrated experimentally by utilizing the field gradient for concentration enrichment of negatively charged tracer molecules, and a set of computer simulations is presented to interpret the underlying electrokinetics.
Biocontrol of aerial plant diseases in agriculture and horticulture: current approaches and future prospects

Until recently, the majority of research on the biological control of aerial plant diseases was focused on control of bacterial pathogens. Such research led to the commercialization of the biocontrol agent Pseudomonas fluorescens A506, as BlightBan A506™, for control of fire blight of pear. In contrast, chemical fungicides typically have provided adequate control of most foliar fungal pathogens. However, fungicide resistance problems, concerns regarding pesticide residues and revocation of registration of certain widely used fungicides have led to increased activity in the development of biocontrol agents of foliar fungal pathogens. Much of this activity has centered around the use of Trichoderma spp and Gliocladium spp to control Botrytis cinerea on grape and strawberry. The biocontrol agent Trichoderma harzianum T39 is commercially available in Israel, as Trichodex ™, for control of grey mold in grapes and may soon be registered for use in the US. Also targeted primarily against a foliar disease of grapes, in this case powdery mildew caused by Uncinula necator, is the biocontrol agent Ampelomyces quisqualis AQ10, marketed as AQ10 TM biofungicide. Another promising development in the area of foliar disease control, though one which is not yet commercialized, is the use of rhizobacteria as seed treatments to induce systemic resistance in the host plant, a strategy which can protect the plant against a range of bacterial and fungal pathogens.
Dietary fatty acids and insulin resistance.

High-fat diets have been associated with insulin resistance, a risk factor for both Type II diabetes and heart disease. The effect of dietary fat on insulin varies depending on the type of fatty acid consumed. Saturated fatty acids have been consistently associated with insulin resistance. On the other hand, medium and long-chain fatty acid intakes are associated with insulin sensitivity, as are high intakes of ϕ3 fatty acids. Trans fatty acids appear to potentiate insulin secretion, at least in the short-term, to a greater degree than cis fatty acids. This may reflect chronic alterations in insulin sensitivity, although this remains to be tested. In summary, although it must be emphasized that all diets high in fat cause insulin resistance relative to high-carbohydrate diets, it appears that dietary saturated, short-chain and ϕ6 fatty acids have the most deleterious effects on insulin action.
Increased therapeutic efficacy of Zidovudine in combination with vitamin E

Antiviral activity and bone marrow toxicity of 3'-azido-3'deoxythymidine (Zidovudine; AZT) was evaluated in the presence of alpha-D-tocopherol acid succinate (ATS) in the MT4 cell line and in murine hematopoietic progenitor cells, respectively. At varying concentrations (.016 to .125 microM) of AZT, addition of ATS (5 to 15 micrograms/ml) showed a dose-dependent increase in anti-HIV activity. The ED90 of AZT in this test system was 0.37 microM, whereas in the presence of ATS (15 micrograms/ml) it was 0.06 microM, thus producing an approximately 6-fold increase in anti-HIV activity. In contrast, in murine bone marrow cells, ATS (4 micrograms/ml) showed significant protection (p less than 0.05) against AZT-induced toxicity as measured by CFU-E and CFU-GM assays. The IC50 values in the presence and absence of ATS for CFU-E were 3.7 and 1.5 microM, whereas for CFU-GM were 6.0 and 2.7 microM, respectively. Overall, these data suggest that AZT in combination with ATS has greater therapeutic efficacy against HIV-1.
Improvement of islet cell transplant survival with reduced number of islet cells after donor pretreatment with methylprednisolone and glucagon

Donor pretreatment with methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) and/or glucagon (40 μg/kg) of adult Lewis rats before pancreas harvesting increased the insulin/amylase ratio prior to and after collagenase treatment. The respiratory control index and the number of islet cells were not significantly modified. The results of islet cell transplantation into the portal vein of isologous recipients varied according to the number of donors utilized. Similar results were obtained in animals transplanted with islet cells obtained from six donors whether they were pretreated or not. There were no significant differences in the glycemia post-transplantation when three donors were used for pretreated or control groups. However, animal survival was significantly (P < 0.005) improved in the donor pretreated groups. Donor pretreatment with methylprednisolone and/or glucagon appears to have some effect in stabilizing the release of insulin and amylase from islet cells. Further manipulations with these drugs could be even more helpful in improving islet cell function and survival.
Metallic reflection by compressed crystalline powders

Crystalline powders, when pressed into plates at pressures of about 40,000 pounds in.−2, reflect strongly in the infra-red spectrum at wave-lengths characteristic of their functional groups. This points to usefulness of such plates in optical investigations of any materials not available as large crystals.
Plasma cell granuloma: a case report of multiple lesions in the lung and review of the literature.

ABSTRACT Background Although plasma cell granuloma is a rare tumor in the lung, it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer. It typically presents as a solitary lesion. Involvement with multiple lesions can be a presenting picture of plasma cell granuloma; however, the incidence is much lower than that of a solitary lesion. Procedures and findings A 35-year-old man was evaluated for intermittent chest pain over a 6-year period. CT showed the presence of one mass and three nodules in the left lung. The initial diagnosis was metastatic lung cancer. CT guided biopsy suggested the diagnosis of plasma cell granuloma. All the lesions were resected with a thoracotomy procedure. Pathology evaluation confirmed the diagnosis. For the 3 years he received follow-up care, he remained asymptomatic. Conclusions Multiple lung nodules or masses can be a presenting manifestation of plasma cell granuloma. It should be differentiated from metastatic neoplasm. Surgery resection is the treatment of choice.
Test field and influence functional methods

Abstract Several general theorems concerning classical as well as quantum-mechanical multitime correlation functions are derived. The temporal behavior of these correlation functions for interacting systems is described exactly in terms of the response of the system to appropriately chosen external test fields, in the absence of interaction. A consequence of these results is a closed equation for the classical one particle distribution function which provides an alternative starting point for dealing with the B.B.G.K.Y. hierarchy of equations. A generalized form of the Feynman influence functional theorem is proved and, as an application, the field oscillators are eliminated and an exact effective interaction for a classical system of charged particles is determined in the Liouville picture.
Need for uniformity in collection and reporting of data in cancer clinical trials.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recently publicized the need for increasing accrual of patients to clinical trials. A recent editorial by NCI officials stated that currently only l%-3% of patients afflicted with the major forms of cancer are treated on NCI-supported trials (7). One of the reasons cited by physicians for not enrolling more patients in clinical trials is the demand imposed by data-management requirements (2). An article in the lay press noted that a primary reason physicians do not enter more patients into trials is the burden of paperwork required for each patient placed on study (3). The physicians' reluctance to subject themselves and their staffs to the burdens of extensive data collection is a major barrier to enrollment of patients in controlled trials (7). Many institutions and investigators have attempted to reduce the impact of paperwork by implementing computerized datamanagement systems, ranging from small personal-computer databases serving a single investigator to complex mainframe designs used by several institutions. These systems, although extremely useful in meeting the needs of scientific groups, usually do not satisfy the reporting requirements mandated by the sponsors, organizers, and regulatory agencies such as the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) of the NCI, cooperative groups, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pharmaceutical industry sponsors, and local Institutional Review Boards (IRBs).
Interstitial Life: Subtractive Vitalism in Whitehead and Deleuze

Deleuze and Whitehead are both centrally concerned with the problem of how to reconcile the emergence of the New with the evident continuity and uniformity of the world through time. They resolve this problem through the logic of what Deleuze calls ‘double causality’, and Whitehead the difference between efficient and final causes. For both thinkers, linear cause-and-effect coexists with a vital capacity for desire and decision, guaranteeing that the future is not just a function of the past. The role of desire and decision can be seen in recent developments in biology.
Exploring the Professional Expertise of Pharmacy Technicians

Objective:To investigate whether the adapted model of professional expertise for pharmacy fits the opinions of pharmacists about pharmacy technicians, explore the qualities of professional expertise that pharmacists feel pharmacy technicians have, and generate ideas to encourage pharmacy technician professional expertise.Methods:An adapted model of professional expertise was used in this investigation of pharmacy technicians and included 4 constructs: Knowledge, Patient Assessment and Education, Reasoning and Judgment, and Virtues. Four one-on-one interviews and one focus group with 10 pharmacists were conducted. Content analysis was conducted of verbatim transcriptions of the interviews using a tree of codes that incorporated the concepts of the adapted model.Results:The model fit 179 (65%) of the 276 text units and included 43 concepts. The pharmacists employed narrations, stories, lists, and simple responses in the comments that the model fit.Conclusions:The adapted model of professional expertise for ...
Modeling the progressive collapse behavior of metal foams

Abstract Quasi-static axial compression behavior of cellular materials can be explained by two ideal deformation scenarios: homogeneous deformation and progressive collapse. An elastic–plastic–rigid (E–P–R) foam model is used to derive the energy absorbed under these two deformation scenarios. It has been identified that the progressive collapse mode of deformation can absorb more energy than homogeneous deformation prior to full densification. The additional energy is shown to be proportional to the magnitude of the tangent modulus in the plateau region of the stress–strain curve. The model also shows that energy absorption is equivalent for all deformation states of progressive and homogenous collapse for materials that exhibit elastic–perfectly-plastic–rigid behavior.
Appetitive learning by old mice

Groups of C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice, aged 100 to 700 days, were trained on 7 appetitive learning tasks in order to determine which tasks might be suitable for studies of learning by old mice. Old B6 and D2 mice were both deficient in learning a discrimination reversal and two complex maze tasks; age did not affect performance on a simple spatial discrimination by subjects from either strain. Three tasks yielded strain-specific results. Old B6, but not old D2, animals were impaired on a visual discrimination problem. On a test of latent learning, old B6 animals were superior to younger mice, but the reverse trend characterized the D2 mice. Older D2 mice were retarded on a food-seeking task; B6 mice of all ages failed this test. The deficits observed in learning by old mice are thus strain- as well as task-specific. However, the deprivation procedures of this experiment resulted in excessive mortality in the oldest groups of mice, indicating that appetitive learning is contraindicated as a method for investigating learning by old mice.