cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural responses of DNA-DDAB films to varying hydration and temperature.

The structure of a DNA-dimethyldidodecylammonium bromide (DDAB) film was recently described to undergo a distinctive transition in response to the water content in the surrounding environment.(1) The existence, preparation, and basic properties of DNA-surfactant films have been known in the literature for some time.(2, 3) Here, we describe the structural response of DNA-DDAB films to environmental changes, particularly temperature and humidity, in greater detail revealing new structural states. We can direct the lamellar structure of the film into three distinct states—double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) paired with an interdigitated bilayer of DDAB (bDDAB), single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with monolayer of DDAB (mDDAB), and ssDNA with bDDAB. Both temperature and humidity cause the molecules composing the lamellar structure to change reversibly from ssDNA to dsDNA and/or from mDDAB to bDDAB. We found that the structural transition from dsDNA to ssDNA and bDDAB to mDDAB is concerted and follows apparent first-order ki...
Source and Action of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide in Guinea Pig Intrinsic Cardiac Ganglia

The mammalian parasympathetic cardiac ganglia form a complex intrinsic cardiac nervous system presumed to contain multiple neuron types and are innervated by extrinsic fibers from multiple sources, each containing specific neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. In the guinea pig, the preganglionic parasympathetic cholinergic fibers contain the neuropeptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), and essentially all cardiac neurons express the PACAP selective PAC1 receptor. Application of exogenous PACAP depolarizes and enhances the excitability of guinea pig cardiac neurons. The mechanism by which PACAP enhances excitability is not established. However, Ca(superscript 2+) influx through PACAP-activated nonselective cation channels is required for the PACAP-induced increase in excitability of guinea pig cardiac neurons. In addition, a PACAP-induced shift in the voltage dependence of activation of the cyclic nucleotide-gated, hyperpolarization-activated current, I(subscript h), most likely participates in the peptide-induced increase in neuronal excitability. The release of endogenous PACAP by repetitive stimulation of preganglionic fibers in vitro contributes to the generation of a slow excitatory postsynaptic potential and also can enhance cardiac neuron excitability. We hypothesize that PACAP released during ongoing vagal activity may regulate cardiac neuron excitability in vivo.
Small Mammal Responses to Silvicultural and Precipitation‐Related Disturbance in Northeastern Missouri Riparian Forests

Abstract Information about factors influencing forest-floor small mammals of midwestern riparian forests in agriculture-dominated areas is necessary for improved forest management. We determined occurrence and capture rates of forest-floor small mammal taxa at 4 northeastern Missouri riparian forests during 1995–2002. We modeled the effects of year, study site, and precipitation (flooding) on relative abundance of commonly captured taxa. We also evaluated changes in the species assemblage and capture rates resulting from silvicultural treatments (clearcut, basal area retention, and unharvested) at a 215-ha forest tract. We captured 12 taxa of forest-floor small mammals, of which 10 were captured at all sites. The species assemblages were dominated by habitat generalists, such as Peromyscus spp. and Sorex spp. Among-year variation in capture rates was large for all common taxa. Precipitation amounts during spring and summer were negatively correlated with relative abundances of several forest-floor small m...
Mechanisms of drug resistance in kinases.

Introduction: Because of their important roles in disease and excellent ‘druggability’, kinases have become the second largest drug target family. The great success of the BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib in treating chronic myelogenous leukemia illustrates the high potential of kinase inhibitor (KI) therapeutics, but also unveils a major limitation: the development of drug resistance. This is a significant concern as KIs reach large patient populations for an expanding array of indications. Areas covered: We provide an up-to-date understanding of the mechanisms through which KIs function and through which cells can become KI-resistant. We review current and future approaches to overcome KI resistance, focusing on currently approved KIs and KIs in clinical trials. We then discuss approaches to improve KI efficacy and overcome drug resistance and novel approaches to develop less drug resistance-prone KI therapeutics. Expert opinion: Although drug resistance is a concern for current KI therapeutics, recent progre...
Accidental Ingestion of a Tracheal Stent

A 53-year-old man with tracheobronchomalacia had two stents placed in his airways to maintain patency. He ingested one of the tracheal stents that was inadvertently dislodged during a brief coughing episode. The swallowed stent was recovered without complications.
Partitioning behavior of NI, CO, MO, and W between basaltic liquid and Ni-rich metal: Implications for the origin of the moon and lunar core formation

A recent model of the origin of the Moon in a giant impact put forth by O'Neill [1991a and b] states that the bulk abundances of siderophile elements in the Moon would be provided by the impactor plus a late reduced veneer. A small Ni-rich core would then separate setting the siderophile element abundance pattern in the lunar mantle. I test this hypothesis using simple mass balance and the results of an experimental study that I have conducted on the partitioning of moderately siderophile elements between basalt and Ni-rich metal. I find this hypothesis to be viable under a limited set of conditions.
Evidence for some collateralization between cortical and diencephalic efferent axons of the rat subicular cortex

The present study has used the fluorescent dye tracing technique in order to determine the exact location of neuronal somata within the subicular cortex which project to the diencephalon, telencephalon (entorhinal cortex), or to both via axonal collaterals. The greatest collateralization to the two sites is found in the neurons of the subiculum proper. In this region approximately one-third of all neurons project to both the entorhinal cortex and the hypothalamus (either the mammillary bodies or the ventral medial hypothalamic nucleus). The hypothalamic and cortical projection cell bodies in this region are intermingled extensively with each other. In the cytoarchitectonically more organized regions of the subicular cortex, i.e. the pre-, para- and postsubiculum, the situation is quite different. In these areas neurons project to the hypothalamus or entorhinal cortex but very seldom does a single neuron project to both areas, and the neuronal somata are spatially segregated according to their projections. The entorhinal cortex projecting somata are located in layer two whereas the hypothalamic neurons are in the deeper layer. The somata projecting to the thalamus are the most deeply located neurons in all regions of the subicular cortex, and extremely few collateralize to the entorhinal cortex.
Discriminative stimulus effects of ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate at two training doses in rats.

Rationale and objectives: The role of benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor mechanisms in modulating the stimulus effects of the BZ partial inverse agonist ethyl-β-carboline-3-carboxylate (β-CCE) are not well understood. The purpose of the present experiments was to assess the role of BZ and non-BZ receptor stimulation in the discriminative stimulus effects of β-CCE in rats. Methods: Adult male rats were trained to discriminate either a relatively high dose (10 mg/kg, n=8) or a relatively low dose (5.0 mg/kg, n=7) of β-CCE from saline under a fixed-ratio 10 schedule of food presentation. Results: Under the high-dose training condition, β-CCE engendered an increase in responding on the drug-paired lever up to 100% drug-lever responding, with no decrease in response rate. Diazepam, pentobarbital, flumazenil, (+)-amphetamine, and morphine did not share stimulus effects with 10 mg/kg β-CCE up to doses that suppressed rate of responding. The BZ full inverse agonist dimethoxy-4-ethyl-β-carboline-3-carboxylate also did not engender ≥80% β-CCE-lever responding up to doses that suppressed response rate and produced seizures in some animals. The BZ partial inverse agonists Ro 15-4513 and sarmazenil fully reproduced the stimulus effects of β-CCE. Flumazenil antagonized the effects of β-CCE with an in vivo apparent pA2 value of 6.1 (slope=–0.86). Under the low-dose condition, β-CCE engendered an increase in drug-lever responding, with no changes in response rate. In contrast to the high-dose condition, diazepam, pentobarbital, and (+)-amphetamine engendered high levels of β-CCE-lever responding (up to 77, 96, and 75%, respectively), whereas flumazenil and morphine did not engender full β-CCE- lever responding. Conclusions: These results indicated that the stimulus effects of the high dose of β-CCE appeared consistent with mediation by the drug’s partial inverse agonist effects at BZ receptors. The discriminative stimulus effects of β-CCE at the lower training dose, however, appeared to be relatively non-specific.
FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL REALIZATION OF THE KAC–MOODY ALGEBRA AND GROUP COHOMOLOGY

The Kac–Moody generators are realized as the central extension of the loop group generators. The exact expression for the central extension is obtained from the Wess–Zumino zero-cochain density via the descent equations of group cohomology.
Two-dimensional flow through large numbers of circular inhomogeneities.

An implicit analytic solution is presented for two-dimensional groundwater flow through a large number of non-intersecting circular inhomogeneities in the hydraulic conductivity. The locations, sizes and conductivity of the inhomogeneities may be arbitrarily selected. The influence of each inhomogeneity is expanded in a series that satisfies the Laplace equation exactly. The unknown coefficients in this expansion are related to the coefficients in the expansion of the combined discharge potential from all other elements. Using a least squares formulation for the boundary conditions and an iterative algorithm, solutions can be obtained for a very large number of inhomogeneities (e.g. 10,000) on a personal computer to any desired precision, up to the machine's limit. Such precision and speed allows the development of a numerical laboratory for investigating two-dimensional flow and convective transport.
Configurational equilibrium of circular-arc cracks with surface stress

Abstract Solid surface stresses are known to behave like the prestress in a prestressed membrane that is perfectly fitted on the bounding surface of a bulk material. The inclusion of such a surface stress in an otherwise traction-free crack surface leads to additional loads for the bulk material: a pair of point forces, one at each crack tip, a uniformly distributed compressive load on the convex side of the crack, and a uniformly distributed tensile load on the concave side. As a result, the values of the stress intensity factors are altered, and the crack-tip stress fields become r −1 singular, in addition to being r −1/2 singular. The severity of the added singularity does not carry any particular physical significance in that the configurational equilibrium is always an energy condition and never a stress criterion. Indeed, the new configurational equilibrium condition – or fracture criterion – is also dependent on the surface stress as well as the curvature of the crack. The dependence on curvature becomes more and more pronounced as the radius of curvature becomes smaller and smaller.
Activating the posttraumatic cholinergic system for the treatment of cognitive impairment following traumatic brain injury

Cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is correlated with decreased cholinergic markers of neuronal viability. The purpose of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that pharmacological activation of the muscarinic cholinergic system during the recovery period after TBI will improve cognitive performance. LU 25-109-T is a partial muscarinic M1 agonist that also acts as an antagonist at presynaptic M2 autoreceptors (thus, increasing ACh release). Injured rats were injected subcutaneously daily for 15 days with either 0.0, 3.6, or 15 μmol/kg of LU 25-109-T beginning 24 h after a receiving a moderate (2.1 ± 0.1 atm) level of central fluid percussion brain injury. Cognitive performance was assessed on days 11–15 postinjury in a Morris water maze (MWM). Injured rats treated with 15 μmol/kg, but not those treated with 3.6 μmol/kg, showed a significant improvement ( p < 0.01) in MWM performance as compared with injured vehicle-treated rats. This result supports the hypotheses that a decrease in posttraumatic cholinergic neurotransmission contributes to TBI-induced cognitive deficits and that increasing cholinergic tone during the recovery period following TBI will improve cognitive performance.
Letter to the editor: on the maximum modulus of weighted polynomials in the plane, a theorem of Rakhmanov, Mhaskar and Saff revisited

Let Σ ⊆ C be a closed set of positive capacity at each point in Σ and w Σ → [0, ∞) a continuous, weight with |z|w(z) → 0, |z| → ∞, z ∈ Σ if Σ is unbounded. Assume further that the set where w is positive is of positive capacity. A classical theorem, obtained independently by Rakhmanov and Mhaskar and Saff says that if Sw, denotes the support of the equilibrium measure for w, then ||Pnwn|| Σ = ||Pnwn|| Sw for any polynomial Pn with deg Pn ≤ n. This does not rule out the possibility that |Pnwn| may attain a maximum outside Sw. We prove that if in addition, Σ is regular with respect to the Dirichlet problem on C and if it coincides with its outer boundary, then all points where |Pnwn| attain their maxima must lie in Sw. The case when Σ ⊆ R consists of a finite union of finite or infinite intervals is due to Lorentz, von Golitschek and Makovoz, Counter examples are given to show that our requirements on Σ cannot in general be relaxed.
The excretion and metabolism of triethylene glycol

Abstract A method is described for the preparation of randomly labeled triethylene glycol-C14. Methods are described for the colorimetric and vapor phase chromatographic determination of triethylene glycol in urine and for the determination of trace quantities of diethylene glycol in triethylene glycol. After oral doses of triethylene glycol the rat and the rabbit excrete triethylene glycol in both unchanged and oxidized form. The data suggest that one of the oxidation products is a monocarboxylic acid which arises by metabolic oxidation of a single terminal hydroxyl group of the parent glycol. After oral administration of triethylene glycol-C14 the rat eliminated only trace quantities of C14 activity as respiratory carbon dioxide. A small but measurable amount of radioactivity was found in the feces. The total elimination of radioactivity (in urine, feces, and expired air) during the 5-day period following a single oral dose (22.5 mg) was 91–98%. The major part of the radioactivity appeared in the urine. The data from fractionation of the urine indicated that only negligible quantities (if any) of C14 were present as oxalic acid. The major metabolic products had properties which suggested that triethylene glycol is degraded by the rcute: HOCH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 OH→ HOCH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 COOH→HOOC CH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 2 COOH The foregoing data, showing a high degree of elimination of triethylene glycol and its metabolites by way of the urine, is consistent with many findings pointing to the low or limited toxicity of triethylene glycol.
Optimal (n,4,2)-OOC of small orders

Abstract In this paper, we introduce an algorithmic scheme to find optimal ( v ,4,2)-OOCs of small orders. We determine the sizes of optimal ( v ,4,2)-OOCs up to v =44, with three possible exceptions. We also develop an algebraic method to generate all difference triples over Z v .
Using extracurricular activity as an indicator of interpersonal skill: Prudent evaluation or recruiting malpractice?

There is widespread agreement that success in organizations requires more than high intellect. Thus, college recruiters commonly examine job candidates' extracurricular activities in search of “well-rounded,” emotionally intelligent, and interpersonally skilled students. Intuitively, extracurricular activities seem like valuable student experiences; however, research evidence is sparse, suggesting far more questions than answers. Is participation in extracurricular activity truly linked to interpersonal skill performance? Does leadership experience make a difference? Do extracurricular experiences yield higher skill development? Six hundred eighteen business students and the relationship of their extracurricular involvement to four interpersonal skills were examined. Significant relationships were found and recruitment implications are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intellectual Status and Intellectual Growth

Studying growth in ability is made difficult by (a) unreliability of measures, (b) inequality of units in which measures are expressed, and (c) nonequivalence in what is measured by different instruments and at different levels. These problems are illustrated in analyses of Harvard Growth Study data, where 2 intelligence tests were given to each of 593 pupils each yr. for 6 yrs. The maximum reliability of intellectual growth appears to be about .25 or .30. An unbiased estimate of the obtained correlation of status with gain appears about .10, but this correlation has apparently been reduced by inequalities in the units of measure between (and within) instruments, and by the fact that different tests measure somewhat different functions.
Evidence for the use of organic carbon as the sorbing matrix in the modeling of PCB accumulation in phytoplankton

This report presents empirical evidence for the use of organic carbon as the sorbing matrix in the kinetic modeling of PCB accumulation in phytoplankton. A kinetic-based model was used to predict congener-specific bioaccumulation factors of PCBs in phytoplankton samples collected from Green Bay, Lake Michigan. These values were compared to the measured bioaccumulation factors, and the sum of the residuals was used to evaluate the model`s predictive quality. The sorbing matrix fraction (F{sub M}) that minimized the sum of residuals of the model was then solved by iteration. The appropriateness of using dry weight, organic carbon fraction, or lipid fractions as the sorbing matrix fraction was determined by measuring their correlation to the optimum F{sub M}. It was determined that the F{sub M} correlated best with the organic carbon fraction, and this correlation appeared to be independent of both the spatial and seasonal differences of the field samples.
Differential expression of cannabinoid CB2 receptor mRNA in mouse immune cell subpopulations and following B cell stimulation

Cannabinoid CB(2) receptor is reported to be expressed in varying amounts in different human immune subpopulations. To examine the expression pattern of CB(2) in the mouse, immune cell subpopulations were purified and studied by semiquantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). CB(2) mRNA was most abundant in splenic B cells, followed by macrophages and T cells. Furthermore, CB(2) was expressed in thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages, but not in resident peritoneal macrophages. In addition to these studies on receptor expression at basal activity, CB(2) mRNA expression was also studied following immune cell activation. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulation downregulated CB(2) mRNA expression in splenocyte cultures in a dose-response manner, while stimulation through cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40) using anti-CD40 antibody upregulated the response and costimulation with interleukin-4 attenuated the anti-CD40 response. These results demonstrate that CB(2) mRNA expression differs among mouse immune subpopulations similar to what is observed in human immune cells. Furthermore, the results suggest that the signaling pathways activated by lipopolysaccharide and anti-CD40 might have different effects on CB(2) mRNA expression.
Analysis of heterogeneous dissociation kinetics in polyclonal populations of rabbit anti-fluorescyl-IgG antibodies

Hapten dissociation kinetics were used to characterize the expression of hyperimmune anti-fluorescyl-IgG antibodies within a population of 14 New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. Anti-fluorescyl-IgG antibody preparations, obtained from individual hyperimmune NZW rabbits, exhibited either three or four discrete dissociative components. The fastest component was typically heterogeneous with respect to dissociation rate, exhibiting an average dissociative lifetime of 8 sec, where dissociative lifetime was the reciprocal dissociation rate constant. Longer-lifetime components exhibited lifetimes of several hundred seconds, and became progressively more homogeneous with increasing lifetime. Comparison of dissociative components, within the NZW rabbit population, revealed the presence of four distinct groupings of dissociative lifetimes, which were approximately Gaussian in their distribution. Average lifetimes of 8, 52.6, 313 and 1417 sec were observed for the four groupings, which corresponded to free-energy (delta G0) values of -9.6, -10.6, -11.6 and -12.42 kcal/mole, respectively (using an association rate value of 5 X 10(6) M-1 sec-1). These findings implied that affinity maturation of the anti-fluorescyl-IgG antibody response involved the generation of discrete high-affinity subpopulations of antibodies rather than a continuous spectrum of high-affinity antibodies.
Housecleaning Attitudes and Intimate Relationships

ABSTRACT Although the importance of the relation between the division of housework responsibilities and marital happiness/satisfaction has been frequently documented, research has infrequently focused on how attitudes toward housecleaning may mediate housework-related issues and marital interactions. Employees (368 women, 90 men) of two universities, one in Texas and one in Louisiana, participated in an online survey that included the Attitudes toward Housecleaning Scale (ATHC) as well as measures of marital quality and feelings about housework. The liking of housecleaning subscale was positively related to relationship satisfaction and, as might be expected, negatively related to feelings of conflict, guilt, resentment, and unfairness associated with housecleaning. The level of cleanliness subscale was also inversely related to negative feelings regarding housecleaning. Although women had higher levels of cleanliness, men indicated a greater liking for housecleaning tasks. These results support the utili...
TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY IN MULTI-MODE BUS TRANSIT: A PRODUCTION FRONTIER ANALYSIS

Abstract This paper studies the efficiency of U.S. multi-mode bus transit systems by asking whether they could expand their service (outputs) without requiring additional resources (inputs); or whether they could reduce input utilization without having to reduce service. A system which can do neither is said to be “technically efficient”. The technological possibilities facing the industry are identified by computing a piecewise-linear best-practice production frontier exhibiting variable returns to scale and weak disposal. The findings indicate that 80% of the bus systems studied are technically efficient, and that the extent of inefficiency in the industry is slight.
The Economics of Adopting Solar Energy Systems for Crop Irrigation

In the United States more than 35 million acres, or 10% of all farmland, is irrigated with the aid of energy-intensive pumps. Practiced almost exclusively west of the Mississippi, irrigated agriculture produces 20% of all output of the American farm sector and nearly 100% in states like Arizona and New Mexico (Dvoskin and Heady, Sloggett). About 2.5% of the nation's energy budget is devoted to on-farm activities; about 0.5% to irrigation (Council, Sloggett). While the energy expended on irrigation may appear small, it amounted to $520 million in 1974, or $15 per acre. What the averages belie is the critical importance of energy costs for
Iron, lipocalin, and kidney epithelia

Brilliant new discoveries in the field of iron metabolism have revealed novel transmembrane iron transporters, novel hormones that regulate iron traffic, and iron's control of gene expression. An i...
Issues in gigabit networking

The focus is on achieving gigabit/second rates between network endpoints, based on the use of emerging near-term technology. The topics covered are network multiplexing, striping, congestion control, internetworking, host protocols and interfacing, and the networking of applications at gigabit speeds. These areas are being addressed by researchers in five gigabit testbeds, a collaborative effort involving universities, national laboratories, industry, and the government. The examples cited are drawn primarily from work associated with these testbeds. >
The effect of ceramic target processing on pulsed laser deposited thin films of barium strontium titanium oxide

Abstract The effect of ball-milling on the powder, electronic, and optical properties of the barium strontium titanium oxide (Ba1-xSrxTiO3, BSTO; 0≤×≤1) ceramics have been studied in detail.[1] Thin films of these BSTO compositions were synthesized by the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) method. The ablation targets were prepared from unmilled and milled powder of BSTO. The structural, optical, and electronic properties of the bulk ceramics and the thin films were investigated. A detailed report of these studies will be presented.
Personnel Selection Practices in a Comparative Setting

Abstract Managers in Israel, Slovenia, and the U.S.A. were surveyed to determine similarities and differences in their propensity to use particular personnel selection techniques. The interview and reference/background checks are the most common methods of selecting employees in the three countries. However, there are differences in usage based on firm size, nature of industry, and country-specific conditions. Israeli firms are more likely to use a comprehensive battery of tests to select employees while Slovenian firms rarely use drug/alcohol testing, assessment centers, or headhunters. Psychological exams and assessment centers are less common in the U.S.A. The implications of the findings for international firms are discussed in the context of the global convergence-divergence construct of human resource practices.
The Orientation Distributions of Lines, Surfaces, and Interfaces around Three‐Phase Boundaries in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes

Three-dimensional electron backscatter diffraction was used to measure the crystallographic distribution of the electrochemically relevant triple phase boundary lines and surfaces near them in SOFC cathodes made up of a porous mixture of yttria-stabilized zirconia and lanthanum strontium manganese oxide, both before and after mild electrochemical loading. All distributions were observed to be nearly isotropic, but non-random textures above the detection threshold were observed. The distributions differ between the two cells, as do the phase fractions and the electrochemical history. The different distributions are interpreted as evidence that steady-state distributions vary locally with phase fractions or that they evolve during the initial operation of the fuel cell. The rates at which triple lines, pore surfaces, and interface boundaries in the porous mixture approach a steady-state value appear to decrease with the average amount of mass transport required to reorient that specific feature. This work provides initial insights into the crystallography of interfaces in a multiphase ceramic material.
God's creation of morality

In this paper, I argue that classical theists should think of God as having created morality. In form, my position largely resembles that defended by Richard Swinburne. However, it differs from his position in content in that it evacuates the category of necessary moral truth of all substance and, having effected this tactical withdrawal, Swinburne's dilemma. In the second, I argue that if necessary moral truths are seen as analytically/logically so, then, pace Swinburne, they cannot be regarded as substantive principles. Thus, seeing necessary moral truths as analytically/logically necessary and independent of God does not threaten God's power or sovereignty and leaves open the possibility that all value is contingent upon His will. In the third section, I turn to consider how the claim that all value is contingent upon God's will might best be understood, arguing that classical theists will want to commit themselves to a relatively strong form of objectivism about moral value (even though this is not needed in order to solve the Euthyphro dilemma). I then give and defend an account of God's creation of contingent moral truths which coheres with what I argue is the most plausible form of this commitment. In the following section, I argue that this account avoids the charge that God may not be said to be good without vacuity. Thus, I conclude that the Euthyphro dilemma does not threaten classical theism.
GABAA receptors: properties and trafficking.

Fast synaptic inhibition in the brain and spinal cord is mediated largely by ionotropic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. GABAA receptors play a key role in controlling neuronal activity; thus modulating their function will have important consequences for neuronal excitation. GABAA receptors are important therapeutic targets for a range of sedative, anxiolytic, and hypnotic agents and are involved in a number of CNS diseases, including sleep disturbances, anxiety, premenstrual syndrome, alcoholism, muscle spasms, Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorders, and epilepsy. This review focuses on the functional and pharmacological properties of GABAA receptors and trafficking as an essential mechanism underlying the dynamic regulation of synaptic strength.
Real-time digital processing of GPS measurements for transmission engineering

The global positioning system (GPS) is a state-of-the-art timing and positioning system based on 24 or more satellites launched and maintained by the United States government. Power engineering applications based on the GPS include phasor measurement, positioning applications such as surveying and mapping, and potentially in deriving real-time data on transmission lines that will allow them to be loaded to a dynamic (thermal or security) limit. Inherent errors in GPS technologies are discussed, and the differential GPS method is described for accuracy enhancement. Further digital processing needs are necessary for meeting the accuracy requirements of certain specific applications. The focus of this paper is on the digital signal processing (DSP) of differential GPS (DGPS) measurements. The paper describes a methodology for further improving DGPS altitude measurements for the purpose of accurate determination of high voltage overhead conductor sag. The Haar wavelet transforms (HWT) and least squares parameter estimation (LSPE) techniques are considered.
Electrical Techniques for Engineering Applications

Surface electrical geophysical methods have been used in such engineering applications as locating and delineating shallow gravel deposits, depth to bedrock, faults, clay zones, and other geological phenomena. Other engineering applications include determining water quality, tracing ground water contaminant plumes and locating dam seepages. Various methods and electrode arrays are employed to solve particular geological problems. The sensitivity of a particular method or electrode array depends upon the physics on which the method is based, the array geometry, the electrical contrast between the target and host materials, and the depth to the target. Each of the available electrical methods has its own particular advantages and applications. Self-potential (SP) surveys can locate faults and dam seepages. Although SP surveys require few personnel and are cheap and fast, they are of limited usefulness. Of the direct-current resistivity techniques, horizontal profiling requires the least field time, but is generally only interpreted qualitatively. Soundings are reliable in flat terrain and are generally used when the earth is quasi-horizontally layered. Soundings can be interpreted qualitatively, but for accurate depth determination, computerized interpretation is recommended. Dipole-dipole surveys combine some aspects of both profiling and sounding. Generally dipole-dipole surveys are interpreted in two dimensions, making their interpretation both computer-and personnel-dependent. Induced polarization (IP) is generally used in minerals prospecting, but could be used to detect the presence of clays. IP generally requires more expensive equipment than the other techniques, and the interpretation of IP data can be very complex.
Disseminating Research and Scholarly Projects: Developing a Successful Abstract

Developing an abstract for presentation at a professional meeting is an important means for pediatric hematology/oncology nurses to disseminate results of research and scholarly projects. Although the process for developing a successful abstract may be viewed as challenging, attention to directions for composing the abstract as well as seeking mentorship can result in a submission that is accepted for presentation.
Approximating the Practice of Mathematics Teaching: What Learning Can Web-based, Multimedia Storyboarding Software Enable?

This paper builds on Grossman's notion of approximations of practice as scaleddown opportunities for preservice teachers to learn to teach by doing. The authors propose the use of media rich, collaborative web-authoring tools for preservice teachers to create, complete, or edit scenarios in which they practice particular activities of teaching, such as explaining a mathematics concept or reviewing students' work. The ways these environments can be used to fit the notion of approximations of practice are described, along with the authors’ experience using the web-based software Depict (in the LessonSketch platform) in the teaching of secondary mathematics methods. This use of multimedia scenarios combines the advantages of visual and video-based approaches to the study of practice with those approaches that ask the preservice teachers to create scenarios (e.g., lesson plays). The value of integrating this storyboarding web software in a larger environment where scenarios can be created collaboratively, annotated, and commented on in forums is presented.
Surgeon leadership enables development of a colorectal cancer biorepository

Abstract Background We hypothesized that surgeons can improve the collection of all necessary elements (tissue and clinical data) needed to build a complete, robust research biorepository. Methods All colorectal cancer patients treated at a university medical center and its affiliates were eligible for inclusion. Data were collected from an 18-page personal and family health questionnaire, a prospectively maintained clinical database, and molecular testing. Tissues included serum, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and tumor and normal tissue. We compared 2 groups: the surgeon-referred group and the other clinician–referred group. The primary outcome was the complete collection of data (ie, preoperative/staging clinical data, blood samples, and tissue collection). Statistical analysis was performed using the Student t test. Results Since 2006, 452 patients were approached, and 430 (95%) have been enrolled. Of these, 124 were referred by their surgeon, and 306 were consented in a clinic or over the telephone. Of patients referred by their surgeon, tumor tissue, blood samples, and preoperative/staging clinical data were obtained in 119 patients; conversely, in patients referred by oncologists or other clinicians, only 133 patients had complete data (96% vs 43.5%, P Conclusions Surgeon-directed enrollment in a biorepository improves the ability to collect blood and tissue samples. Surgeons should take a leadership role in the development of tumor biorepositories.
Cox Regression in Nested Case–Control Studies with Auxiliary Covariates

Nested case-control (NCC) design is a popular sampling method in large epidemiological studies for its cost effectiveness to investigate the temporal relationship of diseases with environmental exposures or biological precursors. Thomas' maximum partial likelihood estimator is commonly used to estimate the regression parameters in Cox's model for NCC data. In this article, we consider a situation in which failure/censoring information and some crude covariates are available for the entire cohort in addition to NCC data and propose an improved estimator that is asymptotically more efficient than Thomas' estimator. We adopt a projection approach that, heretofore, has only been employed in situations of random validation sampling and show that it can be well adapted to NCC designs where the sampling scheme is a dynamic process and is not independent for controls. Under certain conditions, consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimator are established and a consistent variance estimator is also developed. Furthermore, a simplified approximate estimator is proposed when the disease is rare. Extensive simulations are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance of our proposed estimators and to compare the efficiency with Thomas' estimator and other competing estimators. Moreover, sensitivity analyses are conducted to demonstrate the behavior of the proposed estimator when model assumptions are violated, and we find that the biases are reasonably small in realistic situations. We further demonstrate the proposed method with data from studies on Wilms' tumor.
An inviscid/viscous coupling approach for vortex flow field calculations

A new computational approach is developed for the analysis of vortex-dominated flow fields around highly swept wings at high angles of attack. In this approach an inviscid Euler technology is coupled with viscous models, similar to inviscid/boundary layer coupling. The viscous nature of the vortex core is represented by an algebraic model derived from the Navier–Stokes equations. The approach also accounts for the effects of the viscous shear layer near a wing surface through a modified surface boundary condition. The inviscid/viscous coupling consistently provides improved predictions of leading edge separation, vortex bursting and secondary vortex formation at relatively low computational cost. Results for several cases are compared with wind tunnel tests and other Euler and Navier-Stokes solutions.
The Complexity of University Curricula According to Course Cruciality

Many universities have recently focused significant efforts on enhancing their graduation rates. Numerous factors may impact a student's ability to succeed and ultimately graduate, including pre-university preparation, as well as the student support services provided by a university. However, even the best efforts to improve in these areas may fail if other institutional factors overwhelm their ability to facilitate student progress. Specifically, in this paper we consider degree to which the underlying curriculum that a student must traverse in order to earn a degree impacts progress. Using complex network analysis and graph theory, this paper proposes a framework for analyzing university course networks at the university, college and departmental levels. The analyses we provide are based on quantifying the importance of a course based on its delay and blocking factors, as well as the number of curricula that incorporate the course, leading to a metric we refer to as the course cruciality. Experimental results, using data from the University of New Mexico, show that the distribution of course cruciality follows a power law distribution. Applications of the proposed framework are extended to study the complexity of curricula within colleges as well as the tendency of a university's disciplines to associate with others that are unlike them. This work may be useful to both students and decision makers at universities as it presents a robust framework for analyzing the ease of flow of students through curricula, which may lead to improvements that facilitate improved student success.
Detecting longitudinal effects of haplotypes and smoking on hypertension using B-splines and Bayesian LASSO

The behavior of a gene can be dynamic; thus, if longitudinal data are available, it is important that we study the dynamic effects of genes on a trait over time. The effect of a haplotype can be expressed by time-varying coefficients. In this paper, we use the natural cubic B-spline to express these coefficients that capture the trends of the effects of haplotypes, some of which may be rare, over time; that is, at different ages. More specifically, to capture disease-associated common and rare haplotypes and environmental factors for data from unrelated individuals, we developed a method of time-varying coefficients that uses the logistic Bayesian LASSO methodology and B-spline by setting proper prior distributions. Haplotype and environmental effect coefficients are obtained by using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. We applied the method to analyze the MAP4 gene on chromosome 3 and have identified several haplotypes that are associated with hypertension with varying effect sizes in the range of 55 to 85 years of age.
Checking Equivalence of SPMD Programs Using Non- Interference

Abstract : We study one of the basic multicore and GPU programming models, namely, SPMD (Single-Program Multiple-Data) programs. We define a formal model of SPMD programs based on interleaving threads that manipulate global and local arrays, and synchronize via barriers. SPMD programs are written with the intention to be deterministic, although programming errors may result in this not being true. SPMD programs are also frequently modified toward optimal performance. These facts motivate us to develop methods to check determinism and equivalence. A key property in achieving this is noninterference formulated as validity of logical formulas automatically derived from the program, that imply determinism. Automatically derived post-conditions can be used to check equivalence of noninterfering programs. We report on a prototype that can prove non-interference of NVIDIA CUDA programs.
Five factor model personality factors moderated the effects of an intervention to enhance chronic disease management self-efficacy

Objectives Peer led interventions can enhance patient self-efficacy for managing chronic illnesses, but little is known regarding the moderators or duration of their effects. We hypothesized Homing in on Health (HIOH), a variant of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, would be most effective in patients high in neuroticism and low in extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and/or conscientiousness.
Corn Fests and Water Carnivals: Celebrating Community in Minnesota

Corn Fests and Water Carnivals: Celebrating Community in Minnesota. Robert H. Lavenda. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997. 114 pp.
Surgical and Prosthetic Correction of Two Adjacent Anterior Implants: A Clinical Case Report

Introduction: This clinical case presentation exemplifies the esthetic complications of two adjacent osseointegrated implants placed in the maxillary left central–lateral incisor region of a young female patient with a high smile line and the challenges associated with surgical and prosthetic correction.Case Presentation: The goal of treatment was to reconstruct the height of the interdental papilla between two adjacent anterior implants to match that of the contralateral teeth and create the proper individual tooth size and proportion of the natural dentition in a stable occlusion. Dermis allograft material was chosen as the graft material because it does not require a donor-site and it is not dependent on the patient's own tissue volume. Using autogenous tissue could potentially increase the number of surgical procedures and limit the extent of correction. Consecutive surgical procedures using dermis allograft were performed to reconstitute the lost hard and soft tissues. After the height of the interde...
DEVELOPMENT OF A PARETO-BASED CONCEPT SELECTION METHOD

This paper introduces the notion of s-Pareto optimality for concept selection in engineering design. We focus on the use of s-Pareto frontiers to define and classify concept dominance and from such, perform concept selection. We define an s-Pareto frontier as a set of Pareto optimal solutions originating from the Pareto frontiers of a set of concepts. A single resulting Pareto frontier for the set of concepts is formed and is called an s-Pareto frontier. SPareto based concept selection can be characterized as one that capitalizes on the benefits of computational optimization during the conceptual phase of design – before a general design concept has been chosen. In this paper, an introduction to s-Pareto optimality and a method for generating s-Pareto frontiers are given. An approach for using s-Pareto optimality for concept selection is then presented. The methods proposed in this paper can effectively aid to eliminate dominated design concepts, keep competitive concepts and ultimately choose a given design alternative from the chosen design concept. A truss design problem is used to illustrate the usefulness of the method.
The JAK3 inhibitor CP-690550 selectively reduces NK and CD8+ cell numbers in cynomolgus monkey blood following chronic oral dosing.

Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) is a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase associated with the common chain, an integral component of cytokine receptors of the interleukin (IL)-2 family, including IL-4, -7, -9, -15, and -21. CP-690550 is a JAK3 inhibitor with immunosuppressive properties under develop- ment for transplantation. We evaluated alterations in circulating lymphocyte subsets in cynomolgus monkey blood following chronic (3-week), oral CP- 690550 administration. Natural killer (NK) and CD8 T cell numbers were reduced in a dose- and time-dependent manner; the latter was a primary effect on memory subsets. CD4 T and B cell numbers were unaffected or slightly increased, re- spectively. NK cell numbers were reduced 80% (vs. 35% in vehicle-treated animals) and returned to baseline levels within 3 weeks following treat- ment cessation. CD8 T cells declined by a max- imum 43% (vs. 25% for vehicle-treated animals) but rebounded significantly (300%) within 2 weeks after the last dose. Although CP-690550 did not result in reduction of CD4 T cell number, these cells also increased (225%) within 2 weeks of treatment cessation. IL-15 is important for main- taining homeostasis of these cell types, and CP- 690550 inhibited IL-15-induced CD69 expression in NK cells (inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50)48.08.4 nM) and CD8 T cells (IC5016.21.5 nM). J. Leukoc. Biol. 76: 1248-1255; 2004.
Tunable Ferroelectric Capacitor-Based Voltage-Controlled Oscillator

Ferroelectric capacitors made from Ba10.5Sr0.5 TiO3 (BST) are applied as varactors in tunable, high-frequency circuit applications. In this context, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) has been designed and implemented using discrete RF bipolar junction transistor (BJTs) and tunable ferroelectric capacitor. The designed VCO has a tuning range from 205 MHz to 216.3 MHz with a power dissipation of 5.1 mW. The measured phase noise is -90 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz and -140 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset