cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of aids education and training center clinical training

Health professionals need accurate basic information about HIV disease as well as clinical research updates; earlier research suggests that information alone seldom changes practice behavior. This paper explores the consequences of a comprehensive clinical training package offered by an AIDS Education and Training Center, including an exploration of provider behavior change as a result of training. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with 66 program participants an average of 9 months after training. Respondents reported opinions about the educational program, how practice patterns had changed, and whether they have trained others following their participation. Participants reported high satisfaction with training and indicated that they had increased the number of HIV-positive patients in their practices. Training activities valued most highly included clinical emphasis and patient simulation. Respondents also reported doing considerable training of other providers after their training. The study findings suggest that HIV educational programs targeted to health providers should combine specific clinical information with skill development opportunities that emphasize patient contact. This combination training approach is especially important as new and complex drug therapies emerge that require joint decision making between persons living with HIV and health service providers.
Analytic Prediction of the Properties of Stratified Planetary Surface Layers

Abstract By considering the complex of one-point, turbulent moment equations for velocity, pressure and temperature, it appears possible to predict some properties of diabatic, density-stratified planetary layers using empirical information obtained from laboratory turbulence data in the absence of density stratification. In this paper attention is focused on the near-surface, constant-flux layer. The results, like the empirical input, are simple and, hopefully, will be instructive and useful in the formulation of improved and possibly more complicated models in the future.
Subcortical signal hyperintensities in bipolar patients detected by MRI

Psychiatry Research. 21,357-358 Elsevier Letter Subcortical Signal Hyperintensities in Bipolar Patients Detected by MRI To the Editors: Some recent reports have shown increased ventricle-brain ratios (Nasrallah et al., 1984; Pearlson et al., 1984) and altered attenuation values (Coffmanand Nasrallah, 1984; Schle- gal and Kretzschmar, 1987) in the computed tomographic (CT) scans of bipolar patients compared with controls. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we have exam- ined 15 bipolar patients and 8 controls for the presence of ventricular enlargement and par- enchymal abnormalities. All patients and controls were screened with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version (Endi- cott and Spitzer, 1978), history, and labora- tory and physical examinations. Participants with a history of a neurological disorder, birth trauma, developmental delay, uncon- trolled hypertension, or significant alcohol or drug abuse were excluded. Controls were free of personal and family history of psychi- atric disorder. All screening was completed before the MRI. Ventricular rank and pres- ence of parenchymal abnormalities were evaluated by experienced observers without knowledge of group membership of the images (T.J. and J.R.H., respectively). Sub- cortical white matter abnormalities were defined by an increased signal on mixed T,/ T, and T, weighted images (TR-2,00Oms, TE-25, 70 ms) obtained in axial and coronal planes. Regions of increased signal found normally directly anterior to the frontal horn or posterior to the occipital horn ofthe lateral ventricle were excluded. Fifteen bipolar patients met Research Diagnostic Criteria (Spitzer et al., 1978) for the disorder. However, one patient was excluded from analysis due to the presence of a previously undiagnosed arachnoid cyst dis- placing the left temporal lobe. The remaining @ 1987 Ekvier bipolar patients were 13 males and 1 female. Seven patients were on lithium alone, two were on lithium plus a tricyclic anti- depressant, one was on lithium, benztropine, and fluphenazine HCl, one was on carba- mazepine, and three were unmedicated. One bipolar male had recentlycompletedacourse of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Eight males served as controls. The average age of the patients was 38 + 8 years, and that of the controls was 41 f 9 years (NS difference). Eight of the 14 bipolars and none of the controls exhibited white matter abnormali- ties @ 0.90). To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating focal parenchymal abnor- malities in bipolar patients using MRI. Further studies are underway to evaluate the relationship of these lesions to performance on tests of cognitive functioning. Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd.
Fluid therapy in septic shock.

Purpose of reviewTo examine the role of fluid therapy in the pathogenesis of severe sepsis and septic shock. The type, composition, titration, management strategies and complications of fluid administration will be examined in respect to outcomes.Recent findingsFluids have a critical role in the pat
A benign para-aortic lymph node of histologically proved follicular hyperplasia mimicking metastatic germ cell cancer.

Follicular hyperplasia of the germinal centers of lymph nodes is a well-known response to infection, inflammation and immunodeficiency. We report on a man with testicular cancer that was radiographically staged B2 because of a 3 cm. left para-aortic lymph node that histologically proved to be follicular hyperplasia. Over staging of germ cell tumors persists despite newer generation computerized tomography (CT) scanners.
Fibronectin Fragments Modulate Human Retinal Capillary Cell Proliferation and Migration

Capillary morphogenesis involves cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Proteases elaborated by capillary cells modify the extracellular matrix (ECM) to facilitate capillary tube formation. Previously, we detected the presence of fibronectin fragments (Fn-f) associated with the proform of matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) in conditioned medium of human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs). Association of this fragment to latent MMP-2 prevented autocatalytic activation of MMP-2, suggesting a modulatory role of Fn-f in MMP-2 activation. In this report, we examined the potential role of Fn-f on two processes involved in angiogenesis, proliferation and migration of vascular cells. The effects of Fn-f on proliferation were determined by DNA synthesis and cell counts. Their effects on migration were assessed using modified Boyden chambers. Seven Fn-f were tested on vascular cell migration and/or proliferation. Three Fn-f induced migration. Fn-f of 30-kDa and 120-kDa size positively affected proliferation of microvascular cells but not macrovascular cells. A 45-kDa gelatin binding fragment of Fn inhibited HREC proliferation but stimulated pericyte and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The potency of these fragments exceeded that of the known angiogenic growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), on HREC migration. ECM components such as fibronectin may influence capillary morphogenesis by the generation of fragments that can modulate proliferation, migration, and protease activation. In the setting of diabetes, excess Fn is generated and is available for degradation. Thus, the production of Fn-f may be specifically relevant to the angiogenesis observed in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
The anisorrhopic guiding-center fluid

Abstract A study is made of so-called “finite-orbit effects” in a two-dimensional guiding-center plasma. The macroscopic mass motion of the plasma is represented on the basis of a simple incompressible one-fluid model (so-called “representative fluid”), and the guiding-center motions of single particles are then referred to a Lagrangian coordinate network comoving with the representative fluid. The fluid motion defines the network motion. It turns out, however, to have no effect on the guiding-center motion relative to the network (autonomy theorem). It is found, in other words, that the relative trajectories of guiding centers are determinable in advance independently of the network motion (or the fluid motion), and this provides the necessary information to determine all the state parameters of the representative fluid (density of mass, density of gyrational angular momentum, etc.) as functions of the time, t, at any given point of the network. Once this information is available, the fluid motion is then completely determined by the remaining hydrodynamic equations (equation of motion, equation of incompressibility). The so-called “finite-orbit effects” take the form of gyroscopic-quasielastic forces in the equation of motion. No special isorrhopy condition is assumed. (This refers to a special initial condition assumed in an earlier work, for the sake of analytical simplicity. Here, the special initial condition is dropped.) Much attention is devoted to problems of wave propagation and stability. There are two independent sets of wave modes (if a nonvanishing anisorrhopy is allowed): so-called fluid modes, and so-called drift modes, respectively defined as first-order perturbations in the network motion (or the fluid motion) relative to the fixed coordinate frame, and in the guiding-center motion relative to the network. The stability conditions against both sets of modes are found to be quite stringent, much more so than in the earlier isorrhopic case. Nonetheless, a reasonably extensive class of stable solutions is shown to exist.
The Salmon lecture

Abstract My purpose here is to outline the main features of my scientific career in psychiatry. In so doing, I will also illustrate a number of the scientific themes that have arisen in psychiatric genetics over the last 20 years. This is a necessarily selective and, at the ripe-old age of 51, a somewhat self-indulgent exercise.
Work in progress — A sandbox model for teaching entrepreneurship

While major research universities enjoy a large pool of cutting-edge research projects for technology transfer, small liberal art institutions have to adopt a different model for promoting entrepreneurship due to resource limits. We propose a sandbox model for teaching entrepreneurship in a software engineering class. Student activities are closely monitored and coordinated by the instructor. Introduction of entrepreneurial thinking is tightly integrated with the milestone projects in the class. Students are allowed to fail, but they can always resume from the next milestone. We admit that the sandbox approach is highly debatable. Some faculty members believe that a fixed project topic may limit the creativity of students. On the other hand, we argue for the effectiveness of the approach. A good coverage of entrepreneurship topics can be achieved without requiring extra room in the curriculum. We report our preliminary experiences of implementing the sandbox model at Hofstra University.
Hopfs ergodic theorem for nonlinear operators

1 ~ T ' f (1) n + l i=0 are a.e. convergent. In this paper we will give a generalization of Hopfs theorem to a wide class of nonlinear operators. In the nonlinear situation, instead of being a contraction, one usually assumes that T is nonexpansive or at least norm decreasing on L I or L ~. The definition (1) can, of course, be literally generalized to nonlinear mappings, and the partial sums can be also defined inductively by Sof = f and S,, + 1 f = f + S,,(Tf). From the point of view of the inductive definition, it is equally well justified to define inductively Sof = f and S,,+ i f = f + T(S,f) and we will adopt throughout this paper always the latter definition and define the 1 averages A , f : = ~ Snf. There are several reasons for doing this. Firstly, for the
A Multiple-Group Path Analysis of the Role of Everyday Discrimination on Self-Rated Physical Health among Latina/os in the USA

Background Few studies have examined the psychosocial mechanisms through which self-reported discrimination may influence the health status of Latinos.
Cardiac Defibrillation and the Role of Mechanoelectric Feedback in Postshock Arrhythmogenesis

Ventricular dilatation increases the defibrillation threshold (DFT). In order to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for this increase, the present article investigates changes in the postshock behavior of the myocardium upon stretch. A two-dimensional electro-mechanical model of cardiac tissue incorporating heterogeneous fiber orientation was used to explore the effect of sustained stretch on postshock behavior via (a) recruitment of mechanosensitive channels (MSC) and (b) tissue deformation and concomitant changes in tissue conductivities. Recruitment of MSC had no influence on vulnerability to electric shocks as compared to control, but increased the complexity of postshock VF patterns. Stretch-induced deformation and changes in tissue conductivities resulted in a decrease in vulnerability to electric shocks.
An in situ 14C–10Be Bayesian isochron approach for interpreting complex glacial histories

Abstract We present a Bayesian isochron approach to interpret measurements of multiple cosmogenic nuclides from glacially modified bedrock surfaces with complex exposure histories. An isochron approach explicitly incorporating glacial erosion is ideally suited for this problem; such erosion must be accounted for but has traditionally been ignored. Previous methods required treating each sample individually (to account for glacial erosion) and subsequently averaging results for the entire dataset. Geological considerations, however, suggest a more robust approach is to treat samples in the dataset here (and samples from other conceivable datasets) simultaneously. The Bayesian isochron method is applied to a previously published set of in situ 14C and 10Be measurements from a set of samples spanning the forefield of the Rhone Glacier, Switzerland. Results indicate 6.4 ± 0.5 kyr of integrated exposure and 4.7 ± 0.5 kyr of cumulative burial, similar to previous estimates, but with much smaller uncertainties. The reduced uncertainties result from fitting the exposure and burial duration to the entire dataset, while explicitly accounting for glacial erosion. The method presented here should be applicable with minor modifications in a number of geologic settings, and further demonstrates the utility of paired in situ 10Be and 14C measurements for unraveling complex exposure histories over during the Holocene and late Pleistocene.
Impacts of a smoking cessation benefit among employed populations.

AbstractObjective:The objective of this study was to project the health and economic impacts of providing a workplace smoking cessation benefit.Methods:The authors conducted an update of a previously published outcomes model using recently published data and clinical trial results.Results:In four ex
An inducible translocation strategy to rapidly activate and inhibit small GTPase signaling pathways

We made substantial advances in the implementation of a rapamycin-triggered heterodimerization strategy. Using molecular engineering of different targeting and enzymatic fusion constructs and a new rapamycin analog, Rho GTPases were directly activated or inactivated on a timescale of seconds, which was followed by pronounced cell morphological changes. As signaling processes often occur within minutes, such rapid perturbations provide a powerful tool to investigate the role, selectivity and timing of Rho GTPase–mediated signaling processes.
Air revitalization compounds: A literature survey

Chemical processes for air revitalization are attractive alternatives for some closed life support systems in the applications of space and marine explorations. A review of the literature is given for the purpose of evaluating potential candidates as air revitalizing chemicals based upon a set of criteria including toxicity in use, removal of airborne contaminants and bacteria, theoretical oxygen yields, chemical reactivity to breathing atmospheres, and commercial availability. The preliminary evaluation shows potassium and sodium Superoxides as prime candidates for further evaluation against the practical considerations of actual use. Upon closer scrutiny, potassium Superoxide is the desired chemical for air revitalization in closed life support systems according to the present technology. Kinetic reaction rates for the simple hydration of KO2 were reported to increase for increasing pressures to 12 atm making it a promising air revitalization chemical at the hyperbaric conditions encountered in deep diving.
A search for systematic relations between aromaticity and rank of high sulphur coals

Abstract It has been reported that essentially no correlation exists between the carbon contents of a set of 26 high sulphur coals and their aromaticities, in contrast with what has been found for other sets. It has now been observed that five nearly parallel straight lines can be put through the 26 points, each with a very high correlation coefficient. In a search for understanding of the high degree of scatter when the coals are treated as a single set, the significance of the five-line observation has been tested by a variety of statistical procedures. It is shown that a few other coal characteristics also show five-line correlations with carbon content, though with poorer amounts of variance explained. The observation with the aromaticity data appears not to be an artefact of experimental error, sample size or other adventitious circumstance. In fact, the surprising degree of heterogeneity of the sample set seems to reside in the set being divisible into a finite number of subsets rather than showing purely random scatter. The distinguishing features of the subsets are related in some way to the sulphur content, and high sulphur coals are seen to have some peculiarities that call for further study.
Equilibrium State of Aggregation in Suspensions Comprising Linear Clusters

The final state of aggregation in a suspension containing nonbranching, one-dimensional (linear) flocs is investigated. Allowing coagulation to occur at a finite secondary minimum of magnitudeV* rather than the infinite primary well, it is realized that the system eventually reaches steady state where a relatively large number of flocs coexist at equilibrium. It is shown that, under this condition, the number of flocs¯N expected to result is exponentially related to −V* and directly proportional to\(\sqrt {N_0 } \), whereNo is the initial number of individual particles in the suspension.
Sugar binding residue affects apparent Na+ affinity and transport stoichiometry in mouse sodium/glucose cotransporter type 3B.

SGLT1 is a sodium/glucose cotransporter that moves two Na+ ions with each glucose molecule per cycle. SGLT3 proteins belong to the same family and are described as glucose sensors rather than glucose transporters. Thus, human SGLT3 (hSGLT3) does not transport sugar, but extracellular glucose depolarizes the cell in which it is expressed. Mouse SGLT3b (mSGLT3b), although it transports sugar, has low apparent sugar affinity and partially uncoupled stoichiometry compared with SGLT1, suggesting that mSGLT3b is also a sugar sensor. The crystal structure of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus SGLT showed that residue Gln428 interacts directly with the sugar. The corresponding amino acid in mammalian proteins, 457, is conserved in all SGLT1 proteins as glutamine. In SGLT3 proteins, glutamate is the most common residue at this position, although it is a glycine in mSGLT3b and a serine in rat SGLT3b. To test the contribution of this residue to the function of SGLT3 proteins, we constructed SGLT3b mutants that recapitulate residue 457 in SGLT1 and hSGLT3, glutamine and glutamate, respectively. The presence of glutamine at residue 457 increased the apparent Na+ and sugar affinities, whereas glutamate decreased the apparent Na+ affinity. Moreover, glutamate transported more cations per sugar molecule than the wild type protein. We propose a model where cations are released intracellularly without the release of sugar from an intermediate state. This model explains the uncoupled charge:sugar transport phenotype observed in wild type and G457E-mSGLT3b compared with SGLT1 and the sugar-activated cation transport without sugar transport that occurs in hSGLT3.
Activation of the myogenin promoter during mouse embryogenesis in the absence of positive autoregulation.

Abstract Myogenin, a member of the MyoD family of helix-loop-helix proteins, can induce myogenesis in a wide range of cell types. In addition to activating muscle structural genes, members of the MyoD family can autoactivate their own and cross-activate one another's expression in transfected cells. This has led to the hypothesis that autoregulatory loops among these factors provide a mechanism for amplifying and maintaining the muscle-specific gene expression program in vivo. Here, we make use of myogenin-null mice to directly test this hypothesis. To investigate whether the myogenin protein autoregulates the myogenin gene during embryogenesis, we introduced a myogenin-lacZ transgene into mice harboring a null mutation at the myogenin locus. Despite a severe deficiency of skeletal muscle in myogenin-null neonates, the myogenin-lacZ transgene was expressed normally in myogenic cells throughout embryogenesis. These results show that myogenin is not required for regulation of the myogenin gene and argue against the existence of a myogenin autoregulatory loop in the embryo.
Chemical models for pdf modeling of hydrogenair nonpremixed turbulent flames

Abstract Development of simplified chemical models is necessary for probability density function (pdf) modeling of turbulent flames with multiple species. Two promising approaches, the reduced mechanism method and the constrained equilibrium method, have been extensively studied to develop six plausible chemical models for nonpremixed combustion of hydrogen with air. Examination of the thermodynamic properties predicted by these chemical models in the allowable domains reveals that in regions where temperatures are above 1400 K, all six models yield similar results. In regions near the pure mixing limits, the partial equilibrium assumption for bimolecular reactions breaks down and yields unrealistic results. Reasonable agreement between the measured temperatures and those from Monte Carlo simulations with all six chemical models has been obtained for a nonpremixed turbulent jet flame at low mixing rates. As mixing rate increases, flame blowout has been predicted only by a chemical model that treats the hydrogen atom H by its kinetics rate equation, which is based on the reduced mechanism method. The predicted jet velocity at flame blowout is much higher than that observed in experiments. One of the implications from the present results is the need for improved submodels for mixing processes.
Epithelial Cell IκB-Kinase β Has an Important Protective Role in Clostridium difficile Toxin A-Induced Mucosal Injury

Toxin A released by Clostridium difficile interacts with the single layer of intestinal epithelial cells that lines the host's intestinal tract and leads to mucosal damage and inflammation that manifests clinically as antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. Activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB in intestinal epithelial cells is important for regulating the expression of epithelial cell proinflammatory genes and cell survival. However, the role of NF-kappaB activation in the pathogenesis of C. difficile toxin A-induced colitis is unknown. To determine the functional importance in vivo of NF-kappaB activation in intestinal epithelium in the pathogenesis of C. difficile-induced colitis, we used mutant mice that do not activate the classical NF-kappaB signaling pathway in intestinal epithelial cells due to a conditional deficiency in those cells of the IkappaB-kinase beta (IKKbeta) subunit of IKK. C. difficile toxin A challenge of intestinal loops in intestinal epithelial cell IKKbeta-deficient mice induced a rapid and significant increase in intestinal epithelial apoptosis compared with littermate controls. This was accompanied by a significant increase in acute mucosal inflammation, mucosal injury, luminal fluid secretion, and bacterial translocation. We conclude that activation of intestinal epithelial cell NF-kappaB by toxin A plays an important host mucosal protective role after C. difficile toxin A exposure that is mediated, at least in part, through promoting epithelial cell survival by abrogating epithelial cell apoptosis.
Upper cervical instability associated with rheumatoid arthritis: a case report

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects between 1 and 2 million individuals in the United States. Atlantoaxial instability (AAI) has been shown to have 40–85% prevalence among individuals with RA. Despite the high incidence of craniovertebral involvement, overt symptoms of instability are rare. The high risk of AAI and limited symptomology should increase therapist suspicion of potential contraindications and precautions to initiation of therapy for the cervical spine without prior diagnostic imaging. The purpose of this case study is to describe the historical, clinical, and diagnostic imaging complexity of AAI associated with RA, and to illustrate the use of these factors in the clinical reasoning within a patient case.
Soy Infant Formula and Seizures in Children with Autism: A Retrospective Study

Seizures are a common phenotype in many neurodevelopmental disorders including fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome and autism. We hypothesized that phytoestrogens in soy-based infant formula were contributing to lower seizure threshold in these disorders. Herein, we evaluated the dependence of seizure incidence on infant formula in a population of autistic children. Medical record data were obtained on 1,949 autistic children from the SFARI Simplex Collection. An autism diagnosis was determined by scores on the ADI-R and ADOS exams. The database included data on infant formula use, seizure incidence, the specific type of seizure exhibited and IQ. Soy-based formula was utilized in 17.5% of the study population. Females comprised 13.4% of the subjects. There was a 2.6-fold higher rate of febrile seizures [4.2% versus 1.6%, OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.3–5.3], a 2.1-fold higher rate of epilepsy comorbidity [3.6% versus 1.7%, OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.1–4.7] and a 4-fold higher rate of simple partial seizures [1.2% versus 0.3%, OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.0–23] in the autistic children fed soy-based formula. No statistically significant associations were found with other outcomes including: IQ, age of seizure onset, infantile spasms and atonic, generalized tonic clonic, absence and complex partial seizures. Limitations of the study included: infant formula and seizure data were based on parental recall, there were significantly less female subjects, and there was lack of data regarding critical confounders such as the reasons the subjects used soy formula, age at which soy formula was initiated and the length of time on soy formula. Despite these limitations, our results suggest that the use of soy-based infant formula may be associated with febrile seizures in both genders and with a diagnosis of epilepsy in males in autistic children. Given the lack of data on critical confounders and the retrospective nature of the study, a prospective study is required to confirm the association.
Solution 1H NMR study of the accommodation of the side chain of n-butyl-etiohemin-I incorporated into the active site of cyano-metmyoglobin.

In order to identify the most readily deformable portion of the heme pocket in myoglobin, equine myoglobin was reconstituted with a meso-n-butyl substituent on centrosymmetric etiohemin-I. Solution 1H NMR data for the low-spin iron(III) cyanide complex of oxidized myoglobin that include 2D nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy contacts, paramagnetic relaxation, and dipolar shifts resulting from magnetic anisotropy show that the heme binds uniquely to the iron in a manner that arranges the methyl and ethyl substituents on a given pyrrole in a clockwise manner when viewed from the proximal side, and with the n-butyl group seated at the canonical α-meso position of native protohemin-IX. The butyl group is oriented sharply toward the proximal side and its protein contacts demonstrate that it is oriented largely into the “xenon hole” in myoglobin. The location of the n-butyl group on the proximal side near the vacancies places it within the region found to be most flexible in molecular dynamics simulation. A small, counterclockwise rotation of the pyrrole N–Fe–N vector of n-butyl-etiohemin-I relative to that for native protohemin, indicated by both the prosthetic group methyl contact shift pattern and the prosthetic group contacts to heme pocket residues, is proposed to allow the xenon hole to accommodate better the n-butyl group. In contrast to previous work, which showed that a bulky polar substituent on etiohemin-I preferentially seats at the canonical γ-meso position, the nonpolar n-butyl group selects the α-meso position.
Histological changes in the organs and tissues of senile castrated kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi).

Abstract A histological study was made of senile castrated kokanee salmon which had survived from 1 to almost 4 years beyond the normal life span of this species (4 years). Atrophic and degenerative changes were found in the pituitary, stomach and intestine, liver, kidney, spleen, thymus, thyroid, cardiovascular system and muscle, while the adrenocortical tissue and pancreas showed hyperplasia and hypertrophy. These changes resembled closely the alterations occurring in spawning Pacific salmon which suggests the possibility that the degenerative changes accompanying sexual maturation and spawning represent an acceleration of the aging process. The relationship of adrenocortical cell hyperplasia to this process is discussed.
Front-End Analysis for Expert System Design

New system architectures, such as model-based reasoning and neural networks, have increased the difficulty of expert system design specification. In this paper, I suggest that to identify the appropriate subtask allocation and expert system architecture, certain preliminary questions should be asked and the data evaluated. The front-end analysis described here is a framework loosely based on three levels of human cognition; analytical, rule-based, and implicit processing. Keeping these different types of cognitive task performance in mind, the framework specifies a set of factors to evaluate in the front-end analysis. Once data is collected for these factors, it is possible to evaluate whether an expert system should be designed for each specific subtask, and if so, what type of system architecture should be implemented. A suggested guideline for architecture choice is presented.
Lattice-Location Experiment of the Ni-Si Interface by Thin-Crystal Channeling of Helium Ions

A thin-crystal channeling experiment has been devised to locate preferential sites of monolayers of Ni atoms deposited onto Si crystalline substrates. The Ni scattering yield shows dips or peaks in the angular scan measurements when channeled along the major crystallographic axes and planes of Si. The results can be explained by a dispersed Ni-Si interface with 2.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{15}$ Ni atoms/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ occupying the tetrahedral interstitial voids of Si.
Effect of chlorpromazine on conditioned avoidance as a function of CS-US interval length.

Three groups of four rats learned to avoid electric shock (US) by turning a wheel in response to a buzzer stimulus (CS). The CS-US intervals for each group were 5, 10, and 20 sec, respectively. After each animal had learned the avoidance procedure and had achieved a stable level of performance, the effect of several doses of chlorpromazine on percent avoidance, on latency time from CS onset to termination by a response, and on response rate was determined as a function of CS-US interval length. No consistent relationship between increasing interval length and response rate was observed. Neither lengthening the CS-US interval nor the interaction of this lengthening with chlorpromazine dose was found to exert a statistically significant effect on percent avoidance. Furthermore, although a statistically significant increase in response latency was found to be associated with increasing CS-US interval length, the increases in latency noted were not of sufficient magnitude to corroborate the hypothesis that lengthening the CS-US interval contributes importantly to increased avoidance responding in animals tested with chlorpromazine. Further, the results of this study do not support induction of a locomotor deficit as the mechanism by which chlorpromazine suppresses the avoidance response.
Student employment system: the pros and cons of building a homegrown application and using student programmers

The College of New Jersey has recently completed an enterprise application that controls job postings, student application and employment contracts for on-campus jobs. The departments of Enterprise Applications and Career Services collaborated together to design and develop the Student Employment System with help from student programmers in our Computer Science department. This paper will review the functions of the system as well as the pros and cons of building homegrown software and using student programmers. The Student Employment System allows departments on campus to post jobs and students to apply for those jobs on-line. Career Services manages the approval process of jobs and applications and contracts the students for their employment term. The system took over two years to develop and build. Initially student programmers were brought on to work with the design and programming of the system until problems arose when feeding payroll information to the new PeopleSoft HR system.
Distribution of Alpine Tundra in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, U.S.A

Abstract The distribution of alpine tundra in the Adirondack Mountains of New York was investigated through a combination of field mapping and GIS analysis. Alpine tundra vegetation covers 26.3 ha (65 acres). Tundra patches are rare below an elevation of 1350 m although significant differences exist in mean tundra elevation between summits reflecting overall summit morphology. Tundra is generally more abundant, and extends to lower elevations on windward slopes with northerly and northwesterly aspects. Tundra patches on leeward slopes are found at higher elevations and are considerably larger, reflecting increased fragmentation on windward slopes and development of snowbank communities on leeward slopes. At a regional scale, the percentage of high-elevation land covered by tundra decreases from the northwest to southeast across the study area, suggesting that mountains upwind along the prevailing winter wind vector shield downwind summits, underscoring the role of exposure in limiting the upward growth of...
Voluntary exercise protects against methamphetamine-induced oxidative stress in brain microvasculature and disruption of the blood--brain barrier

There is no effective therapeutic intervention developed targeting cerebrovascular toxicity of drugs of abuse, including methamphetamine (METH). We hypothesize that exercise protects against METH-induced disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) by enhancing the antioxidant capacity of cerebral microvessels and modulating caveolae-associated signaling. Mice were subjected to voluntary wheel running for 5 weeks resembling the voluntary pattern of human exercise, followed by injection with METH (10 mg/kg). The frequency, duration, and intensity of each running session were monitored for each mouse via a direct data link to a computer and the running data are analyzed by Clock lab™ Analysis software. Controls included mice sedentary that did not have access to running wheels and/or injections with saline. METH induced oxidative stress in brain microvessels, resulting in up regulation of caveolae-associated NAD(P)H oxidase subunits, and phosphorylation of mitochondrial protein 66Shc. Treatment with METH disrupted also the expression and colocalization of tight junction proteins. Importantly, exercise markedly attenuated these effects and protected against METH-induced disruption of the BBB integrity. The obtained results indicate that exercise is an important modifiable behavioral factor that can protect against METH-induced cerebrovascular toxicity. These findings may provide new strategies in preventing the toxicity of drug of abuse.
N2fixation in faba bean grown under saline and non-saline conditions using a 15N-tracer technique

A pot experiment was conducted to study the performance of faba bean and barley growing under saline conditions, in terms of dry matter yield, total N, and percentages and amount of N derived from the soil, fertilizer and atmosphere using a 15N isotope dilution method. Three saline treatments were employed: 1) plants were grown on saline soil and irrigated with saline water (SsWs); 2) plants were grown on saline soil and irrigated with non-saline water (SsWn); and 3) plants were grown on non-saline soil and irrigated with saline water (SnWs). Furthermore, a control treatment was employed by growing the plants on non-saline soil and irrigating them with non-saline water (SnWn). The different salinity treatments reduced plant growth and the reduction was more pronounced in faba bean than in barley. However, the relative growth reduction of plants grown only on saline soil, using non-saline water, did not exceed 50% of the control, whereas the reduction exceeded 50% when plants were grown under completely sa...
Optimal wire-sizing function under the Elmore delay model with bounded wire sizes

In this brief, we develop the optimal wire-sizing functions under the Elmore delay model with bounded wire sizes. Given a wire segment of length /spl Lscr/, let f(x) be the width of the wire at position x, 0/spl les/x/spl les//spl Lscr/. We show that the optimal wire-sizing function that minimizes the Elmore delay through the wire is f(x)=ae/sup -bx/, where a>0 and b>0 are constants that can be computed in O(1) time. In the case where lower bound (L>0) and upper bound (U>0) of the wire widths are given, we show that the optimal wire-sizing function f(x) is a truncated version of ae/sup -bx/ that can also be determined in O(1) time. Our wire-sizing formula can be iteratively applied to optimally size the wire segments in a routing tree.
The Clinical Challenge of Cardiorenal Syndrome

Renal dysfunction is a common and progressive complication of chronic heart failure, with a clinical course that typically fluctuates with the patient’s clinical status and treatment. Despite growing recognition of the frequent presentation of combined cardiac and renal dysfunction, or “cardiorenal syndrome,” its underlying pathophysiology is not well understood, and no consensus as to its appropriate management has been achieved. Because patients with heart failure are surviving longer and dying less frequently from primary arrhythmia, we expect that the cardiorenal syndrome will become more common. Against this background, the article by Wang and colleagues1 in the present issue of Circulation is particularly significant because it is the first prospective, controlled therapeutic trial in patients with this condition. To place the findings and implications of this study in context, we first briefly review what is currently known about the cardiorenal syndrome and its treatment options. See p 1620 In ambulatory heart failure patients, the presence of concomitant renal dysfunction consistently has been one of the strongest risk factors for mortality.2–4 This risk becomes evident even at serum creatinine clearance levels >1.3 mg/dL and estimated creatinine clearance values ≤60 to 70 mL/min. Furthermore, renal function is at least as powerful an adverse prognostic factor as most clinical variables, including ejection fraction and New York Heart Association function class. Although renal dysfunction predicts all-cause mortality, it is most predictive of death from progressive heart failure, which suggests that it is a manifestation of and/or exacerbating factor for left ventricular dysfunction.2 In the setting of hospitalization for decompensated heart failure, worsening renal function is even more important than baseline renal function for predicting adverse outcomes.5–8 Although any increase in creatinine is associated with poorer survival rates, longer hospitalization, and more frequent readmission, several studies have used a threshold of a …
Quantifying Dynamic Processes in Reactive Materials: An Extended Burn Tube Test

A common method for measuring the reactivity of rapidly deflagrating materials has been to loosely pack a desired mixture into an approx. 10 cm long×3 mm diameter acrylic tube, ignite the material on one end, and report the observed self-propagating flame velocity through the material. While this method can yield qualitative information, linking this to quantitative intrinsic properties, such as particle burn time, has remained challenging. In this work, we significantly redesign the traditional burn tube experiment. Between 25 and 250 mg of nanocomposite aluminum/copper oxide (Al/CuO) thermite is loosely packed into the capped end of a 1.8 m long tube, and the remainder of the tube is left unfilled. The material is ignited using a hot wire, resulting in a steadily-propagating luminous front, which extends part, or all, of the way down the length of the tube. We suggest the behavior is a result of “reactive entrainment”, which occurs when the reaction time scale becomes longer than the characteristic momentum relaxation time scale. When this criterion is met, and when there are significant pressure gradients present or produced during the reaction, material will be entrained by the gases before and/or during the reaction; a behavior very different from conventional thermites, which use larger particle sizes. The effect of sample mass and tube diameter on propagation velocity is investigated, and we find a linear scaling with mass and a power law scaling with tube radius (r−1.3) between 1.56 and 4.76 mm radii. For several conditions, we observe the reaction complete; defined by the distance where the propagation velocity decreases to a fixed fraction of its steady value. The ratio of quench distance to propagation velocity was found to approach a constant value of 3.29±0.70 ms, which we suggest is the burn time of the Material. For the range of masses studied in this work, the burn time was found to be independent of mass, implying that it is an intrinsic particle burn time. We expect other quantitative information can be deduced from this experiment, so long as the chosen sample mass and tube dimensions allow one to observe the full extent of reaction.
The phenomenological directness of perceptual experience

When you have a perceptual experience of a given physical object that object seems to be immediately present to you in a way it never does when you consciously think about or imagine it. Many philosophers have claimed that naive realism (the view that to perceive is to stand in a primitive relation of acquaintance to the world) can provide a satisfying account of this phenomenological directness of perceptual experience while the content view (the view that to perceive is to represent the world to be a certain way) cannot. I argue that this claim is false. Specifically, I maintain that the only acceptable naive realist account of the relevant phenomenology is circular and that the content view can provide a similar account. In addition, I maintain that a certain specific variety of the content view provides a non-circular and thus more satisfactory account of this phenomenology. If so, then contrary to what is commonly assumed there are powerful phenomenological grounds for preferring the content view to naive realism.
Chronic ethanol consumption impairs receptor-mediated endocytosis of formaldehyde-treated albumin by isolated rat liver endothelial cells.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME) by a scavenger receptor on sinusoidal liver endothelial cells (LECs) for formaldehyde-treated bovine serum albumin (f-Alb) has previously been shown to be impaired following chronic ethanol consumption. These studies were initially performed by in situ perfusion, making it difficult to determine the point in the process at which RME is affected. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to use isolated LECs to begin elucidating at what point in the process chronic ethanol consumption affects RME. Initial studies showed that degradation at the single-cell level were similarly decreased at levels that had been observed for in situ studies, suggesting that the ethanol effects can be repeated using isolated LECs, making them useful for in vitro studies. Binding studies with 125I-formaldehyde–treated bovine serum albumin (125I–f-Alb) demonstrated there was a slight, but significantly different, decrease in binding by LECs from ethanol-fed rats when compared with pair-fed or chow-fed rats. However, the affinity of these receptors was not different between these groups. In contrast, a defect in the initial stages of receptor-ligand internalization was indicated as less surface-bound ligand was internalized and subsequently degraded in cells from the ethanol-treated animals as compared with controls. Additionally, once the data were adjusted for the amount of ligand internalized, the degradation of the internalized ligand was only slightly impaired. These results indicate that chronic ethanol feeding impairs the process of RME by the liver; the major cause of this impairment appears to be caused by a decreased ability of these cells to internalize all of the surface-bound ligand, with a minimal defect in postinternalization events.
Effect of Age and of Follicular Aging on the Preovulatory Oocyte

The ultrastructure and ability of oocytes to mature in vitro were examined in oocytes collected from preovulatory follicles of mature normal-cycling proestrous rats (Day 3 of the cycle) and of aged proestrous rats (Day 3) and during a spontaneous period of ovulatory delay (Days 3-5). These studies demonstrated that aging resulted in: 1) the germinal vesicle (nuclear) membrane becoming undulated and the nucleoplasm becoming denser; 2) a deterioration of the stacked arrangement of the cytoplasmic rays with the formation of single stranded rays; 3) a reduced ability to form a polar body; 4) an increased tendency for the nucleolus to remain intact after germinal vesicle breakdown was completed; and 5) an increased percentage of oocytes that fragment and/or degenerate in vitro. These combined ultrastructural and physiological studies indicate that aging alters the oocyte such that it is unable to complete meiosis. Thus, fertilization of these aged oocytes could result in chromosomal and developmental errors within the developing embryos. Additional structural alterations were observed in the aged oocyte. These changes include a decrease in the number of cortical granules and microvilli, and a separation of the zona pellucida from the oocyte. The fibrils which compose the zona pellucida also become organized into continuous bands. These changes are similar to changes which render the zona pellucida impenetrable to spermatozoa. Thus, the aged oocytes would have a reduced fertilizability and this could partially account for the lower fertility of older irregularly cycling rats.