cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microbial substrate preference and community dynamics during decomposition of Acer saccharum

Abstract The Guild Decomposition Model (GDM) hypothesized that temporal shifts in microbial “guilds,” each with distinct substrate preferences, drive decomposition dynamics and regulate soil carbon (C) losses and sequestration. To test this hypothesis, we established a laboratory incubation of Acer saccharum litter and monitored respiration, microbial biomass and enzyme activities, inorganic nutrients and shifts in functional groups of decomposers using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Biomass and respiration peaked within the first 2 d of incubation, and the Gram negative PLFA biomarker 18:1ω7c predominated during the first 5 d. Hydrolytic enzyme activities and two fungal biomarkers (18:2ω6,9c and 18:3ω6c) increased by 25 d and lignolytic enzyme activity was detected at 68 d. Our results suggest that decomposers preferentially use labile substrates and that shifts in decomposer groups occur in response to changes in available substrates, which supports the GDM.
The matrices R and G of matrix analytic methods and the time-inhomogeneous periodic Quasi-Birth-and-Death process

We solve for the asymptotic periodic distribution of the continuous time quasi-birth-and-death process with time-varying periodic rates in terms of $\hat{\mathbf{R}}$ and $\hat{\mathbf{G}}$ matrix functions which are analogues of the R and G matrices of matrix analytic methods. We evaluate these QBDs numerically by solving for $\hat{\mathbf{R}}$ numerically.
Ascertainment issues in variance components models

One of the main concerns in the family studies of complex diseases is the effect that ascertainment and correction for it may have on test procedures and estimators. Elston and Sobel [1979] and Hopper and Mathews [1982] proposed two ways to correct for ascertainment in the study of quantitative trait data. For single ascertainment, using a variance components approach, we present results of simulation studies comparing estimates from these two methods for different selection criteria. We also show results from simulations when ascertained families are analyzed either at random or by correcting for ascertainment. For discordant sibpairs, we compare a variance components model that incorporates ascertainment correction with the extreme discordant sib pairs (EDSP) design proposed by Risch and Zhang [1995]. Our results show that there is minimal difference between the two methods of ascertainment correction. In the presence of effects from a large genetic background and the segregation of a rare gene, both ascertainment affected the polygenic and environmental components of variance but had rather little impact on the estimate of the linked major gene component of variance. The results also show the EDSP is slightly more powerful the variance components procedures for common alleles, and the variance components procedure is much more powerful than using EDSP when there is a rare allele segregating in the population.
On the space curve and industrial location

This paper presents a formal mathematical model to investigate the properties and shape of the space cost curve in the Weber-Moses type triangle space. It also examines the theoretical impacts and implications of the space cost curve on the optimum location decisions of the firm. We have shown that the shape of the space cost curve crucially depends upon the marginal transport costs with respect to distances. When the transport rates are constant, the space cost curve may be linear, convex or concave from below in the distant plane. This result is quite different from Smith's (17, 19), Richardson's (13) and Mai's (9). Furthermore, we have shown the convex space cost curve is an important condition for the existence of the optimum intermediate location. This is consistent with Haddah and Schwartzman's empirical study (5).
Reduction of Morbidity in Asthmatic Children Given a Spacer Device

Study objective To evaluate whether providing a spacer device and a single, brief demonstration regarding its proper use would result in earlier resolution of asthma symptoms, improved school attendance, and decreased frequency of unscheduled medical visits for asthma among children receiving noncontinuous care in an urban emergency department (ED). Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting Urban hospital pediatric ED. Participants Eighty-four children with the chief complaint of asthma. Intervention Children were enrolled in the ED at the time of an asthma attack and randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. The spacer group received an inhaled β-agonist at discharge from the ED with a spacer device. The control group received inhaled or oral β-agonists without a spacer device. Both groups received other medications at the discretion of the evaluating physician who was not the interviewer in any case. A baseline questionnaire was completed and follow-up by telephone was done at 1 week, and 2,4, and 6 months after enrollment. Measurements and results The spacer group reported significantly earlier resolution of wheezing (0 days vs 2 days, p Conclusions Introducing a spacer device to patients in a busy, inner-city pediatric ED is an effective and efficient intervention that improves the functioning of asthmatic children in terms of resolution of cough and wheeze and school absenteeism.
Poisson bracket for the Vlasov equation on a symplectic leaf

Abstract The degeneracy in the Lie-Poisson bracket, associated with the Hamiltonian structure of the Vlasov equation, is removed by restriction to a given symplectic leaf. The restricted equation of motion in terms of a generating function and it manifestly preserves the Casimir constraints of the system. A nondegenerate Poisson bracket in terms of the generating function is presented.
Levels of acid mucopolysaccharides of the bovine aorta at different stages of the sexual cycle

Summary AMPS levels were determined in abdominal aortas of female cattle in different stages of the sexual cycle. Intact and carefully divided luminal and outer portions of the aortas were analysed for total AMPS and non-sulfated fractions determined by chromatography and cetylpyridinium chloride fractionation. Elevated values between 12.0 and 14.8 mg/g defatted dry weights were obtained from the luminal portion of the aorta in the proliferation period (proestrus-estrus). The lowest levels (7.8–10.8) were found during the progestational period (late metestrus and early diestrus). The percentage of change was 47. Statistical analyses disclosed that these changes in the levels of total amount of AMPS and non-sulfated fraction of AMPS in the luminal portion at different stages of the sexual cycle were highly significant ( P A comparison of cetylpyridinium chloride and Dowex 1-X2 fractionations were in good agreement. Results obtained indicate that AMPS in the inner one third of the aorta do respond to hormones regulating the sexual cycle.
SMT Switch: Software Mechanisms for Power Shifting

Simultaneous multithreading (SMT) as a processor design to achieve higher levels of system and application throughput is a well-accepted and deployed technique in most desktop and server processors. We study the power implications of varying SMT levels i.e., thread counts per core for various multi-threaded applications on a real SMT multicore platform, and introduce a novel software mechanism of changing SMT level of a core to tune platform power. Power-shifting policies by varying per core SMT levels for performance benefits within a power cap are introduced. Projected power savings (of 15%) for a streaming parallel benchmark can be attained using SMT-level power shifting mechanisms.
Functional conservation of Asxl2, a murine homolog for the Drosophila enhancer of trithorax and polycomb group gene Asx.

Background Polycomb-group (PcG) and trithorax-group (trxG) proteins regulate histone methylation to establish repressive and active chromatin configurations at target loci, respectively. These chromatin configurations are passed on from mother to daughter cells, thereby causing heritable changes in gene expression. The activities of PcG and trxG proteins are regulated by a special class of proteins known as Enhancers of trithorax and Polycomb (ETP). The Drosophila gene Additional sex combs (Asx) encodes an ETP protein and mutations in Asx enhance both PcG and trxG mutant phenotypes. The mouse and human genomes each contain three Asx homologues, Asx-like 1, 2, and 3. In order to understand the functions of mammalian Asx-like (Asxl) proteins, we generated an Asxl2 mutant mouse from a gene-trap ES cell line. Methodology/Principal Findings We show that the Asxl2 gene trap is expressed at high levels in specific tissues including the heart, the axial skeleton, the neocortex, the retina, spermatogonia and developing oocytes. The gene trap mutation is partially embryonic lethal and approximately half of homozygous animals die before birth. Homozygotes that survive embryogenesis are significantly smaller than controls and have a shortened life span. Asxl2−/− mice display both posterior transformations and anterior transformation in the axial skeleton, suggesting that the loss of Asxl2 disrupts the activities of both PcG and trxG proteins. The PcG-associated histone modification, trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27, is reduced in Asxl2−/− heart. Necropsy and histological analysis show that mutant mice have enlarged hearts and may have impaired heart function. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that murine Asxl2 has conserved ETP function and plays dual roles in the promotion of PcG and trxG activity. We have also revealed an unexpected role for Asxl2 in the heart, suggesting that the PcG/trxG system may be involved in the regulation of cardiac function.
Lepra, psora, psoriasis

This article traces the curious history of how psoriasis came to be called by its present appellation. In retelling the story, psoriasis is seen as a disease (known since antiquity) that has been confused with leprosy, with some tragic results.
Analysis of trypan blue-induced rumplessness in chick embryos.

Treatment of chick embryos early in development with the teratogen, trypan blue, results in a high incidence of rumplessness at later developmental stages. Experiments were conducted to discover the causative events between dye administration and rumplessness. Initially, 167 two-day embryos were treated by injection of 0.02 ml 0.1% trypan blue (in saline) into the yolk sac. Controls (42) were injected with 0.02 ml of 0.85% NaCl. Dye-treated embryos examined at three days exhibited a high incidence of hematomas caudal to the leg buds. All embryos examined on or after five days were rumpless. Many embryos examined at four days exhibited an apparently intermediate condition in the development of this defect — a caudal hematoma coupled with beginning degeneration of tail tissues. Histological analysis of these embryos and additional 60 examined and preserved at several intervals (12, 16, 20 and 24 hours) after dye administration suggested the following sequence of events: (1) swelling of the dorsal aortae, (2) bursting of these vessels in the rump, (3) hematoma formation by extravasation from the burst vessels, (4) destruction, by the hematoma, of surrounding rump tissues, (5) resorption of dead or dying tissues, (6) rumplessness. Studies of another series of embryos, each of which was studied in ovo for several days during development, confirmed the destructive effect of a hematoma on morphogenesis of the rump. Dye treated embryos which did not form a caudal hematoma went on to develop a normal rump. Conversely, each embryo which exhibited a caudal hematoma early in development eventually became rumpless.
Spontaneous hypertension: a humoral component.

SPONTANEOUS HYPERTENSION: A HUMORAL COMPONENT. G.L. Wright, M.E. Rogerson, and W.D. McCumbee. Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25704–2901.
Deep space optical communication via relay satellite

The application of optical communications for a deep space link via an earth-orbiting relay satellite is discussed. The system uses optical frequencies for the free-space channel and RF links for atmospheric transmission. The relay satellite is in geostationary orbit and contains the optics necessary for data processing and formatting. It returns the data to earth through the RF terrestrial link and also transmits an optical beacon to the satellite for spacecraft return pointing and for the alignment of the transmitting optics. Future work will turn to modulation and coding, pointing and tracking, and optical-RF interfacing.
Resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted therapy.

Abstract The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been a major target of molecular anticancer therapy. Two approaches have been developed, involving monoclonal antibodies and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and both have demonstrated benefit in clinical trials. However, evidence of resistance to these drugs has been described. Cellular levels of EGFR do not always correlate with response to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, indicating acquired resistance to these drugs. Since EGFR antagonists interfere with the activation of several intracellular pathways that control cell proliferation, survival, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, acquired resistance can occur as a result of several different molecular mechanisms: autocrine/paracrine production of ligand, receptor mutation, constitutive activation of the downstream pathway and activation of alternative pathways. We will describe here potential mechanisms that can cause resistance to EGFR-targeted drugs. Combinations of EGFR antagonists with inhibitors targeting different signaling mechanism(s) – such as insulin-like growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor – that share the same downstream mediator (e.g., phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinase), may circumvent or delay the development of resistance to EGFR antagonists resulting in enhanced antitumor activities.
Enhanced gain in colloidal quantum dots in all-dielectric microcavities

We report enhanced amplified-spontaneous-emission from CdSe/ZnS quantum-dots in an all-dielectric Si3N4/SiO 2 microcavity. Directional emission is observed through the cavity mode. Enhancement is confirmed with time-resolved and steady-state photoluminescence measurements showing a Purcell factor of ∼1.3.
Sensitization to Early Life Stress and Response to Chemical Odors in Older Adults

This study examined the hypothesis that older persons who currently report illness from environmental chemical odors (cacosmia) may have experienced higher levels of stress early in life than did noncacosmic controls. The hypothesis derives from a time-dependent sensitization (TDS) model for cacosmia (Bell et al 1992) that predicts a relative interchangeability of stress and chemicals in inducing and eliciting sensitized responses in vulnerable individuals. Subjects were selected from those in the top 24% (cacosmic) and bottom 27% (noncacosmic) of a sample of 192 older adults (mean age 73.8 years) for self-reported frequency of illness form the odors of pesticide, car exhaust, paint, perfume, and new carpet. As in previous investigations, cacosmics were younger, more depressed, and more shy; cacosmics also included a higher proportion of women (83% versus 61%). As predicted, cacosmics rated themselves higher in stress for the first four decades of their lives, but not the recent past or present, even after controlling for depression, anxiety, hostility, shyness, age, and gender. Cacosmics reported increased prevalence of physician-diagnosed nasal allergies, breast cysts, hypothyroidism, sinusitis, food sensitivities, irritable bowel, and migraine headache. Only 4% of the overall sample (including 9% of the cacosmics) acknowledged the controversial physician diagnosis of "chemical sensitivity." The replicated observation of greater shyness in cacosmics is consistent with the ability of hyperreactivity to novelty to predict enhanced susceptibility to TDS from low levels of pharmacological agents in animals. The findings support a TDS model for cacosmia and suggest that cacosmia as a symptom identifies a large subset of the nonindustrial population with significant psychophysiological health problems that merit further objective examination.
Characterizing gaseous peptide structure with action-EET and simulated annealing

Evaluation of biomolecular structure in the gas phase is challenging, but worthwhile due to advantages in sensitivity and speed relative to traditional condensed phase approaches. Herein, we demonstrate that a recently developed method utilizing energy transfer to establish distance constraints can be combined with molecular dynamics calculations to rapidly and accurately reveal gaseous peptide structures. Three peptides in various charge states are examined. The influence of increasing charge state on peptide structure is easily observed. The presence of multiple conformations can be detected. Furthermore, the method is demonstrated to aid the assignment of charge, which is frequently nontrivial for peptides containing numerous acidic and basic residues that could adopt a variety of conformers of equal charge state. Comparison with ion mobility reveals that many low energy structures that are distinguishable by distance constraints would not be resolvable by collision cross section. Action-EET is demonstrated to be a powerful new tool for structure elucidation.
MISAR: A miniature information storage and retrieval system

Abstract MISAR is a general-purpose, time-sharing, information-storage and retrieval system that facilitates the rapid creation, maintenance, and searching of small data files. MISAR permits a registry to be created, records to be entered, existing records to be examined and edited, and a search to be conducted from a teletypewriter or from a teletype-compatible terminal connected by telephone lines to a PDP-9 or PDP-15 computer. The principal advantage of MISAR is the ease with which the user may interact with a small data base at low cost.
Intraaortic stop-flow infusion: Pharmacokinetic feasibility study of regional chemotherapy for unresectable gastrointestinal cancers

Background: This study attempted to increase the exposure of gastrointestinal tract tissues to chemotherapy by prolonging the first pass of intraaortically administered drug by temporary occlusion of vascular structures.
Degradation of Nonylphenol Polyethoxylates and its Microflora Structure in an Anoxic-Oxic Activated Sludge Process

An anoxic-oxic activated sludge process (AOASP) was carried out to degrade nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs). The carbon source in influent was replaced stepwise by a mixture of nonylphenol decaethoxylate (M-NP10EO). The 2nd-derivative UV-spectrometry was applied to determine the total amount of M-NP10EO in water samples. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency achieves about 85% under the highest M-NP10EO loading rate, and M-NP10EO removal efficiency is about 80%. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) results of activated sludges show that the microbe species decrease but gradually stabilize with the increase of M-NP10EO concentration in influent. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results of activated sludges showe that the dominant microflora under the highest M-NP10EO loading rate is β-Proteobacteria (35%), followed by α-Proteobacteria (15%), γ-Proteobacteria (5%) and Actinobateria (4%).
Analysis Of The Periodic Extrinsic Infrared (PEIR) Photoconductor

An infrared photoconductor, designated as the Periodic Extrinsic InfraRed (PEIR) photoconductor, is proposed. The PEIR photoconductor will be useful for detecting wavelengths from 7 μm (1400 cm-1) to longer than 100 μm (100 cm-1). A PEIR photoconductor is made up of heavily doped layers separated by lightly doped layers. The heavily doped layers are doped such that an impurity band forms but are not doped high enough to cause the impurity band to merge with the conduction or valence band. The lightly doped layers are used to confine the carriers in the impurity bands and consequently, conduction can only occur due to carriers excited to the conduction (n-type device) or valence (p-type device) band. Radiation excites the carriers from the impurity band to the conduction or valence band. The impurity band layers are thin enough that even if the electric field in the impurity band layers is small, there is a high probability the excited carrier will scatter into the lightly doped layer and be swept away by the electric field in the lightly doped layer. In many ways, the PEIR photoconductor is similar to the Blocked Impurity Band (BIB) detector which has one impurity band layer and one blocking layer. The difference is that the Poole-Frenkel effect and tunneling out of the impurity band which limit the operation of a BIB detector appear to be much less serious problems in a PEIR photoconductor. The importance of this result is that a PEIR photoconductor should 1) have higher absorption rates (due to higher impurity band dopant concentrations) compared to a BIB detector designed to detect the same wavelength and 2) have the capability of detecting longer wavelengths with increasingly better quantum efficiencies than a BIB detector.
Carboniferous and Triassic Rifting: A Preliminary Outline of the Tectonic History of the Gulf of Maine

Geological and geophysical investigations of the Gulf of Maine and surrounding land areas reveal the presence of a major rift system landward of the continental slope. This rift system is part of a linear fracture belt which developed along the eastern margin of the North American continent in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic as the Atlantic Ocean began to open. Rifting began in the Late Devonian along a nearly continuous belt between southeastern New England and the Grand Banks. Tensional movements were re-initiated in the Late Triassic following a period of quiescence between the Late Pennsylvanian and early Mesozoic. This latter rifting not only occurred within the late Paleozoic rift belt, but also along the North American continent from Newfoundland to Florida. Tensional fracturing continued into the Early Jurassic and was accompanied by translation of crustal blocks eastward. This final phase of rifting probably ended when the igneous body causing the east coast magnetic anomaly was intruded along the continental slope and the continent became coupled to the spreading North Atlantic sea floor.
A self-compensated ceramic strain gage for use at elevated temperatures

Abstract A ceramic thin film strain gage has been developed for static strain measurements at temperatures up to 1400°C. These thin film sensors are ideally suited for in situ strain measurement in harsh environments, such as those encountered in the hot sections of gas turbine engines. However, the wide bandgap semiconductor used as the active strain elements in these devices also exhibited a large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). Thus, to reduce the apparent strain or thermally induced strain in these static strain sensors to an acceptable level, a novel self-compensation scheme was demonstrated using thin film platinum resistors placed in series with the active strain element. A mathematical model was developed and design rules were established for the self-compensated circuitry using this approach. Close agreement between the model and actual static strain results have been achieved using this approach, and reliable static strain measurements have been made over an extended temperature range.
A low-power parallel design of discrete wavelet transform using subthreshold voltage technology

The Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is a means to analyze the frequency content of a signal and has extensive uses, including the JPEG2000 codec. Many portable and battery operated applications of DWT are expected in the near future that require a low power implementation of this transform. In this paper, a parallel VLSI implementation of a 2D lifting-based DWT processor is presented that is scalable from 2 to 256 parallel units. This design benefits from an efficient data distribution module to the parallel units, which constitutes a small overhead, and is able to significantly benefit from voltage scaling to achieve energy efficiency. In our design, the number of parallel units is increased and their speed is reduced through voltage scaling, while maintaining a constant throughput. Our results show that the optimal operating voltage of the parallel units, for a target throughput of 200MHz,4 is 386mV. This is below the threshold voltage, which is the voltage that turns the transistors on. Since operating a circuit in subthreshold voltage consumes 100+ times less power than running it at nominal voltage, our design is able to provide the same throughput as a reference pipelined implementation with 26 times less power consumption.
Glycolysis in skeletal muscle regeneration

Abstract The myotoxic local anesthetic Marcaine causes widespread destruction of skeletal muscle followed by complete regeneration. To identify the metabolic adaptations that underlie muscle regeneration, we have assessed the glycolytic capacity of Marcaine-treated muscles. There was no change in the activities of adenylate kinase or creatine kinase. A 30% increase was observed in hexokinase activity and a 20 to 30% decrease in phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities in rat anterior tibial muscles. The latter enzyme activities returned essentially to control values by about Day 11 after drug injection. A 60% decrease was noted in total glycogen phosphorylase activity, followed by a return to control by Day 28. Lactate production by intact extensor digitorum muscles in vitro was unaffected by Marcaine administration, suggesting that the decrease in enzyme activities was not sufficient to impair overall glycolytic activity. Thus glycolysis is maintained to a much greater extent than oxidative metabolism and may fulfill the energy requirements during Marcaine-induced regeneration of skeletal muscle.
Theory of Mind

Theory of mind and its development has been a significantly important-and challenging-topic of research in cognitive science for three decades. This review summarizes our knowledge of when and how children come to understand their own and others' minds, including the developmental timetable, old and new measures, and foundational skills in infancy. We review recent research on theory-of-mind (ToM) and learning, that is, ways in which children's understanding of other minds informs how they learn about the world, as well as evidence for an important role of domain-general cognitive skills (executive function) in the development of ToM, and the neural networks that are most strongly implicated. Finally, we propose future directions for research in this vast and growing field. WIREs Cogn Sci 2013, 4:391-402. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1232 The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
User state migration tool: migrating to windows 7 with ease and efficiency

As early adopters of Windows 7 here at MIT's Sloan School of Management we were spending a lot of time on data migration. The greater the number of machines that we deployed with Windows 7, the more envy and desire arose throughout the community. Being a high-touch department and catering to such desires, as well as the rise in Windows XP malware infections, we found that too much of our time was being siphoned away by the tedious art of moving data manually. We needed a solution.Since User State Migration Tool 4.0 (USMT) is a free and highly customizable tool we decided it was the best route. We will review how and why we implemented USMT, first looking into some of the general terminology that is used and then the specifics of our execution. This includes: the reasoning behind our storage method, our batch scripts, what [data types] we include and exclude, and how we were able to automate the entire process of capturing the data and putting it back down onto a new device. We will also discuss the time and energy saved by not only the technician but also the user.
A comparison of fingerprint image quality and matching performance between healthcare and general populations

Research has shown for some age groups, quality of fingerprints can impact the performance of biometric systems. A desirable feature of biometrics is that they are suitable for use across the population. This applied study examines the performance of a fingerprint recognition system in a healthcare environment. Anecdotal evidence suggested front line healthcare workers may have lower image quality due to continued hand washing which may remove oils from their skin. During training, individuals are told to add oil to their fingers by wiping oil from their foreheads to improve the resulting quality of the fingerprints. In the healthcare population the authors tested, compared to two general populations (collected on optical and capacitance sensors) there was a significant difference in skin oiliness, but not in image quality. There was a difference across healthcare and non-healthcare groups in the performance of the fingerprint algorithm when compared against the capacitance dataset.
Gridded meteorological data as a resource for mechanistic macroecology in coastal environments.

Gridded weather data were evaluated as sources of forcing variables for biophysical models of intertidal animal body temperature with model results obtained using local weather station data serving as the baseline of comparison. The objective of the study was to determine which gridded data are sufficient to capture observed patterns of thermal stress. Three coastal sites in western North America were included in this analysis: Boiler Bay, Oregon; Bodega Bay, California; and Pacific Grove, California. The gridded data with the highest spatial resolution, the 32-km North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) and the 38-km Climate Forecasting System Reanalysis (CFSR), predicted daily maximum intertidal animal temperature most similarly to the local weather station data. Time step size was important for variables that change rapidly throughout the day, such as solar radiation. There were site-based differences in the ability of the model to predict daily maximum intertidal animal temperature, with the gridded ...
Antagonism of physostigmine induced lethality by a combination of scopolamine and methscopolamine.

The antagonistic effects of scopolamine, methscopolamine, and a combination of methscopolamine and scopolamine were evaluated in preventing physostigmine induced lethality in Swiss Webster mice. Low dose scopolamine was found to be highly effective in reversing high dose (3 × the LD100) physostigmine induced lethality, in contrast to methscopolamine, which was ineffective except in very high doses. A combination of scopolamine and methscopolamine was more effective than either drug alone.
Corticosterone and prolactin response to TFMPP in rats during repeated antidepressant administration

— The corticosterone and prolactin response to acute administration of the 5-HT agonist 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl) piperazine (TFMPP) (10 mg kg−1) was assessed in rats treated for 10 days with either saline, amitriptyline (20 mg kg−1 day−1) or nialamide (40 mg kg−1 day−1). For all groups, TFMPP significantly increased both serum corticosterone and prolactin concentrations compared with control animals challenged with saline. However, the corticosterone response to TFMPP was attenuated significantly by nialamide pretreatment, while the prolactin response to TFMPP was enhanced significantly by amitriptyline pretreatment. These results support previous reports that antidepressants differentially affect 5-HT-ergic systems involved in the regulation of corticosterone and prolactin secretion.
Career Assessment with Culturally Different Clients: Proposing an Integrative-Sequential Conceptual Framework for Cross-Cultural Career Counseling Research and Practice.

In response to the need for theoretical models to guide counseling and conceptualize career assessment with culturally different clients, the authors propose an integrative-sequential conceptual mo...
Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence among Patients Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the US Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as an important etiologic agent of liver injury and failure in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The prevalence and characteristics of HCV in a representative cohort of HIV-infected patients have not been described. Therefore, a representative sample of 1687 HIV-infected patients was studied; a 213-sample subcohort was selected by use of risk-based sampling from 2 large prospective US Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group clinical trials. HCV prevalence, HCV RNA level, and genotype were determined. The weighted overall estimate of HCV prevalence in the study cohort was 16.1% (95% weighted confidence interval, 14.3%-17.8%), with significant variability depending on risk factors and HIV RNA levels. Among patients defined as being "at risk", 72.7% were HCV positive, whereas, among low-risk patients, the positivity rate was 3.5%. Genotype 1 was found in 83.3% of infected patients. Median HCV RNA level was 6.08x106 IU/mL. High virus loads and genotype 1 prevalence may be important to interferon-based antiviral response rates among coinfected patients.
Maternal BMI, IGF-I Levels, and Birth Weight in African American and White Infants

At birth, elevated IGF-I levels have been linked to birth weight extremes; high birth weight and low birth weight are risk factors for adult-onset chronic diseases including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. We examined associations between plasma IGF-I levels and birth weight among infants born to African American and White obese and nonobese women. Prepregnancy weight and height were assessed among 251 pregnant women and anthropometric measurements of full term infants (≥37 weeks of gestation) were taken at birth. Circulating IGF-I was measured by ELISA in umbilical cord blood plasma. Linear regression models were utilized to examine associations between birth weight and high IGF-I, using the bottom two tertiles as referents. Compared with infants with lower IGF-I levels (≤3rd tertile), those with higher IGF-I levels (>3rd tertile) were 130 g heavier at birth, (, , ), after adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, gestational age, delivery route, maternal BMI and smoking. Stratified analyses suggested that these associations are more pronounced in infants born to African American women and women with BMI ≥30 kg/m2; the cross product term for IGF-I and maternal BMI was statistically significant (). Our findings suggest that the association between IGF-I levels and birth weight depends more on maternal obesity than African American race/ethnicity.
Synthesis, characterization and reactions of complexes containing new ligands with carbon-phosphorus multiple bonds

Introduction Experimental Section Results Discussion Summary Acknowledgment References PALLADIUM COORDINATION COMPOUNDS OF ct'A.^-PHOSPHORANES: FIRST EXAMPLES OF PH0SPH0NI0-METHYLENE(IMIN0)METALL0PHOSPHORANE [(R3P)(Me3Si)C=P(ML„)=NSiMe3] AND PHOPHONIOMETHYLENE(0X0)PH0SPH0RANE [(R3P)(Me3Si)C=P(=0)NSiMe3] LIGANDS
Clinical Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging

Molecular imaging holds the promise of becoming a key diagnostic modality in cardiovascular medicine by allowing visualization of specific targets and pathways that precede or underlie changes in morphology, physiology, and function. As such, molecular imaging aims at detecting precursors or early stages of cardiovascular disease and at monitoring and guiding novel, increasingly specific and versatile cardiovascular therapies. Imaging of myocardial metabolism and autonomic innervation are already used in current practice, and a wide variety of other targets and probes is on the horizon. This focused review provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges that molecular imaging faces to fulfill its promises in clinical cardiovascular medicine.
Basic mechanisms of numerical processing: cross-modal number comparisons and symbolic versus nonsymbolic numerosity in the intraparietal sulcus.

The most basic form of numerical cognition is numerosity, which is the ability to discern the quantity of objects in a set (e.g., are there more blue dots or more yellow dots?). Numerosity is considered part of an evolutionarily ingrained approximate number system, which supports estimation of
Temperature-Dependent Modulation of Excitatory Transmission in Hippocampal Slices Is Mediated by Extracellular Adenosine

Although extracellular adenosine concentrations in brain are increased markedly by a variety of stimuli such as hypoxia and ischemia, it has been difficult to demonstrate large increases in adenosine with stimuli that do not result in pathological tissue damage. The present studies demonstrate that increasing the temperature at which rat hippocampal brain slices are maintained (typically from 32.5 to 38.5 degrees C) markedly inhibits excitatory synaptic transmission. This effect was reversible on cooling, readily repeatable, and was blocked by A1 receptor antagonists and by adenosine deaminase, suggesting that it was mediated by increased activation of presynaptic adenosine A1 receptors by endogenous adenosine. This increase in adenosinergic inhibition was not a response to hyperthermia per se, because it could be elicited by temperatures that remained entirely within the hypothermic range (e. g., from 32.5 to 35.5 degrees C). The increased activity at A1 receptors appeared to be attributable to the direct release of adenosine via nucleoside transporters; the release of adenine nucleotides, linked to either the activation of NMDA receptors or the increased efflux of cAMP, appeared not to be involved. These results suggest that changes in brain temperature can alter the regulation of extracellular adenosine in rat brain slices and that increased adenosine release may be an important regulatory mechanism for countering increased excitability consequent to increased brain temperature.
A clustering algorithm for liver lesion segmentation of diffusion-weighted MR images

In diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, accurate segmentation of liver lesions in the diffusion-weighted images is required for computation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the lesion, the parameter that serves as an indicator of lesion response to therapy. However, the segmentation problem is challenging due to low SNR, fuzzy boundaries and speckle and motion artifacts. We propose a clustering algorithm that incorporates spatial information and a geometric constraint to solve this issue. We show that our algorithm provides improved accuracy compared to existing segmentation algorithms.
Development of a Multiplex PCR-Ligase Detection Reaction Assay for Diagnosis of Infection by the Four Parasite Species Causing Malaria in Humans

The diagnosis of infections caused by Plasmodium species is critical for understanding the nature of malarial disease, treatment efficacy, malaria control, and public health. The demands of field-based epidemiological studies of malaria will require faster and more sensitive diagnostic methods as new antimalarial drugs and vaccines are explored. We have developed a multiplex PCR-ligase detection reaction (LDR) assay that allows the simultaneous diagnosis of infection by all four parasite species causing malaria in humans. This assay exhibits sensitivity and specificity equal to those of other PCR-based assays, identifying all four human malaria parasite species at levels of parasitemias equal to 1 parasitized erythrocyte/μl of blood. The multiplex PCR-LDR assay goes beyond other PCR-based assays by reducing technical procedures and by detecting intraindividual differences in species-specific levels of parasitemia. Application of the multiplex PCR-LDR assay will provide the sensitivity and specificity expected of PCR-based diagnostic assays and will contribute new insight regarding relationships between the human malaria parasite species and the human host in future epidemiological studies.
Planar Segmentation of RGBD Images Using Fast Linear Fitting and Markov Chain Monte Carlo

With the advent of affordable RGBD sensors such as the Kinect, the collection of depth and appearance information from a scene has become effortless. However, neither the correct noise model for these sensors, nor a principled methodology for extracting planar segmentations has been developed yet. In this work, we advance the state of art with the following contributions: we correctly model the Kinect sensor data by observing that the data has inherent noise only over the measured disparity values, we formulate plane fitting as a linear least-squares problem that allow us to quickly merge different segments, and we apply an advanced Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, generalized Swendsen-Wang sampling, to efficiently search the space of planar segmentations. We evaluate our plane fitting and surface reconstruction algorithms with simulated and real-world data.
Pulmonary Circulation Time in Man at Low Body Temperatures

SummaryPulmonary circulation time is prolonged in humans whose internal temperature is reduced toward 85°F when exposed to low environmental temperatures. It is suggested that diminished output of the right heart is a large factor. Correlations between fall in rectal temperature and prolongation in circulation time exist only when the femoral vein is the site of injection. Shivering shortens circulation time or minimizes prolongation due to hypothermia.
Drosophila nonmuscle myosin II has multiple essential roles in imaginal disc and egg chamber morphogenesis

Morphogenesis is characterized by orchestrated changes in the shape and position of individual cells. Many of these movements are thought to be powered by motor proteins. However, in metazoans, it is often difficult to match specific motors with the movements they drive. The nonmuscle myosin II heavy chain (MHC encoded by zipper is required for cell sheet movements in Drosophila embryos. To determine if myosin II is required for other processes, we examined the phenotypes of strong and weak larval lethal mutations in spaghetti squash (sqh), which encodes the nonmuscle myosin II regulatory light chain (RLC). sqh mutants can be rescued to adulthood by daily induction of a sqh cDNA transgene driven by the hsp70 promoter. By transiently ceasing induction of the cDNA, we depleted RLC at specific times during development. When RLC is transiently depleted in larvae, the resulting adult phenotypes demonstrate that RLC is required in a stage-specific fashion for proper development of eye and leg imaginal discs. When RLC is depleted in adult females, oogenesis is reversibly disrupted. Without RLC induction, developing egg chambers display a succession of phenotypes that demonstrate roles for myosin II in morphogenesis of the interfollicular stalks, three morphologically and mechanistically distinct types of follicle cell migration, and completion of nurse cell cytoplasm transport (dumping). Finally, we show that in sqh mutant tissues, MHC is abnormally localized in punctate structures that do not contain appreciable amounts of filamentous actin or the myosin tail-binding protein p127. This suggests that sqh mutant phenotypes are chiefly caused by sequestration of myosin into inactive aggregates. These results show that myosin II is responsible for a surprisingly diverse array of cell shape changes throughout development.
A new MOS circuit primitive for fast timing simulations

A new MOS circuit primitive, of which an inverter is a special case, is presented. The proposed MOS circuit primitive is shown to be more suitable for switch level and fast timing simulations than the commonly used inverter. The approach for obtaining the exact analytic transient solution of this general MOS primitive for piecewise-linear inputs is also presented. For circuit simulation of medium-size digital circuits containing a few hundred transistors, the application of this primitive along with its analytic solution has resulted in two to three orders of speed improvement over the conventional circuit simulator. >
A fast finite-state relaxation method for enforcing global constraints on sequence decoding

We describe finite-state constraint relaxation, a method for applying global constraints, expressed as automata, to sequence model decoding. We present algorithms for both hard constraints and binary soft constraints. On the CoNLL-2004 semantic role labeling task, we report a speedup of at least 16x over a previous method that used integer linear programming.
Swallow recovery in an oral cancer patient following surgery, radiotherapy, and hyperthermia.

Background. No study has examined the nature and extent of swallowing impairment in oral cancer patients following treatment with combined hyperthermia and interstitial radiotherapy. Few studies have examined the effects of voluntary swallow maneuvers (supersupraglottic and Mendelsohn) on pharyngeal phase swallowing in the oral cancer patient treated with surgery or radiotherapy. This study examined the effects of combined radiotherapeutic salvage treatments of hyperthermia and interstitial implantation and swallow recovery using swallow maneuvers in a surgically treated and irradiated oral cancer patient. Methods. The patient under study, a 51-year-old man, underwent radiotherapy, according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) protocol #8419, consisting of a combination of interstitial irradiation and hyperthermia to the base of tongue, for a recurrent squamous cell cancer. He underwent videofluorographic (VFG) examination of his swallowing, a modified barium swallow at three time points: 2 days following radiotherapy treatment (VFG1), 4 weeks later (VFG2), and 8 months later (VFG3). Temporal and biomechanical analyses of swallows were performed at each time point. Results. Swallow maneuvers and time resulted in improved laryngeal elevation and laryngeal vestibule closure during the swallows on VFG2. Maximum upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening width and duration were more normal. Fewer swallows were required for bolus clearance through the pharynx. Base of tongue tissue necrosis occurred as a complication of radiotherapy between VFG2 and VFG3, with resultant severe reduction in posterior movement of the tongue base, incomplete tongue base contact to the posterior pharyngeal wall, reduced laryngeal elevation, and incomplete laryngeal vestibule closure during swallowing at VFG3. UES opening became less normal and a greater number of swallows were required for bolus clearance through the pharynx. Conclusions. Combined interstitial irradiation and hyperthermia can cause oropharyngeal swallowing problems. Time and swallow therapy can improve these swallow disorders. Tongue base tissue necrosis can cause further swallow impairment, emphasizing the importance of the tongue base in normal deglutition. Further studies are needed to examine the impact of combined hyperthermia and interstitial implantation for treatment of tongue base tumors on swallow functioning in a larger group of patients. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.