cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma Aβ Levels Do Not Reflect Brain Aβ Levels

Cerebral accumulation of amyloid β protein (Aβ) is characteristic of Alzheimer disease (AD). Aβ can be detected in cerebrospinal fluid and in plasma. Although plasma Aβ has been proposed as a marker of risk of AD, it is unknown how plasma levels relate to neuropathologic levels. We compared plasma levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 obtained during life with biochemical and pathologic levels in frontal and temporal neocortex in 25 individuals (17 AD, 3 control, and 5 non-AD dementia) who died a median of 1 year after blood collection. Plasma levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 were not associated with any of the brain measures, even after adjusting for age and interval between plasma collection and death. The APOE e4 allele may modify the relationship between plasma Aβ42 and formic acid-extractable Aβ42, with an inverse correlation in APOE e4 carriers and a positive correlation in those lacking APOE e4. We conclude that plasma levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 are not robust correlates of histologic or biochemically assessed amyloid burdens in brain, although the influence of the APOE genotype should be further explored.
Work in progress - using distance education and university partnerships to offer specialized degree programs and earn revenue

A partnership has been developed and implemented between New Mexico State University at Alamogordo and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) which allows these two schools to use distance education to offer a degree program, Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) in New Mexico using local Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) faculty supplemented with BMET coursework and faculty expertise located in Indianapolis. The BMET content is delivered using Indiana University's virtual classroom, Oncourse. This partnership satisfies a tremendous need for BMET graduates in a geographic location far from Indianapolis. Because BMET programs have their roots in the EET curriculum, this program attracts additional students to EET courses at New Mexico State University -Alamogordo. Students enroll and receive credit from their home institution. Creative student enrollment procedures and tuition distribution generates revenue for IUPUI
Who Reads Catholic Newspapers? Exploring Readership in a Changing Industry

Newspapers published by Roman Catholic dioceses represent a large and unexplored part of the religious publishing industry. This study attempts to shed light on the challenges these publications face by examining the readership of a diocesan newspaper in a large Catholic diocese in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Based on a comprehensive survey of 24,278 Roman Catholic households from 27 parishes throughout the diocese, this study finds a large gap in readership and engagement between older and younger readers, raising important strategic and pastoral questions for the newspaper in the years to come.
Collapse of fractional quantum Hall states in double-quantum-well systems.

We study the collective excitations of fractional quantum Hall states in double-quantum-well systems using a single mode approximation. Due to the symmetry in the system, the collective excitations of the intralevel and the interlevel modes are not coupled. When the separation between the double wells d becomes large, the excitation energy of the intralevel mode is decreased slightly due to the spreading of the single-electron wave function. On the other hand, the interlevel mode goes soft at a critical well separation ${\mathit{d}}_{\mathit{c}}$. This indicates that the fractional quantum Hall state becomes unstable, and the system should undergo a quantum phase transition to an additional ground state. Furthermore, our calculations show that the fractional quantum Hall states with \ensuremath{\nu}=1/3, 1) / 5 and the integral quantum Hall state with \ensuremath{\nu}=1 should be destroyed at about the same critical well separation.
Evaluation of coronary anatomy using high-speed volumetric computed tomographic scanning.

Abstract Although coronary angiography involves minimal risk, it is sufficiently invasive that symptoms suggestive of myocardial ischemia are usually needed before the procedure is indicated, and presymptomatic patients in an at-risk group generally do not undergo catheterization. A practical method for obtaining coronary anatomy is computed tomographic (CT) scanning of contrast-filled coronary arteries. To visualize the epicardial coronary branches, a 3-dimensional (volume) CT image must be generated that contains the entire coronary tree, and the volume must be scanned fast enough to minimize image blurring and distortion due to cardiac motion. These features are available with the dynamic spatial reconstructor (DSR). In this report, we describe our initial use of the DSR to evaluate coronary anatomy from a single selective contrast medium injection into the left coronary artery. The DSR is a prototype instrument (Fig. 1) capable of scanning a 3-dimensional volume 21.5 cm in length and in diameter in 0.01 second and at a rate of 60 times/s. It contains 14 x-ray sources with 14 corresponding video based imaging chains. The x-ray tubes and image chains are mounted on a rotating turret (15 rpm) and are pulsed sequentially to provide 12-degree increments in viewing angle around the semicircular scanning arc. Detailed description of the DSR has been provided in previous studies.1–3
Spiral turbulence and phase dynamics.

Hysteretic spiral turbulence is a remarkable phenomenon of coexistence of turbulent and laminar domains in Taylor-Couette flow. We observe and measure for the first time a nonuniform pitch in long geometries and its dependence on boundary conditions at the cylinder ends, and we explain these results within the framework of phase dynamics. We also discuss the influence of secondary flow on the azimuthal width of the spiral.
Actions and mechanisms of action of novel analogues of sotalol on guinea-pig and rabbit ventricular cells.

1 The actions and mechanisms of action of novel analogues of sotalol which prolong cardiac action potentials were investigated in guinea-pig and rabbit isolated ventricular cells. 2 In guinea-pig and rabbit cells the compounds significantly prolonged action potential duration at 20% and 90% repolarization levels without affecting resting membrane potential. In guinea-pig but not rabbit cells there was an increase in action potential amplitude and in rabbit cells there was no change in the shape or position of the ‘notch’ in the action potential. 3 Possible mechanisms of action were studied in more detail in the case of compound II (1-(4-methanesulphonamidophenoxy)-3-(N-methyl 3,4 dichlorophenylethylamino)-2-propanol). Prolongation of action potential duration continued to occur in the presence of nisoldipine, and calcium currents recorded under voltage-clamp conditions were not reduced by compound II (1 μm). Action potential prolongation by compound II was also unaffected in the presence of 10 μm tetrodotoxin. 4 Compound II (1 μm) did not influence IK1 assessed from the current during ramp changes in membrane potential (20 mVs−1) over the range − 90 to − 10 mV. 5 Compound II (1 μm) blocked time-dependent delayed rectifier potassium current (IK) activated by step depolarizations and recorded as an outward tail following repolarization. When a submaximal concentration (50 nm) was applied there was no change in the apparent reversal potential of IK. 6 Submaximal concentrations of compound II were without effect on activation of IK with time at a membrane potential of + 40 mV, and no changes were detected in the time constants of the two components of IK decay over the range of potentials − 60 to 0 mV. Compound II (50 nm) appeared to cause a small shift in the activation of IK with membrane potential (an apparent shift of approximately 10 mV in the depolarizing direction at the mid-point of the curve). 7 Log dose-response curves for action potential prolongation and for blockade of IK by compound II were similar. The IC50 for compound II was approximately 30 nm. 8 It is concluded that this novel series of compounds prolongs action potential duration, and that in the case of compound II the evidence supports a potent selective effect on the time-dependent potassium current IK, an effect which can account for this prolongation.
Adenosine as a source for hypoxanthine nucleotides synthesis in human erythrocytes. The effect of dipyridamole.

. Incubation of human erythrocytes in the medium containing adenosine, pyruvate and phosphate causes the synthesis of considerable amounts of IMP and ITP. The synthesis of ITP is linear during the 4-hour incubation period. Dipyridamole lowered the synthesis of ITP to a certain extent and greatly increased the synthesis of IMP.
Telephone Assessment of Cognitive Function in the Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Family Study

Background: Administration of cognitive test batteries by telephone has been shown to be a valid and costeffective means of assessing cognition, but it remains relatively uncommon in epidemiological research. Objectives: To develop composite cognitive measures and assess how much of the variability in their scores is associated with mode of test administration (ie, in person or by telephone). Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting: Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Family Study conducted at 18 centers across the United States. Participants: A total of 1584 persons, 368 with dementia, from 646 families. Main Outcome Measures: Scores on composite measures of memory and cognitive function derived from a battery of 7 performance tests administered in person (69%) or by telephone (31%) by examiners who underwent a structured performance-based training program with annual recertification. Results: Based in part on the results of a factor analysis of the 7 tests, we developed summary measures of working memory, declarative memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, and global cognition. In linear regression analyses, mode of test administration accounted for less than 2% of the variance in the measures. In mixedeffects models, variability in cognitive scores due to center was small relative to variability due to differences between individuals and families. Conclusions: In epidemiologic research on aging and Alzheimer disease, assessment of cognition by telephone has little effect on performance and provides operational flexibility and a means of reducing both costs and missing data.
Characterization of Human Metapneumovirus Infection of Myeloid Dendritic Cells

Recent in vivo studies suggest that hMPV is a poor inducer of inflammatory cytokines and that clinical symptoms may not be related to immune-mediated pathogenesis as it has been proposed for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human parainfluenza 3 (HPF3). Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen presenting cells, and very effective at inducing specific CTLs after encountering invading viruses. Interactions of hMPV with DCs have not been characterized. We hypothesized that the relatively mild inflammatory responses observed in vivo after hMPV infection might be at least in part due to hMPV's poor ability to stimulate and activate DCs. hMPV actively infected immature monocyte-derived CD11c+/HLA-DR+ DCs. However, in contrast to RSV or HPF3, hMPV caused no gross cytopathic effects such as syncytia, lytic infection, or massive apoptosis. DCs exposed to hMPV show no cytopathic effects under tissue culture conditions permissive for viral replication. The surface maturation markers CD83 and CD86 were not significantly up-regulated in infected DCs as compared to uninfected controls, while expression of CD80 appeared increased. Stimulation of hMPV-infected DCs with LPS resulted in the enhanced expression of all these surface markers indicating that hMPV is not generally suppressing DC maturation. Overall, cytokine expression remained low. These results indicate that hMPV does not induce effective DC maturation in vitro and suggest that the weak stimulation of DCs may account for the overall low immunogenicity of this virus observed in vivo.
Genetic Kin Recognition: Honey Bees Discriminate Between Full and Half Sisters

The ability of organisms to recognize kin not previously encountered has been demonstrated in monkeys1, mice2, frogs3,16, a sweat bee4,5 and the honey bee6. The environmental and genetic components of recognition are difficult to separate even in controlled conditions. Here we show that the honey bee Apis mellifera discriminates between full and half sisters raised in the same hive, on the same brood comb in neighbouring cells, thus demonstrating a significant genetic component to the recognition process. Besides its ethological implications, this work has implications for the evolution of sterile worker castes in hymenopterans7,10.
Author-oriented link management

Abstract Currently, a major issue with the World Wide Web (WWW) is link management—keeping web structures consistent whenever pages are moved, deleted, or changed. This paper describes a link management technique that helps authors ensure the consistency of their content. This technique, called the change log table/web-walk (CLT/WW) approach, is based on web operations that log the gross changes made by authors to their web pages. We discuss the interesting properties of this approach, including: managing cross-site linking of many web sites, ease of integration into existing content management systems, and decoupling web operations from link management. The issues surrounding this technique and potential extensions to this approach are also discussed.
Respiratory hospitalizations in association with fine PM and its components in New York State.

Despite observed geographic and temporal variation in particulate matter (PM)-related health morbidities, only a small number of epidemiologic studies have evaluated the relation between PM2.5 chem...
Accidental ingestion of Podophyllum

AbstractRecently, Podophyllum in tincture of benzoin has found wide spaced usage in the treatment of condyloma accuminata. There have been several reports of its toxicity in the literature, but there is a paucity of information in textbooks concerning its toxicity. A case of poisoning as a result of accidental ingestion of Podophyllum is presented. The resulting toxic effects manifested as an initial severe central nervous system effect followed by an extended period of severe peripheral neuropathy. Common symptoms encountered are vomiting, respiratory stimulation, ataxia, and coma. Aggressive general support measures should be employed as necessary, such as IV therapy and respiratory support.
The plays of Tennessee Williams--a psychoanalytic view.

(2004). The plays of Tennessee Williams‐A psychoanalytic view. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis: Vol. 85, No. 6, pp. 1505-1506.
The effect of cysteamine on immunoreactive somatostatin in the rabbit retina.

Abstract Cysteamine hydrochloride was administered to rabbits at doses ranging from 0.3 to 10 mg by two intravitreal injections 24 h apart. Retinal immunoreactive somatostatin concentrations were reduced by about 50% at 24 h following the second injection. At doses of 0.3–3 mg, there was no demonstrable effect on retinal concentrations of immunoreactive substance P or of dopamine. Ten milligrams of cysteamine produced non-specific retinal damage. Cysteamine injected locally into the retina is a relatively specific drug for depletion of somatostatin.
Islam, 'Soft' Orientalism and Hegemony: A Gramscian Rereading

Abstract The neo‐Gramscian framework offers one of the more innovative contributions to a discipline long embedded in the self‐same verities of behaviouralism, positivism and neo‐Realism. As with conventional wisdom, however, neo‐Gramscians reproduce either assumptions of liberal neutrality or cultural thickness in relation to the ‘peripheral zones’ of the global political economy. These tendencies produce a variant that can be likened to ‘soft Orientalism’. In the first instance, cultural difference is not much of an impediment to the establishment of (West‐centred) global hegemony. In the second instance, otherness becomes the principal source of counter‐hegemonic movements or resistance. This article provides a Gramscian rereading of these antinomies in relation to the apparent consolidation of a natural attitude towards Islam in the wake of recent dramatic events.
Multisensor Robotic System For Autonomous Space Maintenance And Repair

The feasibility of realistic autonomous space manipulation tasks using multisensory information is demonstrated. The system is capable of acquiring, integrating, and interpreting multisensory data to locate, mate, and demate a Fluid Interchange System (FIS) and a Module Interchange System (MIS). In both cases, autonomous location of a guiding light target, mating, and demating of the system are performed. Implemented visio-driven techniques are used to determine the arbitrary two-dimensional position and orientation of the mating elements as well as the arbitrary three-dimensional position and orientation of the light targets. A force/torque sensor continuously monitors the six components of force and torque exerted on the end-effector. Both FIS and MIS experiments were successfully accomplished on mock-ups built for this purpose. The method is immune to variations in the ambient light, in particular because of the 90-minute day-night shift in space.
Optical packaging of silicon photonic devices for external connection of parallel optical signals

Optical packaging method is necessary for silicon nanophotinic devices. We evaluate various optical connection methods for the silicon photonic transceivers, in terms of connection of waveguides on silicon chips to the external optical cables. An intermediate optical path such as optical waveguides or optical fibers is beneficial to couple the on-silicon optical signals with external fibers for high bandwidth transceiver devices. For the CPU like modules with large bandwidth optical input and output, various requirements such as for electrical and optical connection, accurate module positioning, and cleanliness of the optical interface have to be considered. The dual lens coupling scheme is effective in relaxing these requirements.
Multiple‐event relocation of earthquakes near the Gorda Rise ‐ Mendocino Fracture Zone intersection

Earthquakes along the southern edge of the Gorda plate and the Mendocino fracture zone that were relocated jointly generally tend to move 25 to 35 km southwest of their PDE and ISC locations. This has the effect of reducing the number of events occurring deep in the plate and increasing the number of events located on the Gorda rise as well as revealing a tightly grouped linear zone of activity extending along the Mendocino fracture zone. The resulting spatial pattern of seismicity is more consistent with recent models of the tectonics of the Gorda plate and the Mendocino fracture zone.
Women's Regrets About Their Lives: Cohort Differences in Correlates and Contents

In this paper we test hypotheses about the importance of life stage in moderating the relationship between acknowledging regrets and concurrent well-being, as well as how changes in women’s social roles during the post-war period affected the content of the regrets they develop. We examine the relationship between women’s life regrets and life satisfaction, and the content of life regrets, using data from 313 predominately white, college-educated women who graduated from the same university in the United States in 1951/2 (age 66), 1972 (age 46) and 1992 (age 26). Analyses revealed that the more types of regrets middle-aged and older women reported (the 1972 and 1951/2 cohorts respectively), the lower their life satisfaction; this pattern did not hold for the youngest women. In terms of the specific content of regrets, exact logistic regressions showed that women in the oldest cohort reported more regrets about prioritizing family over career compared with the later cohorts. Overall, few women reported regrets about prioritizing their careers over families; however, women in the middle cohort were most likely to report these regrets. Results are discussed in terms of both developmental and socio-historical frameworks.
Evaluation of Reperfusion Hyperemia With Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

In this study we used myocardial contrast echocardiography to evaluate reperfusion hyperemia in an open-chest canine model of temporary coronary artery occlusion. Eight dogs had coronary occluders and electromagnetic flow probes on the left circumflex coronary artery. Aortic root injections of agitated sodium diatrizoate and saline solution were used for myocardial contrast. Data were collected at baseline (n = 16), during coronary occlusion (n = 18), immediately after coronary release (n = 18), and 5 minutes after coronary artery release (n = 12). Baseline coronary flow was 23.8 ± 5.9 ml/min, decreasing to 0 ml/min during coronary occlusion. Immediately after coronary release flow was 96.6 ± 41 ml/min ( p p p p p p p
Serum and Dietary Potassium and Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background Serum potassium levels affect insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells, and hypokalemia associated with diuretic use has been associated with dysglycemia. We hypothesized that adults with lower serum potassium levels and lower dietary potassium intake are at higher risk for incident diabetes mellitus (DM), independent of diuretic use. Methods We analyzed data from 12 209 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study, beginning in 1986, with 9 years of in-person follow-up and 17 years of telephone follow-up. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, we estimated the hazard ratio (HR) of incident DM associated with baseline serum potassium levels. Results During 9 years of in-person follow-up, 1475 participants developed incident DM. In multivariate analyses, we found an inverse association between serum potassium and risk of incident DM. Compared with those with a high-normal serum potassium level (5.0-5.5 mEq/L), adults with serum potassium levels lower than 4.0 mEq/L, 4.0 to lower than 4.5 mEq/L, and 4.5 to lower than 5.0 mEq/L had an adjusted HR (95% confidence interval [CI]) of incident DM of 1.64 (95% CI, 1.29-2.08), 1.64 (95% CI, 1.34-2.01), and 1.39 (95% CI, 1.14-1.71), respectively. An increased risk persisted during an additional 8 years of telephone follow-up based on self-report with HRs of 1.2 to 1.3 for those with a serum potassium level lower than 5.0 mEq/L. Dietary potassium intake was significantly associated with risk of incident DM in unadjusted models but not in multivariate models. Conclusions Serum potassium level is an independent predictor of incident DM in this cohort. Further study is needed to determine if modification of serum potassium could reduce the subsequent risk of DM.
The Enthalpy of Fusion of Gallium

An adiabatic calorimeter was used to measure the enthalpy of fusion of a very pure sample of gallium. The new value of the enthalpy of fusion was determined to be ΔfusH = 80.097 ± 0.032 J·g-1, where the uncertainty corresponded to a 95% confidence interval. A comparison with previous determinations is made.
Nuclear thermometers from isotope yield ratios

The apparent temperatures measured with double ratios of fragment isotope yields display fluctuations that can be attributed to the sequential decay of heavier particle unstable nuclei. Empirical correction factors which minimize these fluctuations have been obtained for 18 isotope thermometers. These factors appear to be common to the three reactions studied suggesting their application to different reactions at different incident energies.
Psychodynamic Considerations in the Treatment of a Young Person with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Case Report

That psychodynamic concepts can be utilized in the multimodal treatment of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) almost seems to be an oxymoron in the contemporary general mental health community. It may be that the mother-blaming/refrigerator-mother conceptions of the 1940s and 1950s have turned the mental health community, as well as parents, away from psychodynamic considerations in the treatment of ASD to treatments other than dynamic ones. This is a report of a patient with ASD who was interviewed on video by his therapist/analyst at the age of 19 after obtaining informed consent. The interview reviews their work together, which had begun when the patient was three and a half and who was not really talking well past his sixth birthday. We conjecture that the addition of a psychodynamic approach contributed to the developmental gains.
Detection of evolutionarily stable fragments of cellular pathways by hierarchical clustering of phyletic patterns.

Background: Phyletic patterns denote the presence and absence of orthologous genes in completely sequenced genomes and are used to infer functional links between genes, on the assumption that genes involved in the same pathway or functional system are co-inherited by the same set of genomes. However, this basic premise has not been quantitatively tested, and the limits of applicability of the phyletic-pattern method remain unknown. Results: We characterized a hierarchy of 3,688 phyletic patterns encompassing more than 5,000 known protein-coding genes from 66 complete microbial genomes, using different distances, clustering algorithms, and measures of cluster quality. The most sensitive set of parameters recovered 223 clusters, each consisting of genes that belong to the same metabolic pathway or functional system. Fifty-six clusters included unexpected genes with plausible functional links to the rest of the cluster. Only a small percentage of known pathways and multiprotein complexes are co-inherited as one cluster; most are split into many clusters, indicating that gene loss and displacement has occurred in the evolution of most pathways. Conclusions: Phyletic patterns of functionally linked genes are perturbed by differential gains, losses and displacements of orthologous genes in different species, reflecting the high plasticity of microbial genomes. Groups of genes that are co-inherited can, however, be recovered by hierarchical clustering, and may represent elementary functional modules of cellular metabolism. The phyletic patterns approach alone can confidently predict the functional linkages for about 24% of the entire data set.
Can Comparison of MZ- and DZ-Twin Concordance Rates be Used Invariably to Estimate Heritability?

Proponents of the validity of the classical MZ-DZ twin comparison model for calculating heritability claim that the environments influencing MZ and DZ twin individuals are essentially identical. This 'equal environments assumption' may or may not be universally true when applied to the analysis of subjective traits. We examined the validity of this assumption as applied to the propensity for smoking cigarettes, reasoning that equality of environments should lead to equal smoking prevalences in MZ and DZ twin individuals. We identified 8 twin populations with data on smoking. We compiled odds ratios (ORs) for ever smoking in MZ and DZ twin individuals in these 8 studies and overall, using a fixed-effects meta-analytic method based on the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. The prevalence of smoking was less in MZ twin individuals than in DZ twin individuals in 7 of 8 studies. The overall OR was 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.84, 0.89). ORs were virtually unchanged when the analyses were stratified for gender and age, and no differences were found in relation to the location of the study, the date of the study or the birth years of the cohorts. For cigarette smoking, the environments of MZ and DZ twins may not be co-equal. For subjective traits, heritability estimates may be influenced by these unequal environmental factors that differentially affect their development and characteristics in MZ and DZ twins.
A dual metric approach towards similarity measurement in image registration

Image registration is an essential pre-processing step in a wide range of image processing applications such as medical imaging, terrain recognition from aerial images, biometric identification procedures etc. Recognition, matching or comparison of images can be done once the images that we seek to identify are registered. A crucial part of the image registration technique is to measure the degree of similarity between the two images, usually referred to as the test image and reference image, respectively. Several metrics have been used in the literature to measure this degree of similarity. In this paper, we compare the performance of the correlation coefficient(CC) and mutual information (MI) in terms of their sensitivity to translation and rotation in intra-modal image registration. We then propose the use of a dual metric consisting of both CC and MI to achieve efficient and accurate image registration. We demonstrate our results using fingerprint images obtained from the NIST database and iris images
T non-conservation in three-neutrino oscillations

Abstract The effects of a T violating vacuum mixing parameter in neutrino oscillations can be enhanced by the presence of matter. However, most astrophysical neutrino experiments observe only the electron neutrino transmission probability, P ( ν e ; x → ν e ; y ), which is completely independent of the T violating phase. There is only one direct measure of this phase for three flavors and a symmetric medium such as the earth - for which we calculate some examples.
Editorial comment--A mercy to victims of cerebrovascular diseases.

The year 2004 has been a year of reinforcing the idea of treating ischemic stroke. Measures for recanalization per endovascular approach are again proved to be feasible in the brain vessels. In this issue of Stroke , Gobin et al report an unprecedented, promising phase I feasibility study of removing clots from occluded vessels by corkscrew Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia (Merci) Retrieval System.1 Treating ischemic stroke by embolectomy is not a new concept; however, until this year, the efficacy of the treatment is emerging and not too invasive. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration cleared the device for clot removing. Clot removing might be a reasonable way to treat the occluded brain vessels in practice, but the efficacy of treating acute ischemic stroke by this device is not yet unyielding; thus, the …
Persons, Places, and Personality: Career Assessment Using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory:

The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992a) is a questionnaire measure of 30 traits that define the comprehensive five-factor model (FFM) of personality. Data from police selection, college student, and Hispanic American samples illustrate the psychometric properties of the instrument. In vocational counseling, the NEO PI-R can supplement measures of vocational interests and abilities, especially by calling attention to the client's strengths and weaknesses in adjustment and motivation. Use of the NEO Job Profiler, a tool designed to help identify the personality requirements of different occupations, is illustrated in the police selection sample. Together, the NEO Job Profiler and NEO PI-R can help determine the optimal match between person and occupation.
ELIMINATION OF POSITIVE INDUCTION EFFECTS IN DISCRIMINATIVE STRAIGHT-ALLEY PERFORMANCE BY SODIUM AMYTAL

Following discriminative straight-alley training, rats were extinguished to S+ only or to an alternating S+ and S– trial sequence. Extinction was conducted after one-half of the subjects had been injected with sodium amytal while one-half were injected with saline. The saline subjects displayed a robust positive induction effect, i.e., subjects extinguished more slowly to S+ if S– trials were interspersed than if only S+ trials were given. This effect was not observed in the sodium amytal subjects. The results support an interpretation of positive induction in extinction based on the frustrative effects of nonreward.
Effect of succimer chelation therapy on postural balance and gait outcomes in children with early exposure to environmental lead

This study investigated the influence of succimer chelation therapy in eliminating and/or minimizing lead-associated impairments of motor functions such as postural balance and locomotion or gait activities. In this study, postural balance and functional locomotion or gait were quantitated in 161 children in Cincinnati enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind clinical trial. In comparison to the placebo group, the succimer therapy group showed significantly decreased postural sway during dynamic task performance implying improved postural balance. The results from locomotion tests demonstrated significant improvements in functional tasks of obstacle crossing and normal walking in the succimer treated group. While some beneficial neuromotor effects of succimer therapy were observed in the present study there remains several unanswered questions such as how long these effects will persist and how succimer therapy modifies lead-associated cerebellar deficits manifesting as perturbations in vestibular and/or proprioception systems for postural balance and functional locomotion.
Compulsory seat belt usage and driver risk-taking behavior

The danger compensation principle contends that the use of such vehicle safety features as seat belts may induce drivers to take greater risks. To test for this hypothesized effect, observational data on seat belt usage and driver risk taking were collected on 4812 drivers in Ontario, Canada, where seat belt usage is required by law. The hypothesized effect would result in higher risks taken by drivers compelled to wear seat belts, as indicated by closer following in freeway driving. Such an effect was sought by observing the difference between user and nonuser following headways and comparing it with a corresponding difference previously reported for Michigan, which has no mandatory usage law. The comparison provided no evidence of danger compensation behavior in car following. It was therefore concluded that this study presents no evidence that the safety benefits of seat belts would be diminished or neutralized by greater driver risk taking.
Di-μ-perchlorato-bis­{μ-2-[(2-pyrid­yl)methyl­amino­meth­yl]phenolato)dicopper(II) acetonitrile disolvate

In the crystal of the dinuclear title compound, [Cu2(C13H13N2O)2(ClO4)2]·2CH3CN, the two bridging perchlorate ions chelate to the two CuII atoms in a μ-O:O′ fashion on opposite sides of the equatorial plane. The CuII ions display a distorted octa­hedral coordination geometry (in the usual 4 + 2 Jahn–Teller arrangement), each being coordinated by two O atoms from the two perchlorate ligands, and two N and O atoms from the reduced Schiff base ligand. The asymmetric unit contains two acetonitrile solvent mol­ecules. In the crystal structure, in addition to N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, there are weak C—H⋯O inter­actions between the perchlorate O atoms and the reduced Schiff base ligand. C—H⋯N inter­actions are also present.
Learning Curves, Production Rate, and Program Costs

This paper deals with a model of the firm engaged in production to order. Models of this situation frequently conclude that the size of the order and production rate each influence the costs of production. Despite this fact, empirical work on production costs focus almost exclusively on either production rate or the size of the order as explainers of variations in costs. In this paper, a model is developed which is consistent with both these facts. The model permits production rate to be a decision variable in the manufacturer's production planning. The model is solved for an optimal production plan which requires production rate to change throughout the life of the program. The planning situation, where alternative order sizes are considered, is then contrasted with the production situation, where unit costs are related to cumulative output given a production plan. This approach provides guidance for the use of data on past programs in the estimation of cost functions and the evaluation of future production plans.
Animist thinking in the elderly and in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Some patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) reveal low-level impairment in their concepts of living things (i.e., forgetting that zebras are striped). To test for more profound impairment, we investigated the concept alive—a “higher order” concept spanning every member of the domain. Many elderly controls were animists, attributing life to inanimates capable of self-generated activity (the sun, fire). Most AD patients were animists, with half even attributing life to inanimates whose activity is not self-generated (cars, lamps). Adult animists, like young children who have not yet acquired biological concepts, overattributed life to active inanimates. We believe this reflects an innate disposition to view active entities as agents, and that agency interferes with the biological concept alive. This interference, we suggest, reflects degradation of biological concepts in the face of spared perception of agents. It sheds light on the nature of fundamental questions concerning conceptual organization, innate ...
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE AND THE RISK OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

The relation of oral contraceptive (OC) use to the risk of myocardial infarction was assessed in a hospital-based case-control study of women ages 25-64 conducted from 1985-1988 in New England. 910 women with 1st myocardial infarctions were compared with 1760 control women. OC use after discontinuation was not associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction whether use had ceased in the distant past or more recently. The overall relative risk estimate for women who had used OC in the past for at least years compared with nonusers was 1.1 (95% confidence interval 0.8-1.5) after allowance for confounding factors. Past use was not associated with risk in any age group in subgroups of women with predisposing factors or in women at low risk of the absence of predisposing factors. The results suggest that longterm OC use after discontinuation does not influence the risk of myocardial infarction. There were few current users and the results for current use were inconclusive; for premenopausal women who had used OCs in the previous month relative to those who had not the age-adjusted relative risk estimate was 1.1 (5% confidence interval 0.4-3.1). (authors)
Spatio-temporal models of mental processes from fMRI

Understanding the highly complex, spatially distributed and temporally organized phenomena entailed by mental processes using functional MRI is an important research problem in cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Conventional analysis methods focus on the spatial dimension of the data discarding the information about brain function contained in the temporal dimension. This paper presents a fully spatio-temporal multivariate analysis method using a state-space model (SSM) for brain function that yields not only spatial maps of activity but also its temporal structure along with spatially varying estimates of the hemodynamic response. Efficient algorithms for estimating the parameters along with quantitative validations are given. A novel low-dimensional feature-space for representing the data, based on a formal definition of functional similarity, is derived. Quantitative validation of the model and the estimation algorithms is provided with a simulation study. Using a real fMRI study for mental arithmetic, the ability of this neurophysiologically inspired model to represent the spatio-temporal information corresponding to mental processes is demonstrated. Moreover, by comparing the models across multiple subjects, natural patterns in mental processes organized according to different mental abilities are revealed.
On cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulin-G (IgG) quotients in multiple sclerosis and other diseases : A review and a new formula to estimate the amount of IgG synthesized per day by the central nervous system

Abstract This review of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) changes in multiple sclerosis has brought together relevant recent advances in CSF physiology and some aspects of the pathology of MS as they relate to the CSF IgG quotients. A defense of the hypothesis that an elevated CSF IgG value in MS is the result of a basic mechanism of the CNS which does not operate normally, i.e. , that IgG diffuses through the ECS of the CNS into the CSF from sites of synthesis of IgG in the CNS, but it is contained inside the blood-CNS-CSF barrier which is only accasionally slightly abnormal is presented. It is proposed that this basic mechanism underlies the elevated CSF IgG quotients (IgG/total protein and IgG/albumin); other diseases which induce the CNS to become an immunological organ, i.e. , to produce IgG, are clinically infrequent and are easily differentiated on clinical grounds from MS; thus the elevated CSF IgG quotient found in over two-thirds of the cases of MS becomes of value in supporting the diagnosis of MS. Finally, a formula is presented which estimates the amount of IgG, expressed in mg, which is synthesized per day by the MS CNS. The average amount synthesized per day by a MS patient is 16 mg with a range of 0–100 mg.
Computed tomography-based anatomic characterization of proximal aortic dissection with consideration for endovascular candidacy

Background Proximal aortic dissections are life-threatening conditions that require immediate surgical intervention to avert an untreated mortality rate that approaches 50% at 48 hours. Advances in computed tomography (CT) imaging techniques have permitted increased characterization of aortic dissection that are necessary to assess the design and applicability of new treatment paradigms. Methods All patients presenting during a 2-year period with acute proximal aortic dissections who underwent CT scanning were reviewed in an effort to establish a detailed assessment of their aortic anatomy. Imaging studies were assessed in an effort to document the location of the primary proximal fenestration, the proximal and distal extent of the dissection, and numerous morphologic measurements pertaining to the aortic valve, root, and ascending aorta to determine the potential for an endovascular exclusion of the ascending aorta. Results During the study period, 162 patients presented with proximal aortic dissections. Digital high-resolution preoperative CT imaging was performed on 76 patients, and 59 scans (77%) were of adequate quality to allow assessment of anatomic suitability for treatment with an endograft. In all cases, the dissection plane was detectable, yet the primary intimal fenestration was identified in only 41% of the studies. Scans showed 24 patients (32%) appeared to be anatomically amenable to such a repair (absence of valvular involvement, appropriate length and diameter of proximal sealing regions, lack of need to occlude coronary vasculature). Of the 42 scans that were determined not to be favorable for endovascular repair, the most common exclusion finding was the absence of a proximal landing zone (n = 15; 36%). Conclusions Appropriately protocoled CT imaging provides detailed anatomic information about the aortic root and ascending aorta, allowing the assessment of which dissections have proximal fenestrations that may be amenable to an endovascular repair.
Technological opportunity and the relationship between innovation output and market structure

This study examines influences of technological opportunity on the relationship between market structure and the innovation output of different-size firms. A simultaneous-equations model is specified and estimated separately for technologically progressive and technologically unprogressive industries. The study finds that innovation activities of small firms and large firms bear different relationships to market structure, in part resulting from interindustry differences in technological opportunity. In technologically progressive industries, innovation output (especially of small firms) is lower in the presence of high concentration and is increased substantially by high R&D intensity. Large-firm innovation output has a positive effect on industry concentration, but only in technologically unprogressive industries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scale-Free Web Services

The development of the Internet and Web 2.0 eased communication among people and triggered the flourish of Web based communities. Among them, there are blog, social networks, music networks, and recommendation network, etc. There are also communities of massively multiplayer online games. In particular, 3D based virtual worlds, like Second Life, are highly welcomed by people. Users contribute to these communities while at the same time obtain value from the communities instead of passive browsing. The relationships among the community members and community services could be represented by different types of networks. The topology of networks influence the way how people interact and information spread within the community. In this paper, we propose a mechanism to facilitate the communities to grow into scale-free networks. Scale-free communities have good properties that could potentially speed up its accumulation of value for both the members and the community itself. We extend WSDL into scale-free Web services using Web services resource framework.
Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction A Radical View

In 1894, when Bradford and Dean1 reported that asphyxia caused pulmonary hypertension, no one paid much attention. But ever since 1946, when von Euler and Liljestrand2 reported that acute hypoxia increased pulmonary arterial pressure attributable to pulmonary vasoconstriction, investigators have been hard at work to determine the underlying mechanisms. They have kept at it for more than half a century because of the important roles hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) plays in health and disease. Early work on HPV was performed almost exclusively in intact animals or isolated lungs. These preparations provided reproducible relevant responses, but their complexity placed limits on mechanistic investigation. The last decade has seen accelerated use of more reduced preparations, such as isolated vessels and vascular cells. These preparations provide more investigative precision, but relevance is sometimes uncertain, and special conditions are often necessary to achieve adequate reproducibility. Because of these problems, the mechanisms of HPV remain unknown, and a rapidly growing mass of inconsistent data has generated confusion and frustration, leading one investigator to title his symposium on HPV, “Can everyone be right?” and another investigator to title his review, “Can anyone be right?” Nevertheless, areas of tentative consensus are emerging.3 The primary mechanisms of HPV are contained entirely within pulmonary vascular tissue. The main locus of the response is small distal pulmonary arteries. The smooth muscle effector pathway depends on an increase in cytoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c) caused by influx of calcium from extracellular fluid. Voltage-gated calcium channels provide a major influx pathway; however, release of calcium from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) seems to be essential, and influx also occurs through other pathways, such as channels dependent on internal calcium stores.3 One hypothesis resolves this complexity by proposing that hypoxia first causes SR release of calcium, which then leads …