cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Feedback in Learning Spatially Incompatible Choice Reaction Tasks: Does it Have one?

Stimulus-response compatibility effects have been shown to persist even after extended practice. In the present study, two experiments were conducted to see if the effects persist when knowledge of results that allows subjects to set performance goals is provided. In the first experiment, summary feedback about mean accuracy and mean reaction time was provided after each block of 40 trials of practice in a two-choice spatial compatibility task. Subjects practiced the task for 2,400 trials, yet the compatibility effect was not eliminated. Compared to previous experiments, reaction times were faster overall, but the degree of change was the same for both compatible and incompatible assignments. In the second experiment, a response deadline was imposed on each trial. If the subject did not respond within the time limit, which was reduced as the experiment progressed, auditory feedback was presented. Summary feedback was also presented as in Experiment 1. Again, 2,400 trials of practice reduced but did not el...
Knowledge, Achievement, and Manifestation

Virtue Epistemology appealingly characterizes knowledge as a kind of achievement, attributable to the exercise of cognitive virtues. But a more thorough understanding of the nature and value of achievements more broadly casts doubt on the view. In particular, it is argued that virtue epistemology’s answer to the Meno question is not as impressive as it purports to be, and that the favored analysis of ability is both problematic and irrelevant. However, considerations about achievements illuminate the best direction for the development of virtue epistemology. The key, it is argued, is developing the notion of manifestation as the distinguishing feature of both knowledge and achievements.
Evidence for specular reflection in thin tungsten wires

A generalized version of the Nordheim model, appropriate to a metal with an anisotropic electron mean-free-path, is used to derive a lower bound upon the resistivity of a wire of diameterd when scattering from the wire surface is completely diffuse. Measurements of the electrical resistivities of thin tungsten wires are presented and shown to fall below this lower bound. These measurements are therefore inconsistent with the existence of completely diffuse surface scattering. Within the framework of the model, the data determine an amount of specular scattering specified by a specularity parameter of magnitudep≧0.2.
Hydrogen evolution in fused quartz ampoules

Using a mass spectrometer it has been shown that up to 4×10−6 litres at s.t.p. of hydrogen per cm2 of surface are irreversibly evolved in evacuated fused quartz ampoules at 1300K after normal degassing. Fused quartz of various types and from various sources has been tested for this effect. The contribution of this gas evolution to sample contamination during phase preparation, annealing, etc. is discussed. A thermal pretreatment procedure which reduces the hydrogen evolution by approximately a factor of forty has been devised.
Managerial incentives and corporate control auctions

An analysis of the sequence of bidding in corporate control contests involving white knights reveals a category of white knights termed as ‘delayed bid’ white knights who make their bid after two consecutive hostile bids. The ‘immediate bid’ white knights make their bid in relative haste after the first hostile bid. Overpayments by white knights are much larger for the ‘immediate bid’ white knights. An analysis of the respective compensation packages shows that the managers of the ‘immediate bid’ white knights have a lower proportion of their income linked to stock value (relative to their annual cash income) compared to ‘delayed bid’ white knights and hostile bidders.
The activation of protein kinase C induces higher production of reactive oxygen species by mononuclear cells in patients with multiple sclerosis than in controls.

Objective: Recent findings have increasingly shown the importance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in causing oxidative damage to macromolecules and in contributing to tissue degeneration in target organs of autoimmune diseases. This study was aimed at comparing the base line and induced production of ROS by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PB MNCs) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in remission and relapse, of patients with other neurological diseases (OND) and of healthy controls. In addition, we analyzed the underlying mechanism of ROS production.¶Methods: PB MNCs were separated from 28 MS patients in remission and 13 in relapse, and from 29 healthy controls and 10 OND. ROS was measured by spectrofluorometry. Expression of proinflammatory cytokines was assessed by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplotypes were determined by using restriction site polymorphism analysis.¶Results: The base line and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or interferon (IFN)-γ induced ROS values were similar in the four groups, and the individual measures did not show a correlation with MS associated mtDNA haplotypes. Phorbol ester activation of protein kinase C (PKC) induced higher ROS production in all groups, however, with significantly greater values in the MS remission group. Calphostine C, a PKC inhibitor decreased or eliminated ROS production in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting further that it was predominantly or exclusively generated by PKC activated NADPH oxidase. A trend of increased TNF-α and IFN-γ expression was noted in the MS relapse group, in contrast to the high ROS release in the MS remission group.¶Conclusion: The detected phase difference between the highest ROS production vs TNF-α expression is compatible with the hypothesis that different subpopulations of monocytes/macrophages are involved. We suggest that the ROS producing subpopulation preferentially migrates into the central nervous system (CNS) during a relapse. The present study together with our previous observation on oxidative damage to DNA in active plaques delineates a molecular pathway likely involved in the histologic evolution of inflammatory demyelination.
A study of protoplasmic streaming inPhysarum by laser Doppler spectroscopy

Protoplasmic streaming in the slime moldPhysarum polycephalum has been characterized using laser Doppler spectroscopy. Measurement of the spectrum of scattered laser light permits simultaneous determination of the velocities of all particles in the laser beam, with the relative intensity from each particle proportional to its light scattering cross-section. Simple experimental modifications allow the tracking of the oscillations of the streaming velocities. Rhythmic wall contractions can be monitored simultaneously with the flow velocities. Interpretation of the Doppler spectra shows that a small fraction of the particles in the flowing protoplasm are moving with velocities two to four times greater than the characteristic velocities reported by optical microscopy. Transverse velocities in the tubes are nearly as great as the longitudinal velocities. The shape of the Doppler spectrum at the maximum of the oscillation cycle is consistent with a spatial velocity profile which is sharper than parabolic, presumably because of a viscosity gradient from the center to the walls of the plasmodial tubes. The shape of the Doppler spectrum of depolarized scattered light is of approximately the same form. The response of the plasmodium to increased temperature is an increase in the frequency of the velocity oscillations with little change in the magnitude of the velocities. The response of the plasmodium to very high intensities of laser light is to gel at the point of incidence.
Specificity of coagulation factor signaling.

Summary. Coagulation serine proteases signal through protease-activated receptors (PARs). Thrombin-dependent PAR signaling on platelets is essential for the hemostatic response and vascular thrombosis, but regulation of inflammation by PAR signaling is now recognized as an important aspect of the pro- and anti-coagulant pathways. In tissue factor (TF)-dependent initiation of coagulation, factor (F) Xa is the PAR-1 or PAR-2-activating protease when associated with the transient TF–FVIIa–FXa complex. In the anticoagulant protein C (PC) pathway, the thrombin–thrombomodulin complex activates PC bound to the endothelial cell PC receptor (EPCR), which functions as a required coreceptor for activated PC-mediated signaling through endothelial cell PAR-1. Thus, the pro- and anti-inflammatory receptor cascades are mechanistically coupled to immediate cell signaling, which precedes systemic coagulant or anticoagulant effects. In contrast to the substrate-like recognition of PARs by thrombin, TF- or EPCR-targeted activation of PARs generates cell-type specificity, PAR selectivity and protease receptor cosignaling with the G-protein-coupled PAR response. Protease receptors are thus major determinants of the biological outcome of coagulation factor signaling on vascular cells.
Impact of a Multidisciplinary Intervention on Antibiotic Use for Nursing Home–Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract Background Academic detailing in nursing homes (NHs) has been shown to improve drug use patterns and adherence to guidelines. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary intervention that included academic detailing on adherence to national nursing home–acquired pneumonia (NHAP) guidelines related to use of antibiotics. Methods This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effects of a 2-year multifaceted and multidisciplinary intervention targeting implementation of national evidence-based guidelines for NHAP. Interventions took place in 8 NHs in Colorado; 8 NHs in Kansas and Missouri served as controls. Interventions included (1) educational sessions for nurses to improve recognition and timely treatment of NHAP symptoms and (2) academic detailing to clinicians by pharmacists regarding diagnostic and prescribing practices. Differences in antibiotic use between groups were compared after 2 intervention years relative to baseline. Results A total of 549 episodes of NHAP were evaluated in the intervention group and 574 in the control group. Compared with baseline, 1 facility in the intervention group significantly improved in guideline adherence for optimal antibiotic use ( P = 0.007), whereas no facilities in the control group improved. The mean adherence score for optimal antibiotic use in intervention NHs increased from 60% to 66%, whereas the control NHs increased from 32% to 39% ( P = 0.3). Mean adherence to guidelines recommending antibiotic use within 4 hours of NHAP diagnosis increased from 57% to 75% in intervention NHs but decreased from 38% to 31% in control NHs ( P = 0.0003 for difference). There was no difference between intervention and control NHs for guideline adherence regarding optimal duration of antibiotic use. Conclusions The ability of this multifaceted study to repeatedly remind nursing staff of the importance of timely antibiotic administration contrasts with its limited academic detailing interaction with clinicians. This difference within the intervention may explain the differential impact of the intervention on antibiotic guideline adherence.
Enhanced classroom teaching through case research and writing.

The information contained in this article is intended to help foster case writing skills, improve chances of future publication success, and attract more members of the academic community into this meaningful arena of professional development. The purpose of the case method is to bring some reality into the classroom by providing students with real world problems that promote in-depth analysis and discussion. A set of guidelines is provided to serve as a starting point and checklist for case writers as they refine their research for possible publication.
Effectiveness of Thinning and Prescribed Fire Fuel Treatments in Piñon-Juniper Woodlands of the Davis Mountains, West Texas, USA

We evaluated the effectiveness of four fire hazard mitigation techniques in pinon-juniper forests of the Davis Mountains Preserve in West Texas. Four replicate fuel treatments (thin only, thin + burn, burn only, and control) were implemented to assess the effects of fire and fire surrogates on fuel loadings. The results suggested that the thin only and the thin + burn treatments significantly altered fuel loadings. The thin + burn treatment resulted in a 63% reduction in tree density, the thin only treatment resulted in a 23% reduction, and the burn only treatment showed an 8% reduction. Seedling density and tree basal area were not significantly affected by the treatments. Although thinning and thinning + burning were the most effective for reducing live fuels, they generated significant increases in surface fuels. Our results suggest that more aggressive thinning operations that target larger trees and prescribed burning during hotter, drier conditions could enhance future fuel management treatments in ...
Differential impairment of avoidance learning in cats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions

Abstract Fourteen preoperatively friendly cats had lesions placed in the region of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. As a result of these lesions, nine of the animals became savage and the remaining five were neither friendly nor aggressive, and were best described as unfriendly. Following suitable recovery intervals, training in a two-compartment shuttle box was attempted, and nine of the animals successfully learned the required avoidance response. The performance of the operated animals was significantly below that of control animals, and that of the five unfriendly cats was significantly below that of the four savage animals which completed training. The remaining five savage cats did not learn the escape response which necessarily precedes the scored avoidance response. Differential impairment of avoidance learning as a function of the residual affective state was discussed in terms of the interplay of the energizing and associative factors operating in the learning of the response.
Keyword programming for TouchDevelop

This video demo features a new keyword programming environment for TouchDevelop, a popular touch-centric system for scripting mobile devices. The new environment allows users to simply enter a set of keywords, and its internal program synthesis engine automatically generates script snippets that most likely reflect the users' intent. Because the synthesis engine can be triggered anywhere in a script, it also exploits various contextual information, such as which variables/functions are in-scope, to guide the generation of snippets. Our new environment benefit both novice and experienced TouchDevelop users. It helps novice users to synthesize script snippets from keywords and explore unfamiliar TouchDevelop features. It also improves experienced users' productivity because they need to worry about fewer coding details and enter less code. The demoed feature has been released and deployed since TouchDevelop version 2.10.
Implantation of gases into sapphire

Ions of neon, argon, and bromine were implanted into single crystals of α-Al2O3. Implantation energies of 125 keV to 3 MeV and fluences of 1 1016 to 3 × 1017 ions/cm2 were used. Some samples were subjected to post-implantation annealing. Scanning electron micrographs showed profuse (30–50% of surface area) blistering for implants of 1 × 1017 Ar/cm2 (230 keV) and 3 × 1017 Ne/cm2 (3 MeV). Specimens implanted with 4 × 1016 Br/cm2 (175 keV) contained a few ruptured blisters on the as-implanted surface. The implanted layer was severely embrittled and readily spalled from the substrate. Heating the specimens caused further blistering, cracking, and exfoliation in each case.
Ecological Determinants of Survival and Reproduction in the Spotted Hyena

Large carnivores play a key role in the structuring and dynamics of many ecosystems, yet the factors influencing dynamics of carnivore populations themselves are often poorly understood. Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are the most abundant large carnivores in many African ecosystems. We describe demographic patterns in a population of spotted hyenas observed continuously for 15.5 years, and assess the effects of per capita prey availability, interspecific competition, rainfall, anthropogenic disturbance, and disease on 2 key determinants of population dynamics: reproduction and survival. Annual reproduction, survival of juveniles (i.e., recruitment to adulthood), and mortality of adults varied among years of the study. Per capita prey availability and group size both had positive effects on reproduction, whereas interspecific competition with lions had a negative effect. Competition with lions and rainfall both had negative effects on survival of juveniles. We suggest that the negative effect of rainfall on survival may be mediated by increased rates of human‐carnivore conflict during periods of heavy rain, although human population size did not influence survival or reproduction directly. Disease had no substantial effect on this hyena population, despite occurrence of at least 2 disease outbreaks among sympatric carnivores during the study. By focusing on demographic processes that determine population growth (i.e., survival and reproduction), this study highlights the importance of both top-down and bottom-up forces acting on populations of large carnivores. These findings also add to a growing literature suggesting that interspecific competition may be more important than previously recognized in the dynamics of populations of large carnivores.
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor expression in human heart failure. A comparison with fetal development.

Aims Terminal differentiation of cardiac myocyte is associated with their permanent withdrawal from the cell cycle. In adult end-stage heart failure, significant numbers of myocytes express proliferating cell nuclear antigen yet fail to progress to cell division. Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors are powerful inhibitors of the cell cycle and may play a direct role both in myocyte development and in preventing cell division in the adult. Methods and Results The expression of the CIP/KIP cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors p21, p27, p57 and the retinoblastoma protein was examined in acute (seen in brain dead transplant donors) and end-stage heart failure by Western blot analysis and compared to that seen in human and rat cardiac development. The expression of p21 showed a gradual increase during development in both rat and man, becoming maximal in adulthood. p27 levels showed an initial rise with subsequent continual expression throughout life. p57 expression was detectable at only early stages in rat but persisted throughout life in man. In both acute and end-stage heart failure the levels of p21, p27 and p57 reverted to a pattern similar to that observed in human fetal heart: p21 and p27 declined while p57 expression was significantly increased. In contrast, retinoblast protein levels declined during human heart development but were unaltered in heart failure. Conclusions The expression of p21, but not p27 or p57, is consistent with a role in the gradual withdrawal of cardiac myocytes from cell cycle during development. In adult heart failure cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor expression reverts to the fetal pattern but is insufficient to initiate cell cycle activation.
Ferromagnetism in Ga1 xMnxP: Evidence for Inter-Mn Exchange Mediated by Localized Holes within a Detached Impurity Band

We report an energy gap for hole photoexcitation in ferromagnetic Ga{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}P that is tunable by Mn concentration (x {le} 0.06) and by compensation with Te donors. For x{approx}0.06, electrical transport is dominated by excitation across this gap above the Curie temperature (T{sub c}) of 60 K and by thermally-activated hopping below T{sub c}. Magnetization measurements reveal a moment of 3.9 {+-} 0.4 {micro}{sub B} per substitutional Mn while the large anomalous Hall signal unambiguously demonstrates that the ferromagnetism is carrier-mediated. In aggregate these data indicate that ferromagnetic exchange is mediated by holes localized in a Mn-derived band that is detached from the valence band.
Focal cerebellar hyperthermia: effects on cerebral paroxysmal afterdischarges.

Summary: Small area hyperthermia is used to selectively increase cerebellar activity, and, as shown by electroencephalographic tracings of sensorimotor area, focal cerebellar hyperthermia with temperatures limited between 39.5o and 41o C effectively reduces the duration of electrically induced afterdischarges. Additional observations on paroxysms induced in the caudate nucleus which involve the sensorimotor area indicate that these also show shortened durations during focal cerebellar hyperthermia. A comparison of effects on these two forebrain structures is given and some similarities are noted between these results and those reported from previous studies in which electrical stimuli were applied directly to the cerebellar cortex. RESUME Une hyperthermic appliquee a une zone limitee du cervelet a ete utilisee pour accroitre l'activite du cortex cerebelleux. II faut effectivement constate qu'une hyperthermic focale cerebelleuse comprise entre 39.5 et 41 degres centigrade reduisait la duree des post-decharges induites par stimulation electrique du cortex sensori-moteur des hemispheres cerebraux. De meme, les paroxysmes induits dans le noyau caude et qui interessent les crises sensori-motrices sont raccourcis par l'hyperthermic focale cerebelleuse. Les auteurs comparent les effets ainsi produits sur ces deux structures telencephaliques et ils relevent des similarite entre leurs resultats et ceux rapportes dans des etudes anterieures qui concernaient la stimulation electrique du cortex cerebelleux. RESUMEN Para aumentar selectivamente la actividad cere-belosa se ha utilizado la hipertermia focal aplicada a pequenas areas y se ha comprobado mediante registros electroencefalograficos de la zonas sensorial y motora. La hipertermia cerebelosa focal reduce la duracion de las post-descargas inducidas electricamente. Observaciones adicionales sobre paroxisraos inducidos en el nucleo caudado, y que afectan al area sensorial-motora, indican que tambien muestran una reduccion en su duracion durante la hipertermia focal cerebelosa. Se presenta una comparacion de los efectos en esas dos estructuras del telencefalo y se muestran las similaridades existentes entre estos resultados y los publicados, de estudios previos, en los que se aplicaron directamente estimulos electricos en la corteza cerebelosa. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Eng umschriebene Hyperthermie wird dazu benutzt, selektiv die cerebellare Aktivitat anzuregen. EEG-Ableitungen der sensomotorischen Gegend zeigen, das die fokale cerebellare Hypertermie mit Temperaturen zwischen 39.5 und 41 Grad Celsius wirksam die Dauer der elektrisch induzierten Nachentladungen unterdruckt. Zusatzliche Beo-bachtungen von Paroxysmen im Nucelus caudatus, die die sensomotorische Gegend mitbetreffen, zeigen, das die Nachentladungen wahrend fokaler cerebellarer Hyperthermie auch verkurzt sind. Die Wirkung auf diese zwei Vorderhirnstrukturen wird verglichen und Ahnlichkeiten werden angefuhrt zwischen diesen Resultaten und den Ergenissen fruherer Studien, in denen der cerebellare Cortex direkt durch elektrische Stimuli gereizt wurde.
The role of nanomedicine in the imaging and therapy of thrombosis.

Hemostasis is the mechanism by which the body prevents blood loss. In its absence, even the smallest trauma would result in the need for immediate intervention to prevent life-threatening hemorrhage, as is seen in coagulation disorders, such as hemophilia. Thus, the formation of blood clots (thrombi) within vessels is a beneficial process as it prevents blood loss. However, in contradistinction to its beneficial effects to limit uncontrolled bleeding, exaggerated clotting can lead to pathological thrombus formation, which, depending on its location, may result in significant morbidity and mortality. Over a century ago, Virchow described three underlying factors in the pathogenesis of thrombosis: stasis, hypercoaguability and vascular injury. On the arterial side, thrombosis (often superimposed on athero sclerotic lesions and usually platelet rich) leads to end-organ ischemia, causing syndromes such as stroke, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. On the venous side, red blood cell- and fibrin-rich thrombi cause the highly morbid deep venous thrombosis syndromes, as well as the potentially fatal syndrome of pulmonary embolism. Regardless of arterial or venous origin, the rapid diagnosis and treatment of pathological thrombosis is of the utmost importance, as restoration of vascular patency is associated with the best prognosis. In this regard, targeted nanomaterials may serve as excellent platforms on which to develop multifunctional agents for the unified detection and treatment of this disease.
Providing feedback to learners in outpatient and ambulatory care practice settings

Abstract Background Feedback is consistently recognized as essential for growth and development of both students and residents in experiential teaching. Providing adequate feedback remains a persistent challenge for preceptors in both outpatient and ambulatory care practice environments. These practice settings are characterized by a variety of factors that may negatively affect preceptors’ abilities to provide meaningful feedback, including immediate patient care needs and unpredictable patient cases in an often fast-paced practice environment. Additionally, learners in these environments have high visibility within these practices due to an emphasis on direct patient care and interprofessional provider interactions. Purpose In this article, we define feedback and its importance, identify challenges unique to the outpatient and ambulatory care practice settings, and describe clinical teaching models that support effective, timely delivery of feedback in these settings, including modeling, coaching, questioning, and the five-step microskills model for clinical teaching and feedback. Conclusion To effectively address unique needs in these settings, preceptors can draw from existing clinical teaching models and communication strategies described in the literature.
If the Book Fits: Selecting Appropriate Texts for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities.

Many adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) experience difficulties reading. To improve reading outcomes for these students, research has demonstrated the importance of providing students with appropriate texts. Appropriate texts are those that match both the reading and interest levels of students and are often credited with reducing frustration and facilitating comprehension. This article presents research on selecting appropriate texts and provides teachers with practical suggestions and resources to use when supporting selection of independent reading material for adolescents with LD.
Evaluation of precipitation type determination from TRMM observations

The TRMM mission is dedicated to observing and understanding the impact of tropical rainfall. Two of the important products of the TRMM mission are classification of precipitation into convective and stratiform type as well determination of the height of the bright band. Currently TRMM uses an algorithm to arrive at these products based on a characterization of horizontal and vertical variability of reflectivity. This paper presents result of a new algorithm developed using wavelets transform. The algorithms for wavelet analysis based products of both convective/stratiform classification as well as bright band detection are described. The results obtained from wavelet algorithms are compared against both the current products as well as ground radar inferences. The results show that the wavelet-based analysis provides fairly accurate results for both convective/stratiform classification as well as bright band determination.
Multimode optomechanical dynamics in a cavity with avoided crossings

Cavity optomechanics offers powerful methods for controlling optical fields and mechanical motion. A number of proposals have predicted that this control can be extended considerably in devices where multiple cavity modes couple to each other via the motion of a single mechanical oscillator. Here we study the dynamic properties of such a multimode optomechanical device, in which the coupling between cavity modes results from mechanically induced avoided crossings in the cavity's spectrum. Near the avoided crossings we find that the optical spring shows distinct features that arise from the interaction between cavity modes. Precisely at an avoided crossing, we show that the particular form of the optical spring provides a classical analogue of a quantum non-demolition measurement of the intracavity photon number. The mechanical oscillator's Brownian motion, an important source of noise in these measurements, is minimized by operating the device at cryogenic temperature (500 mK).
Multi-color single filter photobleaching analysis for measuring gene expression

Fluorescence microscopy is widely used in biomedical applications to quantitatively measure specific molecular signatures. It is often valuable to study several biosignatures simultaneously, such as in early stages of cancer diagnostics. Currently, multiple analyte can be observed based on the excitation and emission spectra of fluorescent dyes. However, the number of concurrent dyes is limited by the optical spectral bandwidth. We have developed a novel identification technique based on the photostability of different fluorophores. Fluorophore identification was demonstrated in mixtures of rhodamine 6B and rhodamine 6G. In addition, the concentration of each dye was successfully determined. Since the analysis is independent of the individual dye spectra, this technology can be easily integrated with existing spectral-based systems for expanding the ability of multi-analyte detection.
Pulmonary manifestations of inhaled street drugs

S ince 1611, when the Jamestown colonists first harvested tobacco, America has witnessed almost 4 centuries of inhalation drug abuse. The first general misuse of tobacco and drugs (opiates) occurred during the 16th century, when these substances were used as a substitute for legal currency.1 Drug scares have come and gone in cycles. Today, America is in the midst of its third war against illicit drugs, and it may not be the last. During the 19th century, certain mood-altering substances, such as opiates and cocaine, were often regarded as compounds helpful in everyday
Isolation, sequence analysis, and intron-exon arrangement of the gene encoding bovine rhodopsin

Summary We have isolated cDNA clones generated from the mRNA encoding the opsin apoprotein of bovine rhodopsin and used these cDNAs to isolate genomic DNA clones containing the complete opsin gene. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned DNAs has yielded a complete amino acid sequence for bovine rhodopsin and provided an intron-exon map of its gene. The mRNA homologous sequences in the 6.4 kb gene consist of a 96 bp 5’ untranslated region, a 1044 bp coding region, and a surprisingly long -1400 bp 3’ untranslated region, and are divided into five exons by four introns that interrupt the coding region. Secondary structure analysis predicts that the bovine rhodopsin chain, like that of bacteriorhodopsin, contains seven transmembrane segments. Interestingly, three of the four introns are immediately distal to the codons for three of these segments, and one of these introns marks the boundary between the C-terminal domain and a transmembrane domain.
2‐(Phenylthio)‐2‐(trimethylsilyl)propane

[89656-96-2] C12H20SSi (MW 224.48) InChI = 1S/C12H20SSi/c1-12(2,14(3,4)5)13-11-9-7-6-8-10-11/h6-10H,1-5H3 InChIKey = ZMDLIPFQILDDDR-UHFFFAOYSA-N (Peterson alkenation1 and preparation of ketones via 2-lithio-2-(trimethylsilyl)propane2, 3) Physical Data: bp 70–80 °C/0.6 mmHg. Preparative Method: by reductive lithiation of 2,2-bis(phenylthio)propane followed by trimethylsilylation with Chlorotrimethylsilane.2, 3 Purification: by flash chromatography and by Kugelrohr distillation.3 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: use in a fume hood.
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: Comparison of patients with and without an associated monoclonal gammopathy

We reviewed our data from patients with the clinical diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Seventy patients had no demonstrable underlying disease to account for their polyneuropathy and were classified as idiopathic CIDP (CIDP-I). We detected a monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS) in 30 patients who were classified as CIDP-MGUS;17 had an IgG gammopathy, 12 an IgM gammopathy, and one an IgA gammopathy. Compared with CIDP-I patients, CIDP-MGUS patients were older and slightly more likely to be males. When compared with patients with an MGUS but without polyneuropathy reported in the literature, CIDP-MGUS patients had similar distributions of age, sex, and immunoglobulin class. There were no significant differences in motor and sensory nerve conduction measures between CIDP-I and CIDP-MGUS patients, nor between CIDP-MGUS patients with IgM and those with IgG or IgA gammopathy. Strict electrodiagnostic criteria for primary demyelination were fulfilled by 54% of CIDP-I patients and 40% of CIDP-MGUS patients, but these were not significantly different. Our study suggests that (1) the demographic features and immunoglobulin class distribution of CIDP-MGUS patients largely reflect those of patients with an MGUS, but without polyneuropathy, (2) CIDP-MGUS patients as a group cannot be distinguished from CIDP-I patients on the basis of nerve conduction studies, and (3) IgM CIDP-MGUS patients cannot be distinguished from those with other immunoglobulin classes.
Absorption of Vitamin A in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis Absorption Is Best with Emulsified Vitamin A Alcohol

Vitamin A absorption tests using vitamin A palmitate and alcohol separately in oil and oil-water emulsions were done on 43 patients with cystic fibrosis. Patients were given 7,000 units of vitamin A per kilogram of body weight with a fatty breakfast. Pancreatic enzymes were not given with the test meal and were withheld for five hours from start of test. Blood was drawn before administration of the vitamin and at three and five hours after administration. Serum vitamin A levels were estimated using the Carr-Price technique.The percentages of patients with normal vitamin A absorption were 85 with vitamin A alcohol in oil-water emulsion, 61 with vitamin A alcohol dissolved in oil, 64 with vitamin A palmitate in oil-water emulsion, and 19 with vitamin A palmitate in oil.The number of stools per day is an inverse indicator of retention time in the intestine. Absorption of fat soluble vitamins is always abnormal when a patient has four or more stools a day.The observations that cystic fibrosis patients with ab...
A study of free jet impingement. Part 2. Free jet turbulent structure and impingement heat transfer

An experimental study of jet impingement is completed with the presentation of the measured turbulent characteristics of the circular subsonic jet and the heat transfer rates measured when this jet impinges normal to a flat plate. The data suggest that for impingement very close to the stagnation point, the heat transfer can be computed by applying a turbulent correction factor to the laminar value calculated for a flow having the same pressure distribution as that present in the impingement region. The correction factor is found to be a function of the axial distance and not of Reynolds number. Farther away, the measurements agree well with the heat transfer estimated using the method of Rosenbaum & Donaldson (1967). At large distances from the stagnation point, the heat transfer falls off in inverse proportion with the distance.The documentation of the turbulent jet flow field includes measurements of the radial and axial velocity fluctuations and their spectra, as well as the radial distribution of turbulent shear . In addition, measurements of the turbulence near the stagnation point and the total pressure fluctuation at the stagnation point are presented.
Ethanol Has No Effect on CAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase-, Protein Kinase C-, or Ca2+-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II-Stimulated Phosphorylation of Highly Purified Substrates in Vitro

The actions of ethanol on kinase stimulated phosphorylation were examined using highly purified protein kinases and a variety of purified substrates. Ethanol (25-200 mm) failed to alter the phos phorylation of histone Ila and histone Ills by CAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC), respectively. Moreover, ethanol (25-200 mm) did not affect the phosphorylation of synapsin I by Ca2+-celmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAM kinase 11). Finally, neither PKA nor PKC stimulated phosphorylation of the GABAa receptor (GABAA-R) was modulated by ethanol at any con centration of ethanol tested. These results suggest that ethanol, in pharmacological concentrations, has no direct actions on the ability of these kinases to catalyze the phosphorylation of specific substrate proteins. In particular, ethanol does not appear to directly influence GABAA-R phorphorylation by either PKA or PKC.
Direct imaging of transient interference in a single-mode waveguide using near-field scanning optical microscopy

Near-field scanning optical microscopy was used to image transient interference between the guided mode and a leaky mode induced in a single-mode waveguide due to a localized adlayer. The observed field response in the adlayer region as well as the period and decay length of the subsequent interference are in good agreement with beam propagation calculations. The transient interference impacts the element spacing in local evanescent array coupled sensors.
RACIAL ATTITUDES AND THE METROPOLITAN CONTEXT: A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

This paper examines some aspects of the relation between racial hostility and the metropolitan context in which people live. It has the dual purpose of presenting and explaining a body of data and exhibiting a technique that might be used to examine various problems social scientists are interested in. The data suggest that a full understanding of racial tensions in American cities requires consideration of individual and contextual variables; the technique is a simple device for bringing individual and contextual variables together in the same analysis. John Orbell is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon and Kenneth Sherrill is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Influence of Host Tree Proximity on Adult Plum Curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Responses to Monitoring Traps

We evaluated responses of plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), to baited and unbaited black pyramid and Plexiglas panel traps in mark-release-recapture experiments to determine whether presence of host apple trees diminishes trap effectiveness. Identical experiments were conducted in an open field (little competition present) and in an unsprayed apple orchard (presence of competition from natural host apple trees). Results of mark-release-recapture experiments were successful; we recaptured 21.0 and 2.9% in the field and orchard, respectively. Plum curculio response to traps was influenced by presence of apple trees, because significantly more recaptures were recorded in the field compared with the orchard. Pyramid traps recaptured more plum curculio in the field compared with the orchard and recaptured significantly more plum curculio compared with panel traps. Female plum curculio responded in significantly greater numbers to pyramid traps baited with benzaldehyde compared with unbaited traps in the field, but not under orchard deployment. Combined data indicate that positioning traps in proximity to host apple trees diminishes both trap and bait effectiveness either by direct competition from host tree stimuli or by physical obstruction of trap-related visual stimuli and/or volatile release. We conclude that an effective trap-based monitoring system for plum curculio will require better odor baits, trapping mechanisms, and/or deployment strategies that can overcome visual and olfactory interference presented by host apple trees.
Impact of interface defects on tunneling FET turn-on steepness

Tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) have been investigated as a low-voltage replacement for the conventional field-effect transistor with a turn-on response steeper than 60 mV/dec. However, to date no device has achieved a steep turn-on at low voltage with an on-off ratio of 106 or greater. Among the main issues is the finite density of states inside the semiconductor bandgap arising from a large concentration of interface defects [1]. Though these states do not directly conduct current, carriers can be trapped then thermally emitted to the conduction band in a trap-assisted tunneling process, broadening the switching response of the device. Overcoming these effects may not be feasible with current levels of material defects.
Strange Old World. Late Paleocene—Early Eocene Climatic and Biotic Events in the Marine and Terrestrial Record . Edited by Marie-Pierre Aubry, Spencer Lucas, and William Berggren Columbia University Press, New York. 1998. 513 pages.

In his 1932 book Brave New World, Aldous Huxley laid out a satirical blueprint of a future so strange to people of the time that it became a symbol of the frightening and unyielding momentum of scientific progress. Literature and popular culture have since been littered with images of a future earth so transformed by human progress (or extraterrestrial intervention) that we can hardly recognize it. Earth historians and paleontologists, however, have taken a different path into the bizarre. This group of time travelers has used the kind of technology that Huxley foreshadowed to recreate past worlds of similar disparity. These worlds are neither based on, nor entirely limited by, human imagination, but are based instead on scientific observation. In short, these strange old worlds are real, not imagined. As often is the case, however, truth can b e stranger than fiction.
Antiepileptic action of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibition

tonic–clonic seizures (GTCSs) and 19 out of 22 (86%) complex partial seizures (CPS) were accompanied by significant increases in EDA, more than 2 standard deviations above the preictal baseline [2]. While responses for GTCSs are usually higher than those for CPS, the size of the EDA response was not associatedwith the length of the seizure nor was it associated with the duration of the motor component in GTCSs [2]. Combining EDA data with motion data improved the accuracy of automated GTCS detection [3]. We have examined the relationship between EDA response during GTCSs and postictal generalized EEG suppression (PGES). The duration of PGES is a potential biomarker of SUDEP. Postictal generalized EEG suppression was found in all monitored cases of SUDEP in the MORTEMUS study [4]. Our studies in a pediatric population with treatment-resistant epilepsy showed that longer PGES correlates with larger EDA response during GTCSs [2]. This finding was replicated in a larger cohort, including children and adults, at another hospital [5]. Thus, EDA on the wrist provides a strong correlate to PGES duration. Altered autonomic function is considered by many to be among the mechanisms that lead to SUDEP [6]. In addition to the EDAfindings, our studies showed decreased heart rate variability associated with longer duration of PGES, which is also consistent with autonomic disruption. Respiratory arrest is inducible in humans by electrical stimulation of the amygdala during the expiratory phase of the respiratory cycle [7]. Stimulation of the amygdala in patients with epilepsy can produce a very strong ipsilateral EDA response [1]. We encourage more clinical studies to collect and examine autonomic data in epilepsy, especially since it can nowbe easily collected.
Passive control of structures for seismic loads

The control of structures to improve their performance during earthquakes was first proposed more than a century ago. But it has only been in the last 25 years that structures have been successfully designed and built using earthquake protective systems. Today these systems range from simple passive devices to fully active systems. This paper focuses on passive control and reviews recent developments in the state-of-the-art Passive systems include tuned mass dampers, seismic (base) isolation systems, mechanical energy dissipators, and the like. Major developments in the theory, hardware, design, specification, and installation of these systems have permitted significant applications to buildings, bridges, and industrial plant. Applications are now found in almost all of the seismically active countries of then world, but principally in Italy, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. Noteworthy advantages have been demonstrated when retrofitting existing structures, and designing high-performance structures such as hospitals, emergency response facilities, defense installations, and critical bridges. Field experience in recent earthquakes has confirmed these expectations. There are however limitations to the use of passive systems and these deserve further study and research. They include the uncertainty of response in the near field of an active fault, the non-optimal behavior of passive systems for both small and large earthquakes, and a lack of certainty about the ultimate limit states in unexpectedly large events. As a consequence, in some jurisdictions, code provisions for passive systems are more onerous than for conventional construction, which is a strong disincentive to their use. The limited availability of design guidance in text books, code commentaries, and other design aids are further impediments to the wider use of these systems.
The re-expression of estrogen receptor in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer and restoration of anti-estrogen responses

Loss of estrogen receptor α ERα in breast cancer correlates with a more aggressive, tamoxifen resistant phenotype. ERα-negative tumors often display overexpression or amplification of growth factor receptors of the erbB family, particularly EGFR and erbB-2, and consequently, elevated growth factor signaling and resultant MAP kinase (ERK) activity. We have previously shown that overexpression/hyperactivation of EGFR or erbB-2, or the downstream effectors Raf or MEK, in ERα+, estrogen-dependent MCF-7 cells results in the acquisition of estrogen-independence and loss of ERα expression. We have shown that the common downstream effector of ERα downregulation in all our model cell lines is hyperactive MAPK and that inhibition of this hyperactive MAPK restores ERα expression. Microarray expression profiling of these hyperactive MAPK model cell lines revealed a hyperactive MAPK signature that correlates with ERα-breast cancer and not ERα+ breast cancer. We have more recently extended these observations to established ERα-breast cancer cell lines and primary cultures from ERα-breast tumor specimens. Inhibition of MAPK in these ERα-breast cancer cells restores ERα expression and associated with this re-expression of ERα is the acquisition of anti-estrogen responses. These data demonstrate the dynamic nature of ERα expression in breast cancer cells and the ability to impact ERα expression by altering cellular signaling pathways. Further, they suggest a potential novel therapeutic strategy for ERα-breast cancer: inhibition of MAPK activity to restore both ERα expression and anti-estrogen responses.
Studies in the pathology and pathogenesis of experimental brucellosis. II. The formation of the hepatic granuloma and its evolution.

guinea pigs. In subsequent years, the occurrence of the granuloma of brucellosis has been reported in the tissues of mice by Feldman and Olson,2 of monkeys by Huddleson and Hallman,3 of dogs by Margolis et al,4 and of rats and rabbits by Nyka.5 Spink et al6 have observed granulomas in sections of liver obtained by biopsy from many patients having culturally proven brucellosis. Similar findings in sections of biopsied human bone marrow were reported by Sundberg and Spink.7 Although the uniform character of