cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Priming autobiographical memories: How recalling the past may affect everyday forms of autobiographical remembering

Abstract This study investigated the idea that when one recalls past episodes, that the content of those memories will activate additional episodic memories with like content, and such memories will then have the potential of surfacing in subsequent acts of involuntary and voluntary recall. We tested the episodic content priming hypothesis in two experiments. In Experiment 1, priming group participants first recalled memories about specific activities or events and then they were subsequently engaged in a word-cue voluntary autobiographical memory task. The results showed that priming group participants produced more episodic memories involving the primed content on this task than control participants occupied in the same task. In Experiment 2, episodic content priming was further tested on a measure of involuntary autobiographical memory (i.e., the vigilance task). The results on this task also revealed support for the episodic content priming hypothesis, including after a delay of 24 h.
Toward Regulation That Fosters Competition

As the Communications Act of 1934 turns sixty, the communications community is in the midst of a number of dramatic changes. Some of the networks comprising the "information highway," such as the wireless communications network, are developing at a rapid pace. Other communications networks are converging. For example, cable companies may soon offer telephone service and wireline telephone companies may soon offer cable service.
Postconflict Transitions: An Overview

In the two to five years immediately following end of conflicts, UN peacekeeping operations have succeeded in maintaining peace, while income and consumption growth rates have been higher than normal and recovery on key education and health indicators has been possible. Aid also has been super-effective in promoting recovery, not only by financing physical infrastructure but also by helping in the monetary reconstruction of postconflict economies. However, sustaining these short-term gains was met with two difficult challenges. First, long-term sustainability of peace and growth hinges primarily on the ability of postconflict societies to develop institutions for the delivery of public goods, which, in turn, depends on the capacity of post-conflict elites to overcome an entrenched culture of political fragmentation and form stable national coalitions, beyond their immediate ethnic or regional power bases. Second, after catch-up growth runs its course, high levels of aid could lead to overvalued real currencies, at a time when growth requires a competitive exchange rate and economic diversification. Successful peace-building would, therefore, require that these political and economic imperatives of postconflict transitions be accounted for in the design of UN peacekeeping operations as well as the aid regime.
Scalable Collaborative Manipulation with Distributed Trajectory Planning

We present a distributed algorithm to enable a group of robots to collaboratively manipulate an object to a desired configuration while avoiding obstacles. Each robot solves a local optimization problem iteratively and communicates with its local neighbors, ultimately converging to the optimal trajectory of the object over a receding horizon. The algorithm scales efficiently to large groups, with a convergence rate constant in the number of robots, and can enforce constraints that are only known to a subset of the robots, such as for collision avoidance using local online sensing. We show that the algorithm converges many orders of magnitude faster, and results in a tracking error two orders of magnitude lower, than competing distributed collaborative manipulation algorithms based on Consensus alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM).
Acute and chronic temperature dependence of Na+/H+ exchange activity of Pimephales promelas gills.

Na+/H+ exchangers (NHE) mediate at least part of Na+ entry into gill epithelia via Na+/NH4+ exchange. For homeostasis, Na+ entry into and exit via Na+/K+ ATPase from gill epithelia must balance. Na+/K+ ATPase activity is reduced in cold- compared to warm-acclimated freshwater temperate fish. We hypothesized gill NHE activity is greater in warm- than cold-acclimated fish when measured at acclimation temperatures, and NHE activity displays a temperature dependence similar to Na+/K+ ATPase. Since NHE mRNA expression does not differ, we measured the Na+-dependence of pH-induced Na+ fluxes in gill vesicles from warm- and cold-acclimated fathead minnows at 20o and 7 °C, and calculated maximum transport rates (Vmax) and Na+ K1/2s. We also measured NH4+-induced Na+ fluxes and Na+-induced H+ fluxes. In vesicles from warm-acclimated fish, NHE Vmaxs were 278 ± 33 and 149 ± 23 arbitrary unit/s (au/s) and Na+ K1/2s were 12 ± 4 and 6 ± 4 mmol/l when assayed at 20o and 7 °C (p < 0.004), respectively. In vesicles from cold-acclimated fish, Vmaxs were 288 ± 35 and 141 ± 13 au/s and Na+ K1/2s 17 ± 5 and 7 ± 2 mmol/l when assayed at 20o and 7 °C (p < 0.002), respectively. Na+-induced H+ fluxes were 98 ± 8 and 104 ± 26 au/s in warm- and cold-acclimated fish assayed at 20 °C, respectively. Na+/NH4+ exchange was 120 ± 11 and 158 ± 13 au/s in warm- and cold-acclimated fish, respectively. Conclusions: Gill NHE activity was greater in warm- than cold-acclimated fish assayed at acclimation temperatures. The temperature dependence of NHE activity was similar in both groups, but differed from that reported for Na+/K+ ATPase suggesting complex mechanisms to maintain Na+ homeostasis.
Diagnosis of Giardia lamblia infections by detection of parasite-specific antigens

Antigen detection methods may facilitate diagnosis of Giardia lamblia in stool specimens. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and immunoblotting, G. lamblia cysts and trophozoites share several antigens, especially in the 65-kilodalton and 30- to 34-kilodalton regions. By using blind methods, we compared results obtained by counterimmunoelectrophoresis using cyst-immune rabbit serum and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using trophozoite-immune rabbit serum with results obtained by microscopic examination of a preserved, concentrated, and permanently stained stool specimen. Results were similar when these three methods were used to examine 118 stool specimens from clinical microbiology laboratories (53 specimens with G. lamblia) and specimens from 239 day-care-center toddlers (39 specimens with G. lamblia). Compared with microscopy, we found, for counterimmunoelectrophoresis and ELISA, respectively: sensitivity, 88 versus 94%; specificity, 97 versus 95%; positive predictive value, 86 versus 76%; negative predictive value, 98 versus 97%; and concordance, 89%. The false-positive rate by ELISA was 24% (10 of 42) in day-care-center toddlers but only 3% (1 of 32) in healthy adults (P less than 0.04) as corroborated by microscopy. This discrepancy suggests that the ELISA may be more sensitive than microscopy, which is considered the reference standard, and that results may be dependent, in part, on the epidemiology of the infection in the study subjects.
Physical maps of bovine papillomavirus type 1 and type 2 genomes.

Abstract Physical maps of bovine papillomavirus type 1 and type 2 (BPV-1 and BPV-2) DNA were constructed from analysis of the electrophoretic mobilities of restriction endonuclease cleavage fragments from dual digests. BPV-1 DNA was sensitive to Hind III, HindIII, EcoRI, HpaI, AND BamHI, with all but HindII yielding single scissions. BPV-2 DNA was resistant to EcoRI, and HindIII had one cleavage site whereas HpaI, BamHI, and HindII yielded multiple fragments. Of four BPV-1 isolates examined, DNA from one isolate was resistant to HindIII, and another DNA isolate was resistant to BamHI. The three BPV-2 isolates examined were uniformly sensitive to the restriction endonucleases employed.
DPAD2—A Field Programmable Analog Array

DPAD2 is a Field Programmable Analog Array (FPAA) based on CMOS switched capacitor technology. This paper describes the major design decisions that went into creating DPAD2 with respect to the ultimate goal of the work, being a mixed signal field programmable silicon solution. Two major compromises exist in the design of an FPAA, one between flexibility and performance, the other between functionality and die size; DPAD2 overcomes the first with a novel field programmable hierarchic routing scheme and the second by careful analysis of many disparate designs to arrive at a best compromise solution. Results from prototype silicon are presented where a single analog cell is reconfigured to perform a number of different analog signal processing functions. Bandwidth of the DPAD2 device is 500 kHz and the SNR is typically 60 dB, although both are application dependent. Introduction of the FPAA now enables a designer to have working silicon within one day, by a simple configuration of the silicon chip via a PC parallel interface. Software libraries of analog circuits are provided and allow very rapid creation of large and complex analog circuits.
Using multimedia to overcome the problems with problem based learning

Much of the literature on problem based learning (PBL) is concerned with efficacy or with guidelines on design or implementation. Relatively few articles focus on problems with problem based learning, and none that we could find provided suggestions as to how interactive multimedia might help alleviate those problems. In this article we begin with a review of problem based learning including a rationale for its use in the curriculum. Then we identify some of the problems inherent in designing and implementing problem based learning, and end the article with a discussion of how multimedia might be used to address some of those problems.
Online Reading Communities: From Book Clubs to Book Blogs

Online reading challenges offer participants an opportunity to discuss their reading, form bonds with similar readers, and get recommendations for future reading. Through an analysis of the challenge announcements posted to the blog “A Novel Challenge” and case studies of three reading challenges, the social dynamics behind online social reading events are examined.
Octahedral metal carbonyls : XLVIII. Kinetics and mechanism of reactions of hexacarbonyltungsten(0) with bis(triphenylphosphine)imminium pseudo halides☆

Hexacarbonyltungsten(0) reacts with [(Ph3P)2N]+[X]−([PPN]+[X]−) salts (X− = CN−, OCN−, SCN−) in chlorobenzene at 90–120°C to afford [PPN]+[W-(CO)5(X)]− (X− = OCN−, SCN−) and [PPN]+2[cis-W(CO)4(CN)2]2− products. Rate data taken over this temperature range support a rate-law, —d[W(CO)6]/dt = k2 [W(CO)6][PPN+X−] The data are consistent with a mechanism involving initial attack of the anionic nucleophiles (which exist in chlorobenzene as contact ion pairs) at a carbonyl carbon of the substrate. Additional studies of reactions of[PPN]+[SCN]− reveal that at no time is a coordinatively-unsaturated species formed during the substitution process. It is likely that the same is true for the other pseudo-halides as well. It appears probable that most reactions of anionic nucleophiles with M(CO)6 species (M = Cr, Mo, W) involve interaction at carbon, in contrast to results for uncharged Lewis bases (L) such as phosphines and phosphites, for which the bimolecular path is best described as a dissociative interchange. The pseudohalides are “labilizing” ligands, and thus [cis-W(CO)4(L)(X)]− species are formed from [W(CO)5(X)]− substrates under mild conditions (ca. 60°C) via an unimolecular process. The inability to produce [W(CO)4(X)2]2− products (X− = OCN−, SCN−) thus results from thermodynamic considerations.
The bio/materials interface

A combination of five materials/techniques has provided a new set of tools to use in examining and controlling the interaction of biological systems with man-made materials: 1. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold, to control the character of the interface; 2. "Inert surfaces" (surfaces that do not adsorb proteins and therefore do not allow cells to attach); 3. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR), a technique that makes it possible to observe the kinetics and infer the thermodynamics of adsorption of proteins and other biological macromolecules at the surface of SAMs; 4. Soft lithography, to pattern the interface in its plane; 5. Controlled, laminar flows in microchannels, which provide the basis for methods both of fabrication inside capillaries and for controlling the environment of cells in these capillaries. This talk discusses the use of this set of tools in understanding the interaction of proteins with engineered surfaces, and in using surfaces and media patterned in ways that help to explore the interactions of mammalian and microbial cells with these surfaces. Perhaps surprisingly, the former subject has been the more difficult: one does not yet fully understand the mechanism of adsorption of proteins on surfaces. The latter, although still in an early stage of development, shows clear promise of allowing the metabolisms of cells to be manipulated through design of the characteristics of the surface to which they are attached.
Measurement of Brain Biomechanics in vivo by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Computer models of head-brain biomechanics offer enormous potential for improved understanding and prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However existing computer models remain controversial because their predictions have yet to be rigorously compared to measured biomechanical data. The nonlinear, anisotropic, viscoelastic, heterogeneous character of brain tissue, and the intricate connections between the brain and skull, all complicate modeling efforts. In order to make progress toward the goal of accurate simulation of TBI, experimental techniques to address these issues must be developed. In this paper we describe two magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques to characterize brain deformation, estimate brain material properties, and illuminate the boundary conditions between brain and skull. MR tagging is used to estimate displacement and strain fields in response to rigid-body acceleration of the skull, and MR elastography is used to visualize shear wave propagation induced by oscillatory loading at the surface of the skull.
A systematic review of predictors and moderators of improvement in cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder and agoraphobia

Background: Despite the considerable efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD) and agoraphobia, a substantial minority of patients fail to improve for reasons that are poorly understood. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify consistent predictors and moderators of improvement in CBT for PD and agoraphobia. Data sources: A systematic review and meta-analysis of articles was conducted using PsycInfo and PubMed. Search terms included panic, agoraphobi*, cognitive behavio*, CBT, cognitive therapy, behavio* therapy, CT, BT, exposure, and cognitive restructuring. Study selection: Studies were limited to those employing semi-structured diagnostic interviews and examining change on panic- or agoraphobia-specific measures. Data extraction: The first author extracted data on study characteristics, prediction analyses, effect sizes, and indicators of study quality. Interrater reliability was confirmed. Synthesis: 52 papers met inclusion criteria. Agoraphobic avoidance was the most consistent predictor of decreased improvement, followed by low expectancy for change, high levels of functional impairment, and Cluster C personality pathology. Other variables were consistently unrelated to improvement in CBT, understudied, or inconsistently related to improvement. Limitations: Many studies were underpowered and failed to report effect sizes. Tests of moderation were rare. Conclusions: Apart from agoraphobic avoidance, few variables consistently predict improvement in CBT for PD and/or agoraphobia across studies.
The influence of β-adrenergic activity on fetal heart rate and the umbilical circulation during hypoxia in fetal sheep

To determine the importance of beta-adrenergic activity during hypoxia in the fetus, 13 studies were carried out on seven chronically instrumented sheep at nine tenths of gestation. Hypoxia was induced by having the mother breathe gas mixtures that resulted in a reduction of maternal arterial oxygen tension to 32 mm Hg. Hypoxia resulted in a decrease in fetal heart rate (165 +/- 17 to 140 +/- 28 bpm) and fetal oxygen consumption (5.9 +/- 1.3 to 3.0 +/- 1.5 ml/min/kg) and increases in fetal arterial and umbilical venous pressures. There was no change in umbilical blood flow (209 +/- 58 ml/min/kg). Propranolol, 1.1 ml/kg, was rapidly infused into a fetal vein to achieve complete beta-adrenergic blockade. Umbilical vascular resistance increased significantly, fetal heart rate decreased to 112 +/- 22 bpm, and umbilical blood flow decreased to 165 +/- 73 ml/min/kg. There was no further decrease in fetal oxygen consumption. These decreases are approximately twice those seen after propranolol without hypoxia. These findings suggest that during hypoxia there is an increase in beta-adrenergic activity, which tends to maintain fetal heart rate and umbilical blood flow. This activity counteracts the increase in vagal activity with hypoxia, which decreases heart rate.
A human hepatoma cell line (plc/prf/5) produces lung metastases and secretes hbsag in nude mice.

PLC/PRF/5 is a human liver cancer cell line which synthesizes hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HgsAB). These cells produced tumor in 6 of 8 (75%) congenitally athymic nude mice at 13 of 28 subcutaneous injection sites and in 13 of 14 (93%) mice inoculated intraperitoneally. Tumors were successfully transplanted to 4 of 6 additional nude mice. Tumor growth was rapid. Growth of cephalad tumors was significantly greater than for caudal tumors (0.39 mm/day versus 0.28 mm/day). Microscopic examination of tumors showed moderately well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. Foci of identical cells were present in pulmonary veins in 7 of 14 tumor-bearing animals. Tumor cell karyotype was identical with that of PLC/PRF/5 cells. In addition, HBsAg was detectable in high titer in animals with extensive tumor. Biological features of PLC/PRF/5-induced tumors in nude mice appeared to closely resemble human hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, HBsAg may provide a marker of tumor growth.
Magnetic neutron diffraction from the magnetic clusters in single crystal BaCuO 2 + x

Magnetic-neutron-diffraction studies of a single crystal of ${\mathrm{BaCuO}}_{2+x}$ confirm the antiferromagnetic structure of the ringlike ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{6}$ clusters with ground-state spin $S=3$ proposed by Wang et al. [Science 264, 402 (1994)]. No indication of a spontaneous ferromagnetic (or simple antiferromagnetic) ordering of the spherelike ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{18}$ $S=9$ clusters were observed down to a temperature of 50 mK, in disagreement with the suggestion based on magnetic-susceptibility measurements performed down to 2 K. However, diffraction scans under applied magnetic fields up to 3 T, at temperatures of 0.05 and 4.2 K align the sphere clusters ferromagnetically. The magnetic-field-induced ferromagnetic-diffraction pattern is consistent with the form factor of the ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{18}$ spherelike cluster. Frustration in the coupling with nearest neighbors leads to a paramagnetic behavior or a complex magnetic structure (noncollinear and/or incommensurate) of the spherelike clusters, consistent with our findings.
Solute-Solute Interactions in Jet Fuel by Ultralow Conductance Measurement

Abstract Solute–solute interactions in pure organic liquids are much easier to determine than solute–solute interactions in a complex organic mixture such as a middle distillate fuel. This paper presents a method for the determination of solute–solute interaction and infinite dilution diffusion coefficient of hydrogen bond donor–acceptor species using ultralow conductance measurement. A theoretical framework was developed to obtain both complexation equilibrium constant (K) and infinite dilution diffusion coefficient, D° from a single set of measurements. These equations were applied for the study in hexadecane, a model hydrocarbon, and in jet fuel. The D° for methanol in jet fuel, 1.38 × 10−4 cm2 s−1, is indicative of hydrophobic environments for the polar solutes in hydrocarbons media. The conditional equilibrium constant, K′, was found to be maximum for methanol in jet fuel, which indicates the presence of strong hydrogen bond acceptors in jet fuel. The present method is fairly general and applicable t...
Emergence of diverse biochemical activities in evolutionarily conserved structural scaffolds of proteins

Abstract Comparative analysis of numerous protein structures that have become available in the past few years, combined with genome comparison, has yielded new insights into the evolution of enzymes and their functions. In addition to the well-known diversification of substrate specificities, enzymes with several widespread catalytic folds, particularly the TIM barrel, the RRM-like domain and the double-stranded β-helix (cupin) domain, have been extensively explored in ‘reaction space’, resulting in the evolution of numerous, diverse catalytic activities supported by the same structural scaffold. Common protein folds differ widely in the diversity of catalyzed reactions. The biochemical plasticity of a fold seems to hinge on the presence of a generic, symmetrical substrate-binding pocket as opposed to highly specialized binding sites.
Recruitment of presynaptic vesicles and facilitation of transmitter release

Facilitation, an enhancement of neuronal secretion by repetitive stimulation, is due to an increase in the number of vesicles that fuse with the presynaptic membrane and release neurotransmitter in response to an action potential. We performed Monte-Carlo simulation of calcium-dependent priming and release of synaptic vesicles and simulated facilitation of transmitter release. The model incorporated the pools of docked, primed, and released vesicles and stochastic calcium-dependent transitions between these pools. The model was validated by comparison of the time-course of transmitter release, its variability, and the magnitude of facilitation with electrophysiology measurements of transmitter release at the lobster neuromuscular synapse.
Moving Shadow Detection with Low- and Mid-Level Reasoning

In this paper, we propose a multi-level shadow identification scheme which is generally applicable without restrictions on the number of light sources, illumination conditions, surface orientations, and object sizes. In the first level, we use a background segmentation technique to identify foreground regions which include moving shadows. In the second step, pixel-based decisions are made by comparing the current frame with the background model to distinguish between shadows and actual foreground. In the third step, this result is improved using blob-level reasoning which works on geometric constraints of identified shadow and foreground blobs. Results on various indoor and outdoor sequences under different illumination conditions show the success of the proposed approach.
Neurohospitalists reduce length of stay for patients with ischemic stroke.

Background: Neurohospitalists may improve the efficiency and quality of care delivered to hospitalized patients with neurological disease. However, there is limited systematic data to support this hypothesis. The primary purpose of this study was to compare length of stay (LOS) for patients with ischemic stroke cared for by either neurohospitalists or community-based neurologists at a single institution. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients with ischemic stroke discharged from St. Luke’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, between January 2006 and December 2007. The LOS for patients cared for by neurohospitalists was compared to the LOS for patients cared for by community neurologists. Compliance with Joint Commission inpatient stroke quality metrics was also compared. Results: A total of 533 patients were discharged with a principal diagnosis of ischemic stroke over the 24-month study period. Neurohospitalists cared for 313 patients with mean (± SD) LOS of 4.9 (5.2) days (95% CI: 4.3-5.5 days), and community-based neurologists cared for 220 patients with a mean LOS of 6.5 (8.2) days (95% CI: 5.4-7.6 days). The mean LOS was significantly less for the neurohospitalists compared to the community-based neurologists (P = .005). Neurohospitalists achieved a higher compliance rate in 10 of 11 inpatient stroke quality metrics and achieved significantly higher compliance rate of smoking cessation education (P = .019). Conclusions: Neurohospitalists achieved significantly shorter LOS for patients with ischemic stroke compared to community-based neurologists. These data suggest that neurohospitalists can also improve compliance with quality metrics necessary for Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center designation.
Narratives from Latina Professors in Higher Education

This article shares the lives of three Latina faculty members teaching in state colleges of education. Interviews revealed that the personal and professional experiences they encountered on a daily basis reflected tokenism in the academy, varying levels of support, and perceived burdens and expectations. All three women saw knowledge as contextual and often relied on feelings and intuition to describe and assess their lives in the academy. Recommendations for change within the academy are offered.
Hydrogen abstraction from substituted benzyl chlorides by the trichloromethyl radical

Abstract A series of ring substituted benzylchlorides have been reacted under photolytic conditions with bromotrichloromethane at 70°. Competitive kinetics show the bromination reaction to be substantially dependent upon ring substituents. A rho value of −1.02 (correlating with σ + ) was obtained with a correlation coefficient of −0.996. This is greater than has been observed for other α-substituted toluenes and is attributed to the slight radical destabilizing effect of the adjacent chlorine atom. A correlation between the ring substituent effects in various series of α-substituted toluenes and the electronic and steric requirements of the α-substituent has been developed.
Dust outflow velocity and the gas-to-dust ratio in comets

The observational determination of coma outflow velocity for gaseous species is fairly straightforward using high-resolution spectroscopy. The determination of the outflow speed of the dust is much more difficult. Most sources cite Bobrovnikoff (1954). This brief report is not a strictly refereed publication, however, and mixes data from different comets.
Isolation and partial characterization of the major glycoproteins of horse and swine erythrocyte membranes.

Abstract The major glycoproteins of horse and swine erythrocyte membranes were isolated and examined chemically and immunologically. The major glycoprotein of horse erythrocyte membranes had a molecular weight of 33 000 and consisted of 46.2% protein and 53.8% carbohydrate, of which 9.4% was hexose, 10.1% hexosamine and 33.7% sialic acid. This glycoprotein was associated with activity for the infectious mononucleosis heterophile antigen. There were two different major glycoproteins in swine erythrocyte membranes. One major glycoprotein had a molecular weight of 46 200 and consisted of 34.2% protein and 65.8% carbohydrate, of which 18% was hexose, 19% hexosamine and 27.2% sialic acid. This glycoprotein had phytohemagglutinin (Phaseolus vulgaris) binding activity. The other glycoprotein had a molecular weight of 29 000 and consisted of 50.4% protein and 49.6% carbohydrate, of which 6.4% was hexose, 7.0% hexosamine and 36.3% sialic acid. This glycoprotein had weak or absent phytohemagglutinin binding activity.
The potential of iterative voting to solve the separability problem in referendum elections

In referendum elections, voters are often required to register simultaneous votes on multiple proposals. The separability problem occurs when a voter’s preferred outcome on one proposal depends on the outcomes of other proposals. This type of interdependence can lead to unsatisfactory or even paradoxical election outcomes, such as a winning outcome that is the last choice of every voter. Here we propose an iterative voting scheme that allows voters to revise their voting strategies based on the outcomes of previous iterations. Using a robust computer simulation, we investigate the potential of this approach to solve the separability problem.
Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition (O'Neill, Peter)

The body of the book is divided into four parts: The Oxygen Rich Planet, Major Elements Found in Living Matter, Major Elements in the Earth's Crust, and Minor Elements and Environmental Problems. W...
Methylene-bis-ortho-chloroaniline (MOCA): evaluation of hazards and exposure control.

Recent reports have indicated a high incidence of liver cancer in rats exposed to MOCA® in a protein-deficient diet and of lung cancer with MOCA® in a normal diet. No clinical evidence of malignancy has been observed in dogs during the third year of a six-year MOCA® feeding study. Although urinary excretion of MOCA® and certain metabolites by operators and mechanics assigned to the manufacturing area has been significant, close medical surveillance has detected no manifest signs or symptoms derived from MOCA® exposure during 16 years of human exposure experience. The cyanosis-anemia syndrome was absent under the industrial hygiene controls applied in the production area. Airborne MOCA® concentrations disclosed by fallout plate, mobile fixed-station, and personnel monitor sampling were below levels which could account for the observed urinary output. Skin absorption from direct contact was concluded to be the major source of absorption. Exposure was effectively controlled by efficient precautionary ventila...
Conducting polymers in microelectronics

Conjugated polymers in the nondoped and doped conducting state have an array of potential applications in the microelectronics industry. Conducting polymers are effective discharge layers as well as conducting resists in electron beam lithography, find applications in metallization (electrolytic and electroless) of plated through-holes for printed circuit board technology, provide excellent electrostatic discharge protection for packages and housings of electronic equipment, provide excellent corrosion protection for metals, and may have applications in electromagnetic interference shielding. This paper reviews some of these applications and briefly describes possible future applications of conducting polymers for use as interconnections or for electronic devices.
Chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, follow gaze direction geometrically.

Two experiments on chimpanzee gaze following are reported. In the first, chimpanzee subjects watched as a human experimenter looked around various types of barriers. The subjects looked around each of the barriers more when the human had done so than in a control condition (in which the human looked in another direction). In the second experiment, chimpanzees watched as a human looked towards the back of their cage. As they turned to follow the human's gaze a distractor object was presented. The chimpanzees looked at the distractor while still following the human's gaze to the back of the cage. These two experiments effectively disconfirm the low-level model of chimpanzee gaze following in which it is claimed that upon seeing another animate being's gaze direction chimpanzees simply turn in that direction and look around for something interesting. Rather, they support the hypothesis that chimpanzees follow the gaze direction of other animate beings geometrically to specific locations, in much the same way as human infants. The degree to which chimpanzees have a mentalistic interpretation of the gaze and/or visual experience of others is still an open question.
Reduced cortical innervation of the subthalamic nucleus in MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys

The striatum and the subthalamic nucleus are the main entry points for cortical information to the basal ganglia. Parkinson’s disease affects not only the function, but also the morphological integrity of some of these inputs and their synaptic targets in the basal ganglia. Significant morphological changes in the cortico-striatal system have already been recognized in patients with Parkinson’s disease and in animal models of the disease. To find out whether the primate cortico-subthalamic system is also subject to functionally relevant morphological alterations in parkinsonism, we used a combination of light and electron microscopy anatomical approaches and in vivo electrophysiological methods in monkeys rendered parkinsonian following chronic exposure to low doses of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). At the light microscopic level, the density of vesicular glutamate transporter 1-positive (i.e. cortico-subthalamic) profiles in the dorsolateral part of the subthalamic nucleus (i.e. its sensorimotor territory) was 26.1% lower in MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys than in controls. These results were confirmed by electron microscopy studies showing that the number of vesicular glutamate transporter 1-positive terminals and of axon terminals forming asymmetric synapses in the dorsolateral subthalamic nucleus was reduced by 55.1% and 27.9%, respectively, compared with controls. These anatomical findings were in line with in vivo electrophysiology data showing a 60% reduction in the proportion of pallidal neurons that responded to electrical stimulation of the cortico-subthalamic system in parkinsonian monkeys. These findings provide strong evidence for a partial loss of the hyperdirect cortico-subthalamic projection in MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys. * Abbreviations : GPe : external globus pallidus GPi : internal globus pallidus MPTP : 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine STN : subthalamic nucleus vGluT1 : vesicular glutamate transporter 1
Unsteady free surface wave-induced separation: Vortical structures and instabilities

Abstract Vortical structures and instability mechanisms of the unsteady free surface wave-induced separation around a surface-piercing NACA0024 foil at a Froude number of 0.37 and a Reynolds number of 1.52×106 are studied using an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) code with a blended k−e/k−ω turbulence model and a free surface tracking method. At the free surface, the separated flow reattaches to the foil surface resulting in a wall-bounded separation bubble. The mean and instantaneous flow topologies in the separation region are similar to the owl-face pattern. The initial shear-layer instability, the Karman-like instability, and the flapping instability are identified, and their scaling and physical mechanisms are studied. Validation with experimental fluid dynamics (EFD) and comparison with complementary detached-eddy simulation (DES) indicate that URANS resolves part of the organized oscillations due to the large-scale unsteady vortical structures and instabilities, thereby capturing the gross features of the unsteady separation. The URANS solutions show an initial amplitude defect of 30% for the free surface oscillations where the shear layer separates, and the defect progressively increases downstream as URANS rapidly dissipates the rolled up vortices.
Elicitation techniques to overcome knowledge extraction challenges in 'as-is' process modelling: perspectives and practices

Building an as-is process model requires the analyst to effectively extract knowledge about the process from multiple sources. This paper elaborates on the various elicitation techniques, including questionnaires, interviews, workshops and role play, which may be employed to achieve this. The paper looks at existing academic literature on requirements elicitation techniques, leverages concepts from social science and combines these with the authors' own understanding of the techniques' applicability, gained from experiences in process modelling engagements. We conclude that process knowledge elicitation is not a cookie-cutter process. Different elicitation techniques need to be used depending on the context. The paper provides some guidelines on how to successfully apply these techniques and also highlights their potential pitfalls.
The effectiveness of some sugars in stimulating licking behavior in the rat.

Abstract The palatability dimension of taste stimuli has usually been studied in nonhuman species by two-stimulus preference tests, operant procedures, and neural recording from the chorda tympani. This study used a procedure that measures directly the activity of tongue when stimulated by various gustatory stimuli. Negative feedback from post ingestive influences on drinking was minimized by limiting exposure to brief periods of time. The results showed that by integrating the number of licks that occur during these brief exposure periods functions can be obtained that bear a striking similarity to palatability functions obtained by other methods. They also provide evidence for a delayed post ingestive inhibitory effect on drinking rate that derives from a previously ingested meal. This effect may be related to palatability changes of sweet solutions and changes in the amount of a liquid diet ingested following a preceding meal that have recently been described in humans.
Nonconvulsive seizures in patients presenting with altered mental status: an evidence-based review

Definitive diagnosis of nonconvulsive seizures (NCS) can be made only by electroencephalography, and delay in diagnosis can increase morbidity, resource utilization, and length of hospitalization. We performed an evidence-based literature review to estimate the prevalence of NCS in patients with altered mental status (AMS) of unknown cause. PUBMED, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and other resources were searched for studies that included AMS and seizure as topics. The resulting 276 articles were screened for predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, leaving 5 studies enrolling 478 patients for review. The prevalence of NCS in patients with AMS ranged from 8 to 30% (overall prevalence of 21.5%, 95% CI: 18-25%), suggesting that the prevalence of NCS is sufficiently high to consider routine use of urgent electroencephalography in such patients. However, methodological weaknesses limit the generalizability of the results. A large, prospective study enrolling and screening for NCS in all patients who present with acute AMS is needed.
Functional complexity and regulation through RNA dynamics

Changes to the conformation of coding and non-coding RNAs form the basis of elements of genetic regulation and provide an important source of complexity, which drives many of the fundamental processes of life. Although the structure of RNA is highly flexible, the underlying dynamics of RNA are robust and are limited to transitions between the few conformations that preserve favourable base-pairing and stacking interactions. The mechanisms by which cellular processes harness the intrinsic dynamic behaviour of RNA and use it within functionally productive pathways are complex. The versatile functions and ease by which it is integrated into a wide variety of genetic circuits and biochemical pathways suggests there is a general and fundamental role for RNA dynamics in cellular processes.
Nuclear magnetic resonance in cuprous halides

Abstract Spin-lattice relaxation times T1 for 63Cu in zincblende structure CuCl, CuBr, and CuI have been measured in polycrystalline samples in the temperature range 77–600°K. The relaxation mechanism is mainly quadrupolar with T1 ∞ T−2 but the correlation of T1 with θD is opposite that found in the III–V compounds. The T1 variation among the cuprous halides is accounted for by Van Kranendonk's ionic model theory, but the absolute values of T1 are smaller than given by theory. This is interpreted as due to covalency differences among the compounds, which has also been inferred from exciton spectra. Above 350°K, cation diffusion contributes to relaxation in CuBr and CuI. Chemical shifts of 63CU, 35Cl, 79Br and 127I have been measured. The copper shifts are partly consistent with the covalence variations got from the T1 measurements. The halogen shifts are diamagnetic relative to the alkali halogen resonances, which is not understood on the basis of the alkali halides being more ionic than the cuprous halides. Anomalies in the T1 and chemical shift data of 63CuI may be related to the defect structure of this compound.
Two Photon Physics in Elastic Electron-Nucleon Scattering

I discuss the two-photon exchange contribution to elastic electron-proton scattering at large momentum transfer through the scattering off a parton in the proton. The process on the nucleon is related to the generalized parton distributions which also enter in other wide angle scattering processes. It is found that the two-photon exchange contribution is able to resolve to a large extent the difference between electric form factor measurements from Rosenbluth and polarization transfer experiments.
The Regioselectivity of Addition to Carbon Nanotube Segments

Calculations (AM1) demonstrate that Clar's valence bond model predicts the long-range reactivity patterns of hydrogenation of carbon nanotube (CNT) segments. CNT segments behave as other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonshydrogenation of double bonds is energetically preferred over hydrogenation of aromatic sextets. The frontier molecular orbitals of CNT segments have greatest amplitude at the double bonds, suggesting that Clar's model also predicts kinetic reactivity.
Do chemosensory changes influence food intake in the elderly

Food intake declines with age, and elderly individuals frequently report a decrease in appetite. Changes in chemosensory systems may partially explain this low intake. However, few data have directly linked changes in gustatory or olfactory function to food choice or intake. In two studies, taste perception and preference were unrelated to sodium chloride or sugar intakes. Olfaction may be more affected by age than taste. Olfactory dysfunction is associated with decreased enjoyment of food, and adding odors to foods can increase intake in some elderly individuals. The consumption of a varied diet depends in part on sensory-specific satiety (a decrease in the pleasantness of a food as it is consumed). Sensory-specific satiety diminishes with age, and this could be part of the explanation of why some elderly individuals have little variety in their diets. However, the impact of chemosensory deficits on nutritional status depends on a number of social and environmental factors. For example, despite their age, financially secure, free-living healthy older men and women consumed more varied diets than young adults. Changes in mechanisms regulating food intake can make it difficult for some elderly individuals to maintain energy balance. When chemosensory impairments are combined with changes in food intake regulatory mechanisms, the risk for nutritional deficiencies may be high. If we are to optimize food intake and nutritional status in the elderly, additional basic studies on how changes in chemosensory systems associated with aging affect food selection and intake are required.
Membrane Localization of S4 Transmembrane Segment of Voltage-Gated Ion Channels

Voltage sensor domain (VSD) plays a key role in the channel conductance of the voltage-gated ion channels. Out of four transmembrane segments in VSD, cationic fourth transmembrane segment (S4) is the principal voltage sensor. Various models based on X-ray crystallography and site directed mutagenesis studies have shown that S4 segment, in response to the membrane potential, undergoes a conformational rotatory motion in the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer. Functional studies using whole-cell/ patch clamp techniques have detailed the conductance properties of the channel. However, the exact mechanism of membrane interaction and orientation of the cationic S4 segment in the non-polar lipid bilayer is yet to be understood. Direct experimental evidence using native S4 segment and liposomes, without any other energetic cofactors, would allow a direct test of the underlying mechanism of localization of S4 in the lipid bilayer. We used various fluorescence techniques to study the interaction and penetrative depth of the native S4 peptide in the lipid bilayer. Detail information concerning autonomous partition of S4 peptides in lipids will be discussed.
Chemistry and biology

I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.
Myosin Va associates with microtubule-rich domains in both interphase and dividing cells.

Class V unconventional myosins are two-headed, nonfilamentous, actin-based mechanoenzymes that appear to be expressed ubiquitously. Mice possess at least two myosin V heavy chain genes (dilute and myr6) whose ∼190 kDa protein products are referred to as myosin Va and Vb, respectively. Using antibodies that are specific for the Va isoform and immunofluorescence microscopy, we show here that myosin Va localizes to the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) in interphase cells, and to the mitotic asters, spindle, and midbody of dividing cells. These associations, which in the case of mitotic cells are characterized by the concentration of myosin Va in the immediate vicinity of the microtubules, were observed in a variety of cell types, including primary and immortal mouse melanocytes and fibroblasts, Hela cells, and Cos cells. Importantly, these associations were not observed in melanocytes and fibroblasts cultured from dilute null mice, indicating that the staining of these microtubule-rich domains was due to the presence of myosin Va, as opposed to another protein(s) containing a shared epitope(s) with myosin Va. When cells were extracted with detergent prior to fixation, myosin Va remained associated with each of these microtubule-rich domains, suggesting that these associations are not due to the possible presence of membranes at these sites. This fact, and our observation that these microtubule-rich domains contain little if any F-actin (based on phalloidin staining), suggest that myosin Va may bind to microtubules either directly or through a microtubule-associated protein. Finally, we found that dilute null fibroblasts in primary culture are twice as likely to be binucleate as wild type fibroblasts of the same genetic background (35% vs. 17%). Together, these results indicate that myosin Va associates with microtubule-rich domains in both interphase and dividing cells, and plays a role in the efficiency of cell division in culture. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 40:286–303, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A system for concurrent measurement of centripetal passage of eadiophosphorus and of water plow across hoots to the xylem

Abstract Methods are described for the concurrent measurement of water flow and of Centripetal Passage (CP)1 of radiophosphorus across the root to the xylem. The amount of isotope which completed CP and reached the plant top served as a measure of CP. Comparison of this value with 32P in the xylem stream served as a guide to water flow. This comparison was made by means of a double ratio function for check and treated plants, and conclusions were based on whether the final values were at, below, or above unity. Illustrations of these methods were given for various test variables including potassium supply, magnesium supply, root temperature, and root oxygen tension.