cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dendritic I h normalizes temporal summation in hippocampal CA1 neurons

Most mammalian central neurons receive synaptic input over complicated dendritic arbors. Therefore, timing of synaptic information should vary with synapse location. However, I report that temporal summation at CA1 pyramidal somata does not depend on the location of synaptic input. This spatial normalization of temporal integration requires a dendritic hyperpolarization-activated current (lh). Shaping of synaptic activity by deactivating a nonuniform lh could counterbalance filtering by dendrites and effectively remove location-dependent variability in temporal integration, thus enhancing synchronization of neuronal populations and functional capabilities of the hippocampal CA1 region.
Aspects of 4He II

Abstract Some recent assertions concerning Frohlich's form for the second-order reduce density matrix for 4He II are shown to be incorrect, based on work by McMillan and Whitlock et al. An ansatz to replace the Beliaev ansatz is advanced, which leads directly to Frohlich's form.
Hyperosmolality complicating diabetes mellitus in childhood.

The syndrome of hyperosmolar diabetic coma has been well described in adults but rarely documented in children. Six children, not previously known to have diabetes mellitus, have been observed with this syndrome. The patients presented with extreme dehydration and coma following brief, nonspecific illnesses. Pre-existing neurological damage was present in 4, including 2 with Down's syndrome. There was a family history of diabetes mellitus in 4 children. The biochemical picture was characterized by hyperglycemia, hyperosmolality, metabolic acidosis, and minimal or no ketosis. Death occurred in 4 patients. Two children survived, one without neurological sequelae and the other with significant brain damage. Only those patients receiving minimal glucose in the initial parenteral solution survived. Hyperosmolality may be a significant factor in diabetic deaths in children.
PULSED-FIELD GEL ELECTROPHORESIS FOR THE SEPARATION OF LARGE PROTEIN MOLECULES EXEMPLIFIED BY THE ISOFORMS OF APOLIPOPROTEIN (A)

The performance of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was assessed for the separation of protein molecules. The allelic isoforms of apolipoprotein (a) (apo[a]) served as a model for this study because apo(a) is an unusually large protein, consisting of a variable number of repeating units. PFGE and, for comparison, conventional electrophoresis of human sera were carried out under reducing conditions in agarose gel. After blotting proteins onto nitrocellulose membrane, a combination of monospecific rabbit anti-apo(a) antibody and alkaline phosphatase-conjugated protein A detected apo(a) isoforms in all sera tested. The various apo(a) isoforms were effectively resolved within two repeating units ("kringles") by both PFGE and conventional electrophoresis, but the type of agarose gel used greatly affected the speed of electrophoretic separation. In a series of 89 human sera, 59 double-band and 30 single-band patterns were seen using either electrophoretic system. However, one specimen produced double bands with PFGE, while only a single band could be detected by conventional electrophoresis, and with another specimen the opposite occurred. A total of 22 different apo(a) isoforms were identified among these patterns. It is concluded that the increasingly available PFGE technology is a practical alternative to conventional agarose electrophoresis for the separation of large protein molecules.
Amenity migration: diverse conceptualizations of drivers, socioeconomic dimensions, and emerging challenges

Rural communities throughout the postindustrial world are in the midst of a significant transition, sometimes referred to as rural restructuring, as traditional land uses, economic activities, and social arrangements transition to those associated with “post-productivist” or “multifunctional” landscapes. Amenity migration, the movement of people based on the draw of natural and/or cultural amenities, can be thought of as both driver and implication of this transition, resulting in significant changes in the ownership, use, and governance of rural lands, as well as in the composition and socioeconomic dynamics of rural communities. In concert with other social, economic and political processes, amenity migration is contributing to the fundamental transformation of rural communities throughout the world. This paper presents a review of the social science literature related to the concept of amenity migration, focusing on the ways in which it has been conceptualized, theorized, and documented by different communities of scholars. We then profile and summarize diverse perspectives on drivers and socioeconomic impacts, highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities related to this type of migration occurring at multiple scales and in multiple sites. The paper also identifies and discusses particular areas where further research is needed.
Changes of Antero-Posterior Distribution of CNV and Late Positive Component as a Function of Information Processing Demands

The topographic distribution of the amplitudes of the contingent negative variation (CNV) recorded along the midline at the anterior, central, and posterior regions of the human scalp varied as a function of type of information processing demanded. A parietal-dominant CNV was found when active problem-solving behavior was required. A central-dominant CNV was evident in a disjunctive reaction time task. The results are interpreted as evidence supporting a model of cortical function which predicts shifts in cortical involvement as a function of type of task demands. A late positive component (LPC) of the average evoked potential was also found to vary as a function of stage of learning, recording sites, and an attitudinal dimension measured by Rotter's internal-external locus of control scale.
Towards a metacognitive approach to credibility

We describe research investigating users' determinations of web site credibility in several contexts, including Hawaii, Norway, and Singapore. Recommendations include incorporating the use of metacognitive prompts for facilitating effective credibility determinations.
¿Hacia una literatura de compromiso? Cohesión social desde el individuo en La muerte de Kurt Cobain de Care Santos

Socially committed writing in contemporary Spanish narrative scene sometimes eliminates the possibilities of depicting individual realities. Care Santos's novel La muerte de Kurt Cobain (1997) develops the case of a unique young girl who goes through a life-changing experience during a summer when she has to overcome personal issues in order to form her persona. The novel is half crime-fiction since there is a mystery to solve and half bildungsroman due to the formation of the personality of the female lead character. Coming of age by becoming a human being, a friend, a sister, and a woman is the main focus of this text, which rejects generalizations regarding youth as a reckless period of life and embraces adulthood as a natural process of growth. Young Spanish girls represented in Santos's work are portrayed through the protagonist who contributes to build a human and cohesive society that stems from the level of commitment of the individual.
Visualization and scaling of TREC topic document sets

Abstract Although numerous new document visualization tools are emerging throughout academia and industry, reliable test data for such tools has not yet been established. This paper explores the applicability of the TREC Information Retrieval Test Collection for this purpose using commonly available data and statistical methods.
Experimentation and College Students in Social Psychology Research

In research published in four social psychology journals at the beginning of the 1970s, experimental research predominated over correlational research, and college students predominated over non-college samples. However, there was considerable variation among the different journals. It was suggested that the use of experimentation on college students does not necessarily make research ungeneralizable or irrelevant.
Optimal design of beams for prescribed compliance under alternative loads

A global optimality condition is established for minimum-weight design of sandwich beams with elementwise constant cross section for prescribed compliances in alternative states of loading. This condition requires a nonnegative linear combination of the mean-square curvatures of an element in the considered states of loading to have the same value for all elements. The use of the condition in the determination of the minimum-weight design is illustrated by examples.
Effect of the Knudsen Number on Transient Times During Chemical Vapor Deposition

Models for the individual steps used to fabricate integrated circuits (ICs) are of interest in order to improve fabrication efficiency and process designs. Here we focus on deposition from the gas stream in which the dominant species is an inert carrier gas, as it flows across a wafer on which ICs are being fabricated. We model the transport of gaseous species to the surface and heterogeneous (surface) chemical reactions for chemical vapor deposition using a kinetic transport and reaction model (KTRM), which is represented by a system of linear Boltzmann equations. The model is valid for a range of pressures and for length scales from nanometers to decimeters, making it suitable for multiscale models. We present transient simulation results for transport of reactants into an inherently three-dimensional prototypical micron scale trench via structure for a wide range of Knudsen numbers. The results highlight the capabilities of the KTRM and its implementation, and demonstrate that the transients last longer for lower Knudsen numbers than for higher Knudsen numbers. We briefly discuss how the KTRM might be used in a multiscale computational model.
Methods used in estimating the groundwater supply in the Wichita, Kansas well‐field area

This paper presents the methods used in studying the groundwater hydrology of an area in Harvey and Sedgwick Counties, Kansas, from which the city of Wichita derives its water supply. A summary of the data available for study is presented and several hydrologic factors are evaluated. The relationship between groundwater levels and precipitation is shown, and recharge is estimated. The effect of pumping on water levels is shown graphically, and the quantity of water withdrawn from storage is estimated from several water-table contour maps. The data are analyzed and the quantity of water available for pumping is estimated.
Nuclear relaxation studies of the spin-Peierls transition☆

Abstract Nuclear relaxation studies of the spin-Peierls transition in TTF-BDT are presented. At low temperature, but above Tc, the results agree in magnitude, frequency dependence and temperature dependence with calculations based on the pseudofermion treatment of the S = 1 2 , 1-D Heisenberg antiferromagnet. The sharp decrease in the rate below Tc reflects the continuous opening of a magnetic energy gap at the spin-Peierls transition.
Intertrial interval shift effects on discrimination reversal: Motivational and associative control by internal stimuli

Four groups of eight rats each were trained on a successive brightness differential conditioning problem under a + − trial sequence in which all daily trials to the positive (S+) stimulus preceded those to the negative (S−) stimulus. The groups composed a 2 by 2 factorial combination of intertriai intervals of 1 and 15 min in Phases 1 and 2. The four groups, identified by Phase 1 and Phase 2 intertriai interval, were Groups 1/1, 1/15, 15/1, and 15/15. In Phase 2, brightness cues were reversed for each group. The original discrimination was acquired more rapidly by Groups 1/1 and 1/15 than by Groups 15/1 and 15/15. Reversal learning was best in Group 1/1, worst in Group 1/15, and intermediate in Groups 15/15 and 15/1. The results were discussed in terms of their implications for motivational and associative control over discriminative behavior by internal, reward-produced cues.
Neodymium: Yag laser irradiation of bladder hemangioma

Abstract Bladder hemangiomas may occur singly or in association with systemic arteriovenous malformations. Previously open surgical removal of these lesions has been necessary and endoscopic resection or biopsy strongly discouraged. We report a case of the Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome and a massive bladder hemangioma. Hemorrhagic complications were controlled by endoscopic application of neodymium: YAG laser photo-irradiation.
Early postnatal lead exposure: Behavioral effects in common tern chicks (sterna hirundo)

Exposure to lead early in life is known to affect behavioral and intellectual development. To develop an animal model we chose the common tern, Sterna hirundo, a species whose early developmental landmarks are well known. One potential for avian models lies in the reliance of birds on visual and acoustic rather than olfactory (and ultrasonic) modes of communication. One randomly chosen member of each of 8 pairs of young common tern chicks was injected with lead nitrate solution at a concentration of 0.2 mg/g. The pairs were not siblings but were matched for age (± 1 d) and weight (±3 g). The second member of each pair was injected with an equal volume of sterile saline. Behavioral tests performed examined locomotion, balance and righting response, feeding tasks and begging, depth perception and response on a visual cliff, and behavioral thermoregulation. In each pair the control chick was heavier at 4 wk of age. For most behavioral measures, except begging and movement on a stationary incline, the lead‐in...
Enhancement of endocannabinoid signaling with JZL184, an inhibitor of the 2-arachidonoylglycerol hydrolyzing enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase, produces anxiolytic effects under conditions of high environmental aversiveness in rats

Dysregulation in signaling of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is implicated in hyperresponsiveness to stress. We hypothesized that blockade of monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), the primary enzyme responsible for 2-AG deactivation in vivo, would produce context-dependent anxiolytic effects in rats. Environmental aversiveness was manipulated by varying illumination of an elevated plus maze. Percentage open arm time and numbers of open and closed arm entries were measured in rats receiving a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of either vehicle, the MGL inhibitor JZL184 (1-8mg/kg), the benzodiazepine diazepam (1mg/kg), the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist rimonabant (1mg/kg), or JZL184 (8mg/kg) coadministered with rimonabant (1mg/kg). JZL184 (8mg/kg) produced anxiolytic-like effects (i.e., increased percentage open arm time and number of open arm entries) under high, but not low, levels of environmental aversiveness. Diazepam produced anxiolytic effects in either context. Rimonabant blocked the anxiolytic-like effects of JZL184, consistent with mediation by CB(1). Anxiolytic effects of JZL184 were preserved following chronic (8mg/kg per day×6 days) administration. Chronic and acute JZL184 treatment similarly enhanced behavioral sensitivity to an exogenous cannabinoid (WIN55,212-2; 2.5mg/kg i.p.) 24 or 72h following the terminal injection, suggesting a pervasive effect of MGL inhibition on the endocannabinoid system. We attribute our results to alterations in emotion rather than locomotor activity as JZL184 did not alter the number of closed arm entries in the plus maze or produce motor ataxia in the bar test. Our results demonstrate that JZL184 has beneficial, context-dependent effects on anxiety in rats, presumably via inhibition of MGL-mediated hydrolysis of 2-AG. These data warrant further testing of MGL inhibitors to elucidate the functional role of 2-AG in controlling anxiety and stress responsiveness. Our data further implicate a role for 2-AG in the regulation of emotion and validate MGL as a therapeutic target.
Dissociation Energies of the Alkaline Earth Monofluorides

ALTHOUGH the gaseous alkaline monofluoride molecules have been known for many years1, the stabilities of these molecules have not been accurately established. The Birge–Sponer extrapolations which Gaydon2 used to arrive at dissociation energies are in doubt because of the limited number of vibrational levels used and the fact that the data were often based on head measurements of bands of a weakly degraded system. Furthermore, these extrapolations are not expected to be normal for such molecules in which ionic forces make an appreciable contribution to the binding. This communication presents new results and theoretical calculations which indicate consistently high dissociation energies for all the alkaline earth monofluorides.
Mixed cyclotomy, prime-power circulants, and cyclotomy modulo p = ef+1 for composite e

(mod ee’) is given in terms of the cyclotomic numbers for p,e and p,e’, and the mixed cyclotomic numbers p,(e’, e) when g.c.d. (e, e’) = 1. The derivation of this formula depends upon the invertibility of the circulant coefficient matrix of a system of linear equations involving the respective periods; the determinant of this matrix is shown to be, in fact, Let p = (ee’lf” + 1 be a prime with e, e’ natural numbers greater than 1 such that (e, e’) = 1. In this paper we introduce the mixed cyclotomic numbers (i, j){$ modulo p and exhibit a large class of circulant matrices based upon these constants whose determinants (up to sign) are powers of p. We then use these constants, together with the (ordinary) cyclotomic numbers for p, e and p, e’, to derive an explicit formula for the cyclotomic numbers for p, ee’. Results in this direction for the special cases e twice an o&prime and e four times an oddprime have been previously discussed in [2] and [3], respectively, and the reader is referred to [2] for additional results. The notation and results covering the ordinary cyclotomic-numbers for p, e will be as in [I].
Banded Spherulitic Morphology in Blends of Poly (propylene fumarate) and Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) and Interaction with MC3T3-E1 Cells

The thermal properties, morphological development, crystallization behavior, and miscibility of semicrystalline PCL and its 25, 50, and 75 wt% blends with amorphous PPF in spin-coated thin films crystallized at various crystallization temperatures (T{sub c}) from 25 to 52 C are investigated. The surface roughness of PPF/PCL ({phi}{sub PCL} = 75%) films increases with increasing T{sub c} and consequently the adsorption of serum proteins is also increased. No significant variance is found in surface hydrophilicity or in mouse MC3T3-E1 cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation on PPF/PCL ({phi}{sub PCL} = 75%) films crystallized isothermally at 25, 37, and 45 C, because of low ridge height, nonuniformity in structures, and PPF surface segregation
The Clinical Implications of Procedural Deviations During Orchiectomy for Nonseminomatous Testis Cancer

AbstractPurpose: The clinical implications of procedural deviations during orchiectomy for nonseminomatous testis cancer were evaluated.Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was done of 78 of 1,708 patients (4.6 percent) with nonseminomatous testis cancer who presented to our university following scrotal violation.Results: A total of 56 patients (71.8 percent) underwent hemi-scrotectomy as part of treatment. A tumor was found in 6 of 56 hemi-scrotectomy specimens (10.7 percent) and 3 showed local recurrence. Of the 78 patients 5 (6.4 percent) had local recurrence, while 1 of 30 (3.3 percent) with scrotal specimens negative for tumor had recurrence in the groin. No patient treated by chemotherapy had local recurrence.Conclusions: Scrotal violation was associated with an increased risk for local recurrence mainly when a residual tumor in the scrotectomy specimen was found. The role of hemi-scrotectomy to avoid of local or systemic relapse is debatable.
COX-2 lack of function in hypoxia-induced ocular surface inflammation

Injury to the ocular surface increases corneal epithelial production of cyclooxygenase (COX)-derived eicosanoids but this increase correlates poorly to the inflammatory sequelae. Moreover, corticosteroids are effective in treatment of this inflammation but NSAIDs are not. The discovery of COX-2 that is differentially affected by common NSAIDs reopened the question of the role of prostaglandins in ocular surface inflammation. We examined the presence and inducibility of COX-2 in the corneal epithelium following hypoxia-induced injury in vivo and in vitro. COX-2, but not COX-1, protein levels markedly increased following hypoxia. Use of the selective COX-2 inhibitor, NS-398, indicated that COX activity in hypoxic corneas or cells is essentially that of COX-2; in control cells, both COX-1 and COX-2 contributed equally to the production of PGE2. COX-2 protein overexpression induced by hypoxia was not associated with a parallel increase in PGE2 accumulation but the enzyme regained full catalytic activity when cells were re-exposed to normoxia in the presence of heme and arachidonic acid. Decreases in the levels of oxygen and heme, essential substrates/cofactors for COX catalytic activity, contributed to a diminished prostanoid production during hypoxia. These results suggest that in hypoxic injury, molecules other than COX-derived prostanoids play a major pro-inflammatory role. Furthermore, this study provides an explanation for the ineffectiveness of classical NSAIDs in the treatment of hypoxia-related ocular surface inflammation.
Enhanced understanding of energy ratepayers: Factors influencing perceptions of government energy efficiency subsidies and utility alternative energy use

Abstract This study explores factors related to energy consumers' perceptions of government subsidies for utility provided energy efficiency (EE) programs and for utility providers' use of more clean/alternative energy sources. Demographic factors, attitudes, planned purchases, and perceptions of utility provider motives in relation to governmental and utility provider EE initiatives (i.e. providing discounts and coupons for CFL bulbs), plus the influence of gain- and loss-framed messages are investigated. Over 2000 respondents completed a 16 item phone survey. Hierarchical regression explained 38% of the variance in reactions regarding government subsidies of the cost of utility provided EE programs and 43% of the variance in perceptions involving whether utility companies should use of more clean or alternative forms of energy. Gender and party differences emerged. Loss-framed messages were more important when the issue was government subsidies. Both gain- and loss-framed messages were important when clean/alternative energy was the issue.
Sebotropic eruption associated with use of oral kava kava supplement.

Summary Supplement use is prevalent, and its use is increasing among older adults. Dermatologists need to be aware of the adverse cutaneous effects that can result from herbal supplement use. A 55-year-old man presented with an eruption in a sebotropic distribution after consuming kava kava for 3 weeks, which resolved after discontinuation of the supplement. This case highlights the need for clinicians to consider kava kava in the differential of sebotropic eruptions. The biology, mechanism of action, and potential systemic and cutaneous effects of kava kava are reviewed.
MapTask scheduling in mapreduce with data locality: throughput and heavy-traffic optimality

MapReduce/Hadoop framework has been widely used to process large-scale datasets on computing clusters. Scheduling map tasks with data locality consideration is crucial to the performance of MapReduce. Many works have been devoted to increasing data locality for better efficiency. However, to the best of our knowledge, fundamental limits of MapReduce computing clusters with data locality, including the capacity region and theoretical bounds on the delay performance, have not been well studied. In this paper, we address these problems from a stochastic network perspective. Our focus is to strike the right balance between data locality and load balancing to simultaneously maximize throughput and minimize delay. We present a new queueing architecture and propose a map task scheduling algorithm constituted by the Join the Shortest Queue policy together with the MaxWeight policy. We identify an outer bound on the capacity region, and then prove that the proposed algorithm can stabilize any arrival rate vector strictly within this outer bound. It shows that the outer bound coincides with the actual capacity region, and the proposed algorithm is throughput-optimal. Furthermore, we study the number of backlogged tasks under the proposed algorithm, which is directly related to the delay performance based on Little's law. We prove that the proposed algorithm is heavy-traffic optimal, i.e., it asymptotically minimizes the number of back-logged tasks as the arrival rate vector approaches the boundary of the capacity region. Therefore, the proposed algorithm is also delay-optimal in the heavy-traffic regime. The proofs in this paper deal with random processing times with heterogeneous parameters and nonpreemptive task execution, which differentiate our work from many existing works on MaxWeight-type algorithms, so the proof techniques themselves for the stability analysis and the heavy-traffic analysis are also novel contributions.
Lunar thermal emission and remote determination of surface properties

Grain size, bulk density (or porosity), thermal conductivity, and rock abundance all play an important role in the thermal behavior of the lunar surface. Direct investigation of these properties of the lunar surface layer is not presently possible, with the exception of the samples returned from the Apollo landing sites. An indirect measurement of lunar surface properties may be possible using remote thermal infrared observations. In order to better understand the interplay between these properties, a diurnal thermal model for the lunar surface and near subsurface with temperature-dependent specific heat and thermal conductivity was developed. The inclusion of the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity and specific heat was found to be essential when attempting to derive regolith properties of the Moon due to the large difference in surface temperatures between day and night. Although particle size, bulk density, and thermal conductivity cannot be investigated completely independently, a clear relationship between these parameters, and their effects on lunar surface temperatures, is determined. An increase in the bulk density of the regolith is found to correspond to an increase in the nighttime temperature of the surface. Similarly an increase in the rock fraction also raises the predicted nighttime temperatures. Increasing grain sizes correspond to decreasing nighttime temperatures. No unique set of surface properties can be determined from thermal remote sensing measurements alone. Grain size is the most difficult regolith property to determine remotely, and rock abundance is by far the strongest contributor to the derived thermal inertia of the bulk surface.
Novel lysine biosynthetic gene sequences (LYS1 and LYS5) used as PCR targets for the detection of the pathogenic Candida yeast

We report here a sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection assay for the pathogenic Candida yeast based on the novel LYS1 [encoding saccharopine dehydrogenase (SDH)] and LYS5 [encoding phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase)] gene sequences of the fungal unique lysine biosynthetic pathway. Both LYS1 and LYS5 DNA-specific PCR primers SG1, SG2 and SG3, SG4, respectively, amplified predicted 483 and 648-bp fragments from Candida albicans genomic DNA but not from other selected fungal, bacterial, or human DNA. The 18S rDNA control primers exhibited positive amplifications in all PCR assays. The LYS1-and LYS5-specific primers strongly amplified C. albicans and Candida tropicalis target sequences; however, the LYS1 primers also weakly amplified fragments from Candida kefyr and Candida lusitaniae DNA. Both sets of primers amplified target sequences from less than 10 pg of serially diluted C. albicans DNA, and the LYS1 specific primers also detected DNA isolated from serially diluted 50 C. albicans cells. The PCR primers reported here are sufficiently sensitive and specific for the potential early detection of Candida infections with no possibility of false positive results from cross-contamination with bacterial or human DNA.
"My Brain s On Strike": The Construction of Identity Through Memory Accounts by Dementia Patients

This article examines the social construction of identity by older dementia patients in the memory clinic through the use of accounts about memory loss. The data are verbatim transcriptions of neuropsychological examinations between seventeen older dementia patients and four clinicians conducted at the Memory and Alzheimer's Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco. Using an interactional sociolinguistic framework, this article analyzes five kinds of accounts that discursively construct the identities of these older dementia patients: (1) cognitive accounts, (2) experiential accounts, (3) accounts of ability and attention, (4) emotional accounts, and (5) comparative accounts. This research has implications for improving the quality of life of older dementia patients to the extent that caregivers and family members can help dementia sufferers to construct and maintain a sense of their own identity.
Comparison of steady state and integral dynamic data reconciliation

This paper is devoted to the comparison of the performance of integral approach to dynamic data reconciliation and steady state data reconciliation. It is shown that in the absence of biases and leaks, the performance of both approaches is similar. Moreover, it is proven that once the appropriate variance is chosen, both methods are identical in the absence of accumulation terms. Finally, an analysis is made on how large the discrepancies are when there are accumulation terms. © 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Controlled expression of transgenes introduced by in vivo electroporation

In vivo electroporation is a powerful technique for the introduction of genes into organisms. Temporal and spatial regulation of expression of introduced genes, or of RNAi, would further enhance the utility of this method. Here we demonstrate conditional regulation of gene expression from electroporated plasmids in the postnatal rat retina and the embryonic mouse brain. For temporal regulation, Cre/loxP-mediated inducible expression vectors were used in combination with a vector expressing a conditionally active form of Cre recombinase, which is activated by 4-hydroxytamoxifen. Onset of gene expression was regulated by the timing of 4-hydroxytamoxifen administration. For spatial regulation, transgenes were expressed by using promoters specific for rod photoreceptors, bipolar cells, amacrine cells, Muller glia or progenitor cells. Combinations of these constructs will facilitate a variety of experiments, including cell-type-specific gene misexpression, conditional RNAi, and fate mapping of progenitor and precursor cells.
Accounting for Differences in Norms of Respect A Study of Assessments of Incivility through the Lenses of Race and Gender

Incivility, an often ignored but potentially destructive workplace behavior, represents violations in norms of respect. The authors propose that norms of respect may not be shared within a work place and that variations in norms are reflected in the way individuals assess uncivil behavior toward others. Tests are carried out for variations in personal norms of respect with data from observers of the behavior by professional men toward a professional woman. Results from this study suggest that males and females may have different thresholds at which they perceive a vio lation of their norms of respect. Furthermore, perceptions may be affected by observers’ social identification (by race and sex) with either the perpetrators or the targets of incivility. The authors discuss implications from the study for perpetuating workplace inequalities.
Toddler's fracture of the calcaneum

Calcaneal fractures in very young children are thought to be rare. We report on seven calcaneal fractures in children under the age of 36 months in the absence of a history of significant injury. In five cases plain radiology was normal, but the diagnosis was reached using scintigraphy. We suggest that this is not such a rare injury, and that wider use of scintigraphy will assist in making the diagnosis. The prognosis of this injury is excellent.
Effect of Tooth Removal on Recaptures of Raccoons

Abstract Researchers have extensively used mark–recapture techniques to obtain information on demographic parameters of wildlife populations. However, researchers have recognized that a number of factors can influence capture probabilities of wildlife species, which in turn can bias mark–recapture estimates of demographic parameters. Tooth extraction, which is a commonly used technique in studies of mesopredator species to obtain precise age estimates and to monitor the use of vaccine baits, is an aspect of animal handling that clearly might affect the recapture probability of individuals. However, the effect that tooth removal has on the individual recapture probabilities of wildlife species is unknown. During 2005, we trapped and marked 91 raccoons (Procyon lotor) in northern Indiana, USA, as part of a mark–recapture study designed specifically to determine if tooth extractions have an effect on recapture probabilities of individuals. We performed tooth extractions on 50% of the raccoons at the time of ...
“RePlay Health”: An Experiential Role-Playing Sport for Modeling Healthcare Decisions, Policies, and Outcomes

Abstract Objective: This article presents the design and empirical investigation of the “RePlay Health” game (www.replayhealth.com/), a novel “role-playing sport” derived from a complex, data-driven, computational simulation of healthcare dynamics. By immersing players in a fictional world in which they take on the role of characters facing specific behavioral and environmental risk factors, the “RePlay Health” game models the impact of health and healthcare policy on individual-level livelihood and community-level productivity. Subjects and Methods: A randomized experiment tested the efficacy of the game for inspiring shifts in thinking about public health and healthcare policy. This study compared the impact of actively playing the game versus passively spectating: 31 young adults were assigned to one of these two roles. Participants completed pretest and posttest measures of their subjective ranking of healthcare policies and attributions for health outcomes. Results: Active players (compared with spec...
Dynamic shifts in corneal topography after radial and transverse keratotomy

Purpose: The authors aimed to quantitate the dynamic patterns of change in corneal topography after multistaged radial and transverse keratotomy using digitized videokeratography. Methods: Single and paired radial and transverse keratotomies, with videokeratoscopy between each stage and at the end of the procedure, were performed on fresh animal cadaver eyes using an artificial orbit system. Results: All incisions led to central flattening. A single radial keratotomy caused flattening adjacent to the incision, and steepening 180 ° away. A paired radial keratotomy caused increased flattening in the meridian of the incisions, and less flattening 90 ° away. A single transverse incision caused steepening adjacent to the incision and diffuse flattening elsewhere. A paired transverse incision caused flattening near the optical center along the meridian bisecting the incisions and steepening 90 ° away. Conclusion: The authors have demonstrated that computerized videokeratography can be used successfully to systematically quantitate dioptric shifts in multiple hemimeridians and measurement zone diameters after refractive surgery.
The Impact of Content and Design Elements on Banner Advertising Click-through Rates

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of content and design elements on the click-through rates of banner advertisements using data from 8,725 real banner advertisements. It is one of the first empirical studies to examine banner advertising effectiveness (measured by click-through rates) and also one of the first to examine the differences between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) banner advertisements. Content elements examined include the use of incentives and emotional appeals. Design elements examined include the use of interactivity, color, and animation. Results suggest that content and design elements do not work the same way for B2B and B2C banner advertisements.
Automating Terrain Analysis: Algorithms for Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield:

Terrain information supplies an important context for ground operations. The layout of terrain is a determining factor in arraying of forces, both friendly and enemy, and the structuring of Courses of Action (COAs). For example, key terrain, such as a bridge over an unfordable river, or terrain that allows observation of the opposing forces line of advance, is likely to give a big military advantage to the force that holds it. Combining information about terrain features with hypotheses about enemy assets can lead to inferences about possible avenues of approach, areas that provide cover and concealment, areas that are vulnerable to enemy observation, or choke points. Currently, intelligence officers manually combine terrain-based information, information about the tactical significance of certain terrain features as well as information regarding enemy assets and doctrine to form hypotheses about the disposition of enemy forces and enemy intent. In this paper, we present a set of algorithms and tools for ...
RESEARCH ARTICLE: Who’s Regulating Who? Analyzing Fracking Policy in Colorado, Wyoming, and Louisiana

Significant controversy surrounds the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in oil and gas extraction in the United States. To address some of these concerns, states are leading the charge by regu...
Mitotic Chromosomal Bcl-2: I. Stable Expression Throughout the Cell Cycle and Association with Isolated Chromosomes

Bcl-2 is present in a cytoplasmic distribution in cells that express high levels of this oncoprotein. In contrast, using immunocytochemistry in cells expressing low levels of bcl-2, such as KB human carcinoma cells, we and others have shown that bcl-2 is present on the surface of mitotic chromosomes. However, monoclonal antibodies reactive with an epitope representing amino acids 41-54 of the bcl-2 sequence did not detect bcl-2 in other phases of the cell cycle. This study extended those earlier findings to determine if bcl-2 was expressed as a cyclin or if this pattern was an artifact of immunocytochemistry. Immunofluorescence studies in several other human cell lines showed the same mitotic distribution of bcl-2. Other studies using flow cytometry also showed selective mitotic phase detection of bcl-2. A comparison of available commercial antibodies showed that, in spite of reactivity with denatured bcl-2 on Western blots, clear reactivity with bcl-2 in fixed cells was found only with those reactive with the (a.a. 41-54) epitope. With RNase protection and Western blot analyses, cells synchronized at various stages of the cell cycle showed constant levels of bcl-2 mRNA and protein. Analysis of bcl-2 using Western blots showed a band with the same apparent molecular weight as that seen in comparison with authentic bcl-2 overexpressed in the cytoplasm. The retention of bcl-2 on chromosomes in unfixed, permeabilized preparations was influenced by protease treatment, phosphate, and pH. Studies using isolated chromosomes showed that much of the bcl-2 in these cells was attached to chromosomes in mitosis, had the expected molecular weight, and was phosphorylated in the same manner as that seen in whole-cell extracts. These results show that bcl-2 is not a cyclin and that the bcl-2 localized on chromosomes is the same molecule seen by immunoblotting. These results suggest that the reactive (a.a. 41-54) epitope present in bcl-2 is somehow modified or masked in interphase.
Geodynamic evolution of the central Appalachian orogen: Geochronology and compositional diversity of magmatism from Ordovician through Devonian

The spatial and temporal distributions of igneous rocks provide significant limits on the geodynamic and thermal record associated with the growth of continents through different tectonic processes. In the central Appalachian orogen, both published and new ion microprobe U/Pb zircon ages coupled with geochemical data from igneous rocks provide a window into the thermal and temporal evolution of the mid-Ordovician Taconic orogeny, as well as younger subduction, delamination and accretionary events. New Ion microprobe U/Pb ages of zircons screened for inheritance and lead loss, yield five discrete groupings of igneous activity: (1) pre-collision arc stage: 470 to 489 Ma (2) syntectonic: 459 to 472 Ma (3) arc magmatism after change in subduction polarity: 441 to 459 Ma (4) delamination induced extension related plutons: 423 to 438 Ma and (5) Neo-Acadian plutons related to collision of Avalon-Carolina superterrane with Laurentian elements: 362 to 381 Ma. Geochemical signature of mafic and felsic rocks of all age groups are dominated by arc-type attributes for primitive mantle normalized signatures for depletion in Nb, P, and Ti, and enrichment in Pb. Differences in alkalinity and a well-developed positive gadolinium anomaly for Group III rocks is interpreted to be the result of remelting of high to intermediate potassic basalts and their plutonic equivalents during the development of a late Ordovician calc-alkaline arc draped over an earlier (Group I) low-K tholeiitic arc assemblage. We utilize these magmatic events, including their geochemical signatures to suggest a tectonic model which includes: (1) arc-continent collision followed by change in subduction polarity, and (2) development of a second arc followed by slab delamination resulting in extension, as well as post-closure shortening related to docking of peri-Gondwanan tracts. The proposed model enables a more robust coupling of the opening and closing of the Iapetus ocean basin with the preserved igneous record, but we recognize that lack of detailed mapping over the area of study, accompanied by modern geochemical/geochronologic data to place igneous rocks in a regional deformation and metamorphic framework, precludes a complete endorsement of our preferred model.
Physically Insignificant Fast Waves

One reason that explicit time-differencing is widely used in the simulation of wave-like flows is that accuracy considerations and stability constraints often yield similar criteria for the maximum time step in numerical integrations of systems that support a single type of wave motion. Many fluid systems, however, support more than one type of wave motion, and in such circumstances accuracy considerations and stability constraints can yield very different criteria for the maximum time step. If explicit time-differencing is used to construct a straightforward numerical approximation to the equations governing a system that supports several types of waves, the maximum stable time step will be limited by the Courant number associated with the most rapidly propagating wave, yet that rapidly propagating wave may be of little physical significance.
Clusterin (SGP-2) : a multifunctional glycoprotein with regional expression in astrocytes and neurons of the adult rat brain

Clusterin (SGP-2) is a newly described glycoprotein associated with several putative functions including responses to brain injury. This study reports the regional and cell type expression of clusterin mRNA and its encoded glycoprotein in the rat brain; a limited comparison was also done with the human brain. Using in situ hybridization combined with immunocytochemistry, we found that astrocytes and neurons may express clusterin mRNA in the normal adult brain. While astrocytes throughout the brain contained clusterin mRNA, there was regional selectivity for neuronal clusterin expression. In the striatum, clusterin mRNA was not detected in neurons. Only a subset of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons or locus ceruleus noradrenergic neurons (tyrosine hydroxylase immunopositive) contained clusterin mRNA. However, neuronal clusterin mRNA was prevaient in pontine nuclei and in the red nucleus of the midbrain tegmentum. Similarly, clusterin mRNA was prevalent in both rat and human hippocampal neuron-specific enolase immunopositive pyramidal neurons, although rat CA1 neurons had less mRNA than CA2–CA3 neurons. Monotypic primary cell cultures from the neonatal rat showed clusterin mRNA in both neurons and astrocytes, but not in microglia. By immunocytochemistry, no clusterin immunopositive glia were observed in any region of the rat brain, confirming previous studies. However, clusterin immunopositive cells (putative neurons) were observed in the Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum, medial and interposed cerebellar nuclei, trigeminal motor nucleus, and red nucleus. Finally, in vitro studies suggest that astrocytes, but not neurons, secrete clusterin, which is pertinent to clusterin immunodeposits found after experimental lesioning. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
An unappreciated role for RNA surveillance

Background: Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a eukaryotic mRNA surveillance mechanism that detects and degrades mRNAs with premature termination codons (PTC + mRNAs). In mammals, a termination codon is recognized as premature if it lies more than about 50 nucleotides upstream of the final intron position. More than a third of reliably inferred alternative splicing events in humans have been shown to result in PTC + mRNA isoforms. As the mechanistic details of NMD have only recently been elucidated, we hypothesized that many PTC + isoforms may have been cloned, characterized and deposited in the public databases, even though they would be targeted for degradation in vivo. Results: We analyzed the human alternative protein isoforms described in the SWISS-PROT database and found that 144 (5.8% of 2,483) isoform sequences amenable to analysis, from 107 (7.9% of 1,363) SWISS-PROT entries, derive from PTC+ mRNA. Conclusions: For several of the PTC+ isoforms we identified, existing experimental evidence can be reinterpreted and is consistent with the action of NMD to degrade the transcripts. Several genes with mRNA isoforms that we identified as PTC + - calpain-10, the CDC-like kinases (CLKs) and LARD - show how previous experimental results may be understood in light of NMD.
Take it to the next stage: the roles of role playing in the design process

Using role play at every stage of the design process has been a vital tool for IDEO in working with clients and users. With the dual properties of bringing participants into the moment and making shared activities physical rather than just mental, role playing techniques make the process more experiential and creatively generative. Role playing is complimentary to traditional design techniques providing additional team dynamics and insights that bring the process and designs to another level. This paper describes how we have used role-playing in our design process and how it can be integrated into any HCI project.