cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Athletic Activity on Hormone Levels in High School Female Athletes

Objectives:Circulating endogenous hormone levels may affect the susceptibility of female athletes to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study tested the hypotheses that (1) the estradiol-progesterone profile of high school females participating in training, conditioning, and competition differs significantly from that of physically inactive age-matched females over a 3-month period; and (2) athletic training/conditioning alters body composition (muscle, bone), leading to an increasingly greater lean body mass to fat mass ratio and accompanying hormone change.Methods:One-hundred six women, ages 14-18 years, were prospectively monitored over a 13-week period with weekly physical activity assessments and 15 urine samples for estrogen (E1c), luteinizing hormone (LH) creatine (Cr), and progesterone (PdG) levels. Each underwent lower extremity strength tests and body composition measurements, both prior to and after the study period.Results:Seventy-four of the 98 women who completed the study class...
Intracranial human immunodeficiency virus infection in an infant: sonographic findings.

Multiple hyperechoic foci were noted on a head sonogram in the basal ganglia and periventricular white matter of an eleven month old, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive male infant. The infant presented with failure to thrive, recurrent viral and bacterial infections, and progressive neurologic impairment. Toxoplasmosis, Cytomegalo-inclusion virus and other “TORCH” infections were excluded. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain demonstrated multiple punctate calcifications in the above areas. The literature indicates that these changes might be the result of direct HIV infection of the brain. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of the sonographic findings.
Relapsing malaria infection in an adolescent following travel to Mozambique

Summary Infection with Plasmodium ovale is uncommon in travelers. We describe a case of ovale malaria in a traveler to Mozambique who initially presented several weeks after completion of his trip. Species identification was ultimately achieved with a PCR-based diagnostic method.
Calculation of Airflow over an Isolated Heat Source with Application to the Dynamics of V-Shaped Clouds

Abstract The stably stratified airflow over a three-dimensional elevated heat source is investigated using the linearized equations of motion. A low-level upward motion can be produced for airflow over a prescribed, isolated heat source for a wide variety of mean wind speeds. Above the heating layer, a V-shaped region of upward displacement is formed by the action of the mean wind on the upward propagating waves. The horizontal pattern of the heat source is important in determining the formation of the V-shaped region of upward displacement A high-pressure region is produced in the vicinity of the heat source at the top of the heating layer. The response of a hydrostatic airflow to a transient heating is a V-shaped region of upward displacement with an embedded region of downward displacement above the heated layer. The whole system advects downstream with a slower speed than the mean wind and eventually disperses. A region of strong divergence is associated with the region of upward displacement above th...
Defeat of a wood‐fired electric power plant: A study in social change∗

Abstract A qualitative study is presented describing the connections between social change and environmental controversy in the case of a proposal to site a wood‐fired electric power plant in a nonmetropolitan community. The population migration turnaround in regions with scenic and recreational amenities functions as a vector for the changes described, including the ideologies of energy development and local control and the politics of experts and expertise. The threads of social change are woven into an transdisciplinary account of the controversy that should be instructive for scholars and practitioners alike. The essential feature of wood‐fired electric power plants is that they constitute large‐scale renewable energy development. The importance of scale in resource development and in the siting of facilities is emphasized. The alternative to such ideology‐based conflict may lie in increasing the opportunity for citizens to express their environmental values in the decisionmaking process.
Kings in the Age of Nations: The Paradox of Lèse-Majesté as Political Crime in Thailand

The Thai monarchy, protected by the law of lese-majeste, appears to be an anachronism in the age of nation-states. Over the past century, the spread of nationalism has leveled most monarchies, reducing kings (or queens) to the status of semiprivate individuals or preserving them as innocuous symbols. Usually considered mere remnants of feudal pasts, the laws protecting monarchies in the twentieth century have received little scholarly attention, even less perhaps in Thailand, where any critical analysis of the monarchy is discouraged by the threat of the lese-majeste charge.' At first glance, Thailand's entrance into the age of nations appears to
Sensitivity Analysis of a Generic Wake-Body Model for the Vortex-Induced Vibration of a Rigid Circular Cylinder Using Monte Carlo Simulations

A Monte Carlo analysis using pseudo-random sampling is carried out with the objective of determining the relative importance of each of k = 5 independent input parameters appearing in a typical wake-body model for the vortex-induced vibration of an elastically-mounted rigid circular cylinder in uniform flow. For simplicity, the marginal probability distribution of each parameter is assumed to be a uniform distribution. Furthermore, the standard deviation of each distribution is assumed to be the same. The choice of the uniform distribution is also a reflection of the fact that exact forms for the distributions are not known. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the most important factor from the point of view of the predicted steady-state amplitude of oscillation of the cylinder yo is parameter M, which represents the scaling of the effect of the wake on the structure.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Building a local CMS at Kent State

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the creation of a content management system (CMS) for the Kent State University Libraries & Media Services web site. It describes the requirements for the site and for the CMS, the CMS architecture and components.Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes the genesis and architecture of a locally‐written CMS that is strongly focused on metadata.Findings – A review of local, library‐specific needs combined with a review of the product universe resulted in the decision to write a local CMS.Practical implications – Includes enumerated goals and requirements for a database‐driven and metadata‐focused web site.Originality/value – Describes the creation of tools for data management in a locally‐written CMS.
Optical Design With A Pocket Calculator

Various optical design techniques and examples are Presented for users of programmable pocket calculators. Third-order analysis and real ray tracing of up to tenth-order aspheric surfaces is performed with available calculator programs. Design examples include the computation of optical path difference (OPD), ray tracing decentered systems, root-mean scuare best focus for spot diagrams, image tilt in an off-axis parabola, a comparison of third-order aberrations relationships, ray tracing with a third-order ray-trace polynomial, third-order spot diagrams, some selected first- and third-order design principles, a comparison of surface profile equations and how to convert between them, and a holographic optical element design example. In addition, the computation of the diffraction point spread function for annular aperture and rectangular aperture systems is described.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Stochastic Single-Molecule Videomicroscopy Methods To Measure Electrophoretic DNA Migration Modalities in Polymer Solutions above and below Entanglement

We have studied the effects of polymer molar mass and concentration on the electrophoretic migration modalities of individual molecules of DNA in LPA, HEC, and PEO solutions via epifluorescent videomicroscopy. While both transient entanglement coupling (TEC) and reptation have been studied in the past, the transition between them has not. Understanding this transition will allow for polymer network properties to be optimized to enhance the speed and resolution of DNA separations in microfluidic devices. Near the overlap threshold concentration, C*, TEC is the dominant observed mode of DNA migration, and the observation frequency of TEC increases with increasing polymer molar mass. As polymer concentration is increased, observed TEC events reduce to zero while DNA reptation events become the only detected mechanism. Individual DNA molecules undergoing both migration mechanisms were counted in solutions of varying polymer molar masses and concentrations and were plotted against a dimensionless polymer concentration, C/C*. The data for LPA reduce to form universal curves with a sharp increase in DNA reptation at approximately 6.5C*. Analogous transition concentrations for PEO and HEC were observed at 5C* and 3.5C*, respectively, reflecting the different physical properties of these polymers. This transition correlates closely with the polymer network entanglement concentration, Ce, as measured by rheological techniques. The electrophoretic mobility of lambda-DNA in LPA polymer solutions was also measured and shows how a balance can be struck between DNA resolution and separation speed by choosing the desired prevalence of DNA reptation.
Cyclic Uridine-3',5'-Phosphate: Molecular Structure

The crystal structure of the triethylammonium salt of cyclic uridine-3',5'-phosphate was solved by use of the tangent formula to refine phase angles based upon the positions of six of the atoms. The two independent uracil rings are planar and in the keto form. The base-sugar torsion angles are in the anti range. The sugar puckering is C3'-endo, and the ribose conformation about the C5'-C4' bond is transgauche.
Ultrastructure of intracellularly labeled trigeminal vascular convergence neurons

Brainstem trigeminal vascular convergence (TVC) neurons receive an excitatory, nociceptive input from cranial blood vessels as well as the facial skin or cornea. In the present study, a population of cat TVC neurons was electrophysiologically identified and then intracellularly labelled with horseradish peroxidase. One TVC neuron from lamin IV and one from lamina V were processed for electron microscopy. Both cells have extensive axon terminal fields within trigeminal nucleus interpolaris as well as lamina IV and V of trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Analysis of thin sections showed that the soma and dendrites of the TVC neurons are contacted by synaptic terminals of various types. Both cells have myelinated axons and collaterals that give rise to unmyelinated preterminal processes. Within nucleus caudalis, terminals of the TVC cells contain round synaptic vesicles that synapse primarily with dendrites and spines.
Moving bed adsorption system for control of VOCs from an aircraft painting facility

An activated carbon moving bed system (10 to 100 acf m air flow) was tested for controlling VOC emissions from a commercial aircraft painting facility. The cross-flow moving adsorbent bed showed a VOC collection efficiency in the 77.1 to 99.6 percent range over a superficial gas velocity range of 27 to 185 ft/min (0.14-0.94 m/sec). The collection efficiencies were neither affected by a change in carbon flow rates from 5 to 8 Ib/hr (2.3 to 3.6 kg/hr) nor by a change in the gas superficial velocity from 27 to 185 ft/min. The VOC concentration in the emission stream from the painting hangar was found to vary by at least a factor of 20 (from 0.18 to 15 ppm) both over the five month period (during which the 15 system tests of about three hours each were conducted) and within a single eight hour work shift.
Enthalpy stability criterion for magnets cooled with superfluid helium II

A criterion is presented which describes the limits to local heat pulses sustained by a magnet cooled in superfluid helium II. The magnet will remain stable for a length of time defined by the enthalpy of the helium between bath temperature and the maximum superfluid temperature (T λ = 2.17K). For a bath temperature of 1.8K, this enthalpy is 300 mJ/cm3. For long pulses, the volume of helium that absorbs the heat can be considered to approach the contents of the entire dewar. For short heat pulses, there is a limited region into which the heat diffuses. This diffusion process can be defined using experimental results on transient heat transfer. A model is presented to describe how to generalize the thermal diffusivity in superfluid helium II. Application of this criterion to specific magnet designs is discussed.
Fracture and the formation of misfit dislocations between PbS and PbSe

Abstract Experiments performed to determine the modes of misfit dislocation formation in (001) deposits of PbS on PbSe suggest that the dominaant process is as follows. Thin films of PbS on PbSe are elastically strained to accommodate most of the misfit between the two lattices. These strains give rise to tensile stresses which cause the PbS to fracture on {100} planes perpendicular to the film plane. Fracture is followed by nucleation of misfit dislocations at point where the lines of intersection of (100) and (010) fracture surfaces meet the PbS-PbSe interface. The dislocations are in edge orientation. Their Burgers vectors lie in the interface, and are of the type ½a〈110〉. This mechanism for dislocation formation divides the PbS film up into microcrystallites which are elastically strained to match the PbS lattice along one of the 〈110〉 directions in the interface but not along the other. The crystallites are separated from one another by low-angle tilt boundaries. The angle of tilt across the boundari...
Shifting surface currents in the northern North Atlantic Ocean

[1] Analysis of surface drifter tracks in the North Atlantic Ocean from the time period 1990 to 2007 provides evidence that warm subtropical waters have recently increased their penetration toward the Nordic seas. Prior to 2000, the warm water branches of the North Atlantic Current fed by the Gulf Stream turned southeastward in the eastern North Atlantic. Since 2001, these paths have shifted toward the Rockall Trough, through which the most saline North Atlantic waters pass to the Nordic seas. These surface drifters are able to overcome the Ekman drift, which would force them southward under the westerly winds dominating the subpolar Atlantic, yet the changes in path cannot be accounted for by changes in Ekman drift. Eddy kinetic energy from satellite altimetry shows increased energy along the shifted drifter pathways across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge since 2001. These near-surface changes have occurred during continual weakening of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre, as seen by altimetry. They are also consistent with the observed increase in temperature and salinity of the waters flowing northward into the Nordic seas. These findings suggest the changes in the vertical structure of the northern North Atlantic Ocean, its dynamics, and exchanges with the higher latitudes. Wind stress and its curl changes are discussed as a possible forcing of the changes in the pathways of the subtropical waters.
Effect of bioregulator-treated sorghum on greenbug fecundity and feeding behavior: implications for host-plant resistance

Abstract Three commercial and six experimental plant growth bioregulators were surveyed for their effect on aphid reproduction when applied to sorghum. Only CCC and PIX had a significant effect on the greenbug, Schizaphis graminum. Application of the commercial bioregulators CCC and PIXR caused about a 50% decrease in aphid reproduction rate when applied to greenbug susceptible sorghum but had little effect when applied to a greenbug resistant sorghum line. Electronic monitoring of aphid probing behavior on CCC treated, greenbug-susceptible sorghum showed a response pattern which was indistinguishable from that normally observed on greenbug resistant lines and was different from that associated with aphid probing behavior on untreated susceptible lines. The isolated pectin content of the CCC treated susceptible sorghum was twice that of the controls and had twice the methoxy content. These results support the argument that pectin is a barrier to aphid-stylet penetration for phloem feeding aphids which probe intercellularly and that manipulation of pectin content and/or structure can be a major factor in host-plant resistance to sap-sucking insects.
Spectral and fluorescence imaging of immune system and tissue response to an immunogenic agent

Imaging of immune system and tissue response to immunogenic agents can be important to the development of new biomaterials. Additionally, quantitative functional imaging can be useful for testing and evaluation of methods to alter or control the immune system response to implanted materials. In this preliminary study, we employ spectral imaging and fluorescence imaging to measure immune system and tissue response to implanted immunogenic agents. Poly (D,L lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) with a 50:50 composition was used to create immunogenic microparticles (MPs). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) encapsulated in the MPs was used to provoke a tissue immune response in mice and encapsulated fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was used to fluorescently label the MPs for imaging. Control MPs did not contain LPS. The MPs were delivered at 50 particles/μL in a total volume of 20μL by subcutaneous injection in the skin of a nude mouse in a dorsal skin-fold window chamber preparation. Cultured immune cells from a mouse leukemic monocyte macrophage cell line were exogenously labeled with the fluorescent dye DiD in solution at a concentration of 8000cells/μL. Immediately after window chamber surgery and implantation of the MPs, 100μL of the fluorescent macrophage solution was administered via the tail vein. Fluorescence imaging was used to track MPs and macrophages while spectral imaging was used for imaging and measurement of hemoglobin saturation in the tissue microvasculature. Imaging was performed periodically over about three days. The spectral and fluorescence imaging combination enabled detailed observations of the macrophage response and functional effects on the tissue.
Openness in science is key to keeping public trust

Silence stifles progress, says Mark Yarborough. The scientific enterprise needs a transparent culture that actively finds and fixes problems.
Ibuprofen and sulindac kinetics in alcoholic liver disease.

Ibuprofen and sulindac kinetics after oral doses were compared in 15 patients with alcoholic liver disease and 29 normal subjects. The patients with alcoholic liver disease were divided into a group with fair hepatic function (FHF) and a group with poor hepatic function (PHF) based on elimination rates of indocyanine green. The effects of alcoholic liver disease on the ibuprofen kinetics were minimal. The absorption of the drug appeared to be delayed in some of the PHF patients, and slight differences were noted in the serum AUC and the elimination rate constant for ibuprofen. The absorption of sulindac was delayed in both PHF and FHF groups of patients, as was the appearance of the active metabolite, sulindac sulfide, and the inactive metabolite, sulindac sulfone. The plasma AUC for sulindac sulfide in patients with poor hepatic function was four times that in normal subjects. The kinetics of sulindac, a pro-drug that relies on the liver for conversion to an active metabolite, were markedly affected by alcoholic liver disease. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1983) 34, 104–109; doi:10.1038/clpt.1983.137
Experimental resolution of early steps in protein folding: testing molecular dynamics simulations.

Time-resolved Tyr fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with a laser-induced temperature-jump (T-jump) was employed to follow the folding relaxation dynamics of the B-domain of Staphylococcal protein A. The single Tyr is located in helix 1 (H1) and is a sensitive probe of the structure of this helix and the overall helical bundle structure. The results from this study were compared to those from a complementary infrared T-jump study on this protein [Vu, D. M.; Myers, J. K.; Oas, T. G.; Dyer, R. B. Biochemistry 2004, 43, 3582]. Both methods detect a microsecond process that follows the cooperative relaxation of the helical bundle core. However, a fast process (10-7 s) that follows the relaxation of the individual helices was observed only with the infrared probe. Thus, fast formation of H1 is not observed, but rather H1 forms in the microsecond phase, concomitantly with the docking to (and stabilization by) the other two helices to form the helical bundle structure. This observation validates the results of se...
By their fruits shall ye know them: A Data Analyst's Perspective on Massively Parallel System Design

Increasingly parallel systems promise a remedy for the current stagnation of single-core performance. However, the battle to find the most appropriate architecture for the resulting massively parallel systems is still ongoing. Currently, there are two active contenders: Massively Parallel Single Instruction Multiple Threads (SIMT) systems such as GPGPUs and Many Core Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) systems such as Intel's Xeon Phi. While the former is more versatile, the latter is an efficient, time-tested technology with a clear migration path. In this study, we provide a data management perspective to the debate: we study the implementation and performance of a set of common data management operations on an SIMT device (an Nvidia GTX 780) and compare it to a Many Core SIMD system (an Intel Xeon Phi). We interpret the results to pinpoint architectural decisions and tradeoffs that lead to suboptimal performance and point out potential areas for improvement in the next generation of these devices.
Evaluating the Light Falling Weight Deflectometer Device for In Situ Measurement of Elastic Modulus of Pavement Layers

Field and laboratory testing programs were conducted to evaluate the potential use of the light falling weight deflectometer (LFWD) device for measuring the in situ elastic modulus of pavement layers and subgrades. The field tests were conducted on several highway sections selected from different projects in Louisiana. In addition, nine test sections were constructed and tested at the Pavement Research Facility site of Louisiana Transportation Research Center. All sections were tested using the Prima 100 model-LFWD in conjunction with the falling weight deflectometer (FWD), plate load test (PLT), and dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) tests that were used as reference measurements. Linear regression analyses were carried out on the collected test data to develop models that could directly relate the LFWD stiffness modulus with moduli obtained from FWD and PLT and the DCP penetration rate. In addition, multiple nonlinear regression analyses were conducted to develop models that could predict FWD and PLT moduli on the basis of the LFWD elastic moduli and selected soil properties (moisture content and void ratio) of the tested materials. The results showed that the FWD, PLT moduli, and DCP-penetration rate could be predicted directly with LFWD at a significant confidence level. However, the prediction models were improved when the soil properties were included as variables. Laboratory tests also were conducted to determine the influence depth of the LFWD, and the results of these tests showed that the LFWD influence depth ranged from 270 to 280 mm.
Brain Mapping in a Case of Multiple Personality

Brain maps were recorded on a patient with a multiple personality disorder (10 alternate personalities). Maps were recorded with eyes open and eyes closed during 2 different sessions, 2 months apart. Maps from each alternate personality were compared to those of the basic personality "S", some maps were similar and some were different, especially with eyes open. Findings that were replicated in the second session showed differences from 4 personalities, especially in theta and beta 2 frequencies on the left temporal and right posterior regions. A rank ordering of the differences in the brain maps of the alternate personalities from S were similar to the rank ordering of the differences in personality characteristics, as judged by the psychiatrist dealing with this patient. Maps from S acting like some of her personalities or from a professional actress portraying the different personalities did not reveal significant differences. Some of these findings are consistent with those in the literature, and the importance of detecting artifact in the raw EEG recording is emphasized.
A bottom-up approach for activity recognition in smart rooms

We propose a smart camera system where the cameras detect the presence of a person and recognize activities of this person. A relational graph-based modeling of human body and a HMM-based activity recognition of the body parts are proposed for real-time video analysis. The results show that more than 86 percent of the body parts and 88 percent of the activities are correctly classified. We also describe the relationship between the activity detection algorithms and the architectures required to perform these tasks in real time. We achieve a processing rate of more than 20 frames per second for each TriMedia video capture board.
Infrared and microwave communication by moths

Analytical and experimental studies seeking to confirm or refute the hypothesis that moths communicate with each other by coherent electromagnetic waves have been under way at Berkeley for several years. This article is the first report from the bioengineering group conducting these studies.
Self-assembly of in vitro-translated human papillomavirus type 16 L1 capsid protein into virus-like particles and antigenic reactivity of the protein.

The human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) L1 capsid protein is the major component of the HPV virion. We prepared L1 protein of HPV-16 in a cell-free system. The L1 gene was cloned in an expression plasmid and transcribed and translated in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate. The expressed protein had the molecular mass (55 kDa) expected for the L1 protein, and it assembled into virus-like particles that closely resembled papillomavirus virions. The protein retained conformational epitopes, as evidenced by its reactivity with monoclonal antibodies which recognize only intact viral particles. In radioimmunoprecipitation assays with sera from college women grouped by their genital tract HPV DNA status, high reactivity was found in 68% of HPV-16 DNA-positive women, in 23% of women with other HPVs, and in 19% of HPV-negative women. In comparison, none of the sera of children were reactive. The results of the radioimmunoprecipitation assays showed a significant correlation with results obtained with the same sera in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with virus-like particles produced in baculovirus (chi-square test for linear trend, P = 0.0023). Although the amounts of L1 protein obtained are small, the ability to produce virus-like particles by in vitro translation may be useful in the study of virus assembly, virus binding, and the immunological response to HPV infection.
Reactive NUMA: a design for unifying S-COMA and CC-NUMA

This paper proposes and evaluates a new approach to directory-based cache coherence protocols called Reactive NUMA (R-NUMA). An R-NUMA system combines a conventional CC-NUMA coherence protocol with a more-recent Simple-COMA (S-COMA) protocol. What makes R-NUMA novel is the way it dynamically reacts to program and system behavior to switch between CC-NUMA and S-COMA and exploit the best aspects of both protocols. This reactive behavior allows each node in an R-NUMA system to independently choose the best protocol for a particular page, thus providing much greater performance stability than either CC-NUMA or S-COMA alone. Our evaluation is both qualitative and quantitative. We first show the theoretical result that R-NUMA's worst-case performance is bounded within a small constant factor (i.e., two to three times) of the best of CC-NUMA and S-COMA. We then use detailed execution-driven simulation to show that, in practice, R-NUMA usually performs better than either a pure CC-NUMA or pure S-COMA protocol, and no more than 57% worse than the best of CC-NUMA and S-COMA, for our benchmarks and base system assumptions.
Neonatal morphine enhances nociception and decreases analgesia in young rats

Abstract The recognition of the impact of neonatal pain experience on subsequent sensory processing has led to the increased advocacy for the use of opioids for pain relief in infants. However, following long-term opioid exposure in intensive care units more than 48% of infants exhibited behaviors indicative of opioid abstinence syndrome, a developmentally equivalent set of behaviors to opioid withdrawal as seen in adults. Little is known about the long-term influence of repeated neonatal morphine exposure on nociception and analgesia. To investigate this, we examined mechanical and thermal nociception on postnatal days 11, 13, 15, 19, 24, 29, 39 and 48 following subcutaneous administration of morphine (3 mg/kg) once daily on postnatal days 1–9. The cumulative morphine dose-response was assessed on postnatal days 20 and 49, and stress-induced analgesia was assessed on postnatal days 29 and 49. Both basal mechanical and thermal nociception in neonatal, morphine-exposed rats were significantly lower than those in saline-exposed, handled-control rats and naive rats until P29. A rightward-shift of cumulative dose-response curves for morphine analgesia upon chronic neonatal morphine was observed both on P20 and P49. The swim stress-induced analgesia was significantly decreased in neonatal morphine-exposed rats on P29, but not on P49. These data indicate that morphine exposure equivalent to the third trimester of gestation produced prolonged pain hypersensitivity, decreased morphine antinociception, and decreased stress-induced analgesia. The present study illustrates the need to examine the long-term influence of prenatal morphine exposure on pain and analgesia in the human pediatric population.
Ventral hippocampal α7 nicotinic receptor blockade and chronic nicotine effects on memory performance in the radial-arm maze

Abstract Chronic nicotine administration has been shown to significantly improve working memory. Nicotinic involvement in memory function critically involves the ventral hippocampus. Local ventral hippocampal infusions of the nicotinic antagonists mecamylamine, dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) and methyllycaconitine (MLA) significantly impair working memory. The impairment caused by hippocampal infusion of the α4β2 antagonist DHβE is reversed by chronic systemic nicotine. This study determined the interaction of chronic systemic nicotine with acute ventral hippocampal infusions of the α7 antagonist MLA. Adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were trained on an 8-arm radial maze working memory task. Then they underwent ventral hippocampal cannulation and received sc implants of minipumps delivering nicotine (0 or 5 mg/kg/day for 28 days). Acute ventral hippocampal infusions of MLA (0, 4.88, 14.64 and 43.92 μg/side) were given during 3–4 weeks of chronic nicotine. MLA caused a significant dose-related memory impairment. In the rats not receiving nicotine, the 14.64 and 43.92 μg/side MLA doses caused significant memory impairment. Chronic systemic nicotine exposure did not block the MLA-induced memory impairment. Comparing the current results with MLA with previous results with DHβE, equimolar ventral hippocampal DHβE more effectively impaired memory than MLA, but the DHβE-induced impairment was more effectively reversed by chronic systemic nicotine administration.
Isomers of C20: An energy profile II

Semi-empirical calculations, at the PM3 level provided within the Winmopac v2.0 software package, are used to geometrically optimize and determine the absolute energies (heats of formation) of a variety of C20 isomers that are predicted to exist in and around the bowl and cage isomers. Using the optimized Cartesian coordinates for the bowl and the cage isomers, a saddle-point calculation was performed. The output file generated, containing energy, distance, and geometry information, is then organized into a graphical format. The resulting graph, which plots the energy of the 20-atom system as a function of the distance from the geometric midpoint, is a two-dimensional energy profile. This profile illustrates an estimation of the contours on the potential energy surface, showing energy minima and maxima that are encountered as the bowl evolves into the cage structure, or vice-versa. To expand the surface into three dimensions, geometry optimizations were performed on the sets of Cartesian coordinates that correspond to energy minima in the bowl-cage profile. Based on these optimizations, eight additional isomers of C20 have been identified and are predicted to be energetically stable. These additional isomers were subsequently subjected to saddle-point calculations in order to identify those isomers that lie adjacent to one another on the three-dimensional surface. Two isomers that are adjacent to each other will exhibit an energy profile that progresses smoothly from the potential well of each isomer up to the saddle point separating them. Consequently, these adjacent pairs of isomers establish a step-wise transformation between the bowl and the cage. This process, which extends out over the three-dimensional surface, is predicted to require less energy than that of the direct, two-dimensional transformation predicted in the bowl-cage profile. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 1287–1290, 2003
Global integrability of the Jacobian of a composite mapping

We first obtain an improved version of the Holder inequality with Orlicz norms. Then, as an application of the new version of the Holder inequality, we study the integrability of the Jacobian of a composite mapping. Finally, we prove a norm comparison theorem.
Intermontane-basin development in the past 4 Myr in the north-west Himalaya

The Through the combined use of magnetic-polarity stratigraphy with fission-track dating of volcanic ashes, a new chronology, spanning 4 Myr, has been developed for the intermontane basin of Kashmir in the northwestern Himalaya.
The Albright-Cohen Report: From Realpolitik Fantasy to Realist Ethics

The Genocide Prevention Task Force’s Preventing Genocide: A Blueprint for U.S. Policy Makers (the Albright-Cohen Report) has been touted as a comprehensive proposal for significantly improving the United States’ response to genocide and other mass violence in foreign regions. The report recommends various new initiatives, committees and groups, procedures, and resource allocations to support this goal. It also calls for increased attention to genocide at every level of the US government, from the president on down. The assumption is that if our leaders and others in government take genocide more seriously as an ongoing threat, and if effective institutional structures, processes, and resources are put in place, these will be used to prevent or intervene against genocide and other mass atrocities. At its most basic level, the report seeks to change the practical details and conceptual elements of the United States’ relationship to genocide, from what the report presents as relative indifference to active, productive engagement.
Basilar artery occlusion in a young patient with Wegener's granulomatosis.

Stroke is an uncommon sequela of Wegener's granulomatosis, resulting primarily from vasculitic infiltration of small to medium-sized vessels. We describe a young patient with Wegener's granulomatosis and basilar artery occlusion.A 26-year-old man with histopathologically confirmed Wegener's granulomatosis suffered a brain stem stroke 24 hours after open lung biopsy. Angiography revealed midbasilar artery occlusion.Patients with Wegener's granulomatosis may experience premature large cerebral vessel occlusion. Putative etiologies in our patient include vasculitis, postoperative hypercoagulability, and/or intraoperative neck positioning leading to embolization.
Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase from Walker 256 carcinosarcoma.

Abstract 1. 1. A DNA polymerase (deoxynucleosidetriphosphate: DNA deoxynucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.7) has been partially purified from Walker carcinosarcoma tissue of the rat. The extract is purified 20-fold with respect to the original tumor homogenate, and in addition to polymerase also contains measurable diesterase and phosphatase activities, but very low endonuclease activity. 2. 2. The enzyme activity requires DNA primer, the four triphosphates and either Mg2+ or Mn2+. 3. 3. The reaction is strongly inhibited by monovalent ions in concentrations above 0.05 M. RNA mildly inhibits the reaction at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. Acridine orange strongly inhibits the reaction at a concentration as low as 0.004 % ( w v in the assay medium. 4. 4. Non-specific isotope adsorption, often encountered when using the paper disc assay procedure, has been eliminated by pretreatment of the discs with sodium pyrophosphate.
Testing Antimicrobial Paint Efficacy on Gypsum Wallboard Contaminated with Stachybotrys chartarum

The goal of this research was to reduce occupant exposure to indoor mold through the efficacy testing of antimicrobial paints. An accepted method for handling Stachybotrys chartarum-contaminated gypsum wallboard (GWB) is removal and replacement. This practice is also recommended for water-damaged or mold-contaminated GWB but is not always followed completely. The efficacy of antimicrobial paints to eliminate or control mold regrowth on surfaces can be tested easily on nonporous surfaces. The testing of antimicrobial efficacy on porous surfaces found in the indoor environment, such as gypsum wallboard, can be more complicated and prone to incorrect conclusions regarding residual organisms. The mold S. chartarum has been studied for toxin production and its occurrence in water-damaged buildings. Research to control its growth using seven different antimicrobial paints and two commonly used paints on contaminated, common gypsum wallboard was performed in laboratory testing at high relative humidity. The resu...
The Effects of Morphological Awareness Training on Reading, Spelling, and Vocabulary Skills:

This study was designed to examine the effects of an intervention program aimed at improving reading, spelling, and vocabulary skills through linguistically explicit instruction in morphological awareness. Sixteen children, diagnosed with language impairment, participated in this study. Instruction for the experimental group focused on increasing their knowledge of the morphological structure of words and teaching them to apply this information to reading, spelling, and vocabulary tasks. The control group was exposed to the same treatment stimuli, but no attention was given to the semantic or orthographic changes associated with the use of the affixes. Participants in the experimental group made significantly greater gains in both spelling and vocabulary skills than did the control group with large effect sizes noted on the experimental measures. The participants also demonstrated the ability to generalize this information to untaught words as well. The results suggest that linguistically explicit instruc...
A preliminary investigation on the scaling behaviour of rainfall observed in two different climates

Abstract The problem of transformation of rainfall data from one scale to another has been gaining considerable importance in recent years. Though the application of the concept of fractal theory, in the studies conducted thus far, nearly unanimously points at the possibility of such a transformation, the suitability of the theory to the highly variable rainfall in time and space has very often been questioned. A preliminary attempt is made herein to address this issue by investigating the existence of temporal scaling behaviour in rainfall data observed in two different climatic regions: (a) a subtropical climatic region (Leaf River basin, Mississippi, USA) and (b) an equatorial climatic region (Singapore). Rainfall data of three different resolutions, six-hourly, daily, and weekly, observed over a period of 25 years, are investigated. A mono- or simple-scaling method (box dimension method) is employed. The results achieved for the different data sets clearly indicate the existence of temporal scaling in...
Fractionation of Chicken fat triacylglycerols : Synthesis of structured lipids with immobilized lipases

Chicken fat was temperature-fractionated either without or with solvent, and by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction to produce trlacylglycerol (TAG) fractions of varying monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content. Solvent fractionation from acetone at low temperature (-38 and -18°C) was the most effective process for enriching the MUFA-containing TAG of chicken fat in the liquid fractions. Caprylic acid was incorporated into the MUFA-enriched TAG fraction in lipase-catalyzed acidolysis reactions to produce structured lipids (SLs). Immobilization of the lipase within sol-gel phyllosilicate matrices allowed for the reusability of both lipases.
Parental reports of children’s biological knowledge and misconceptions

Children’s misconceptions about five specific biological concepts—life, aging, reproduction, illness, and death—were investigated using a parent survey. Parents of 3- to 4-year-olds (N ¼ 125) and parents of 5- to 6-year-olds (N ¼ 145) completed a questionnaire about their child’s knowledge and misconceptions involving these concepts. Parents reported that misconceptions were common among 3- to 6-year-olds, particularly for reproduction and death. Parents reported a greater reluctance to talk with their children about death and reproduction and also thought their children should learn about these concepts at a later age than other biological concepts. One third of the misconceptions reported by parents occurred at the boundary between different domains, where information from another domain (i.e., physics or psychology) was incorrectly associated with the biological domain. Parents of 5- to 6-year-olds reported fewer misconceptions than parents of 3- to 4-year-olds, suggesting that these misconceptions are open to change and are eventually replaced by accurate biological knowledge. Children’s understanding of biology has been the focus of many investigations over the past two decades. Although there is considerable debate regarding the age at which children can be judged to hold a distinctly biological theory (Carey, 1985; Keil, 1989; Wellman & Gelman, 1997), researchers generally agree that children have greater knowledge about biological phenomena than Piaget (1929) had earlier proposed. For example, Inagaki and Hatano (1996) have found that many 5-year-olds recognise that plants and animals share a number of properties and that these properties distinguish both of them from inanimate objects. Other researchers have shown that even young preschoolers have a rudimentary understanding of growth (Rosengren, Gelman, Kalish, & McCormick, 1991) and that a living thing will grow to manifest properties that are characteristic of its species (Gelman & Wellman, 1991). Young children have also been shown to understand aspects of reproduction (Hickling & Gelman, 1995; Springer, 1995). Specifically, Hickling and Gelman have reported that by 4½ years of age, most children understand that plants grow from seeds. Likewise, Springer
Predictive Modeling of Toughening Micromechanisms in Glass Particle—Resin Composites with Varied Interphases

The potential failure and toughening mechanisms in isotropic composites used in dental restorative materials and consisting of particulate glass in a BISGMA/TEGDMA (60: 40) epoxy-type resin matrix are analyzed using an axisymmetric spherical cell finite-element model. The stress distributions at the filler/matrix interface or interphase are investigated in detail for a representative composite cell inside the process zone surrounding a crack tip in order to elucidate potential failure processes and toughening mechanisms for the material. A range of filler content is considered, including volume fractions above 0.5. Additional variables include perfect and imperfect adhesion at interfaces, and modulus and thickness of interphases. This study helps to specify potential directions for enhancing the toughness of hard-particle-filled polymers.
Must we care about morality

Abstract Moral philosophy is at its best when it takes human psychology seriously. Such are the instincts of Thomas Wren. His engaging book Caring About Morality is an attempt to offer an account of human motivation that is true to human psychology, but which captures the spirit of Kantian morality without Kantian metaphysics. I argue that there are some fundamental psychological considerations which Wren does not take into account, and which are an obstacle to the success of his project. Moral motivation, 1 suggest, is much more tied to the psychological histories of persons than Wren allows.
Causal projection, similarity projection, and coping with threat to self-esteem1

The effectiveness of causal projection and similarity projection in controlling stress associated with threat to self-esteem was investigated. To induce threat to self-esteem, half of the subjects were told that they had done poorly on an important achievement test while the remaining subjects were not told that they had done poorly. The projection strategies were manipulated by encouraging subjects to attribute the cause of their poor performance to the examiner instead of to themselves (causal projection) or to estimate how poorly their friends would have scored on the test had they taken it and not performed well on it (similarity projection). Measures of subjective anxiety, depression, and anger indicated that (a) the testing situation and negative feedback were effective in increasing stress, (b) causal projection was effective in controlling stress, and (c) similarity projection was partially effective in controlling stress. The results provide evidence that causal projection can be effective in controlling stress and also have implications concerning the conditions under which the use of projection will and will not be effective for coping with stress. The importance that situational factors may have on the effectiveness of cognitive coping strategies was emphasized.