cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlations among selected pork quality traits

Establishing relationships among specific quality traits is important if significant progress toward developing improved pork quality is to be realized. As part of a study to examine the individual effects of genes on meat quality traits in pigs, a three-generation resource family was developed. Two Berkshire sires and nine Yorkshire dams were used to produce nine F1 litters. Sixty-five matings were made from the F1 litters to produce four sets of F2 offspring, for a total of 525 F2 animals used in the study. These F2 animals were slaughtered at a commercial facility upon reaching approximately 110 kg. Carcass composition traits, pH measurements, and subjective quality scores were made at 24 h postmortem. Loin samples (n = 525) were collected at 48 h postmortem, and meat quality traits were evaluated. These traits included pH (48 h), Hunter L-values, drip loss, glycolytic potential, ratio of type IIa/IIb myosin heavy chains (IIa/IIb), total lipid, instrumental measures of tenderness using the Star Probe attachment of the Instron, cook loss measurements, and sensory evaluations. Significant phenotypic correlations were found between many carcass, instrumental, and biochemical measurements, and sensory quality traits. Star Probe measurements were significantly correlated with drip loss (0.29), glycolytic potential (0.30), pH (-0.29), total lipid (-0.14), and Hunter L-values (0.28). Drip loss was significantly correlated with glycolytic potential (0.36), pH (-0.28), IIa/IIb (-0.10), and Hunter L-values (0.33). Hunter L-values were also significantly correlated with total lipid (0.33) and IIa/ IIb (-0.11). Sensory tenderness, flavor, and off-flavor scores were significantly correlated with drip loss, pH, and glycolytic potential measurements. Marbling score, total lipid, and drip loss were not significantly correlated with sensory juiciness scores, but cooking loss was. Marbling and total lipid were significantly correlated with firmness scores (0.37 and 0.31, respectively). Taken together, the data in this study suggest that changes in some meat quality traits can affect many other meat quality attributes. The correlations yield information that could aid in directing future studies aimed at understanding the underlying biological mechanisms behind the development of many quality traits.
TNFα SIGNALLING IS ALTERED BY PREVIOUS ENDOTOXIN EXPOSURE IN 10 DAY OLD RAT HEPATOCYTES. 1845

TNFα SIGNALLING IS ALTERED BY PREVIOUS ENDOTOXIN EXPOSURE IN 10 DAY OLD RAT HEPATOCYTES. 1845
MODELING WALL-INDUCED FORCES ON BUBBLES FOR INCLINED WALLS

A model for the wallinduced forces on bubbles for application in two-fluid model simulations of bubbly flows has been derived. The wall-induced force is obtained as the integral of an excess pressure calculated from the solution of the lubrication equation. Our numerical results are compared with experiments and it is shown that the wall-induced force is a function of the buoyancy and added mass forces, modulated by a smoothed Heaviside function that accounts for the proximity to the wall. This model explicitly accounts for the Reynolds, Eotvos and Weber numbers of the bubble and is valid in a larger range of these numbers than previous models.
Ca2+ Regulation of Trypanosoma brucei Phosphoinositide Phospholipase C

We characterized a phosphoinositide phospholipase C (PI-PLC) from the procyclic form (PCF) of Trypanosoma brucei. The protein contains a domain organization characteristic of typical PI-PLCs, such as X and Y catalytic domains, an EF-hand calcium-binding motif, and a C2 domain, but it lacks a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. In addition, the T. brucei PI-PLC (TbPI-PLC) contains an N-terminal myristoylation consensus sequence found only in trypanosomatid PI-PLCs. A peptide containing this N-terminal domain fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) was targeted to the plasma membrane. TbPI-PLC enzymatic activity was stimulated by Ca(2+) concentrations below the cytosolic levels in the parasite, suggesting that the enzyme is constitutively active. TbPI-PLC hydrolyzes both phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), with a higher affinity for PIP2. We found that modification of a single amino acid in the EF-hand motif greatly affected the protein's Ca(2+) sensitivity and substrate preference, demonstrating the role of this motif in Ca(2+) regulation of TbPI-PLC. Endogenous TbPI-PLC localizes to intracellular vesicles and might be using an intracellular source of PIP2. Knockdown of TbPI-PLC expression by RNA interference (RNAi) did not result in growth inhibition, although enzymatic activity was still present in parasites, resulting in hydrolysis of PIP2 and a contribution to the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)/diacylglycerol (DAG) pathway.
Heat Tolerance as an Indicator of Climate Change Impacts: General Considerations and a Case Study in Poeciliid Fish

Heat tolerance of organisms is an important determinant of the potential impact of global warming and could thus be a very relevant bioindicator. If heat tolerance increases due to acclimation or adaptation, climate change impacts will be less than anticipated. In contrast, a decreased heat tolerance may indicate that a population is already stressed. As a case study, we compared heat tolerances among fish collected from pairs of sites with different thermal regimes, for the least killifish (Heterandria formosa) and the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). We quantified heat tolerance as temperature-at-death and time-to-death when field-collected fish were exposed in the laboratory to increasing water temperatures. For the four pairs of populations that were compared, two differed in heat tolerance. Fish from a site with above-normal temperatures had a reduced heat tolerance indicative of being stressed. Fish from another site with above-normal temperatures had an elevated heat tolerance and this in...
Reactions of barium chloride dihydrate in potassium halide matrices: A differential scanning calorimetry study

Abstract The deaquation of BaCl 2 ·2H 2 O in pressed KCl, KBr, and KI disks was followed by TG and DSC at pressures ranging from one to 34 atmospheres. Resolution of the DSC peaks of the first deaquation reaction and subsequent water vaporation was not improved by use of the matrix; for the second deaquation reaction, resolution was greater in the matrix. Evidence of a ternary eutectic involving BaCl 2 , KI, and H 2 O, which melted at 219°C, was obtained.
Organizational analysis and information-systems design: A decision-process perspective

Abstract Acquiring relevant information, processing it sensibly and acting rationally on the results is central to proper functioning at all management levels of an organization. To improve these capabilities is a major concern of developers of management information systems, yet a growing consensus indicates that it is infeasible to initiate system development by modeling a total organization's information system. Thus, many systems designers— drawn less from the ranks of technologists than of experienced managers—have scaled down aspirations, and are thinking of parts of an organization rather than of the whole. This change of philosophy has emerged most clearly in marketing, where Chambers comments that “attempts to construct large scale models in marketing have generally resulted in failure… the management scientist has now recognized that it is usually better to begin by solving smaller segments of the total problem” [9]. Failure of systems designers to adapt their efforts to the structure of the organization and to the people in it also has impeded successful development of information systems. Researchers and managers long have recognized the necessity for such adaptation [25, p/ 483] and also have been concerned by other behavioral problems raised by information systems [25, 3]. This study presents a structure for development of “partial” information systems in their organizational context. It utilizes a growing body of empirical knowledge—drawn mainly from marketing—to help analyze organizations in terms of operational guidelines for the development of information systems.
EVALUATION OF SOME METHODS OF ANALYSIS FOR PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN MARINE ORGANISMS

ABSTRACT Soxhlet extraction, homogenization with Na2So4 in a Virtis homogenizer, and KOH-methanol digestion methods of extracting hydrocarbons from marine organisms have been tested and compared using subsamples of a clam (Marcenaria mercenaria) homogenate. The amounts of hydrocarbons were determined gravimetrically and the composition was partially characterized by gas chromatography. There was a statistically significant difference between the results of the Virtis vs. Soxhlet and Soxhlet vs. digestion methods. However, in practice the difference is small and would be apparent only if large numbers of replicate measurements were made. The concentration of hydrocarbons in clams from three locations, a polluted harbor area, a less polluted bay area, and a relatively clean bay have been determined. The composition was partially characterized by gas chromatography. Subsamples of clam homogenate spiked with 10 ppm API No. 2 fuel oil have been analyzed. Only 5 to 6 ppm of the spike were detected. Gas chromato...
Alternative therapies in the management of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Standard medical therapy for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) including such agents as nonsteriodal anti-inflammatories, alpha-blockers, antimicrobial therapy, and 5a-reductase inhibitors has not been uniformly effective. The purpose of this review is to focus on the role of alternative therapies available for the management of CP/CPPS. We performed a systematic review of the literature for articles published in PubMed up to 2012 pertaining to commonly employed alternative therapies. The evidence for alternative therapies such as diet and lifestyle modifications, phytotherapy, acupuncture, myofascial physical therapy, and stress management/cognitive behavioral therapy is reviewed. CP/CPPS often requires a multimodal approach and alternative therapies should be considered as adjuncts in the treatment of refractory CP/CPPS patients.
Agonistic behaviour and dominance in confined wallabies, Wallabia rufogrisea frutica

Abstract Agonistic behaviour between the two mature males strongly affected agonistic behaviour within other dyads in seven confined wallabies (Wallabia rufogrisea frutica). First, agonistic behaviour patterns and those social behaviour patterns which often evolved into agonistic patterns are described. Male-male dyads displayed only agonistic behaviour but in male-female and female-female dyads agonistic behaviour evolved from sexual, grooming, and unclassified behaviour. Agonistic behaviour was far more frequent in male-male than in male-female or female-female dyads. Baseline dominance relationships were determined by considering both the number of agonistic interactions in which each dyad engaged and the resulting wins and losses. Then, dominance reversals between the two mature males were twice engineered by removing the dominant male for 18 days and then reintroducing him. Dominance relationships within other dyads were greatly altered thereby, sometimes reversibly. Finally, the currently dominant mature male was removed for only 48 hr and then reintroduced. This resulted in a uniquely violent battle but not in a dominance reversal.
The effects of continuous cocaine duration on the induction of behavioral tolerance and dopamine autoreceptor function.

The current experiment evaluated the dose-dependent nature of the induction of behavioral tolerance, and changes in dopamine autoreceptor function, by continuously administering different doses of cocaine. For all experiments, rats were exposed to a 14-day pretreatment regimen involving the continuous administration of either 0, 5, 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg/day cocaine. All subjects were then withdrawn from the pretreatment regimen for 7 days. The subjects were placed in activity monitors, and ambulation measured. In experiment 1, the subjects were challenged with 0.0, 7.5, or 15.0 mg/kg i.p. cocaine on day 7 of withdrawal from the continuous cocaine administration regimen. The results indicated that all continuous cocaine doses induced significant tolerance to the 15.0 mg/kg cocaine challenge, relative to the control group. Furthermore, the 5.0 mg/kg/day group exhibited significantly less tolerance than the 40.0 mg/kg/day group. In experiment 2, the subjects were challenged with 0.0, 0.063, or 0.125 mg/kg quinpirole. The results indicated that the 0.063-mg/kg quinpirole challenge inhibited activity, while the 0.125 mg/kg quinpirole challenge enhanced behavior. The results further suggested that the inhibition of behavior was greater in the cocaine-pretreated subjects than in the saline control group. In experiment 3, the subjects were challenged with the same doses of quinpirole in combination with 15 mg/kg i.p. cocaine. The low quinpirole challenge dose inhibited cocaine-induced hyperactivity, while the higher challenge dose enhanced cocaine-induced hyperactivity. The results suggest that the induction of tolerance by continuous cocaine administration is dose-dependent. Continuous cocaine administration did induce dopamine autoreceptor supersensitivity. However, different continuous cocaine doses did not induce differential degrees of dopamine autoreceptor supersensitivity.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF IRON BIOAVAILABILITY IN RATS FROM SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED PROTEIN ISOLATE DIETS

The purpose of this research was to determine the relative iron bioavailability from soybean and cottonseed protein isolates by using an iron depletion/repletion method. Iron stores of rats were depleted so that any iron introduced in the diet would be utilized at a maximum and linear rate for hemoglobin regeneration. A comparison of iron utilization from cottonseed and soy to the reference standard could then be made. Between 40 and 47% of the iron consumed from the soy diet was converted to hemoglobin iron. The cottonseed diets had a significantly lower (29 to 34%) conversion efficiency (P < 0.05) in comparison to casein but were not significantly different from the soy diets.
Case Study: Nefazodone for Juvenile Mood Disorders

ABSTRACT Objective Despite the increasing recognition of juvenile mood disorders, few medications have been shown to be effective. Nefazodone is a novel antidepressant that remains untested in children. Seven cases are described, including four with bipolar depression, in which nefazodone was used for depression. Method The authors systematically studied the response to nefazodone used naturalistically in seven treatment-refractory and very comorbid children and adolescents (mean age ± SD, 12.4 ± 3.1) with a juvenile mood disorder that was diagnosed clinically and confirmed by structured psychiatric interview. Response to treatment was evaluated retrospectively by an independent rater using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) of severity and improvement of depression. Results Children and adolescents received nefazodone for 13 (±8) weeks at a mean daily dose of 357 ± 151 mg (3.4 mg/kg). Fifty-six percent of children and adolescents previously unresponsive to multiple medication trials manifested much to very much improvement as measured by the CGI. Two of four children with bipolar depression responded well to treatment, whereas the other two had mild manic activation. Overall, nefazodone was well tolerated, with adverse effects reported in only three subjects. Conclusion Nefazodone appears to be a well-tolerated compound that may provide a treatment option for juveniles with mood disorders. Further controlled trials are warranted.
A ‘litmus test’ for molecular recognition using artificial membranes

Abstract Background : Sensitive and selective molecular recognition is important throughout biology. Certain organisms and toxins use specific binding at the cell surface as a first step towards invasion. A new series of biomolecular materials, with novel optical and interfacial properties, have been designed to sense molecular recognition events. These polymers, the diacetylenic lipids, have previously been shown to undergo chromatic transitions in response to virus binding to the surface of the material. Results : Gangliosides that specifically bind cholera toxin, heat-labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin and botulinum neurotoxin were incorporated into a matrix of diacetylenic lipids, 5–10% of which were derivatized with sialic acid. The lipids were self-assembled into Langmuir-Blodgett layers and polymerized with ultraviolet irradiation, yielding a polydiacetylene membrane with a characteristic blue color into which the ganglioside is non-covalently incorporated. When toxin is added, the polymerized membrane turns red. The response is specific and selective, and can be quantified by visible absorption spectrophotometry. Conclusions : Polydiacetylenic lipid membranes offer a general ‘litmus test' for molecular recognition at the surface of a membrane. A concentration of 20 ppm of protein could be detected using polymerized thin films. The speed, sensitivity and simplicity of the design offers a new and general approach towards the direct colorimetric detection of a variety of different molecules.
Silicon on spinel: The interaction between deposition constituents and the substrate surface

Abstract The examination of the growth of silicon on flame fusion and Czochralski spinel prior to complete coverage of the substrate provides information on the chemical interaction between the deposition constituents and the substrate material. The flame fusion spinel appears to be eroded primarily by silicon, while the Czochralski spinel is eroded by both hydrogen and silicon. The hole mobilities in (111) silicon deposited in helium on the Czochralski spinel are similar to the mobilities in (111) silicon deposited in hydrogen on the flame fusion spinel. The semiconducting properties of silicon on the Czochralski spinel are degraded by annealing the substrate in hydrogen, and are unaffected by annealing the substrate in helium. The substrate surface work damage appears to be removed as the result of reduction of the spinel by silicon during the deposition of silicon on the Czochralski spinel in helium. Both the electrical data of 1 μm thick films and the physical nature of the deposits prior to complete coverage of the substrate lead to the conclusion that the hole mobilities in silicon on spinel are limited primarily by the impurities introduced into the deposit by reaction of the substrate with the deposition constituents, and that the impurities are incorporated into the deposit mainly prior to complete coverage of the surface and are concentrated in a thin layer in the silicon near the silicon-substrate interface.
Transmission of an Electron Density Disturbance Along a Positive Column in a Longitudinal Field

The distribution of ions and electrons in the cross section of a uniform positive column is maintained by the radial motions of these particles. This distribution is designated as "normal." A disturbance of this distribution at some point in the column is followed on the anode side by an asymptotic approach to the normal. In the absence of a longitudinal magnetic field the recovery of a normal distribution occurs within a very short distance, but a longitudinal magnetic field slows down the readjustment by decreasing the radial mobility of the electrons. By making certain simplifying assumptions a theory for the approach of a disturbed column back to normal when the disturbance is cylindrically symmetrical has been worked out. The distribution is developed in a series of zero order Bessel functions, and it is found that the first term, which corresponds to the normal distribution, approaches a constant amplitude along the column whereas successive terms have successively greater space decrements. The decrement of the $i$th term approaches the constant value $\frac{({{x}_{i}}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{{x}_{1}}^{2})\ensuremath{\alpha}({T}_{e}+{T}_{p})}{(1\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}){T}_{e}{a}^{2}(\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon})},$ where ${x}_{i}$ is the $i$th root of ${J}_{0}(x)=0$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ is the factor giving the reduction in transverse electron mobility, ${T}_{e}$ and ${T}_{p}$ are the electron and positive ion temperatures, $a$ is the radius of the column and $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ is $(\frac{e}{k{T}_{e}})(\frac{\ensuremath{\partial}V}{\ensuremath{\partial}z})$. When compared with the experimental results of Cummings and Tonks, the theory calls for a reduction of the second term of the series expansion to 50 percent in 12.5 cm of arc length whereas experiment gave 33 percent.
Three-month change in cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy.

No specific therapy is available for non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a blinding disease, which is related to microvascular insufficiency of the optic disc and white matter lesions in brain MRI representing ischemia. We hypothesize that pentoxifylline, traditionally used for treatment of peripheral vascular disease due to its ability to decrease viscosity and increase erythrocyte flexibility, may be useful to improve blood flow in patients with NAION. Positron emission tomography (PET) to determine the change in glucose metabolic rate in the visual cortex of patients with NAION versus age-matched controls was performed after 3 months’ administration of pentoxifylline. Eight patients clinically diagnosed with NAION underwent clinical and laboratory evaluation, brain MRI and PET with fluoride-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). All patients were treated with oral pentoxifylline 400 mg three times a day for a period of at least 3 months. Three patients were included in the final PET data analysis. At baseline, PET revealed bilateral metabolic decreases especially in the ventral visual stream in all patients compared with 56 age- and gender-normalized controls. Metabolic changes were seen in the dorsal stream areas 17, 18, and 19, cerebellar region, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, medial temporal lobe, and frontal eye fields 8 and 6. At 3 months following pentoxifylline, all three patients included in the final PET data analysis showed partial normalization from the baseline metabolism. Metabolic imaging with FDG-PET in NAION provides functional information not attainable with conventional brain MRI. The exact relevance of these results, and the role of pentoxifylline in these metabolic changes, should be determined by means of a larger randomized and controlled trial.
Effects of smoking different doses of nicotine on human aggressive behavior.

A new methodology was employed to study the effects of drugs on human aggressive behavior in a laboratory situation. The effects of not smoking, smoking a low nicotine dose (0.42 mg/cigarette), and smoking a high nicotine dose (2.19 mg/cigarette) on human nonaggressive and aggressive responding was determined. A nonaggressive response, which resulted in the accumulation of money, was continuously available to the subject. Two different aggressive responses were also available: the ostensible subtraction of money from, and the ostensible presentation of a 1-s blast of white noise to a (fictitious) person. Aggressive responding was elicited by subtracting money from the research subjects, which was attributed to a fictitious person paired with the research subject randomly each day. Nicotine, administered with experimental cigarettes, produced dose-dependent decrease in both types of aggressive responding elicited by low or high frequency subtractions of money attributed to another person. Generally, the more aggressive response option, i.e., subtraction of money from another person, decreased more following nicotine administration. Smoking the same doses of nicotine increased nonaggressive monetary reinforced responding. This indicates that the suppressant effects of nicotine on aggressive responding was not due to a non-specific depressant action.
Servo regulation of environmental oxygen concentration in neonatal period.

Abstract A continuously reading, servo-regulated device for control of oxygen concentration in the neonatal period is described. Data relating to the stability of the oxygen sensing system are presented. Preselected oxygen concentrations were rapidly achieved and maintained within narrow limits for prolonged periods of time. The device incorporates an audio alarm system for the detection of environmental oxygen concentration deviations exceeding ±3% of the desired oxygen concentration. Within the restricted environment of a small plastic hood, carbon-dioxide elimination was achieved by means of a bypass gas-flow system. The safety and reliability of this system is dependent upon a stable, accurate, oxygen sensor (the Clark electrode).
Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 alleviates steatosis and macrophage activation in murine alcoholic liver injury.

Background & Aims Heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) is an emerging therapeutic target in chronic liver diseases. Hsp90 plays an important role in liver immune cell activation; however its role in alcoholic liver disease (ALD) remains elusive. Here we hypothesize that hsp90 is crucial in alcohol induced steatosis and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. To test this hypothesis, we employed a pharmacological inhibitor of hsp90, 17-DMAG (17-Dimethylamino-ethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin) in an in vivo mouse model of acute and chronic alcoholic liver injury. Methods C57BL/6 mice were given either a single dose of ethanol via oral gavage (acute) or chronically fed alcohol for 2weeks followed by oral gavage (chronic-binge). 17-DMAG was administered during or at the end of feeding. Liver injury parameters, inflammatory cytokines and lipid metabolism genes were analysed. Results Our results reveal increased expression of hsp90 in human and mouse alcoholic livers. In vivo inhibition of hsp90, using 17-DMAG, not only prevented but also alleviated alcoholic liver injury, determined by lower serum ALT, AST and reduced hepatic triglycerides. Mechanistic analysis showed that 17-DMAG decreased alcohol mediated oxidative stress, reduced serum endotoxin, decreased inflammatory cells, and diminished sensitization of liver macrophages to LPS, resulting in downregulation of CD14, NFκB inhibition, and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Hsp90 inhibition decreased fatty acid synthesis genes via reduced nuclear SREBP-1 and favoured fatty acid oxidation genes via PPARα. Conclusions Inhibition of hsp90 decreased alcohol induced steatosis and pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibited alcoholic liver injury. Hsp90 is therefore relevant in human alcoholic cirrhosis and a promising therapeutic target in ALD.
Food allergy masquerading as foreign body obstruction.

Background Allergic reactions to peanut and tree nuts can present as upper airway obstruction. Objectives To increase awareness that food allergy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of upper airway obstruction in children. Methods We report an allergic reaction to cashew that was initially misdiagnosed as foreign body aspiration. Results When the presenting signs and symptoms of food allergy are limited to upper airway obstruction, they can be confused with foreign body aspiration. Conclusions As peanuts and tree nuts are common causes of both food allergy and foreign body aspiration in children, both of these diagnoses should be considered in the differential diagnosis of airway obstruction.
EU Disability Policy and Implications of EU Accession for Disability Rights in Education and Employment in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia:

The effects of EU candidacy and accession on disability rights in education and employment are examined in two new member and two candidate countries. The development of EU disability policy is als...
Knowledge and Beliefs of Nurse Researchers About Informed Consent Principles and Regulations

We examined differences in the knowledge and beliefs that exist among nurse researchers in the USA (n = 119) regarding informed consent and the use of data from patients’ medical records. Using a mail survey, two domains of ethical knowledge and beliefs were assessed: the legal right to privacy and the moral right to privacy. More than half of the participants were very confident in their knowledge of institutional review board procedures, research ethics, informed consent, the legal right to privacy, and the moral right to privacy. In contrast, most rated themselves as uncertain about US federal research regulations and there was wide variation in knowledge about current federal guidelines. Those who were more confident in their knowledge of or had more practical experience with research ethics, were no more likely to answer correctly a question about current federal guidelines regulating the use of patient data from medical records than those who reported less confidence or experience.
The publisher's pushback against NIH's public access and scholarly publishing sustainability.

The dying light of the George W. Bush presidency was marked by, among other things, a legislative move to derail recent gains in the federal government's opening of science. In particular, the innocuous sounding “Fair Copyright in Research Works Act” (HR 6845) introduced into the House by John Conyers, Jr. (DEM-MI), on 9 September 2008 [1] was poised to shut down the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy [2], as well as forestall the spread of this open-access spirit to other areas of federally sponsored research and scholarship. Hearings were held, but the bill did not make it through the House. End of story? Not quite.
Adenocarcinoma of the appendix: A clinicopathologic study

Clinicopathologic correlation and survival were evaluated in 11 patients with adenocarcinomas of the appendix. This extremely rare tumor was seen most often in patients in the fifth decade of life. Acute appendicitis was the most common mode of presentation (8/11). A few patients (3/11) showed signs of distant metastases from an occult primary tumor in the appendix.
Defective vortex-lattices in layered superconductors with both point and correlated pins

The mixed phase of layered superconductors with no magnetic screening is studied through a partial duality analysis of the corresponding XY model in the presence of random pinning centers. Sufficiently weak Josephson coupling between adjacent layers results in an entangled vortex-solid that exhibits weak superconductivity across layers. The corresponding vortex-liquid state shows an inverted specific heat anomaly that is a precursor to the weak superconductor.
Tenofovir renal toxicity targets mitochondria of renal proximal tubules

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is an analog of adenosine monophosphate that inhibits HIV reverse transcriptase in HIV/AIDS. Despite its therapeutic success, renal tubular side effects are reported. The mechanisms and targets of tenofovir toxicity were determined using ‘2 × 2’ factorial protocols, and HIV transgenic (TG) and wild-type (WT) littermate mice with or without TDF (5 weeks). A parallel study used didanosine (ddI) instead of TDF. At termination, heart, kidney, and liver samples were retrieved. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) abundance, and histo- and ultrastructural pathology were analyzed. Laser-capture microdissection (LCM) was used to isolate renal proximal tubules for molecular analyses. Tenofovir increased mtDNA abundance in TG whole kidneys, but not in their hearts or livers. In contrast, ddI decreased mtDNA abundance in the livers of WTs and TGs, but had no effect on their hearts or kidneys. Histological analyses of kidneys showed no disruption of glomeruli or proximal tubules with TDF or ddI treatments. Ultrastructural changes in renal proximal tubules from TDF-treated TGs included an increased number and irregular shape of mitochondria with sparse fragmented cristae. LCM-captured renal proximal tubules from TGs showed decreased mtDNA abundance with tenofovir. The results indicate that tenofovir targets mitochondrial toxicity on the renal proximal tubule in an AIDS model.
mu-opioid receptors are present in vagal afferents and their dendritic targets in the medial nucleus tractus solitarius.

Ligands of the mu-opiate receptor (MOR) are known to influence many functions that involve vagal afferent input to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), including cardiopulmonary responses, gastrointestinal activity, and cortical arousal. The current study sought to determine whether a cellular substrate exists for direct modulation of vagal afferents and/or their neuronal targets in the NTS by ligands of the MOR. Anterograde tracing of vagal afferents arising from the nodose ganglion was achieved with biotinylated dextran amine (BDA), and the MOR was detected by using antipeptide MOR antiserum. The medial subdivision of the intermediate NTS was examined by electron microscopy for the presence of peroxidase-labeled, BDA-containing vagal afferents and immunogold MOR labeling. MOR was present in both presynaptic axon terminals and at postsynaptic sites, primarily dendrites. In dendrites, MOR immunogold particles usually were located along extrasynaptic portions of the plasma membrane. Of 173 observed BDA-labeled vagal afferent axon terminals, 33% contained immunogold labeling for MOR within the axon terminal. Many of these BDA-labeled terminals formed asymmetric, excitatory-type synapses with dendrites, some of which contained MOR immunogold labeling. MORs were present in 19% of the dendrites contacted by BDA-labeled terminals but were present rarely in both the vagal afferent and its dendritic target. Together, these results suggest that MOR ligands modulate either the presynaptic release from or the postsynaptic responses to largely separate populations of vagal afferents in the intermediate NTS. These results provide a cellular substrate for direct actions of MOR ligands on primary visceral afferents and their second-order neuronal targets in NTS.
Predicting retarded students' short-term growth from home environment.

This investigation sought to determine whether change in mentally retarded students' developmental status and adjustment could be predicted by variables of the psychological home environment for periods of one and two years. Over 120 trainable mentally retarded (TMR) and over 220 educable menially retarded and educationally handicapped (EMR-EH) children were subjects. Annual interviews were conducted in the homes. Environmental data consisted of the Caldwell HOME (for TMR) or Henderson HELPS (for EMR-EH), the Moos Family Environment Scale, and the Home Quality Rating Scale. Eight dependent student variables included three factor scores of the A daptive Behavior Scale as indicators of developmental status. Five adjustment scores included the two maladaptive scores from the Adaptive Behavior Scale and impact on family, psychological adjustment and social adjustment scores. First year student scores were partialled out to permit prediction of second and third year scores from first year environment scores. Stepwise multiple regression showed that environmental variables significantly improved R2 for all eight student scores in the second year and six to eight in the third year for the TMR group and six of eight in the second year and all eight in the third for the EMR-EH group. Data were interpreted to favor a concept of parent-child relationships as a continuously interactive phenomenon.
Immunization treatment approaches in Alzheimer's and prion diseases.

There is growing realization that many neurodegenerative conditions have the same underlying pathogenetic mechanism: a change in protein conformation, where the Β -sheet content is increased. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyloid deposition in the form of neuritic plaques and congophilic angiopathy is driven by the conversion of normal soluble amyloid Β (sAΒ) to AΒ plaques, whereas in the prionoses the critical event is the conversion of normal prion protein, PrPC, to PrPSc. This common theme in the pathogenesis of these disorders and the extracellular localization of the accumulating abnormal protein make them highly amenable to therapeutic approaches based on experimental manipulation of protein conformation and clearance. Different approaches under development include drugs that affect the processing of the precursor proteins, enhance clearance of the amyloidogenic protein, and inhibit or prevent the conformation change. Particularly interesting are recent studies of immune system activation, which appear to increase the clearance of the disease-associated protein. These immunologically based approaches are highly effective in animal models of these disorders, and in these model systems are associated with no obvious side effects. In transgenic mice with AD-related pathology, immunization has also been shown to prevent age-related cognitive impairment. However, the first clinical trial of this approach in AD patients was associated with unacceptable toxicity. These immune-based treatment approaches have great potential as rational therapies for this devastating group of disorders, but additional development is needed before they can be safely applied to humans.
Visual Working Memory Capacity: From Psychophysics and Neurobiology to Individual Differences

Visual working memory capacity is of great interest because it is strongly correlated with overall cognitive ability, can be understood at the level of neural circuits, and is easily measured. Recent studies have shown that capacity influences tasks ranging from saccade targeting to analogical reasoning. A debate has arisen over whether capacity is constrained by a limited number of discrete representations or by an infinitely divisible resource, but the empirical evidence and neural network models currently favor a discrete item limit. Capacity differs markedly across individuals and groups, and recent research indicates that some of these differences reflect true differences in storage capacity whereas others reflect variations in the ability to use memory capacity efficiently.
In-Plane Molecular Rotational Dynamics at a Negatively Charged Surfactant/Aqueous Interface

The in-plane rotational dynamics of the molecular probe coumarin 314 (C314) at the negatively charged surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/aqueous interface was measured using femtosecond time-r...
The Precise Sequence of FGF Receptor Autophosphorylation Is Kinetically Driven and Is Disrupted by Oncogenic Mutations

Autophosphorylation of the tyrosine kinase domain of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is mediated by a sequential and precisely ordered three-stage autophosphorylation reaction. First-stage autophosphorylation of an activation loop tyrosine leads to 50- to 100-fold stimulation of kinase activity and is followed by second-stage phosphorylation of three additional tyrosine residues, which are binding sites for signaling molecules. Finally, third-stage phosphorylation of a second activation loop tyrosine leads to an additional 10-fold stimulation of FGFR1 catalytic activity. In this report, we show that sequential autophosphorylation of five tyrosines in the FGFR1 kinase domain is under kinetic control, mediated by both the amino acid sequence surrounding the tyrosines and their locations within the kinase structure, and, moreover, that phosphoryl transfer is the rate-limiting step. Furthermore, the strict order of autophosphorylation is disrupted by a glioblastoma-derived, oncogenic FGFR1 point mutation in the kinase domain. We propose that disrupted stepwise activation of tyrosine autophosphorylation caused by oncogenic and other activating FGFR mutations may lead to aberrant activation of and assembly of signaling molecules by the activated receptor.
Chromatographic Separation of Niobium and Tantalum in a Hydrofluoric Acid-Hydrochloric Acid System with Macroporous Polyacrylate Resin Beads

he separation of niobium and tantalum was examined by using macroporous polyacrylate polymer beads (Amberlite XAD-7) as an adsorbent in hydrofluoric acid-hydrochloric acid mixtures. The adsorption of niobium and tantalum was measured as a function of each acidic concentration; it was found that niobium showed a lesser adsorption than did tantalum, and that both metals could be released by weakly acidic solutions. Column chromatography was carried out using the resin as a stationary phase and acidic solutions of appropriate concentrations as a mobile phase. The niobium and tantalum were successfully separated from each other, and application to a multielemental sample containing both metals was also demonstrated. By using this chromatographic system, trace tantalum was effectively removed from the niobium matrix.
The parting of the Tao: on the similarities and differences between early Confucianism and early Taoism

L'A. montre que le Taoisme et le Confucianisme, outre de grandes divergences, ont tout de meme des aspects en commun dus a leur meme source de sagesse. L'A. etudie les principaux enseignements ethiques communs
A viscoelastic continuum damage model and its application to uniaxial behavior of asphalt concrete

Abstract An existing viscoelastic constitutive model which accounts for the effects of rate-dependent damage growth is described and applied successfully to characterize the uniaxial stress, constant strain rate behavior of asphalt concrete. The special case of an elastic continuum damage model with multiaxial loading, which is based upon thermodynamics of irreversible processes with internal state variables, is first reviewed and then it is shown how this model has been extended to a corresponding viscoelastic damage model through the use of an elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle. The general mathematical model is next specialized to uniaxial loading. A rate-type evolution law, similar in form to a crack growth law for a viscoelastic medium, is adopted for describing the damage growth within the body. Results from laboratory tests of uniaxial specimens under axial tension at different strain rates are then shown to be consistent with the theory. The discussion of data analysis describes the specific procedure used here to obtain the material parameters in the constitutive model for uniaxial loading and how the method may be generalized for multiaxial loading.
Centers and shore points of a dendroid

A bottleneck in a dendroid is a continuum that intersects every arc connecting two nonempty open sets. Every dendroid contains a point called a center which is contained in arbitrarily small bottlenecks. A subset A of a dendroid is a shore set if for every e> 0 there is a continuum in D \ A with Hausdorff distance from D less than e. If a shore set has only one point it is called a shore point. This paper explores the relationship between center points and shore points in a dendroid. We show that if a dendroid contains a strong center, then any finite union of the arc components of the set of shore points is a shore set. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Memory awareness in nursing home residents.

Background: Health care providers often believe that individuals with cognitive disturbance are unaware of their deficits. The term unawareness was first used to describe hemiplegia following right hemisphere stroke but has since been applied to unawareness of any neurological or neuropsychological deficit. Clinicians usually rely on their subjective observations to evaluate the patient’s awareness of deficits, and few investigators have systematically evaluated this important clinical phenomenon. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare cognition, depression, health, and metamemory (capacity, change, locus, and strategy) in four groups of nursing home residents: the cognitively impaired (29%), depressed (18%), mixed with both cognitive impairment and depression (32%), and controls (21%). Methods: Subjects were 106 residents of six nursing homes between the ages of 79 and 87 with a mean age of 84.18 (SD = 10.01) years, and an average of six comorbid medical conditions. Cognitive function was measured with the Mini Mental State (MMSE); depression with the Geriatric Depression, and metamemory with the Metamemory in Adulthood scales. Anyone scoring Results: In this sample, 61% were cognitively impaired; however, only 12 had a diagnosis in their records indicating cognitive disturbance. Forty-three percent were depressed. The correlations between depression and capacity (r = –0.38), change (r = –0.50), and locus (r = –0.25) were significant. The controls were significantly younger than the cognitively impaired group. The controls also had higher perceived health status scores than either the cognitively impaired or the depressed group. However, the mixed group’s perceived health status scores were significantly higher than the depressed group’s scores. Conclusion: The metamemory components of capacity and change were able to differentiate the cognitively impaired from the mixed group. Information on the etiology of cognitive impairment was not available since residents’ charts in the six nursing homes provided inadequate documentation and incomplete diagnostic histories. Therefore, quantitative methods for examining memory awareness and the affective state of elderly patients is important for clinicians in order to make informed treatment decisions.
Does "feeling down" mean seeing down? Depressive symptoms and vertical selective attention.

Abstract Prior research reveals that the encoding of affective stimuli is biased in a metaphorically consistent manner (e.g., good = up; bad = down). For example, negative words are evaluated faster if they are presented in a low versus high vertical position. The present studies extended this view by investigating whether such biases also correlate with individual differences in emotional experience. Specifically, in two studies, we examined whether vertical metaphor would be useful in understanding negative affect as manifested in neuroticism and depressive symptoms. We found support for this premise. That is, the higher the neuroticism (Studies 1 and 2) or depressive symptoms (Study 2) of participants, the faster they were to respond to or detect lower (versus higher) spatial attention targets. These results suggest that negative affect in general, and depressive symptoms in particular, appear to bias selective attention in a direction that favors lower regions of physical space.
Enhanced carbon influx into TFTR supershots

Under some conditions, a very large influx of carbon into TFTR occurs during neutral beam injection into low recycling plasmas (the supershot regime). These carbon 'blooms' result in serious degradation of plasma parameters. The sources of this carbon have been identified as hot spots on the TFTR bumper limiter at or near the last closed flux surface. Two separate temperature thresholds have been identified. One threshold, at about 1650°C, is consistent with radiation enhanced sublimation (RES). The other, at about 2300°C, appears to be thermal sublimation of carbon from the limiter. The carbon influx can be quantitatively accounted for by taking laboratory values for RES rates, making reasonable assumptions about the extent of the blooming area and assuming unity carbon recycling at the limiter. Such high carbon recycling is expected, and it is shown that, in target plasmas at least, it is observed on TFTR. The sources of the carbon blooms are sites which have either loosely attached fragments of limiter material (caused by damage) or surfaces that are nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field lines. Such surfaces may have local power depositions two orders of magnitude higher than usual. The TFTR team modified the limiter during the opening of winter 1989–1990. The modifications greatly reduced the number and magnitude of the blooms, so that they are no longer a problem.