cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of claudication with pentoxifylline: Are benefits related to improvement in viscosity?

Abstract Forty-five patients with short-distance claudication were treated with pentoxifylline. The initial claudication distance increased significantly (32.5 m, p=0.02) and the absolute claudication distance (ACD) increased significantly (49.5 m, p=0.001) while the patients were receiving pentoxifylline. Patients with initial elevated viscosity levels were more likely to have decreased viscosity with pentoxifylline than were patients with normal viscosity levels (p = 0.01). No significant improvement in ACD or viscosity was noted in 51% of patients. Both ACD and viscosity improved in 15% of patients, viscosity improved without improvement in ACD in 9%, and ACD improved without improvement in viscosity in 25%. (J VASC SURG 1987;6:211-6.)
Pain-reducing Properties of Sucrose in Human Newborns

To assess the characteristics of sucrose as a pain-reducing substance, crying in 72 newborn humans during and after blood collection via heel prick was determined. In the first study infants drank 2 ml of water or 2 ml of a 0.17-0.34- or 0.51-M sucrose solution 1 min prior to blood collection. In the second experiment, a delay of 30, 60, 90, 120 or 240 s was imposed between sucrose intake and the initiation of blood collection. The dose-response function for concentration was flat. The most effective time delay was 120 s. The effectiveness of the 2-min interval accords with previous findings of endogenous opioid release caused by sucrose taste. The flat dose-response function extends findings in rats and humans that the calming and pain-reducing effects of sucrose are not influenced by either concentration or volume, suggesting that the transduction from gustatory afferent to opioid-mediated efferent is of an on-off nature and not graded.
Two-loop renormalization-group-improved top-quark and Higgs-boson masses in the top-quark condensate model

We study the sensitivity of the top-quark and Higgs-boson masses in the top-quark condensate model to two-loop radiative corrections. The composite theory, including a higher-dimensional Suzuki operator, provides the two-loop renormalization-group equations of the standard model with ultraviolet boundary conditions. Both the top-quark and the Higgs-boson masses vary by a few GeV with respect to their values in the one-loop calculation.
Sedimentation and deformation in the Amlia Fracture Zone sector of the Aleutian Trench

Abstract A wedge-shaped, landward thickening mass of sedimentary deposits composed chiefly of terrigenous turbidite beds underlies the west-south west-trending Amlia sector (172°20′–173°30′W) of the Aleutian Trench. Pacific oceanic crust dips northward beneath the sector's sedimentary wedge and obliquely underthrusts (30° off normal) the adjacent Aleutian Ridge. The trench floor and subsurface strata dip gently northward toward the base of the inner trench slope. The dip of the trench deposits increases downsection from about 0.2° at the trench floor to as much as 6–7° just above basement. The wedge is typically 2–2.5 km thick, but it is thickest (3.7–4.0 km) near the base of the inner slope overlying the north-trending Amlia Fracture Zone and also east of this structure. Slight undulations and relatively abrupt offsets of the trench floor reflect subsurface and generally west-trending structures within the wedge that are superimposed above ridges and swales in the underlying oceanic basement. The southern or seaward side of some of these structures are bordered by high-angle faults or abrupt flexures. Across these offsets the northern side of the trench floor and underlying wedge is typically upthrown. West-flowing turbidity currents originating along the Alaskan segment of the trench (1200 km to the east) probably formed the greater part of the Amlia wedge during the past 0.5 m.y. The gentle northward or cross-trench inclination of the trench floor and underlying wedge probably reflects regional downbending of the oceanic lithosphere and trench-floor basement faulting and rotation. Much of the undulatory flexuring of the trench wedge can be attributed to differential compaction over buried basement relief. However, abrupt structural offsets attest to basement faulting. Faulting is associated with extensional earthquakes in the upper crust. The west-trending basement offsets are probably normal faults that dip steeply south or antithetic to the north dip of the subducting oceanic crust. Up-to-arc extensional faulting can be attributed to the downbending of the Pacific plate into the Aleutian subduction zone. The rupturing direction and dip is controlled by zones of crustal weakness that parallel north Pacific magnetic anomalies, which were formed south of a late Cretaceous—early Tertiary spreading center (Kula—Pacific Ridge). The strike of these anomalies is fortuitously nearly parallel to the Amlia sector. The up-to-arc fracturing style may locally assist in elevating blocks of trench deposits to form the toe of the trench's landward slope, which is in part underlain by a compressionally thickened accretionary mass of older trench deposits. Compressional structures that can be related to underthrusting are only indistinctly recorded in the turbidite wedge that underlies the trench floor.
On the structure of the ends of lambda DNA

The structure of the ends of a molecule of λ DNA has been deduced from the effect of DNA polymerase and exonuclease III on the infectivity of λ DNA and from the ability of the two ends of the molecule to cohere. The infectivity of λ DNA is destroyed when it primes DNA synthesis catalyzed by DNA polymerase. Inactivation depends on the presence of deoxynucleoside triphosphates and on the amount of enzyme added. The inactivating synthesis behaves like a repair of single-stranded regions, that is, their conversion to double strands, because it occurs at 15°C. Richardson, Inman & Kornberg (1964) found that DNA polymerase catalyzes repair but not net synthesis at temperatures lower than 20°C. Infectivity returns if the polymerase product is subsequently exposed to exonuclease III. The specificity of exonuclease III is such that it would be expected to remove nucleotides added by polymerase. This result shows that inactivation by polymerase is not due to degradation. In a complementary fashion the infectivity of native λ DNA is destroyed by exonuclease III and restored by subsequent synthesis catalyzed by DNA polymerase. The two ends of a molecule of λ DNA can cohere, specifically, to each other ( Hershey, Burgi & Ingraham, 1963 ; Ris & Chandler, 1963 ). To account for cohesiveness and for inactivation by DNA polymerase, it is proposed that 5′-hydroxyl (or 5′-phosphate)-terminated single strands protrude from both ends of the otherwise double-stranded molecule and that the two protruding single strands have complementary base sequences. Cohesion would result from base pairing between the protruding single strands. Synthesis primed by native λ DNA and catalyzed by DNA polymerase at 15°C would be expected to repair partially single-stranded ends and to destroy their cohesiveness. As the infectivity of λ DNA for helper-infected bacteria requires cohesiveness, polymerase would thus inactivate λ DNA. Treating the polymerase product with exonuclease III restores infectivity, according to this model, because removal of the added nucleotides restores cohesiveness.
Sonic hedgehog, BOC, and synaptic development: new players for an old game.

In this issue of Neuron, Harwell et al. (2012) identify a new role for the secreted molecule Shh and its receptor Boc in synapse formation. These results add an unexpected new player to the expanding list of extracellular cues regulating the spatial specificity of synapse formation.
Computer Analysis and Display of Movement Patterns.

Abstract A description is given of an automatic method for producing numerical and graphical statements about movement and inter-organism or organism-environment interaction patterns from observational records. The method is based on use of Cartesian co-ordinates to represent the position of each individual at each instant sampled. In addition to statistical computations regarding distances travelled, the frequency of entry into specified territories, sociometric and other parameters, movement maps can be produced with the aid of a plotting device connected to a computer. The program can be adapted for various investigations concerning social interaction, territoriality, equipment usage, activity habits, and architectural design.
Badvertisements: Stealthy Click-Fraud with Unwitting Accessories

ABSTRACT We describe a new type of threat to the Internet infrastructure, in the shape of a highly efficient but very well camouflaged click-fraud attack on the advertising infrastructure. The attack, which we refer to as a “badvertisement,” is described and experimentally verified on several prominent advertisement schemes. This stealthy attack can be thought of as a threatening mutation of spam and phishing attacks, with which it has many commonalities, except for the fact that it is not the targeted individual who is the victim in the attack, but the unwitting advertiser.
Secrets under the Skin: New Historical Perspectives on Disease, Deviation, and Citizenship. A Review Article

Modern categories of citizenship and discourses of nationalism are inconceivable without the existence of two inventions: the microscope as a laboratory instrument and the statistical concept of normality. The former, first devised by Dutch opticians around 1600, was the sine qua non of the bacteriological revolution spearheaded by Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur beginning in the 1870s.1 The latter had been christened several decades earlier by Adolphe Quetele when he prestidigated the mean or "average man" by plotting the chest circumferences of over 5,000 Scottish regiment soldiers and calculating basic frequencies. Soon, the idea of normal distribution became a cornerstone of the emergent fields of sociology, anthropology, demography, as well as the insurance industry.2 In different but interconnected ways, each invention opened up an extensive and untraversed terrain of corporeal and organic knowledge which it alone was capable of deciphering. Guided by the logic of germ theory, scientists used the microscope to translate invisible pathogens into classifiable bacilli and facilitated the manufacture of large-scale cures such as anti-toxins and vaccines. If the microscope and its appurtenances of slides and cultures exposed a hidden bacterial world which had previously existed only in the abstract, statistical methods and normal curves inductively abstracted from the concrete "to a postulated reality,"3 originating prototypes and endowing them with enough distributive power to stand for the whole. What both methodologies shared was a disdain for the perception of the naked eye, representing new
The Concept of Perceived but Nonexistent Power in Intra-Channel Conflict Situations

Abstract This article attempts to develop the idea of power that is nonexistent but is present in the perception of the subject channel member in his/her understanding of the power position of the other channel member. Such perceptions, one can conclude, will also affect the behavior of the subject channel member during intrachannel conflicts. The purpose of this article is to present the idea of nonexistent but perceived power as an influence strategy and to discuss future avenues of developing and testing these ideas. Based on the ideas developed in this paper and the proposed model illustrating the concept of perceived power, several hypotheses can be obtained for empirical testing. Several potential methods are presented for testing these ideas.
Non‐verbal communication and the overlooked action in Pinter's the caretaker

Critics commonly misinterpret Pinter's plays, particularly The Caretaker, because they concentrate on the rich dialogue and verbal acrobatics to the exclusion of much important non‐verbal communication. Davies is not a usurper who attempts to victimize Aston, nor is he equally, with Mick and Aston, a victim of a repressive “system.” Mick and Aston consciously and maliciously destroy Davies’ psyche in a gratuitously cruel game. The usually overlooked stage directions that specify the essential non‐verbal communication between Mick and Aston validate this interpretation.
Seismicity at Fuego, Pacaya, Izalco, and San Cristobal Volcanoes, Central America, 1973–1974

Seismic data collected at four volcanoes in Central America during 1973 and 1974 indicate three sources of seismicity: regional earthquakes with hypocentral distances greater than 80 km, earthquakes within 40 km of each volcano, and seismic activity originating at the volcanoes due to eruptive processes. Regional earthquakes generated by the underthrusting and subduction of the Cocos Plate beneath the Caribbean Plate are the most prominent seismic feature in Central America. Earthquakes in the vicinity of the volcanoes occur on faults that appear to be related to volcano formation. Faulting near Fuego and Pacaya volcanoes in Guatemala is more complex due to motion on a major E-W striking transform plate boundary 40 km north of the volcanoes. Volcanic activity produces different kinds of seismic signatures. Shallow tectonic or A-type events originate on nearby faults and occur both singly and in swarms. There are typically from 0 to 6 A-type events per day withb value of about 1.3. At very shallow depths beneath Pacaya, Izalco, and San Cristobal large numbers of low-frequency or B-type events are recorded with predominant frequencies between 2.5 and 4.5 Hz and withb values of 1.7 to 2.9. The relative number of B-type events appears to be related to the eruptive states of the volcanoes; the more active volcanoes have higher levels of seismicity. At Fuego Volcano, however, low-frequency events have unusually long codas and appear to be similar to tremor. High-amplitude volcanic tremor is recorded at Fuego, Pacaya, and San Cristobal during eruptive periods. Large explosion earthquakes at Fuego are well recorded at five stations and yield information on near-surface seismic wave velocities (α=3.0±0.2 km/sec.).
Alcohol preference, housing effect and bottle position effect in maternally-exposed offspring

Abstract Rediscovery of fetal alcohol syndrome has simulated concern for the effects of maternal alcohol consumption. While recent etiological alcohol research has concentrated on pharmacological or genetic considerations, this exploratory study investigated maternally-induced alcohol exposure on offspring preference. Three litters of rats, exposed during gestation and lactation, demonstrated stable and strong ethanol solution preferences, though not evidenced in mothers. No bottle position effect was found, though individually-housed offspring showed stronger alcohol preferences than those housed in pairs.
Thermal conductivity of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ superconductors in high magnetic fields

The thermal conductivity of high temperature superconductors provides an understanding of the nature of the charge carriers, phonons, vortices, and the scattering processes between them. Recently, the magnetothermal conductivity has been considered to be a key factor in the understanding of the vortex dynamics. Here we report thermal conductivity measurements of bulk Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ superconductors in an applied magnetic field up to 20 T. The measurements were taken for a wide range of temperatures around T/sub c/. The superconducting parameters were recovered from the obtained data using theoretical model developed by Ausloos et al.
Azimuthal Correlations and the Nature of the Pomeranchuk Singularity in Models Without Short-Range Order

The existence of long-range azimuthal correlations in inclusive data is known to imply that the Pomeranchuk singularity is not a simple pole. A simple independent-emission model, which shares many properties of multiperipheral models except that the produced particles are not ordered along a multiperipheral chain, possesses these long-range correlations. Therefore the leading $J$-plane singularity in this model is seen to be a cut.
Genetic basis of physiological traits related to salt tolerance in tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.

Genetic relationships between salt tolerance and expression of various physiological traits during vegetative growth in tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., were investigated. Parental, F 1 , F 2 and backcross progeny ofa cross between a salt tolerant (PIl74263) and a salt sensitive tomato cultivar ('UCT5') were evaluated in saline solutions with electrical conductivity of0.5 (non-stress) and 20 dS/m (salt stress). Absolute growth, relative growth, tissue ion content, leaf solute potential and the rate of ethylene evolution were measured. Growth of both parents was reduced under salt stress; however, the reduction was significantly less in PI174263 than 'UCTS5', suggesting greater salt tolerance of the former. Under salt stress, leaves of PI174263 accumulated significantly less Na + and Cl- and more Ca 2+ than leaves of 'UCT5'. Across parental and progeny generations, growth under salt stress was positively correlated with leaf Ca 2+ content and negatively correlated with leaf Na + content. In contrast, no correlation was observed between growth and either leaf solute potential or the rate of ethylene evolution under salt stress. Generation means analysis indicated that under salt stress both absolute and relative growth and the Na + and Ca 2+ accumulations in the leaf were genetically controlled with additivity being the major genetic component. The results indicated that the inherent genetic capabilities of PI174263 to maintain high tissue Ca 2+ levels and to exclude Na + from the shoot were essential features underlying its adaptation to salt stress and that these features were highly heritable. Thus, tissue ion concentration may be a useful selection criterion when breeding for improved salt tolerance of tomato using progeny derived from PI174263.
Input-output fuzzy systems and the inverse problem

Input-Output Fuzzy Systems and the Inverse ProblemYeongseob Kueon and J.S. BediWayne State University, 3100 Engineering Building5050 Anthony Wayne Dr., Detroit, MI 48202ABSTRACTThe paper presents the inverse problem concerned with fuzzy relations. A method for the inverse solution of a max-mmcompositional relation equation, based on the intermediate value theorem, is called the bisection algorithm, or binary-searchmethod. The benefits of the inverse problem is used not only for its theoretical implications but also for its applicability onreal problems of optimization and control of fuzzy logic systems.1. INTRODUCTIONThe paper deals with the inverse problem stated as follows: "Given a fuzzy relation RcVxW and a fuzzy subset BcW,find all AcV such that A°R=B". For example, a set of fuzzy implications of the form "IfA1 then B, iEl. Given AcV, thenBaW is induced, based on the fuzzy relational equation A °R=B, where °
Hebbian induction of long-term potentiation of Aplysia sensorimotor synapses: partial requirement for activation of an NMDA-related receptor

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of Aplysia sensorimotor synapses in cell culture can be induced by pairing sensory neuron activity with depolarization of the motorneuron. This pairing-induced LTP is prevented by perfusion with D,L-2-amino-5-phosphononovalerate (APV), a selective antagonist for the N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) subclass of glutamate receptors. Repeated pairing of presynaptic activity with postsynaptic depolarization induces LTP comprising both APV-sensitive and APV-insensitive components. Infusing BAPTA, a selective Ca2+ chelator, into the postsynaptic motoneuron completely blocks pairing-induced LTP. These results demonstrate that Aplysia sensorimotor synapses are capable of hebbian LTP-similar to that exhibited by synapses in the mammalian hippocampus - and suggest a role for this type of synaptic plasticity in classical conditioning of the defensive withdrawal reflex of Aplysia.
Larval habitat characterization for Aedes triseriatus (Say), the mosquito vector of LaCrosse encephalitis in West Virginia

Objective The principal aim of this investigation was to provide quantitative information on the frequency of occurrence for Aedes triseriatus (Say) larvae in West Virginia at 3 broad elevation categories, in different months of the year, and in specific types of larval habitats. Methods Larvae were collected in 54 West Virginia counties over a 6-year period, and their occurrence was recorded for defined habitat categories. Results Aedes triseriatus larvae were collected at 206 of the 587 sites examined and in 48 of the 54 West Virginia counties sampled. Conclusion Aedes triseriatus larvae are distributed equally across all elevation categories from March through October and are predisposed to shaded habitats.
A note on quasi-likelihood for exponential families

Abstract Maximum likelihood estimation for exponential families depends exclusively on the first two moments of the data. Recognizing this, Wedderburn [1974. Quasi-likelihood functions, generalized linear models, and the Gauss–Newton method. Biometrika 61, 439–447] proposed estimating regression parameters based on a quasi-likelihood function requiring only the relationship between the mean and variance. We extend quasi-likelihood to situations in which there exists vague prior information on the mean parameters. It is shown when data are exponential family with quadratic variance functions, maximum a posteriori inference under a conjugate prior relies solely on two moments of the data and the prior distribution. This result suggests a Bayesian analog of quasi-likelihood for which only two moments of the data and two moments of the prior need be specified.
On the Effect of Coordination and Protonation Preferences in the Amphiphilic Behavior of Metallosurfactants with Asymmetric Headgroups (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 3/2009)

The cover picture shows an artistic rendition of the main chemical motifs in the paper, namely, a metalloamphiphile, compression isotherms, and Brewster angle micrographs, along with model complexes with distinctive protonation states. Details are discussed in the article by C. N. Verani et al. on p. 345 ff.
A radioimmumoassay for danazol (17α-Pregna-2,4-Dien-20-Yno[2,3-d]Isoxazol-17-OL)

A method is described for the radioimmunoassay of circulating levels of the pituitary inhibiting agent, danazol. An antigen for danazol was prepared by reacting a 17-carboxy-methyloxime derivative of danazol with bovine serum albumin. By immunizing rabbits with this antigen, antiserum was generated which shows excellent specificity for danazol relative to its known metabolites as well as to many natural steroids. A radioimmunoassay was developed, without using separation or extraction techniques, involving competition for the antiserum between danazol in plasma and 14C-danazol. This assay has been successfully used to measure danazol in a series of normal human subjects receiving the drug at either 100 or 200 mg b.i.d. for 2 weeks. A significant relationship was seen between dosage of danazol and plasma concentrations.
Age Differences in Patterns and Correlates of the Frequency of Prayer

This study examines differences by age cohort in (a) the frequency of prayer, (b) racial and gender variation in prayer, and (c) religious and sociodemographic correlates of prayer. Analyses are conducted across four age cohorts (18-30, 31-40, 41-60, > or = 61) using data from the 1988 National Opinion Research Center (NORC) General Social Survey (N = 1,481). Findings reveal that prayer is frequently practiced at all ages, but more frequently in successively older cohorts. In addition, females and, to a lesser extent, African Americans pray more frequently than males and Whites, respectively. Further, hierarchical multiple regression analyses reveal statistically significant associations across age cohorts between prayer and key measures of religious behavior, feeling, belief, and experience.
Cholestanol and plant sterols in pigeon skin

Cholestanol (4.6%) and plant sterols (0.2%) have been demonstrated, for the first time, in avian skin by argentation and gas liquid chromatography. In contrast to results of previous studies with rat and human skin, cholestanol represented a significant amount in the pigeon. The proportion of campesterol was always higher than that of β-sitosterol.
Formation and accumulation of O6-ethylguanine in DNA of enriched populations of Clara cells, alveolar type II cells, and macrophages of hamsters exposed to diethylnitrosamine.

Abstract The concentration of O6-ethylguanine (O6EG) in DNA of enriched populations of hamster Clara cells, alveolar type II cells, and macrophages was determined following acute diethylnitrosamine (DEN) exposure, 100 and 200 mg/kg body wt, and during subchronic DEN exposure, 20 mg/kg body wt, 2 times/week. Pulmonary cells were separated by centrifugal elutriation. DNA was collected on polycarbonate filters and hydrolyzed by mild acid. Purines bases were separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and O6EG was quantitated by optical methods. O6EG levels in DNA of Clara cell-enriched populations were found to be higher than O6EG levels in DNA of alveolar type II cell-enriched populations and macrophages following acute DEN treatment. In Clara cell-enriched populations, O6EG levels found after the 200 mg/kg body wt dose were approximately 50% the levels found after the 100 mg/kg body wt dose, and O6EG levels found at 24 h post-treatment were approximately 50% the levels found at 12 h post-treatment for both the 100 and 200 mg/kg body wt doses. O6EG accumulated in DNA of Clara cell-enriched populations during subchronic DEN exposure. The differential distribution of O6EG in target and non-target cell populations suggests the involvement of this promutagenic base in the initiation process of DEN pulmonary carcinogenesis.
Naming practice for people with aphasia in a mobile web application: early user experience

Bangaten is a new version of Banga [2,3], a smart phone application that supports word finding practice, a form of therapy for people with aphasia. Early user experience shows that Bangaten offers useful cross-platform operation, on both Android and iPhone devices, including remote management of a client's device. Bangaten demonstrates the growing usefulness of emerging HTML5 technology for implementing assistive technology applications, while also illustrating some remaining limitations.
The role of socioeconomic status, depression, quality of life, and glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Objective To test the hypothesis that poor glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with depression and poor quality of life (QOL), with a higher prevalence in persons of lower socioeconomic status (SES). Study design Subjects with T1DM age 8 to 17 years (n = 222) were evaluated using the Childrens Depression Inventory, the Hollingshead Four-Factor Index to determine SES, and PedsQL questionnaires to ascertain QOL. HbAlC > 8% was considered indicative of poor glycemic control. Results A total of 110 well-controlled subjects and 112 poorly controlled subjects (HbA1C 7.1% ± 0.7% vs 9.9% ± 1.6%) were recruited. It was found that 9.5% of poorly controlled subjects were depressed, compared with 3% of well-controlled subjects. Logistic regression revealed a 27% increase in probability of depression per unit rise in HbA1C ( P P P P Conclusions Poor glycemic control in peridatric T1DM is associated with lower SES and depression. The probability of depression increases as glycemic control worsens. Screening for depression should be routinely carried out in patients with T1DM, targeting patients with deteriorating glycemic control.
Staff conflicts in the use of operant techniques with autistic children.

Although operant techniques are being used frequently in clinical work, the interpersonal staff problems that arise over the use of these techniques have not been adequately considered in the literature. This paper discusses some of the problems encountered when an experimental design for a six-year-old child required that food be used as the reinforcer.
Nonfamilial tumoral calcinosis associated with chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism: report of two cases with clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic findings.

Abstract The clinical and pathological findings, including those of immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies, of two cases of tumoral calcinosis-like lesion (TCL) are described. Both cases were associated with chronic renal failure and hyperparathyroidism. One case presented as a rapidly growing 20-cm multiloculated, cystic, calcific gluteal mass on the sacrum, which was not clinically suspected to be related to hyperparathyroidism. The other case presented as a 2.5cm calcific mass on the right foot that recurred after surgical excision as a 7-cm mass, which was clinically presumed to be related to secondary hyperparathyroidism. Light microscopic and immunohistochemical studies on both cases and ultrastructural studies on one case indicated that the calcifying process involved histiocytes and osteoclast-like giant cells of histiocytic origin lining the cystic cavities. Hydroxyapatite crystal formation and calcification appeared to develop predominantly from intracytoplasmic membrane bound vesicles and also from mitochondria. These findings are similar to those recently reported for familial tumoral calcinosis, which support its having a mechanism of calcification comparable with that of a TCL.
Suppression of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B-induced Toxicity by a Nuclear Import Inhibitor

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B and related toxins that target T cells have the capacity to elicit systemic inflammation, tissue injury, and death. Genes that encode mediators of inflammation can be globally inhibited by blocking the nuclear import of stress-responsive transcription factors. Here we show that cell-permeant peptides targeting Rch1/importin alpha/karyopherin alpha 2, a nuclear import adaptor protein, are delivered to T cells where they inhibit the staphylococcal enterotoxin B-induced production of inflammatory cytokines ex vivo in cultured primary spleen cells and in vivo. The systemic production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and interleukin-6 was attenuated in mice either by a cell-permeant cyclized form of SN50 peptide or by a transgene whose product suppresses the nuclear import of transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B in T cells. The extent of liver apoptosis and hemorrhagic necrosis was also reduced, which correlated with significantly decreased mortality rates. These findings highlight nuclear import inhibitors as a potentially useful countermeasure for staphylococcal enterotoxin B and other toxins that trigger harmful systemic inflammatory responses.
Design, fabrication, and testing of double negative metamaterials

The design, fabrication, and testing of several metamaterials that exhibit double negative (DNG) medium properties at X band frequencies are reported. DNG media are materials in which the permittivity and permeability are both negative. Simulation and experimental results are given that demonstrate the realization of DNG metamaterials matched to free-space. The extraction of the effective permittivity and permeability for these metamaterials from reflection and transmission data at normal incidence is treated. It is shown that the metamaterials studied exhibit DNG properties in the frequency range of interest.
How African American Parents Understand Their and Teachers' Roles in Children's Schooling and What this Means for Preparing Preservice Teachers

Preservice teachers are socialized by their own raced, classed, and gendered experiences to expect “caring parents” to behave and contribute in certain ways to their children's schooling. Preservice teachers who come from widely divergent backgrounds from the communities in which they serve can sometimes be skeptical of parents who are not involved in children's schooling in ways that are familiar from their own upbringing. Moreover, much of the existing scholarship on parent involvement and the transition to school takes a top-down approach that discounts the important knowledge parents bring to the table. This is a study of African American parents of young children who were preparing to transition to kindergarten or first grade that proposes an alternate conversation about what we can learn from parents when we examine their ways of framing and enacting “involvement” in their children's school lives. African American parents and caregivers (N = 25) participated in qualitative interviews. Thematic analy...
Accuracy of rendered depth in head-mounted displays: role of eyepoint location

Eyetracking is typically not available in head-mounted displays, and eye motions are thus simply ignored when 2D virtual images are displayed, giving rise to rendered depth errors in generating stereoscopic image pairs in head- mounted displays. We present an investigation and quantification of rendered depth errors linked to natural eye movements in binocular head-mounted displays, or Albertian errors, for three possible eyepoint locations: the center of the entrance pupil, the nodal point, and the center of rotation. Theoretical computations based on the intersection of chief rays concluded that, while the center of rotation yields minimal depth errors if no eyetracking is used, rendered angular errors may in some cases be significant (i.e. up to six degrees). Based on the analysis presented in this paper, we suggest that the center of entrance pupil be chosen for far field applications. The center of rotation of the eye should be chosen for near field applications under the assumption that they emphasize position accuracy versus angular accuracy. Preventing or minimizing rendered depth errors may be required for some high accuracy tasks related, for example, to medical or military visualization.
Differential thermal analysis of silicones

Differential thermal analysis has been applied to several silicone polymers and compounds with the use of oxidative conditions. The model compounds gave melting points corresponding to literature values. However, volatilization gave a broad endotherm much lower than extrapolated boiling points. The order, in oxidative resistance, was dimethyl silicone oil, silphenylene, methyl phenyl silicone oil.
Shortest path routing in partially connected ad hoc networks

Ad hoc communication among wireless enabled smart devices is increasingly playing an important role in coordinating distributed applications. Existing ad hoc routing algorithms usually assume the existence of end-to-end path connecting communication nodes. However, due to the power limitation, radio coverage and geography distribution of cooperating nodes, in some scenarios this assumption is unlikely to be valid. We address the issue of data routing in partially connected ad hoc networks. In this situation, data propagation is achieved via mainly pair-wise communication between any two nodes when they are in vicinity. We propose a novel routing framework named shortest expected path routing (SEPR). Instead of blindly flooding messages in the network, SEPR builds up a stochastic model of the ad hoc network and maintains it in a distributed way. A new routing metric, called expected path length, is proposed. By guiding messages flow to shortest expected path nodes, our approach dramatically reduces the number of unnecessary message copies as well as increases the message delivering rate. With a simulation, we evaluate the effectiveness and the efficiency of our approach.
Trap-driven simulation with Tapeworm II

Tapeworm II is a software-based simulation tool that evaluates the cache and TLB performance of multiple-task and operating system intensive workloads. Tapeworm resides in an OS kernel and causes a host machine's hardware to drive simulations with kernel traps instead of with address traces, as is conventionally done. This allows Tapeworm to quickly and accurately capture complete memory referencing behavior with a limited degradation in overall system performance. This paper compares trap-driven simulation, as implemented in Tapeworm, with the more common technique of trace-driven memory simulation with respect to speed, accuracy, portability and flexibility.
The tidy set: a minimal simplicial set for computing homology of clique complexes

We introduce the tidy set, a minimal simplicial set that captures the topology of a simplicial complex. The tidy set is particularly effective for computing the homology of clique complexes. This family of complexes include the Vietoris-Rips complex and the weak witness complex, methods that are popular in topological data analysis. The key feature of our approach is that it skips constructing the clique complex. We give algorithms for constructing tidy sets, implement them, and present experiments. Our preliminary results show that tidy sets are orders of magnitude smaller than clique complexes, giving us a homology engine with small memory requirements.
A Cross-Cultural Survey of Depressive Symptomatology in Normal Adults

Depression as a diagnostic entity consists of signs and symptoms which may be manifest in normal individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine how much depressive symptomatology as measured by the Self-rating Depression Scale is present in a normal adult population representing different countries and cultures. A total of 1981 normal subjects was tested in six countries. Rank ordering of the mean SDS indices showed Czechoslovakia to be highest, followed by Sweden, Germany, Spain, England, and the U. S. A. Statistical testing by using analysis of variance indicated that these differences were quantitatively significant. Factor analysis of items indicated qualitative similarities across the countries studied, as evidenced by the fact that loadings were larger on items reflecting the psychological features of depression in all countries studied. This is in contrast to factor analysis results of previous data from depressed patients, where the factor loadings contained physiological as well as psych...
Calorigenic actions of leptin are additive to, but not dependent on, those of thyroid hormones.

We examined a possible mechanistic interaction between leptin and thyroid hormones in rats with hypothyroidism induced by thyroidectomy (TX) and propylthiouracil administration. In study 1 , the TX rats were treated by vehicle (V, n = 9) or by recombinant murine leptin (L, 0.3 mg · kg−1 · day−1, n = 9) or were pair-fed (PF, n = 9) against L. In study 2 , the TX rats were all given 3,3′5′-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3) replacement (T, 5 μg · kg−1 · day−1) to correct hypothyroidism. They were then subdivided into three groups, namely, vehicle (T+V, n = 9), leptin (T+L, n = 10), and pair-feeding (T+PF, n = 9), similar to study 1 except for T3 (T). Reduced food consumption and weight gain in the TX rats were reversed by T3 replacement. Leptin suppressed food intake in the TX rats regardless of T3 replacement. O2consumption (V˙o 2) and CO2production (V˙co 2) were reduced in TX rats ( P < 0.05 vs. normal) but were normalized by either T3 or leptin treatment. T+L additively increasedV˙o 2 andV˙co 2 ( P < 0.05 vs. TX, T3, and L). The respiratory exchange ratio was unaltered in TX rats, with and without T3, but was significantly reduced by L or T+L treatments. These results indicate that the metabolic actions of leptin are not dependent on a normal thyroid status and that the effects of leptin and T3 on oxidative metabolism are additive.
RNA asymmetric distribution and daughter/mother differentiation in yeast

Active transport and localized translation of the ASH1 mRNA at the bud tip of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an essential process that is required for the regulation of the mating type switching. ASH1 mRNA localization has been extensively studied over the past few years and the core components of the translocation machinery have been identified. It is composed of four localization elements (zipcodes), within the ASH1 mRNA, and at least three proteins, She1p/Myo4p, She2p and She3p. Whereas the movement of the RNA can be attributed to direct interaction with myosin, the regulation of the RNA expression is less well understood. Recent insights have revealed a role for translation that might have a key function in the regulation of Ash1 protein sorting.
Regulation of hexokinase II and glycogen synthase mRNA, protein, and activity in human muscle

Insulin regulates the activity of key enzymes of glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle by altering transcription or translation or by producing activity-altering modifications of preexisting enzyme molecules. Because of the small size of percutaneous muscle biopsies, these phenomena have been difficult to study in humans. This study was performed to determine how physiological hyperinsulinemia regulates the activities of hexokinase (HK), glycogen synthase (GS), and GLUT-4 in human skeletal muscle in vivo. We determined mRNA abundance, protein content, and activities for these proteins in muscle biopsies before and after a hyperinsulinemic clamp in normal subjects. HK I, HK II, GS, and GLUT-4 were expressed in muscle. HK II accounted for 80% of total HK activity and was increased by insulin from a basal value of 2.11 +/- 0.26 to 3.35 +/- 0.47 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1 (P < 0.05); HK I activity was unaffected. Insulin increased GS activity from 3.85 +/- 0.82 to 6.06 +/- 0.49 nmol.min-1.mg-1 (P < 0.01). HK II mRNA was increased 3.3 +/- 1.3-fold (P < 0.05) by insulin infusion. HK I, GS, and GLUT-4 mRNA and protein were unaffected. Because insulin infusion increased HK II but not GS mRNA, we conclude that HK II and GS may be regulated by insulin by different mechanisms in human skeletal muscle.
Testing for a historical population bottleneck in wild Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi) using microsatellite data.

The degree to which historical human activities negatively impacted past and present lemur species is a long-standing question in primatology. At present, most evidence addressing this issue comes from archaeology, paleontology, and behavioral studies. Genetic data provide another source of evidence. In this study, six microsatellite loci, genotyped on more than 360 wild Verreaux’s sifaka, are used in order to test the hypothesis that this population experienced a population bottleneck in the last 2000 years. Excess heterozygosity is compared with the heterozygosity expected under mutation-drift equilibrium in order to test for the genetic signature of a rapid population contraction in the past. The results indicate that the sifaka population did not experience a population bottleneck. Various methodological and conceptual implications of this result are discussed. Am. J. Primatol. 70:990–994, 2008. c 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dyslipidemia and Vascular Dysfunction in Diabetic Pigs Fed an Atherogenic Diet

Diabetic patients typically have not only hyperglycemia but also dyslipidemia. Study of the pathogenic components of the diabetic milieu and mechanisms of accelerated atherosclerosis is hindered by inadequate animal models. A potentially suitable animal model for human diabetic dyslipidemia is the pig, because it carries a large fraction of total cholesterol in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), similar to humans. In this study, male Sinclair miniature pigs were made diabetic by destroying the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas with alloxan and then were fed a high fat and high cholesterol diet for comparison with pigs fed a nondiabetic high fat and high cholesterol diet and control pigs. Diabetic pigs exhibited hyperglycemia, but plasma urea nitrogen, creatinine, and transaminase levels were in the normal range, indicating no adverse effects on kidney and liver function. The lipoprotein profile in diabetic pigs was similar to that found in human diabetic patients and was characterized by hypertriglyceridemia (2.8-fold increase versus control and high fat-fed pigs) and a profound shift of cholesterol distribution into the LDL fraction (81%) versus the distribution in high fat-fed (64%) and control (57%) pigs. LDL particles were lipid-enriched and more heterogeneous in diabetic pigs. Apolipoprotein B was distributed among a much broader spectrum of LDL particles, and apolipoprotein E was partially redistributed from high-density lipoprotein to apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins in diabetic pigs. There was little change in apolipoprotein A-I distribution. Diabetic pigs showed several early signs of excess vascular disease. In diabetic pigs, 75% of the coronary artery segments showed contractile oscillations in response to prostaglandin F(2alpha) compared with 25% in high fat-fed pigs and 10% in control pigs. Endothelium-dependent relaxation of brachial arteries was nearly abolished in diabetic pigs but unchanged in high fat-fed versus control pigs. Carotid artery Sudan IV staining for fatty streaks was significantly increased only in diabetic pigs. This porcine model should provide insights into the etiology of human diabetic dyslipidemia and facilitate study of peripheral vascular and coronary artery disease in diabetic patients.
Integral control of humanoid balance

This paper presents a balance controller that allows a humanoid to recover from large disturbances and still maintain an upright posture. Balance is achieved by integral control, which decouples the dynamics and produces smooth torque signals. Simulation shows the controller performs better than other simple balance controllers. Because the controller is inspired by human balance strategies, we compare human motion capture and force plate data to simulation. A model tracking controller is also presented, making it possible to control complex robots using this simple control.
John Henryism, Education, and Blood Pressure in Young Adults The CARDIA Study

John Henryism refers to an individual's self-perceived ability to meet the demands of the environment through hard work and determination. Prior research has shown that those with above average John Henryism but below average education (education being a measure of coping resources) had higher blood pressure levels than those with other combinations of John Henryism and education. The joint influence of John Henryism and education on blood pressure was examined among 4,986 black and white men and women, 18-30 years of age, from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. The combination of high John Henryism and low education was not associated with elevated systolic or diastolic blood pressure in any of the four groups defined by race and sex. However, the youthfulness of the population and the absence of a previously noted inverse association between education and blood pressure in this population draw into question the appropriateness of this setting to interpret the effect of John Henryism on the blood pressure-education relation.
Analysis and evaluation of query reformulations in different task types

Users engaged in information search often reformulate or modify their queries. This paper reports on an investigation of how task type and task situation influence users' query reformulation behavior. A controlled experiment was conducted with 48 participants, each working on six web search tasks classified into three types according to the task structure: Simple, Hierarchical and Parallel. We developed a taxonomy of query reformulation and used an automated method to detect the reformulations. Our results showed that Specialization was most frequently used in Simple tasks, and Word Substitution was most frequently used in Parallel tasks. After visiting and saving a useful web page, Generalization was less likely to be used while New query was more likely to be used. We also found that the effectiveness of each query reformulation type varied in different task types. The results of this study demonstrate the effect of task type on users' query reformulation behavior and have implications for the design of query suggestions that are offered to users during searching.