cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a Safe Community

Injury is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for children and young adults in the United States. Inner city children, living in poverty, have a higher rate of injury that children of more substantial means (4).
Aldosterone and its Cardiovascular Effects

Abstract Aldosterone is an important mediator of cardiovascular disease. Preclinical studies demonstrate that mineralocorticoid receptor activation causes inflammation, increased oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction and contributes to the development of vascular and renovascular injury, cardiac fibrosis, and stroke. Mineralocorticoid receptor activation can be the result of activation by aldosterone, cortisol, or other intermediary products in the steroid synthesis pathway or by ligand-independent activation due to changes in cell signaling pathways. Animal studies suggest aldosterone-mediated cardiovascular injury to be largely independent of aldosterone's volume expanding and hypertensive effects. Consistent with basic research data, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists improve clinical outcomes in hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and diabetic nephropathy. In large clinical trials, treatment with spironolactone or eplerenone, in addition to the usual therapy including angiotensin inhibitor therapy, decreased morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure, and reduced albuminuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Hyperkalemia, the major side effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists is uncommon at the prescribed doses in the absence of renal failure but needs to be closely monitored. Even in patients who develop hyperkalemia or those with renal failure, cardiac benefits of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist can be demonstrated. Aldosterone may also be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and associated cardiovascular disease. Recent data also suggest a possible role for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in preventing diabetes-related cardiac changes. Accumulating data suggest that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists are likely to become an important component of therapy for most cardiovascular disorders.
Immunogenetic Analysis of the H-Y Antigen

The H-Y histocompatibility antigen was originally described as a cell surface component, responsible for the rejection of male skin grafts by otherwise histocompatible females of the same inbred strain1, 2. It seemed reasonable at the time to call the gene responsible for the expression of this male-specific antigen H-Y, because the incompatibility between the male and female had to be somehow linked to the Y chromosome3, 4.
Does HPV ISH add to the diagnostic performance of P16 IHC in oropharyngeal cancer? Is it worth the extra cost?

6065Background: Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) related oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) is distinct from that attributable to tobacco use, with better prognosis and treatment response. While...
Vibrational predissociation of the phenol–water dimer: a view from the water

The vibrational predissociation (VP) dynamics of the phenol–water (PhOH–H2O) dimer were studied by detecting H2O fragments and using velocity map imaging (VMI) to infer the internal energy distributions of PhOH cofragments, pair-correlated with selected rotational levels of the H2O fragments. Following infrared (IR) laser excitation of the hydrogen-bonded OH stretch fundamental of PhOH (Pathway 1) or the asymmetric OH stretch localized on H2O (Pathway 2), dissociation to H2O + PhOH was observed. H2O fragments were monitored state-selectively by using 2+1 Resonance-Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI) combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). VMI of H2O in selected rotational levels was used to derive center-of-mass (c.m.) translational energy (ET) distributions. The pair-correlated internal energy distributions of the PhOH cofragments derived via Pathway 1 were well described by a statistical prior distribution. On the other hand, the corresponding distributions obtained via Pathway 2 show a propensity to populate higher-energy rovibrational levels of PhOH than expected from a statistical distribution and agree better with an energy-gap model. The REMPI spectra of the H2O fragments from both pathways could be fit by Boltzmann plots truncated at the maximum allowed energy, with a higher temperature for Pathway 2 than that for Pathway 1. We conclude that the VP dynamics depends on the OH stretch level initially excited.
Connectivity for species on the move: supporting climate-driven range shifts

Many species are already responding to global climate change by shifting their ranges to track suitable climatic conditions. However, habitat loss and fragmentation, coupled with the rapidity of climate change, make it difficult for species to keep pace. It is therefore unsurprising that enhancing landscape connectivity is the most frequently cited climate‐adaptation strategy for conserving biodiversity. Yet most connectivity planning, even if intended to address climate change, does not directly take climate change and climate‐driven range shifts into account. Nonetheless, several approaches that do explicitly address the unique challenges posed by climate change have recently emerged. We review these connectivity modeling approaches: specifically, how they incorporate species' responses, identify movement routes, and address uncertainties. Despite this proliferation of approaches, conceptual and analytical hurdles remain, and meeting these challenges will be critical to achieving effective landscape connectivity for species in the face of climate change.
Publisher Correction: Innervation of thermogenic adipose tissue via a calsyntenin 3β-S100b axis.

In Fig. 6a of this Article, the two dots corresponding to Cidea and S100b were erroneously moved to the top left of the volcano plot; this figure has been corrected online. An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper
Effect of PSA on equal treatment of high-risk patients.

e17514Background: National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend definitive treatment for high risk prostate cancer (HRPCa). This study aims to assess treatment trends for men wi...
Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain is notoriously variable in its severity and impact on patients, as well as in its response to treatment. Certain therapies for neuropathic pain have better evidence for their use; however, it is apparent that although some therapies provide relief for only a minority of patients, the relief may be significant. Without a trial of therapy, there is no way to know if that relief is achievable. Our treatment experiences have shown that occasionally unexpected benefit is obtained through a thorough investigation of all options, even in the setting of failure of those with the most compelling evidence or indication. Chronic neuropathic pain is generally best treated with regularly dosed medications, balancing efficacy and tolerability. Evidence supports first-line trials of anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, alone or in certain combinations. While opioid medications, particularly methadone, can be effective in treating neuropathic pain, they are best used only in refractory cases and by experienced clinicians, due to concerns for both short- and long-term safety. Some therapies have a long history of successful use for certain syndromes (e.g., carbamazepine for trigeminal neuralgia pain), but these should not be considered to the exclusion of other more recent, less-supported therapies (e.g., botulinum toxin A for the same), particularly in refractory cases. We find the principles of palliative care highly applicable in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain, including managing expectations, mutually agreed-upon meaningful outcomes, and a carefully cultivated therapeutic relationship.
Improving Mood Through Community Connection and Resources Using an Interactive Digital Platform: Development and Usability Study.

Background: COVID-19 continues to disrupt global health and well-being. In April-May 2020, we generated a digital, remote interactive tool to provide health and well-being resources and foster connectivity among community members through a text messaging platform. Objective: This study aimed to prospectively investigate the ability of a health system–based digital, remote, interactive tool to provide health and well-being resources to local community participants and to foster connectivity among them during the early phases of COVID-19. Methods: We performed descriptive and nonparametric longitudinal statistical analyses to describe and compare the participants’ mood ratings over time and thematic analysis of their responses to text messages to further assess mood. Results: From among 393 individuals seeking care in an urban emergency department in an academic setting, engaged in a two-way text messaging platform, we recorded 287 mood ratings and 368 qualitative responses. We observed no difference in the initial mood rating by week of enrollment [Kruskal-Wallis chi-square H(5)=1.34; P=.93], and the average mood rating did not change for participants taken together [Friedman chi-square Q(3)=0.32; P=.96]. However, of participants providing mood ratings at baseline, mood improved significantly among participants who reported a low mood rating at baseline [n=25, 14.97%; Q(3)=20.68; P<.001] but remained stable among those who reported a high mood rating at baseline [n=142, 85.03%; Q(3)=2.84; P=.42]. Positive mood elaborations most frequently included words related to sentiments of thankfulness and gratitude, mostly for a sense of connection and communication; in contrast, negative mood elaborations most frequently included words related to anxiety. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the feasibility of engaging individuals in a digital community with an emergency department facilitation. Specifically, for those who opt to engage in a text messaging platform during COVID-19, it is feasible to assess and respond to mood-related queries with vetted health and well-being resources.
Treatment Options for Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) usually presents in older adults and typically has both motor and non-motor dysfunctions. PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting from dopaminergic neuronal cell loss in the mid-brain substantia nigra pars compacta region. Outlined here is an integrative medicine and health strategy that highlights five treatment options for people with Parkinson's (PwP): rehabilitate, therapy, restorative, maintenance, and surgery. Rehabilitating begins following the diagnosis and throughout any additional treatment processes, especially vis-a-vis consulting with physical, occupational, and/or speech pathology therapist(s). Therapy uses daily administration of either the dopamine precursor levodopa (with carbidopa) or a dopamine agonist, compounds that preserve residual dopamine, and other specific motor/non-motor-related compounds. Restorative uses strenuous aerobic exercise programs that can be neuroprotective. Maintenance uses complementary and alternative medicine substances that potentially support and protect the brain microenvironment. Finally, surgery, including deep brain stimulation, is pursued when PwP fail to respond positively to other treatment options. There is currently no cure for PD. In conclusion, the best strategy for treating PD is to hope to slow disorder progression and strive to achieve stability with neuroprotection. The ultimate goal of any management program is to improve the quality-of-life for a person with Parkinson's disease.
Graph-based Strategy for Establishing Morphology Similarity

Analysis of morphological data is central to a broad class of scientific problems in materials science, astronomy, bio-medicine, and many others. Understanding relationships between morphologies is a core analytical task in such settings. In this paper, we propose a graph-based framework for measuring similarity between morphologies. Our framework delivers a novel representation of a morphology as an augmented graph that encodes application-specific knowledge through the use of configurable signature functions. It provides also an algorithm to compute the similarity between a pair of morphology graphs. We present experimental results in which the framework is applied to morphology data from high-fidelity numerical simulations that emerge in materials science. The results demonstrate that our proposed measure is superior in capturing the semantic similarity between morphologies, compared to the state-of-the-art methods such as FFT-based measures.
Concerted Protein and Nucleic Acid Conformational Changes Observed Prior to Nucleotide Incorporation in a Bacterial RNA Polymerase: Raman Crystallographic Evidence.

Transcription elongation requires the continuous incorporation of ribonucleotide triphosphates into a growing transcript. RNA polymerases (RNAPs) are able to processively synthesize a growing RNA chain via translocation of the RNAP enzyme along its nucleic acid template strand after each nucleotide addition cycle. In this work, a time-resolved Raman spectroscopic analysis of nucleotide addition in single crystals of the Thermus thermophilus elongation complex (TthEC) is reported. When [13C,15N]GTP (*GTP) is soaked into crystals of the TthEC, large reversible changes in the Raman spectrum that are assigned to protein and nucleic acid conformational events during a single-nucleotide incorporation are observed. The *GTP population in the TthEC crystal reaches a stable population at 37 min, while substantial and reversible protein conformational changes (mainly ascribed to changes in α-helical Raman features) maximize at approximately 50 min. At the same time, changes in nucleic acid bases and phosphodiester ...
Proceedings of the 2nd ACM workshop on Multimedia semantics

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the Second ACM Workshop on The Many Faces of Multimedia Semantics -- MS'08. This symposium is the incarnation of the four Workshops on Multimedia Semantics, organized by us, and held in Sofia (Bulgaria), Varna (Bulgaria), Pisa (Italy), and Chania (Crete, Greece), and the First ACM Workshop on the Many Faces of Multimedia Semantics, held in conjunction with ACM Multimedia 2007, in Augsburg, Germany. It is a forum for the presentation of research results on leading-edge issues of multimedia semantics, including multimedia ontologies, emergent semantics, folksonomies, multimedia annotation, multimedia web mining, multimedia data integration and fusion, and many other related topics. The call for papers attracted 11 submissions from Asia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. The program committee accepted 8 papers (6 full papers and 2 short papers) that cover a variety of topics, including annotation, video semantics, ontologies, social tagging, subjective semantics, audio tools, and spatio/temporal multimedia queries. In addition, the program includes a keynote speech by Alberto del Bimbo on Learning Ontology Rules for Semantic Video Annotation. We hope that these proceedings will serve as a valuable reference for multimedia semantics researchers and developers.
Height‐integrated Joule and auroral particle heating in the night side high latitude thermosphere

[1] Energy deposited at high latitudes by Joule and auroral particle heating perturbs the chemistry and dynamics of the neutral thermosphere. Height-integrated heating rates can be calculated by combining Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) measurements with TIMED spacecraft Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) auroral images. Spatial maps of heating rates are examined during two TIMED orbits and statistical averages are presented for quiet to moderate levels of geomagnetic activity. Joule heating dominates in the evening sector auroral oval, whereas particle heating dominates after midnight. There is also a tendency for Joule heating (particle heating) to dominate in the vicinity of the region-1 (region-2) currents. This complementary behavior is associated with suppression of the electric field in regions of bright aurora.
Liabilities of Globalization: Sovereign Debt, International Investors and Interstate Conflict with Other People's Money†

Foreign ownership of government debt has increased steadily over the past 30 years with the globalization of financial markets. The increased availability of foreign borrowing may make it easier for countries to pursue bellicose policies by altering the cost–benefit calculations associated with international conflict, giving rise to an underappreciated link between globalization and military action. This has not been addressed because globalization is most often approached through the income statement, such as trade flows, or the asset side of the balance sheet, such as foreign direct investment. A series of empirical tests using time-series cross-section analysis of militarized disputes, finds a strong relationship between foreign debt ownership and conflict.
Democratic Self-Criticism and the Other in Classical Political Theory

Postmodern democratic theory proposes an ethos of critical pluralism, supporting democratic institutions that encourage nonconforming experiments in living. This political culture converts threatening “otherness” into stimulating difference. Yet postmodern democratic theory also recognizes a need to guard against political forms of otherness that threaten democracy. It therefore divides its attention to the other into a welcoming of the different and an exclusion of the truly threatening. In so doing, postmodernism suggests that healthy democratic politics requires a prior solution to problems concerning the other and the human. In insisting on this sort of closure, postmodernism is surprisingly similar to the fundamentalisms it opposes. This article uses texts from Thucydides and Plato to suggest that the problems connected with the other and the human are permanent features of political life. As such, they are not barriers against, but principal concerns of, democratic politics. In providing this insigh...
Silicon Compounds, Synthetic Inorganic Silicates

Synthetic alkali silicates containing alkali metal oxides are manufactured as liquids or glasses that readily dissolve in water to form alkaline solutions. These silicates contain a complex mixture of polymeric species that vary as a function of alkali-to-silica ratio of the material, solution concentration, impurities content, and pH. The polymer chemistry of silicates influences the properties and function of these materials in a variety of applications, spanning much of the chemical process industry. Uses are in detergency, water treatment, mineral beneficiation, bleach stabilization, enhanced oil recovery, and as a raw material for the syntheses of silica sols, gels and precipitates, zeolites, clays, and other siliceous materials. The speciation and structure of silicates, studied using a broad variety of analytical methods, are discussed. Properties of the synthetic alkali silicates that determine their function in a variety of commercial applications are presented. Economic, manufacturing, regulatory, and environmental aspects of silicate production and usage are reviewed. Keywords: Silicate glass; Structure; Dissolution; Silica polymer; Metal ion; Oxide-water interfaces; Characteristics; Commercial products; Sodium silicates; Potassium silicates; Regulations; Detergency; Water treatment; Waste treatment; Adhesives; Binders; Enchanced oil recovery; silica sols; silica gels; Deflocculation; Bleaching
Tragedy T.V.: Rights Fragmentation and the Junk Band Problem

Tragedy of the anti-commons occurs when property rules fail to enable efficient social coordination. In radio spectrum, rights issued to airwave users have traditionally been severely truncated, leaving gains from trade unexploited. The social losses that Ronald Coase (1959) asserted, appealing to basic theories of resource allocation, are now revealed via intense under-utilization of the TV Band.Despite the end of analog TV transmissions in June 2009, vast spectrum continues to be allocated to terrestrial broadcasting. Broadcast video content could, however, inexpensively shift to cable and satellite. Making the TV Band (49 channels spanning 294 MHz) available for new services is worth $120 billion to service providers (at 2008 auction prices) and at least ten times more in consumer welfare.Instead, U.S. regulators treat TV airwaves as a “junk band.” Analogizing to wi-fi radios accessing frequencies without exclusive licenses, the FCC seeks to permit government-approved devices to transmit in unoccupied TV Band “white spaces.” No radios have been approved in seven years of rule makings, reflecting regulatory difficulty in weighing economic trade-offs.Yet common interest tragedy, already visible in the long under-utilized TV Band, predictably locks in once white space devices are approved. By pre-empting exclusive spectrum ownership, the opportunity for market reallocation of frequencies is lost. Specifically, fragmented and overlapping use rights cannot support investments to efficiently mitigate broadcast TV pollution, cleaning up the “junk band.” Were, alternatively, white spaces assigned via exclusive overlay rights, spectrum owners would contract with cable and satellite operators to guarantee broadcast video distribution, releasing valuable airwaves for new services. Gains from reducing airwave pollution would induce cooperation, replacing political gridlock.
Low dose verapamil and nitroprusside distinguish tonic from cholinergic-induced contractions in in vivo feline lower esophageal sphincter.

Although in vitro studies suggest that cholinergic induced contractions and spontaneous tone are mediated by two different cellular pathways, this has not been shown in vivo. The purpose of this study was to distinguish these types of contractions in the feline lower esophageal sphincter (LES) through use of i.v. selective pharmacologic antagonists. Continuous infusion of the calcium channel antagonist verapamil (16-128 micrograms/kg/min) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of bethanechol induced and tonic pressure change. At 32.0 micrograms/kg/min, verapamil produced significantly greater inhibition of bethanechol induced contractions when compared with inhibition of basal LES tone (57.4 versus 4.8%, P less than .02, n = 5). Verapamil also caused a parallel decrease in LES spike activity associated with bethanechol induced contractions. In contrast, lower doses of nitroprusside (0.5 micrograms/kg/min) inhibited LES tone by over 50% (50.6 +/- 21.8%) yet had no significant effect (16.8 +/- 23.4%) on bethanechol induced contractions. Also, inhibition of basal LES tone correlated poorly with its effect on associated spike activity. It is concluded that in the in vivo feline LES, spike dependent cholinergic contractions can be distinguished from LES tone by the use of low dose verapamil and nitroprusside, respectively. This selective inhibition suggests that two cellular mechanisms mediate LES contractions and that these pathways can be distinguished pharmacologically in vivo.
Complexation and Ion Interactions in Am(III)/EDTA/NaCl Ternary System

The complexation of Am(III) by EDTA was investigated over a range of NaCl concentration from 0.30 to 5.0 m by the solvent extraction technique using HDEHP as extractant. The conditional stability constants for the complexation reaction: Am3+ + Y4− = AmY−, were determined to be: log cβ1(I) = 15.1 ± 0.11 (0.3 m), 13.96 ± 0.07 (1.0 m), 14.04 ± 0.09 (2.0 m), 13.76 ± 0.02 (3.0 m), 13.89 ± 0.03 (4.0 m), 14.38 ± 0.05 (5.0 m). The data were analyzed by the Pitzer model and the interaction parameters for the Am3+/Cl−, Na+/Y4−, Na+/HY3−, Na+/H2Y2−, Na+/H3Y−, Na+/AmY− ion pairs as well as the standard chemical potentials of the aqueous species involved were evaluated and are reported.
Use of ANN to simulate the effects of welding process parameters in curved steel plates: residual stresses, strains and distortions

In large steel fabrication industries such as shipbuilding, and high-speed train guideways, the problem of residual stresses and overall distortion has been and continues to be a major issue. In the last few decades, various research efforts have been directed at the control of the welding process parameters aiming to reduce distortions and residual stresses. Yet, in actual practice, large amounts of resources are still required to rework welds. These costs increase production costs and delay work completion. In the work reported here the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to simulate the welding process in two-steps; first a non-linear heat transfer step that yields the dynamic temperature distribution throughout the weld seam and the plates, and second, the elasto-plastic analysis, which yields the residual stresses, strains, and the displacements. The responses focused upon were those along the longitudinal cross sections after the welded piece had cooled down to room temperature. An artificial neural network is trained using FEM simulation data for a wide variety of geometric and process parameter combinations. Then, the resulting neural networks is shown to be capable of predicting the welding response without having to carry out a computationally complex, time consuming full finite element analysis. This concept is shown to be a highly effective and efficient way to predict welding responses for welding process design purposes.
Hollywood meets simulation: creating immersive training environments at the ICT

The Institute for Creative Technologies is a federally funded research center set up three years ago at the University of Southern California to advance the state of the art in immersive training. Teaming researchers in artificial intelligence, graphics, animation and immersive audio with Hollywood writers, directors and special effect artists, the ICT brings a unique mix of high-technology and professional storytelling esthetic to the problem of creating compelling immersive environments. This afternoon tutorial will consist of a panel presentation by top ICT affiliated researchers to discuss this wide range of technologies and skills and how they relate to the design of virtual environments. The panel will be followed by a tour of the ICT facilities and demonstrations of several virtual training systems.
Alterations of platelet function and clot formation kinetics after in vitro exposure to anti-A and -B

Background ABO mismatched platelets are commonly transfused despite reported complications. We hypothesized that because platelets possess A and B antigens on their surface, ABO mismatched transfused or recipient platelets could become activated and/or dysfunctional after exposure to anti-A or -B antibodies in the transfused or recipient plasma. We present here in vitro modeling data on the functional effects of exposure of platelets to ABO antibodies.
Differential regulation of interleukin 4 and interleukin 5 gene expression: a comparison of T-cell gene induction by anti-CD3 antibody or by exogenous lymphokines.

Abstract Murine T helper type 2 clones were stimulated with immobilized anti-CD3 antibody or with recombinant lymphokines to compare the expression of T-cell activation genes induced by these stimuli. Immobilized anti-CD3 antibody, recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2), and recombinant interleukin 4 (IL-4) all induced proliferation of the T helper type 2 clones 10-5-17 and D10. Proliferation of these clones induced by anti-CD3 antibody was completely inhibited by cyclosporine A, whereas cyclosporine A had little effect on proliferation induced by recombinant IL-2 or recombinant IL-4. Both immobilized anti-CD3 antibody, and recombinant IL-2 induced the expression of the protooncogenes c-myc and c-myb. Immobilized anti-CD3 antibody also induced expression of the lymphokine genes IL-4, interleukin 5 (IL-5), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In contrast, recombinant IL-2 induced IL-5 mRNA expression but did not induce detectable expression of IL-4 or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor mRNA. Likewise, recombinant IL-4 induced expression of IL-5 but not IL-4 mRNA. Thus, the IL-4 and IL-5 genes appear to be differentially regulated after stimulation with recombinant lymphokines. Effects of cyclosporine A and the protein synthesis inhibitors cycloheximide and anisomycin on IL-4 and IL-5 gene expression suggest that these genes are activated by different pathways after anti-CD3 stimulation. Cyclosporine A completely inhibited anti-CD3-induced expression of IL-4 mRNA but not of IL-5 mRNA, and protein-synthesis inhibitors completely inhibited induction of IL-5 mRNA but not of IL-4 mRNA. Together, our data show that T-cell receptor-mediated and lymphokine receptor-mediated signals induce different patterns of lymphokine gene expression and provide strong evidence that the IL-4 and IL-5 genes are differently regulated.
Antiepileptogenic effects of conventional anticonvulsants in the kindling model of epilepsy

We sought to determine whether the clinically effective anticonvulsant drug valproate exhibited antiepileptogenic properties in the kindling model (we use the term anticonvulsant to mean suppression of seizure, and antiepileptogenic to mean suppression of development of epilepsy). We compared and contrasted valproate with two other anticonvulsant drugs, phenobarbital and carbamazepine. We investigated the effects of these drugs on the development of kindling, that is, the number of stimulation-induced afterdischarges required to induce enhanced seizure susceptibility in rats. Valproate exhibited powerful antiepileptogenic effects as evident in a dose-dependent increase in the number of afterdischarges required to induce kindling. These effects were not due to retained valproate or an active metabolite merely masking the expression of kindled seizures. By contrast, carbamazepine was devoid of any antiepieptogenic effects despite exhibiting marked anticonvulsant effects. Like valproate, phenobarbital exhibited both antiepileptogenic and anticonvulsant properties, but its antiepileptogenic properties were significantly less pronounced. The antiepileptogenic effects of valproate and phenobarbital strengthen the candidacy of these agents for the clinical studies needed to investigate pharmacological prevention of the development of epilepsy in high-risk groups.
Appropriate Regulation of Renin and Blood Pressure in 45-kb Human Renin/Human Angiotensinogen Transgenic Mice

The renin-angiotensin system is normally subject to servo control mechanisms that suppress plasma renin levels in response to increased blood pressure and increase plasma renin levels when blood pressure falls. In most species, renin is rate limiting, and angiotensinogen circulates at a concentration close to the Km, so varying the concentration of either can affect the rate of angiotensin formation. However, only the plasma renin level responds to changes in blood pressure and sodium balance to maintain blood pressure homeostasis. Therefore, the high plasma human renin levels and the hypertension of mice and rats containing both human renin and angiotensinogen transgenes indicate inappropriate regulation of renin and blood pressure. These anomalies led us to develop new lines of transgenic mice with a longer human renin gene fragment (45 kb) than earlier lines (13 to 15 kb). Unlike their predecessors, the 45-kb hREN mice secrete human renin only from the kidneys, and both the human and mouse renins respond appropriately to physiological stimuli. To determine whether blood pressure is also regulated appropriately, we crossed these new 45-kb hREN mice with mice containing the human angiotensinogen gene. All doubly transgenic mice were normotensive like their singly transgenic and nontransgenic littermates. Moreover, among doubly transgenic mice, both human and mouse plasma renin concentrations were suppressed relative to the singly transgenic 45-kb hREN mice. These findings demonstrate the importance of appropriate cell and tissue specificity of gene expression in constructing transgenic models and affirm the pivotal role played by renal renin secretion in blood pressure control.
Hardness Assurance and Overtesting

A procedure is developed for estimating the advantage gained by testing electronic piece parts at levels of radiation higher than the specification level which they must survive. When the probability distribution of radiation stress to failure is approximately lognormal, and a test shows that with confidence, C, the survival probability is at least PT at the test level of stress RT, then with the same confidence the survival probability is at least PS at a lower specification level of stress RS where, Ps = F[ F?(PT) + ln(RT/RS/?ln(MAX)] The standard deviation, ?ln(MAX), is the estimated maximum s.d. in the logarithms of stress to failure; the function, F(X), is the standard normal cumulative probability distribution function; and the function, F(P), is the antifunction of F(X) - that is, F(P) standard deviations above the mean of a normal distribution includes fraction P of the distribution. A discussion is given of how this formula also applies to those tests which are more properly acceptance/rejection tests rather than tests which establish a confidence that parts will survive a given radiation level with a given probability. The suggested overtesting technique is compared to other standard testing techniques.
Four-facets study of scholarly communities: Artifact, producer, concept, and gatekeeper

This short paper compares the clustering of journals through three elements identified by Borgman (1989) as the main variables for bibliometric research: artifacts, producers, and concepts. In addition, this work extends this framework by adding “gatekeepers” as a variable. Fifty-eight journals from Information Science and Library Science (IS/LS) category in Journal Citation Reports were studied and clustered according to these four variables: producer, artifact, concept and gate keeper. The results demonstrate difference in clustering through these variables and the degree of the relationship between the variables. The discussion argues for more holistic measurements of scholarly communication that take multiple variables into account. This work is highly relevant in our assessment-conscious and metrics-driven age.
Maternal Gatekeeping The Associations Among Facilitation, Encouragement, and Low-Income Fathers’ Engagement With Young Children

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,605), the present study examined two aspects of maternal gatekeeping in relation to low-income predominantly nonresidential fathers’ engagement with young children: facilitation and encouragement. The results showed that maternal encouragement when children were 3 years old was positively and longitudinally related to higher levels of paternal engagement with 5 year old children. However, maternal facilitation at age 3 was negatively associated with later levels of paternal engagement. Moreover, the coresidential status of mothers and fathers did not influence the relationship among facilitation, encouragement, and paternal engagement. Implications for future research and practice are discussed in this article.
"Curious Kinks of the Human Mind": Cognition, Natural History, and the Concept of Race

There has been a common presumption in debates surrounding social construction that to catch out some entity or category as so constructed is at the same time to condemn it. Thus Ian Hacking notes that “a primary use of ‘social construction’ is for consciousness raising;” it is “critical of the status quo.” Social constructionists generally move, Hacking argues, from the argument that a given entity or category X “need not have existed,” to the view that “{w}e would be much better off if X were done away with, or at least radically transformed” (Hacking 1999, p. 6). On this line of thinking, every entity or category is expected either to be a real feature of the world, something left over when the world is carved at its joints, or it is to be exposed as constructed and by the same measure to be relegated to the scrap-heap along with phlogiston, the ether, and so on. But the category of ‘race’ seems to defy this dichotomy. Since the mid-20th century no mainstream scientist has considered race a biologicall...
Establishment of normal diploid and malignant heteroploid cell lines from non-treated and benzo(a)pyrene treated hamster embryo cell cultures.

Two normal diploid control cell lines and a heteroploid malignant transformed cell line from B(a) P treated hamster embryo cell cultures were established. The 14-month-old B(a)P transformed cell line grew 8-times faster than the 20-month-old control cell line. The control cell line showed normal diploid chromosome complement in 93% cells and heteroploidy in 7% cells while B(a)P treated line showed 83% heteroploid cells and only 17% diploid cells. This is the first report on the establishment of diploid hamster cell cultures grown for extended period.
Calculation of ex-core physical quantities using the 3D importance functions

Diverse physical quantities are calculated in engineering studies with penalizing hypotheses to assure the required operation margins for each reactor. Today, these physical quantities are obtained by direct calculations from deterministic or Monte Carlo codes. The related states are critical or sub-critical.The current physical quantities are for example: the SRD counting rates (source range detector) in the sub-critical state, the IRD (intermediary range detector) and PRD (power range detector) counting rates (neutron particles only), the deposited energy in the reflector (neutron + photon particles), the fluence or the DPA (displacement per atom) in the reactor vessel (neutron particles only).The reliability of the proposed methodology is tested in the EPR reactor. The main advantage of the new methodology is the simplicity to obtain the physical quantities by an easy matrix calculation importance linked to nuclear power sources for all the cycles of the reactor. This method also allows to by-pass the direct calculations of the physical quantity of irradiated cores by Monte Carlo Codes, these calculations being impossible today (too many isotopic concentrations / MCNP5 limit).This paper presents the first feasibility study for the physical quantities calculation outside of the core by the importance method instead of the direct calculations used currently by AREVA.
The text REtrieval conference (TREC): history and plans for TREC-9

Text retrieval systems have historically been refined through experimentation on test collections. In 1990 NIST was asked to build a very large test collection for use in evaluation of text retrieval technology in the DARPA TIPSTER project. This collection was to be on the order of 1 million full-text documents: a magnitude about 100 times larger than any existing non-proprietary test collection. The following year NIST proposed that this collection be made available to the full research community by the formation of the Text REtrieval Conference (TREC). The first conference took place in September, 1992 with 25 participating groups including most of the leading text retrieval research groups. Although scaling their research algorithms to handle this near-operational amount of text (for 1992) was a Herculean task, groups joined TREC to get the test data and to take part in the first major cross-system search engine evaluation. Participation in TREC has since increased each year. The most recent TREC (TREC-8 held in November, 1999) had 66 participating groups representing 16 different countries.This paper serves as a general introduction to TREC. Detailed information about TREC including the complete Proceedings for each workshop, instructions for obtaining test collections, and the Call for Participation for TREC-9 can be found on the TREC web site at http://trec.nist.gov. Task descriptions for some of the tasks to be done in TREC-9 follow in this issue. To participate in TREC-9, follow the instructions given in the Call for Participation.
The Use of Part I National Board Scores in the Selection of Residents in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology

A survey of ophthalmology and otolaryngology residency program directors was conducted to determine the extent to which National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Part I scores are used in selection of residents in these highly competitive specialty fields. Results from 218 completed questionnaires representing nearly 90% of all US ophthalmology and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery programs were analyzed. More than three fourths indicated that Part I NBME scores were used in selecting residents; more than half of the programs used these scores as a means to determine whom to interview. The direct use of NBME scores in the residency application process is widespread; however, such use of NBME scores is not consistent with the purposes of the National Board. The preeminent role of the faculty in the evaluation of medical students and in the assessment of their clinical competence needs emphasis. ( JAMA 1988;259:240-242)
Pronounced microgliosis and neurodegeneration in aged rats after tau gene transfer

Microtubule-associated protein tau gene transfer to the substantia nigra of rats using the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector previously led to neuropathology and neurodegeneration in young rats. In this study, we compared equal tau gene transfer in either 3 or 20-month-old rats, in order to test the hypothesis that late middle-aged rats are more susceptible to neurodegeneration. Two intervals and two vector doses of the tau vector probed for age-related differences in the initial sensitivity to low-level tau expression. Gene transfer efficiency was similar for both ages, but the tau vector caused more dopaminergic cell loss and a greater behavioral deficit in aged rats at specific doses and time points. Tau gene transfer caused microgliosis relative to the control vector, and to a greater extent in aged rats. The maximal microglial response occurred at 2 weeks preceding the peak dopaminergic cell loss by 8 weeks. The cellular and behavioral outcomes were more severe in the aged rats, validating the model for studies of age-related diseases.
Nonlinear Controller for Ventricular Assist Devices

This paper presents the design of a gain-scheduled proportional integral (PI) feedback controller for ventricular assist devices to maintain physiologically motivated perfusion. The selected control objective is to maintain an average differential pressure deltaP between the left ventricle and the aorta. Computer simulations for different pathological conditions, ranging from the normal heart to left heart asystole, and a wide range of physiological scenarios, ranging from rest to strenuous exercise, were used to validate the performance of the controller and the effectiveness of the selected control objective in ensuring physiologically adequate perfusion under different clinical and cardiac demand conditions.
Synaptic Evoked Potentials from Regenerating Dorsal Root Axons within Fetal Spinal Cord Tissue Transplants

Previously injured dorsal roots were electrically stimulated to determine if regenerating sensory axons can form physiologically active synaptic contacts with neurons within fetal spinal cord tissue transplants. Dorsal rootlets, sectioned at their spinal cord entry zone, were apposed to intraspinal transplants of fetal spinal cord tissue grafted along each side of a nerve growth factor treated nitrocellulose implant. Two to six months later, the rootlets were transected between the spinal cord and their respective ganglia and electrically stimulated. Evoked potentials were recorded from the dorsal surface of the transplant, but were absent from adjacent ipsilateral and contralateral spinal cord regions. A glass micropipette was advanced through the transplant and used to record intramedullary field potentials evoked by dorsal root stimulation. Maximal negative potentials occurred 400-700 micron below the dorsal surface of the transplant, shifting to positive potentials deeper into the transplant. Additionally, both spontaneous and electrically evoked single neuronal action potentials were observed along the microelectrode track. Evoked potentials were abolished following transaction of the rootlets between the stimulation site and the transplant. Immunocytochemical evidence of the production of fos protein following electrical stimulation of the regenerated dorsal rootlets was demonstrated within transplant neurons and some ventrally located host neurons, providing an anatomical correlate to the electrophysiological recordings of synaptic activation. These results provide evidence of the structural and functional integration of regenerated sensory axons with both transplant and host neurons.
Near minimum-time maneuvers of large space structures using parameter optimization

Near minimum-time attitude maneuvers for large, inherently-flexible space structures with finite fuel supplies are investigated. The open loop maneuver is determined with the Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) algorithm, which optimizes a bang-off-bang control parameter set for the given maneuver. Torque smoothing is used to prevent discontinuities in the control which would excite the flexible structure. Additional system dynamics such as thruster inefficiency, spring forces and pressure leaks are identified from preliminary experiments on the ASTREX test article.
Gremlin is a novel VTA derived neuroprotective factor for dopamine neurons.

Abstract Parkinson’s disease and its characteristic symptoms are thought to arise from the progressive degeneration of specific midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. In humans, DA neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) and their projections to the striatum show selective vulnerability, while neighboring DA neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are relatively spared from degeneration. Recent studies from our laboratory have shown that the VTA exhibits a unique transcriptional response when exposed to MPTP ( Phani et al., 2010 ), a neurotoxin able to mimic the selective cell loss observed in PD ( Schneider et al., 1987 ). In this study, we focus on gremlin, a peptide that is transcriptionally increased in the VTA in response to MPTP. We describe a novel role for gremlin as a neuroprotective agent both in vitro and in vivo and show that gremlin is capable of protecting SN DA neurons and several DA cell lines against MPP+/MPTP. We propose that this protection is mediated by VEGFR2, and by the MAP kinase signaling pathway downstream of the receptor. Our data indicate that gremlin may be a key factor in protecting the VTA against MPTP-induced cell death, and that exogenous application of gremlin is capable of protecting SN DA neurons, and therefore may provide an opportunity for the development of novel PD therapeutic compounds.