cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pupillary reactions to sexual, aggressive, and other stimuli as a function of personality.

Summary This study investigated how well three personality measures, The Dream Incident Technique, the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, and the Repression-Sensitization Scale, could predict pupillary dilation to a set of experimental stimuli. The stimuli were brief video sequences portraying themes of sex, aggression, achievement, affiliation, nurturance, dominance, and order. The Dream Incident Technique was most predictive of pupillary dilation to these scenes. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule correlated only with self reports of stimulation. The R-S Scale was unrelated to either pupillary dilation or self report of stimulation.
Free Surface Electrospinning of Fibers Containing Microparticles

Many materials have been fabricated using electrospinning, including pharmaceutical formulations, superhydrophobic surfaces, catalysis supports, filters, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Often these materials can benefit from microparticles included within the electrospun fibers. In this work, we evaluate a high-throughput free surface electrospinning technique to prepare fibers containing microparticles. We investigate the spinnability of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solutions containing suspended polystyrene (PS) beads of 1, 3, 5, and 10 μm diameter in order to better understand free surface electrospinning of particle suspensions. PS bead suspensions with both 55 kDa PVP and 1.3 MDa PVP were spinnable at 1:10, 1:5, and 1:2 PS:PVP mass loadings for all particle sizes studied. The final average fiber diameters ranged from 0.47 to 1.2 μm and were independent of the particle size and particle loading, indicating that the fiber diameter can be smaller than the particles entrained and can furthermore be adjusted based on solution properties and electrospinning parameters, as is the case for electrospinning of solutions without particles.
Whole execution traces and their applications

Different types of program profiles (control flow, value, address, and dependence) have been collected and extensively studied by researchers to identify program characteristics that can then be exploited to develop more effective compilers and architectures. Because of the large amounts of profile data produced by realistic program runs, most work has focused on separately collecting and compressing different types of profiles. In this paper, we present a unified representation of profiles called Whole Execution Trace (WET), which includes the complete information contained in each of the above types of traces. Thus, WETs provide a basis for a next-generation software tool that will enable mining of program profiles to identify program characteristics that require understanding of relationships among various types of profiles. The key features of our WET representation are: WET is constructed by labeling a static program representation with profile information such that relevant and related profile information can be directly accessed by analysis algorithms as they traverse the representation; a highly effective two-tier strategy is used to significantly compress the WET; and compression techniques are designed such that they minimally affect the ability to rapidly traverse WET for extracting subsets of information corresponding to individual profile types as well as a combination of profile types. Our experimentation shows that on, an average, execution traces resulting from execution of 647 million statements can be stored in 331 megabytes of storage after compression. The compression factors range from 16 to 83. Moreover the rates at which different types of profiles can be individually or simultaneously extracted are high. We present two applications of WETs, dynamic program slicing and dynamic version matching, which make effective use of multiple kinds of profile information contained in WETs.
Patent indexing by concept coordination using links and roles

This paper presents the development and installation of a practical, working system for the storage and retrieval of patent information for the Polychemicals Department of the du Pont Company using concept coordination and an inverted system. False retrieval usually associated with such systems is overcome by using syntactical controls such as links and roles. Rapid, inexpensive access to patents selected from the polyolefin art is provided to the patent attorney saving him long hours of discouraging searching with cumbersome, conventional filing systems. A valuable source of technical information seldom utilized in the past is made readily available to the research man, the manufacturing engineer and the salesman. The system provides the capability to search for anticipation and as well as for domination. Techniques were devised to handle the peculiar language of patents and a systematic vocabulary of terms was developed for the extensive naming of generic classes of chemical compounds. A cross section of the patent literature is represented in the system which includes all types of patents such as articles of manufacture, process, composition of matter and apparatus. Retrieval of the patent information by electronic computer as well as by a manual search device is discussed.
H. Halobium: II. In vivo studies

Summary In Part I of this series we have examined the behavior of extracts of Halobacterium halobium when incorportated into artificial lipid membranes. The objective of this paper is the interpretation of observed pH changes in a suspension of living Halobacterium halobium cells as they respond to variations in available light and oxygen. The results obtained can be readily explained if the direction of hydrogen ion translocation is reversed. That is, both light and oxygen generate an electrochemical gradient of hydrogen ions, which is outwardly directed, for ATP synthesis. The correlation of experimental data with the proposed model as well as additional advantages of this model are discussed.
Feature learning and deep architectures: new directions for music informatics

As we look to advance the state of the art in content-based music informatics, there is a general sense that progress is decelerating throughout the field. On closer inspection, performance trajectories across several applications reveal that this is indeed the case, raising some difficult questions for the discipline: why are we slowing down, and what can we do about it? Here, we strive to address both of these concerns. First, we critically review the standard approach to music signal analysis and identify three specific deficiencies to current methods: hand-crafted feature design is sub-optimal and unsustainable, the power of shallow architectures is fundamentally limited, and short-time analysis cannot encode musically meaningful structure. Acknowledging breakthroughs in other perceptual AI domains, we offer that deep learning holds the potential to overcome each of these obstacles. Through conceptual arguments for feature learning and deeper processing architectures, we demonstrate how deep processing models are more powerful extensions of current methods, and why now is the time for this paradigm shift. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of current challenges and the potential impact to further motivate an exploration of this promising research area.
Building mixture trees from binary sequence data

SUMMARY We develop a new method for building a hierarchical tree from binary sequence data. It is based on an ancestral mixture model. The sieve parameter in the model plays the role of time in the evolutionary tree of the sequences. By varying the sieve parameter, one can create a hierarchical tree that estimates the population structure at each fixed backward point in time. Application to the clustering of the mitochondrial DNA sequences of Griffiths & Tavare (1994) shows that the approach performs well. Theoretical and computational properties of the ancestral mixture model are further developed.
On the high energy scattering of protons by nuclei and triple correlations

Abstract The multiple scattering theory of Kerman, McManus, and Thaler is extended to include triple scattering effects. With a judicious choice of the propagator between scatterings the triple scattering term is approximately proportional to the triple correlation function. The methods of Feshbach, Gal, and Hufner are generalized to provide a coupled channel description of the elastic scattering of fast particles including triple scattering. The coupling potentials depend directly on the pair and triple correlation functions. Numerical calculations are performed for protons of 1.69 BeV/c momentum on 4He. Center-of-mass correlations and phenomenological short-range dynamical correlations are tested using a spin isospin averaged nucleon-nucleon amplitude. The differential cross section around the second diffraction minimum and third diffraction peak is particularly sensitive to triple scattering effects. Present experimental accuracy around the third diffraction peak does not permit any definitive conclusions to be made.
Supply facility and input/output point locations in the presence of barriers

This paper studies a facility location model in which two-dimensional Euclidean space represents the layout of a shop floor. The demand is generated by fixed rectangular-shaped user sites and served by a single supply facility. It is assumed that (i) communication between the supply point and a demand facility occurs at an input/output (I/O) point on the demand facility itself, (ii) the facilities themselves pose barriers to travel and (iii) distance measurement is as per the L1-metric. The objective is to determine optimal locations of the supply facility as well as I/O points on the demand facilities, in order to minimize total transportation costs. Several, increasingly more complex, versions of the model are formulated and polynomial time algorithms are developed to find the optimal locations in each case.
T-cell modulation combined with intratumoral CpG cures lymphoma in a mouse model without the need for chemotherapy

We have previously shown that intratumoral injection of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide plus systemic chemotherapy can induce a T-cell immune response against lymphoma and serve as a therapeutic vaccine to cure tumors in a murine model. Here, we demonstrate that antibody-mediated modulation of T cells increases the efficacy of CpG vaccination, thereby eliminating the need for chemotherapy. T-cell modulation was accomplished by targeting both effector and regulatory T-cell populations using systemic administration of monoclonal antibodies against OX40, CTLA4, GITR, and folate receptor 4 (FR4). Each of these antibodies enhanced the effect of intratumoral CpG. Some pairwise combinations of these antibodies potentiated T-cell modulation and further enhanced the efficacy of CpG vaccination. Specifically, the combination of anti-OX40 and anti-CTLA4 which enhance activation and block cell-intrinsic negative regulatory circuits in T cells, respectively, was especially potent. When combined with intratumoral CpG, it induced antitumor CD4 and CD8 T-cell immunity, cured large and systemic lymphoma tumors without chemotherapy, and provided long-lasting immunity against tumor rechallenge. Our results show that the combination of intratumoral CpG and immunomodulatory T-cell antibodies has promise for therapeutic vaccination against lymphoma. These reagents are becoming available for human clinical trials.
Population genetics and ecology of Artemia: Insights into parthenogenetic reproduction

Abstract The relative advantages of sexual and parthenogenetic reproduction have long interested biologists and remain a central issue in ecological and evolutionary studies. Recent data on brine shrimp ( Artemia ) indicate that extensive ecological and genetic divergence occurs in an obligately parthenogenetic lineage. This challenges the belief that parthenogenetic lineages are evolutionary ‘dead ends' and that extensive divergence is necessarily linked to recent recruitment from sexual ancestors. The molecular evidence suggests that parthenogenesis in Artemia is relatively ancient, with a single asexual lineage branching from an Old World sexual ancestor approximately five million years ago. Automictic recombination (which can occur in diploid but not polyploid parthenogenetic brine shrimp) appears to play a central role in the long-term maintenance of the parthenogenetic lineage.
Endothelium-mediated and direct actions of acetylcholine on rabbit aortic baroreceptors.

Effects of exogenous acetylcholine on single-unit aortic baroreceptors were studied using a rabbit in vitro aortic arch/aortic nerve preparation. The arch was perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution at constant pressure while simultaneously recording arch diameter and baroreceptor discharge frequency. Administration of acetylcholine over a wide range of concentrations (10(-9) to 10(-4) mol/L) evoked multiple dose-dependent changes in baroreceptor activity. "Low" concentrations ( 10(-6) mol/L) constricted arch and reduced baroreceptor discharge in most units (66%). These responses were blocked by atropine, but not by hexamethonium, and were attributed to direct contraction of the smooth muscle. In the remaining baroreceptors (33%), discharge increased irrespective of changes in diameter or preexisting vasoactive tone, but not in the presence of hexamethonium. Therefore, some baroreceptors were stimulated chemically by acetylcholine (or an intermediary substance), probably through activation of nicotinic receptors on the sensory endings. The effects of acetylcholine on the baroreceptor pressure-frequency curve also were examined by injecting slow pressure ramps before and during acetylcholine treatment. Low concentrations that relaxed smooth muscle shifted the curve to lower pressures; high concentrations that contracted smooth muscle shifted the curve to higher pressures. Last, when acetylcholine was given with the diameter rather than the pressure held constant, the baroreceptor reciprocal responses to smooth muscle relaxation and contraction were directionally reversed but remained consistent with the changes in wall tension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Molecular dynamics simulation study of sodium dodecyl sulfate micelle: Water penetration and sodium dodecyl sulfate dissociation

Abstract We investigate a micelle consisting of 60 sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) molecules in water phase using molecular dynamics simulation method. The dimension of the micelle is evaluated as ∼16 A and ∼21 A for the radius of gyration and geometric radius, respectively, which are well agreed with the previous studies. By calculating the formation energy, it is found that the stability of micelle is driven by the interaction of the micelle with water phase. Via Connolly surface analysis, it was found that ∼58% of the micelle surface is occupied by the hydrophobic alkyl tails. The conformation analysis shows that the individual SDS molecules are bent within the micelle and are not aligned radially from the center-of-mass of the micelle. However, it turns out that the micelle is well packed with a small free volume (0.35% of the micelle volume) which does not allow the diffusion-in of water molecules. The PMF required to drag a water molecule from water phase to the center-of-mass of micelle is calculated as ∼10 kcal/mol while the PMF for a SDS molecule to be dissociated from the micelle is ∼13 kcal/mol, both of which demonstrate that the micellization is driven by minimizing unfavorable interaction of hydrophobic alkyl tail of SDS molecule with water phase.
Challenge or boredom? Gifted students’ views on their schooling

Eight hundred seventy‐one academically gifted students from nine school districts in North Carolina were asked whether the classes they were taking challenged them and whether their schools’ climate and programs were appropriate and meeting their needs. The students generally agreed that special Academically Gifted and mathematics classes challenged them, but only about half of the students reported a similar satisfaction with their Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies classes. Consistent themes stated by the students about the curriculum's lack of challenge included a slow pace, too much repetition of already mastered information, inability to move on after mastering the regular curriculum, few opportunities to study topics of personal interest, and an emphasis on the mastery of facts rather than the use of thinking skills. Current policies of exclusive heterogeneous grouping at the Middle School level may have impacted the particular dissatisfaction of students from this group. Recommendations inc...
Application of nutrient loading models to the analysis of trophic conditions in Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Lake Okeechobee (surface area = 1830 km2, mean depth = 3.5 m), the largest lake in Florida, is eutrophic and has nitrogen and phosphorus loading rates in excess of nearly all established criteria. The lake is not homogeneous regarding trophic conditions, and spatial and temporal variations occur regarding nutrient limitation. Nonetheless, phosphorus loading rate and trophic state data fit reasonably well to various input-output models developed for temperate lakes. Modification of the models by regression analysis to fit data for Florida lakes resulted in improved predictions for most parameters. Analysis of nutrient management alternatives for the lake indicates that a 75% reduction of phosphorus loading from the largest source (the Taylor Creek-Nubbins Slough watershed) would reduce the average chlorophyll a concentration by less than 20%. Complete elimination of inputs from the largest nitrogen source (the Everglades Agricultural Area) would decrease the average nitrogen concentration in the lake by about 20%. Limitations of nutrient inputoutput models regarding analysis of trophic conditions and management alternatives for the lake are discussed.
Identification of steady-state vowels synthesized from the Peterson and Barney measurements.

The purpose of this study was to determine how well listeners can identify vowels based exclusively on static spectral cues. This was done by asking listeners to identify steady‐state synthesized versions of 1520 vowels (76 talkers×10 vowels×2 repetitions) using Peterson and Barney’s measured values of F0 and F1–F3 [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 24, 175–184 (1952)]. The values for all control parameters remained constant throughout the 300‐ms duration of each stimulus. A second set of 1520 signals was identical to these stimuli except that a falling pitch contour was used. The identification error rate for the flat‐formant, flat‐pitch signals was 27.3%, several times greater than the 5.6% error rate shown by Peterson and Barney’s listeners. The introduction of a falling pitch contour resulted in a small but statistically reliable reduction in the error rate. The implications of these results for interpreting pattern recognition studies using the Peterson and Barney database are discussed. Results are also discussed in relation to the role of dynamic cues in vowel identification.
Cross reaction pattern of 26 acrylic monomers on guinea pig skin.

The cross reaction pattern of acrylic monomers was investigated in 20 groups of animals sensitized to a different acrylic monomer. Aminals sensitized to one monoacrylated tend to react to other monoacrylates. Reactions to a corresponding monomethacrylates (same alcohol group in the ester) or other monomethacrylates did not occur. Some reactions to di(meth)acrylates were observed. A number of animals sensitized to one monomethacrylated to some other monomethacrylates and to monoacrylates. Reactions to di(meth)acrylates were observed. Animals sensitized to di(meth)acrylates showed hardly any positive cross reaction. A universal screening allergen to detected acrylic monomer sensitizations does not exist. The composition of (industrial) products should be made accessible to the occupational dermatologist in order to prevent the undresirable situation in which a patient suspected of having an acrylic monomer sensitization must be tested with a large series of potent allergens in order to detect the real origin of the sensitization.
Polysorbates 20 and 80 used in the formulation of protein biotherapeutics: structure and degradation pathways

Polysorbates 20 and 80 (Tween 1 20 and Tween 1 80) are used in the formulation of biotherapeutic products for both preventing surface adsorption and as stabilizers against protein aggregation. The polysorbates are amphipathic, nonionic surfactants composed of fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan being polyoxyethy- lene sorbitan monolaurate for polysorbate 20 and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate for polysorbate 80. The polysorbates used in the formulation of biopharmaceuticals are mixtures of different fatty acid esters with the monolaurate fraction of polysorbate 20 making up only 40-60% of the mixture and the monooleate fraction of polysorbate 80 making up >58% of the mixture. The polysorbates undergo autooxidation, cleavage at the ethylene oxide subunits and hydrolysis of the fatty acid ester bond. Autooxidation results in hydroperoxide formation, side-chain cleavage and eventually formation of short chain acids such as formic acid all of which could influence the stability of a biopharmaceutical product. Oxidation of the fatty acid moiety while well described in the literature has not been specifically investigated for polysorbate. This review focuses on the chemical structure of the polysorbates, factors influencing micelle formation and factors and excipients influencing stability and degradation of the polyoxyethylene and fatty acid ester linkages. 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 97:2924-2935, 2008
Foliar δ15N is affected by foliar nitrogen uptake, soil nitrogen, and mycorrhizae along a nitrogen deposition gradient

Foliar nitrogen isotope (δ(15)N) composition patterns have been linked to soil N, mycorrhizal fractionation, and within-plant fractionations. However, few studies have examined the potential importance of the direct foliar uptake of gaseous reactive N on foliar δ(15)N. Using an experimental set-up in which the rate of mycorrhizal infection was reduced using a fungicide, we examined the influence of mycorrhizae on foliar δ(15)N in potted red maple (Acer rubrum) seedlings along a regional N deposition gradient in New York State. Mycorrhizal associations altered foliar δ(15)N values in red maple seedlings from 0.06 to 0.74 ‰ across sites. At the same sites, we explored the predictive roles of direct foliar N uptake, soil δ(15)N, and mycorrhizae on foliar δ(15)N in adult stands of A. rubrum, American beech (Fagus grandifolia), black birch (Betula lenta), and red oak (Quercus rubra). Multiple regression analysis indicated that ambient atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration explained 0, 69, 23, and 45 % of the variation in foliar δ(15)N in American beech, red maple, red oak, and black birch, respectively, after accounting for the influence of soil δ(15)N. There was no correlation between foliar δ(13)C and foliar %N with increasing atmospheric NO2 concentration in most species. Our findings suggest that total canopy uptake, and likely direct foliar N uptake, of pollution-derived atmospheric N deposition may significantly impact foliar δ(15)N in several dominant species occurring in temperate forest ecosystems.
Utility-maximizing financial contracts for distributed rural electrification

We develop a cost-benefit framework for extending electricity access in currently un-electrified regions. We first show that distributed technologies may be the lowest-cost electrification option in areas where electricity consumption is low and grid connection costs are high. We also show that some centralized electrification programs provide services with subsidized rates far below cost recovery. An economic model is developed to compare three financial mechanisms that can be used to make capital intensive, distributed electrification technologies more accessible to rural populations; direct subsidies, rental programs and microloans. These contracts are compared on their ability to increase consumer utility for a given cost to the providing agency. We show that a direct technology subsidy is generally preferred when the desired subsidization is high and that, under certain parameter combinations, microloan and rental programs can improve energy access for the poor while also making a profit for the providing agency.
The influence of micropropagation on yield components, dry matter partitioning and gas exchange characteristics of strawberry

Abstract Asexual progeny of micropropagated (MP) plants of the cultivars ‘Earliglow’ and ‘Redchief’ had higher plant densities and yields than conventionally propagated (CP) plants in matted rows. MP plants partitioned 9–10% less of their total dry matter to leaf tissue. Micropropagated ‘Redchief’ increased its allocation to crowns and flower trusses; ‘Earliglow’ to fruit. Leaf area crown −1 was reduced in MP ‘Earliglow’ (49%) and ‘Redchief’ (55%), and yield crown −1 was lower (32%) in MP ‘Redchief’, but not ‘Earliglow’. Net photosynthetic rate (mg CO 2 dm −2 h −1 or μg CO 2 g −1 dry wt. h −1 was greater in MP ‘Earliglow’ but not in ‘Redchief’. Stomatal conductance was higher in MP ‘Earliglow’, while mesophyll conductance was unchanged in both cultivars. MP plants of both cultivars had more stable PN rates across leaf densities than CP ones.
Glucocorticoid Regulation of Elastin Synthesis in Human Fibroblasts: Down-Regulation in Fibroblasts from Normal Dermis But Not From Keloids

Keloids arise as benign connective tissue masses at sites of injury in genetically predisposed individuals, In addition to excessive collagen accumulation, there is biochemical and histologic evidence of elastic tissue. Previous studies showed that glucocorticoid regulation of collagen synthesis differs in fibroblasts from normal adult dermis and keloids, To define further the abnormal regulation of matrix synthesis in keloid fibroblasts, we examined glucocorticoid regulation of elastin synthesis. The basal level of elastin synthesis was significantly higher in keloid than in normal cells, and hydrocortisone reduced synthesis of elastin and elastin mRNA in normal but not in keloid fibroblasts. We had shown previously that fibroblasts from fetal dermis resembled keloid fibroblasts in glucocorticoid regulation of growth and collagen synthesis. In this study, glucocorticoids failed to down-regulate elastin synthesis in fetal cells that had not differentiated to produce normal levels of elastin, whereas fetal cells with normal elastin production exhibited glucocorticoid down-regulation. Abnormal regulation in keloid cells was independent of cell density and was confined to fibroblasts cultured from the keloid nodule. These findings reinforce the conclusion that a matrix-regulatory pathway is deranged in these focal lesions. Coordinate down-regulation of collagen and elastin by hydrocortisone in normal adult denial fibroblasts and the failure of hydrocortisone to down-regulate synthesis of either protein in keloid cells support the existence of common elements in the regulatory pathways of these two matrix proteins.
CNT--CdTe Versatile Donor--Acceptor Nanohybrids

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were linked to thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe nanoparticles (NP) through electrostatic interactions producing photoactive superstructures. The novel nanohybrids were characterized both in the ground and excited states with specific accent on electron-transfer chemistry. In fact, both assays provide kinetic and spectroscopic evidence that support a partial transfer of charge density, with rapid formation of microsecond-lived radical ion pair states. Since nanotubes provide a quick transportation route of charge carriers to the electrode, we took this remarkable finding further and constructed photoelectrochemical cells. Photocurrents were generated through the implementation of CdTe and SWNT or MWNT, which serve as excited-state electron donor components and electron acceptors, respectively.
IPSS: An approach towards automated decisions in CIM systems

Abstract IPSS (Industrial Problem Solving System), a specialized prototype Expert System development environment for operations planning. This hybrid system combines features of knowledge based systems as well as conventional procedural knowledge. IPSS architecture is presented and applications are discussed.
Infrared and Raman spectra of heterocyclic compounds—I the infrared studies and normal vibrations of imidazole☆

Abstract The infrared spectra of imidazole and some substituted imidazoles were obtained from 4000 to 33 cm −1 . The bands in imidazole are assigned on a basis of comparison with its deuterated and trihalogeno substituted analogs and its metal complexes as well as other aromatic and heteroaromatic systems reported in the literature. A detailed normal coordinate analysis was made for the imidazole molecule considered as a ten-body structure possessing C 2 v symmetry. Utilizing a Urey Bradley Force Field an approximate description was given for each vibrational mode and values of all the force constants for planar and out of plane vibrations were obtained.
What can be localized in the brain? Toward a "factor" theory on brain organization of cognition.

A theoretical integration attempt among the lesional (neuropsychological), physiological (functional), and psychometric models of cognition is presented in this article. Recent neuroimaging techniques particularly fMRI have shown that there are some brain functions (i.e., simple) that can be localized into single brain areas whereas there are others (i.e., complex) that cannot. Clinical neuropsychology has been able to propose some “cognitive factors” based on empirical observations in patients with brain lesions. Factor analysis in psychometry may provide an additional tool to extract some constitutive elements of psychological functions (factors). “Factors” in factor analysis, however, may have different levels of specificity. Some times they refer to functional systems (complex cognition); in other occasions to elements of cognition (“cognitive factors”). It is emphasized that the very same brain areas (and cognitive factors) may be potentially involved in different types of cognition. It is proposed t...
Nursing Faculty Collaborate with Embedded Librarians to Serve Online Graduate Students in a Consortium Setting.

Nursing and library faculty face many information literacy challenges when graduate nursing programs migrate to online course delivery. The authors describe a collaborative model for providing cost-effective online library services to new graduate students in a three-university consortium. The embedded librarian service links a health sciences librarian to students through a commonly used courseware management system. Recommendations are presented for faculty and librarians who may consider using a similar approach.
Postimplantation Abortion in Pine Voles (Microtus pinetorum) Induced by Strange Males and Pheromones of Strange Males

Induction of abortion by strange males was studied in pine voles, Microtus pinetorum. Pregnant females not exposed to a strange male during the course of pregnancy will deliver their young between 24 and 26 days after insemination. When pregnant females were exposed to strange males after 10 or 15 days of pregnancy, only a small percentage (12% and 13%) delivered young sired by the original male. The remainder had aborted their litters and had new litters sired by the strange male. In experiments where pregnant females were exposed to pheromones of strange males in cage litter soiled by these males only 7% delivered litters compared with 80% of the controls.
The Status of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in 2008

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease that, until recently, had no effective medical therapy. In 1996, a prostacyclin, epoprostenol, was approved; since then, several therapies, including prostacyclin analogues and agents that modulate other vasoactive pathways – endothelin receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase inhibitors – have received approval. In this issue of Circulation , Galie et al report the results of the 2 pivotal trials of the endothelin receptor antagonist, ambrisentan, that lead the US Food and Drug Administration to approve this agent in June 2007.1 Article p 3010 With the approval of ambrisentan, 6 different pulmonary-specific vasodilators delivered by various routes have now been approved in the United States for treatment of PAH; moreover, numerous other therapies have either been submitted for approval or are in development. Most physicians who treat PAH are aware of the data that lead to approval of ambrisentan; for this reason, it would seem more logically an opportune time to examine critically the current status of treatment for PAH. With that in mind; I will focus on several issues: (1) Where are we in the treatment of PAH? (2) Are we happy with where we are? (3) If not, why not? and (4) What do we need to do to get there? Although we “pulmonary hypertensionologists” think we have made a significant impact on this disease, is this really true? We believe that we have improved the clinical status of our patients and their survival, but do we have data to support our “gestalt” or has the recognition of the disease and its background treatment changed to such a degree that the pulmonary-specific medications have not really had much of an impact? A recent meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials in PAH suggests that we may have overestimated our success.2 This meta-analysis reviewed …
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and the Metabolic Syndrome Clinical Implications and Treatment

The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is expected to rise along with the global obesity epidemic. As NAFLD is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States, it has become a major health concern. It affects all ethnicities, with the highest prevalence among the Hispanic population. Individuals with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the more serious form of NAFLD, are at increased risk of developing cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Since NAFLD is intricately associated with the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality become a real concern. It has recently been shown that current nutrition trends, such as increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup and certain types of fats, may have an important role in the increased NAFLD prevalence. As there are no ideal treatment options available for NAFLD, a multifaceted treatment approach should be tailored to each individual patient.
Soil characteristics of four southern Appalachian fens in North Carolina, USA

Abstract Mountain fens are uncommon and unique wetlands in the southern Appalachian Highlands. We selected four mountain fens in North Carolina to compare soil particle-size distribution, organic carbon, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable Mg+2, Ca+2, and K+. Three of the sites are depressional areas on alluvial floodplains at elevations between 700 and 1130 m above sea level, while the fourth site is located on a slope intersecting ground-water seepage at an elevation of 950 m. Peat accumulation amounted to a shallow surface Sphagnum layer (usually <5 cm) at three sites, and the organic carbon content of the surface soil horizon ranged from 4 to 21%. Three of the soils would be classified as Cumulic Humaquepts, and the other is a Terric Haplohemist. The pH of the surface horizon of the four soils ranged from 4.3 to 4.9. The alluvial fens had higher silt concentrations than the seepage fen, and two of the alluvial fens had a subsurface, fine-textured deposit. The seepage fen showed little...
Impact of defined matrix interactions on insulin production by cultured human β-cells : Effect on insulin content, secretion, and gene transcription

The impact of extracellular matrix on insulin production needs to be understood both to optimize the derivation of functional beta-cells for transplantation and to understand mechanisms controlling islet neogenesis and glucose homeostasis. In this study, we present evidence that adhesion to some common matrix constituents has a profound impact on the transcription, secretion, and storage of insulin by human beta-cells. The integrin-dependent adhesion of fetal beta-cells to both collagen IV and vitronectin induces significant glucose-independent insulin secretion and a substantial reciprocal decline in insulin content. Collagen IV, but not vitronectin, induces comparable responses in adult beta-cells. Inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation abrogates matrix-induced insulin secretion and effectively preserves the insulin content of adherent beta-cells. Using real-time PCR, we demonstrate that adhesion of both fetal and adult beta-cells to collagen IV and vitronectin also results in the marked suppression of insulin gene transcription. Based on these findings, we contend that integrin-dependent adhesion and signaling in response to certain matrices can have a significant negative impact on insulin production by primary human beta-cells. Such responses were not found to be associated with cell death but may precede beta-cell dedifferentiation.
Family history of psychosis moderates early auditory cortical response abnormalities in non-psychotic bipolar disorder

Objectives Bipolar I disorder is a disabling illness affecting 1% of people worldwide. Family and twin studies suggest that psychotic bipolar disorder (BDP) represents a homogeneous subgroup with an etiology distinct from non-psychotic bipolar disorder (BDNP) and partially shared with schizophrenia. Studies of auditory electrophysiology [e.g., paired-stimulus and oddball measured with electroencephalography (EEG)] consistently report deviations in psychotic groups (schizophrenia, BDP), yet such studies comparing BDP and BDNP are sparse and, in some cases, conflicting. Auditory EEG responses are significantly reduced in unaffected relatives of psychosis patients, suggesting that they may relate to both psychosis liability and expression. Methods While 64-sensor EEGs were recorded, age- and gender-matched samples of 70 BDP, 35 BDNP {20 with a family history of psychosis [BDNP(+)]}, and 70 psychiatrically healthy subjects were presented with typical auditory paired-stimuli and auditory oddball paradigms. Results Oddball P3b reductions were present and indistinguishable across all patient groups. P2s to paired stimuli were abnormal only in BDP and BDNP(+). Conversely, N1 reductions to stimuli in both paradigms and P3a reductions were present in both BDP and BDNP(−) groups but were absent in BDNP(+). Conclusions Although nearly all auditory neural response components studied were abnormal in BDP, BDNP abnormalities at early- and mid-latencies were moderated by family psychosis history. The relationship between psychosis expression, heritable psychosis risk, and neurophysiology within bipolar disorder, therefore, may be complex. Consideration of such clinical disease heterogeneity may be important for future investigations of the pathophysiology of major psychiatric disturbance.
Magnetic field exposure and neurodegenerative disease mortality among electric utility workers.

The long-term health effects of human exposure to polybrominated biphenyls are not known. In this nested case-control study, we evaluated the association between site-specific cancer risk and serum polybrominated biphenyl levels among a Michigan cohort accidentally exposed to polybrominated biphenyls in 1973. The Michigan Department of Public Health has followed 3,899 people through 1993, among whom 195 primary cancers were identified in 187 persons. Controls were 696 randomly selected cancer-free individuals who were frequency matched to cases by sex and age (in 5-year strata). Baseline serum polybrominated biphenyl levels were measured using standard methods. We found an increasing dose-response relation for digestive system cancer risk with higher serum polybrominated biphenyl category [4-20 parts per billion (ppb), 21-50 ppb, and > 50 ppb] after adjustment for age, family cancer history, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and baseline serum polychlorinated biphenyl level. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for each category were 8.23 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.27-53.3], 12.3 (95% CI = 0.80-191), and 22.9 (95% CI = 1.34-392), respectively. Univariate analysis for polybrominated biphenyl level and lymphoma risk also showed a dose-response relation, with corresponding ORs of 3.24 (95% CI = 0.24-95.9), 20.5 (95% CI = 1.51-608), and 32.6 (95% CI = 3.33-861).
Self-Powered Sensors for Monitoring of Highway Bridges

The task of structural health monitoring (SHM) of aging highway bridges and overpasses is important not only from the point of preventing economic losses from traffic delays and detours but also is a matter of preventing catastrophic failures and loss of human life. In recent years, wireless sensor technologies have been used extensively to develop SHM platforms for bridges. A limitation of wireless sensors is the finite life span of batteries and high cost of battery replacements, which make such systems prohibitively expensive in many cases. Energy harvesting is a solution capable to alleviate this problem. A novel wireless sensor system is presented that harvests vibrations of the bridge created by passing traffic, which is converted into usable electrical energy by means of a linear electromagnetic generator. Utilization of an electromagnetic generator allows harvesting of up to 12.5 mW of power in the resonant mode with the frequency of excitation at 3.1 Hz, in this particular design. The novelty of the system also includes tight integration of the power generator and a smart algorithm for energy conversion that switches between the low-power mode and the impedance matching mode. Finally, results of field experiments are presented in which the wireless system is operated exclusively by the harvested energy of vibration on a rural highway bridge with low traffic volume.
Efforts to Recover and Digitize Analog Seismograms from Harvard‐Adam Dziewoński Observatory

The Harvard‐Adam Dziewonski observatory is one of the oldest seismic stations academically established in the United States, and it is owned and maintained by Harvard University (Leet, 1934). It is currently one of the Global Seismic Network stations operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)’s Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (network code IU) and is also used as a testing facility for new instruments by Quanterra, Inc. The digital data from the Harvard seismic station since 1988 are readily available to the scientific community through the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center and are widely used for various research purposes. The data from this station are known to be of high quality, partly because the instruments are housed in a vault that is about 4.5 m below ground, ensuring reduced surface noise and a stable environment (e.g., nearly constant temperature and humidity). In this manuscript, we focus on the analog data that have been collected at this station prior to 1988. The vision of operating a high‐quality seismic station is attributed to a Harvard professor, J. B. Woodworth, who began seismic instrumentation in 1908 (Leet, 1934). Initially, two Bosch–Omori 100 kg horizontal pendulum seismographs were installed in the basement of the Harvard Museum of Natural History building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the two instruments operated until 1928. Ground‐motion monitoring continued at this location with two Milne–Shaw horizontal pendulum seismographs until April 1933. Only a handful of seismograms appears to have survived from this time period. In 1933, under the direction of L. Don Leet, a new seismic observatory (Fig. 1), one that is used today, was constructed at the Oak Ridge Observatory, also known as Harvard Astronomical Observatory, at Harvard, Massachusetts (note that this is about 40 km northwest of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Harvard University is located). Instruments began recording ground motion at …
A Mighty Wind: The Derecho of June 29, 2012

Imagine a devastating, summertime windstorm that tracked across 10 states, from Iowa to the Atlantic Coast, traversing the region in just 18 hours. Along its path, the windstorm generated extreme g...
Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry: Method Development and Results of the Analysis of Bismuth in Pharmaceuticals

ABSTRACT Three different methods were developed and employed to analyze the concentration of bismuth subsalicylate in an oral liquid pharmaceutical suspension. These methods were UV-Visible spectroscopy utilizing the external calibration method and the standard addition method, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, and complexometric titration with EDTA. All three methods were conducted within one 3-hr period by undergraduate students in analytical chemistry laboratory class settings and produced results within the allowable range of 90.0–110.0% as listed in the United States Pharmacopeia. Differences in sensitivity, precision, sample size, time, and reagent use between the three methods were observed.
Emerging ‘A’ therapies in hemoglobinopathies: agonists, antagonists, antioxidants, and arginine

Sickle cell disease and thalassemia have distinctly different mutations, but both share common complications from a chronic vasculopathy. In the past, fetal hemoglobin‐modulating drugs have been the main focus of new therapy, but the increased understanding of the complex pathophysiology of these diseases has led to the development of novel agents targeting multiple pathways that cause vascular injury. This review explores the pathophysiology of hemoglobinopathies and novel drugs that have reached phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. Therapies that alter cellular adhesion to endothelium, inflammation, nitric oxide dysregulation, oxidative injury, altered iron metabolism, and hematopoiesis will be highlighted. To evaluate these therapies optimally, recommendations for improving clinical trial design in hemoglobinopathies are discussed.
The TMK1 gene from Arabidopsis codes for a protein with structural and biochemical characteristics of a receptor protein kinase

Genomic and cDNA clones that code for a protein with structural and biochemical properties similar to the receptor protein kinases from animals were obtained from Arabidopsis. Structural features of the predicted polypeptide include an amino-terminal membrane targeting signal sequence, a region containing blocks of leucine-rich repeat elements, a single putative membrane spanning domain, and a characteristic serine/threonine-specific protein kinase domain. The gene coding for this receptor-like transmembrane kinase was designated TMK1. Portions of the TMK1 gene were expressed in Escherichia coli, and antibodies were raised against the recombinant polypeptides. These antibodies immunodecorated a 120-kD polypeptide present in crude extracts and membrane preparations. The immunodetectable band was present in extracts from leaf, stem, root, and floral tissues. The kinase domain of TMK1 was expressed as a fusion protein in E. coli, and the purified fusion protein was found capable of autophosphorylation on serine and threonine residues. The possible role of the TMK1 gene product in transmembrane signaling is discussed.