cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased superoxide levels in a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson’s disease measured with the PET probe [18F]ROStrace.

186 Objectives: Previous studies from our group have shown that the PET radiotracer, [18F]ROStrace, is capable of imaging elevated superoxide levels which occur in the proinflammatory form of neuroinflammation.[1] The goal of the current study was to determine if [18F]ROStrace is capable of imaging elevated superoxide levels associated with neuroinflammation in a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: Mice overexpressing the A53T mutation of human alpha synuclein (i.e., A53T mice) were chosen since this transgenic mouse model has been shown to mimic the pathology found in PD.[2] [18F]ROStrace was synthesized according to the published method.[1] A series of PET imaging studies was conducted in both A53T and non-transgenic (non-tg) control animals at 4 different ages, 6, 7, 8 and 12 months. A second series of studies was conducted in A53T and control mice that received a dose of LPS (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and PET imaging studies were conducted at 24 hrs and 1- and 5-months post-LPS treatment. PET imaging data were collected at 40 - 60 min post-injection of the radiotracer (plateau region of tracer accumulation) and data were represented as %ID/cc tissue. Results: The results of the baseline studies indicate that there is an age-related increase in the uptake of [18F]ROStrace in the A53T mice versus a slight decrease in tracer uptake in the control group. The increase in [18F]ROStrace uptake parallels the rate of formation of Asyn pathology in these animals. Furthermore, treatment of the A53T mice with LPS resulted in a higher uptake of [18F]ROStrace relative to that observed in the non-tg controls. The increase in [18F]ROStrace was not persistent and returned to the level observed in the non-tg controls at 1- and 5-months post-LPS treatment. Conclusions: These data indicate that there is an increase in neuroinflammation-associated superoxide levels in PD mice relative to their non-tg controls. There is also an enhanced neuroinflammatory response in the mice overexpressing aggregated Asyn relative to the control group. These data support the use of [18F]ROStrace to study the role of increased levels of superoxide that occurs in the proinflammatory form of neuroinflammation in patients with PD. References: [1] Hou C, Hsieh C-J, Li S, et al. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9: 578-586. [2] Lim Y, Kehm V, Lee E, et al. J Neurosci 2011; 31: 10076-10087.
Perceived control, severity, certainty, and emotional fear: testing an expanded model of deterrence

Objectives:Growing evidence indicates that criminologists should incorporate emotional states, such as fear, into standard deterrence frameworks. Within the fear of crime literature, there is empir...
The epidemiology of edentulism and the associated factors: A literature Review

Considering the advancement of curative and preventive dentistry, edentulism is still a challenging problem for healthcare providers all over the world. Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the main causative factors to teeth loss and eventually, if untreated, lead to edentulism. The socioeconomical factors also contribute to the edentulism as it has an association with education and income status. This literature review will put some highlights in the epidemiology and etiology of edentulism, its prevalence, and the association with the social-economical factors.
Shocked by Bank Funding Shocks: Evidence from Consumer Credit Cards

Using the near universe of U.S. consumer credit cards, we show that banks transmit their wholesale funding shocks to consumers by reducing their credit card limits. Credit-constrained consumers who are unable to hedge against the transmitted shock by borrowing from other cards experience a stronger and more persistent reduction in their ability to smooth consumption through credit cards. Aggregate credit card balances for credit-constrained consumers decline by 42--71 cents for a $1 reduction in aggregate credit limits due to the funding shock. Our results highlight who bears the real costs of fragile bank funding structures.
Distributing Civil Justice

With growing economic inequality, questions of distributive justice have become increasingly prominent in legal scholarship, particularly public law scholarship. Civil procedure scholarship has been no exception, traditionally addressing such questions under the heading of “access to justice.” And yet, despite the ubiquity of the phrase, discussions of access to justice have tended to focus almost exclusively on how procedural resources and opportunities should be distributed and, accordingly, who should receive any given share of those resources and opportunities. Much less attention has been paid to what, exactly, is being distributed—which specific goods access to justice actually comprises. Perhaps because of this vagueness, proponents of access to justice have coalesced around a fairly stable set of policy positions on a wide range of procedural issues. This Article shows that apparent consensus to be much less secure than scholars commonly assume. Only by abstracting from the specific goods associated with access to justice can scholars achieve such widespread agreement about which procedural rules and policies accord with distributive justice. In fact, scholars allude to multiple distinct goods when advocating broad access to justice. Though often treated as interchangeable or even synonymous, those goods, once distinguished, entail potentially conflicting implications for some of the doctrinal and policy issues that currently preoccupy civil procedure scholars, complicating the standard access-to-justice position on each one. Whether a particular policy promotes access to justice and satisfies the demands of distributive justice depends on which specific goods we’re trying to facilitate access to. The unadorned concept of access to justice doesn’t have the fully determinate, unidirectional policy valence that many scholars assume it does. The problem, moreover, runs much deeper than just an ambiguity about the aims of civil justice. For the different goods associated with access to justice can be traced to different—and often conflicting—functions of the modern liberal state. Such conflicts are fundamental, going to the core of liberalism, and so are no more likely to be definitively resolved in civil procedure than they are in any other context. That being the case, we should expose and acknowledge the conflicts between different procedural (and political) goals and restructure procedural rulemaking institutions to better negotiate them, rather than imagine that blunt appeals to access to justice alone can determine civil procedure’s proper response to increasing economic inequality. We shouldn’t expect the task of determining the legal implications of economic inequality to be any more straightforward—or any less contentious—in civil procedure than it has been in public law. And public law, for its part, may end up having to make some of the same kinds of difficult trade-offs that civil procedure scholars have been loath to confront.
Multi-Predictor Ensemble Model for River Turbidity Assessment using Landsat 8 Imagery at a Regional Scale

Satellite-based remote sensing has been widely used to map water turbidity. However, mapping water quality parameters with remote sensing imagery at a basin or regional scale has been difficult, since traditional empirical models do not have spatial transferability and their prediction accuracy is limited. This study presents a multi-predictor ensemble model to assess water turbidity of rivers and streams in the Mobile-Tombigbee Basin based on Landsat 8 multispectral data. The ensemble model exploits a set of empirical models to obtain optimal estimation of turbidity in different water conditions and exhibits a strong spatial transferability. Our analyses show that the ensemble model improved the turbidity estimation accuracy by 48%, compared with the best traditional empirical model. Our analysis suggests that the turbidity of rivers and streams has an apparent spatial gradients and geographical differences in the basin.
Agent-Navigable Dynamic Graph Construction and Visualization over Distributed Memory

Some graph analyses, such as social network and biological network, need large-scale graph construction and maintenance over distributed memory space. Distributed data-streaming tools, including MapReduce and Spark, restrict some computational freedom of incremental graph modification and run-time graph visualization. Instead, we take an agent-based approach. We construct a graph from a scientific dataset in CSV, tab, and XML formats; dispatch many reactive agents on it; and analyze the graph in the form of their collective group behavior: propagation, flocking, and collision. The key to success is how to automate the run-time construction and visualization of agent-navigable graphs mapped over distributed memory. We implemented this distributed graph-computing support in the multi-agent spatial simulation (MASS) library, coupled with the Cytoscape graph visualization software. This paper presents the MASS implementation techniques and demonstrates its execution performance in comparison to MapReduce and Spark, using two benchmark programs: (1) an incremental construction of a complete graph and (2) a KD tree construction.
The AFRL Additive Manufacturing Modeling Challenge: Predicting Micromechanical Fields in AM IN625 Using an FFT-Based Method with Direct Input from a 3D Microstructural Image

The efficacy of an elasto-viscoplastic fast Fourier transform (EVPFFT) code was assessed based on blind predictions of micromechanical fields in a sample of Inconel 625 produced with additive manufacturing (AM) and experimentally characterized with high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy during an in situ tensile test. The blind predictions were made in the context of Challenge 4 in the AFRL AM Modeling Challenge Series, which required predictions of grain-averaged elastic strain tensors for 28 unique target (Challenge) grains at six target stress states given a 3D microstructural image, initial elastic strains of Challenge grains, and macroscopic stress–strain response. Among all submissions, the EVPFFT-based submission presented in this work achieved the lowest total error in comparison with experimental results and received the award for Top Performer. A post-Challenge investigation by the authors revealed that predictions could be further improved, by over 25% compared to the Challenge-submission model, through several model modifications that required no additional information beyond what was initially provided for the Challenge. These modifications included a material parameter optimization scheme to improve model bias and the incorporation of the initial strain field through both superposition and eigenstrain methods. For the first time with respect to EVPFFT modeling, an ellipsoidal-grain-shape Eshelby approximation was tested and shown to improve predictive capability compared to previously used spherical-grain-shape assumptions. Lessons learned for predicting full-field micromechanical response using the EVPFFT modeling method are discussed.
Challenges and opportunities for informal physics learning in the COVID era

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted every aspect of academic activity, including the informal education and public engagement efforts of physics departments and institutions. As part of a large-scale national survey of the landscape of informal physics education programs, we have conducted a series of short interviews with directors and facilitators for a variety of programs in order to create a snapshot of whether and how programs have been able to adapt to the challenges and risks of the pandemic. Broadly, we find that programs are struggling to maintain any activity at all, and that those programs still in operation have relied largely on the efforts of individual director or facilitators to make substantial adaptations. Additionally, we find that those programs that have been most successful in maintaining activity benefit from strong, ongoing institutional support;we present the findings of this study both to complement existing research on formal spaces and to advocate for the continued support of informal physics education, which continues to play a crucial role in connecting departments to the public.
Central Bank Independence and Unconventional Monetary Policies: Fundamental and Substantive Issues

The use of unconventional monetary tools and particularly, the resort by central banks to asset purchase programs instigated as a means of addressing prolonged periods of low inflation has not only generated new and innovative approaches to monetary policy channels aimed at facilitating the goals and objectives of central banking, but also led to the realization of the need to engage in more effective communication beyond the scope and ambit of traditional central banking. How have these developments shaped the definition that is, or rather, that should be attributed to Central Bank Independence? Which actors are assuming greater prominence and roles in a financial environment dynamically shaped by Information Technology and the digital (Modern) economy? "Central bank independence is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to ensure that the central bank is credible in its pursuit of price stability while making sure that monetary policy is never subservient to fiscal policy - what is known as monetary dominance." Further, the ECB President adds that, "central bank independence does not preclude communication with governments when it is clear that mutually aligned policies would deliver a faster return to price stability- and that rather, it only imposes limits on what such alignment could entail.....Specifically, it means that alignment between policies WHERE NEEDED must serve the objective of monetary stability and not work to its detriment. " (emphasis added) To what extent and limits is it necessary to engage unconventional monetary policies such that they do not subject monetary policy goals to fiscal policy needs? The dangers of prolonged periods of zero interest rates- coupled with low inflation are also brought to light in the academic literature. Hence whilst this chapter considers the merits and draw backs of certain unconventional monetary policies, it also contributes to the literature by justifying their implementation and rationales for recent global trends. This is facilitated by way of recommendations in respect of recent innovative optimal coordinated policy combinations adopted and put forward by selected jurisdictional central banks aimed at addressing gaps in monetary policy.
The Prejudiced Personality? Using the Big Five to Predict Susceptibility to Stereotyping Behavior

While long privileged by scholarship in psychology, personality has only recently been considered as an influential factor for political orientations and actions. In this paper, I consider personality’s influence on another important tendency: the proclivity to engage in stereotyping and prejudicial thinking. Using a personality battery included for the first time on the 2012 ANES, I examine the tendencies of particular personality types to stereotype. Results suggest that Openness to Experience is the most consistent predictor, with those higher in Openness to Experience are less likely to endorse authoritarian views or specific group stereotypes. Effects also emerge for Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, although their influence varies depending on the measure of prejudicial thinking.
Human arterial wall cells and tissues in culture.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the human arterial wall cells and tissues in culture. Human arterial wall explants and isolated smooth muscle cells (SMCs) have been examined by methods of cell culture for several purposes such as morphological phenotypic stability and replicative characteristics and replicative life span. Arterial wall SMCs derived from the media have been cultivated from tissues obtained at surgery or postmortem. Tissue fragments 1–2 mm in diameter are generally used in this procedure. To obtain these fragments, tissue is aseptically removed from the desired organ and placed on a sterile petri plate. The tissue is minced into smaller and smaller pieces with the use of scalpel blades until the desired size is obtained. Human SMCs grow in the same types of media and at the same serum concentrations that have been used successfully for human and animal fibroblasts. SMCs from human fetal aortas undergo senescent changes and cease dividing after 20 passage generations.
A communication-avoiding thick-restart lanczos method on a distributed-memory system

The Thick-Restart Lanczos (TRLan) method is an effective method for solving large-scale Hermitian eigenvalue problems. On a modern computer, communication can dominate the solution time of TRLan. To enhance the performance of TRLan, we develop CA-TRLan that integrates communication-avoiding techniques into TRLan. To study the numerical stability and solution time of CA-TRLan, we conduct numerical experiments using both synthetic diagonal matrices and matrices from the University of Florida sparse matrix collection. Our experimental results on up to 1,024 processors of a distributed-memory system demonstrate that CA-TRLan can achieve speedups of up to three over TRLan while maintaining numerical stability.
The Original Plain Meaning of the Right to Bear Arms

In this article, written about twenty years ago, Professor Peter Junger developed an idiosyncratic interpretation of the Second Amendment: the right to bear arms is the right to display armorial bearings - coats of arms - and the original plain meaning of the Amendment is that the government shall not infringe upon one's right to be a lady or a gentleman. That interpretation was derived (loosely, to be sure) from a 1955 decision of the Court of Chivalry, an English court (known to Blackstone) that had been silent since 1737. Whether Professor Junger, who died in November 2006, was serious about this or not, this unfinished article is a fitting memorial to a person with an amazingly creative mind.
Restrictions of bounded linear operators: closed range

Let T be a bounded linear operator on a Banach space X, and let W be a subspace of X which is a Banach space and T- invariant. Denote by T W the restriction of T to W. This paper explores the questions: o If the range of T is closed, under what conditions is the range of T W closed? o If the range of T W is closed, under what conditions is the range of T closed?
Intergovernmental Transfers in Latin America: A Policy Reform Perspective

This paper reviews some of the main issues with intergovernmental transfers in Latin America. The analysis is set against the backdrop of the basic normative principles of revenue assignments and the practice of sub-national government financing in the region. Own revenue collections and an equalization transfer program are key components of a sound sub-national fiscal structure. However, in most Latin American countries own revenue collections represent a minor share of sub-national revenues and equalization programs, if present, are generally not properly designed. Instead, sub-national finances in the region heavily rely on revenue sharing schemes with often multiple and unclear objectives and with negative effects on equity and economic efficiency. In this paper we provide a critical analysis of those revenue sharing schemes utilized in Latin America, and propose an alternative approach to the structuring of the transfer systems and more generally of the sub-national revenue systems in the region.
Health Effects of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: An Overview

Abstract Recent growth 1n the production and uses of certain chlorofluorocarbon compounds has raised concerns that the concentration of stratospheric ozone may decrease in the future. The major consequence of a decrease 1n stratospheric ozone will be to Increase the amount of ultraviolet radiation, particularly radiation 1n the UV-B (280-320 nm) wavelength range, 1n sunlight. Even a small increase in ambient UV-B radiation is likely to have serious consequences for plant and animal life on earth and will almost certainly have an adverse effect on human health. The effect of UV-B radiation that has been characterized most thoroughly is the Induction of basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. Other possible effects Include contribution to the development of cutaneous melanoma, ocular changes leading to the formation of cataracts, and Immunological perturbations of as yet unknown significance. Studies on laboratory animals have shown that exposure to UV-B radiation can interfere with several Immune response, including those directed against skin cancers. Exposing animals to low doses of UV radiation can suppress immune response locally in the Irradiated skin, and exposure to higher doses can suppress Immune reactions occurring at distant sites as well. Evidence for similar immunologic alterations in humans is growing. These findings raise the possibility that sunlight exposure might interfere with the body's defenses against certain infectious diseases.
Genetically mapping new mutants and cloned genes.

Publisher Summary In Tetrahymena , the location of a gene can be genetically mapped to both a micronuclear chromosome and a macronuclear chromosome (also called an autonomously replicating piece or ARP). Mapping is useful for several reasons: (1) mapping a mutant gene to the micronucleus can help sort out a mutant collection; mutations that map to different locations must be in different genes; (2) mapping a mutation to its macronuclear chromosome piece gives a starting point for cloning the mutant gene when no identifiable molecular probe is available; and (3) mapping cloned genes to the micro- and macronucleus help identify genes which previously were associated with only a mutant phenotype. Three main steps are involved in genetic mapping: (1) mapping the mutation to a micronuclear chromosome arm using monosomic strains, (2) determining the extent of meiotic linkage of the mutation to known loci (in the relevant chromosome arm) using a panel of meiotic segregants, and (3) mapping to a macronuclear chromosome piece, by looking for macronuclear coassortment of the mutation with nearby (meiotically linked) loci. Mapping cloned genes to the micronucleus and macronucleus proceeds analogously but requires the identification of an associated DNA polymorphism, such as a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).
Global Climate Change and Intensification of Coastal Ocean Upwelling

A mechanism exists whereby global greenhouse warning could, by intensifying the alongshore wind stress on the ocean surface, lead to acceleration of coastal upwelling. Evidence from several different regions suggests that the major coastal upwelling systems of the world have been growing in upwelling intensity as greenhouse gases have accumulated in the earth's atmosphere. Thus the cool foggy summer conditions that typify the coastlands of northern California and other similar upwelling regions might, under global warming, become even more pronounced. Effects of enhanced upwelling on the marine ecosystem are uncertain but potentially dramatic.
The effects of pH on the rates of isotope exchange catalyzed by alanine aminotransferase.

Abstract Alanine aminotransferase catalyzes exchange of the β-hydrogens of alanine with the solvent at a rate commensurate with the rate of exchange of the α-hydrogen. These methyl protons are lost sequentially and intermediates having protons on the α-carbon but deuterium on the β-carbon were detected by nuclear magnetic resonance. The overall rates of exchange of both α-hydrogen and β-hydrogen were less than the rate of transamination and did not vary from pH 6–8. The α-hydrogen of glutamate, on the other hand, was found to exchange at a greater rate than the overall transamination rate with ketoglutarate. However the β-hydrogens of glutamate are not removed during the enzymic reaction. It is concluded that a basic group on the enzyme removes the proton from the α-carbon of alanine at a rate at least as great as the rate of transamination. Because the proton is held on the enzyme, it appears to exchange more slowly in alanine. Labilization of the α-hydrogen of amino acids does not appear to be the ratelimiting reaction of alanine aminotransferase, but occurs at a rate comparable to that of the overall reaction.
Treatment Seeking for a Chronic Disorder: How Families in Coastal Kenya Make Epilepsy Treatment Decisions

A person-centered case-study approach was used to account for treatment choices made by families of children with epilepsy seizure disorders in Kilifi, Kenya. Observations of individual families and treatment providers suggest that the local cultural system of illness classification and the process of assessing treatment results are fundamental influences on family decisions to seek treatment for childhood seizure disorders. The findings also indicate that the dominance of these two factors shifts throughout the illness experience. Family classification of seizures and cultural perceptions of their causation are primary in initial treatment seeking, while the perception of results of the last treatment sought dominates subsequent treatment decisions. External factors, including pressure from individuals outside the family, and financial and time resources, are described as secondary constraining factors in the decision making process. A model is presented to summarize the decision making process. The model accounts for treatment seeking in families of children with seizure disorders in coastal Kenya but may also help explain how families manage other chronic conditions.
Equilibration Time and Glass Shape Effects on Chemical and Sensory Properties of Wine

The relationship between glass shape and chemical composition of the glass headspace and the relationship between glass shape and sensory characteristics were investigated for a Gerwurztraminer wine in five glass shapes (white wine glass, Bordeaux red wine glass, red wine glass, INAO wine tasting glass, and Erlenmeyer glass) over three equilibration times (0, 5, and 10 minutes). The headspace composition above a wineglass was found to vary significantly with glass shape, equilibration time, and the interaction between glass shape and equilibration time. Glass shape parameters were better correlated with headspace chemical composition at longer equilibration times compared to shorter times. Aroma sensory descriptor intensities were found to vary significantly for glass shapes at different equilibration times. Despite these significant effects, no correlations between shape parameters (such as capacity, height, opening diameter, maximum diameter, D ratio, and fill volume) and aroma sensory descriptor intensities were found. Glass shape had little influence on aroma intensity at zero minutes of equilibration but had more impact at 5 and 10 minutes of equilibration. The Bordeaux and INAO glasses enhanced fruitiness and total aroma intensity at longer equilibration times, while the red wine glass enhanced the hot, ethanol character. We have observed both sensory and chemical evidence that a wine in a glass does indeed qualitatively and quantitatively change, or “open up,” over a 10-min period.
Apolipoprotein E2 transgenic rabbits. Modulation of the type III hyperlipoproteinemic phenotype by estrogen and occurrence of spontaneous atherosclerosis

Transgenic rabbits were produced that expressed high plasma levels (30–70 mg/dl) of human apolipoprotein (apo) E2(Cys-158), an apoE variant associated with the human genetic disorder type III hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP). Male transgenic rabbits fed normal chow had up to 8-fold (289 ± 148 mg/dl) and 15-fold (697 ± 452 mg/dl) increases in plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively, compared with nontransgenic males. Female transgenic rabbits had only a modest hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol, 140 ± 46 mg/dl; total triglycerides, 174 ± 66 mg/dl). Both sexes displayed the hallmarks of type III HLP: β-migrating very low density lipoproteins (β-VLDL) (intestinal and hepatic remnant lipoproteins) and significantly increased VLDL and intermediate density lipoproteins. Apolipoprotein E2-containing VLDL particles were cleared from the circulation more slowly and were more resistant to lipoprotein lipase-mediated lipolysis than normal VLDL. Only females had increased high density lipoproteins (HDL) (40%), which were shifted from typical small HDL to larger HDL1. Plasma apoE2 was predominantly associated with β-VLDL in males and with HDL in females. To ascertain reasons for the phenotypic gender difference, we treated the male transgenic rabbits with 17α-ethinyl estradiol. Estrogen treatment for 10 days dramatically decreased total cholesterol (73%) and triglycerides (89%) and converted β-VLDL to pre-β-migrating VLDL. Concomitantly, lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities increased by 90%, low density lipoprotein receptor activity was stimulated significantly, apoE2 was redistributed to HDL, and HDL were converted to HDL1. Conversely, ovariectomy in female transgenic rabbits significantly increased total cholesterol (75%), triglycerides (117%), and β-VLDL, while decreasing lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities by 35% and redistributing apoE2 to the β-VLDL. Thus, estrogen status appears to be responsible for much of the gender difference of the lipoprotein phenotype, mainly by modulating both lipase and low density lipoprotein receptor activities. Furthermore, transgenic rabbits fed normal chow for 11 months developed fatty streaks, and some had more advanced atherosclerotic lesions, especially around the aortic arch and proximal abdominal aorta. The lesions were more extensive in males, roughly correlating with the magnitude of the hyperlipidemia. Therefore, high plasma levels of human apoE2 in transgenic rabbits result in a type III HLP phenotype, in which males have both more severe hyperlipidemia and more extensive atherosclerosis than females.
Extracting a sparsely located named entity from online HTML medical articles using support vector machine

We describe a statistical machine learning method for extracting databank accession numbers (DANs) from online medical journal articles. Because the DANs are sparsely-located in the articles, we take a hierarchical approach. The HTML journal articles are first segmented into zones according to text and geometric features. The zones are then classified as DAN zones or other zones by an SVM classifier. A set of heuristic rules are applied on the candidate DAN zones to extract DANs according to their edit distances to the DAN formats. An evaluation shows that the proposed method can achieve a very high recall rate (above 99%) and a significantly better precision rate compared to extraction through brute force regular expression matching.
Translation, Technology, and the Digital Archive: Preserving a Historic Japanese-Language Newspaper

The Nikkei Newspaper Digital Archive Project (NNDAP) began in July 2011. A joint project of the Hokubei Hochi Foundation and University of Washington Libraries, the NNDAP pursues a mission of inter...
Three-nucleon potential

The interaction between three nucleons is studied on the basis of the covariant Green's function. A three-nucleon potential is derived from the scattering matrix and is characterized by an expansion in number of mesons exchanged. The complete definition of the potential now depends on the knowledge of the basic meson-nucleon interaction amplitudes to which each term of the expansion is connected. With the neglect of pion-pion interactions, the lowest-order potential, which involves the exchange of two quanta, is given in terms of the renormalized coupling constant and the total cross-section for meson-nucleon scattering. It is argued that in low energies and at large distances, the higher terms in the expansion give no appreciable contribution and so the lowest order suffices for most purposes.
Association of neutral objects with rewards: Persistence of effect upon verbal evaluation

A slot machine-like apparatus was used to pair repeatedly a geometrical form with the delivery of a penny. Thirty-eight second- and third-grade boys played the machine each day for 12 days. After being paired with reward, the geometrical form was evaluated more positively by the S s as measured by an adjective checklist. After the tweifth session the penny delivery was suspended, and the S s continued to play the machine each day for 7 more days without getting pennies. For half the S s, the F-A group, the geometrical form was removed from the slot machine for the last 7 sessions. For the other half of the S s, the F-P group, the geometrical form was left in the machine for the last 7 sessions. The S s' evaluation of the form was measured after each of the last 7 sessions by means of the same adjective checklist. It was found that the geometrical form continued to be evaluated just as positively by both groups during the last 7 sessions as it was at the end of first 12 sessions.
Weather-related mortality: how heat, cold, and heat waves affect mortality in the United States.

Background:Many studies have linked weather to mortality; however, role of such critical factors as regional variation, susceptible populations, and acclimatization remain unresolved.Methods:We applied time-series models to 107 US communities allowing a nonlinear relationship between temperature and
Test of a continuously polarized 3He neutron spin filter with NMR-based polarization inversion on a single-crystal diffractometer

Abstract Spin filters based on the large spin dependence of the neutron absorption cross-section by 3He are currently being applied in neutron scattering. We report here the construction and test of a 3He neutron spin filter that incorporates (1) in situ continuous optical pumping to maximize the time-averaged polarization and maintain a stable 3He polarization during experiments, and (2) low-loss adiabatic-fast-passage inversion of the 3He polarization to eliminate the need for a neutron spin flipper. The device was successfully tested at the single-crystal diffractometer at the Intense-Pulsed Neutron Source, Argonne National Laboratory. This device can be used in measurements of static magnetic-materials as well as magnetic-relaxation phenomena with long relaxation times.
COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF A STRESS AND CORTISOL UPON SOME ENZYMIC ACTIVITIES.

Abstract Although activities of liver tyrosine-α-ketoglutarate transaminase (EC 2.6.1.5), tryptophan-α-ketoglutarate transaminase and tryptophan pyrrolase (EC 1.11.1.4) are elevated by injection of cortisol, no such activation could be observed following imposition of a stress demonstrably effective in causing adrenal cortical hormone secretion. The possibility is suggested that the differing effect may be due to the difference between the doses of cortisol generally used and the concentration of circulatory adrenal cortical hormones after stress.
An experimental and theoretical investigation of the turbulent far wake.

A theoretical and an experimental investigation of the turbulent far wake is carried out. The experiments were conducted at M^ = 12 and a Reynolds number of 4.5 X 10/ft based on freestream conditions. The wall-to-stagnation-temperature ratio was 0.265. The theoretical analysis has been conducted by obtaining the solution of the boundary-layer equations by a finite-difference scheme that permitted various initial conditions and assumptions for transport properties. The program has been used primarily to evaluate the several models suggested for the mixing region of the far wake. Detailed measured initial profiles were used to march downstream after assuming some form of the transport properties. The profiles obtained from the computer were compared to the experimental profiles. The results indicate that the eddy viscosity that best correlates the experimental results is based on the product of the wake half-radius and the mass flux at the centerline (pu)<LA modification of this law by an introduction of intermittency arguments yielded somewhat better results. The experimental and theoretical results suggest that the wake undergoes slower mixing in the near region than has been previously predicted.
PAFT F77, Program for the Analysis of Fault Trees

PAFT F77, a program for the analysis of fault trees, is coded in Fortran 77. Given the structure of a fault tree and the probability or failure rates of its basic events, PAFT F77 calculates the probabilities of the top and all intermediate events, as well as the marginal importance of all basic events. When the input is in terms of failure rates instead of probabilities, the marginal occurrence rates of all basic events and the occurrence rate of the top event are also calculated. The program is designed to handle simple fault trees and those with replicated basic events. Discussion of the program's ability and limitations together with a brief theoretical review of fault-tree analysis are presented.
Adrenergic innervation of the ductus arteriosus of the fetal lamb.

Nachweis adrenergischer Nervenfasern in der Media des Ductus arteriosus von Schaffoten mit Falck'scher histochemischer Fluoreszenzmethode. Zusammen mit der gut entwickelten Muskulatur macht dies wahrscheinlich, dass Nerven am Kontraktionsgeschehen des Ductus arteriosus teilnehmen.
Dinosaur feeding behaviour and the origin of flowering plants

A reappraisal of current theorie suggests that the origin of flowering plants was closely correlated with the spread of big, low-browsing dinosaurs.
Cryoultramicrotomy: evidence against melting and the use of a low temperature cement for specimen orientation

SUMMARY A technique is presented showing the use of toluene as a low temperature cement to attach portions of frozen tissues in the desired orientation on to the cryoultramicrotome chuck. Examples of transverse sections of skeletal and vascular smooth muscle are illustrated. Electron probe analysis of these sections indicates that the distribution of elements is maintained. Evidence is presented against through section melting based on sectioning toluene at a temperature just below its melting point (178 K). Toluene was sectioned (about 100 nm thickness) successfully at three block temperatures (177, 163 and 113 K) when the knife temperature was by 1 degree or more colder than the m.p. of toluene. In all cases the toluene sections melted when the knife temperature reached 178 K. We conclude that sufficient heat is not generated and/or transferred to the toluene sections during cryosectioning under our conditions to raise the temperature of a 100 nm section by 1 K or more.
Synergistic anticancer effects of arsenic trioxide with bortezomib in mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of B-cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) and accounts for ~6% of all lymphomas. MCL is highly refractory to most chemotherapy including newer antibody-based therapeutic approaches, and high-grade MCL has one of the worst survival rates among NHLs. Therefore, the development of new therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance of MCL is important. In this article, we tested the effects of arsenic trioxide (As(2) O(3) , ATO) in bortezomib-resistant MCL. ATO is reported to induce complete remission in the patients with relapsed or refractory acute promyelocytic leukemia. Their effects in MCL, however, have not been explored. In this report, we show that ATO effectively inhibited the growth of MCL cells in vitro. ATO treatment also reduced cyclin D1 expression which is a genetic hallmark of MCL and NF-kB expression which was reported to have a prosurvival role in some MCL cells. The induction of apoptosis in MCL was partially due to reduced levels of cyclin D1 and increased levels of apoptosis-related molecules. The antiproliferative effects of bortezomib on MCL greatly increased when the cells were also treated with ATO, indicating ATO can sensitize MCL to bortezomib. Similar results were noted in bortezomib-resistant cell lines. In conclusion, ATO may be an alternative drug for use in combined adjuvant therapies for MCL, and further clinical testing should be performed.
REGULATION OF L-TYPE CALCIUM CHANNELS OF VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS

Vascular tone is regulated by a variety of neurotransmitters, vasoactive hormones and autacoids, and vasoactive drugs. These actions are mediated, at least in part, by actions on the membrane ion channels, exerted either directly or indirectly. In this article, we described evidence that four different protein kinase systems (PK-A, PK-G, PK-C, and Ca2+/CaM-PK) act on and modulate the L-type Ca2+ slow channels in VSM cells and other types of cells. In cardiac muscle, both cAMP/PK-A and cGMP/PK-G have opposing effects. cAMP/PK-A stimulating and cGMP/PK-G inhibiting. In VSM, both cyclic nucleotides and their related kinases act in the same direction, namely both inhibit ICa(L). In skeletal muscle, both cAMP and cGMP also act in the same direction on ICa(L), but to stimulate. Ca2+ channel phosphorylation may be an important mechanism for the cyclic nucleotide-dependent actions of some vasodilators. In cardiac muscle, in addition to the slower indirect pathway--exerted via cAMP/PK-A--there is a faster more-direct pathway for ICa(L) stimulation by the beta-adrenergic receptor. This latter pathway involves direct modulation of the channel activity by the alpha subunit of the Gs-protein (Gs alpha). The two pathways (direct and indirect) are also present in VSM cells, although the indirect pathway produces inhibition of ICa(L)). PK-C and calmodulin-PK also may play roles in regulation of the L-type Ca2+ channels in smooth muscle cells, possibly mediated by phosphorylation of some regulatory-type of protein. Thus, it appears that the L-type Ca2+ slow channel is a complex structure, including perhaps several associated regulatory proteins, which can be regulated by a number of factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the cell (Figs 9, 14).
Improving the efficiency of outpatient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder

This article uses service utilization and outcome data from the specialized posttraumatic stress disorder outpatient programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs to illustrate a method of evaluating the required intensity of outpatient psychiatric treatment. The analyses presented suggest that posttraumatic stress disorder treatment programs could offer intensive services for only the first four months of treatment, followed by a reduction in intensity to an average of only one visit per month, without loss of clinical gains. Workload projections suggest that applying such standards under a system of regulatory control would allow a 17%–51% increase in patients treated.
Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity as a risk stratification index for the short-term prognosis of type 2 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease.

The incidence of diabetes is increasing, and the disease has become an important predictor of prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), although adverse events often occur without warning. Thus, risk stratification of diabetic CAD patients is important for secondary prevention. This study tests the hypothesis that brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker for arterial stiffness obtained by simple and noninvasive automated devices, can be a risk stratification index to predict prognosis in diabetic patients with CAD. The prognosis of CAD patients with diabetes in the Shinken Database cohort study was investigated by dividing patients into two groups based on baPWV measurements. The composite endpoint was death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization or readmission for heart failure. Data were available on 564 CAD patients, with a median follow-up of 25.4 months. Of these patients, 191 had type 2 diabetes. The higher baPWV among diabetic patients was defined as a median baPWV of 1730 cm s–1 or more. The 3-year Kaplan–Meier estimates of event-free survival were 72.8% in diabetic patients with lower baPWV and 51.3% in those with higher baPWV, respectively (P=0.031). Multivariate analysis revealed that a higher baPWV was independently associated with poorer short-term prognosis (hazard ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–3.84) in diabetic CAD patients. In conclusion, baPWV, a marker for arterial stiffness, can be a risk stratification index for short-term prognosis in clinical practice, suggesting the need for further aggressive treatment and strict follow-up in CAD patients with diabetes and higher baPWV.
Role of hydroxyl containing residues in the intracellular region of rat bradykinin B2 receptor in signal transduction, receptor internalization, and resensitization

In past reports we illustrated the importance of Y131, Y322, and T137 within the intracellular (IC) face of the rat bradykinin B2 receptor (rBKB2R) for signal transduction and receptor maintenance (Prado et al. [1997] J. Biol. Chem. 272:14638-14642; Prado et al. [1998] J. Biol. Chem. 273:33548-33555). In this report, we mutate the remaining hydroxyl possessing residues located within the rBKB2R IC region. Exchange of S139A (IC2) or T239V (IC3) did not affect BK activated phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover or receptor internalization. Chimeric exchange of the last 34 amino acids of BKB2R C-terminus with the corresponding 34 amino acids of the rat angiotensin II AT1a receptor (rAT1aR), both containing an S/T cluster, resulted in a mutant with normal endocytosis and BK activated PI turnover. A more selective chimera of these S/T clusters, with an exchange of BKB2R (333-351) with a rAT1aR fragment (326-342), resulted in a receptor with a retarded internalization but a normal BK activated PI turnover. Subsequent mutation of rBKB2R T344V showed little change in receptor uptake but a pronounced loss of BK activated PI turnover. The mutation of S335A, S341A, S348A, and S350A resulted in very poor receptor internalization and loss of activated PI turnover. Closer examination of this serine cluster illustrated that the replacement of S348A led to poor internalization; whereas the retention of S348 and mutation of S341A resulted in a receptor with a much greater internalization than WT. These and other results suggest that the presence of S348 promotes internalization while the presence of S341 dampens it. Conversely, S341 and S350 proved important for receptor signaling. In sum, our results illustrate that the distal C-terminus including its S/T cluster is important for both rBKB2R internalization and signal transduction. Individual S/T residues within this cluster appear involved in either signal transmission or receptor uptake capacity. However, replacement of the entire distal tail region with the corresponding rAT1aR sequence, also containing an S/T cluster, enables the BKB2R/AT1aR chimera to act in a very similar manner to wild type rBKB2R.
On the use of student ratings of faculty in determination of pay, promotion and tenure

Student ratings of faculty have traditionally been obtained in a manner designed to be useful to the individual faculty member or to other students. It is now sometimes proposed that the resulting data be used to determine faculty pay, promotion, and tenure. Recent articles and the reviews of past literature on ratings are analyzed to determine whether student ratings are usually associated with teaching effectiveness, whether they are sometimes biased by irrelevant factors, whether faculty can effectively revise their behaviors to improve their ratings, and whether improved ratings result in improved teaching effectiveness.