cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Potential Effect of Lowering the Threshold of Statistical Significance From P < .05 to P < .005 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine.

Purpose To determine how changing the P value threshold of statistical significance from .05 to .005 could affect the statistical significance of findings in previously published orthopaedic sports medicine randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods The authors searched PubMed from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017, for RCTs published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, and Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. Data were extracted blinded and in duplicate fashion by 2 of us. The authors then extracted P value data for primary end points, since RCTs are most often powered for these end points. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Google Forms were used for data extraction and STATA 15.1 for the data analysis. Results In total, 275 primary end points were identified from 132 trials. Analysis of primary end points found 45.8% (126/275) had a P value less than .05 and were classified as statistically significant under the current threshold, whereas 54.2% (149/275) had a P value greater than .05 and were not classified as suggestive. Of those end points that were previously considered statistically significant, 38.9% (49/126) were less than .005, whereas 61.1% (77/126) were between .005 and .05 and thereby would be reclassified as suggestive rather than statistically significant under the proposed threshold. Overall, when analyzing the 275 primary end points, we found only 49 (17.8%) of the end points were less than .005 and would hold statistical significance with the proposed threshold. Conclusions The results suggest that if the threshold of statistical significance were to change to .005, the significance of orthopaedic sports medicine RCTs would be heavily altered. The authors also acknowledge the many issues research faces in regard to P value reliability and therefore interpretation of study results. Because P values from RCTs can often influence the ways physicians choose interventions, it is important to implement methodology that decreases incidence of bias and misrepresentation of these results. However, the authors also understand that lowering the P value could increase the needed sample size and by consequence increase study costs as well, while not directly correlating to clinical significance. Thus, the authors recommend that this proposed threshold should be further evaluated and cautiously interpreted. Clinical Relevance If the statistical significance threshold is changed, clinical practice guideline recommendations also may be affected.
The Role of The Gut Microbiome in Parkinson’s Disease:

The gut microbiota is known to play a role in various disease states through inflammatory, immune and endocrinologic response. Parkinson's Disease is of particular interest as gastrointestinal involvement is one of the earlier features seen in this disease. This paper examines the relationship between gut microbiota and Parkinson's Disease, which has a growing body of literature. Inflammation caused by gut dysbiosis is thought to increase a-synuclein aggregation and worsen motor and neurologic symptoms of Parkinson's disease. We discuss potential treatment and supplementation to modify the microbiota. Some of these treatments require further research before recommendations can be made, such as cord blood transplant, antibiotic use, immunomodulation and fecal microbiota transplant. Other interventions, such as increasing dietary fiber, polyphenol and fermented food intake, can be made with few risks and may have some benefit for symptom relief and speed of disease progression.
Conventional and Investigational Imaging Modalities

Imaging of bladder cancer is critical for local and distant staging, detection for metachronous and synchronous upper tract urothelial carcinoma, assessment of treatment response, and evaluation of disease and treatment-related complications. The role of ultrasound is limited in the workup of bladder cancer. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques including urographic techniques are used particularly for the evaluation of bladder cancer. Imaging techniques and roles of CT and MRI in the diagnosis and clinical decision-making are discussed in this chapter. Additionally, bladder cancer staging with MRI and recently proposed Vesicle Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) are also explained. Newly developing radiomics techniques for the assessment for bladder cancer with future directions are also discussed.
Trading Spaces: Foreign Direct Investment Regulation, 1970–2000

This book is the first comprehensive study of foreign direct investment (FDI) liberalization. Political economy FDI research has long focused on how host-country politics influence the supply of FDI, or how firms choose to invest. By contrast, this book focuses on the politics of FDI demand: the sources of citizens' preferences for FDI inflows and countries' foreign ownership restrictions. Professor Sonal S. Pandya's theory of FDI regulation identifies how FDI redistributes income within host countries, raises local wages, and creates competition for local firms. Empirical tests also emphasize the central role of multinational cooperations' productive assets in shaping the politics of FDI. These tests feature an original dataset of annual country-industry foreign ownership regulations that spans more than one hundred countries during the period 1970–2000. This book highlights the economic and political foundations of global economic integration and supplies the tools to understand the growing economic conflicts between advanced economics and large emerging markets such as China and India.
Performance-Based Funding: Equity Analysis of Funding Distribution among State Universities

How to finance higher education remains controversial among policy makers and constituencies across the United States. Texas is not exempt from the controversy. With increasingly strained state finances, institutions of higher education and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) have come under pressure to increase performance accountability, efficiency, and competitiveness. In Texas, House Bill 9 (H.B. 9) was enacted in 2011 to dedicate a portion of state funding to public colleges and universities that meet specific performance-based standards. Although H.B. 9 has been passed and signed into law, it still has not been determined how funding will be distributed or how effective it will be. This paper analyzes data from several states with similar performance-based funding standards to help bring to light to the possible effects H.B. 9 will have on Texas’ public four-year universities.
Class Dismissed: Rethinking Socio-Economic Status and Higher Education Attainment

Keeping higher education affordable and accessible for many Americans is an integral part of furthering the public good. Although legal scholars have given considerable attention to K-12 educational disparities as well as the constitutionality and fairness of admissions practices at selective higher education institutions, they have ignored significant barriers that limit higher education attainment for many low socio-economic status (SES) students. Similarly, the existing regulatory architecture, including federal, state, and institutional policies, inadequately addresses the higher education needs of low-SES students. This article responds to this significant gap in legal scholarship. Advancing higher education attainment for low-SES students presents a rare opportunity for the Obama administration to leave an enduring reform legacy much in the same way Roosevelt achieved with the GI Bill and Lincoln with the Morrill Act. The heightened focus on higher education attainment for low-SES students is also quite timely given the nation’s slow economic growth and the Supreme Court’s imminent decision in Fisher v. Texas. The prospect of the Supreme Court overturning its decision in Grutter v. Bollinger has prompted observers to consider the use of class as an alternative to the use of race in college admissions and beyond. In this legal, economic, and political environment, reforms targeting higher education attainment for low-SES students take on added significance. In response to these challenges, this Article proposes a more comprehensive K-16 framework to guide future reforms targeting higher education attainment for low-SES students. These reforms include: a rigorous K-12 education for a greater number of students; a transitional bridge between secondary school and higher education; and college-level reforms from federal, state, and institutional actors; and a presidential commission exclusively targeting higher education equity.
The Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite of the Milky Way, is an important yardstick by which most intergalactic distances are measured. But as Cole explains in this Perspective, how far away the LMC is remains a matter of dispute, with far reaching implications in cosmology. But observations of Cepheids and of eclipsing binaries, two types of stars that allow absolute luminosity and thus absolute distances to be determined, are promising to resolve this important issue in the not too distant future.
Reduced skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and elevated ceramide but not diacylglycerol content in severe obesity

Objective The link between a reduced capacity for skeletal muscle mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and lipotoxicity in human insulin resistance has been the subject of intense debate. The objective of this study was to investigate whether reduced FAO is associated with elevated acyl CoA, ceramide, and diacylglycerol (DAG) in severely obese insulin resistant subjects. Methods Muscle biopsies were conducted in lean (L, 22.6 ± 0.5 kg/m2, n = 8), Class I (CI, 32.1 ± 0.4 kg/m2, n = 7) and Class II&III obese (CII&III, 45.6 ± 1.1 kg/m2, n = 15) women for acyl CoA, sphingolipid and DAG profiling. Intramyocellular triglyceride (IMTG) content was determined by histology. FAO was assessed by incubating muscle homogenates with [1-[14]C]palmitate and measuring [14]CO2 production. Cardiolipin content was quantified as an index of mitochondrial content. Lipid metabolism proteins, DGAT1, PLIN5, and PNPLA2 were quantified in biopsy samples by western blot. Results CII&III were more insulin resistant (HOMA-IR: 4.5 ± 0.5 vs. 1.1 ± 0.1, P < 0.001), and had lower FAO (∼58%, P = 0.007) and cardiolipin content (∼31%, P = 0.013) compared to L. IMTG was elevated in CI (P = 0.04) and CII&III (P = 0.04) compared to L. Sphingolipid content was higher in CII&III compared to L (13.6 ± 1.1 vs. 10.3 ± 0.5 pmol/mg, P = 0.031) whereas DAG content was not different among groups. DGAT1 was elevated in CII&III, and PLIN5 was elevated in CI compared to L. Conclusions Severe obesity is associated with reduced muscle oxidative capacity and occurs concomitantly with elevated IMTG, ceramide and insulin resistance.
Intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy identifies residual tumor cells in wounds

Surgery is the most effective method to cure patients with solid tumors, and 50% of all cancer patients undergo resection. Local recurrences are due to tumor cells remaining in the wound, thus we explore near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging to identify residual cancer cells after surgery. Fifteen canines and two human patients with spontaneously occurring sarcomas underwent intraoperative imaging. During the operation, the wounds were interrogated with NIR fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy. NIR monitoring identified the presence or absence of residual tumor cells after surgery in 14/15 canines with a mean fluorescence signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of ∼16 . Ten animals showed no residual tumor cells in the wound bed (mean SBR 1-year follow-up. In five animals, the mean SBR of the wound was >15 , and histopathology confirmed tumor cells in the postsurgical wound in four/five canines. In the human pilot study, neither patient had residual tumor cells in the wound bed, and both remain disease free at >1.5-year follow up. Intraoperative NIR fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy identifies residual tumor cells in surgical wounds. These observations suggest that NIR imaging techniques may improve tumor resection during cancer operations.
A Regenerative Calcium Response in Paramecium

1. Standard intracellular current-passing and recording techniques were used to investigate the electrical properties of the membrane of Paramecium caudatum . 2. The surface membrane produces regenerative depolarizations graded in amplitude and rate of rise with the intensity of applied outward current pulses. In a solution of 1 mM-CaCl 2 , 1 mM-KCl and 1 mM Tris-HCl at pH 7.2 and 18 °C the overshoot reaches a maximum amplitude of + 5 to + 15 mV, and shows a maximum rate of rise of about 7 V/sec. 3. The overshoot is insensitive to Li, + , Na + , Cl - , TTX and procaine, but increases slightly (up to 10 mV/10-fold rise in ion concentration) in the presence of K + , Rb + , Cs + , NH + 4 , Mg 2+ and tetraethylammonium. 4. The overshoot increases 22-25 mV for each 10-fold increase in external [Ca]. Ba 2+ and Sr 2+ convert the graded response to one that is all-or-none. 5. Repolarization following the peak of the response is more rapid than expected from the time constant of the resting membrane, suggesting delayed rectification. 6. A conditioning depolarization causes inactivation of the regenerative response, and hyperpolarization depresses the response to a given stimulus current. Refractoriness persists for up to 200 msec after each response. 7. The regenerative response of the membrane is consistent with a transient increase in conductance to Ca 2+ (Ba 2+ , Sr 2+ ) with a consequent inwardly directed calcium current. This agrees with recent evidence that ciliary reversal (which accompanies depolarization) is produced by an influx of Ca 2+ .
Single-Grain Luminescence Dating of Sediment Surrounding a Possible Late Pleistocene Artifact from the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site, Pacific Northwest, USA

Excavations at the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site yielded mammoth, bison, and two possible artifacts in a single colluvial stratum, with radiocarbon bone dates ∼17 ka. Eight infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) samples were collected to establish general ages of site strata, returning multi-grain estimates consistent with stratigraphic integrity and the radiocarbon dates. Four additional IRSL samples were collected to estimate the depositional age of one artifact found in place. These produced a pooled total of 94 single-grain estimates from near the artifact, 80% averaging 16.8 ± 0.9 ka, and 20% averaging 5.1 ± 0.5 ka. These results could be interpreted to demonstrate pre-Clovis age artifact deposition consistent with the bone dates, or a mid to late Holocene intrusion into older deposits, possibly by bioturbation. The single-grain IRSL dates do not provide proof of pre-Clovis presence beyond reasonable doubt at this site, but do show that this technique is valuable in assessing the stratigraphic integrity needed for any such claim.
The biodiversity value of marine protected areas for multi-species fishery management in the Gulf of Maine

This work examined the potential for marine protected areas based on the efficient design of essential fish habitat (EFH) for juvenile life stages of economically important demersal fish species to represent non-exploited demersal fish species in the Gulf of Maine. Distribution and abundance data from research trawl surveys conducted from 1963–2000 were pooled into a 10-min lat/long square sampling grid and density per square of each species was calculated as the mean of counts from all surveys. A simulated annealing algorithm (Marxan) was used to identify minimum sets of 10-min squares that represented at least 10–30% of the regional abundance of each species under constraints for degree of spatial aggregation among sites. Numbers of non-exploited species in these sites, and species represented at abundance levels equal to or greater than the targets set for juveniles of economically important species were identified, and both were compared with mean totals from 100 sets of randomly drawn squares of equivalent number to simulation results. Percentages of non-exploited species among all scenarios varied from 81–97%. All species absent from simulation results were rare regionally. Species richness was lower in each case compared with randomly drawn squares, but only marginally. However, more species were represented in complementary sites at abundance levels equal to or greater than the targets set for economically important species. These results were interpreted with respect to a definition of biodiversity that includes species as well as functional and structural ecosystem components, and it was concluded that the dual objectives of fishery management and biodiversity conservation can be achieved, at least in some cases, within a single network of marine protected areas of moderate size. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FETs with superconducting channels

The authors consider the implications of inducing superconducting properties in the channel of a FET by using superconductors as the source and drain metallizations. Under some circumstances the semiconductor source and drain regions can themselves become superconducting due to the proximity effect, i.e. the penetration of Cooper pairs into normal material at the interface with a superconductor. The proximity-effect regions can overlap if the channel is short enough, making the device a Josephson weak link in which a gate controls both superconductive and normal currents. The authors review the basic device concept and electrical characteristics, discuss several important materials-related issues, examine the present experimental and theoretical situation, and discuss the potential for applications. They describe recent work on superconducting In/sub 0.47/Ga/sub 0.53/As JFETs (junction FETs) that addresses several of the issues raised by the present discussion. >
Through-wafer interrogation of microstructure motion for MEMS feedback control

Closed-loop MEMS control enables mechanical microsystems to adapt to the demands of the environment which they are actuating opening a new window of opportunity for future MEMS applications. Planar diffractive optical microsystems have the potential to enable the integrated optical interrogation of MEMS microstructure position fully decoupled from the means of mechanical actuation which is central to realization of feedback control. This paper presents the results of initial research evaluating through-wafer optical microsystems for MEMS integrated optical monitoring. Positional monitoring results obtained from a 1.3 micrometer wavelength through- wafer free-space optical probe of a lateral comb resonator fabricated using the Multi-User MEMS Process Service (MUMPS) are presented. Given the availability of positional information via probe signal feedback, a simulation of the application of nonlinear sliding control is presented illustrating position control of the lateral comb resonator structure.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
CEREBRAL METABOLIC EFFECTS OF NEONATAL HYPOGLYCEMIA AND ANOXIA

To ascertain cerebral metabolic responses to hypoglycemia with superimposed hypoxia, newborn rats were given regular insulin (30 u/kg s.c.). Animals were observed for up to 2 hrs with no ill effects, inspite of blood glucose concentrations of 0.75 mM/1. When exposed to 100% N2 at 37°C, these animals survive only 1/10 as long as littermate controls with normal blood glucose levels (4.7 mM/1). Treatment of hypoglycemic rats with glucose (25 mM/kg s.c.) 30 min prior to N2 exposure prevented the anoxic vulnerability. Glycolytic intermediates & high-energy phosphate reserves (mM/kg w.w.) in brains of control (C) hypoglycemic (H) & hypoglycemic-glucose treated (H-G) animals breathing air were: The cerebral metabolic rate (CMR) was not altered by hypoglycemia & averaged 2.32 mM∼P/kg/min. Following 2.5 min of N2 exposure, the cerebral energy stores ATP & P-Cr in hypoglycemic rats were lower by 24 & 51%, respectively, compared to normoglycenic animals subjected to the same degree of anoxia. Thus, reduced anoxic resistance of hypoglycemic neonates is not primarily a function of lower brain glycogen level* or altered CMR. Endogenous cerebral glucose stores combined with continued circulating glucose (cerebrovascular perfusion) appears critical for maintaining perinatal hypoxic survival.
A gel retardation assay for the interaction of proteins and carbohydrates by fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis

A gel retardation method for studying the interaction between proteins and carbohydrates employing fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) has been developed. A carbohydrate (or carbohydrate mixture) is labeled fluorescently at its reducing end with 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, incubated with its binding protein(s), separated, visualized, and quantified by the FACE system. Protein-bound carbohydrate remains at the top of the high-percentage polyacrylamide gel, whereas free carbohydrate migrates into the gel and is thereby separated. Employing mixtures of carbohydrates, a side-by-side comparison between protein-present and protein-absent samples easily identifies the carbohydrate ligands of the protein. The method proposed provides a rapid, convenient, and visual alternative for screening and identifying protein-carbohydrate interactions. The feasibilities of the method and of the determination of the apparent association constants of protein-carbohydrate complexes were examined by the use of lectins and their known carbohydrate ligands. The potential of determining association constants for proteins and native carbohydrates through competition experiments with unlabeled carbohydrate is also discussed.
Ultra-cold weakly interacting massive particles: relics of non-standard pre-big-bang-nucleosynthesis cosmologies

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) constitute one of very few probes of cosmology before big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). We point out that in scenarios in which the Universe evolves in a non-standard manner during and after WIMP kinetic decoupling, the horizon mass scale at decoupling can be smaller and the dark matter WIMPs can be colder than in standard cosmology. This would lead to much smaller first objects in hierarchical structure formation. In low reheating temperature scenarios the effect may be large enough to noticeably enhance indirect detection signals in GLAST and other detectors, by up to two orders of magnitude.
Morphologic significance of left atrial involvement

Abstract Left atrial involvement, defined as the terminal negativity of the P wave in Lead V 1 of 1 mm. or more in depth and a duration of 0.04 second or more, was evaluated in 270 autopsied cases with the use of a chamber dissection technique for the determination of atrial and ventricular hypertrophy. Left atrial involvement was present in the following: 35 (44.3 per cent) of 79 hearts with left atrial hypertrophy, 31 (34.8 per cent) of 89 hearts with right atrial hypertrophy, 32 (22.4 per cent) of 143 hearts without atrial hypertrophy, 52 (44.4 per cent) of 117 hearts with left ventricular hypertrophy, 17 (34.7 per cent) of 49 hearts with right ventricular hypertrophy, 9 (11.5 per cent) of 78 hearts without anatomic evidence of atrial or ventricular hypertrophy, and 3 (3.8 per cent) of 78 hearts without anatomic evidence of atrial or ventricular hypertrophy or any clinical or postmortem findings of cardiopulmonary disease. Left atrial involvement has a significant correlation with left atrial hypertrophy (p
Propositional representation for graphical knowledge

Abstract Multi-media interfaces with a graphics and a natural language component can be viewed as a Natural Language Graphics systems without a host program. We will investigate a theory of Natural Language Graphics that is based on the notion of “Graphical Deep Knowledge” defined in this research. Graphical Deep Knowledge is knowledge that can be used for display purposes as well as reasoning purposes and we describe the syntax and semantics of its constructs. This analysis covers forms, positions, attributes, parts, classes, reference frames, inheritability, etc. Part hierarchies are differentiated into three sub-types. The usefulness of inheritance along part hierarchies is demonstrated, and criticism of inheritance-based knowledge representation formalisms with a bias towards class hierarchies is derived from this finding. The presented theory has been implemented as a generator program that creates pictures from knowledge structures, and as an augmented transition network grammar that creates knowledge structures from limited natural language input. The function of the picture generation program Tina as a user interface for a circuit board maintenance system and as part of a CAD-like layout system is demonstrated.
Forest ecosystem response to four years of chronic nitrate and sulfate additions at Bear Brooks Watershed, Maine, USA

Abstract Nitrogen deposition to forest ecosystems is of growing concern, as total N emissions to the atmosphere continue to increase globally. Potential negative effects on forests and surface waters include soil and water acidification, mobilization and leaching of aluminum and heavy metals, and nutrient imbalances in trees. In this paper we report the results of a chronic nitrogen amendment experiment at the Bear Brooks Watersheds in northern Maine (BBWM), and compare them with results from similar studies conducted in Massachusetts and Vermont. Treatments included low and high nitrogen (2000 and 4000 eq ha−1 year−1 as HNO3), low and high sulfur (2000 and 4000 eq ha−1 year−1 as H2SO4), and nitrogen plus sulfur (2000 eq ha−1 year−1 each), with three replicates per treatment. Initial net N mineralization rates were similar in all plots, and net nitrification rates varied between 4 and 9 kg ha−1 year−1 in the control plots over the 3 years of measurement (4–12% of net annual mineralization). In 1989, net N mineralization rates in treated plots were equal to or higher than control plot rates for all but the low S treatment while in 1990, measured rates for all treatments were lower than controls. Net nitrification increased in all but the control and low S plots by 1990, representing from 8 to 25% of net annual N mineralization across treatments in that year. Foliar N concentration in nitrogen treated plots was consistently higher than in the controls, and those differences generally increased with time. Differences in woody biomass increment and foliar litterfall were not statistically significant, although tree mortality did increase substantially in all but the low S treatment. In general, N leaching losses increased with increasing N additions. Nitrogen retention ranged from 93 to 97% of inputs in the control and N amended sites. Measurement of ecosystem pools shows that 70–92% of inputs to the N treated plots were retained in the soil pool, similar to estimates obtained by 15N analyses. Results from the external plots at Bear Brooks are similar to those from other nitrogen manipulation experiments at the Harvard Forest, MA and Mt. Ascutney, VT in several ways, but N retention was less than expected. We hypothesize that differences in previous land use history have had a greater effect on current N cycling rates than have differences in cumulative N deposition.
Prediction of modes with dominant base roll and propeller twist in B-DNA poly(dA)-poly(dT).

In solving the secular equation of a one-dimensional infinite lattice model of poly(dA)-poly(dT), we obtain dispersion relations. [The notation poly(dA)-poly(dT) means that one strand contains only adenine (A) bases, and the other only thymine (T) bases.] We solve the equation for consecutive refinements of the nonbonded force constants based on Raman, Brillouin, and neutron scattering and Fourier-transform infrared experiments in both polynucleotides and random sequence DNA. When these eigenvectors are examined for base roll and propeller twist, such characteristics are found to be dominant in modes around 50 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$.
Genome-wide genetic analysis of polyploidy in yeast

Polyploidy, increased sets of chromosomes, occurs during development, cellular stress, disease and evolution. Despite its prevalence, little is known about the physiological alterations that accompany polyploidy. We previously described 'ploidy-specific lethality', where a gene deletion that is not lethal in haploid or diploid budding yeast causes lethality in triploids or tetraploids. Here we report a genome-wide screen to identify ploidy-specific lethal functions. Only 39 out of 3,740 mutations screened exhibited ploidy-specific lethality. Almost all of these mutations affect genomic stability by impairing homologous recombination, sister chromatid cohesion, or mitotic spindle function. We uncovered defects in wild-type tetraploids predicted by the screen, and identified mechanisms by which tetraploidization affects genomic stability. We show that tetraploids have a high incidence of syntelic/monopolar kinetochore attachments to the spindle pole. We suggest that this defect can be explained by mismatches in the ability to scale the size of the spindle pole body, spindle and kinetochores. Thus, geometric constraints may have profound effects on genome stability; the phenomenon described here may be relevant in a variety of biological contexts, including disease states such as cancer.
Decoding reveals the contents of visual working memory in early visual areas

Visual working memory provides an essential link between perception and higher cognitive functions, allowing for the active maintenance of information about stimuli no longer in view. Research suggests that sustained activity in higher-order prefrontal, parietal, inferotemporal and lateral occipital areas supports visual maintenance, and may account for the limited capacity of working memory to hold up to 3-4 items. Because higher-order areas lack the visual selectivity of early sensory areas, it has remained unclear how observers can remember specific visual features, such as the precise orientation of a grating, with minimal decay in performance over delays of many seconds. One proposal is that sensory areas serve to maintain fine-tuned feature information, but early visual areas show little to no sustained activity over prolonged delays. Here we show that orientations held in working memory can be decoded from activity patterns in the human visual cortex, even when overall levels of activity are low. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and pattern classification methods, we found that activity patterns in visual areas V1-V4 could predict which of two oriented gratings was held in memory with mean accuracy levels upwards of 80%, even in participants whose activity fell to baseline levels after a prolonged delay. These orientation-selective activity patterns were sustained throughout the delay period, evident in individual visual areas, and similar to the responses evoked by unattended, task-irrelevant gratings. Our results demonstrate that early visual areas can retain specific information about visual features held in working memory, over periods of many seconds when no physical stimulus is present.
Light-induced changes in the ionic content of chloroplasts in Pisum sativum

Abstract 1. 1. The content of chloroplasts isolated in two minutes from pea plants in the light or dark was ascertained both via osmotic responses in sucrose solutions interpreted by the Boyle-Van 't Hoff relation and from direct determination of the K+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Cl− associated with the chloroplasts. 2. 2. From packed-volume and Coulter-counter results, the chloroplasts contained about 3.52 μmoles of osmotically active particles per mg chlorophyll when isolated from plants in the dark and only 2.39 μmoles per mg chlorophyll when isolated from plants in the light. Likewise, the total amount per mg chlorophyll of the five ions determined was about 32% lower for chloroplasts from plants in the light compared with the dark. 3. 3. The concentration of ions in the osmotically responding space was calculated using the chloroplast volume measured at the same osmolality as the cell sap (about 288 mosmolal). Chloroplasts both from plants in the light and the dark contained about 99 mM K+, 92 mM Cl−, 16 mM Mg2+, 15 mM Ca2+ and 10 mM Na+. 4. 4. Based on an extension of the conventional Boyle-Van 't Hoff relation using irreversible thermodynamics, the reflection coefficient of the chloroplast limiting membranes for internal solutes was greater than 0.7. Sucrose was essentially excluded from these chloroplasts. 5. 5. The light-induced decrease of K+ in the chloroplasts and its reversal when the plants were placed in the dark had half-times of about 4 min. This decrease occurring in vivo was 75% inhibited by p-trifluoromethoxycarbonylcyanide phenylhydrazone and was completely abolished by nigericin, indicating that the light-induced K+ efflux from chloroplasts required either ATP or a high-energy intermediate created by photosynthetic electron flow.
Vibrational Anharmonicity and Lattice Thermal Properties

It has been believed for some time that anharmonicity of lattice vibrations is responsible for the continued rise of the specific heats of certain solids in the classical temperature region. A general analysis is here carried out of the linear chain model interacting through a Morse potential. All the major thermal properties, such as specific heats, thermal expansion, and compressibility are derived, and a tentative comparison is made with observed properties of the alkali metals.It is found that the linear chain then exists in two widely different states with properties characteristic of condensed and gas-like phases; these two states are separated by a relatively narrow transition region in temperature where the specific heat passes through a rather sharp maximum (except at high pressures when the maximum ultimately disappears).
Empire De/Centered: New Spatial Histories of Russia and the Soviet Union

This volume brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines, mostly from European institutions, whose essays combine recent imperial and spatial ‘turns’ in the historiography of Russia and t...
Determinants of zinc intake in low-income black and white pregnant women.

A prospective study was conducted to evaluate and compare the determinants of dietary zinc intake in black and white low-income pregnant women. The study population consisted of 1298 low-income women (70% Black, 30% White) who received prenatal care at University Hospital at the University of Alabama in Birmingham from 1985 to 1989. Various maternal characteristics were evaluated at the first prenatal visit. Two 24 h recalls were obtained at 18 and 30 wk of gestation to calculate the intakes of dietary zinc and other nutrients. Student’st test, ξ2, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analyses were used to compare and evaluate the determinants of zinc and other nutrient intakes in Black and White subjects. The mean prepregnancy body mass index and the mean intake of zinc, energy, and all the other nutrients except calcium were significantly higher in Black than in White subjects. There was a significant correlation between zinc and energy intake (r- 0.69,p = 0.001). Age, marital status, parity, socioeconomic status, smoking, and alcohol intake were not significant predictors of zinc or other nutrient intakes. After adjusting for energy intake, race was the only significant predictor of dietary zinc intake. Race and energy intake explained 24% of the variation in zinc intake. Results of this study indicate that after adjusting for other covariates, race and energy intakes are the only predictors of zinc intake in low-income pregnant women.
Negative Life Events Vary by Neighborhood and Mediate the Relation between Neighborhood Context and Psychological Well-Being

Researchers have speculated that negative life events are more common in troubled neighborhoods, amplifying adverse effects on health. Using a clustered representative sample of Chicago residents (2001–03; n = 3,105) from the Chicago Community Adult Health Survey, we provide the first documentation that negative life events are highly geographically clustered compared to health outcomes. Associations between neighborhood context and negative life events were also found to vary by event type. We then demonstrate the power of a contextualized approach by testing path models in which life events mediate the relation between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes, including self-rated health, anxiety, and depression. The indirect paths between neighborhood conditions and health through negative life event exposure are highly significant and large compared to the direct paths from neighborhood conditions to health. Our results indicate that neighborhood conditions can have acute as well as chronic effects on health, and that negative life events are a powerful mechanism by which context may influence health.
d-ala2-methionine-enkephalinamide self-administration in the morphine-dependent rat

The self-administration of d-enkephalin was studied in the dependent rat self-administering morphine. The rats were prepared with chronic IV and bilateral intraventricular (IVT) injection cannulae. They were made physically dependent on morphine and trained to lever press for IV morphine self-injections (inj) (10 mg/kg) on a fixed ratio (20) (FR20) schedule of reinforcement. Substitution of d-enkephalin either IVT. (40 μg/inj) or IV (10 mg/kg/inj) in the morphinedependent rat maintained consistent lever pressing and self-administration.behavior similar to morphine self-administration. No signs of abstinence were observed during the d-enkephalin substitution. However, saline substitution (0,05 ml/inj IV) for morphine in the self-administering rat produced an abstinence syndrome characterized by extinction of responding, wet-dog shakes, writhes, and diarrhea, which were reversed for 1 h by a single IVT injection of d-enkephalin (40 or 80 μg). These results indicate that d-enkephalin will serve as a reinforcer to maintain opiate-seeking behavior and support physical dependence in the rat.
Condition Monitoring of Molybdenum Disulphide Coated Thrust Ball Bearings Using Time-Frequency Signal Analysis

A method for detection of wear in thrust ball bearings coated with molybdenum disulphide MoS2 is presented. It employs an energy feature obtained from time-frequency representation of the vibration signal. Extensive experimental studies are conducted to verify the efficacy of the proposed method for fault diagnosis of MoS2 coating. These experiments are conducted under both oscillatory and unidirectional motions. The results of vibrations are corroborated with the friction coefficient from the onset of the motion until failure develops. Through monitoring of the energy in time-frequency domain as well as the coefficient of friction, three stages of coating life are identified. They are healthy period, developing damage, and failure. It is shown that the energy feature can detect whenever wear and damage appear and solid lubricant loses its lubrication capabilities. DOI: 10.1115/1.4002379
Re-Evaluation of the Calcium-Phosphorus Requirements of the Chick,

Abstract BETHKE et al. (1928) reported that the optimum calcium-phosphorus ratio for the growing chick was between 3:1 and 4:1 and within certain limits of concentration, the ratio of calcium to phosphorus was of greater importance than the amounts of these minerals in the ration. They further concluded that with a minimum dietary supply of vitamin D the ratio was more critical than when a generous amount of the vitamin was available. Hart el al. (1930) also advocated a wide calcium-phosphorus ratio (2:1 to 4:1). In the presence of abundant vitamin D and a phosphorus level of 0.3 percent, the calcium level could be varied from 0.61 to 1.13 percent wit h no ill effects. With a minimum supply of vitamin D, however, a greater degree of calcification was obtained with a calcium level of 2.49 to 2.71 percent and a phosphorus level of 0.66 t o 0.83 percent of the…
Keloidal atypical fibroxanthoma: a case series.

Background: Keloidal atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) is a rare variant of AFX with thick bands of hyalinized collagen. The identification of keloidal collagen associated with fibrohistiocytic cells may erroneously lead to the diagnosis of keloidal dermatofibroma. Although AFX is a pleomorphic cutaneous tumor typically associated with a good prognosis, occasional reports of metastatic AFX highlight the importance of accurate identification. Methods: A total of nine cases of an unusual variant of AFX with keloidal tumoral sclerosis were collected and examined. The cases were stained with antibodies directed against S100, cytokeratin, CD68 and CD31. Results: Histopathological examination revealed pleomorphic cells trapped within hyalinized keloidal collagen bands. In several cases, the keloidal collagen also formed ring-shaped structures surrounding CD31-positive vascular structures. Pleomorphic cells were negative for S100 protein and keratin, but consistently labeled with antibodies directed against CD68. Conclusions: The diagnosis of keloidal AFX requires the exclusion of other malignant and benign lesions with keloidal or sclerotic collagen. Awareness of the rare variant of keloidal AFX may avoid a diagnostic pitfall leading to an erroneous diagnosis, particularly in small biopsies. The finding of sclerotic collagen preferentially deposited around vessels is an interesting and poorly understood phenomenon.
Ionothermal carbonization of sugars in a protic ionic liquid under ambient conditions

Abstract A mesoporous carbon has been synthesized by an ionothermal carbonization of glucose or fructose at low temperature under ambient pressure. The success of this ionothermal approach was based on the suppressed solvent volatility and latent acidity of a protic ionic liquid. The carbonaceous material obtained can be applied to conformal carbon coatings and carbon composite fabrications.
Influence of Genotype, Plant Growth Temperature and Anther Incubation Temperature on Microspore Embryo Production in Brassica napus ssp. oleifera

Eleven Fx hybrid genotypes of winter rape (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera) were used in a study of induction and growth of microspore-derived embryos. Plants of each genotype were grown in controlled environments at either a constant 15 CC or a constant 20 °C, both with a 16 h photoperiod. Equal numbers of buds, approximately 2-5 mm in length, containing uninucleate microspores were harvested from each genotype and either pretreated (14 d at 4°C) or dissected immediately after harvest. Anthers were cultured on liquid medium based upon that of Murashige and Skoog (1962) and containing 8% sucrose, 0-5 mg dm-3 naphthylacetic acid and 0-05 mg dm-3 benzylaminopurine. Anthers from equal samples of buds were incubated at 35 °C for 0,1, 2 or 3 d before transfer to 30 °C (21 d) and then 25 °C. After a total of 42 d incubation, cultures were scored for the presence of macroscopic embryos (1-2 mm in length) and for the presence of anthers containing aborted embryoids which had not developed further. The results showed first that bud pretreatment completely inhibited induction and secondly that anthers of all genotypes had an absolute requirement for a 35 °C treatment (optimal duration 2 d) in order to induce embryoid formation. In the great majority of genotypes plants grown at 15 °C provided ore productive anthers than plants grown at 20 °C. However, within each treatment there were great differences both in the frequency of anthers showing induced embryoids and of the final yield of embryos. There was evidence that hybrids with a common parent responded similarly under certain treatments. This confirmed the importance of genotypic control for some components of embryo yield.
Cognitive Asymmetry, Computer Science Students, and Professional Programmers

System analysts and computer programmers of a university computer center performed better on visuospatial tasks usually attributed to the right cerebral hemisphere. By contrast, subjects from a human resources department of a bank performed better on verbosequential tasks associated with the left hemisphere. The cognitive profile was significantly different although the overall performance was not different between the groups. In an intermediate computer class there was a significant correlation between the cognitive profile favoring visuospatial skills and scores on computer projects in which the students used their own ingenuity. There was no correlation with scores that depended on class notes nor with scores on examinations. These results suggest that the cognitive profile may be an important indicator for success in certain occupations.
Bioavailability of Erythromycin Stearate: Influence of Food and Fluid Volume

The influence of various test meals and coadministered water volumes on erythromycin stearate bioavailability from orally dosed film-coated tablets was studied in healthy human subjects. Serum erythromycin levels were uniformly reduced by all test meals, with the reduction in mean peak serum levels varying from 47 to 60%. Serum erythromycin levels also were reduced significantly in fasted individuals when the accompanying water volume was reduced from 250 to 20 ml. The apparent drug absorption rate constant was not influenced by treatments. This result is probably due to rapid degradation of solubilized, unabsorbed drug in the GI tract. Higher and more uniform serum erythromycin levels are obtained when erythromycin stearate tablets are given on an empty stomach together with an adequate water volume.
Cell lineage in the development of the leech nervous system

The intricate structure and function of the adult nervous system is the result of developmental interactions of factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to the embryonic neurons and their precursor cells. To fathom the mechanisms underlying these interactive processes, a detailed knowledge of the course of neurogenesis at the cellular level is essential. Once such knowledge is available, specific and well-focused questions can be formulated at the biophysical, biochemical, or genetic levels. One key aspect of the process of neurogenesis at the cellular level is cell lineage, i.e., the embryonic lines of descent of various types of neurons. The importance of cell lineage for understanding developmental processes was realized over a century ago by C. O. Whitman.1 On the basis of his studies of the development of leeches, Whitman put forward the idea, then quite novel, that each identified cell of the early embryo, and the clone of its descendant cells, plays a specific role in later development. Cell lineage analyses were later extended to the embryos of other species, not only by direct observation but also by use of other techniques, such as selective ablation, application of extracellular marker particles, and, most importantly, production of chimera and genetic mosaics.2–10 More recently, we have refined and extended Whitman’s century-old cell lineage studies in leech embryos, with particular emphasis on the cellular origins of the leech nervous system. As will be seen in this chapter, leeches are well suited for cellular investigations of neuronal development because both their early embryos and their adult nervous systems comprise identifiable cells accessible to experimental manipulation.
Linear chain magnetic behavior in N,N'-bis(trifluoroacetylacetone)ethylenediimine copper(II)

Abstract The spin- 1 2 linear chain system N,N′-bis(trifluoroacetylacetone)ethylenediimine copper(II) has been investigated at room temperature by electron paramagnetic resonance. The relevant EPR data are the linewidth anisotropy and lineshape variation as a function of the angle between the linear chain and the applied magnetic field. Both of these sets of data showed marked deviations from normal three-dimensional behavior, but are accounted for in terms of a one-dimensional, spin-diffusive model.