cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Posttraumatic cognitions predict distorted body perceptions in women with dissociative identity disorder.

Abstract Background Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a psychobiological syndrome associated with a history of exposure to childhood abuse and neglect. The consequences of these traumatic events often include a profound impact on the way individuals inhabit and experience their bodies. Despite this, there is a paucity of empirical research on the subject. The aim of this study was to systematically document the occurrence of distorted body perceptions in DID and examine childhood maltreatment, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, and posttraumatic cognitions as predictors of distorted body perceptions in DID. Methods Participants were adult women with histories of childhood abuse and neglect and a current DID diagnosis receiving treatment at a psychiatric care facility. Data were obtained through a battery of self-report measures, including the Body Uneasiness Test, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, PTSD Checklist for DMS-5, and Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory. Results A series of unpaired t-tests documented elevated levels of weight phobia, body image concerns, body avoidance, compulsive self-monitoring, and depersonalization in DID compared to published non-clinical data on the Body Uneasiness Test. A series of multiple regression models including measures of childhood trauma, PTSD symptoms, and posttraumatic cognitions demonstrated that over and above childhood trauma and PTSD symptom severity, posttraumatic cognitions significantly predicted distorted body perceptions. Conclusions In a treatment-seeking sample of women with DID, distorted body perceptions were elevated. Furthermore, posttraumatic cognitive distortions significantly predicted distorted body perceptions when controlling for childhood maltreatment and PTSD symptom severity. This suggests that distorted cognitions are a key target for therapeutic intervention.
Toward quantum Monte Carlo forces on heavier ions: Scaling properties.

Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) forces have been studied extensively in recent decades because of their importance with spectroscopic observables and geometry optimization. Here, we benchmark the accuracy and computational cost of QMC forces. The zero-variance zero-bias (ZVZB) force estimator is used in standard variational and diffusion Monte Carlo simulations with mean-field based trial wavefunctions and atomic pseudopotentials. Statistical force uncertainties are obtained with a recently developed regression technique for heavy tailed QMC data [P. Lopez Rios and G. J. Conduit, Phys. Rev. E 99, 063312 (2019)]. By considering selected atoms and dimers with elements ranging from H to Zn (1 ≤ Zeff ≤ 20), we assess the accuracy and the computational cost of ZVZB forces as the effective pseudopotential valence charge, Zeff, increases. We find that the costs of QMC energies and forces approximately follow simple power laws in Zeff. The force uncertainty grows more rapidly, leading to a best case cost scaling relationship of approximately Zeff6.5(3) for diffusion Monte Carlo. We find that the accessible system size at fixed computational cost scales as Zeff−2, insensitive to model assumptions or the use of the “space warp” variance-reduction technique. Our results predict the practical cost of obtaining forces for a range of materials, such as transition metal oxides where QMC forces have yet to be applied, and underscore the importance of further developing force variance-reduction techniques, particularly for atoms with high Zeff.
Libation ritual and the performance of kingship in early China

Abstract Building on a diverse array of previous discoveries, this paper investigates the intersection of alcohol consumption, ritual performance, and political representations in early China. It traces the emergence and elaboration of a libation assemblage in coastal Neolithic mound centers to its incorporation into Bronze Age high culture, whereas it became an important medium for religious communication in Zhou bronze inscriptions and ritual texts. As the ritual process bound the living with the ancestral and supernatural realms, the deep continuities in these ritual practices and associated assemblage reveal an emerging notion of kingship in the political evolution of early China that took alcohol and alcohol-related rituals as its primary representation of political and ritual authority. This close connection between libation and power becomes the defining attribute of Bronze Age material culture in early China.
Properties of Fructose 1,6-Diphosphate Aldolases from Spores and Vegetative Cells of Bacillus cereus

Abstract Fructose 1,6-diphosphate aldolase from cells of Bacillus cereus appears to be typical Class II aldolase as judged by its functional and physical properties. Spore and vegetative cell aldolase had similar enzymatic, immunochemical, and heat resistance properties in the absence of calcium, but they differed in their thermal stabilities in the presence of calcium, their Stokes' radii, their mobility in acrylamide gel electrophoresis, and their molecular weights. The pH optimum for both enzymes was 8.5, and their Km with respect to substrate was 2 × 10−3m. Highly purified spore and vegetative cell aldolases were both heat labile with half-lives of 4 min at 53 C and pH 6.4. In the presence of 3 × 10−2m solution of calcium ions, the stability of the spore protein increased 12-fold but the vegetative form became more heat labile. The enhanced stability of the spore aldolase was not diminished by dialysis or gel filtration but was lost after chromatography on diethylaminoethyl cellulose at pH 7.4. Aldolase from vegetative cells exists in an equilibrium mixture of two molecular weights, 115,000 and 79,000 in the approximate ratio of 1:4, respectively. The molecular weight of spore aldolase is 44,000. Spore aldolase was more mobile during electrophoresis than its vegetative cell counterpart because of its smaller size.
The Imaging Neutral Camera for the Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan

The INCA sensor is the first Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) imager funded for flight by NASA. It is a part of the Cassini mission to Saturn, where it will be well suited to monitoring the global dynamics of the Saturn-Titan magnetospheric system throughout the orbital tour. The investigative requirement is to perform remote sensing of the magnetospheric energetic (E ≥ 20 keV) plasma ions by detecting and imaging charge exchange neutrals, created when magnetospheric ions capture electrons from ambient neutral gas. In fact, this instrument will work to somewhat lower energies. Escaping charge exchange neutrals, detected by the Voyager-1 spacecraft outside Saturn's magnetosphere, can be used like photons to form images of the emitting regions, as has been done at Earth. Since Cassini is 3-axis oriented, INCA is designed as a 2-D imager with a field of view of 90 by 120 degrees. The technique involves sensing the position of the ENA as it penetrates an entrance foil and again on the back-plane microchannel plate, thereby establishing the ENA's trajectory and time-of-flight (TOF). Along with rough composition determined by pulse-height analysis, the sensor produces images of the hot plasma interaction with the cold ambient neutral gas as a function of species and energy, from ∼20 keV to several MeV. A large geometric factor (∼2.5 cm 2 -sr) allows sufficient sensitivity to obtain statistically significant images in ∼1 to 30 minutes, for most conditions and locations. We will discuss several of the design details unique to this instrument, and will also review some of the its limitations as well as modifications required for imaging in the Earth magnetospheric environment.
Susceptibility and resistance of several fungi to microbial lysis.

Potgieter, H. J. (Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.), and M. Alexander. Susceptibility and resistance of several fungi to microbial lysis. J. Bacteriol. 91:1526–1532. 1966.—Strains of Streptomyces, Nocardia, and Pseudomonas capable of lysing hyphae of Fusarium solani or Neurospora crassa were obtained by selective culture, but attempts to isolate an organism lysing Rhizoctonia solani failed. When provided with F. solani or N. crassa as carbon sources, the actinomycetes tested produced β-(1 → 3) glucanase and chitinase. A mixture containing purified chitinase and β-(1 → 3) glucanase induced spheroplast formation in F. solani, caused some morphological changes in N. crassa, but had almost no effect on R. solani hyphae. The polysaccharides in R. solani walls, which contain a large amount of glucose as well as galactose, mannose, and glucosamine, were not hydrolyzed appreciably by the two enzymes. Laminaribiose and laminaritriose were released by enzymatic hydrolysis of F. solani and N. crassa walls, and gentiobiose was liberated from R. solani and N. crassa walls. Melaninlike materials were found in R. solani walls, accounting for 8.50% of the wall weight. A role for melanin in protecting hyphae from microbial lysis is suggested.
Keywording in Search Engines as Trademark Infringement: Issues Arising from Matim Li v. Crazy Line

The typical scenario of keywording involves a trilateral structure of legal positions. The mark holder is the party that has trademark rights in the term that is used as a keyword. The search engine is the entity that provides search tools to Internet users, usually for free, helping them to find specific information on the Internet based on search queries entered by users into the search tool. The advertiser enters into contractual relationship with the search engine, while bidding certain keywords that will trigger its advertisement/link if the user enters these words as search terms. The markholder files a legal action against the advertiser, the search engine or both, claiming trademark infringement and/or unfair commercial practice (unfair competition.) Questions of liability may be classified according to the type of defendant and the type of action commenced against it. In Matim Li v. Crazy Line the district court of Tel Aviv dismissed trademark infringement and unfair competition claims against a defendant that used marks of others to trigger Google AdWords. There, the advertiser used keywords identical to the registered marks and was engaged in offering goods of the same class for which the marks were registered. Yet, the protected marks did not appear as part of the AdWord. The court dismissed trademark infringement claims mainly because such advertising practice was found as not creating likelihood of consumer confusion regarding the source of goods. Further, it was held that the keywording practice did not amount to gaining wrongful advantage based on the reputation of the marks. This paper takes the Matim Li decision as its point of departure for discussing keywording from a broader perspective in light of recent developments in the United States and Europe.
Preproenkephalin mRNA expression in developing rat heart and in cultured ventricular cardiac muscle cells

Heart muscle tissue has previously been reported to have the highest content of preproenkephalin (ppEnk) mRNA of any tissue in the adult rat. We have determined that it is present in the ventricular cardiac muscle cells of the heart and is developmentally regulated. The expression of ppEnk mRNA was observed to be low throughout the first 2 weeks of postnatal development and decreases substantially during week 3. Expression was again low by week 4, but by adulthood (approx. 3 months), it reached a maximum. ppEnk mRNA was actively expressed in primary cardiac muscle cell cultures prepared from both neonatal and adult rats. Its steady-state content in cell cultures was observed to be increased by cyclic AMP and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. The phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate elicited a transient effect (i.e. an increase was observed at 4 h and a return to control values by 24 h). We speculate that enkephalin may play a multi-functional role in the differentiation of neonatal cardiac muscle cells and in the terminally differentiated adult heart cell. We demonstrate that the primary culture systems employed in this study will be useful models with which to explore both transcriptional and translational regulation of ppEnk mRNA in the heart.
Cognitive Impairments in Ataxia-Telangiectasia

Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and centers in Frankfurt, Germany, examined 22 patients with the classic phenotype of ataxia-telangiectasia for neurocognitive features, and compared patients with early stage cerebellar disease (group AT-I) versus those with late stage cerebrocerebellar disease (group AT-II).
Interaction of Dopamine D1 and NMDA Receptors Mediates Acute Clozapine Potentiation of Glutamate EPSPs in Rat Prefrontal Cortex

The atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine effectively alleviates both negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia via unclear cellular mechanisms. Clozapine may modulate both glutamatergic and ...
Masturbation mimicking abdominal pain or seizures in young girls.

Five girls, 7 to 27 months of age, had masturbatory posturing that did not involve rubbing of the genitalia or copulatory movements. This activity was mistakenly attributed to abdominal pain or seizures, and prompted unnecessary diagnostic tests. The posturing began at 3 to 14 months and consisted of "leaning episodes" in which the suprapubic region was applled to a firm edge or the parent's knee in one patient, stiffening of the lower extremities in a standing or sitting position in the second patient, and stiffening of the lower extremities while lying on their sides or supine in three infant patients. The posturing was often accompanied by irregular breathing, facial flushing, and diaphoresis, and lasted less than a minute to hours at a time. Management consisted of convincing the parents of the harmless nature of the activity, which then lessened the reinforcing effect of their responses. The posturing subsided, in time, without medical or surgical treatment.
Immune dysfunction in Camurati-Engelmann disease

Abstract Rationale Camurati-Engelmann disease (CED) is a progressive, autosomal dominant sclerosing bone dysplasia involving gene mutation of the latency-associated peptide of tumor growth factor (TGF)-β1, preventing inactivation of the cytokine. Since TGF-β is thought to play a regulatory role in immunity, one might expect an immune dysfunction in CED. Methods By retrospective chart review, a mother and daughter with CED were identified. Results The mother had a history of asthma, chronic gastrointestinal complaints, tobacco use, recurrent conjunctivitis, urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections, and monthly bronchitis. She had normal IgG and IgA, low IgG2, normal IgG4, low IgM of 48 (normal 60-263 mg/dl), and high IgE of 1709 (normal 2-120 IU/ml). However, she had inadequate anti-polysaccharide antibody response, anergy by DTH skin testing, and no response to recall antigens in vitro. She had normal serum TGF-β, but elevated serum IFN-γ, IL-4, and TNF-α. The daughter had documented CED gene mutation, bone pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, recurrent bronchitis and pharyngitis, requiring multiple courses of antibiotics. She had normal IgG and IgA, normal IgG subclasses, low IgM of 55, increased IgE of 192, normal anti-polysaccharide antibody response, and normal in vitro lymphocyte testing, but anergic DTH skin testing. Unlike her mother, she had non-detectable serum cytokine levels. Conclusions These patients reflect that gene mutation of the TGF-β1 latency-associated peptide is associated with immune dysfunction. Individual differences in immune abnormalities may parallel the variable, and progressive, bone manifestations seen in these patients. We anticipate the daughter's immune dysfunction to become more overt with age.
The Creation and Configuration of Infrastructure for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Domains of Activity

Entrepreneurship is a perilous endeavor. Contextual changes, such as nascent technology emergence or new industry creation, can spawn entrepreneurial opportunities; however, these changes do not instantaneously create the resources and structures that new firms need to survive. This study examines the creation and configuration of the contextual infrastructure necessary for nascent technology entrepreneurship in new industries. Using the case of nanotechnology, I show how the elements of infrastructure emerge and configure through systemic coevolution. The data highlight how boundary crossing and obfuscation induces the configuration of separate elements into a cohesive infrastructure through heightened interaction and interdependence of organizations and institutions, both private and public.
Sex ratio by age in childhood malignancies

Abstract Mortality data from both the United States and England and Wales indicates that the sex ratio (male/female mortality rate) decreases by age at death for tumors of the genito-urinary system, but increases for other malignancies of childhood. Although interpretation of these findings must be somewhat speculative, it is postulated, on the basis of supportive evidence, that they can be explained by the differential effect of age and sex upon the host's susceptibility to some carcinogenic agents or agents.
Qualitative behavior of special functions on compact symmetric spaces

Abstract For a symmetric space G K of compact type, the highest-weight vectors for representations of G occurring in L 2 (G K) become heavily concentrated near certain submanifolds of G K as the highest weight goes to infinity. This fact is applied to obtain estimates for the spectral measures of the operators qλ = PλqPλ, where P λ : L 2 ( G K ) → V λ is an orthogonal projection onto a G-irreducible summand, and q: G/K → R is a continuous function acting on L 2 (G K) by multiplication.
Variable Effects of Nitrate on ATP-Dependent Proton Transport by Barley Root Membranes

The effects of NO3− and assay temperature on proton translocating ATPases in membranes of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv California Mariout 72) roots were examined. The membranes were fractionated on continuous and discontinuous sucrose gradients and proton transport was assayed by monitoring the fluorescence of acridine orange. A peak of H+-ATPase at 1.11 grams per cubic centimeter was inhibited by 50 millimolar KNO3 when assayed at 24°C or above and was tentatively identified as the tonoplast H+-ATPase. A smaller peak of H+-ATPase at 1.16 grams per cubic centimeter, which was not inhibited by KNO3 and was partially inhibited by vanadate, was tentatively identified as the plasma membrane H+-ATPase. A step gradient gave three fractions enriched, respectively, in endoplasmic reticulum, tonoplast ATPase, and plasma membrane ATPase. There was a delay before 50 millimolar KNO3 inhibited ATP hydrolysis by the tonoplast ATPase at 12°C and the initial rate of proton transport was stimulated by 50 millimolar KNO3. The time course for fluorescence quench indicated that addition of ATP in the presence of KNO3 caused a pH gradient to form that subsequently collapsed. This biphasic time course for proton transport in the presence of KNO3 was explained by the temperature-dependent delay of the inhibition by KNO3. The plasma membrane H+-ATPase maintained a pH gradient in the presence of KNO3 for up to 30 minutes at 24°C.
Association of plasma natriuretic peptide levels with metabolic risk factors in ambulatory individuals.

Background— Experimental studies suggest that the natriuretic peptides influence lipid and fatty acid metabolism. Although it has been shown that obese individuals have reduced natriuretic peptide levels, conflicting data exist on the relation of natriuretic peptide levels to other metabolic risk factors. Methods and Results— We examined the association of plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptide and N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide with metabolic risk factors, the metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance in 3333 Framingham study participants free of heart failure (mean age, 58 years; 54% women). Regression analyses were performed, with adjustment for clinical and echocardiographic variables. Plasma natriuretic peptide levels were inversely associated with all components of the metabolic syndrome except for elevated blood pressure. Adjusted natriuretic peptide levels were lower in persons with the metabolic syndrome compared with those without the metabolic syndrome: In men, B-type natriuret...
The relationship between nano- and micro-structures and mechanical properties in PMMA-epoxy-nanoclay composites

Abstract Epoxy-aided dispersion of nanoclay particles in a glassy polymer, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), was studied using melt-blending technique. Organically treated nanoclay particles were dispersed in PMMA using mixtures of aromatic and aliphatic epoxies to yield three-phase composite materials, the mechanical properties of which were evaluated and compared with PMMA–nanoclay, epoxy–nanoclay, and PMMA–epoxy composite systems as function of nano- and micro-dispersed domains of phase separated epoxy and nanoparticles. Wide-angle-X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscope images revealed that the clay particles were in fully exfoliated state in the three-phase composites provided the ratio of epoxy to clay was 10. However, the dispersion of nanoclay to the scale of individual platelets was not achieved as exfoliated clay particles remained as aggregates inside phase separated epoxy domains of approximately 1 μm in diameter. Nevertheless, the values of tensile and impact strengths showed significant improvement over PMMA and PMMA–clay composites.
Languages for Specific Purposes in the United States in a Global Context: Commentary on Grosse and Voght (1991) Revisited

This introduction will provide a thematic overview of the major issues raised by Grosse and Voght (1991), 'The Evolution of Languages for Specific Purposes in the United States,' and the contributions in this Focus Issue that address those issues from a 2011 perspective. It will also explore contemporary (largely praxis-oriented) languages for specific purposes (LSP) in the United States within a global LSP context that has historically evidenced strong connections between theory and practice. Points of comparison between LSP practiced in the United States and abroad include the rationale for LSP, curricula/programs innovations, professional infrastructure, researchers/practitioners, theoretical bases for research, and research topics and outlets for publication. Then follows a discussion of the challenges to LSP research (e.g., establishing norms of various workplace interactions, data collection, creation of assessment tools, lack of LSP practitioners and researchers with second language acquisiton [SLA] training), and future directions for the growth of LSP as an interdiscipline in the United States and for SLA and foreign language pedagogical research that would utilize data from LSP classroom and experiential settings in both domestic and international contexts. The introduction concludes with a discussion of LSP and community service learning as preparation for the workforce and for lifelong language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Evaluation of microsurgical tasks with OCT-guided and/or robot-assisted ophthalmic forceps

Real-time intraocular optical coherence tomography (OCT) visualization of tissues with surgical feedback can enhance retinal surgery. An intraocular 23-gauge B-mode forward-imaging co-planar OCT-forceps, coupling connectors and algorithms were developed to form a unique ophthalmic surgical robotic system. Approach to the surface of a phantom or goat retina by a manual or robotic-controlled forceps, with and without real-time OCT guidance, was performed. Efficiency of lifting phantom membranes was examined. Placing the co-planar OCT imaging probe internal to the surgical tool reduced instrument shadowing and permitted constant tracking. Robotic assistance together with real-time OCT feedback improved depth perception accuracy. The first-generation integrated OCT-forceps was capable of peeling membrane phantoms despite smooth tips.
Legendre shape descriptors and shape group determination of specimens in the Cymbella cistula species complex

Ten Legendre shape descriptors were calculated for 66 specimens in the Cymbella cistula species complex from the Great Lakes. One-hundred x,y co-ordinates were used to calculate the width function ...
Influence of a Montmorillonite Clay on the Properties of Griseofulvin Tablets

AbstractDirect compression techniques were used to prepare tablets containing griseofulvin-montmorillonite adsorbates. The resulting tablets displayed uniform and consistent properties which compared quite favorably with commercial dosage forms coataining micronized griseofulvin. Dissolution studies were conducted on powdered samples from the various tablets and these studies indicated that the highest levels of griseofulvin in solution after twenty minutes were found with the griseofulvin-montmorillonite samples.
Enhancing MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometer performance through spectrum averaging.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometers are simple and robust mass spectrometers used for analysis of biologically relevant molecules in diverse fields including pathogen identification, imaging mass spectrometry, and natural products chemistry. Despite high nominal resolution and accuracy, we have observed significant variability where 30–50% of individual replicate measurements have errors in excess of 5 parts-per-million, even when using 5-point internal calibration. Increasing the number of laser shots for each spectrum did not resolve this observed variability. What is responsible for our observed variation? Using a modern MALDI-TOF/TOF instrument, we evaluated contributions to variability. Our data suggest a major component of variability is binning of the raw flight time data by the electronics and clock speed of the analog-to-digital (AD) detection system, which requires interpolation by automated peak fitting algorithms and impacts both calibration and the observed mass spectrum. Importantly, the variation observed is predominantly normal in distribution, which implies multiple components contribute to the observed variation and suggests a method to mitigate this variability through spectrum averaging. Restarting the acquisition impacts each spectrum within the electronic error of the AD detector system and defines a new calibration function. Therefore, averaging multiple independent spectra and not a larger number of laser shots leverages this inherent binning error to mitigate variability in accurate MALDI-TOF mass measurements.
The effects of prenatal cocaine use on infant development

This study examined the effect of prenatal cocaine use on infant physical, cognitive, and motor development, and temperamental characteristics, controlling for other factors that affect infant development. Women were, on average, 26.8 years old, had 12 years of education, and 46% were African American. During the first trimester, 18% were frequent users of cocaine (> or =1 line/day). The infants were, on average, 14.6 months old at this follow-up phase. Women who used cocaine during pregnancy rated their infants as more fussy/difficult and unadaptable than did women who did not use cocaine. Cocaine use in the second trimester was associated with significantly lower motor scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) [N. Bayley, Manual for the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Psychological Corporation, New York, 1969.]. There was no effect of prenatal cocaine use on BSID mental performance or on growth. These findings are consistent with other reports in the literature and with the hypothesis that prenatal cocaine exposure affects development through changes in neurotransmitter systems.
The spin trap, α-phenyl N-tert-butylnitrone, inhibits the oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein

The lipophilic spin trap, N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) inhibits the formation of the oxidatively-modified low density lipoprotein (LDL) by endothelial cells and by cupric ions. The LDL incubated in the presence of PBN with cells or cupric ions wax less readily degraded by macrophages than the LDL incubated in the absence of PBN. A lipid-derived radical formed during oxidation of LDL was detected by spin trapping with PBN. It is likely that PBN inhibits the oxidative and biological modification of LDL by scavenging the LDL-lipid-derived radical.
Endogenous opioids in wound-site neutrophils of sternotomy patients.

Background Postoperative pain management is a critical aspect of patient care. The inflammatory state of the post-sternotomy surgical wound sensitizes nerve endings, causing pain. Unrelieved or improperly managed pain compromises wound healing. Peripheral opioid receptors play a major role in analgesia, particularly under inflammatory conditions where both opioid receptor expression and efficacy are increased. Leukocytic opioid peptides include β-endorphin (END), met-enkephalin (ENK), and dynorphin-A (DYN), with END and ENK being predominant.
Life Authorship A Psychological Challenge for Emerging Adulthood, as Illustrated in Two Notable Case Studies

A central psychological challenge of emerging adulthood is the construction and internalization of a self-defining life story or narrative identity. In becoming an author for one’s own life, the em...
Lake Level Response to Seasonal Climatic Variability in the Lake Michigan-Huron System from 1920 to 1995

Abstract Recent research indicates a shift in the timing and range of the seasonal lake-level cycle of Lake Michigan-Huron since 1860. The largest changes occur during the winter-spring transition. The objectives of this study are to (1) quantitatively assess seasonal variations in precipitation, runoff, and evaporation, (2) evaluate long-term trends in seasonal water supply to Lake Michigan-Huron, and (3) understand how variations in net basin supply at a seasonal timescale contributed to development of extreme lake levels recorded in Lake Michigan-Huron between 1920 and 1995. Total water input, which is the sum of overlake precipitation and runoff, has increased during autumn and winter seasons at rates of 14.6 and 9.3 mm/decade, respectively. A rise in autumn total input reflects an increase in overlake precipitation (6.3 mm/decade) and runoff (8.3 mm/decade). The increase in winter input was driven by runoff (7.5 mm/decade) at the expense of decreasing spring runoff (7.8 mm/decade). This shift to an increasing dominance of winter runoff at the apparent expense of spring runoff is most pronounced post 1965 and suggests a hydrologic response to a warming climate. Extreme lake levels principally reflect either anomalies occurring in one or more seasons or a directional shift over many years, but often with seasonal bias. Seasonal changes in overlake precipitation, runoff, and overlake evaporation lead to the formation and persistence of extreme lake levels. The effects of seasonal water supply anomalies depend on the coincidence to long-term decadal-scale variation in lake level.
Delayed coincidence line shapes from a scintillation detector with wide dynamic range

Abstract Timing uncertainties which originate in the electron transit time spread in a photomultiplier tube are calculated under the assumption that errors vary inversely with the square root of the number of photoelectrons produced by a scintillation. Delayed coincidence line shapes are calculated for a uniform pulse height distribution and for the pulse height distribution which results from elastic scattering of monoenergetic neutrons in an organic scintillator. No detection threshold is imposed but in each case the analysis may be easily modified to incorporate one. The line shapes which result are not markedly wider than the gaussian distribution which would result from accepting only spectrum cutoff size pulses for timing. The line shapes are also independent of spectrum cutoff and scale with this gaussian distribution. Several characteristic properties of these resolution functions are discussed.
Expansins in Deepwater Rice Internodes

Cell walls of deepwater rice (Oryza sativa L.) internodes undergo long-term extension (creep) when placed under tension in acidic buffers. This is indicative of the action of the cell wall-loosening protein expansin. Wall extension had a pH optimum of around 4.0 and was abolished by boiling. Acid-induced extension of boiled cell walls could be reconstituted by addition of salt-extracted rice or cucumber cell wall proteins. Cucumber expansin antibody recognized a single protein band of 24.5-kD apparent molecular mass on immunoblots of rice cell wall proteins. Expansins were partially purified by concanavalin A affinity chromatography and sulfopropyl (SP) cation-exchange chromatography. The latter yielded two peaks with extension activity (SP20 and SP29), and immunoblot analysis showed that both of these active fractions contained expansin of 24.5-kD molecular mass. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of SP20 expansin is identical to that deduced from the rice expansin cDNA Os-EXP1. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of SP29 expansin matches that deduced from the rice expansin cDNA Os-EXP2 in six of eight amino acids. Our results show that two expansins occur in the cell walls of rice internodes and that they may mediate acid-induced wall extension.
Effects of Pressure and Channel Depth on Desorption in Microscale Fractal-Like Branching Heat Exchangers

Desorption in micro-scale plate heat exchangers having a branching flow network is investigated as a function of oil flow rate, solution flow rate, manifold pressure and channel depth. The solution is an aqueous-ammonia solution with an inlet concentration held fixed at 30%. Mass flow rate and ammonia mass fraction of the generated vapor stream are characterized as is the heat exchange effectiveness of the various heat exchange desorbers. The effects of operating or exit plenum pressure and channel height on desorption and heat transfer characteristics are considered. Microscale channels are employed for enhanced heat and mass transport. The branching nature of the flow network is employed for flow symmetry and low pressure drop penalties. An operational model is generated to correctly size and efficiently integrate the desorber into an absorption cycle.© 2007 ASME
Spectrally selective 3D TSE imaging of phosphocreatine in the human calf muscle at 3 T.

Quantitative information about concentrations of several metabolites in human skeletal muscle can be obtained through localized 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods. However, these methods have shortcomings: long acquisition times, limited volume coverage, and coarse resolution. Significantly higher spatial and temporal resolution of imaging of single metabolites can be achieved through spectrally selective three-dimensional imaging methods. This study reports the implementation of a three-dimensional spectrally selective turbo spin-echo sequence, on a 3T clinical system, to map the concentration of phosphocreatine in the human calf muscle with significantly increased spatial resolution and in a clinically feasible scan time. Absolute phosphocreatine quantification was performed with the use of external phantoms after relaxation and flip angle correction of the turbo spin-echo voxel signal. The mean ± standard deviation of the phosphocreatine concentration measured in five healthy volunteers was 29.4 ± 2.5 mM with signal-to-noise ratio of 14:1 and voxel size of 0.52 mL. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pathogenesis of SLE: implications for rational therapy

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by multi-organ involvement and remarkable variability in clinical presentation. The presence of pathogenic autoantibodies is a hallmark of SLE and reinforces the concept that B cells have a key role in this disease. Current dogma suggests that triggering factors in a susceptible host result in the loss of self-tolerance and the development of autoreactivity. This model summarizes the complex pathogenic events that characterize SLE.
Potentiation of amphetamine-induced changes in dopamine and 5-HT by a 5-HT6 receptor antagonist

Abstract Although recent data has shown that 5-HT 6 receptor antagonists’ can enhance basal cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in the cortex and hippocampus, the distribution of this receptor within terminal regions of the dopaminergic system suggests a possible role for this receptor in the modulation of dopamine (DA). Therefore, the role of the 5-HT 6 receptor was examined in the rat striatum in the presence and absence of the DA transport inhibitor/releaser, amphetamine. Amphetamine (0.3 mg/kg s.c.) induced a selective increase in extracellular DA reaching a maximum of 311.3±73.5% of preinjection levels. Administration of SB-271046 (1 and 10 mg/kg s.c.) followed by amphetamine produced an augmentation of amphetamine-induced changes in both DA and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), reaching maximum levels of 510.1±110.5% and 271±93.4% of preinjection values, respectively. Similarly, local infusion of amphetamine (100 nM) resulted in an increase in striatal DA levels reaching a maximum of 365.7±73.3% of preinfusion values. However, combination treatment with SB-271046 (1 mg/kg s.c.) and amphetamine produced no augmentation of amphetamine-induced increases in extracellular levels of DA or in any other neurotransmitter measured. Taken together these data indicate that the 5-HT 6 receptor is not playing a role in the tonic modulation of NA, DA, 5-HT or glutamate neurotransmission in the striatum. However, when dopaminergic neurotransmission is enhanced the 5-HT 6 receptor appears to have a modulatory influence on not only DA but also 5-HT systems. This is the first direct neurochemical evidence that the 5-HT 6 receptor may have modulatory influences on both DA and 5-HT systems in the rat striatum.
How should unmatched orthopaedic surgery applicants proceed

Background Obtaining an orthopaedic surgery residency is competitive. Advisors must understand what factors may help unmatched candidates reapply successfully.
Evaluation of Serum Carnitine Levels for Pediatric Patients Receiving Carnitine-Free and Carnitine-Supplemented Parenteral Nutrition:

Purpose: Carnitine is a carrier molecule transporting long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) into the mitochondria for fatty acid β-oxidation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of carnitine supplementation in parenteral nutrition (PN) within the pediatric population. Our goal was to determine a weight range for which empiric carnitine supplementation is justified and to determine a weight range at which a carnitine level should first be drawn to confirm a deficiency prior to supplementation. Secondarily, we tried to determine a relationship among carnitine deficiency, hypoglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study to evaluate 2 groups of pediatric patients (weighing 0.68 kg to 60 kg) who were NPO and receiving PN. The first group of patients (n = 454) received carnitine supplementation (15 mg/kg/day) upon initiation of PN. The second group (n = 299) did not receive carnitine supplementation until they were determined to have a carnitine deficiency. Re...
Encore: low-cost, fine-grained transient fault recovery

To meet an insatiable consumer demand for greater performance at less power, silicon technology has scaled to unprecedented dimensions. However, the pursuit of faster processors and longer battery life has come at the cost of reliability. Given the rise of processor reliability as a first-order design constraint, there has been a growing interest in low-cost, non-intrusive techniques for transient fault detection. Many of these recent proposals have counted on the availability of hardware recovery mechanisms. Although common in aggressive out-of-order cores, hardware support for speculative rollback and recovery is less common in lower-end commodity processors. This paper presents Encore, a software-based fault recovery mechanism tailored for these lower-cost systems that lack native hardware support for speculative rollback recovery. Encore combines program analysis, profile data, and simple code transformations to create statistically idempotent code regions that can recover from faults at very little cost. Using this software-only, compiler-based approach, Encore provides the ability to recover from transient faults without specialized hardware or the costs of traditional, full-system checkpointing solutions. Experimental results show that Encore, with just 14% of runtime overhead, can safely recover, on average from 97% of transient faults when coupled with existing detection schemes.
Measurement of the low energy spectrum of delayed neutrons from 87Br and 88Br precursors

Abstract In this paper results of the low energy spectrum measurements of delayed neutrons from 87Br and 88Br precursors are reported. 235U was irradiated in the thermal column of “Democritos” 1 MW swimming pool reactor, and bromine isotopes were separated from fission products by a fast radiochemical technique. The measurements were based on a fast time-of-flight beta-neutron coincidence technique, using as detectors the Nuclear Enterprises plastic scintillators NE-102A with a rise time less than 3 nsec. In this technique, the energy resolution becomes satisfactory for the particular requirements of an experiment by suitably choosing the neutron flight distance and the resolving time of the system for a given energy range of interest. In the present experiments the energy resolution was 9 per cent at worst (150 keV), becoming better and better with decreasing neutron energy (5 per cent at 50 keV). Analysis of the obtained data gave a spectrum with several peaks, which could be possibly composed of discrete lines. Specifically, for the mixture 87Br and 88Br the peaks appear at 65–70, 80, 105 and 145 keV, while for 87Br there are indications for peaks at 45, 70 and 110 keV. Experimental work will continue by further improving the technique and extending it to other delayed neutron precursors of interest.
Is it Roslyn or is it Cicely? Representation and the Ambiguity of Place.

Representations or images of place are widely recognized as contributing to how people understand the places in which they live, work, and study. Increasingly they are being seen to contribute to the production of places as well. This paper addresses the relationships between representation and place as social processes by examining the blurring of Cicely, the Alaskan town in the television show Northern Exposure, and Roslyn, the town in Washington state where outdoor scenes of Northern Exposure are shot. Two main points are raised. First, the production of place-images by the entertainment industry has material repercussions for the residents of places. Second, the relationship between Roslyn and Cicely helps advance an epistemology of place that recognizes that the entire set of boundaries we use to define places limits our understanding of places as open, ambiguous, and, therefore, political social processes.
Nuclear export of phosphorylated C/EBPβ mediates the inhibition of albumin expression by TNF-α

Decreased albumin expression is a frequent feature of cachexia patients afflicted with chronic diseases, including cancer, and a major contributor to their morbidity. Here we show that tumor necrosis-α (TNF-α) treatment of primary mouse hepatocytes or TNF-α overexpression in a mouse model of cachexia induces oxidative stress, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and phosphorylation of C/EBPβ on Ser239, within the nuclear localization signal, thus inducing its nuclear export, which inhibits transcription from the albumin gene. SIN-1, a NO donor, duplicated the TNF-α effects on hepatocytes. We found similar molecular abnormalities in the liver of patients with cancer-cachexia. The cytoplasmic localization and association of C/EBPβ-PSer239 with CRM1 (exportin-1) in TNF-α-treated hepatocytes was inhibited by leptomycin B, a blocker of CRM1 activity. Hepatic cells expressing the non-phosphorylatable C/EBPβ alanine mutant were refractory to the inhibitory effects of TNF-α on albumin transcription since the mutant remained localized to the nucleus. Treatment of TNF-α mice with antioxidants or NOS inhibitors prevented phosphorylation of C/EBPβ on Ser239 and its nuclear export, and rescued the abnormal albumin gene expression.
Pond water aeration systems

During the past decade, pond aeration systems have been developed which will sustain large quantities of fish and invertebrate biomass. These aeration systems are modifications of standard wastewater aeration equipment. Aeration-performance testing has been important in selecting design features to provide cost-effective yet efficient aquaculture pond aerators. Paddlewheel aerators and propeller-aspirator-pumps are probably most widely used. Amounts of aeration vary from as little as 1–2 kW ha−1 in some types of fish culture to as much as 15 or 20 kW ha−1 in intensive culture of marine shrimp. Calculations suggest that about 500 kg additional production of fish or crustaceans can be achieved per kW of aeration. Aerators usually are positioned in ponds to provide maximum water circulation. This practice can result in erosion of pond bottoms and inside slopes of embankments, and accumulation of sediment piles in central areas of ponds where water currents are weaker. Recent studies suggest that the use of heavy aeration to provide the greatest possible production is less profitable than moderate aeration to improve water quality and enhance feed conversion efficiency. Automatic devices to start and stop aerators in response to daily changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are improving, but they are expensive and not completely reliable. Augmentation of natural supplies of DO in ponds often is necessary to prevent stress or mortality of fish and crustaceans when DO concentrations are low. Several procedures have been used in attempts to increase DO concentrations in ponds. These methods include exchanging part of the oxygen-depleted pond water with oxygenated water from a well, pond, or other source, application of fertilizer to stimulate oxygen production by photosynthesis of aquatic plants, additions of compounds which release oxygen through chemical reactions, release of pure oxygen gas into pond waters, and aeration with mechanical devices which either splash water into the air or release bubbles of air into the water. Water circulation devices also enhance DO supplies in ponds by mixing DO supersaturated surface waters with deeper waters of lower DO concentration. This reduces the loss of oxygen from ponds by diffusion. Also, when surface waters are not saturated with DO, water circulation causes surface disturbance and enhances oxygen absorption by the water. Mechanical aeration is by far the most common and usually the most effective means of increasing DO concentrations in ponds. In semi-intensive aquaculture, aeration is applied on an emergency basis. Farmers check DO concentrations, and when low concentrations of DO are expected, aeration is applied. In intensive aquaculture, aeration is applied each night or even continuously. The purpose of this article is to summarize the ‘state of the art’ of mechanical aeration of aquaculture ponds.
Requirement of CDC42 for Salmonella-Induced Cytoskeletal and Nuclear Responses

The bacterial pathogen Salmonella typhimurium triggers host cell signaling pathways that lead to cytoskeletal and nuclear responses required for pathogenesis. Here, the role of the small guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein CDC42Hs in these responses was examined. Expression of a dominant interfering mutant of CDC42 (CDC42HsN17) prevented S. typhimurium-induced cytoskeletal reorganization and subsequent macropinocytosis and bacterial internalization into host cells. Cells expressing constitutively active CDC42 (CDC42HsV12) internalized an S. typhimurium mutant unable to trigger host cell responses. Furthermore, expression of CDC42HsN17 prevented S. typhimurium-induced JNK kinase activation. These results indicate that CDC42 is required for bacterial invasion and induction of nuclear responses in host cells.