cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A pharmacoepidemiologic study of community-dwelling, disabled older women: Factors associated with medication use.

Abstract Background: Although disabled older adults may be among the subpopulation of adults with the highest risk for adverse drug events (ADEs), reliable data on their use of medications are limited. Objectives: The aims of this study were to describe the extent and patterns of medication use in community-dwelling, disabled older women, and to identify factors associated with medication use in this population. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data on medication use from the Women's Health and Aging Study I (WHAS I) were performed. WHAS I was an observational study of 1002 community-dwelling women aged ≥65 years who self-reported difficulty in at least 2 of 4 domains of physical functioning (ie, upper-extremity functions, mobility, self-care, and higher functioning tasks needed for independent living in the community). After descriptive analyses of their prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, associations between participants' characteristics and medication utilization were determined, using generalized linear models. Results: Of the 975 participants, 580 (59.5%) used ≥5 medications and 115 (11.8%) used ≥10 medications (prescriptions and OTCs). The mean number of medications used was 3.9 for prescription drugs and 1.9 for OTC drugs. Cardiovascular drugs and analgesics were the most frequently used prescription and OTC drugs, respectively. Participants with complete outcome and covariate data (n = 803) were included in the multivariate analyses. Cancer was associated with a 13% increase in total medication use (95% CI, 1.00–1.27). Multimorbidity (1.08; 95% CI, 1.02–1.15), frailty (1.13; 95% CI, 1.02–1.26), high Mini-Mental State Examination score (1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05), congestive heart failure (CHF) (1.39; 95% CI, 1.23–1.58), angina (1.27; 95% CI, 1.12–1.44), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (1.20; 95% CI, 1.05–1.37), diabetes mellitus (DM) (1.24; 95% CI, 1.07–1.43), difficulty with shopping for personal items such as medicines and toiletries (1.20; 95% CI, 1.06–1.35), and possession of health insurance (1.21; 95% CI, 1.04–1.40) or a prescription plan (1.16; 95% CI, 1.05–1.29) were independently associated with increased use of prescription drugs. A diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hands (1.29; 95% CI, 1.121.49) and having a spouse (1.19; 95% CI, 1.01–1.40) were associated with increased use of OTC drugs. Participants with DM (0.78; 95% CI, 0.65–0.94), African Americans (0.70; 95% CI, 0.60–0.82), and those who had difficulty shopping (0.85; 95% CI, 0.72–0.99) used fewer OTCs than did participants without these characteristics. Conclusions: Most of the disabled older women in this study took ≥5 medications at baseline, potentially putting them at high risk for ADEs. Those with multimorbidity, frailty, CHF, angina, DM, COPD, cancer, and difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living are target subpopulations for polypharmacy intervention.
Comparative Biochemistry of the Pineal Glands of Birds and Mammals

Melatonin is synthesized from serotonin in the pineal gland by N-acetyltransferase and hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT). The activities of these two enzymes have been compared in the pineal glands of rats, hamsters, chickens, and sparrows. Three different patterns of pineal biochemistry have been observed in the four species. Evidence for the regulation of pineal N-acetyltransferase activity by a noradrenergic system exists in rats but not in chickens, hamsters, and sparrows.
Helix-helix packing and interfacial pairwise interactions of residues in membrane proteins.

Helix-helix packing plays a critical role in maintaining the tertiary structures of helical membrane proteins. By examining the overall distribution of voids and pockets in the transmembrane (TM) regions of helical membrane proteins, we found that bacteriorhodopsin and halorhodopsin are the most tightly packed, whereas mechanosensitive channel is the least tightly packed. Large residues F, W, and H have the highest propensity to be in a TM void or a pocket, whereas small residues such as S, G, A, and T are least likely to be found in a void or a pocket. The coordination number for non-bonded interactions for each of the residue types is found to correlate with the size of the residue. To assess specific interhelical interactions between residues, we have developed a new computational method to characterize nearest neighboring atoms that are in physical contact. Using an atom-based probabilistic model, we estimate the membrane helical interfacial pairwise (MHIP) propensity. We found that there are many residue pairs that have high propensity for interhelical interactions, but disulfide bonds are rarely found in the TM regions. The high propensity pairs include residue pairs between an aromatic residue and a basic residue (W-R, W-H, and Y-K). In addition, many residue pairs have high propensity to form interhelical polar-polar atomic contacts, for example, residue pairs between two ionizable residues, between one ionizable residue and one N or Q. Soluble proteins do not share this pattern of diverse polar-polar interhelical interaction. Exploratory analysis by clustering of the MHIP values suggests that residues similar in side-chain branchness, cyclic structures, and size tend to have correlated behavior in participating interhelical interactions. A chi-square test rejects the null hypothesis that membrane protein and soluble protein have the same distribution of interhelical pairwise propensity. This observation may help us to understand the folding mechanism of membrane proteins.
Comparison of Verbal and Pictorial Measures of Hunger During Fasting in Normal Weight and Obese Subjects

Objective: Friedman, Ulrich, and Mattes described a new pictorial instrument for assessing hunger wherein respondents outline areas on a drawing of a human figure to depict the location of their hunger sensations. The present study compared normal weight and obese individuals on the pictorial measure and on more traditional verbal hunger measures during a 22-hour fast. Research Methods and Procedures: The pictorial measure, along with 13 verbal items assessing hunger and hunger-related symptoms, was administered to 29 normal weight college students and 46 overweight clinic patients four times during a 22-hour fast. Factor analyses of verbal hunger items produced Hunger, Somatic Symptoms, and Stomach Symptoms factors. The pictorial measure was divided into peripheral (arms, legs, head) and central (trunk) body areas. Results: The increases in hunger during the fast were greater when measured using the pictorial as opposed to the verbal instrument. Correlations between and within the three verbal hunger measures and two pictorial measures were generally few in number and modest in size. The overall pattern of correlations suggested that the verbally based hunger measures more adequately reflected the experience of hunger in normal weight than in obese individuals. A significant interaction between weight status and assessment period was found for the pictorial measure, indicating that normal weight subjects experienced more bodily hunger than overweight subjects initially but experienced less hunger than obese subjects after a prolonged period of food deprivation. Discussion: Although more testing is needed, these results suggest that the pictorial hunger assessment provides information about the experience of hunger that could complement information provided by traditional verbally based hunger measures.
Perivascular meningeal projections from cat trigeminal ganglia: possible pathway for vascular headaches in man

Peroxidase-containing cell bodies were found in the ipsilateral trigeminal ganglia after horseradish peroxidase was applied to the proximal segment of the middle cerebral artery in seven cats. Cell bodies containing the enzyme marker were located among clusters of cells that project via the first division. The existence of sensory pathways surrounding large cerebral arteries provides an important neuroanatomical explanation for the hemicranial distribution of headaches associated with certain strokes and migraine.
Changes in the social behavior of rhesus monkeys during rehabilitation from prolonged protein-calorie malnutrition.

Social behavior of rhesus macaques placed on repletion diets after periods of up to 3 yr of chronic protein malnutrition was measured in a playroom situation. Observations of experimental and control groups were made 5 days a week for 5 wk prior to and beginning again 30 days after the initiation of repletion. The behaviors observed prior to nutritional rehabilitation were similar to that reported in previous experiments. Nutritionally deprived animals showed higher rates of aggression, less play behavior, less tactual contact, and a greater amount of nonsocial behavior. The animals undergoing nutritional rehabilitation showed significant increases in frequency and duration of approach-play, significant reductions in nonsocial behaviors, and rates of aggression. Although the behavior patterns still did not reach control levels, the changes in the previously malnourished monkeys apparently made these animals more adaptive in the social situations. It was suggested that there were two phases or aspects of recovery. First, behavior patterns which appear after social contact is made recover as a result of nutritional repletion and second, behavior patterns that are necessary for the frequent initiation of social contact may require longer periods of positive social experience.
Grayscale Junction Termination for High-Voltage SiC Devices

In silicon carbide devices used above around 2.4 kV, effective anode edge termination usually requires a high-resolution floating guard ring implant or multiple lithography/implant cycles to effect a multi-zone junction termination extension. In general the goal is to produce a smoothly tapered field profile to prevent high-voltage field-crowding that causes premature breakdown at the edge of the high voltage electrode. Using a much simpler grayscale photolithographic technique and a single termination implant, we directly produce the desired tapered doping profile. The effectiveness of this termination is shown by the near-ideal (6.1 kV) breakdown measured in PiN diodes made with a 38 µm intrinsic layer. The simple method is applicable to the fabrication of many high-voltage devices.
Orthogonal Chemical Genetic Approaches for Unraveling Signaling Pathways

While chemical genetic approach uses small molecules to probe protein functions in cells or organisms, orthogonal chemical genetics refers to strategies that utilize reengineered protein-small molecule interfaces, to alter specificities, in order to probe their functions. The advantage of orthogonal chemical genetics is that the changes at the interfaces are generally so minute that it goes undetected by natural processes, and thus depicts a true physiological picture of biological phenomenon. This review highlights the recent advances in the area of orthogonal chemical genetics, especially those designed to probe signaling processes. Dynamic protein-protein and enzyme-substrate interactions following stimuli form the foundation of signal transduction. These processes not only break spatial and temporal boundaries between interacting proteins, but also impart distinct regulatory properties by creating functional diversity at the interfaces. Functional and temporal modulation of these dynamic interactions by specific chemical probes provides extremely powerful tools to initiate, ablate, decouple and deconvolute different components of a signaling pathway at multiple stages. Not surprisingly, multiple receptor-ligand reengineering approaches have been developed in the last decade to selectively manipulate these transient interactions with the aim of unraveling signaling events. However, given the diversity of protein-protein interactions and novel chemical genetic probes developed to perturb these processes, a short review cannot do adequate justice to all aspects of signaling. For this reason, this review focuses on some orthogonal chemical-genetic strategies that are developed to study signaling processes involving enzyme-substrate interactions.
Prevention of Bronchoconstriction by an Orally Active Local Anesthetic

Stimulation of airway irritant receptors produces reflex bronchoconstriction that can be prevented by pretreatment with anticholinergic drugs or local anesthetics delivered by aerosol or intravenously. We compared therapeutic doses of an orally administered local anesthetic, mexiletine hydrochloride, and intravenously administered lidocaine at blocking histamine-induced bronchoconstriction in five basenji-greyhound dogs, using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) to directly measure changes in airway size. In the dogs given placebo, a histamine infusion decreased airway area to 61 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) of control (p < 0.01). Mexiletine pretreatment completely prevented histamine-induced airway constriction, with an airway area that was 94 +/- 4% of the control value during the histamine infusion (p = 0.07 compared with baseline). Mexiletine serum levels were therapeutic (1.7 +/- 0.3 mg/L). Similarly, pretreatment with lidocaine significantly blunted the airway constriction provoked by intravenous histamine. In lidocaine-pretreated dogs, histamine decreased airway area to 79 +/- 4% of baseline (p < 0.01). As in the case of mexiletine, lidocaine serum levels were also therapeutic (2.4 +/- 0.3 mg/L). Mexiletine was more effective than lidocaine at preventing histamine-induced bronchoconstriction (p = 0.02). These data suggest that orally administered local anesthetics may be useful in preventing irritant-induced bronchoconstriction in humans.
Rural and urban park visits and park-based physical activity

Abstract Objective A physical activity disparity exists between rural and urban residents. Community parks are resources for physical activity because they are publicly provided, available at a low cost, and accessible to most residents. We examine the use of and physical activity outcomes associated with rural and urban parks. Methods Onsite observations were conducted using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) at four rural and four urban parks. Momentary sampling scans were conducted four times per day for seven days at each site. Results A total of 6,545 park visitors were observed. Both rural and urban park visitors were observed more often at larger parks with paved trails and attended most often on weekends. Rural park visits were more frequent than urban park visits but rural visits were less physically active. Conclusion Although similarities were observed between rural and urban park visits, differences suggest that findings from park and physical activity studies in urban areas should not be considered representative of their rural counterparts. Given that the majority of existing park and physical activity research has been undertaken in urban settings, the need for complementary research in rural settings has been made evident through this presentation of baseline descriptive data.
An Environmental Kuznets Curve Analysis of U.S. State-Level Carbon Dioxide Emissions:

Most environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) theories do not apply to carbon dioxide (CO2)—an unregulated, invisible, odorless gas with no direct human health effects. This analysis addresses the hypothesis that the income-CO2relationship reflects changes in the composition of an economy as it develops and the associated role of trade in an emissions-intensive good (e.g., electricity). To test this hypothesis, I use a novel data set of 1960 to 1999 state-level CO2emissions to estimate pretrade (production-based) CO2EKCs and posttrade (consumption-based) CO2EKCs. Based on the first EKC analysis of CO2emissions in the United States, I find that consumption-based EKCs peak at significantly higher incomes than production-based EKCs, suggesting that emissions-intensive trade drives, at least in part, the income-emissions relationship. I have also investigated the robustness of the estimated income-CO2relationship through a variety of specifications. Estimated EKCs appear to vary by state, and the estimated income-em...
First controlled treatment trial of bipolar II hypomania with mixed symptoms: Quetiapine versus placebo

Abstract Objectives To compare the efficacy and safety of adjunctive quetiapine (QTP) versus placebo (PBO) for patients with bipolar II disorder (BDII) currently experiencing mixed hypomanic symptoms in a 2-site, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 8-week investigation. Methods Participants included 55 adults (age 18–65 years) who met criteria for BDII on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID). Entrance criteria included a stable medication regimen for ≥2 weeks and hypomania with mixed symptoms ( > 12 on the Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] and > 15 on the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale [MADRS] at two consecutive visits 1–3 days apart). Participants were randomly assigned to receive adjunctive quetiapine (n=30) or placebo (n=25). Results Adjunctive quetiapine demonstrated significantly greater improvement than placebo in Clinical Global Impression for Bipolar Disorder Overall Severity scores (F(1)=10.12, p=.002) and MADRS scores (F(1)=6.93, p=.0138), but no significant differences were observed for YMRS scores (F(1)=3.68, p=.069). Side effects of quetiapine were consistent with those observed in previous clinical trials, with sedation/somnolence being the most common, occurring in 53.3% with QTP and 20.0% with PBO. Conclusions While QTP was significantly more effective than PBO for overall and depressive symptoms of BDII, there was no significant difference between groups in reducing symptoms of hypomania. Hypomania improved across both groups throughout the study.
Sequential coordination and oxidative addition of terminal alkynes to the Tp′PtMe fragment

Abstract A series of η 2 -bound terminal alkynes coordinated to the Tp′ platinum(II) methyl fragment (Tp′ = hydridotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) has been synthesized. These complexes are thermally unstable and undergo slow oxidative addition upon gentle heating, resulting in the formation of alkynyl–hydride platinum(IV) complexes. The rate of conversion from Pt(II) reactants to Pt(IV) products was monitored and activation parameters have been calculated. The entropies of activation of these reactions suggest that the third arm of the Tp′ ligand is dissociating to facilitate oxidative addition of the alkyne C–H bond.
Closed-loop global motion planning for reactive execution of learned tasks

We present a motion planning approach for per- forming a learned task while avoiding obstacles and reacting to the movement of task-relevant objects. We employ a closed-loop sampling-based motion planner that acquires new sensor infor- mation, generates new collision-free plans that are based on a learned task model, and replans at an average rate of more than 10 times per second for a 7-DOF manipulator. The task model is learned from expert demonstrations prior to task execution and is represented as a hidden Markov model. During task execution, our motion planner quickly searches in the Cartesian product of the task model and a probabilistic roadmap for a plan with features most similar to the demonstrations given the locations of the task-relevant objects. We improve the replan rate by using a fast bidirectional search and by biasing the sampling distribution using information from the learned task model to construct high-quality roadmaps. We illustrate the efficacy of our approach by performing a simulated navigation task with a 2D point robot and a physical powder transfer task with the Baxter robot.
Enhancement of cyanogen bromide cleavage yields for methionyl-serine and methionyl-threonine peptide bonds.

Cyanogen bromide (CNBr) is a common chemical used to hydrolyze peptide bonds C-terminal to methionine residues in peptides and proteins. In most cases, the efficiency of this bond cleavage is greater than 90% except in situations where a serine or threonine residue follows methionine in the amino acid sequence. We have explored the mechanism of the methionyl-serine and methionyl-threonine CNBr cleavage inefficiencies and have developed a simple methodology to more than double cleavage yields relative to standard literature conditions. This method entails increasing the concentration of water during the cleavage reaction either by reducing the formic acid concentration or by performing the cleavage in an acidic aqueous medium. This approach provides a more desirable methodology from the perspective of enhanced yields and greater ease of handling in cases of large-scale use.
Chemical modulation of bleomycin induced toxicity.

Abstract Both lidocaine (LIDO) and the calmodulin (CaM) antagonists, pimozide (PIM) and trifluoperazine (TFP), enhanced bleomycin (BLM) induced cytotoxicity and DNA damage. The toxicity with the combination of BLM and CaM antagonists represented true pharmacological synergism and was observed with the addition of the CaM antagonist either during or after BLM exposure. Additionally, the DNA damage of BLM and the BLM-like drugs, talisomycin S l0b (TAL) or peplomycin (PEPLO), was also enhanced by CaM antagonists. LIDO, which similarly increased the lethal effects and DNA damage of BLM in L1210 cells, was also effective only during or after BLM exposure. The data presented here indicate that the modulation of toxicity seen with these drug combinations is reflected by changes in DNA integrity. Furthermore, these data suggest that the inhibition of DNA repair processes may be at least partially responsible for the enhanced toxicity and DNA damage when CaM antagonists or LIDO are added to BLM.
Chronic hypodipsia to intraperitoneal and subcutaneous hypertonic saline after vagotomy

Recent studies suggest that the decreased drinking response to hypertonic saline produced by bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (VGX) is a function of the route of saline administration and the length of postoperative recovery. We determined the effects of VGX on drinking during the two hours after intraperitoneal and subcutaneous injections of 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0% body weight doses of 1 M NaCl 30 weeks after surgery. Regardless of the route of injection of saline, VGX rats took longer to initiate drinking and drank less water after the two highest doses than controls. Although VGX rats drank less than controls after both routes of injection, the decrease in water intake was greater after intraperitoneal administration. We conclude that, since both deficits were obtained regardless of the route of saline injection 30 weeks after surgery, route of administration and length of postoperative recovery are not important factors for demonstrating impairments in the drinking elicited by hypertonic saline after total abdominal vagotomy under our experimental conditions.
Measurements with radioactive ion beams: Progress and prospects

Radioactive nuclei play an important role in many astrophysical phenomena. Beams of radioactive ions allow the structure of unstable nuclei to be studied and cross sections for reactions of astrophysical interest to be directly measured. Some recent results obtained with radioactive ion beams that are of interest to nuclear astrophysics are surveyed. The capabilities of some radioactive ion beam facilities and prospects for future work are also briefly discussed.
Childhood Social and Economic Well-Being and Health in Older Age

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) acts over a lifetime to influence adult health outcomes. Whether the impact of childhood SES differs by age or race/ethnicity is unclear. The authors studied 20,566 community-living US adults aged > or =50 years. Parental education was the main predictor. Outcomes evaluated (1998-2002) included self-reported health and functional limitation. The influence of childhood SES on later-life health was also examined in groups stratified by age and race/ethnicity, with adjustment for demographic factors and current SES. Participants' mean age was 67 years; 57% were women. By race/ethnicity, 76% were White, 14% were Black, and 8% were Latino. The relation between low parental education and fair/poor self-rated health declined with advancing age (age 50-64 years: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24, 1.63; age > or =80 years: AOR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.36). The relation between low parental education and fair/poor self-rated health differed across racial/ethnic groups and was significant in White (AOR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.47) and Black (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.64) participants but not Latinos. These findings suggest that childhood SES affects health status through midlife but the effects may abate in late life; its effects also may be weaker in Latinos than in Whites or Blacks.
Wisdom as a Classical Source of Human Strength: Conceptualization and Empirical Inquiry

Wisdom has been conceptualized as: (1) a rare, highly exercised and developed form of cognitive expertise about the domain of human affairs that allows for multiple conduits or (2) a constellation of personal attributes reflecting a high degree of cognitive, affective, and behavioral maturity that allows for an unusual degree of sensitivity, broad-mindedness, and concern for humanity. Using either conceptualization, wisdom research shows that it is a rare achievement, most often evolving from unusual life experiences that foster introspection, reflection on the human condition, and counseling others. Openness to experience is the most frequent predictor of wisdom. Wise people are also found to think more dialectically, exhibit generativity and compassionate concern for others, and accept life's limitations. Wise people show less despair and less dissatisfaction by grappling with existential issues and finding purpose and meaning in adverse experiences.
“I’ll remember this!” Effects of emotionality on memory predictions versus memory performance

Emotionality is a key component of subjective experience that influences memory. We tested how the emotionality of words affects memory monitoring, specifically, judgments of learning, in both cued recall and free recall paradigms. In both tasks, people predicted that positive and negative emotional words would be recalled better than neutral words. That prediction was valid for free recall of positive, negative, and neutral words, but invalid for cued recall of negative word pairs compared to neutral and positive pairs; only positive emotional pairs showed enhanced recall relative to neutral pairs. Consequently, people exhibited extreme overconfidence for cued recall of negative word pairs on the first study-test trial. We demonstrate that emotionality does not globally enhance memory, but rather has specific effects depending on the valence and task. Results are discussed in terms of this complex relationship between emotionality and memory performance and the subsequent variations in diagnosticity of emotionality as a cue for memory monitoring.
A FURTHER ANALYSIS OF THE VALUE OF CHOICE: CONTROLLING FOR ILLUSORY DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULI AND EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF LESS PREFERRED ITEMS

We sought to address limitations of prior research that has isolated choice as an independent variable. Children's preferences for the opportunity to choose were evaluated in a concurrent-chains arrangement in which identical consequences were available in choice and no-choice conditions. Results demonstrated that preference for choice, in and of itself, was (a) evident in children, (b) not controlled by illusory discriminative stimuli such as the amount from which to choose, and (c) generally unaffected by less preferred and potentially unimportant consequences.
Prosody modelling in concept-to-speech generation: methodological issues

We explore three issues for the development of concept-to-speech (CTS) systems. We identify information available in a language-generation system that has the potential to impact prosody; investigate the role played by di¬erent corpora in CTS prosody modelling; and explore di¬erent methodologies for learning how linguistic features impact prosody. Our major focus is on the comparison of two machine learning methodologies: generalized rule induction and memory-based learning. We describe this work in the context of multimedia abstract generation of intensive care (MAGIC) data, a system that produces multimedia brie› ngs of the status of patients who have just undergone a bypass operation.
Tetrasomy 21 in an infant with down syndrome and congenital leukemia

The patient was the 2,020 gm product of a 32 wk pregnancy and a spontaneous vaginal delivery. He was born to a 24-year-old white, gravida 3 mother and a 36-year- old white father. Two previous pregnancies had been terminated electively. The preg- nancy was complicated by spotting in the first month and a cough without fever between the fifth to ninth month. There was no history of maternal drug intake, smoking, radiation exposure, or use of alcohol. At birth the infant was limp and cyanotic and required resuscitation. Apgar scores were 4 and 6 at 1 and
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN RETRACTED Modeling Responses of Leafy Spurge Dispersal to Control Strategies

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) has substantial negative effects on grassland biodiversity, productivity, and economic benefit in North America. To predict these negative impacts, we need an appropriate plant-spread model which can simulate the response of an invading population to different control strategies. In this study, using a stochastic map lattice approach we generated a spatially explicitly stochastic process-based model to simulate dispersal trajectories of leafy spurge under various control scenarios. The model integrated dispersal curve, propagule pressure, and population growth of leafy spurge at local and short-temporal scales to capture spread features of leafy spurge at large spatial and long-temporal scales. Our results suggested that narrow-, medium-, and fat-tailed kernels did not differ in their ability to predict spread, in contrast to previous works. For all kernels, Allee effects were significantly present and could explain the lag phase (three decades) before leafy spurge spread accelerated. When simulating from the initial stage of introduction, Allee effects were critical in predicting spread rate of leafy spurge, because the prediction could be seriously affected by the low density period of leafy spurge community. No Allee effects models were not able to simulate spread rate well in this circumstance. When applying control strategies to the current distribution, Allee effects could stop the spread of leafy spurge; no Allee effects models, however, were able to slow but not stop the spread. The presence of Allee effects had significant ramifications on the efficiencies of control strategies. For both Allee and no Allee effects models, the later that control strategies were implemented, the more effort had to be input to achieve similar control results.
A Tandem Isomerization/Prins Strategy: Iridium(III)/Brønsted Acid Cooperative Catalysis

Working together: A mild and efficient isomerization/protonation sequence generates pyran-fused indoles by cooperative catalysis between cationic iridium(III) and Bi(OTf)3 . Three distinct cyclization manifolds lead to the corresponding bioactive scaffolds in good yields. In addition, N-substituted indoles can be synthesized enantioselectively in the presence of a chiral phosphate.
Interrupted actions affect output monitoring and event-related potentials (ERPs).

Memory for performed and interrupted actions was measured on source recognition and source recall tests in order to investigate output monitoring (i.e., memory for actions). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during the source recognition test to provide insight into the neural basis of output monitoring (OM). Source identification and recall of performed actions was greater than interrupted actions, thereby replicating the enactment effect. Examination of memory errors revealed that interrupted actions were more often mistaken as performed actions. The ERP data indicated that brain activity elicited by performed actions differed from interrupted and new actions. A clear difference in temporal onset of two ERP effects (i.e., a central-parietal and a frontal ERP difference) was observed, and it supports the previous hypothesis that two distinct processes support OM and source monitoring judgements. The pattern of frontal ERP differences suggested that interrupted actions prompted people to use m...
GRID-enabled Solution of Groundwater Inverse Problems on the TeraGrid Network

Grid-computing environments are becoming increasingly popular for scientific computing due to the significant increase in capacity that they represent when compared to a single computational resource (e.g., a single cluster), their ubiquitous availability and advances in grid middleware components. Several such specialized grid environments are now available for users in the commercial and research sectors. One such effort for research is the TeraGrid, consisting of a collection of geographically distributed heterogeneous supercomputer resources including data storage resources. Parallel implementations for these environments are inherently multilevel and obtaining efficient mapping of work to processors can be eXtremely challenging. This paper eXtends an eXisting MPI application to the grid via the use of grid-enabled MPI libraries. The application uses a simulation-optimization framework involving coarse-grained parallelism in the optimizer and fine-grained parallelism in the finite-element-based simulator. Using parallelism at both these levels is essential for problems involving computationally intensive simulation steps. A hierarchical grid architecture consisting of a collection of supercomputers is ideally suited for these types of problems as a good application-to-architecture mapping can be obtained with a proper implementation. This paper presents the performance results of our implementation on the TeraGrid network consisting of three geographically distributed supercomputers.
Fabrication of cellular poly-/spl isin/-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds by precision extruding deposition process

Many applications in tissue engineering require scaffolds with specific micro- and macroscopic geometries and internal architectures in order to provide desirable biological and biophysical functions for intended tissue. Freeform fabrication has often been used as an effective process to produce such required scaffolds with designed structures and properties. This paper reports our study on exploring a novel precision extruding deposition (PED) method to directly fabricate cellular-like poly-/spl isin/-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. Scaffolds with designed pore size at about 250 /spl mu/m and at different strut orientations were fabricated. Results of the fabrication and the SEM optical micrographics evaluation for the structural formability and process-ability of as-fabricated scaffolds are presented.
Adoption potential of fruit-tree-based agroforestry on small farms in the subtropical highlands

Worldwide, fruit-tree-based agroforestry systems have been only modestly studied, although they are common on smallholder farms. Such systems based on apple (Malus spp.), peach (Prunus spp.), and pear (Pyrus spp.) are common in northwest Guatemala as low intensity homegardens and are known to increase total farm productivity in communities where farm size is a limiting factor. This study investigated the potential for adoption of fruit-tree-based agroforestry by resource-limited farmers using ethnographic investigation and linear programming simulations of farm activities at the household level. Two communities with differing demographics, infrastructure, and access to regional markets were selected based on the presence of extensive fruit-tree-based agroforestry. The influences of family size, land holdings, and tree and crop yields on the optimal adoption levels of fruit trees were evaluated through a comparative study of the varying social and physical infrastructure present in the two communities. Fruit-tree-based agroforestry was potentially more attractive to relatively prosperous families or those with larger land holdings. Improvements in fruit-tree productivity and interspecies competition were of greater importance where family land holdings were smaller. The inability of families to produce sufficient food to meet annual needs, poor fruit quality, and lack of market infrastructure were identified as constraints that limit adoption. The complementarity of production with the dominant maize (Zea mays) crop, home consumption of fruit, and the potential to generate additional cash on limited land holdings were identified as factors promoting adoption of fruit-tree-based agroforestry.
The Closure of the Set of Tight Frame Wavelets

We study properties of the closure of the set of tight frame wavelets. We give a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for a function to be in this closure. In particular, we show that the collection of tight frame wavelets is not dense in L2(ℝn), which answers a question posed by D. Han and D. Larson (Preprint, 2008).
Virus-Induced Transient Immune Suppression and the Inhibition of T Cell Proliferation by Type I Interferon

Vaccine-induced memory is necessary for protective immunity to pathogens, but many viruses induce a state of transient immune suppression that might contribute to the inability of a vaccine to elicit immunity. We evaluated here the fate of bystander T cells activated by third party cognate antigens during acute viral infections in vivo, using distinct models to track and specifically activate HY and P14 transgenic bystander CD8 T cells in vivo during acute arenavirus infections of mice. Viral infections acted as stimulatory adjuvants when bystander T cells were exposed to an inflammatory milieu and cognate antigens at the beginning of infections, but bystander CD8 T cell proliferation in response to cognate antigen was inhibited 3 to 9 days after virus infection. Reduced proliferation was not dependent on Fas-FasL- or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced activation-induced cell death or on deficiencies of antigen presentation. Instead, reduced proliferation was associated with a delayed onset of division that was an intrinsic defect of T cells. Inhibition of proliferation could be simulated by exposure of T cells to the Toll-like receptor agonist and type I interferon (IFN) inducer poly(I · C). T cells lacking IFN-α/β receptors resisted both the suppressive effects of preexposure to poly(I · C) and the stimulatory effects of type I IFN, indicating that the timing of exposure to IFN can have negative or positive effects on T cell proliferation. Inhibition of T cell receptor-stimulated bystander CD8 T cell proliferation during acute viral infections may reflect the reduced ability of vaccines to elicit protective immunity when administered during an acute illness.
Semantics and Pragmatics -- A New Journal

We introduce the principles behind the launch of a new journal in semantics and pragmatics and outline the journal's processes and policies. S&P is a peer-reviewed open access journal. The main content is high quality, original, self-contained research articles on the semantics and pragmatics of natural languages. While our target audience is primarily academic linguists, we expect to also publish material by, or of relevance to, philosophers, psychologists, and computer scientists. doi: 10.3765/sp.0.1
Arterial dilations in response to calcitonin gene-related peptide involve activation of K + channels

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37-amino-acid peptide produced by alternative processing of messenger RNA from the calcitonin gene. CGRP is one of the most potent vasodilators known. It occurs in and is released from perivascular nerves and has been detected in the blood stream, suggesting that it is important in the control of blood flow. The mechanism by which it dilates arteries is not known. Here, we report that arterial dilations in response to CGRP are partially reversed by blockers of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel (K(ATP)), glibenclamide and barium. We also show that CGRP hyperpolarizes arterial smooth muscle and that blockers of K(ATP) channels reverse this hyperpolarization. Finally, we show that CGRP opens single K+ channels in patches on single smooth muscle cells from the same arteries. We propose that activation of K(ATP) channels underlies a substantial part of the relaxation produced by CGRP.
Tmfret to Study Short-Range Interactions at the Membrane

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a technique used to determine the distance between two fluorophores. However, the precision of the distance measurement is limited by the size of the fluorophores and their linkers. In addition, distances over which traditional FRET pairs are sensitive is on the order of the size of many proteins. Thus, short-range interactions have been difficult to study with FRET.Transition Metal Ion FRET (tmFRET) is a novel technique in which the acceptor fluorophore is replaced with a transition metal divalent cation which acts as a non-fluorescent acceptor. The proximity of a fluorescently labeled protein to the metal ions can be determined by the quenching of the donor fluorophore. The small size of the metal ions coupled with the use of small donor fluorphores, such as bimane, allows precise measurement of short-range interactions on the order of 8-20 A.Here we studied the use of tmFRET for measuring interactions at a cell membrane. As proof-of-principle, we used the membrane-resident dye Octadecyl Rhodamine B Chloride (R18) as a FRET donor and metal-bound stearoyl-NTA as a non-fluorescent quencher. Because stearoyl-NTA and R18 both reside in the membrane and have the same acyl chains, we expect the metal-bound NTA group to be well within the distance range of R18 required for tmFRET. Cells were labeled with R18 via transient introduction into the bath. Perfusion of metal-bound stearoyl-NTA into the bath produced quenching of the R18 fluorescence. We studied the reversibility of this effect by subsequently perfusing the cells with EDTA, which chelates the metal ions. Finally, we determined the concentration dependence of R18 quenching by metal-bound stearoyl-NTA. These experiments lay the groundwork for future studies in which tmFRET will be used to measure the distance of fluorophore-tagged proteins from the membrane.
Recent results from NA61/SHINE at the CERN SPS

This contribution is devoted to looking at the NA61/SHINE experiment (1) through the prism of the needs of neutrino oscillation experiments. The new preliminary results on hadron production measurements from p+C (thin target - 0.04 λI) interactions at 31 GeV/c from 2009 data are presented. These results are crucial for the precise de- termination of background contamination in the neutrino flux of the Tokai to Kamioka (T2K) experiment at J-PARC (2).
Size and Double-Layer Effects on the Macroscopic Behavior of Clays

The modeling of clays has been developed in two directions: macroscopic constitutive modeling and microscopic phenomenological studies. Starting with the linear poroelastic models of Biot and Terzaghi, several constitutive models have been developed at the macroscopic level. Creep and stress relaxation and rate effects, have been studied using viscoelastic or elasto-viscoplastic constitutive models (see Liang and Ma [9], Perzyna [15], Cristescu [4]) and yield, irreversible deformation and hysteretic soil behavior has been modeled using plasticity models (Roscoe and Burlan [16]). At the microscopic level recent experimental work (Low [11], Newman [14], Velde [18]) has contributed to the understanding of the behavior of clays. The influence of the salt concentration in the water phase, the double-layer forces and the structural changes in the water under the influence of the particle surface has also been studied, to explain for the nonlinear behavior of clays.
Epigenetic Alterations in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies. In addition to genetic alterations a wide variety of epigenetic aberrations have been identified in pancreatic neoplasms some of which are thought to play an important role in neoplastic development and maintenance. Newer technologies are helping to better characterize cancer epigenomes. Efforts are underway to identify epigenetic alterations that would make optimal diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. In this chapter, we discuss recent findings in the field of pancreatic cancer epigenetics and the implications they hold for future research.
Thermal electron attachment to F 2

Rate constants have been measured from 300 to 700 K for thermal electron attachment to F${}_{2}$ using two flowing afterglow--Langmuir probe apparatuses. Dissociative attachment yielding F${}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ is observed with a rate constant of 5.0 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.3 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 10${}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ cm${}^{3}$ s${}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at 300 K, rising to 9.6 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 2.4 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 10${}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ cm${}^{3}$ s${}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at 700 K, well below the previously accepted values of McCorkle et al. [D. L. McCorkle, L. G. Christophorou, A. A. Christodoulides, and L. Pichiarella, J. Chem. Phys. 85, 1966 (1986)]. The absolute concentration of F${}_{2}$ reaching the afterglow is verified by measuring the near-collisional rate constant (4.5 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.5 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 10${}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ cm${}^{3}$ s${}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$) for Ar${}^{+}$ $+$ F${}_{2}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}ArF${}^{+}$ $+$ F. Prior attempts to apply $R$-matrix calculations to the F${}_{2}$ $+$ ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ system have failed to explain previously reported thermal and nonthermal attachment rate constants along with high-resolution, low-energy attachment cross sections. The present results are reproduced exceptionally well by $R$-matrix calculations employing previously calculated resonance widths without adjustment.
Autonomous parafoils for the exploration of outer planet atmospheres

The design of autonomousparafoil systems for the in-situ exploration of outer planet atmospheres is presented. Using amospheric data for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, parafoils have been sized to carry a scientific payload from a few days to several months. Because of the relatively large surface area of these parafoils, anywhere from 50m to 1000m, the use of planetary radiation to generate lift through buoyancy, in addition to purely aerodynamic lift, is addressed. In order to deal with the survivability of the gondola and its science instruments, an effective thermal protection system was designed to withstand the extreme pressure/temperature environments traversed. A survey of instruments and related systems (power, communications, data handling, etc.) is also included.
Advances in the Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer: How to Hear the Whispers Early

Objectives Upon completion of this activity, the learner will be able to: 1.Cite ovarian cancer statistics. 2.List and describe ovarian cancer risk factors and common symptoms. 3.Describe current methods being studied and used for early detection of ovarian cancer. Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) Credit A total of 2 contact hours may be earned as CNE credit for reading "Advances in the Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer: How to Hear the Whispers Early" and for completing an online post-test and participant feedback form. To take the test and complete the participant feedback form, please visit http://JournalsCNE.awhonn.org. Certificates of completion will be issued on receipt of the completed participant feedback form and processing fees. AWHONN is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Accredited status does not imply endorsement by AWHONN or ANCC of any commercial products displayed or discussed in conjunction with an educational activity. AWHONN also holds California and Alabama BRN numbers: California CNE provider #CEP580 and Alabama #ABN0058.