cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nihilism and the Cold War: the Catholic reception of nihilism between Nietzsche and Adenauer

The discourse of ‘nihilism’ was of central ideological significance during the Cold War. The Soviet Union, argued many politicians and intellectuals, was inherently nihilistic and could only be overcome through a retrenchment of fundamentally Western ‘values.’ This article historicizes this emphasis on nihilism, suggesting that German Catholicism was one of the conduits that ferried the concept from the dark corners of Nietzsche's posthumous writings into mainstream Cold War culture. I begin by staging a debate over Catholicism and nihilism in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and one of his most important early interlocutors: the Catholic philosopher, Max Scheler. Drawing on suggestions that Nietzsche himself had provided, Scheler argued that only certain forms of Christianity were subject to the nihilist temptation; Catholicism, in particular, was robust enough to stand up to Nietzsche's challenge. I then turn to the Weimar journalism of Waldemar Gurian, one of Scheler's students. Gurian carried the conc...
Effects of prior knowledge on use of cognitive capacity in three complex cognitive tasks.

Prior knowledge was varied in problem solving, thinking, and reading tasks in three experiments. The hypothesis was that the prior knowledge used in a cognitive task uses capacity in the same limited capacity active processing system that is used to process the ongoing task. In a reading experiment, prior knowledge about a target page was manipulated by controlling the preceding pages. In an experiment dealing with problem solving in the context of a chess game, prior knowledge was controlled by comparing experts with novices. In a third study subjects thought about personality descriptions of persons and groups, and about women's fashions and football plays; it was assumed that persons have more prior knowledge concerning the personality of persons than the personality of groups, that women have more prior knowledge about women's fashions, and that men have more prior knowledge about football. In all experiments, use of cognitive capacity in task performance was observed with a secondary task technique. The results of all three experiments were consistent with the hypothesis that prior knowledge uses capacity in the active processing system. The prior knowledge hypothesis is consistent with some aspects of current cognitive theory but not consistent with others. The results also suggest a fundamental and unexpected limit on the cognitive processing of experts.
Alterations of the phonetic coding of speech sounds during repetition

Abstract One aspect of the comprehension of speech is the assignment of a phonetic representation to the sounds being heard. However, if a person listens to a meaningless syllable that is continually repeated, over time he will hear the syllable undergo a variety of changes. These changes are very systematic in character and represent alterations in the phonetic coding assigned to an unchanging sound stimulus. When the restricted nature of the changes that occur is analyzed phonetically, these changes are found to invlove a reorganization of the phones constituting the syllables and changes in a small number of distinctive features.
Availability and Perceived Value of Masters of Business Administration Degree Programs in Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management

Objectives. To examine pharmacist-targeted master of business administration (MBA) degree programs and investigate pharmacists’ perceptions regarding them. Methods. Specialized MBA programs in pharmaceutical marketing and management offered at US colleges and schools of pharmacy were identified in the literature and compared. Pharmacists’ perceptions of MBA programs were evaluated through a survey of clinical preceptors affiliated with a school of pharmacy. Results. Seven US universities that offer an MBA program in pharmaceutical marketing and management were identified. Thirty-three percent of the 57 pharmacist preceptors who responded to the survey reported plans to pursue an MBA degree program. Respondents preferred MBA programs related to healthcare or pharmacy (66%) over general MBA programs (33%). Conclusion. An MBA in pharmaceutical marketing and management could provide pharmacists with advanced knowledge of the operational and strategic business aspects of pharmacy practice and give pharmacy graduates an advantage in an increasingly competitive job market.
Thyroglobulin structure-function: The effect of iodination on the structure of human thyroglobulin

Abstract Thyroglobulin of very low iodine content has been prepared from a single non-toxic human goitre. The initial iodine content of the protein (0.038%) has been increased to levels of 0.16% and 0.85% by in vitro treatment with thyroid peroxidase and the resulting proteins studied with respect to their intrinsic fluorescence, circular dichroism spectra and binding of the hydrophobic probe 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS). While significant differences were observed between levels of iodination in both the ANS binding and intrinsic fluorescence of the thyroglobulin, no significant differences in the near and far UV circular dichroism spectra of the protein as a function of iodine content were observed. These data suggest that, the iodination of thyroglobulin effects specific areas of the protein without significant disruption of its overall secondary structure.
A Fast Time-Stepping Strategy for the Newmark-Beta Method

In this paper, we develop a fast time-stepping strategy for the Newmark-beta method; the latter is used extensively in structural dynamics. In particular, we speed up the repeated inversion of the linear systems in the Newmark-beta method by implementing and merging four distinct but complementary concepts: (1) voxelization, (2) assembly-free finite element analysis, (3) deflated conjugate gradient, and (4) adaptive local refinement. The resulting assembly-free deflated conjugate gradient (AF-DCG) version of the Newmark-beta is well-suited for large-scale problems, and can be easily ported to multi-core architectures. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
High Tc superconductor voltage-current simulator and the pulse method of measuring critical current

Abstract A passive voltage-current ( V-I ) simulator has been developed and tested using conventional direct current (d.c.) and pulse current methods. The simulator was designed to generate the extremely non-linear V-I characteristic of a superconductor and has a similar power-law behaviour. It is intended to be used to test various components of the measurement system such as instrumentation, measurement method and data analysis software, to determine the transport critical current, I c , or critical current density, J c , of a superconductor. This simulator does not emulate all the subtle effects of flux flow in a superconductor. However, it approximates a superconductor's major static and dynamic electrical characteristics. The simulator is therefore a necessary but incomplete test of a measurement system. Critical currents obtained on the simulator using the pulse and d.c. methods are compared and show close agreement. Also, preliminary comparisons of methods using bulk and thin film YBCO samples are given.
Combination Classes and Educational Achievement.

Abstract Using the ECLS-K and considering first graders in single-grade and K–1 and 1–2 combination classes, I discuss the mechanisms underlying the combination-class effect and address the systematic school-, teacher-, and student-level differences that confound estimates of this effect. I find evidence for positive selection into 1–2 classes, but using a rich set of control variables, find no relationship between class type and student achievement in first grade within schools, and no difference in overall first-grade achievement between single-grade and combination schools in a matched school sample. The results I present suggest that first graders are not harmed by being in a combination class or by their schools offering combination classes. As long as other stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and students in other grades are not made worse off, these results suggest that offering combination classes may be a Pareto-improving option for school administrators.
Inhibition of lung tumorigenesis by tea.

Tea and tea constituents have been shown by different investigators to inhibit lung tumorigenesis in different animal model systems. This includes lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice induced by 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), N-nitrosodiethylamine, benzo[a]pyrene, N-nitrosomethylurea, or cisplatin. Inhibition of lung tumorigenesis has also been demonstrated in C3H mice treated with N-nitrosodiethylamine. In most of these experiments, reduction in tumor number and tumor size has been observed in the tea-treated group, and in some experiments, decreased tumor incidence has also been observed. The green tea constituent, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and the black tea constituent, theaflavins, have also been shown to be effective. Black tea preparations have been shown to reduce the incidence and number of spontaneously generated lung adenocarcinomas and rhabdomyosarcoma in A/J mice, as well as inhibit the progression of lung adenoma to adenocarcinoma. The mechanisms for the inhibitory a...
High-pressure liquid chromatography separation and determination of rat liver folates

Abstract The endogenous levels of the various folate compounds in rat liver were determined using high-pressure liquid chromatography for the rapid separation of folate monoglutamate forms with specific quantitation of the folates by microbiological analysis of eluted fractions. The eight folate derivatives that were assayable were tetrahydrofolic acid (H4PteGlu), 5-methyl-H4PteGlu, 10-formyl-H4PteGlu, 5-formyl-H4PteGlu, 5,10-methenyl-H4PteGlu, 5,10-methylene-H4PteGlu, H2PteGlu, and PteGlu. New techniques for the preparation of tissues were developed in order to reduce the degradation of the folates. Tissue folates were converted to the monoglutamate form by a partially purified hog kidney polyglutamate hydrolase preparation and incubations were carried out at pH 6.0. This minimized folate degradation but still allowed for maximal polyglutamate hydrolase activity. Rapid removal of tissues was compared with freeze-clamping techniques. The major folates in rat liver were H4PteGlu and 5-methyl-H4PteGlu, comprising 42 and 39%, respectively, of the total liver folate pool of 27.30 nmol/g liver (about 13 μg/g liver). In addition, 10-formyl-H4PteGlu and 5-formyl-H4PteGlu each comprised 10% of the total folate pool. No endogenous PteGlu, H2PteGlu, or 5,10-methylene-H4PteGlu was detected in rat liver samples under our conditions. Distribution of 14C derived from a previous [14C]folic acid injection paralleled the distribution of folate as determined microbiologically after high-pressure liquid chromatography separation. The importance of these methods for the direct determination and estimation of flux of H4PteGlu, 5-methyl-H4PteGlu, and 10-formyl-H4PteGlu in studies dealing with the folate system was emphasized.
Vision, experiment, and learn: how to innovate radically in CE/IT industries in the era of pervasive digitalisation

Incremental innovation (II) has been widely studied, but much less is known about how to engage in and manage radical innovation (RI), especially in contexts that rely on digital technologies. We interviewed 38 experienced high-tech designers and innovation managers in the consumer electronics (CE)/information technology (IT) industries to contribute to this knowledge of RI. We propose the technology, application, and market trend (TAMT) model of RI that emerges from novel interactions between these three aspects. We also propose that radical innovators must constantly search for unarticulated market needs through experimentation, learning, and visionary thinking to identify RI opportunities and engage in them successfully.
Supporting authorization query and inter-domain role mapping in presence of hybrid role hierarchy

The role hierarchy is one of the most distinguished features of an RBAC approach to securing large systems as it facilitates efficient administration of permissions. However, the role hierarchy as defined in the currently standardized RBAC model has limitations in capturing generic policy requirements such as separation of duty, time-based and cardinality constraints. To address such limitations, permission inheritance and activation inheritance semantics have been introduced to define three different types of role hierarchies. In presence of a hybrid hierarchy that allows all the three types of hierarchies to coexist, the overall hierarchy administration problem becomes quite complex. A key problem is to efficiently handle authorization queries to decide whether a user's request to activate a set of roles should be granted. A hybrid hierarchy also makes the problem of mapping a request for a set of permissions to a minimal set of roles difficult. Such a mapping is crucial in multidomain environments where different security domains have to establish and engage in secure interoperation by first mapping their security policies. In this paper, we investigate these two problems and present solutions that are efficient and practical.
Optimal apodizing properties of Gaussian pupils.

Abstract Using the calculus of variations, we show that a Gaussian pupil leads, in the paraxial approximation, to an optimum apodization of the diffraction image under the conditions of constant pupil energy and constant moment of inertia. Some properties of the diffraction image are pointed out.
CIRCUMFERENTIAL LASER VAPORIZATION FOR SEVERE MEATAL STENOSIS SECONDARY TO BALANITIS XEROTICA OBLITERANS

AbstractPurpose: A new technique for treating meatal stenosis due to balanitis xerotica obliterans was used.Materials and Methods: Three patients with complete urinary retention and 1 with severe obstructive symptoms due to balanitis xerotica obliterans were treated with circumferential carbon dioxide laser vaporization of the urethral meatus.Results: All 4 patients void spontaneously at 1 to 4.5 months of followup with peak flow rates of 1.25 to more than 3.0 standard deviations less than the mean normal peak flow rates at similar voided volumes. All patients are pleased with the postoperative results.Conclusions: Circumferential carbon dioxide laser vaporization monotherapy shows promise in treatment of meatal stenosis associated with balanitis xerotica obliterans.
Mentalism in linguistics

Linguists who conceive of their science as a discipline which collects utterances and classifies their parts often pride themselves on their freedom from mentalism. But freedom from mentalism is an inherent feature of the taxonomic conception of linguistics, for, according to this conception, a linguist starts his investigation with observable physical events and at no stage imports anything else.
Acute Hemodynamic Effects of Pinacidil in Hypertensive Patients with and without Propranolol Pretreatment

To study the systemic and regional hemodynamic effects of the new antihypertensive agent pinacidil, the authors administered intravenously two doses of pinacidil (0.1 mg/kg) to patients with hypertension after 3 days of randomized, double-blind pretreatment with either propranolol or placebo. Pinacidil administration decreased systemic arterial pressure and total peripheral vascular resistance in both groups of patients. It also decreased pulmonary artery wedge pressure, and increased cardiac output, heart rate, and plasma norepinephrine levels; the changes in cardiac output and heart rate were attenuated by propranolol pretreatment. In addition, propranolol-pretreated patients responded to pinacidil with a decrease in forearm blood flow. In contrast, pinacidil administration exerted no significant effects on right atrial pressure, stroke volume, or mean pulmonary arterial pressure alone or in combination with propranolol. The results show that pinacidil is a potent arterial dilator but has little effect on the venomotor tone in patients with hypertension.
Mesozoic calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy of marine sediments

Abstract Calcareous nannofossils are becoming increasingly important in Mesozoic biostratigraphy due to their great abundance and ease of preparation. Paleoenvironmental restriction and time-transgressiveness of geographic distribution patterns of certain taxa are evident. Critical examination of the effects of differential solution and diagenetic calcification reveals a considerable morphologic variability within numerous species. The available information is incorporated into a stratigraphic scale allowing correlation over wide distances and across paleoprovincial boundaries. This scale is calibrated against chronostratigraphy in the stratotypes and correlated with the magnetic anomaly sequence and with ammonite, foraminifera, and calpionellid biostratigraphies. The average stratigraphic resolution by means of nannofossils is approximately 6 m.y. in the Jurassic and 3 m.y. in the Cretaceous.
Linear Graphene Plasmons

The coupling of the plasmon spectra of graphene and a nearby thick plasma is examined here in detail. The coupled modes include linear plasmons.
Opportunities and Challenges for 3D Systems and Their Design

This article presents the system design opportunities offered by 3D integration, and it discusses the design and test challenges for 3D ICs, with various new design-for-manufacture and DFT issues.
Resource Allocation for Distributed Streaming Applications

We consider resource allocation for distributed streaming applications running in a grid environment, where continuously streaming data needs to be aggregated and processed to produce output streams. Because such an application comprises a pipeline of processing stages, both communication and computational requirements need to be taken into account while performing resource allocation. In this paper, we give a rigorous formulation of this resource allocation problem, based on the DAG representation of the application as well as the environment. We have shown how we can use the notion of subgraph isomorphism and developed an effective resource allocation algorithm. The main observations from the experiments we conducted to evaluate our algorithms were as follows: the overhead caused by our algorithm is comparable to an existing algorithm, Streamline, which is based onheuristics. At the same time, the application performance was improved by 30% on average. When compared to the allocation performed by the optimal algorithm, which enumerates all mappings, the application performance with our algorithm was within 4%. At the same time, unlike the optimal algorithm, our algorithm scaled well to large graphs.
A Reexamination of Age-Related Variation in Body Weight and Morphometry of Maryland Nutria

Age-related variation in morphometry has been documented for many species. Knowledge of growth patterns can be useful for modeling energetics, detecting physiological influences on populations, and predicting age. These benefits have shown value in understanding population dynamics of invasive species, particularly in developing efficient control and eradication programs. However, development and evaluation of descriptive and predictive models is a critical initial step in this process. Accordingly, we used data from necropsies of 1,544 nutria (Myocastor coypus) collected in Maryland, USA, to evaluate the accuracy of previously published models for prediction of nutria age from body weight. Published models underestimated body weights of our animals, especially for ages <3. We used cross-validation procedures to develop and evaluate models for describing nutria growth patterns and for predicting nutria age. We derived models from a randomly selected model-building data set (n = 192–193 M, 217–222 F) and evaluated them with the remaining animals (n = 487–488 M, 642–647 F). We used nonlinear regression to develop Gompertz growth-curve models relating morphometric variables to age. Predicted values of morphometric variables fell within the 95% confidence limits of their true values for most age classes. We also developed predictive models for estimating nutria age from morphometry, using linear regression of log-transformed age on morphometric variables. The evaluation data set corresponded with 95% prediction intervals from the new models. Predictive models for body weight and length provided greater accuracy and less bias than models for foot length and axillary girth. Our growth models accurately described age-related variation in nutria morphometry, and our predictive models provided accurate estimates of ages from morphometry that will be useful for live-captured individuals. Our models offer better accuracy and precision than previously published models, providing a capacity for modeling energetics and growth patterns of Maryland nutria as well as an empirical basis for determining population age structure from live-captured animals.
A linear-gradient mixing device for viscous solutions☆☆☆

Abstract A gradient mixing device is described that forms linear concentration gradients and is suitable for mixing viscous liquids. Construction details are given and data are presented for gradients formed between 50% sucrose solution and water at room temperature. Statistical analysis shows that the slope of the regression line calculated from the data is constant within ±1.5% for the 99% fiducial limits.
Stay or Leave: Director Identities and Voluntary Exit from the Board During Organizational Crisis

Directors may play their most important role during organizational crisis; however, extant research suggests that they are often more willing to exit than remain on the board of a firm facing a crisis. We develop theory regarding directors' voluntary exit by integrating insights from identity theories with the organizational crises literature. Specifically, we model how directors' individual, relational, and collective identities work sometimes in concert and other times in opposition to each other to influence directors' voluntary decisions to remain on or exit from a board facing an organizational crisis.
Evaluating Removal Efficiency of Heavy Metals in Constructed Wetlands

AbstractIn recent decades, there has been a growing interest in using constructed wetlands (CWs) for the treatment of contaminated waters. There has been an increase in the use of wetland technology because of its low greenhouse effects, low maintenance and operational costs, and energy efficiency. However, there exists a level of uncertainty in regards to the performance of CWs and in some cases, CWs act as sources of contaminants. To address the issue, this paper presents the removal efficiencies for different heavy metal elements and identifies the factors affecting the removal processes. Using the San Joaquin Marsh constructed wetlands, removal efficiencies for four heavy metal elements—Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn—were evaluated. It was found that the effluent metal concentrations were not substantially lower than the influent. The removal efficiencies of 23.9%, 10.6%, and 17.6% were found for Cd, Cu, and Zn, respectively. No significant reduction was observed for concentrations of Pb. Different aspects of the ...
Fixed point controllers and stabilization of the cart-pole system and the rotating pendulum

We consider stabilization of nonlinear systems in a special normal form as the cascade of a nonlinear subsystem and a linear subsystem. These systems do not possess any particular triangular structure. Despite this fact, we show how a backstepping type procedure applied to these systems naturally leads to a fixed point equation in the control input. We give conditions for well-posedness of these fixed point equations and show how these fixed points called Fixed Point Controllers (FPC) can be used for stabilization of cascade nonlinear systems. As special cases, we apply our results to semiglobal stabilization of two complex under-actuated nonlinear systems, namely the cart-pole system and the rotating pendulum.
A turbulent-transport model for concentration fluctuations and fluxes

A second-order closure model describing the diffusion of a passive scalar from a small source is presented. The model improves upon the earlier work of Lewellen & Teske (1976) by ensuring the early stage of the release, the so-called meander phase, is accurately described. In addition to the mean concentration and scalar fluxes, a model equation for the evolution of the scalar variance is proposed. The latter introduces a new lengthscale which represents the scale of the concentration fluctuations. The model predictions are compared with the recent experimental data of Fackrell & Robins (1982a, b).
Cardiopulmonary responses to eccentric and concentric resistance exercise in older adults

Background: in older ambulatory persons, exercise strategies that are expected to generate beneficial muscle adaptations with low cardiopulmonary demands are needed. Objective: we hypothesised that eccentric resistance exercise would be less demanding on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems than bouts of concentric resistance exercise. Design: the effects of eccentric and concentric resistance exercise were compared during leg squats at a submaximal intensity known to increase muscle mass. Subjects: 19 older persons (15 women/four men, age 65±4 years) and 19 young reference controls (10 women/nine men; age 25±2 years) were enrolled. Methods: participants completed eccentric-only and concentric-only exercise bouts 5–7 days apart. Results: cardiovascular and pulmonary measures were collected from subjects during bouts consisting of three sequential sets of 10 repetitions at 65% of their voluntary concentric 1-repetition maximum force (68±16 kg for older participants and 94±36 kg for young participants). Peak heart rate (119±10 versus 155±16 b.p.m.), systolic blood pressure (129±18 versus 167±14 mmHg), cardiac index (7.8±2.0 versus 9.2±1.5 l/min/m 2 ) and expired ventilation (20.5±5.7 versus 29.8±9.1 l/min) were significantly lower during eccentric than during concentric bouts in the older subjects, respectively (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Similarly, peak heart rate, systolic blood pressure, cardiac index and expired ventilation were significantly lower during eccentric bouts in the young control subjects. Conclusions: eccentric resistance exercise produced less cardiopulmonary demands and may be better suited for older persons with low exercise tolerance and at risk of adverse cardiopulmonary events.
Compiling for fine-grain concurrency: planning and performing software thread integration

Embedded systems require control of many concurrent real-time activities, leading to system designs which feature multiple hardware peripherals with each providing a specific, dedicated service. These peripherals increase system size, cost, weight, power and design time. Software thread integration (STI) provides low-cost thread concurrency on general-purpose processors by automatically interleaving multiple (potentially real-time) threads of control into one. This simplifies hardware to software migration (which eliminates dedicated hardware) and can help embedded system designers meet design constraints such as size, weight, power and cost. The paper introduces automated methods for planning and performing the code transformations needed for integration of functions with more sophisticated control flows than in previous work. We demonstrate the methods by using Thrint, our post pass thread-integrating compiler, to automatically integrate multiple threads for a sample real-time embedded system with fine-grain concurrency. Previous work in thread integration required users to manually integrate loops; this is now performed automatically. The sample application generates an NTSC monochrome video signal (sending out a stream of pixels to a video DAC) with STI to replace a video refresh controller IC. Using Thrint reduces integration time from days to minutes and reclaims up to 99% of the system's fine grain idle time.
A local metric for geographic routing with power control in wireless networks

We investigate the combination of distributed ge- ographic routing with transmission power control for energy efficient delivery of information in multihop wireless networks. Using realistic models for wireless channel fading as well as radio modulation and encoding, we first show that the optimal power control strategy over a given link should set the transmission power to achieve a special signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constant that can be computed using an elegant characteristic equation. Counter-intuitively, for typical radios, this corresponds to an optimal operating point of SNR that lies in the transitional region (where packet error rates are non-negligible). We then propose a local power efficiency metric for distributed routing such that at each step the transmitter picks as the next hop the neighbor for which this metric is maximized. Through extensive simulations, we compare the performance of the proposed algorithm and globally optimal routing algorithms. We show that in randomly deployed 2-D networks, the combination of this local metric for routing with optimal power control has close performances, in terms of average power consumption under different node density settings and physical transmission power limits, to the best strategy using global network link state information. In particular, when electronic power is relatively low, the proposed algorithm can provide up to six times reduction in power usage compared to channel-unaware routing algorithms.
Interferometric coherent Raman spectroscopy: Resonant and non‐resonant contributions

The theory of the recently discovered interferometric coherent Raman spectroscopy (ICRS) is extended to explicitly include terms resulting from non-resonant contributions to the overall non-linear susceptibility. The derived expression is applicable to both interferometric coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (ICARS) and interferometric coherent Stokes Raman spectroscopy (ICSRS) and can be applied to both neat solutions and binary mixtures. It is shown that the total description of ICRS must include a resonant term, a non-resonant term and a resonant-non-resonant cross-term, each of which exhibits analytically unique behavior in time-domain ICRS experiments. From the complete expression one can extract relative strengths of the resonant and non-resonant molecular hyperpolarizabilities. Resonant hyperpolarizabilities thus obtained may be used to determine absolute Raman cross-sections, without making absolute measurements. Conversely, for a sample for which the absolute Raman cross-section is independently known, one can determine the value of the non-resonant hyperpolarizability.
Inhibition of diamine oxidase by bulbocapnine.

Abstract Using a modification of the spectrophotofluorometric method of Shore, Burkhalter and Cohn, an inhibition of diamine oxidase by bulbocapnine, using histamine as a substrate, has been demonstrated. The mechanism of the inhibition is competitive, as indicated by Lineweaver-Burke and Hunter-Downs plots. Pyridoxal phosphate was capable of antagonizing the inhibition by bulbocapnine of dialyzed hog kidney diamine oxidase. The possible involvement of a histaminergic mechanism in experimental catatonia is discussed.
Metabolism of U6 RNA species in nonirradiated and UV-irradiated mammalian cells.

We observed a series of rapidly labeled U6 RNA bands, which were hybrid selected with U6 DNA, in nonirradiated human cells. The electrophoretic mobility of these bands in denaturing gels was lower than that of the known mature U6 RNA species, and was equivalent to transcripts up to approximately 7 nucleotides longer. These multiple U6 RNA species lost their label during a chase without a proportional increase in radioactivity in the known mature U6 RNA, which suggests that a substantial fraction is not processed into the major mature U6 RNA. During a label chase, the multiple U6 RNA bands appeared first in the cytoplasmic fraction and later in nuclei. One of the major rapidly labeled U6 RNA bands had the electrophoretic mobility of an RNA species one nucleotide shorter than the known mature U6 RNA. UV light induced a UV dose-dependent, preferential disappearance of recently synthesized molecules of the U6 RNA species of higher gel electrophoretic mobility, including the known mature U6 RNA. Since this effect was seen in cells pulse-labeled immediately before or after irradiation, it suggests that UV radiation induces the specific degradation of the electrophoretically faster moving species of U6 RNA, which are apparently shorter chains. The effect of UV light was RNA species-specific, was not seen in molecules synthesized long (e.g., 22 hr) before irradiation, and occurred in human and mouse cells.
Microtubule-based localization of a synaptic calcium-signaling complex is required for left-right neuronal asymmetry in C. elegans

The axons of C. elegans left and right AWC olfactory neurons communicate at synapses through a calcium-signaling complex to regulate stochastic asymmetric cell identities called AWC(ON) and AWC(OFF). However, it is not known how the calcium-signaling complex, which consists of UNC-43/CaMKII, TIR-1/SARM adaptor protein and NSY-1/ASK1 MAPKKK, is localized to postsynaptic sites in the AWC axons for this lateral interaction. Here, we show that microtubule-based localization of the TIR-1 signaling complex to the synapses regulates AWC asymmetry. Similar to unc-43, tir-1 and nsy-1 loss-of-function mutants, specific disruption of microtubules in AWC by nocodazole generates two AWC(ON) neurons. Reduced localization of UNC-43, TIR-1 and NSY-1 proteins in the AWC axons strongly correlates with the 2AWC(ON) phenotype in nocodazole-treated animals. We identified kinesin motor unc-104/kif1a mutants for enhancement of the 2AWC(ON) phenotype of a hypomorphic tir-1 mutant. Mutations in unc-104, like microtubule depolymerization, lead to a reduced level of UNC-43, TIR-1 and NSY-1 proteins in the AWC axons. In addition, dynamic transport of TIR-1 in the AWC axons is dependent on unc-104, the primary motor required for the transport of presynaptic vesicles. Furthermore, unc-104 acts non-cell autonomously in the AWC(ON) neuron to regulate the AWC(OFF) identity. Together, these results suggest a model in which UNC-104 may transport some unknown presynaptic factor(s) in the future AWC(ON) cell that non-cell autonomously control the trafficking of the TIR-1 signaling complex to postsynaptic regions of the AWC axons to regulate the AWC(OFF) identity.
The Singular Value Filter: A General Filter Design Strategy for PCA-Based Signal Separation in Medical Ultrasound Imaging

A general filtering method, called the singular value filter (SVF), is presented as a framework for principal component analysis (PCA) based filter design in medical ultrasound imaging. The SVF approach operates by projecting the original data onto a new set of bases determined from PCA using singular value decomposition (SVD). The shape of the SVF weighting function, which relates the singular value spectrum of the input data to the filtering coefficients assigned to each basis function, is designed in accordance with a signal model and statistical assumptions regarding the underlying source signals. In this paper, we applied SVF for the specific application of clutter artifact rejection in diagnostic ultrasound imaging. SVF was compared to a conventional PCA-based filtering technique, which we refer to as the blind source separation (BSS) method, as well as a simple frequency-based finite impulse response (FIR) filter used as a baseline for comparison. The performance of each filter was quantified in simulated lesion images as well as experimental cardiac ultrasound data. SVF was demonstrated in both simulation and experimental results, over a wide range of imaging conditions, to outperform the BSS and FIR filtering methods in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and motion tracking performance. In experimental mouse heart data, SVF provided excellent artifact suppression with an average CNR improvement of 1.8 dB (P <; 0.05) with over 40% reduction (P <; 0.05) in displacement tracking error. It was further demonstrated from simulation and experimental results that SVF provided superior clutter rejection, as reflected in larger CNR values, when filtering was achieved using complex pulse-echo received data and non-binary filter coefficients.
Interpreting Images by Propagating Bayesian Beliefs

A central theme of computational vision research has been the realization that reliable estimation of local scene properties requires propagating measurements across the image. Many authors have therefore suggested solving vision problems using architectures of locally connected units updating their activity in parallel. Unfortunately, the convergence of traditional relaxation methods on such architectures has proven to be excruciatingly slow and in general they do not guarantee that the stable point will be a global minimum. In this paper we show that an architecture in which Bayesian Beliefs about image properties are propagated between neighboring units yields convergence times which are several orders of magnitude faster than traditional methods and avoids local minima. In particular our architecture is non-iterative in the sense of Marr [5]: at every time step, the local estimates at a given location are optimal given the information which has already been propagated to that location. We illustrate the algorithm's performance on real images and compare it to several existing methods.
Impact of Individual Differences and Consumers’ Readiness on Likelihood of Using Self-Service Technologies at Hospitality Settings:

As more hospitality companies use self-service technologies (SSTs), the industry is going through an evolutionary adoption process. Many hotels, resorts, and casinos have installed self-service che...
Technique for selecting capsular tightness in repair of anterior-inferior shoulder instability

Part I of our study consisted of sending a survey questionnaire to all members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons in which specific questions were asked about their technique of surgical repair in patients with anterior instability who had capsular laxity or injury in conjunction with marked inferior laxity. Part II is a description of the technique and preliminary results in 18 patients of a modified anterior-inferior capsular shift technique that tightens the inferior capsule with the shoulder positioned in abduction and external rotation and the superior capsule with the shoulder in adduction and external rotation. Of the members of the Society of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons who responded to the survey, 80% agreed that preservation of external rotation was important and that shoulder position at the time of capsular repair might influence the ultimate range of motion obtained. However, no more than 50% of the respondents agreed on any one position for the arm when repairing the capsule. The most common responses for each position were flexion 0 degrees (49%) (range, 0 degrees to 40 degrees), abduction 30 degrees (24%) (range, 0 degrees to 80 degrees), and external rotation 30 degrees (37%) (range, 0 degrees to 70 degrees). The average postoperative follow-up period for the 18 patients was 27 months (range, 24 to 39 months). Of the 18 patients, 11 (61%) maintained symmetric motion; the others had minimal loss of external rotation compared with that of the contralateral shoulder. Six of eight patients with repair on the dominant side were able to return to full premorbid recreational throwing or racquet sports, and seven with repair on the nondominant side returned to full participation in overhead sports such as basketball and swimming. We conclude that this method of "selective" capsular repair may be a useful guideline to gauge the degree of capsular tightening in patients who have capsular injury or laxity.
Regulated transcription of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphatidylinositol biosynthetic gene, PIS1, yields pleiotropic effects on phospholipid synthesis

Phosphatidylinositol is an important membrane lipid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other eukaryotes. Phosphatidylinositol and its metabolites (phosphoinositides, inositol polyphosphates, etc.) affect many cellular processes with implications in human diseases. Phosphatidylinositol synthesis in S. cerevisiae requires the essential PIS1 gene. Recent studies reveal that PIS1 expression is regulated at the level of transcription in response to carbon source, oxygen, and zinc. However, the consequence of this regulation on phosphatidylinositol levels and functions has not been thoroughly studied. To investigate this, we created a strain with a galactose-inducible GAL1-PIS1 gene. In this strain, the amount of phosphatidylinositol correlated with PIS1 expression but did not exceed c. 25% of the total phospholipid composition. Interestingly, we found that 4% phosphatidylinositol was sufficient for cell growth. We also found that reduced PIS1 expression yielded derepression of two phospholipid biosynthetic genes (INO1 and CHO1) and the INO2 regulatory gene. Consistent with this derepression, reduced PIS1 expression also yielded an overproduction of inositol (Opi−) phenotype. The effect on transcription of the INO1, CHO1, and INO2 genes is consistent with the accepted model that phosphatidic acid (PA) is the signal for regulation of these genes because decreased phosphatidylinositol synthesis would affect PA levels.
Thermostable DNA immobilization and temperature effects on surface hybridization.

Monolayer films of nucleic acids on solid supports are encountered in a range of diagnostic and bioanalytical applications. These applications often rely on elevated temperatures to improve performance; moreover, studies at elevated temperatures can provide fundamental information on layer organization and functionality. To support such applications, this study compares thermostability of oligonucleotide monolayers immobilized to gold by first coating the gold with a nanometer-thick film (an “anchor layer”) of a polymercaptosiloxane, to which DNA oligonucleotides are subsequently tethered through maleimide–thiol conjugation, with thermostability of monolayers formed via widely used attachment through a terminal thiol moiety on the DNA. The temperature range covered is from 25 to 90 °C. After confirming stability of immobilization and, more importantly, retention of hybridization activity even under the harshest conditions investigated, these thermostable films are used to demonstrate measurements of (1) r...
Relationship of serum inhibin levels to serum follicle stimulating hormone and sperm production in normal men and men with varicoceles

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between serum inhibin levels as measured by RIA and serum FSH and sperm concentration. Three groups of men were used for this study: group I, normal fertile men (n = 67); group II, fertile men with a varicocele (n = 57); and group III, infertile men with a varicocele (n = 21). There were no differences in mean serum inhibin levels between the three groups. The two groups of men with varicoceles exhibited higher serum FSH levels and FSH responses to GnRH than the normal men. Sperm counts in both groups II and III were significantly lower than group I. In the normal men there was an inverse correlation between baseline serum inhibin and serum FSH levels and GnRH stimulated FSH levels, r = -0.415 and 0.422, P less than 0.005, respectively. Furthermore, the normal men exhibited a positive correlation between serum inhibin measurements and sperm concentration and testicular volume, r = 0.35 and 0.26, P less than 0.01 and less than 0.05, respectively. In neither group of men with a varicocele were these relationships found. These data demonstrate that serum inhibin does correlate with FSH in a negative fashion, when the reproductive system is normal, as would be expected for a negative feedback factor. Finally, the relationship of serum inhibin levels to testicular size and sperm count in the normal men suggests that serum inhibin levels reflect to some extent the integrity of seminiferous tubule function.
Intrinsic ICAM-1/LFA-1 activation mediates altered responsiveness of atopic asthmatic airway smooth muscle.

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) have been importantly implicated in the pathobiology of the airway responses in allergic asthma, including inflammatory cell recruitment into the lungs and altered bronchial responsiveness. To elucidate the mechanism of CAM-related mediation of altered airway responsiveness in the atopic asthmatic state, the expressions and actions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and its counterreceptor ligand lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1; i.e., CD11a/CD18) were examined in isolated rabbit airway smooth muscle (ASM) tissues and cultured human ASM cells passively sensitized with sera from atopic asthmatic patients or nonatopic nonasthmatic (control) subjects. Relative to control tissues, the atopic asthmatic sensitized ASM exhibited significantly enhanced maximal contractility to acetylcholine and attenuated relaxation responses to isoproterenol. These proasthmatic changes in agonist responsiveness were ablated by pretreating the atopic sensitized tissues with a monoclonal blocking antibody (MAb) to either ICAM-1 or CD11a, whereas a MAb directed against the related beta(2)-integrin Mac-1 had no effect. Moreover, relative to control tissues, atopic asthmatic sensitized ASM cells displayed an autologously upregulated mRNA and cell surface expression of ICAM-1, whereas constitutive expression of CD11a was unaltered. Extended studies further demonstrated that 1) the enhanced expression and release of soluble ICAM-1 by atopic sensitized ASM cells was prevented when cells were pretreated with an interleukin (IL)-5-receptor-alpha blocking antibody and 2) administration of exogenous IL-5 to naive (nonsensitized) ASM cells induced a pronounced soluble ICAM-1 release from the cells. Collectively, these observations provide new evidence demonstrating that activation of the CAM counterreceptor ligands ICAM-1 and LFA-1, both of which are endogenously expressed in ASM cells, elicits autologously upregulated IL-5 release and associated changes in ICAM-1 expression and agonist responsiveness in atopic asthmatic sensitized ASM.