cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of neurotrophins on postnatal neurogenesis in the thalamus: prenatal exposure to ethanol

A second wave of neuronal generation occurs in the ventrobasal nucleus of the rat thalamus (VB) during the first three postnatal weeks. The present study tested the hypotheses (1) that postnatal neurogenesis in the VB is neurotrophin-regulated and (2) that ethanol-induced changes in this proliferation are mediated by neurotrophins. The first studies examined the effects of neurotrophins on the numbers of cycling cells in ex vivo preparations of the VB from 3-day-old rats. The proportion of cycling (Ki-67-positive) VB cells was higher in cultured thalamic slices treated with neurotrophins than in controls. Interestingly, this increase occurred with nerve growth factor (NGF) alone or with a combination of NGF and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but not with BDNF alone. Based on these data, the VBs from young offspring of pregnant rats fed an ethanol-containing or an isocaloric non-alcoholic liquid diet were examined between postnatal day (P) 1 and P31. Studies used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunoblots to explore the effects of ethanol on the expression of neurotrophins, their receptors, and representative signaling proteins. Ethanol altered the expression of neurotrophins and receptors throughout the first postnatal month. Expression of NGF increased, but there was no change in the expression of BDNF. The high affinity receptors (TrkA and TrkB) were unchanged but ethanol decreased expression of the low affinity receptor, p75. One downstream signaling protein, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), decreased but Akt expression was unchanged. Thus, postnatal cell proliferation in the VB of young rat pups is neurotrophin-responsive and is affected by ethanol.
The New CIO: From Technician to Business Strategist and the Implications for E-Commerce

The chief information officer (CIO) role has evolved from keeper of the infrastructure under the chief financial officer (CFO), to an executive managing the organizationpsilas information base with a seat at the executive table and more recently to becoming the key strategic agent for the organizational use of technology. In the most advanced firms the CIO is the best indicated executive to move to CEO, especially in technology intensive firms. He has become the key Schumpeterian actor in the creative-destructive process mediated by technology. Today technology is the single greatest factor in strategic change in a firm. The CIO is the executive best positioned to manage the creative-destructive power of technology as outlined by Schumpeter and effect firm sustainability in the face of massive changes in markets. Thus the CIO is the best positioned to craft corporate strategy. As such he is best positioned to take advantage. This paper outlines this new and evolving role as determined from interviews of industry, and public sector CIOs and chief technology officers (CTOs) and the study of CIO and CTO position advertisements. Nineteen CIOs and nine CTOs were interviewed for this research project. The emerging picture is that of a new dynamic role for the CIO with new competencies, roles and responsibilities, which vary by sector and organization type and size. This paper presents the new competencies, roles and responsibilities in light of the overwhelming importance of technology to firm sustainability. It also presents the implications for educators of CIOs as well as evolving succession strategies firms have developed to create new CIO talent successfully. Lastly the paper explores the resulting implications for e-commerce.
Multiple Eluent and pH Effects on Ion Chromatography of Phosphate and Arsenate

Abstract The ion-exchange separation theory of Mayer and Tompkins is extended to the case of multiple eluent ions. The selectivity coefficients for carbonate and hydroxide, each relative to bicarbonate, were estimated from retention data for bromide and sulfate. These results were used to interpret the chromatographic retention data for phosphate and arsenate as a function of pH in carbonate-bicarbonate eluents. Despite large relative errors in the empirical constants, the qualitative behavior of the polybasic anions was accounted for by the predominant effect of the triply charged ions on the retention time, even at low relative concentrations.
Paradoxical Effect of Surveyor's Conservative versus Provocative Clothing on Rape Myth Acceptance of Males and Females

Abstract For decades researchers have been examining attitudes, cultural beliefs, and stereotypes of rape known as “rape myths,” yet demand characteristics of laboratory research can affect participant responses. To investigate one relevant situational variable, 83 young adults approached in a public mall were given the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (RMAS), by one of two female researchers. One researcher dressed conservatively while the other dressed provocatively; half way through the study the researchers switched clothing to counterbalance any other experimenter effects besides that of clothing. A 2 × 2 be-tween-subjects ANOVA found that: (1) as expected, men scored higher than women on the RMAS; (2) surprisingly, both men and women scored higher on the RMAS when the researcher was dressed conservatively than dressed provocatively; (3) this paradoxical effect of researcher's clothing was more pronounced for men's scores than women's. We interpret this experimenter effect in two ways: (1) the respondents ...
Optimal therapy for polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia can only be determined by the completion of randomized clinical trials

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) are chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) associated with an increased risk of developing arterial and venous thrombotic events which are a major cause of early morbidity and mortality.[1][1],[2][2] These MPNs frequently also evolve to
Predictors of parent-child relationships that support physical activity in Mexican-American families.

Family-based physical activity (PA) interventions would benefit from research that identifies how to build support for PA among family members. This study examined the extent to which relationships of encouragement to do PA, and co-engagement in PA, exist among Mexican–American parents and children, and sought to identify individual, relational, and household factors associated with these dimensions of support. Participants were 224 Mexican-origin adults, with at least one child aged 5–20 years, participating in a larger study conducted between 2008 and 2010. In baseline surveys, adult participants enumerated the names and attributes of their family and kin; this study focuses on 455 parent–child dyads, nested in 118 households. Parental encouragement of PA in their children was found in about half of dyads, and in 20 % of dyads children encouraged parents. Encouragement relationships were highly reciprocal. Reciprocal parent–child encouragement was also positively associated with co-participation in PA; the latter found in just 17 % of dyads. Results indicated that relational, individual, and socio-cultural attributes were associated with PA support among parents and children, and provide insights into how these relationships might be fostered within Mexican–American families.
Effect of experience with a preferred food on consummatory responding for a less preferred food in goldfish

In two experiments with goldfish patterned after work with rats, consummatory responding for a less preferred food (adulterated with quinine) was measured in subjects that did or did not have previous experience of a preferred (unadulterated) food. The result in each case was not the negative contrast found in rats, but the opposite—more responding in subjects with experience of both foods. The experiments are in accord with a variety of others that have failed to show control of performance by remembered reward in goldfish.
Friction and wear in surface-micromachined tribological test devices

We report on the design, construction, and initial testing of surface micromachined devices for measuring friction and wear. The devices measure friction coefficients on both horizontal deposited polysilicon surfaces and vertical etched polysilicon surfaces. The contact geometry of the rubbing surfaces is well-defined, and a method is presented for the determination of the normal and frictional forces. Initial observations on test devices which have been dried with supercritical CO{sub 2} and devices coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane suggest that the coatings increase the lifetime of the devices and the repeatability of the results.
Stability of uniform flow in packed-bed reactors

Abstract A model for packed beds with down flow in which a first-order exothermic reaction occurs in developed and analyzed. Various limiting models that are valid for large Peclet numbers and/or a constant heat source as reaction term are derived. The influence of the boundary conditions, the Peclet number, the activation energy, the Damkoehler number (conversion) and the heat of reaction on the stability of the one-dimensional flow with respect to two- and three-dimensional perturbations is determined. An examination of the numerical values shows that the parameters for typical packed beds may lie in the region in which the uniform flow is unstable.
Optimal admission control in two-class preemptive loss systems

Abstract We study optimal admission control in a two-class preemptive loss system. A class-1 customer arrival aborts service of a class-2 customer if the system is full upon arrival. Each successfully serviced class-2 customer leads to a reward, whereas each aborted class-2 customer incurs a cost. Using dynamic programming, we characterize optimal admission control for class-2 customers that maximizes the long-run average profit. The optimal admission control policy depends only on the total occupancy and is of threshold type.
Systematics of xenocrystic contamination: preservation of discrete feldspar populations at McCullough Pass Caldera revealed by 40Ar/39Ar dating

Abstract Single crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating of K-feldspars from silicic volcanic rocks containing xenocrysts often yields a spectrum of ages slightly older than those of juvenile sanidine phenocrysts. In contrast, feldspars from thin, low-volume units of the Tertiary (14 Ma) McCullough Pass Tuff define discrete age populations at ∼14 Ma, ∼15 Ma, and ∼1.3 Ga, reflecting the time of eruption, xenocrysts from an older ignimbrite exposed in the caldera wall, and Proterozoic basement K-feldspars, respectively. Conductive cooling and diffusion modelling suggests preservation of such discrete populations is likely only when xenocrystic material is incorporated into the magma very near or at the surface, or is engulfed in thin, rapidly cooled pyroclastic flows during emplacement. Incorporation of xenocrysts into the subvolcanic magma chamber, into thick rhyolite domes or lava flows, or into large, welded ignimbrite sheets will result in partial or total resetting of the K/Ar isotopic system. Similarly, petrographic evidence such as exsolution lamellae may be homogenized under these conditions but not in thin ignimbrites. Extremely low diffusion rates for disordering of the Al–Si tetrahedral siting of basement feldspars suggests that they will retain their ordered structural state given rhyolitic magma temperatures. Thus, even when petrographic and K/Ar isotopic evidence for xenocrystic contamination is obscured, it may be preserved in the form of Al–Si ordering.
Map of Jupiter's moon Io

Map of Jupiter's moon Io The first global geologic map of the Jovian satellite Io has been published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the agency announced on 19 March. “More than 130 years after the USGS first began producing quality geologic maps here on Earth, it is exciting to have the reach of our science extend across 400 million miles to this volcanically active moon of Jupiter,” said USGS director Marcia McNutt. “Somehow it makes the vast expanse of space seem less forbidding to know that similar geologic processes which have shaped our planet are active elsewhere.” The map illustrates the geologic character of the unique and active volcanoes on Io, a planetary body that has about 25 times more volcanic activity than Earth does, according to USGS.
Calcium antagonist affinity for adrenergic and cholinergic receptors in rabbit urinary bladder

Calcium antagonists have the ability to relax vesical smooth muscle in vitro and in vivo. The presumed mechanism of action is through the inhibition of calcium translocation, yet these agents have also been shown to bind to several different pharmacological receptors. By employing radioligand binding assays, the affinity of verapamil and diltiazem for several receptor populations in the rabbit detrusor was studied. Verapamil and diltiazem displayed binding affinities for receptor populations in the following order: alpha1- and alpha2- adrenergic > muscarinic cholinergic > beta-adrenergic. In all instances verapamil affinity was greater than that of diltiazem. The relatively high Ic50's for both muscarinic and beta receptors indicate that the interactions of verapamil and diltiazem with these receptors are of little physiological significance.
Food deprivation and conditioned reinforcing value of food words: Interaction of Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning

Food words are conditioned stimuli for an emotional response (salivation). According to the theory relating classical and instrumental conditioning, food words should serve as reinforcing stimuli in instrumental conditioning, more so under food deprivation than under satiation. The reinforcement property of food words was demonstrated with subjects under food deprivation (1) supporting the three-function learning theory relating Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, (2) stipulating general motivational principles, and (3) indicating the emotional-motivational principles of language.
Epidemiology of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Abstract Using data on patients hospitalized at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the sex ratio for trigeminal neuralgia was estimated to be 1.17 females: males. To investigate possible risk factors for this disease, 526 patients and 528 controls from two Boston neurosurgical clinics were studied. Information was gathered from clinic records, mail questionnaires and telephone calls. Probable risk factors are non-Jewish religion and birth in the United States. Other factors associated with the disease in these data but which need further investigation before they are accepted as risk factors are nonsmoking, nondrinking and presence of tonsils.
Lipopolysaccharide represses the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 and scavenger receptor class B, type I in murine macrophages

To investigate the regulation of cholesterol transporters, including ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), ABCG1 and scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI), by inflammatory stimuli in macrophages. RAW 264.7 macrophages and mouse peritoneal macrophages were treated with inflammatory stimuli with or without rosiglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist, or T0901317, a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist. Real-time PCR and Western blotting for cholesterol transporters as well as cellular cholesterol efflux to high-density lipoprotein 2 (HDL2) were determined. In RAW 264.7 macrophages, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly reduced ABCG1 and PPARγ as well as cholesterol efflux to HDL2. Rosiglitazone and T0901317 induced ABCA1 and ABCG1 several-fold, but LPS reduced only ABCG1. ABCG1 and SR-BI proteins, but not ABCA1, were decreased by LPS. In mouse peritoneal macrophages, LPS, tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-1β decreased ABCG1, SR-BI, LXRα and PPARγ mRNA. The agonists increased ABC transporter expression but LPS reduced mRNA of T0901317-induced ABCA1 as well as basal and agonists-induced ABCG1. SR-BI protein was increased by rosiglitazone but LPS decreased the levels. The data suggest that inflammatory insults repress ABCG1 and SR-BI expression partly dependent on PPARγ with a minimal effect on ABCA1 expression.
Dual Effect of Phorbol Myristate Acetate (PMA) on Murine Thymocyte Cultures

4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a potent tumor promoter, was found to have a dual effect on interleukin 1-(IL 1) stimulated murine thymocyte cultures. In the absence of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) or other sulfhydryl containing compounds, PMA inhibited 3H-thymidine incorporation, while at the same concentrations but in the presence of sulfhydryl agents, PMA exerted a potent stimulatory effect. The other sulfhydryl compounds giving effects resembling 2-ME were dithiothreitol and cysteine, while glutathione and various oxygen radical scavengers (catalase, superoxide dismutase, histidine, alpha-tocopherol or mannitol) had no such effect. 2-ME enhanced the response of thymocytes incubated with PMA even when added 24 h after initiation of the cultures, but not at the 48 h interval. Harvesting the thymocyte cultures at various intervals showed that the inhibitory effect of PMA was already fully pronounced 48 h after initiation of the cultures. On the other hand, the stimulatory effect of PMA on cultures activated with IL 1 in the presence of 2-ME took place mainly during the last 24 h of the 72-h culture period. The modulation of the effect of PMA on thymocyte activation by 2-ME or similar agents may account for the apparent discrepancies in the literature concerning the action of PMA in lymphocyte cultures.
Asymptotic behavior of fluorescence line narrowing in dilute systems with finite-range transfer

Abstract We discuss the long-time behavior of the decay of the sharp line component observed in studies of dilute systems with finite-range energy transfer carried out with fluorescence line narrowing techniques. It is shown that the asymptotic intensity is a geometrical quantity related to the distribution of finite clusters. Detailed results are presented for the square and simple cubic lattices with nearest-neighbor transfer along with a three dimensional continuum model.
Sensitivity of Simulated Capacity to Modification of VISSIM Driver Behavior Parameters

This paper presents a sensitivity analysis of VISSIM simulation capacity output under various values of driver behavior parameters. The analysis is undertaken for a simulation developed for the interchange of US-75 and SH-190 (George Bush Turnpike) north of Dallas, Texas. For each driver behavior parameter, including look-back distance, variations in simulated capacity are noted as the particular parameter is modified. The analysis of each parameter is completed with all parameters other than the one under investigation held at their calibrated values. The information presented in this paper is intended to aid practitioners developing and calibrating VISSIM simulation models in understanding the particular driver behavior parameters and the impacts on capacity of modifying the parameters. This work is also intended as a building block in the possible development of a quantitative, optimization-based calibration method for the VISSIM driver behavior parameters.
Adolescent Counterarguing of TV Beer Advertisements: Evidence for Effectiveness of Alcohol Education and Critical Viewing Discussions

The pervasiveness of American youth's exposure to alcohol advertising is well-documented, as is the correlational evidence linking such exposure to alcohol-related attitudes, use, and expectancies. While efforts to train young people to resist persuasive appeals are often made in alcohol education programs, little evidence exists concerning the effectiveness of such efforts. The present study (N = 83) found that recency of exposure to alcohol education classes and discussion of alcohol advertising in such classes predicts cognitive resistance (counterarguing) of such advertisements months or even years after class exposure. Age, gender, and ethnicity were statistically controlled. While females tended to counterargue the alcohol advertisements more than did males, there was no statistically significant difference in the impact of education on males and females.
Postprandial hyperglycemia on vascular endothelial function: mechanisms and consequences

Vascular endothelial dysfunction precedes atherosclerosis and contributes to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which accounts for one-third of all deaths in the United States. Chronic hyperglycemia, such as that associated with diabetes, is well known to impair vascular function. However, recent evidence demonstrates that acute or postprandial hyperglycemia (PPH) not only exacerbates vascular endothelial dysfunction in individuals with chronic hyperglycemia but also transiently impairs vascular function in healthy individuals. Postprandial hyperglycemia has been shown to better predict future CVD mortality compared with fasting glucose in both diabetic and normoglycemic individuals. Compelling evidence exists suggesting that PPH-mediated insults to the vascular endothelium contribute to CVD, especially in pathophysiologic conditions whereby vascular recovery is compromised. Although the mechanisms by which PPH induces vascular dysfunction is not fully understood, oxidative stress-mediated disruptions in nitric oxide homeostasis are implicated as key events leading to vascular dysfunction associated with PPH. This review aims to highlight the findings of clinical studies using functional indices of vascular function to demonstrate that PPH impairs vascular function. We will also discuss the evidence showing the central involvement of oxidative stress in dysregulating nitric oxide homeostasis and contributing to PPH-mediated vascular endothelial dysfunction. Lastly, this review will identify areas of knowledge that remain limited and will provide recommendations for future investigation to more fully define PPH as an important risk factor for CVD.
A dual polarized stacked patch antenna for 94 GHz RFIC package applications

This paper presents a probe-fed dual-polarized stacked patch antenna integrated in the RFIC package environment for 94 GHz applications. The package is based on multilayer organic technology, so it can be fabricated by high density interconnect (HDI) manufacturers. The antenna has a peak gain of about 3 dBi in the 94 GHz band.
Defense mechanism preference and dimensions of psychopathology.

Surnnur7y.-This study replicated Gleser and Ihilevich's Defense Mechanism Inventory-MMPI correlarional matrices for a non-psychiatric sample of 113 college students (49 males and 64 females). Fewer significanr correlations were obtained for the student population than for the original outpatient psychiatric group. There was, however, substantial agreement between the two smdies in that significant correlations overlapping in the two studies were all in the same direction. The lower number of significant correlations for the female college students suggests less consistency for females in relationships between preferred defenses and dimensions of psychopathology. The Defense Mechanism Inventory (Gleser & Ihilevich, 1969) is a multiplechoice test instrument designed to assess an individual's relative preference for five modes of psychological defense: rwersal (REV), principalization (PRN) , projection (PRO), turning against others (TAO), and tinning against the self (TAS). There are separate forms for males and females; both use a forcedchoice technique that requires the subject to respond to conflict situations in terms of proposed actual behavior, fantasied impulsive behavior, accompanying thoughts and affective response. Gleser and Ihilevich ( 1969) presented Defense Mechanism InventoryMMPI correlational matrices for 67 male and 93 female adult psychiatric outpatients in the original validation studies. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare those results with data from a "normal," adult non-psychiatric population. Both inventories were administered via standard instn~ctions to 49 male psychology students (17 undergraduates, 32 graduates) and 64 female psychology students (40 undergraduates, 24 graduates). The order of presentation was counterbalanced within each group. The resulting correlation matrices are reported separately for males and females in Table 1. The mast obvious difference between the matrices of the student population and out-patient psychiatric group is the greater number of significant correlations (p < .01) in the Gleser and Ihilevich investigation. In the student population there were 12 such correlations for males, 5 for females; in the out-patient psychiatric sample there were 22 for males and 29 for females. The more noticeable decrease in the number of significant correlations with the college females is likely more than a function OF reduction in sample size since other studies (Clum & Clurn, 1973a; Clurn & Clurn, 1973b; Gleser &
Thermal transport and the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in 4He films

Abstract We report preliminary studies of thermally driven flow in helium films near the superfluid transition. Experiments using a modified torsional oscillator allow simultaneous measurements of the thermal conductance, superfluid mass and vortex dissipation of the film. Data are analyzed in terms of the Kosterlitz-Thouless theory.
A General Panel Model with Random and Fixed Effects: A Structural Equations Approach

Fixed- and random-effects models for longitudinal data are common in sociology. Their primary advantage is that they control for time-invariant omitted variables. However, analysts face several issues when they employ these models. One is the choice of which to apply; another is that FEM and REM models as usually implemented might be insufficiently flexible. For example, the effects of variables, including the latent time-invariant variable, might change over time. The latent time-invariant variable might correlate with some variables and not others. Lagged endogenous variables might be necessary. Alternatives that move beyond the classic FEM and REM models are known, but they involve estimators and software that make these extended models difficult to implement and to compare. This article presents a general panel model that includes the standard FEM and REM as special cases. In addition, it provides a sequence of nested models that provide a richer range of models that researchers can easily compare with likelihood ratio tests and fit statistics. Furthermore, researchers can implement our general panel model and its special cases in widely available structural equation models software.
Ozone profiles in the Baltimore-Washington region (2006–2011): satellite comparisons and DISCOVER-AQ observations

Much progress has been made in creating satellite products for tracking the pollutants ozone and NO2 in the troposphere. Yet, in mid-latitude regions where meteorological interactions with pollutants are complex, accuracy can be difficult to achieve, largely due to persistent layering of some constituents. We characterize the layering of ozone soundings and related species measured from aircraft over two ground sites in suburban Washington, DC (Beltsville, MD, 39.05 N; 76.9 W) and Baltimore (Edgewood, MD, 39.4 N; 76.3 W) during the July 2011 DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) experiment. First, we compare column-ozone amounts from the Beltsville and Edgewood sondes with data from overpassing satellites. Second, processes influencing ozone profile structure are analyzed using Laminar Identification and tracers: sonde water vapor, aircraft CO and NOy. Third, Beltsville ozone profiles and meteorological influences in July 2011 are compared to those from the summers of 2006–2010. Sonde-satellite offsets in total ozone during July 2011 at Edgewood and Beltsville, compared to the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), were 3 % mean absolute error, not statistically significant. The disagreement between an OMI/Microwave Limb Sounder-based tropospheric ozone column and the sonde averaged 10 % at both sites, with the sonde usually greater than the satellite. Laminar Identification (LID), that distinguishes ozone segments influenced by convective and advective transport, reveals that on days when both stations launched ozonesondes, vertical mixing was stronger at Edgewood. Approximately half the lower free troposphere sonde profiles have very dry laminae, with coincident aircraft spirals displaying low CO (80–110 ppbv), suggesting stratospheric influence. Ozone budgets at Beltsville in July 2011, determined with LID, as well as standard meteorological indicators, resemble those of 4 of the previous 5 summers. The penetration of stratospheric air throughout the troposphere appears to be typical for summer conditions in the Baltimore-Washington region.
Magnetic field effect on delayed fluorescence from pyrene crystals

Abstract The dependence of delayed fluorescence from pyrene crystals on magnetic field is analyzed in terms of the exciton-pair model of Merrifield. The applicability of this model to the investigation of triplet excimers is suggested.
Impaired host defense to infection and Toll-like receptor 2-independent killing of Borrelia burgdorferi clinical isolates in TLR2-deficient C3H/HeJ mice

To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-mediated signaling in host innate defense and development of Lyme disease, the pathogenicity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto clinical isolates representing two distinct genotypes (RST1 and RST3A) was assessed in TLR2−/− C3H/HeJ mice. All TLR2−/− mice infected with a B. burgdorferi RST1 isolate developed severe arthritis. The numbers of spirochetes in heart, joint and ear biopsy specimens were significantly higher in TLR2−/− mice than in wild-type mice similarly infected as determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Interestingly, despite the higher spirochete levels in heart tissues, milder carditis was observed in TLR2−/− than in wild-type mice infected with this RST1 isolate (P=0.02). By contrast, no positive cultures were obtained from any of the blood and tissue specimens from TLR2−/− mice inoculated with two RST3A clinical isolates. The data suggest that there is impaired host innate defense against infection and TLR2-independent killing of B. burgdorferi clinical isolates in TLR2-deficient C3H/HeJ mice.
Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Following Complete Correction (Mustard Repair) of Transposition of the Great Vessels

Abstract An unusual complication is reported of a superior vena cava syndrome secondary to a Mustard repair for transposition of the great vessels. The central portion of the pericardial baffle underwent constrictive changes presumably due to bacterial infection of the baffle. The patient was reoperated upon, and an elliptical gusset of pericardium was used to widen this constricted area. More than a year following the second operation the patient is asymptomatic.
V1 Neurons: In Tune with the Neighbors

In this issue of Neuron , Nauhaus et al. use a combination of optical imaging and multiple electrode recording to demonstrate that the orientation tuning of single cells in primary visual cortex is reliably related to the local structure of the orientation preference map in both cats and monkeys.
Interaction Level and Acquaintance as Mediators of Density Effects

147 subjects (college students), in mixed-sex groups of 6, spent 30 minutes in an experimental situation in which 2 factors hypothesized to affect perceived crowding and stress, room size and level of interpersonal interaction and interference, were orthogonally varied. Also varied were 2 subject factors, sex and previous acquaintance with other group members, resulting in a 24 design. The small room-high interaction condition did not lead to stress (measured both behaviorally and by verbal scales) as hypothesized, but rather to a view of the situation as amusing or comical. The large room-low interaction condition, conversely, was stressful, primarily because it was extremely boring. Previously acquainted subjects reacted with dissatisfaction to both the very low and very high interaction conditions, while unacquainted subjects did not generally respond differentially to condition. Perceptions of crowding were influenced both by density and by interaction level.
Prevalence of Executive Impairment in Patients Seen by a Psychiatry Consultation Service

The prevalence of impairment of executive function among 50 medical inpatients referred for psychiatric consultation was assessed by using the Executive Interview (EXIT25) and an executive clock-drawing task (CLOX). The Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) was also administered to assess general cognition. The percentage of patients who failed each test was calculated. Seventy-two percent failed at least one measure of executive function, whereas only 30% failed the MMSE. The results suggest that impairment of executive function is common among inpatients referred for psychiatric consultation. Because impairment of executive function has been specifically associated with behavioral and functional disability, routine assessment of executive function should be integrated into psychiatric case management.
Carbonate Bank Sedimentation in a Volcaniclastic Arc Setting: Lower Carboniferous Limestones of the Eastern Klamath Terrane, California

ABSTRACT Carboniferous volcaniclastic-arc deposits of the eastern Klamath terrane, California, include Late Visean/Namurian limestone lenses that formed as small carbonate banks. The limestone lenses, within the Bragdon and Baird formations, reach 17 m in thickness and 1.2 km in length. Slope deposits consist of argillaceous spiculitic wackestone, and bank-edge deposits include ooid grainstone, Striatifera packstone, argillaceous phylloid algal packstone, and argillaceous skeletal packstone. Bank-interior deposits include skeletal wackestone/packstone and argillaceous sandy mudstone. The limestone lenses overlie proximal deltaic deposits of thick-bedded volcaniclastic sandstone and conglomerate. Carbonate banks developed on delta lobes during intervals of minimal clastic sedimentation, ossibly related to sea-level rise and volcanic quiescence. The carbonate banks were short-lived depositional systems, and they were covered by prograding deposits of younger volcaniclastic sands.
Study of Detection Deficiency of 3D Position-Sensitive Pixellated CdZnTe Detectors

Three dimensional position-sensitive cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) detectors can provide positions and corresponding energy depositions of each individual gamma-ray interaction within the detector. For single-interaction events, the interaction depth is obtained by calculating the cathode to anode ratio. For multi-interaction events, the individual interaction depth is obtained by measuring the timing difference between the cathode and anode signals. It had been observed that some of the measured events were lost during the event reconstruction process. It was discovered recently that the discrepancy on total efficiency is due to the triggering threshold of the system, because some interactions cannot trigger the cathode or the anode readout channel. As a result, the detection efficiency is lowered for multi-interaction events if timing trigger is always required on all channels. In this study, we analyze the effect of triggering threshold on the detection efficiency, and present a method of recovering events lacking certain timing triggers.
Preventing Relapse and Maintaining Change in Addictive Behaviors

While a variety of cognitive-behavioral interventions are efficacious in reducing substance abuse, posttreatment relapse rates remain considerably high, contributing to a belief that substance use disorders are chronic and episodic conditions. For over two decades, cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention has become incorporated into substance abuse treatment by offering a specific perspective on relapse and a set of strategies aimed at maintaining behavioral change over the long haul and to reduce the impact of the fall should a slip occur. We first review Mariatt's original relapse prevention model, followed by an overview of substance abuse relapse prevention treatment outcome literature and review of studies testing components of the original model. We conclude with a discussion of recommendations for future directions.
Benefit of postoperative chemoradiotherapy for patients with unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Background. Postopertative adjuvant chemoradio- therapy recently became an established modality for patients with selected high-risk locally advanced head and neck cancers. The optimal treatment of unknown primary squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN) continues to be controversial, since major randomized studies excluded those patients. Methods. We conducted a retrospective review of patients treated during 1995 to 2002 for unknown primary SCCHN. All patients were treated with a neck dissection followed by con- current high-dose cisplatin (100 mg/m 2 ) and bilateral neck radiotherapy. Results. Thirty-seven patients were identified with nodal dis- ease distribution of N1 (5%), N2a (22%), N2b (41%), N2c (8%), N3 (22%), and Nx (3%). Modified neck dissection was done on the majority (30/37 ¼ 81%) of patients. With a median follow-up of 42 months among the survivors, very few patients had re- gional recurrence (5%) or distant failure (11%), and 89% of patients were alive. The actuarial 5-year overall survival rate could not be estimated because there were no deaths beyond 20 months after surgery. Substantial yet acceptable acute and late morbidities were demonstrated in this cohort of patients. Conclusions. Postoperative chemoradiotherapy is of poten- tial benefit to patients with unknown primary SCCHN by improv- ing survival and reducing failures. This treatment warrants further prospective evaluation. V C 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 28: 1090-1098, 2006
FDA-approved biosimilar insulin: good enough for critical care, adulterated, or counterfeit? How can we tell?

If a biosimilar insulin is discovered postmarketing to be subpotent, superpotent, or contaminated or the contents mislabeled, it is an adulterated product and must be quarantined for removal including from a patient’s home. Adulterated products could be considered “counterfeit” since they do not meet the original standards established by the FDA. The FDA must establish a method of regularly assaying samples of biosimilar insulin drawn directly from the supply pipeline to help ensure patient safety and evaluate clinical performance. Independent groups without conflict of interest would perform confidential comparison assay. For less than 5 cents per vial/pen, manufacturers could easily support an independent, FDA-recognized, random sample program and create a functional postmarket surveillance system that better protects the public and the manufacturer from undesired outcomes.
HIV Infection and Gut Mucosal Immune Function: Updates on Pathogenesis with Implications for Management and Intervention

HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted infection. However, given that the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) houses most of the body’s lymphocytes, including activated memory CD4+ T cells that are preferential targets for HIV, recent research has focused on the role of the GIT in transmission and pathogenesis. In health, the GIT maintains a balance between immune tolerance and rapid responsiveness. A complex network of innate and adaptive responses maintains this balance, which is severely perturbed in HIV infection. Recent studies have focused on mechanisms of GIT CD4+ T-cell depletion and epithelial disruption in HIV infection, the role of inflammation in accelerating viral dissemination, the kinetics of the adaptive response following transmission, and the extent of T-cell reconstitution following antiretroviral therapy. This review summarizes the results of recent investigations that may have important implications for the development of vaccines, microbicides, and therapeutic interventions for HIV and other mucosal pathogens.
Academic Performance and Cheating: Moderating Role of School Identification and Self-Efficacy

Academic dishonesty is a significant problem among students from elementary school through college. The desire to succeed in school through dishonesty is increased when there is a breakdown in the norms associated with conventional academic attitudes. The authors conducted a survey research study to examine the relationship between academic performance and cheating. They hypothesized that the inverse relationship between academic performance and cheating is moderated by school identification and academic self-efficacy. The results show that cheating is more likely among lower achieving students when they do not identify with school, and among higher achieving students with low levels of academic self-efficacy.
SEPARATION OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN PROTEIN C FROM TRANSGENIC ANIMAL MILK USING IMMOBILIZED METAL AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY

Protein C is an important serine protease due to its ability to proteolytically cleave activated Factors V and VIII. Excess coagulation and blood agglutination can lead to plugged capillaries, thereby reducing oxygen transport to interstitial tissues. To treat patients with hereditary and acquired protein C deficiency would require a greater amount of Protein C than that available from human plasma. However, the potential demand for this protein could be met by the production of human protein C from transgenic animal mammary glands. Thus, research into inexpensive, efficient methods to purify proteins from transgenic animal milk will be a critical area of study for the large scale production of protein C.
Degradation of Copper-Silver Alloy Thin Films Induced by Annealing

Copper / silver alloy thin films form with a fine, polycrystalline, metastable crystal structure. The expected effects of annealing include grain growth, transformation into the two stable phases, coarsening of the phases, texture formation, and the formation and growth of pinholes or voids. Copper/silver alloy films were deposited on single crystal sodium chloride substrates, via pulsed laser deposition ablation of an alloy target, of the eutectic composition. Free-standing films of 20-30 nm thickness were studied as-deposited and after annealing on copper TEM grids at 100°C for various times. Although several of the expected degradation processes involve short-range diffusion – essentially single atomic jumps – these were not observed, while other, longer-range diffusion effects were clearly identifiable. In particular, void shrinkage was observed in the films at short times, and void growth occurred at longer times.
Molecular and Functional Evolution of Class I Chitinases for Plant Carnivory in the Caryophyllales

Proteins produced by the large and diverse chitinase gene family are involved in the hydrolyzation of glycosidic bonds in chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamines. In flowering plants, class I chitinases are important pathogenesis-related proteins, functioning in the determent of herbivory and pathogen attack by acting on insect exoskeletons and fungal cell walls. Within the carnivorous plants, two subclasses of class I chitinases have been identified to play a role in the digestion of prey. Members of these two subclasses, depending on the presence or absence of a C-terminal extension, can be secreted from specialized digestive glands found within the morphologically diverse traps that develop from carnivorous plant leaves. The degree of homology among carnivorous plant class I chitinases and the method by which these enzymes have been adapted for the carnivorous habit has yet to be elucidated. This study focuses on understanding the evolution of carnivory and chitinase genes in one of the major groups of plants that has evolved the carnivorous habit: the Caryophyllales. We recover novel class I chitinase homologs from species of genera Ancistrocladus, Dionaea, Drosera, Nepenthes, and Triphyophyllum, while also confirming the presence of two subclasses of class I chitinases based upon sequence homology and phylogenetic affinity to class I chitinases available from sequenced angiosperm genomes. We further detect residues under positive selection and reveal substitutions specific to carnivorous plant class I chitinases. These substitutions may confer functional differences as indicated by protein structure homology modeling.
Human T cell lymphotropic virus types I and II in intravenous drug users in San Francisco : risk factors associated with seropositivity

Serologic assays for human T cell lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV I/II) infection were done in 676 intravenous drug users (IVDUs) in San Francisco between 1985 and 1987: 150 in 1985, 44 in 1986, and 482 in 1987. All sera were tested by Western blot, ELISA, and p24 RIA. A total of 111 participants were seropositive in a minimum of two assays. Duration of intravenous heroin use was strongly associated with the risk of HTLV I/II seropositivity: greater than or equal to 21 years odds ratio, 6.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-17.5), compared with less than 10 years of heroin use. Additional independent risk factors included black or Hispanic race, female sex, and the use of drugs in a shooting gallery. Coinfection of HTLV I/II and human immunodeficiency virus was less frequent than expected by chance (P less than .02). Longitudinal specimens were available in 154 participants. The age- and race-adjusted seroconversion rate was 3.4% (95% CI, 1.3-8.9) per person per year. Of the 349 homosexual men tested, none were HTLV I/II-seropositive.
Pop goes the PA! and the aorta! iatrogenic aortopulmonary connections

Iatrogenic aortopulmonary connections may occur after pulmonary artery angioplasty, stent or trans-catheter pulmonary valve implantation Patients with Ross autograft or arterial switch procedure may be at particular risk for this complication Timely diagnosis is facilitated by post-intervention aortic angiogram.
TLR4 Ligands Lipopolysaccharide and Monophosphoryl Lipid A Differentially Regulate Effector and Memory CD8+ T Cell Differentiation

Vaccines formulated with nonreplicating pathogens require adjuvants to help bolster immunogenicity. The role of adjuvants in Ab production has been well studied, but how they influence memory CD8(+) T cell differentiation remains poorly defined. In this study we implemented dendritic cell-mediated immunization to study the effects of commonly used adjuvants, TLR ligands, on effector and memory CD8(+) T cell differentiation in mice. Intriguingly, we found that the TLR4 ligand LPS was far more superior to other TLR ligands in generating memory CD8(+) T cells upon immunization. LPS boosted clonal expansion similar to the other adjuvants, but fewer of the activated CD8(+) T cells died during contraction, generating a larger pool of memory cells. Surprisingly, monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA), another TLR4 ligand, enhanced clonal expansion of effector CD8(+) T cells, but it also promoted their terminal differentiation and contraction; thus, fewer memory CD8(+) T cells formed, and MPLA-primed animals were less protected against secondary infection compared with those primed with LPS. Furthermore, gene expression profiling revealed that LPS-primed effector cells displayed a stronger pro-memory gene expression signature, whereas the gene expression profile of MPLA-primed effector cells aligned closer with terminal effector CD8(+) T cells. Lastly, we demonstrated that the LPS-TLR4-derived "pro-memory" signals were MyD88, but not Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adapter inducing IFN-β, dependent. This study reveals the influential power of adjuvants on the quantity and quality of CD8(+) T cell memory, and that attention to adjuvant selection is crucial because boosting effector cell expansion may not always equate with more memory T cells or greater protection.
Optimal resources for children's surgical care

We will discuss a new initiative of the American College of Surgeons and the American Pediatric Surgical Association to prospectively define optimal resource standards for children's surgical care.