cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pupil size reflects the strategic allocation of spatial attention

Perceptually salient non-targets typically interfere with target processing, but such disruption can be mitigated by top-down knowledge that the salient item is not taskrelevant (Geng and DiQuattro, 2010). This exploitation of statistical knowledge optimizes behavior and is thought to be underwritten by locus coeruleus – norepinephrine (LC-NE) innervation from neurons in the frontal cortex (Aston-Jones and Cohen, 2005; Minzenberg et al., 2009). The two different modes of LC neuronal firing (i.e., tonic and phasic) are correlated with changes in pupil size, and the shift between these two population conditions mediates the tradeoff between behavioral exploration and exploitation (Gilzenrat et al., 2010). In this study, we investigated the relationship between pupil size and performance on a visual search task in which the probability of the target being perceptually salient was manipulated from block-to-block. Our results demonstrate that when the probability changes (e.g., the ratio of salient target to salient distracters increased from 0:100 to 30:70 to 70:30 to 100:0), a period of uncertainty ensues in which behavior is more variable and the prestimulus pupil diameter increases in size. This suggests that subjects were engaged in exploration of the task statistics during block transitions, but subsequently began to exploit the current paradigm as the new salience probabilities were learned. These results are consistent with the idea that the LC-NE system underlies the tendency to explore or exploit knowledge about environmental structure, and that pupil diameter is a viable measure of perceived task-related uncertainty that influences the strategic allocation of spatial attention. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2013 Received June 26, 2013. © 2013 ARVO
Women's dietary prevention motives: Life stage influences

Abstract Life stage theorists have suggested that concerns for personal health increase after age 40, when adults become aware of their own physical body changes and the illness of their parents. This research was designed to discover, understand and develop hypotheses about the ways in which life stage influences women's motives for preventive dietary behavior. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with 39 married women with children. Women at three different life stages were recruited from community groups. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative methods of data analysis. The concluding hypotheses suggest that women's motives for preventive dietary behavior vary with life stage, due to altered perceptions of health status, body weight and social roles. Women with young children at home may be more likely to make dietary changes for family health. The departure of grown children from home allows older women to make dietary changes for personal health. The influence of public information about diet and health on women's dietary behavior may be related to their life stage when they receive the information. Women in younger life stage cohorts may have a different orientation to personal nutrition than women in older cohorts.
Defining Child Neglect Based on Child Protective Services Data.

Abstract Objectives: To compare neglect defined by Child Protective Services official codes with neglect defined by a review of CPS narrative data, and to examine the validity of the different neglect measures using children's functioning at age 8 years. Methods: Data are from 740 children participating in a consortium of longitudinal studies on child abuse and neglect; 481 had at least one CPS report prior to age 8. CPS records were reviewed to ascertain both broad CPS types of neglect as well as specific subtypes of neglect using a modified version of the Maltreatment Classification System (MMCS). Frequencies of, and correlations among, the types and subtypes of neglect were examined. The validity of the neglect measures was evaluated by examining their relationships with children's functioning at age 8. Results: The CPS neglect types and MMCS subtypes were moderately correlated, as were the MMCS subtypes of neglect. In general, neglect was only modestly associated with children's functioning at age 8 ( r 2 = 1–4%), with few differences between the CPS neglect types and the MMCS subtypes. There were significant associations with children's total and externalizing behavior problems, impaired socialization, and impaired daily living skills. Among the specific subtypes, neglect of children's medical needs was related to externalizing behavior problems, impaired socialization, and impaired daily living skills. Neglect of children's hygiene needs was related to impaired socialization. Conclusion: The moderate correlations among CPS and MMCS types and subtypes of neglect and their similar associations with children's functioning suggest that the considerable effort involved in coding neglect subtypes from CPS narrative data may yield limited incremental knowledge regarding the types of neglect children experience and their sequelae. However, the MMCS does offer useful descriptive information on the nature of neglect children experience, and may guide future research and practice on optimal ways to conceptualize neglect.
Opportunity to observe a large-scale hole in the ionosphere

Since the earliest days of the U.S. Space Program, concerns have been raised regarding the atmospheric perturbations that might be caused by the exhaust products of large rocket engines. In 1964 a comprehensive review of the subject was published by Kellogg [1964] in which the space science community was alerted to the many possible ways that rocket ‘pollutants’ could have environmental impacts. The final impression left by Kellogg's paper was that the terrestrial atmosphere was sufficiently dense to absorb any conceivable shock that an aerospace technology might reasonably be expected to build—even to the point of the giant Saturn V rockets envisioned for the Apollo Program. In the 15 years that have passed since Kellogg's assessment, very little evidence was found to suggest that rocket effluents were in fact perilous to our environment. A reappraisal of all published accounts of rocket-induced modifications of the atmosphere since Sputnik 1 (M. Mendillo, unpublished manuscript, 1979) reveals that hardly a dozen accounts exist describing specific aeronomic perturbations associated with the many hundreds of rocket launches that have occurred since 1957. There are good reasons for this: (1) The vast majority of rockets launched in the last 2 decades were relatively small ones, and thus the exhaust emissions amounted to no more than very minor additions of essentially trace species. (2) Of the large rockets (Saturns, Atlas/Centaurs, SL-4/Soyuz) the overwhelming majority of launches carried payloads into low earth orbit (h < 200 km), where the typical exhaust products (H20, H2, CO2, N2, and O2,) were again relatively inconspicuous additions to ambient conditions. (3) Large-rocket launches made by U.S. agencies generally occur at the Kennedy Space Flight Center, thereby insuring that rocket ascent trajectories occur over water—conditions hardly conducive to atmospheric monitoring via ground-based facilities.
Rheological and spray properties of dilute polymer solutions

A method is demonstrated whereby the rheological and spray properties of dilute polymer solutions can be studied by means of a jet extrusion instrument and a capillary flow consistometer. The rheological properties that can be determined at any shear rate of extrusion are the normal (tensile) stress, the elastic shear modulus, the elastic recoverable shear strain, and viscosity. The spray properties of dilute polymer solutions can be qualitatively described in various terms such as knotted rod, knotted ligaments, long ligaments, threaded drops, grouped drops, or combinations thereof. The method has been successfully employed with dibutyl phthalate solutions of high molecular weight polyisobutyl methacrylates ranging in concentration from 0.5 to 2.0% by weight, and also with several linear polystyrenes of different molecular weights at various concentrations.
Characterization of the tool/fabric and fabric/fabric friction for woven-fabric composites during the thermostamping process

The dynamic coefficients of friction for Twintex® commingled glass-polypropylene balanced plain-weave and unbalanced twill-weave fabrics at the tool/fabric and fabric/fabric interfaces during the composite thermostamping process are characterized. The effects of fabric velocity and pressure on the coefficients of friction under conditions similar to those during the thermostamping process are studied. A phenomenological friction model accounting for pressure and velocity dependence is developed based on the experimental results and implemented into the commercial finite element codes ABAQUS/Explicit and LS-DYNA via user-defined subroutines. The mechanical behavior of the fabric is modeled using a mesoscopic approach. The friction subroutines are validated with a finite element model of the experimental friction test. The forming of a hemispherical dome is simulated using ABAQUS and LS-DYNA. Punch forces and yarn stresses are compared between variable friction and constant friction models, and the simulation results justify the necessity for a variable friction model to accurately predict part quality.
Regulation of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Expression

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is an ungulate lentivirus that is related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Much of the understanding of lentiviral gene regulation comes from studies using HIV. HIV studies have provided insights into molecular regulation of EIAV expression; however, much of the regulation of EIAV expression stands in stark contrast to that of HIV. This review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge of EIAV regulation by comparing and contrasting EIAV gene regulation to HIV. The role of EIAV gene regulation is discussed in relation to EIAV pathogenesis.
Conducting clinical research in community mental health settings: Opportunities and challenges

Conducting clinical research in community mental health settings: Opportunities and challenges
Analysis of gait in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus

Assessment of gait and posture as symptoms has been the primary concern in the diagnosis and treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a disease in which there is excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. Diagnosis of NPH is usually initiated by a high volume lumbar puncture (HVLP) followed by the evaluation of clinical response to removal of CSF. In this paper, we analyze the gait movement of a patient using inertial body sensor nodes and capture features pre and post HVLP. This method provides a quantitative measure of gait assessment. The features extracted from a patient's gait are found to strongly correlate with the assessment recorded manually by the physician conducting the study.
The structural and electrochemical properties of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond thin-film electrodes grown from Ar-rich and H2-rich source gases

Abstract The microstructural, electrical and electrochemical properties of boron-doped (ultra)-nanocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films deposited from a CH4/H2/Ar source gas mixture were compared with those of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films grown from a conventional CH4/H2 source gas mixture. Scanning electron microscopy, visible-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were employed to probe the film morphology and microstructure. Conducting-probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) was used to simultaneously map the morphology and electrical conductivity of the two film types. Spatial heterogeneity in the electrical conductivity was observed for both films as each is composed of regions of high electrical conductivity isolated by more insulating regions. The electrochemical properties were evaluated using the redox couples: Fe(CN)63−/4−, Ru(NH3)63+/2+, IrCl62−/3−, methyl viologen, dopamine, and Fe3+/2+. Taken together, the results confirm that even though the morphology and microstructure of UNCD and NCD films are distinct, both boron-doped film types exhibit comparable electrical and electrochemical properties.
3-μm Spectrophotometric Survey of M- and E-Class Asteroids

Many asteroids show absorption features diagnostic of hydrated minerals in the 3-μm region of the spectrum. Reflectance studies in this region can determine the hydration state of surface minerals and, by inference, the thermal histories of bodies. We have made spectrophotometric observations of eight E-class, M-class, X-class, and P-class asteroids in December 1991 and eight E-class and M-class asteroids in August 1993 using the Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. In 1991 we discovered a 3-μm absorption band on the E-class asteroid 44 Nysa and the P-class asteroid 50 Virginia, and found a possible absorption on the E-class asteroid 64 Angelina. We confirmed the presence of a 3-μm absorption band on 44 Nysa and on the M-class asteroid 92 Undina (T. D. Jones et al., 1990, Icarus 88, 172-192) and detected this feature on the M-class asteroid 201 Penelope in 1993. These data demonstrate that high-albedo and medium-albedo objects such as E- and M-class asteroids can be hydrated and need not be interpreted as primarily of igneous origin. We revise the interpreted mineralogy of some E- and M-class asteroids as a result.
Using validation by inference to select a hypothesis function

Uniform error bounds for a set of basis functions over a set of data inputs can be used to infer uniform error bounds for large classes of hypothesis functions. This paper presents a method to identify a hypothesis function with minimum error bound among functions composed of convex combinations of basis function outputs. Test results comparing the hypothesis function with minimum error bound to the basis function with minimum error bound show that, on average, the hypothesis function achieves lower error as well as a lower error bound.
The 290 fixed-point sublattices of the Leech lattice

Abstract We determine the orbits of fixed-point sublattices of the Leech lattice with respect to the action of the Conway group Co 0 . There are 290 such orbits. Detailed information about these lattices, the corresponding coinvariant lattices, and the stabilizing subgroups, is tabulated in several tables.
The effect of birth weight on vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rates.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of increasing birth weight on the success rates for a trial of labor in women with one previous cesarean delivery. Study Design: To evaluate the effect of increasing birth weight for women who undergo a trial of labor, the medical records of women who had attempted a vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) from 1995 through 1999 in 16 community and university hospitals were reviewed retrospectively by trained abstractors. Information was collected about demographics, medical history, obstetric history, neonatal birth weight, complications, treatment, and outcome of the index pregnancy. The analysis was limited to women with singleton gestations with a history of 1 previous cesarean delivery. Because women with previous vaginal deliveries have higher vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rates, the women were divided into four risk groups on the basis of their birth history. Groups were defined as women with no previous vaginal deliveries (group 1), women with a history of a previous vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (group 2), women with a history of a vaginal delivery before their cesarean delivery (group 3), and a group of women with a vaginal delivery both before and after the previous cesarean delivery (group 4). Results: There were 9960 women with a singleton gestation and a history of one previous cesarean delivery. The overall vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rate for the cohort was 74%. The overall vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rates for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 65%, 94%, 83%, and 93%, respectively. An analysis of neonatal birth weights of 4500 g in group 1 showed a reduction in vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rates from 68%, 52%, 45%, and 38%, respectively. In the remaining groups, there was no success rate below 63% for any of the birth weight strata. For group 1, vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rates were decreased when the indication for the previous cesarean delivery was cephalopelvic disproportion or failure to progress or when the treatment was either an induction or augmentation of labor. The uterine rupture rate was higher in women for group 1 with birth weights of ≥4000 g (relative risk, 2.3; P Conclusion: Women with macrosomic fetuses and a history of a previous vaginal delivery should be informed of the favorable vaginal birth after cesarean delivery success rates. Given the risks of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, those women with no history of a vaginal delivery should be counseled that the success rates may be
Indirect Benefits of Marine Protected Areas for Juvenile Abalone

Marine protected areas (MPAs) designed to provide harvest refugia for red sea urchins ( Strongylocen- trotus franciscanus ) offer a unique opportunity to study the indirect effects of urchin fishing on subtidal communi- ties. Sea urchins may provide important cryptic microhabitat for juvenile abalone sheltering beneath urchin spines in shallow habitats worldwide. We investigated the abundance of juvenile (3-90 mm) red abalone, ( Haliotis rufescens ) and the rare flat ( � 90 mm) abalone ( H. walallensis ) on protected and fished rocky reefs in California. Abalone abundance surveys were conducted inside 24 � 30 m plots on three protected reefs with red sea urchins present and three fished reefs where red sea urchins were removed by commercial or experimental fishing. Signifi- cantly more juvenile abalone were found in 1996 and 1997 on protected reefs with urchins present than on fished reefs ( � 2 � 188, df � 1, p � 0.001). Juvenile red abalone abundance was not correlated with local adult red aba- lone abundance or habitat rugosity. One-third of the juveniles inside the MPAs were found under the urchins' spine canopy, as were a suite of unfished marine organisms. In the laboratory, juvenile abalone survived better ( � 2 � 7.31, df � 1, p � 0.01) in crab predation experiments in which red sea urchins were available as shelter. Fishing red urchins reduced structural complexity, potentially decreasing microhabitat available for juve- nile abalone. This example demonstrates how MPAs designed for one fished species may help other species, illus- trating their usefulness for ecosystem-based fishery management and marine conservation.
Tissue–diet discrimination factors and turnover of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

Stable isotope analysis has become an increasingly valuable tool in investigating animal ecology. Here we docu- ment the turnover rates for carbon in the liver, muscle, and whole blood tissue, as well as the tissue-diet discrimination values for carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the liver, whole blood, muscle, and hair, of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818)). A 168-day diet-switching experiment was conducted with a laboratory population of white- footed mice. The d 13 C values for all tissues deviated less than 1% from those of the diet except for whole blood, which had a slightly higher tissue-diet discrimination factor of 1.8%. All tissues were enriched in 15 N by approximately 3% rela- tive to the diet except for liver tissue, which was 4.5% higher than the dietary d 15 N value. Turnover rates for tissues of white-footed mice were ranked liver > whole blood > muscle. The half-lives calculated for liver tissue differed signifi- cantly between the two diet switches performed in this experiment. We demonstrate that there is potential for variation in tissue-diet discrimination values and tissue turnover rates between even closely related species. These findings highlight the importance of determining species-specific estimates of these parameters prior to the use of stable isotope analysis in field investigations of animal ecology. Resume´ : L'analyse des isotopes stables devient un outil de plus en plus precieux dans l'etude ecologique des animaux. Nous determinons ici les taux de remplacement du carbone dans les tissus du foie, du muscle et du sang entier, ainsi que les valeurs de discrimination tissu-regime des isotopes de carbone et d'azote dans le foie, le sang entier, le muscle et le poil chez la souris a pieds blancs (Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818)). Nous avons meneune experience de change- ment de regime alimentaire de 168 jours avec une population de laboratoire de souris a pieds blancs. Les valeurs de d 13 C dans tous les tissus different de moins de 1 % de celles du regime, exceptedans le sang entier qui possede un facteur de discrimination tissu-regime legerement plus elevede 1,8 %. Tous les tissus sont enrichis en 15 N d'environ 3 % par rap-
Modeling and simulation in pediatric drug therapy: Application of pharmacometrics to define the right dose for children

During the past decades significant progress has been made in our understanding of the importance of age-appropriate development of new drug therapies in children. Importantly, several regulatory initiatives in Europe and the US have provided a framework for a rationale. In the US, most notably the enactment of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) and Product Research and Equity Act (PREA) has facilitated the studying of on-patent and off-patent drugs in children. The biggest challenge in pediatric studies is defining a safe and effective dose or dose range in a patient population that can span from premature neonates to adolescents. From a mechanism-based perspective, advances in the science of quantitative pharmacology and pharmacometrics have resulted in the development of model-based approaches to better describe and understand important age-related factors influencing drug disposition and response in pediatric patients. The application of modeling and simulation has been shown to result in better estimates of pediatric doses as evidenced by several studies, although the optimal approach is still being debated. The extrapolation of efficacy findings from adults to the pediatric population has streamlined the development process especially for studies in older children. However, a focus on developmental changes in neonates and infants as well as further developing a paradigm for conducting pharmacodynamic studies in neonates, infants, and children remain important unmet needs. In this overview we will review current approaches for age-appropriate dose selection and highlight ongoing efforts to define exposure-response and clinical outcome relationships across the pediatric age spectrum.
Benchmark Database of Barrier Heights for Heavy Atom Transfer, Nucleophilic Substitution, Association, and Unimolecular Reactions and Its Use to Test Theoretical Methods

A benchmark database of forward and reverse barrier heights for 19 non-hydrogen-transfer reactions has been developed by using Weizmann 1 calculations, and 29 DFT methods and 6 ab initio wave-function theory (WFT) methods have been tested against the new database as well as against an older database for hydrogen atom transfer reactions. Among the tested hybrid DFT methods without kinetic energy density, MPW1K is the most accurate model for calculations of barrier heights. Among the tested hybrid meta DFT methods, BB1K and MPWB1K are the two most accurate models for the calculations of barrier heights. Overall, the results show that BB1K and MPWB1K are the two best DFT methods for calculating barrier heights, followed in order by MPW1K, MPWKCIS1K, B1B95, MPW1B95, BHandHLYP, B97-2, mPW1PW91, and B98. The popular B3LYP method has a mean unsigned error four times larger than that of BB1K. Of the methods tested, QCISD(T) is the best ab initio WFT method for barrier height calculations, and QCISD is second best...
Hydrocephalus: Overdrainage by ventricular shunts. A review and recommendations

Selected literature review of the clinical course of patients with ventricular shunts for hydrocephalus shows that the effects of cerebrospinal fluid overdrainage are subdural hematoma, craniosynostosis, slit ventricle syndrome, and low intracranial pressure syndrome. These occur sequentially at different age groups, but approximate averages of incidence and time of occurrence after first shunt reveal an overall incidence of 10%-12% for at least one of these appearing at 6.5 years after shunting. The basic etiology, diagnosis, and variety of treatment modalities available are reviewed, including the need for shunt closing intracranial pressure control. Included is a hydrocephalus program designed to minimize the need for long-term extracranial shunts and to maximize therapeutic intracranial procedures for hydrocephalus.
Intercalation is not required for DNA light-switch behavior.

The DNA light-switch complex (Ru(bpy)2(tpphz))2+ (1, bpy ) 2,2'-bipyridine, tpphz ) tetrapyrido- (3,2-a:2',3'-c:3'',2''-h:2''',3'''-j)phenazine) is luminescent when bound to DNA and in organic solvents and weakly emissive in water. To date, light-switch behavior by transition metal complexes has generally been regarded as confirmation of DNA intercalation. In contrast, the present work demonstrates that the nonintercalating bimetallic complex ((bpy)2Ru(tpphz)Ru(bpy)2)4+ (2) behaves as a DNA light-switch. Weak emission from the 3 MLCT excited state of 2 is observed in water with Iem ) 623 nm (…em ) 1.4 10 -4 ), and a red shift (Iem ) 702 nm) and 40-fold increase in intensity are observed upon addition of 100 IM calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA). Addition of increasing concentrations of 2 to 1 mM herring sperm DNA does not result in an increase in the viscosity of the solution, indicating that the complex is not an intercalator. Additionally, experiments were conducted to ensure that the emission enhancement did not arise from threading intercalation of the complex. The in situ generation of 2 intercalated between the base pairs of ct-DNA in a threading fashion, however, exhibits emission maximum at 685 nm, which is blue-shifted from that of surface-bound 2. DFT calculations show low-lying orbitals in 2 that are expected to exhibit nonemissive character when contributing to the MLCT state, in accord with the lower emission intensity observed for 2 relative to that for 1. To our knowledge, the present work is the first example of a nonintercalating light- switch metal complex, thus showing that light-switch behavior cannot be used exclusively as confirmation of intercalation.
Effect of tannic acid on iron absorption in straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum).

Excessive absorption and subsequent storage of dietary iron has been found in a variety of captively held birds and mammals, including fruit bats. It is thought that feeding a diet that is low in iron can prevent the onset of this disease; however, manufacturing a diet with commonly available foodstuffs that contains a sufficiently low iron concentration is difficult. An alternative is to feed captive animals that may be susceptible to this disease potential iron chelators such as tannins that may bind to iron and block its absorption. Using stable isotope methods established in humans, we measured iron bioavailability in straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) and tested whether tannic acid significantly reduced the extent of iron absorption. Regardless of dose, tannic acid significantly reduced iron absorption (by 40%) and in the absence of tannic acid, iron absorption was extensive in this species (up to 30%), more so than in humans. Species susceptible to iron storage disease may efficiently absorb iron in the gut regardless of iron status, and supplementing these species with tannic acid in captivity may provide an alternative or additional means of preventing the development of this disease. Zoo Biol 29:335–343, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Explanations for Education Gradients in Depression: The Case of Korea

In this article, the authors examine gender differences in educational gradients in depressive symptoms of married couples and identify what accounts for education gradients for husbands and wives. They use a nationally representative sample of married couples from the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, which collected information about depressive symptoms and risk factors for both spouses. Results show that for married couples, there are significant education gradients in depressive symptoms for both husbands and wives. Economic resources, physical health, children, and the relationship of spouse explain educational gradients of both husbands and wives. On the other hand, work and organized social activities are important pathways for husbands but not for wives. In contrast, spouse's educational attainment accounts for wives' educational gradient but not husbands'. The authors conclude that education is a strong predictor of depressive symptoms, but the pathways linking education to depressive symptoms differ between men and women.
Global and local quality measures for NIR iris video

In the field of iris-based recognition, evaluation of quality of images has a number of important applications. These include image acquisition, enhancement, and data fusion. Iris image quality metrics designed for these applications are used as figures of merit to quantify degradations or improvements in iris images due to various image processing operations. This paper elaborates on the factors and introduces new global and local factors that can be used to evaluate iris video and image quality. The main contributions of the paper are as follows. (1) A fast global quality evaluation procedure for selecting the best frames from a video or an image sequence is introduced. (2) A number of new local quality measures for the iris biometrics are introduced. The performance of the individual quality measures is carefully analyzed. Since performance of iris recognition systems is evaluated in terms of the distributions of matching scores and recognition probability of error, from a good iris image quality metric it is also expected that its performance is linked to the recognition performance of the biometric recognition system.
IFN-γ Overproduction and High Level Apoptosis Are Associated with High but Not Low Virulence Toxoplasma gondii Infection

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic intracellular parasite which induces a highly strong type 1 cytokine response. The present study focuses on defining the factors influencing the outcome of infection with tachyzoites of the type I, highly lethal RH strain, relative to the type II, low virulence strain ME49. Infection with the RH strain led to widespread parasite dissemination and rapid death of mice; in contrast, mice survived low virulence strain ME49 infection, and tachyzoite dissemination was much less extensive. Furthermore, massive apoptosis and disintegration of the splenic architecture was characteristic of RH, but not ME49, infection. In addition, hyperinduction of IFN-γ and lack of NO production were found during RH, in contrast to ME49 infection. These data demonstrate that Toxoplasma strain characteristics exert a profound effect on the host immune response and that the latter itself is a crucial determinant in parasite virulence.
End-of-Life Concerns and Care Preferences: Congruence among Terminally Ill Elders and Their Family Caregivers

This study examined the end-of-life challenges, concerns, and care preferences of terminally ill elders and their family caregivers, with a focus on areas of congruence and incongruence. Ten elders and 10 family caregivers participated in separate, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data analysis included team coding and thematic analysis, guided by an a priori set of categories based on the study questions. Shared challenges and concerns included experiencing decline, managing pain and discomfort, and living with uncertainty. There was also congruence regarding end-of-life care preferences, specifically the importance of quality care, treatment with dignity and respect, and avoiding unnecessary life-sustaining treatment. Areas of incongruence included the elders' difficulties in accepting dependence, their fears of becoming a burden, and desire to be prepared for death. Family caregivers were most concerned with providing adequate care to meet the elders' physical and spiritual care needs. Open fa...
Mass spectrometric quantification of amino acid oxidation products in proteins: insights into pathways that promote LDL oxidation in the human artery wall

Oxidatively damaged low density lipoprotein (LDL) may play an important role in atherogenesis, but the physiologically relevant pathways have proved difficult to identify. Mass spectrometric quantification of stable compounds that result from specific oxidation reactions represents a powerful approach for investigating such mechanisms. Analysis of protein oxidation products isolated from atherosclerotic lesions implicates tyrosyl radical, reactive nitrogen species, and hypochlorous acid in LDL oxidation in the human artery wall. These observations provide chemical evidence for the reaction pathways that promote LDL oxidation and lesion formation in vivo.—Heinecke, J. W. Mass spectrometric quantification of amino acid oxidation products in proteins: insights into pathways that promote LDL oxidation in the human artery wall.
Parchment, Paper, Pixels: Law and the Technologies of Communication

Technological revolutions have had an unquestionable, if still debatable, impact on culture and society - perhaps none more so than the written word. In the legal realm, the rise of literacy and print culture made possible the governing of large empires, the memorializing of private legal transactions, and the broad distribution of judicial precedents and legislation. Yet each of these technologies has its shadow side: written or printed texts easily become static, and the textual practices of the legal profession can frustrate ordinary citizens, who may be bound by documents whose implications they scarcely understand. "Parchment, Paper, Pixels" offers an engaging exploration of the impact of three technological revolutions on the law. Beginning with the invention of writing, continuing with the mass production of identical copies of legal texts brought about by the printing press, and ending with a discussion of computers and the Internet, Peter M. Tiersma traces the journey of contracts, wills, statutes, judicial opinions, and other legal texts through the past and into the future. Though the ultimate effects of modern technologies on our legal system remain to be seen, "Parchment, Paper, Pixels" offers readers an insightful guide as to how our shifting forms of technological literacy have shaped and continue to shape the practice of law today.
Production of free estrogens and estrogen conjugates by the preimplantation equine embryo

In vitro production of free estrogens and estrogen conjugates by intact Day 12.5, 13.5 and 14.5 equine embryos was measured at 2-h intervals over a 24-h culture period. Production of free estrogens was higher for Day 14.5 than Day 12.5 embryos. Differences in production of conjugated estrogens were not significant, but a trend toward increased production with increased age of embryo was apparent. No trend toward increased free and conjugated estrogen production per cell was observed with age. Embryo diameter and number of cells increased with age but varied considerably within groups. The amount of free and conjugated estrogens measured in blastocoelic fluid did not decrease over the 24-h culture period, suggesting that estrogens detected in culture medium were produced by the embryo and not the result of leakage of maternal estrogen from the blastocoele. The results of this study support previous results that estrogen production increases with development of equine embryos. This increase in estrogen production appears to be more closely associated with the diameter of the embryo, and hence its number of cells, than with increased intracellular steroidogenic activity.
Embedded Memories Fault-Tolerant Pre- and Post-Silicon Optimization

This paper proposes a structured method for scaling both the supply voltage as well as the body bias voltage for CMOS embedded static memory with the aim of achieving a controllable and dynamic probability of failure with minimum power consumption for each memory block. The target error probability is managed according to the time varying error tolerance attributes of the application using the memory at a certain instant in time. This approach enables system designers to abstract the concepts of power awareness, yield and reliability as design tradeoffs-that incorporate application knowledge-early in the design cycle. The paper develops a formal theoretical and practical foundation based on the underlying device statistics upon which both system and circuit designers can investigate error aware design.
Deadlock detection in MPI programs

SUMMARY The Message-Passing Interface (MPI) is commonly used to write parallel programs for distributed memory parallel computers. MPI-CHECK is a tool developed to aid in the debugging of MPI programs that are written in free or fixed format Fortran 90 and Fortran 77. This paper presents the methods used in MPI-CHECK 2.0 to detect many situationswhereactual andpotential deadlocksoccur whenusingblocking and non-blocking point-to-point routines as well as when using collective routines. Copyright  2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Band gap energy of perovskite structured ABO3 compounds

Band gap energy for nonstoichiometric BaTiO3 and perovskite structured ABO3 compounds have been investigated in regard to the relationship among band gap energy, defect chemistry, and crystal structure. The band gap energy was determined by UV-Visible spectrophotometer for powder samples, which are synthesized by citrate process and ultrasonic mixing to avoid the impurity effects. The band gap energy of nonstoichiometric BaTiO3 varied systematically in the solubility region around stoichiometric BaTiO3, indicating that the partial Schottky defects affect to the band gap energy. The band gap energy for ABO3 compound had systematic trends with each parameter such as ionic size, lattice size, B-O bonding distance, tolerance factor, etc. Lattice volume and tolerance factor showed a single trend with band gap energy, but unlike simple binary compounds, the band gap energy for ABO3 compounds had a complex trend with the bonding distance. In addition to the simple ABO3 compounds, in the solid solution system for two different end members of ABO3 compounds, the lattice tilt effect on band gap energy will be discussed. This study provides an insight in understanding the origin of band gap energy and engineering the band gap energy.
Gravitational Settling Velocity Regimes for Heterodisperse Urban Drainage Particulate Matter

Gravitational settling regimes, most commonly discrete (Type I) or flocculent (Type II) can be hindered (Type III) in unmaintained urban drainage appurtenances. In coastal zones or in areas with deicing salt applications, high salinity may influence particulate matter (PM) settling. This study examines settling of PM with a heterodisperse particle size distribution (PSD); typical of urban runoff. For Type I settling at low concentration ( ∼0.1 g/L ) , Newton’s and logarithmic matching models each predict measured settling velocity ( Vs ) for PM from 2–4,750 μm . For Type I Vs in runoff, PM diameter dominates the influence of PM density, fluid temperature and salinity parameter ranges. Integrating Type I Vs across a common heterodisperse PSD for regulatory testing, a physically validated computational fluid dynamics model of a baffled hydrodynamic separator (HS) illustrates the influence of Vs parameters as PM diameter⪢PM density>temperature≈salinity . Event-based PM separation by a screened HS loaded by u...
Vulnerability of mossy fiber targets in the rat hippocampus to forebrain ischemia.

Much of the work on forebrain ischemia in the hippocampus has focused on the phenomenon of delayed neuronal death in CA1. It is established that dentate granule cells and CA3 pyramidal cells are resistant to ischemia. However, much less is known about interneuronal involvement in CA3 or ischemic injury in the dentate hilus other than the fact that somatostatin neurons in the latter lose their immunoreactivity. We combined two sensitive methods--heat-shock protein (HSP72) immunocytochemistry and a newly developed Gallyas silver stain for demonstrating impaired cytoskeletal elements--to investigate the extent of ischemic damage to CA3 and the dentate hilus using the four-vessel- occlusion model for inducing forebrain ischemia. HSP72-like immunoreactivity was induced in neuronal populations previously shown to be vulnerable to ischemia. In addition, a distinct subset of interneurons in CA3 was also extremely sensitive to ischemia, even more so than the CA1 pyramidal cells. These neurons are located in the stratum lucidum of CA3 and possess a very high density of dendritic spines. In silver preparations, they were among the first to be impregnated as “dark” neurons, before CA1 pyramidal cells; microglial reaction was also initiated first in the stratum lucidum of CA3. Whereas CA1 damage was most prominent in the septal half of the hippocampus, hilar and CA3 interneuronal damage had a more extensive dorsoventral distribution. Our results also show a far greater extent of damage in hilar neurons than previously reported. At least four hilar cell types were consistently compromised: mossy cells, spiny fusiform cells, sparsely spiny fusiform cells, and long-spined multipolar cells. A common denominator of the injured neurons in CA3 and the hilus was the presence of spines on their dendrites, which in large part accounted for the far greater number of mossy fiber terminals they receive than their non-spiny neighbors. We suggest that the differential vulnerability of neuronal subtypes in these two regions may be attributed to their extremely dense innervation by the mossy fibers and/or the presence of non-NMDA receptor subtypes that are highly permeable to calcium. In addition, early impairment of these spiny CA3 cells and hilar neurons after ischemia may be causal to delayed neuronal death in the CA1 pyramidal cells.
Acoustic Neuroma: Surgical Perspective

For both the physician and the patient, the decision making for treatment options in acoustic neuroma has taken on more complexity. At least in experienced hands, surgical results have become highly commendable and provide a reasonable success rate to those looking for an excisional cure. Radiosurgical tumor control data, again in the best of hands, grows more impressive, now with 10 to 15 years of follow-up. Hypofractionated radiosurgery has a laudable safety record, although long-term efficacy data is lacking. In selected cases, simple observation is also an effective strategy. Clearly, there is not one best way to treat a patient with an acoustic tumor. In the ideal situation, a simple comparison between efficacy and safety data from several different therapeutic options should be sufficient to make a decision. However, besides the various treatment options that exist, other factors come into play, including patient preference, surgeon bias, cost, patient age, and lifestyle issues. Surgical excision of these tumors has been the traditional treatment for these tumors. In our practice, the roles of neurosurgical treatment and/or stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of acoustic neuromas depend on four factors: (1) patient age, (2) tumor size, (3) hearing levels, and (4) recurrence.
Writing Life Histories From the Field

AbstractThis article raises issues of rendering oral narratives as text, the different needs of audiences in oral and literate settings, and how the relationship of narrator and collaborator influences the information and its presentation. Successfully addressing these issues demands that the anthropologist also consider the literary impact of the work. I conclude that the literary consideration raised in this genre of writing is basic to the most important of anthropological concerns, the cross-cultural communication of understandings. (Participant observation; life-history interviewing, editing, and narrative construction; cultural representation; writing for culturally diverse audiences)
Insurgency: The Transformation of Peasant Rebellion

The nature of insurgencies is an ambiguous concept. As a step toward theory about it and prudent action in regard to it, the authors argue that insurgency should be regarded as a syncretic phenomenon—a highly potent compound that combines the “spirit” of archaic peasant rebellions (their apocalyptic, millenarian passions) with modern revolutionary ideologies and organization, and the practice of guerrilla warfare. Insurgency thus supplies both the “steam” and the “piston box” that Trotsky considered an irresistible revolutionary combination. The syncretic mix of disparate elements in insurgency has stood in the way of proper conceptualization of the phenomenon, and of good theory and practice regarding it. The authors further maintain that insurgency is generally confused with the Latin American foco as well as with urban terrorism and guerrilla wars of all kinds; in fact thefoco may well foreshadow the end of insurgencies as a special type of collective political violence.
Bladder Uptake of Liposomes after Intravesical Administration Occurs by Endocytosis

Liposomes have been used therapeutically and as a local drug delivery system in the bladder. However, the exact mechanism for the uptake of liposomes by bladder cells is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of endocytosis in the uptake of liposomes by cultured human UROtsa cells of urothelium and rat bladder. UROtsa cells were incubated in serum-free media with liposomes containing colloidal gold particles for 2 h either at 37°C or at 4°C. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images of cells incubated at 37°C found endocytic vesicles containing gold inside the cells. In contrast, only extracellular binding was noticed in cells incubated with liposomes at 4°C. Absence of liposome internalization at 4°C indicates the need of energy dependent endocytosis as the primary mechanism of entry of liposomes into the urothelium. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the uptake of liposomes at 37°C occurs via clathrin mediated endocytosis. Based on these observations, we propose that clathrin mediated endocytosis is the main route of entry for liposomes into the urothelial layer of the bladder and the findings here support the usefulness of liposomes in intravesical drug delivery.
Anodic Aluminum Oxide Templated Channel Electrodes via Atomic Layer Deposition

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) utilize high surface area metal oxide sintered particle networks to absorb molecular dyes and transport injected charge carriers. While this sintered particle architecture allows liquid electrolyte DSSCs to achieve efficiencies up to 11%, slow charge transport through the semiconductor network limits the amount of modification that can be made to the electrolyte and dye without adversely affecting the efficiency. The functionalization of anodic aluminum oxide membranes with thin films of transparent, semiconducting oxides via atomic layer deposition may allow for significantly faster charge transport. We demonstrate the fabrication of ZnO thin films within and upon commercially available anodic aluminum oxide membranes via atomic layer deposition.
In an Emergency: Salvaging Library Collections

Abstract Of the five steps involved in disaster recovery (prevention, preparation, response, recovery, and follow-through) this Pre-con-ference session focused primarily on response and recovery. The elements of a disaster response plan and some of the decisions necessary immediately following a disaster are discussed. A disaster scenario is described, as are hands-on exercises undertaken by participants.