cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amobarbital sodium and instrumental performance changes following reward reduction

Amobarbital sodium eliminated the depression effect and rapid performance decrement found in normal animals after a reduction in reward. The rapid decline is generally attributed to a rapid shift in incentive motivation but these data indicate that it is dependent on the aversive consequences of conditioned emotional responses.
Optical recording of action potentials from vertebrate nerve terminals using potentiometric probes provides evidence for sodium and calcium components

Optical methods are shown to monitor action potentials from a population of nerve terminals in the neurohypophysis of Xenopus. Calcium antagonists such as cadmium and nickel ions block a component of the action potential that probably reflects a calcium-mediated potassium conductance, and tetrodotoxin blocks an inward sodium current, revealing a calcium component to the action potential upstroke.
Structure-Guided Discovery of New Deaminase Enzymes

A substantial challenge for genomic enzymology is the reliable annotation for proteins of unknown function. Described here is an interrogation of uncharacterized enzymes from the amidohydrolase superfamily using a structure-guided approach that integrates bioinformatics, computational biology, and molecular enzymology. Previously, Tm0936 from Thermotoga maritima was shown to catalyze the deamination of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) to S-inosylhomocysteine (SIH). Homologues of Tm0936 homologues were identified, and substrate profiles were proposed by docking metabolites to modeled enzyme structures. These enzymes were predicted to deaminate analogues of adenosine including SAH, 5′-methylthioadenosine (MTA), adenosine (Ado), and 5′-deoxyadenosine (5′-dAdo). Fifteen of these proteins were purified to homogeneity, and the three-dimensional structures of three proteins were determined by X-ray diffraction methods. Enzyme assays supported the structure-based predictions and identified subgroups of enzymes with t...
Interaction between dispatching and next station selection rules in a dedicated flexible manufacturing system

Abstract The interaction between nine dispatching and four next station selection rules in a relatively large dedicated FMS is investigated. The FMS contains 16 workstations with local buffers, nine load/unload stations, and produces six different part types. A simulation model is used, and analysed as a steady-state model. Flowtime is taken as the main criterion. It is found that WINQ (select the station whose input buffer contains the smallest amount of work) dominates, performing significantly better than the other next station selection rules considered across all dispatching rules, with few significant differences between dispatching rules when combined with WINQ. SIO/TOT (select the job with the smallest ratio obtained by dividing the processing time of the imminent operation by the total processing time for the part) performs marginally better than the other dispatching rules, particularly SIO (select the job with the shortest imminent processing time). Reasons for when a next station selection rul...
Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Affects Cytochrome c Release and Caspase-9 Activation After Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice.

Release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol is a critical step in the mitochondrial-dependent signaling pathways of apoptosis. The authors have reported that manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) attenuated cytochrome c release and apoptotic cell death after focal cerebral ischemia (FCI). To investigate downstream to the cytochrome c-dependent pathway, the authors examined caspase-9 activation after transient FCI by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting in both wild-type and Sod2 -/+ mice. Mice were subjected to 60 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 1, 2, 4, or 24 hours of reperfusion. Two hours after reperfusion, cytochrome c and caspase-9 were observed in the cytosol and significantly increased in Sod2 -/+ mutants compared with wild-type mice as shown by Western blotting. Immunofluorescent double labeling for cytochrome c and caspase-9 showed cytosolic cytochrome c 1 hour after transient FCI. Cleaved caspase-9 first appeared in the cytosol at 2 hours and colocalized with cytochrome c. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick and labeling (TUNEL) showed significant increase of positive cells in Sod2 -/+ mice compared with the wild-type in the cortex, but not in the caudate putamen. The current study revealed Mn-SOD might affect cytochrome c translocation and downstream caspase activation in the mitochondrial-dependent cell death pathway after transient FCI.
Cyclopropanone equivalents from 3-chloropropionic acid 1-piperidino-1-trimethylsilyloxycyclopropane

Abstract 1-Piperidino-1-trimethylsilyloxycyclopropane and the corresponding 1-hydroxy-1-piperidinocyclopropane are conveniently perpared from the piperidide of 3-chloropropionic acid. Reactions of these cyclopropanone equivalents with various nucleophiles are described.
The registration temperature effect for lightly ionizing particles in CR-39

Abstract Plastic track detectors have been used for years to measure the elemental composition of ultraheavy cosmic rays. Recently, it has been discovered that the response of these detectors can be drastically affected by detector temperature at the time particles are recorded. We have investigated this effect in CR-39 for relativistic Fe and Kr ions as well as for stopping He ions. The effect for these lightly ionizing particles is smaller and opposite in sign to that reported earlier for more intensely ionizing particles. The results reported here indicate that the detector temperature should be controlled to ±10°C in cosmic ray experiments designed to measure charge composition below Z=40. Thermal modeling of NRL's Heavy Ions in Space experiment indicates that this degree of temperature control is being achieved.
Analysis of a soluble (UreD:UreF:UreG)2 accessory protein complex and its interactions with Klebsiella aerogenes urease by mass spectrometry.

Maturation of the nickel-containing urease of Klebsiella aerogenes is facilitated by the UreD, UreF, and UreG accessory proteins along with the UreE metallo-chaperone. A fusion of the maltose binding protein and UreD (MBP-UreD) was co-isolated with UreF and UreG in a soluble complex possessing a (MBP-UreD:UreF:UreG)2 quaternary structure. Within this complex a UreF:UreF interaction was identified by chemical cross-linking of the amino termini of its two UreF protomers, as shown by mass spectrometry of tryptic peptides. A pre-activation complex was formed by the interaction of (MBP-UreD:UreF:UreG)2 and urease. Mass spectrometry of intact protein species revealed a pathway for synthesis of the urease pre-activation complex in which individual hetero-trimer units of the (MBP-UreD:UreF:UreG)2 complex bind to urease. Together, these data provide important new insights into the structures of protein complexes associated with urease activation.
Effect of magnetite on GPR for detection of buried landmines

Ferrimagnetic minerals such as magnetite and maghaemite can affect ground-penetrating radar (GPR) signals. This may lead to false alarms and missed targets when surveying for the detection of buried landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). In most field situations ferrimagnetic mineral content is too low to affect GPR wave behavior. However, in soils and sedimentary material with magnetite-rich parent material large concentrations of magnetite can be found. This paper is a first systematic experimental effort to study the effects of large concentrations of magnetite for GPR detection of subsurface targets. We study the effects of (i) different homogeneous mixtures of magnetite and quartz sand and (ii) magnetite concentrated in layers (placer deposits), on the propagation behavior of GPR waves and reflection characteristics of steel and plastic balls. The balls are buried in homogeneous mixtures of magnetite and quartz sand and below a layer of pure magnetite. Important observations include that the simulated placer deposits did have a large effect on the detectability of balls below the placer deposits and that homogeneous mixtures had no significant effect.
Partial Separation of an Oxytocic Principle from Preparations of Angiotonin

Partially purified angiotonin preparations have been shown to contain both oxytocic and pressor activity. However, they do not parallel each other in samples of differing purity. Methods for their partial separation and purification are described.
Instability of a composite reinforced with coated inclusions due to interface debonding

A theoretical analysis of the instability arising from interface debonding in a composite containing coated inclusions subject to remote hydrostatic tensile traction is presented. The composite macroscopic stress–strain relation incorporating the influence of interfacial displacement jumps is discussed in detail for our proposed spherically symmetric model. Because of the model assumptions, this relation is limited to composites with small volume fractions of the inclusion and coating. The influences of the maximum traction and bonding characteristic length at the inclusion/coating and coating/matrix interfaces on the peak stress, corresponding strain, and strain interval are fully investigated. The various interfacial parameters are found to have significant influences on the instability of the composite arising from interface decohesion at both interfaces. In particular, the bonding characteristic length for the coating/matrix interface is the most critical parameter for improving the overall bearing capacity of the composite. These results can serve as guidelines for material selection to optimize composite performance.
Effects of dietary selenium and vitamin E concentrations on phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase expression in reproductive tissues of pubertal maturing male rats

Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPX) is the second intracellular selenium (Se)-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) identified in mammals. Our objectives were to determine the effect of dietary vitamin E and Se levels on PHGPX activity expression in testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicles of pubertal maturing rats, and the relationship of PHGPX expression with testicular development and sperm quality. Forty Sprague-Dawley male weanling rats (21-d old), were initially fed for 3 wk a torula yeast basal diet (containing 0.05 mg Se/kg) supplemented with marginal levels of Se (0.1 mg/kg as Na2SeO3) and vitamin E (25 IU/kg as all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate). Then, rats were fed the basal diets supplemented with 0 or 0.2 mg Se/kg and 0 or 100 IU vitamin E/kg diet during the 3-wk period of pubertal maturing. Compared with the Se-supplemented rats, those fed the Se-deficient diets retained 31, 88, 67, and 50% of Se-dependent GSH-Px activities in liver, testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicles, respectively. Testes and seminal vesicles had substantially higher (5-to 20-fold) PHGPX activity than liver. Dietary Se deficiency did not affect PHGPX activities in the reproductive tissues, but reduced PHGPX activity in liver by 28% (P < 0.0001). Dietary vitamin E supplementation did not affect PHGPX activity in liver, whereas it raised PHGPX activity in seminal vesicles by 43% (P < 0.005). Neither dietary vitamin E nor Se levels affected body weight gains, reproductive organ weights, or sperm counts and morphology. In conclusion, expression of PHGPX activity in testis and seminal vesicles was high and regulated by dietary Se and vitamin E differently from that in liver.
The Pedagogy of Huey P. Newton: Critical Reflections on Education in His Writings and Speeches

This article examines and finds problematic the gap in the existing literature of intersections of Dr. Huey P. Newton and critical pedagogy. A cultural sociology approach critically interrogates Ne...
Characterization of Grafted Poly(ethylene glycol) on Si Wafers Using Scanning Probe Microscopy

The uniformity and surface topography of grafted poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coatings were characterized at the microscale as a function of grafting temperature (grafting density) using scanning probe microscopy. Images of PEG-coated silicon wafers show isolated domains which decrease in size and increase in surface density with increasing grafting temperature. Domain sizes appeared to correlate with the polarity of the solvent used for imaging. Roughness measurements of the PEG layers were obtained. The results are relevant in relation to the biomedically significant ability of PEG coatings to mask surface features such as charge detected via zeta potential measurements.
Should an MR scan be performed routinely after a normal clearance CT scan in the trauma patient? Experience with 59 cases

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is not routinely used to exclude ligamentous and other soft tissue injury in the unconscious trauma patient. In order to determine the frequency and types of soft tissue injuries detected by MR imaging but not by computed tomography (CT), we performed a retrospective investigation comparing the MR findings in 59 trauma patients, either alert or unconscious, who previously had undergone a negative clearance multislice CT study of the cervical spine. Six patients had abnormalities not identified on the CT studies, including four cases of ligamentous injury.
Occupational Therapy and Epilepsy

Epilepsy and its varied seizure types effect the physical, social, emotional, recreational and vocational functioning of individuals and their families. This article addresses the varlous components of seizure disorders and discusses the importance of occupational therapy intervention in each of these areas. Epilepsy first aid, safe and activities of daily living, and the role of the occupational therapist in education and vocational exploration are discussed, along with a concise description of epilepsy and its seizure types.
Endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm is associated with a low incidence of deep venous thrombosis

Abstract Objective: This study was performed to define the incidence of acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Because aortic endograft placement requires prolonged femoral vessel instrumentation, it may be hypothesized that these patients are at increased risk for development of an acute DVT. Patients and Methods: Fifty consecutive patients (42 men, eight women) ranging in age from 48 to 85 years (mean, 72 years) underwent endovascular treatment of an AAA from January 2000 to August 2001. Clinical examination and bilateral lower extremity duplex ultrasonography for DVT were performed on the first postoperative day and at the 1-month follow-up visit. No patient had a prior DVT or identifiable hypercoagulable state. Seven patients (14%) had concurrent malignant disease. Preoperative antiplatelet agents were administered in 26 patients (52%), and nine (18%) were on warfarin sodium therapy before surgery. No new DVT prophylaxis was initiated perioperatively. Epidural anesthesia was used in 60% of the patients, with general endotracheal anesthesia used in the remainder. Risk factors for DVT were evaluated with univariate statistical analysis. Results: Three patients (6%) had an acute postoperative DVT develop. Two occurred in the femoral veins, and one occurred in the popliteal vein. Of these patients, one had been continued on perioperative anticoagulation therapy, and the remaining two were started on low-molecular weight heparin and warfarin sodium therapy on recognition of the DVT. One patient had an intraoperative injury of the affected common femoral vein, and this individual was the only one to have clinical signs of a DVT. The mean follow-up period was 8 ± 0.8 months. In this experience, factors that may have placed patients at increased risk for an acute DVT were not identified. Conclusion: Six percent of patients undergoing endovascular repair of AAAs had postoperative DVT develop. These patients had a number of risk factors for the development of a DVT; however, no specific factor was identified that predisposed to DVT. (J Vasc Surg 2002;36:912-6.)
Self-diffusion of silicon-30 in α-SiC single crystals

The self-diffusion of30Si in high purity and N-doped α-SiC single crystals has been measured in the temperature range 2273 to 2573 K. The diffusion (DSi*) in N-doped crystals exceeds that in the pure crystals because of the increase in the concentration of the charged acceptor-type Si vacancies in the presence of the N species. A comparison ofDC* andDSi* shows that the former exceeds the latter by approximately 102, primarily because of the greater entropy of migration of C. Possible crystallographic paths of transport for both species are also discussed.
Growth of (111) and (100) CdTe films on (100) GaAs substrates by hot wall epitaxy

Abstract Both (111) and (100) oriented CdTe films have been grown on (100) GaAs substrates by hot wall epitaxy. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements indicate that the (111) material is of superior crystal quality with typical X-ray FWHM values ranging between 60 and 80 arc sec. SIMS analysis shows gallium in these layers at a level of mid 1014 atoms/cm3.
Testing the Broadband Phase Coherence of a Mode Locked Laser at Microhertz Relative Linewidth

We report new limits on the phase coherence of the mode-locking process in an octave-spanning Ti:Sapphire comb. We find the mode-locking mechanism correlates optical phase across an octave with less than 2.5 microHz relative linewidth.
Interactive Dimensional Synthesis and Motion Design of Planar 6R Single-Loop Closed Chains via Constraint Manifold Modification

In this paper, we present an interactive, visual design approach for the dimensional synthesis of planar 6R single-loop closed chains for a given rational motion using constraint manifold modification. This approach is implemented in an interactive software tool that provides mechanism designers with an intuitive way to determine the parameters of planar mechanisms, and in the process equips them with an understanding of the design process. The theoretical foundation of this work is based on representing planar displacements with planar quaternions, which can be seen as points in a special higher dimensional projective space (called the image space), and on formulating the kinematic constraints of closed chains as algebraic surfaces in the image space. Kinematic constraints under consideration limit the positions and orientation of the coupler in its workspace. In this way, a given motion of a mechanism in the Cartesian space maps to a curve in the image space that is limited to stay within the bounds of the algebraic surfaces. Thus, the problem of dimensional synthesis is reduced to determine the parameters of equations that describe algebraic surfaces. We show that the interactive approach presented here is general in nature, and can be easily used for the dimensional synthesis of any mechanism for which kinematic constraints can be expressed algebraically. The process of designing is fast, intuitive, and especially useful when a numerical optimization based approach would be computationally demanding and mathematically difficult to formulate. This simple approach also provides a basis for students and early designers to learn and understand the process of mechanism design by simple geometric manipulations. DOI: 10.1115/1.4001775
Geoid data and thermal structure of the oceanic lithosphere

A long-standing question is whether old oceanic lithosphere continues cooling as the boundary layer of a halfspace or approaches thermal equilibrium, as modeled by a finite thickness plate. Although the latter is the most direct inference from seafloor depths and heat flow, other explanations have been proposed. We investigate this issue using published results for the derivative of the oceanic geoid with age estimated from geoid offsets across fracture zones. Such data have not been used extensively in analyses of the thermal evolution of the lithosphere, primarily because they are inconsistent with two commonly used thermal models: a halfspace or a 125-km-thick plate. Recent studies, however, find that depth and heat flow data are better fit by a thinner (95 km) plate model. We thus compile published geoid slope results, and find that these data, though scattered, can discriminate between the models. Geoid slope changes with age, rather than being constant as predicted for a cooling halfspace. This variation is greater than predicted for a thick plate and is better fit by a thin plate. Geoid data should thus be useful for improving thermal models of the lithosphere.
Mortality of Patients With Respiratory Insufficiency and Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome After Surgery The Obesity Paradox

Introduction:Obesity has long been considered a risk factor for the development of various pathologies, yet evidence supporting increased risk of perioperative mortality in obese individuals develo...
The Role of Painting in the Phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty

The paper examines the importance of painting for Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology. Painting, as the celebration of visibility, is an important supplement to that project. It is a way of exploring the possibilities of embodied perception that does not rely on linguistic concepts. That is, in painting we can encounter a philosophy of vision that is performed and understood in terms of vision as embodied perception. Since in his phenomenology Merleau-Ponty is in search of a primitive contact with the lived world prior to the level of explicit reflection, painting provides a suitable example of such contact that cannot be fully explained through the use of language. “Cezanne’s Doubt” presents the similarity between the methods and goals of phenomenology and those of painting. “Eye and Mind” articulates the ontological significance of visibility. The contribution of painting to phenomenology is not in the explication of the former by the latter and its use as an example. Rather, painting pursues the same goals without the use of language, something that the philosophical discipline on its own cannot do.
Optimal replacement for fault‐tolerant systems

We consider the optimal replacement problem for a fault tolerant system comprised of N components. The components are distingushable, and the state of the system is given by knowing exactly which components are operationl and which have failed. The individual component failure rates depend on the state of the entire system. We assume that the rate at which the system produces income decreases as the system deteriorates and the system replacement cost rises. Individual components cannot be replaced. We give a greedy-type algorithm that produces the replacement policy that maximizes the long-run net system income per unit time.
Effect of high doses of a sustained-release bovine somatotropin on antibody formation in dairy cows.

Abstract Eighty-two lactating Holstein cows received either one, three, or five concurrent, intramuscular injections of a unit dose (.6g) of zinc methionyl bST (some-tribove) or five doses of the vehicle. Injections were administered at 14-d intervals from 60 d postpartum until the end of lactation or necropsy. Thirty-eight cows continued on the same treatment for a 2nd yr. Blood bST antibodies developed within the first 7 wk of treatment, and the number of cows with anti-bST binding generally declined with time. Thirteen out of 59 cows receiving bST developed binding activity >25% (positives) during the 1st yr. At the .6-g dose level, no binding was detected after wk 15. Seven of the 13 positive cows were among the group randomly selected to continue on study during yr 2. In the 2nd yr, only 2 out of 24 bST-treated cows were positive. Binding activity was associated with the IgG fraction in serum. Binding capacities of antibodies ranged from .625 to 3.04mg of bST/L, and affinities ranged from 1.14 × 10 8 to 3.14 × 10 8 L/mol. Cows considered to be clinically positive had performance similar to those of their herdmates having binding
Mice lacking ghrelin receptors resist the development of diet-induced obesity

Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR; ghrelin receptor). Since its discovery, accumulating evidence has suggested that ghrelin may play a role in signaling and reversing states of energy insufficiency. For example, ghrelin levels rise following food deprivation, and ghrelin administration stimulates feeding and increases body weight and adiposity. However, recent loss-of-function studies have raised questions regarding the physiological significance of ghrelin in regulating these processes. Here, we present results of a study using a novel GHSR-null mouse model, in which ghrelin administration fails to acutely stimulate food intake or activate arcuate nucleus neurons. We show that when fed a high-fat diet, both female and male GHSR-null mice eat less food, store less of their consumed calories, preferentially utilize fat as an energy substrate, and accumulate less body weight and adiposity than control mice. Similar effects on body weight and adiposity were also observed in female, but not male, GHSR-null mice fed standard chow. GHSR deletion also affected locomotor activity and levels of glycemia. These findings support the hypothesis that ghrelin-responsive pathways are an important component of coordinated body weight control. Moreover, our data suggest that ghrelin signaling is required for development of the full phenotype of diet-induced obesity.
Differential Effects of Peroxisome Proliferator Activator Receptor-α and γ Ligands on Intimal Hyperplasia after Balloon Catheter-Induced Vascular Injury in Zucker Rats

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have a higher rate of restenosis following angioplasty. Peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-x (PPAR) and y ligands such as fenofibrate and ...
Lack of Association Between Press Ganey Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Scores and Emergency Department Administration of Analgesic Medications

Study objective We explore the relationship between Press Ganey emergency department (ED) patient satisfaction scores and ED administration of analgesic medications, including amount of opioid analgesics received, among patients who completed a patient satisfaction survey. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of Press Ganey ED patient satisfaction surveys from patients discharged from 2 academic, urban EDs October 2009 to September 2011. We matched survey responses to data on opioid and nonopioid analgesics administered in the ED, demographic characteristics, and temporal factors from the ED electronic medical records. We used polytomous logistic regression to compare quartiles of overall Press Ganey ED patient satisfaction scores to administration of analgesic medications, opioid analgesics, and number of morphine equivalents received. We adjusted models for demographic and hospital characteristics and temporal factors. Results Of the 4,749 patients who returned surveys, 48.5% received analgesic medications, and 29.6% received opioid analgesics during their ED visit. Mean overall Press Ganey ED patient satisfaction scores for patients receiving either analgesic medications or opioid analgesics were lower than for those who did not receive these medications. In the univariable polytomous logistic regression analysis, receipt of analgesic medications, opioid analgesics, and a greater number of morphine equivalents were associated with lower overall scores. However, in the multivariable analysis, receipt of analgesic medications or opioid analgesics was not associated with overall scores, and receipt of greater morphine equivalents was inconsistently associated with lower overall scores. Conclusion Overall Press Ganey ED patient satisfaction scores were not primarily based on in-ED receipt of analgesic medications or opioid analgesics; other factors appear to be more important.
SVM+ regression and multi-task learning

Exploiting additional information to improve traditional inductive learning is an active research area in machine learning. In many supervised-learning applications, training data can be naturally separated into several groups, and incorporating this group information into learning may improve generalization. Recently, Vapnik [9] proposed general approach to formalizing such problems, known as Learning With Structured Data (LWSD) and its SVM-based optimization formulation called SVM+. Liang and Cherkassky [5,6] showed empirical validation of SVM+ for classification, and its connections to Multi-Task Learning (MTL) approaches in machine learning. This paper builds upon this recent work [5,6,9] and describes a new methodology for regression problems, combining Vapnik's SVM+ regression [9] and the MTL classification setting [6], for regression problems. We also show empirical comparisons between standard SVM regression, SVM+, and proposed SVM+MTL regression method. Practical implementation of new learning technologies, such as SVM+, is often hindered by their complexity, i.e. large number of tuning parameters (vs standard inductive SVM regression). To this end, we provide a practical scheme for model selection that combines analytic selection of parameters for SVM regression [3] and resampling-based methods for selecting model parameters specific to SVM+ and SVM+MTL.
Gay and bisexual men’s human papillomavirus vaccine intentions: A theory-based structural equation analysis

In this study, we examined the structural relationships among constructs from the Health Belief Model as they relate to human papillomavirus vaccine intentions in young gay and bisexual men in the United States (N = 183). A model was identified that fit the data well and accounted for 56% of the variance in vaccine intentions. Perceived benefits and barriers were the most proximate predictors of intentions, whereas knowledge and perceived threat exerted only indirect influence. Clarifying the propositional structures within the Health Belief Model can help to advance our understanding of human papillomavirus-related cognitions and behaviors and inform vaccine promotion programs.
A retinohypothalamic pathway in man: Light mediation of circadian rhythms

It has been proposed that, in animals, a retinohypothalamic pathway exists which mediates the synchronization of the diurnal light-dark cycle with the central neural components regulating endogenous rhythms. There have been numerous anatomic, physiologic and behavioral investigations to substantiate this proposed connection in experimental animals. Morphologic investigation of a retinohypothalamic tract in man has awaited the development of a technique capable of axonal tracing in the human brain. The paraphenylenediamine method was applied to 7 post-mortem human brains. Degenerated axons were found in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus in each of the 4 patients who had incurred prior optic nerve damage. The retinosuprachiasmatic pathway may be the anatomical substrate for the integration of retinal light information with endogenous rhythms in man.
The effects of false paths in high-level synthesis

The author discusses the effects of false paths and their consequences in scheduling and allocation during high-level synthesis. False paths through the control-flow graph may occur due to sequences of conditional operations. The detection of false paths during scheduling may result in a smaller number of states, improved operator sharing, and smaller control logic. A heuristic algorithm is presented for the detection and elimination of false paths during path-based scheduling. Results for benchmark examples are presented. For the designs which contained false paths, the percentage of false paths varied from 5% to 83%. A reduction of 15% in the final cell count for one benchmark was obtained by eliminating false paths. Even though the proposed algorithm is heuristic and cannot guarantee the detection of all false paths, it did find all false paths in the small to medium size examples tried. In most cases the condition trees are small, with few data dependencies, which increases the probability of a false path being found by the algorithm. >
Extended bottlenecks, the fundamental relationship, and capacity drop on freeways

Abstract This paper presents evidence that the commonly used point bottleneck model is too simplistic for freeway bottlenecks, the actual mechanism appears to occur over an extended distance. We find evidence of subtle flow limiting and speed reducing phenomena more than a mile downstream of a lane drop bottleneck. These phenomena impact the fundamental relationship, FD. Close to the lane drop the free flow regime appears to come from a “parabolic” FD, but further downstream the relationship straightens to a “triangular” FD and throughput increases. We develop a theory to explain the underlying mechanisms. These insights should help resolve the decades long debate about the shape of the FD. The phenomena also provide a mechanism that may contribute to the empirically observed capacity drop often seen at bottlenecks. Although we study a lane drop, this work should be transferable to other bottlenecks where the capacity restriction persists for an extended distance, e.g., a corridor with a fixed number of lanes and an on-ramp bottleneck.
Data storage and knowledge representation for clinical workstations

The representation of patient information for use in clinical workstations is a complex problem. Ideally, it should be addressed in a way that allows multiple uses of the data, including simple manual review, sharing and pooling across institutions, and as input to knowledge-based decision support systems. To a great extent, this means coding information with controlled medical vocabularies, but it does not mean that all information must be codable before workstations are feasible. This paper defines some of the choices, both current and future, that are available to address the needs of controlled medical vocabularies for representing data and knowledge in clinical workstations and explores some of the implications of those choices.
The impact of national level indicators on PC adoption

The role of national level indicators on PC adoption is investigated. National level indicators are postulated to play a significant role in IT/IS adoption and diffusion. However, research that examines the role of these indicators is rare. The article introduces national cultural factors as important indicators of the PC adoption. Empirical models are designed that incorporate these national level indicators. Empirical analysis indicates that national indicators such as national culture, economy etc. do play a significant role in PC adoption.
Patterns of basal signaling heterogeneity can distinguish cellular populations with different drug sensitivities

Phenotypic heterogeneity has been widely observed in cellular populations. However, the extent to which heterogeneity contains biologically or clinically important information is not well understood. Here, we investigated whether patterns of basal signaling heterogeneity, in untreated cancer cell populations, could distinguish cellular populations with different drug sensitivities. We modeled cellular heterogeneity as a mixture of stereotyped signaling states, identified based on colocalization patterns of activated signaling molecules from microscopy images. We found that patterns of heterogeneity could be used to separate the most sensitive and resistant populations to paclitaxel within a set of H460 lung cancer clones and within the NCI-60 panel of cancer cell lines, but not for a set of less heterogeneous, immortalized noncancer human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) clones. Our results suggest that patterns of signaling heterogeneity, characterized as ensembles of a small number of distinct phenotypic states, can reveal functional differences among cellular populations.
THE POTENTIAL LABOR SUPPLY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL ESTIMATION METHOD*

This paper addresses conceptual inadequacies of standard labor force and unemployment statistics for the purpose of representing relative stocks of available labor among regions. It attempts to rectify some of these inadequacies by applying relatively simple statistical adjustments. These are based on secondary data relating to local population characteristics and national participation rate norms. Current criteria used to determine labor force participation depend on solicited statements regarding attempts of an individual to secure employment, or his current status as a gainfully employed person. Using labor force participation as defined by these criteria, it has been observed that labor-force size varies directly with level of economic activity and demand for labor over time. During periods in which unemployment rises, the size of the labor force normally declines.
Genetic analysis of tail rattling in the mouse.

TAIL rattling is a prominent feature of aggressive encounters between mice and is thought to be a threat behaviour, although conclusive evidence of this is lacking1. A factor analysis of aggressive behaviours elicited in a single subject using foot-shock in conjunction with a bottle brush target indicated that tail rattling had a high loading on the “aggressive factor” and negligible loading on the other factors2. On the other hand, a rather comprehensive study of fourteen inbred strains by Southwick and Clark3 revealed no consistent interstrain relationship between fighting and tail rattling. These displays are usually regarded by ethologists as having complex, rather than unitary, motivational determinants4. If this is correct, a linear relationship with a single variable, such as attack behaviour, would be unlikely to prove robust. An additional complication arises when genetic differences between subjects are important. The degree of manifestation or expressivity of the display, in relation to the motivational states which underlie it, may be expected to exhibit genetic variation.
Anaphylatoxin C5a modulates hepatic stellate cell migration

Background C5a and its cognate receptor, C5a receptor (C5aR), key elements of complement, are critical modulators of liver immunity and fibrosis. However, the molecular mechanism for the cross talk between complement and liver fibrosis is not well understood. C5a is a potent chemokine regulating migration of cells in the innate immune system. Since activation and migration of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are hallmarks of liver fibrosis, we hypothesized that C5a contributes to fibrosis by regulating HSC activation and/or migration.
Characterizations of soft-gel thermal interface materials for flip chip package

During the thermal interface material development for flip chip packages, it was found that the shear modulus, G', was a key parameter impacting the material processing and package thermal performance. If the G' was too low, the thermal interface material was easy to be pumped out after curing; If the G' was too high, delamination occurred at the interfaces between the thermal interface material and die or heat spreader, especially at the die corners. Due to the significant warpage caused by the large die size, the thermal interface material needs to be a soft gel. This will allow the material to maintain its interfacial adhesion at a large deformation. In this paper, we will discuss the shear modulus testing method for thermal interface materials development.
Atmospheric Response to Tropical Thermal Forcing in Real Data Integrations

Abstract Evidence is presented for a highly regular seasonal rearrangement of the long-wave pattern over North America from the winter to the spring. The change involves a reversal of the trough-ridge pattern between the two seasons wherein the anticyclone observed in the winter climatology over and west of the Rocky Mountains reverses to a spring trough, and the winter lee cyclone changes to a spring ridge over the eastern United States. These changes, which represent a westward shift of the long-wave pattern from winter to spring, are accompanied by westward shifts of the subtropical jet core from the east to the west coast, and of the tropical rain maxima from the Amazon Basin to the tropical East Pacific Ocean. We investigate the possibility that these westward displacements are dynamically related in a series of ten-day integrations of a general circulation model over four separate ensembles, each consisting of ten cases, during the winter and spring. The data for these ensembles is taken from the Gl...
Syntactic and Strategic Aspects of the Comprehension of Indirect and Direct Object Constructions By Children

One hundred children aged five to thirteen were asked to demonstrate their comprehension of ambiguous and unambiguous double-object constructions of English sentences. In the unambiguous cases article or disjuncture clues were used to indicate which words of the sentence predicates belonged to the indirect and direct object constituents.Results indicate that children tend to prefer a reading of the ambiguous sentences in which the last two nominal elements of nominal + nominal + nominal predicates are assigned to the direct object (as opposed to assigning only the last noun to the direct object). For unambiguous sentences, the younger children have great difficulty in correctly assigning the indicated constituent structure while the older children (and adults) have little difficulty. The use of the article as the indicator of constituent structure is found to be, for the children, a superior clue to the use of disjuncture, and the acquisition of the two comprehensional skills appears to proceed independently.
Methionine sulfoxide reductase A affects β-amyloid solubility and mitochondrial function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Accumulation of oxidized proteins, and especially β-amyloid (Aβ), is thought to be one of the common causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current studies determine the effect of an in vivo methionine sulfoxidation of Aβ through ablation of the methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) in a mouse model of AD, a mouse that overexpresses amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Aβ in neurons. Lack of MsrA fosters the formation of methionine sulfoxide in proteins, and thus its ablation in the AD-mouse model will increase the formation of methionine sulfoxide in Aβ. Indeed, the novel MsrA-deficient APP mice (APP(+)/MsrAKO) exhibited higher levels of soluble Aβ in brain compared with APP(+) mice. Furthermore, mitochondrial respiration and the activity of cytochrome c oxidase were compromised in the APP(+)/MsrAKO compared with control mice. These results suggest that lower MsrA activity modifies Aβ solubility properties and causes mitochondrial dysfunction, and augmenting its activity may be beneficial in delaying AD progression.
Aggregation, Dissolution, and Transformation of Copper Nanoparticles in Natural Waters

Time-dependent aggregation, sedimentation, dissolution, and transformation of three copper-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) of varied properties were measured in eight natural and artificial waters. Nano-Cu and Cu(OH)2 aggregated rapidly to >10(3) nm while the aggregate size of nano-CuO averaged between 250 and 400 nm. Aggregate size for both nano-Cu and nano-CuO showed a positive correlation with ionic strength with a few exceptions. Aggregate size did not correlate well with sedimentation rate, suggesting sedimentation was influenced by other factors. Controlling factors in sedimentation rates varied by particle: Cu(OH)2 particles remained stable in all waters but groundwater, nano-Cu was generally unstable except in waters with high organic content, and nano-CuO was stabilized by the presence of phosphate, which reversed surface charge polarity at concentrations as low as 0.1 mg PO4(3-) L(-1). Dissolution generally correlated with pH, although in saline waters, dissolved copper formed insoluble complexes. Nano-Cu was rapidly oxidized, resulting in dissolution immediately followed by the formation of precipitates. These results suggest factors including phosphate, carbonate, and ENM oxidation state may be key in determining Cu ENM behavior in natural waters.
Monomial Dynamical Systems in # P-complete

In this paper, we study boolean monomial dynamical systems. Colon-Reyes, Jarrah, Laubenbacher, and Sturmfels(2006) studied fixed point structure of boolean monomial dynamical systems of f by associating the dynamical systems of f with its dependency graph χ f and Jarrah, Laubenbacher, and Veliz-Cuba(2010) extended it and presented lower and upper bound for the number of cycles of a given length for general boolean monomial dynamics. But, it is even difficult to determine the exact number of fixed points of boolean monomial dynamics. We show that the problem of counting fixed points of a boolean monomial dynamical systems is #P-complete, for which no efficient algorithm is known. This is proved by a 1-1 correspondence between fixed points of f sand antichains of the poset of strongly connected components of χf..
Determination of nine artificial pigments in meat products by high performance liquid chromatography

Objective A high performance liquid chromatography methods( HPLC) was developed to detect 9 artificial pigments in meat products. Methods Sample was extract with 1% perchloric acid,purified with polyamide / C18 mixture SPE column after centrifugation,3 milliliter alcohol-ammonia aqueous-water was used for elution,then the analytes were separated by HPLC after concentration,and detected by PDA detector. Results The linear ranges for the 9 artificial pigments were1. 0 μg / ml ~ 20. 0 μg / ml,the correlation coefficients were all greater than 0. 999,the limits of quantitition( LOQ) and detection( LOD) were 0. 4 mg / kg,0. 1 mg / kg,respectively. The recoveries of the 9 artificial pigments were in the ranges from86. 0% to 98. 3%,and the relative standard deviations were from 1. 03% to 3. 9%. Conclusion This method is simple,fast and accurate,and could meet the needs for simultaneous detection of 9 artificial pigments in meat products.
Assessing Hazard Identification in Surface Stone Mines in a Virtual Environment

Mine workers are expected to remain vigilant and successfully identify and mitigate hazards in both routine and non-routine locations. The goal of the current research project is to better understand how workers search and identify hazards. NIOSH researchers developed a data collection setup to measure a subject’s gaze, head position, and reaction time while examining 360° 2D-panoramic images at a surface mine. The data is integrated in semi real-time to determine region of interest (ROI) hit accuracy for hazards within the images. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development and implementation of the hardware and software. The following aspects of the setup will be explored in the paper: (1) environment selection, (2) image creation, (3) stimulus display, (4) synchronization, (5) gaze mapping, and (6) region of interest (ROI) hit calculation.
Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction

Successful management of the infant with chronic tearing and mucus discharge requires an understanding of the differential diagnosis and natural history of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Equally important is an understanding of the timing of possible spontaneous resolution as well as medical and surgical treatment modalities that can be employed should spontaneous resolution not occur.