cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distribution of estrogen receptor beta containing cells in the brains of bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic mice

In the brain, estrogen receptor β (ERβ) plays important roles in autonomic functions, stress reactivity and learning and memory processes. However, understanding the function of ERβ has been restricted by the limited availability of specific antisera, by difficulties discriminating the discrete localization of ERβ-immunoreactivity (ir) at the light microscopic level in many brain regions and the identification of ERβ-containing neurons in neurophysiological and molecular studies. Here, we demonstrate that a Esr2 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse line that expresses ERβ identified by enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) overcomes these shortcomings. Throughout the brain, ERβ-EGFP was detected in the nuclei and cytoplasm of cells, the majority of which resembled neurons. EGFP often extended into dendritic processes and could be identified either natively or following intensification of EGFP using immunolabeling. The distribution of ERβ-EGFP cells in brain closely corresponded to that reported for ERβ protein and mRNA. In particular, ERβ-EGFP cells were found in autonomic brain regions (i.e., hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, rostral ventrolateral medulla and nucleus of the solitary tract), in regions associated with anxiety and stress behaviors (i.e., bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, amygdala, periaqueductal gray, raphe and parabrachial nuclei) and in regions involved in learning and memory processes (i.e., basal forebrain, cerebral cortex and hippocampus). Additionally, dual label light and electron microscopic studies in select brain areas demonstrate that cell containing ERβ-EGFP colocalize with both nuclear and extranuclear ERβ-immunoreactivity. These findings support the utility of Esr2 BAC transgenic reporter mice for future studies understanding the role of ERβ in CNS function.
First ReFerence photosensor prototype

First test results of the ReFerence photosensor prototype are presented. The results verify the basic design feature, i.e. the photoelectron focusing from the entire photocathode to the small region in the middle of the entrance window of the ReFerence tube.
Intracisternal tubules and intramitochondrial filaments in cells of a snail, Limnaea

Abstract Epithelial and peritubular cells associated with the reproductive tract of the snail, Limnaea stagnalis , contain an extensive system of endoplasmic reticulum that is often dilated with many closely packed intracisternal tubules. The intracisternal tubules are appproximately 24–28 mm in diameter and they are often hexagonally packed. They have a two-layered wall, possess fine interconnections, and extend linearly for considerable distances, but angular bends in the tubules also occur. Mitochondria in the peritubular cells contain solid, filamentous structures 9–12 nm in diameter and triangular-shaped structures when sectioned in the mitochondrial matrix.
Measurement of Colloidal Stability in Solutions of Simple, Nonadsorbing Polyelectrolytes

Abstract The stability of a solution of charged polystyrene particles in the presence of nonadsorbing polyelectrolyte macromolecules is measured using optical light scattering. The particles were negatively charged polystyrene latex spheres (0.5–1 μm diameter) while the macromolecules were simulated using negatively charged colloidal silica spheres (5–7 nm diameter). Because of the electrostatic repulsion between the particles, the solution is found to be stable against primary flocculation (irreversible flocculation into a primary energy minima). However, because of long-range attractive depletion forces, reversible secondary flocculation of the particles occurs into a local potential energy minimum. As observed with uncharged macromolecules, the polyelectrolyte first induces flocculation at a critical flocculation concentration (v*), but later restabilizes the system at a critical restabilization concentration (v**). These critical concentrations are found to decrease with decreasing macromolecule size and increasing particle size. The restabilized solutions are found to remain suspended for periods greater than 20 days. Comparison of the measured flocculation and restabilization results to predictions made using a recently developed force-balance model show qualitative agreement.
The effects of cadmium and mercury on gemmule formation and gemmosclere morphology in Ephydatia fluviatilis (Porifera : Spongillidae)

A laboratory study of the effects of cadmium and mercury on the freshwater sponge, Ephydatia fluviatilis, was conducted. Sponge cuttings were exposed to concentrations of cadmium or mercury which ranged from 1.000 to 0.001 ppm for one month. The responses exhibited by the specimens resulted in four groups characterized as follows: sponge colony survived and produced gemmules with normal gemmoscleres; sponge colony survived and produced gemmules with malformed gemmoscleres; sponge colony survived but did not gemmulate; sponge colony died. A direct discriminant functions analysis of the four sponge groups, metal concentrations and other chemical data established a highly significant correlation between increasing metal concentrations and amount of damage to the sponge.
A surface swab method for culturing Foley catheters assays the pericatheter (urethral) but not the urine (luminal) microbial population

Assessment of the urethral flora in patients with indwelling bladder catheters is problematic in the presence of urinary tract infection (UTI). A new surface swab method that samples the external catheter surface without interference from contaminated luminal contents is described. In vitro, recovery of adherent bacteria from the external catheter surface by the surface swab method was proportional to the bacterial density as measured by a comparison scrape method. In a prospective longitudinal assessment of three chronically catheterized subjects with polymicrobial catheter-associated UTI, a conventional roll plate catheter culture method suggested substantial overlap between the urethral and urine microbial populations, possibly a result of contamination of catheter cultures by infected urine. In contrast, the surface swab method revealed little overlap between these floras, evidence suggesting a predominantly luminal (rather than meatal) route of UTI acquisition. The new surface swab method should prove useful in future studies of the pathogenesis and prevention of catheter-associated UTI.
An improved element-by-element semi-implicit scheme for dynamic problems

Abstract A new procedure is described for the element-by-element semi-implicit method of Hughes and coworkers which substantially reduces the number of computations. This procedure is described for a family of uniform gradient or strain elements which are widely used in nonlinear transient analysis. The diffusion equation and the equations of motion for both shells and continua are considered. Results are presented for several examples which show the potential of this method for improving the efficiency of a large-scale linear and nonlinear computations.
Caribbean offshore financial centers : past, present, and possibilities for the future

The paper reviews the development of offshore financial activities in the English-speaking Caribbean islands and takes stock of the size and status of these sectors today. In view of the heightened concerns of the international community about money laundering, the costs and risks to countries of having or establishing offshore sectors have risen considerably.
Guest Editors' Introduction: Ad Hoc and P2P Security

In this special issue, we present important topics for computer security in ad hoc and P2P areas that lead to future development and deployment of efficient and powerful networks.
Stable Solar-Driven Water Oxidation to O2(g) by Ni-Oxide-Coated Silicon Photoanodes.

Semiconductors with small band gaps (<2 eV) must be stabilized against corrosion or passivation in aqueous electrolytes before such materials can be used as photoelectrodes to directly produce fuels from sunlight. In addition, incorporation of electrocatalysts on the surface of photoelectrodes is required for efficient oxidation of H2O to O2(g) and reduction of H2O or H2O and CO2 to fuels. We report herein the stabilization of np+-Si(100) and n-Si(111) photoanodes for over 1200 h of continuous light-driven evolution of O2(g) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) by an earth-abundant, optically transparent, electrocatalytic, stable, conducting nickel oxide layer. Under simulated solar illumination and with optimized index-matching for proper antireflection, NiOx-coated np+-Si(100) photoanodes produced photocurrent-onset potentials of −180 ± 20 mV referenced to the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), photocurrent densities of 29 ± 1.8 mA cm–2 at the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), and a solar-to-O2(g) co...
Asymptotic optimality of experimental designs in estimating a product of means

In nonlinear estimation problems with linear models, one difficulty in obtaining optimal designs is their dependence on the true value of the unknown parameters. A Bayesian approach is adopted with the assumption the means are independent apriori and have conjuguate prior distributions. The problem of designing an experiment to estimate the product of the means of two normal populations is considered. The main results determine an asymptotic lower bound for the Bayes risk, and a necessary and sufficient condition for any sequential procedure to achieve the bound.
Failed drug policies in the United States and the future of AIDS: A perfect storm

How much could US policies have reduced the initial growth of the epidemic had we moved earlier to institute Harm Reduction drug policies such as needle exchange programs for injecting drug users? The US Centers for Disease Control estimates 50 000 HIV infections annually in the United States (156 per million population), but the more populous European Union estimates 5000 (less that 10 per cent of the US incidence) – a measure of the failure of US prevention policies for HIV. The earliest official responses to AIDS in the United States expressed official fear and condemnation of victims and denial of the magnitude and seriousness of the population risks in the epidemic's early stages. These failures with AIDS prefigure current US crises in general health policies and interfere with efforts to successfully inform public understanding of the meaning and value of scientific evidence about health have diminished public confidence in credibility and trustworthiness of professional and political leadership for US health polices.
Consumer Sentiment Toward Marketing in Austria and Some Exploratory Cross-National Comparisons

This paper focuses on the measurement of consumer sentiment toward marketing, which has been of interest to academic and commercial researchers for many years. The study’s overall purpose is to assess the transferability and meaning-fulness of Gaski and Etzel’s (1986) Index of Consumer Sentiment toward Marketing (ICSM) in another — the Austrian — marketing environment where there is a typically low marketing intensity. In a further step, Austrian findings are compared with data from the U.S. (Gaski and Etzel 1986), Hong Kong (Wee and Chan 1989) and Australia (Chan. Yau and Chan 1990) in an exploratory way. Reliability and validity tests on the measurement instrument confirm its transferability to another national context without losing quality. In substance. Austrian consumers tend to view retailing efforts more positively, whereas they perceive product quality and the general price level more negatively and are particularly ill-disposed toward advertising. International comparison evidenced that increased marketing intensity hampers perceptions of product quality and pricing policies. From an international marketing perspective, the instrument seems also suitable for measuring consumer sentiment toward marketing in different countries. Information of such type could be used to assess the marketing environment not only in a home market but also in certain markets abroad, and thus, could find application in international marketing decision-making like country selection, marketing budgeting and advertising planning.
Image based relighting using neural networks

We present a neural network regression method for relighting realworld scenes from a small number of images. The relighting in this work is formulated as the product of the scene's light transport matrix and new lighting vectors, with the light transport matrix reconstructed from the input images. Based on the observation that there should exist non-linear local coherence in the light transport matrix, our method approximates matrix segments using neural networks that model light transport as a non-linear function of light source position and pixel coordinates. Central to this approach is a proposed neural network design which incorporates various elements that facilitate modeling of light transport from a small image set. In contrast to most image based relighting techniques, this regression-based approach allows input images to be captured under arbitrary illumination conditions, including light sources moved freely by hand. We validate our method with light transport data of real scenes containing complex lighting effects, and demonstrate that fewer input images are required in comparison to related techniques.
Comparison of charge density distribution and electronic bonding in α-SiO2 and β-Si3N4

Abstract The electronic structures of α-SiO 2 and β-Si 3 N 4 are studied by the first-principles self-consistent orthogonalized LCAO method. The calculations were done with three different sets of basis functions ranging from minimal to full basis. The valence charge density distribution shows little variation with the basis functions but the gap value decreases as the basis is enlarged. The nonspherical charge distribution on the Si atoms is restricted to a smaller region (than N or O) with an ionic radius of about 0.4 A and there is no charge build-up along the Si—O or Si—N bonds, indicationg that electronic bonding is more ionic than covalent in both crystals. In β-Si 3 N 4 , the charge distribution appears to be confined to the Si 3 N 4 molecular unit as a whole.
Two-way play: early learners' experiences with bi-directional television

Microsoft Studios recently released Kinect Sesame Street TV, a new form of viewership for television that merges traditional means of watching episodes with game-like physical actions via the Xbox and Kinect. This paper presents an overview and early findings of an initial pilot study that took place during my research internship at Microsoft Research where I investigated how ideas of embodied cognition and comprehension could be leveraged to understand the experiences of young viewers, and explore the ways in which bidirectional television can facilitate new meaning-making. The data from this pilot study provides the corpus from which I ask additional research questions for my dissertation. The new questions qualitatively probe the ways participants demonstrated conceptual understanding, roles of co-viewing in embodied programming and knowledge performance, and issues in developing mediated assessments for early learners.
Animal model of methylphenidate's long-term memory-enhancing effects

Methylphenidate (MPH), introduced more than 60 years ago, accounts for two-thirds of current prescriptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although many studies have modeled MPH's effect on executive function, almost none have directly modeled its effect on long-term memory (LTM), even though improvement in LTM is a critical target of therapeutic intervention in ADHD. We examined the effects of a wide range of doses of MPH (0.01-10 mg/kg, i.p.) on Pavlovian fear learning, a leading model of memory. MPH's effects were then compared to those of atomoxetine (0.1-10 mg/kg, i.p.), bupropion (0.5-20 mg/kg, i.p.), and citalopram (0.01-10 mg/kg, i.p.). At low, clinically relevant doses, MPH enhanced fear memory; at high doses it impaired memory. MPH's memory-enhancing effects were not confounded by its effects on locomotion or anxiety. Further, MPH-induced memory enhancement seemed to require both dopamine and norepinephrine transporter inhibition. Finally, the addictive potential of MPH (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) was compared to those of two other psychostimulants, amphetamine (0.005 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg) and cocaine (0.15 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg), using a conditioned place preference and behavioral sensitization paradigm. We found that memory-enhancing effects of psychostimulants observed at low doses are readily dissociable from their reinforcing and locomotor activating effects at high doses. Together, our data suggest that fear conditioning will be an especially fruitful platform for modeling the effects of psychostimulants on LTM in drug development.
The Social Psychology of Family Shareholder Dynamics

Family shareholder dynamics can dramatically influence a family business, however, this has received little attention in the family business literature. To expand our understanding of family shareholder behavior, we have introduced several concepts from social psychology that help explain why family shareholders behave as they do: group cohesiveness, conformance, diffusion of responsibility, deindividuation, and social power. We have commented on the application of each theory for family companies and their consultants and have suggested directions for future research on this topic.
A Rational Biology

In this article, a new model for living systems is advanced. Organisms are described in terms of an electromagnetic vector field, Π derived from the distributed charge and current densities, ρ and J, within the system, with the electric polarization vector P playing a key role. Those biochemical processes traditionally thought of as the basis for living things become secondary to a more fundamental underlying electromagnetic description. This overarching approach is suggested by many observations during the past half century, showing a remarkable relationship between electrical properties of organisms and biological function. Further, it recently has been discovered that resonance applications of magnetic fields lead to changes in a wide variety of organisms, indicating that biological responses at the system level can be directly field mediated. This unusual systemic response is in sharp contrast to the often weakly system-connected interaction of microscopic processes, for example, enzyme activated path...
Selective binding of chicken progesterone receptor A subunit to a DNA fragment containing ovalbumin gene sequences.

Summary Progesterone receptor A protein, purified to near-homogeneity from laying hen oviducts, binds preferentially to a cloned fragment of the chicken ovalbumin gene containing a portion of transcribed gene sequences, including the transcriptional start site, as well as extensive sequences preceding the 5′ end of the ovalbumin gene. As revealed using a nitrocellulose filter adsorption assay to isolate receptor-DNA complexes, the non-specific interaction of receptor A with DNA is characterized by selective binding to the largest DNA fragments present in mixtures of bacterial plasmid DNA. In contrast, the smaller ovalbumin gene fragment is preferentially bound from a mixture containing a larger plasmid DNA fragment. Furthermore, selectivity for the ovalbumin gene fragment is retained even in the presence of a six-fold molar excess of nonradioactive cloned chicken DNA containing sequences from the analogous region of the adult chicken β-globin gene. Direct competition studies using mixtures of ovalbumin and globin 5′-DNA sequences show at least a ten-fold preference by receptor for the hormone-responsive ovalbumin gene.
The Two-Body Interaction in Nuclear Shell Model Calculations

I would like to start by emphasizing that the work I will discuss here is the result of a lengthy and close collaboration between Edith Halbert at Oak Ridge, Hobson Wildenthal at Michigan State, and myself. In recent years, we have been making an intensive study of the properties of low-lying bound states of light mass nuclei in terms of the conventional nuclear shell model. In particular, we have studied the structure of nuclei in the Op-shelly the Od-ls shelly and the Of-lp shell. The discussion here can be broken down into five sections. I will first describe what I mean by a conventional shell-model calculation, and indicate how the effective two-body interaction is introduced in the calculation. I will also discuss here the types of two-body interactions we have used in these calculations, which are typical of interactions used in most shell-model calculations. Second, I will illustrate the type of agreement with experimental data we have obtained for nuclei in the s-d shell for energy levels, strengths in single- nucleon-transfer reactions, and for electric-quadrupole and magnetic-dipole moments and transition rates. Third, I will discuss the sensitivity of these calculated results to the differences between the various interactions we have used. The material in these two sections represent a quick review of a recently published, detailed discussion of shell-model calculations of nuclei with A = l8–22. Unless otherwise noted, all references to experimental data will be found in that article. Fourth, I will discuss the renormalization of the effective two-body interaction which occurs when the model space is truncated to include only part of a complete oscillator shell.
Catalytic partial oxidation reactions and reactors

Abstract Catalytic partial oxidation processes involving alkanes have great promise for the fast, highly selective production of chemicals from readily available feedstocks. However, oxidation processes are so complex that they are always poorly understood, and because of safety concerns they are inevitably operated far from optimally. This paper describes the experimental characterization of two partial oxidation reactions, the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas (> 90% selectivities at > 90% conversion) and the oxidative dehydrogenation of higher alkanes to olefins (70% selectivity at > 80% conversion). It also describes experiments with two novel reactor geometries, ceramic coated monoliths and fluidized beds, which can achieve high conversions and selectivities in these processes at residence times between 10 −4 and 10 −1 s. Then the characteristics of these reactor types for these processes will be discussed and how reactors should be adapted to optimize selectivity and conversion in partial oxidation processes will be considered. These include high mass and heat transfer rates, narrow residence time distributions, and elimination of homogeneous processes which lead to multiple products, flames and explosions.
The impact of early design phase risk identification biases on space system project performance

Risk identification during the early design phases of complex systems is commonly implemented but often fails to result in the identification of events and circumstances that truly challenge project performance. Inefficiencies in cost and schedule estimation are usually held accountable for cost and schedule overruns, but the true root cause is often the realization of programmatic risks. A deeper understanding of frequent risk identification trends and biases pervasive during space system design and development is needed, for it would lead to improved execution of existing identification processes and methods.
Optismoothing: an optimization-driven approach to mesh smoothing

Abstract This paper presents a mesh smoothing technique that uses optimization principles to minimize a distortion metric throughout a mesh. A comparison is made with laplacian and isoparametric smoothing techniques.
Solar-to-Vehicle (S2V) Systems for Powering Commuters of the Future

Abstract Hybrid electric vehicles are growing in popularity and significance in our marketplace as gasoline prices continue to rise. Consumers are also increasingly aware of their carbon “footprint” and seek ways of lowering their carbon dioxide output. Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles appear to be the next wave in helping transition from a gasoline-based transportation infrastructure to an electric-grid-sourced mode, though most plug-in scenarios ultimately rely on having the electric utilities converted from fossil sources to renewable generation in the long run. At present, one of the key advantages of plug-in hybrid/electric vehicles is that they can be charged at home, at night, when lower off-peak rates could apply. The present analysis considers a further advancement: the impact of daytime recharging using solar arrays located at commuters’ work sites. This would convert large parking areas into solar recharge stations for commuters. The solar power would be large enough to supply many commuters’ needs. The implications for electric car design in relation to commuter range are discussed in detail.
Trends in prescribing for vulvovaginal candidiasis in the United States.

SUMMARY Purpose To describe trends in visits to office-based physicians in the United States by females 15–64 years of age for vulvovaginal candidiasis and related antifungal prescribing. Since January 1991, intravaginal antifungal medications have been available over-the-counter in the United States to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis. Methods Data from the 1985 through 2001 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (NAMCS) were examined. NAMCS is an annual national probability sample survey that collects data on the utilization of services provided by office-based physicians. Results The average annual visit rates for symptoms of vaginitis and a diagnosis of vulvovaginal candidiasis decreased by 55 and 72%, respectively. The intravaginal antifungal prescribing rate for vulvovaginal candidiasis declined by 41%. No trend was found for total antifungal prescribing; however, during the late 1990s, fluconazole was prescribed at approximately one-third of visits with a diagnosis of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Conclusion These data suggest an increased trend in self-diagnosis and use of over-the-counter intravaginal antifungal medications. The shift from prescribing intravaginal antifungal preparations to fluconazole raises concern about the possible development of azole drug resistance. Educational efforts are needed to counter potential misuse of these medications that may contribute to increased infection with innately azole resistant non-albicans Candida species and chronic infection. Published in 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Response to Intervention Screening and Progress-Monitoring Practices in 41 Local Schools

This study describes response to intervention (RTI) screening and progress-monitoring instruments and procedures in 41 local school settings. For screening the schools most often used published reading assessments or commercial products; a three-times-per-year screening schedule was most prevalent. For progress monitoring schools most often relied on published reading assessments; a weekly progress monitoring schedule was most prevalent. The variability between local school practices is discussed with regard to efficiency, equity, and viability of RTI.
How Male, Female, and Mixed-Gender Groups Regard Interaction and Leadership Differences in the Business Communication Course

Research on leadership and teams suggests that men and women exhibit different leadership and interpersonal communication styles. A review of literature and a survey of students in upper-level business communication courses at Central Mis souri State University provide evidence for five strategies to assist students in deal ing with team-interaction situations:1. Instruct students in techniques to avoid groupthink and to promote and handle competition2. Offer students ideas on and methods for reaching agreement in a timely manner3. Vary the subject of group writing assignments to allow each student to be per ceived as an expert4. Encourage all students to be active participants in the group process5. Emphasize the importance of good writing skills to both males and femalesFinally, further research is needed regarding the "natural leader" role, the role of competition in groups, and the effect of perceptions of tasks as either "feminine" or "masculine."
Dynamic control of deactivation gating by a soluble amino-terminal domain in HERG K(+) channels.

K+ channels encoded by the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) are distinguished from most other voltage-gated K+ channels by an unusually slow deactivation process that enables cardiac IKr, the corresponding current in ventricular cells, to contribute to the repolarization of the action potential. When the first 16 amino acids are deleted from the amino terminus of HERG, the deactivation rate is much faster (Wang, J., M.C. Trudeau, A.M. Zappia, and G.A. Robertson. 1998. J. Gen. Physiol. 112:637–647). In this study, we determined whether the first 16 amino acids comprise a functional domain capable of slowing deactivation. We also tested whether this “deactivation subdomain” slows deactivation directly by affecting channel open times or indirectly by a blocking mechanism. Using inside-out macropatches excised from Xenopus oocytes, we found that a peptide corresponding to the first 16 amino acids of HERG is sufficient to reconstitute slow deactivation to channels lacking the amino terminus. The peptide acts as a soluble domain in a rapid and readily reversible manner, reflecting a more dynamic regulation of deactivation than the slow modification observed in a previous study with a larger amino-terminal peptide fragment (Morais Cabral, J.H., A. Lee, S.L. Cohen, B.T. Chait, M. Li, and R. Mackinnon. 1998. Cell. 95:649–655). The slowing of deactivation by the peptide occurs in a dose-dependent manner, with a Hill coefficient that implies the cooperative action of at least three peptides per channel. Unlike internal TEA, which slows deactivation indirectly by blocking the channels, the peptide does not reduce current amplitude. Nor does the amino terminus interfere with the blocking effect of TEA, indicating that the amino terminus binding site is spatially distinct from the TEA binding site. Analysis of the single channel activity in cell-attached patches shows that the amino terminus significantly increases channel mean open time with no alteration of the mean closed time or the addition of nonconducting states expected from a pore block mechanism.We propose that the four amino-terminal deactivation subdomains of the tetrameric channel interact with binding sites uncovered by channel opening to specifically stabilize the open state and thus slow channel closing.
Using computers to deliver training: Which employees learn and why?

Compared to traditional instructor-led training, computer-delivered training typically offers learners more control over their instruction. In learner-controlled environments, learner choices regarding practice level, time on task, and attention are expected to be critical determinants of training effectiveness. To examine the effect of learner choices in computer-based training, a study was conducted with 78 employees taking an Intranet-delivered training course. Learner choices were assessed and predicted with goal orientation (mastery and performance) and learning self-efficacy, as well as age, education, and computer experience. Results indicate considerable variability among trainees in practice level and time on task, which both predict knowledge gain. Performance orientation interacted with learning self-efficacy to determine practice level, and mastery orientation had an unexpected negative effect. Implications for the use of computers to deliver training and for future research are discussed.
"If you got everything, it's good enough": Perspectives on successful aging in a Canadian Inuit community

Structured interviews with 38 Inuit in the community of Holman were conducted to examine Inuit definitions of successful and unsuccessful aging. Qualitative analysis of the interview data suggests that (1) contrary to much of the literature about culture change in the Canadian North, there appear to be no perceivable differences in the ways Inuit of different age cohorts view aging and elderhood; (2) a successful old age is not one necessarily characterized by individual good health, but rather by the ability of the individual to successfully manage declining health; and (3) for Inuit, the most important determinants of a successful elderhood are not material but ideological. That is, an individual's attitudes in late life, and in particular their willingness to transmit their accumulated wisdom and knowledge to their juniors, are the critical determinants of whether an elder is viewed as having a successful old age.
Diagnosis of Breast Cancer using Ductal Epithelial Impedance Spectroscopy

Bioimpedance approaches to breast cancer diagnosis generally use surface electrodes, which pass a signal through the breast to identify changes in impedance. We have developed a different technique that non-invasively passes an imperceptible electrical current through the nipple to the terminal ducts in the breast to identify changes in impedance due to hyperplasia and depolarization across the ductal epithelium where breast cancer develops. Electrical contact with ductal epithelium was established non-invasively, using a nipple electrode in 200 women scheduled for breast biopsy. Transepithelial potential (TEP) and transepithelial impedance were obtained over a frequency range (0.1 Hz - 60 kHz) and processed using a frequency response analyzer/sine-wave correlation technique. In patients with malignant (n=70) or proliferative lesions (n=58) the TEP was depolarized by 10 ± 2 mV (mean ± SEM, (p 10mm), (n=30), (p < 0.001).
Organization for Environmental Management---National and Transnational

Environmental quality is the new social priority. Like previous major shifts in public values, it calls for changes in economic functions and resource allocations, and it requires new institutions for decision making and action. Criteria are proposed for choosing optimal governmental units to manage the principal environmental variables. Major gaps exist. At the Federal level, the Environmental Protection Agency should be supplemented by a new policy-oriented Institute for Environmental Studies and by programs of public education. State governments need executive agencies with integrated control over all variables. Metropolitan and regional authorities should be created to control land use planning and development. Environmental variables transcending national boundaries are now only partly managed by means of international treaties. A new World Oceanic and Atmospheric Regime is proposed to supply flexible and integrated control. The quality of environmental decisions would be raised greatly if decision-makers had available a socioeconomic model system of the United States.
Fast extraction of spatially reduced image sequences from MPEG-2 compressed video

MPEG-2 video standards are targeted for high-quality video broadcast and distribution and are optimized for efficient storage and transmission. However, it is difficult to process MPEG-2 for video browsing and database applications without first decompressing the video. Yeo and Liu (1995) have proposed fast algorithms for the direct extraction of spatially reduced images from MPEG-1 video. Reduced images have been demonstrated to be effective for shot detection, shot browsing and editing, and temporal processing of video for video presentation and content annotation. In this paper, we develop new tools to handle the extra complexity in MPEG-2 video for extracting spatially reduced images. In particular, we propose new classes of discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain and DCT inverse motion compensation operations for handling the interlaced modes in the different frame types of MPEG-2, and we design new and efficient algorithms for generating spatially reduced images of an MPEG-2 video. The algorithms proposed in this paper are fundamental for efficient and effective processing of MPEG-2 video.
Bullying and Symptoms of Depression in Chilean Middle School Students

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to assess the association between bullying and symptoms of depression among middle school students in Chile. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of Chile's 2004 Global School-Based Health Survey. RESULTS: A total of 8131 middle school students participated in the study. Forty-seven percent of students reported having been bullied in the past month and 30% reported having been sad and hopeless for 2 or more weeks in the past year. Students in the seventh and eighth grades were more likely to report having been bullied in the past month than students in ninth grade. Ninth grade students reported higher levels of loneliness, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts than students in the seventh and eighth grades. Boys were more likely than girls to report being bullied in the past month, but girls were more likely than boys to report symptoms of depression, such as prolonged feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loneliness, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts. Students who reported being bullied in the past month were more likely than nonbullied students to report symptoms of depression. A higher number of days of being bullied in the past month was associated with a statistically significant increase in reported rates of sadness and hopelessness (p Language: en
Endoscopic cerebrospinal fluid repair

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea represents another application of endoscopic surgical techniques. On diagnosing and detecting the site of CSF rhinorrhea, endoscopic surgical repair represents an effective means of treatment without the morbidity of traditional intracranial and extracranial surgical approaches. We describe the current approach to the diagnosis, detection, and treatment of CSF rhinorrhea using the endoscopic techniques. Details about the perioperative and postoperative management are also discussed.
Geometry videos: a new representation for 3D animations

We present the "Geometry Video," a new data structure to encode animated meshes. Being able to encode animated meshes in a generic source-independent format allows people to share experiences. Changing the viewpoint allows more interaction than the fixed view supported by 2D video. Geometry videos are based on the "Geometry Image" mesh representation introduced by Gu et al. 4. Our novel data structure provides a way to treat an animated mesh as a video sequence (i.e., 3D image) and is well suited for network streaming. This representation also offers the possibility of applying and adapting existing mature video processing and compression techniques (such as MPEG encoding) to animated meshes. This paper describes an algorithm to generate geometry videos from animated meshes.The main insight of this paper, is that Geometry Videos re-sample and re-organize the geometry information, in such a way, that it becomes very compressible. They provide a unified and intuitive method for level-of-detail control, both in terms of mesh resolution (by scaling the two spatial dimensions) and of frame rate (by scaling the temporal dimension). Geometry Videos have a very uniform and regular structure. Their resource and computational requirements can be calculated exactly, hence making them also suitable for applications requiring level of service guarantees.
Avocado oil extraction with appropriate technology for developing countries

Some published procedures for extraction of oil from avocado fruit mesocarp tissue were compared and modified for the purpose of creating applicability in developing countries. Highest recoveries were obtained at a 5:1 water-to-avocado ratio, pH 5.5 and centrifugal force of 12,300 ×g. Addition of 5% CaCO3 or CaSO4 allowed extraction without organic solvents. The relationship was linear between heating temperature (75–98°C) and the time for oil release from slurries. Gravity settling for four days at 37°C followed by centrifugation improved oil yield. Optimal oil recoveries were 70–80%.
Biocontainment in Gain-of-Function Infectious Disease Research

The discussion of H5N1 influenza virus gain-of-function research has focused chiefly on its risk-to-benefit ratio. Another key component of risk is the level of containment employed. Work is more expensive and less efficient when pursued at biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) than at BSL-3 or at BSL-3 as modified for work with agricultural pathogens (BSL-3-Ag). However, here too a risk-to-benefit ratio analysis is applicable. BSL-4 procedures mandate daily inspection of facilities and equipment, monitoring of personnel for signs and symptoms of disease, and logs of dates and times that personnel, equipment, supplies, and samples enter and exit containment. These measures are not required at BSL-3 or BSL-3-Ag. Given the implications of inadvertent or deliberate release of high-threat pathogens with pandemic potential, it is imperative that the World Health Organization establish strict criteria for biocontainment that can be fairly applied in the developing world, as well as in more economically developed countries.
Optimizing Pre-formed Molecules in Mixtures of Ultracold 40K and 87Rb on an Optical Lattice: A Challenge Grant and Capabilities Application Project

This work is part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored project to build an optical lattice emulator, where models of strongly correlated electrons in condensed matter physics are simulated with ultracold atoms moving in an optical lattice. Recently, members of our team have been able to form dense clouds of dipolar fermionic molecules from mixtures of (fermionic) 40K and (bosonic) 87Rb. Here, we use high performance computing (HPC) resources to find a way to improve the efficiency of molecule formation from the current 20% to almost 100% and thereby show how to create a much denser cloud of dipolar molecules. Our code scales nearly linearly on up to 4,000 (or more) processors, and runs at an efficiency that is almost at 100% of the speed for one arithmetic operation per clock cycle. We have not been able to get the code to run with multiple operations per clock cycle in spite of using highly efficient and optimized libraries for BLAS and LAPACK.
Mirfentanil: pharmacological profile of a novel fentanyl derivative with opioid and nonopioid effects.

Mirfentanil [N-(2-pyrazinyl)-N-(1-phenethyl-4-piperidinyl)-2-furamide] was studied for its binding affinity in isolated neuronal membranes, and for its effects in vivo. In binding to opioid receptors in monkey brain membranes, mirfentanil was much more selective for mu sites (7.99 nM) than for either kappa (1428 nM) or delta (480 nM) sites as measured by displacement of [3H]DAMGO. [3H]U-69.593 or [3H]DPDPE, respectively. In morphine-treated pigeons discriminating among naltrexone, saline and morphine, mirfentanil failed to substitute for either training drug; in morphine-abstinent pigeons, mirfentanil reversed responding on the naltrexone key (i.e., reversed withdrawal). In morphine-treated monkeys discriminating between saline and naltrexone, mirfentanil substituted completely for naltrexone, and this effect was attenuated by an acute injection of morphine; mirfentanil also attenuated the withdrawal-reversing effects of alfentanil in morphine-abstinent monkeys. Administered i.v., mirfentanil maintained rates of self-administration responding only slightly below rates maintained by alfentanil, and this effect of mirfentanil was antagonized by quadazocine. Small doses of mirfentanil (0.032-0.32 mg/kg) antagonized the analgesic effects of alfentanil; larger doses of mirfentanil both antagonized the analgesic effects of alfentanil and produced analgesic effects when administered alone. The analgesic effects of mirfentanil were not attenuated by large doses of opioid antagonists. Mirfentanil had modest respiratory depressant effects that were not altered by quadazocine; however, mirfentanil antagonized the respiratory depressant effects of large doses of alfentanil. Both in vivo and in vitro, mirfentanil appears to have selectivity for opioid mu receptors. Moreover, at doses larger than those which exert opioid effects, mirfentanil has nonopioid analgesic effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
'Man-in-the-barrel' syndrome with bilateral 6th cranial nerve palsy.

A 39-year-old previously healthy man was admitted comatose (Hunt-Hess scale of 5) after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage. A digital subtraction angiography revealed a 13.6 ! 15 ! 19 mm, right vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm. The aneurysm was coiled during the procedure ( fig. 1 ). After regaining consciousness, his neurological exam revealed severe proximal weakness of the upper extremities associated with bilateral 6th cranial nerve palsy. An MRI of the brain showed aneurysmal compression of the mid-pons. There are reports of ‘man-in-the barrel’ syndrome secondary to osmotic demyelination [1] or ischemic strokes [2] of the pons, but not secondary to pontine compression ( fig. 2 ). Received: July 10, 2012 Accepted: July 22, 2012 Published online: October 23, 2012
Chaotic Amplification in the Relativistic Restricted Three-body Problem

The relativistic equations of motion for the restricted three-body problem are derived in the first post-Newtonian approximation. These equations are integrated numerically for seven different trajectories in the earth-moon orbital system. Four of the trajectories are determined to be chaotic and three are not chaotic. Each post-Newtonian trajectory is compared to its Newtonian counterpart. It is found that the difference between Newtonian and post-Newtonian trajectories for the restricted three-body problem is greater for chaotic trajectories than it is for trajectories that are not chaotic. Finally, the possibility of using this Chaotic Amplification Effect as a novel test of general relativity is discussed.
Microscale electrostatics in mitosis

Primitive cells had to divide using very few biological mechanisms. This work proposes physicochemical mechanisms, based upon microscale electrostatics, which explain and unify four basic events during mitosis: (1) assembly of the asters, (2) motion of the asters to poles, (3) poleward motion of chromosomes (anaphase A), and (4) cell elongation (anaphase B). In the cytoplasmic medium that exists in biological cells, electrostatic fields are subject to strong attenuation by ionic screening, and therefore decrease rapidly over a distance equal to several Debye lengths. However, the presence of microtubules within cells changes the situation completely. Microtubule dimer subunits are electric dipolar structures, and can act as intermediaries which extend the reach of the electrostatic interaction over cellular distances. Experimental studies have shown that intracellular pH rises to a peak at mitosis, and decreases through cytokinesis. This result, in conjunction with the electric dipole nature of microtubule subunits, is sufficient to explain the dynamics of the above motions, including their timing and sequencing. The physicochemical mechanisms utilized by primitive eukaryotic cells could provide important clues regarding our understanding of cell division in modern eukaryotic cells.