cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Presynaptic modulation of synaptic transmission by opioid receptor in rat subthalamic nucleus in vitro

Presynaptic modulation of synaptic transmission in rat subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons was investigated using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in brain slices. Evoked GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were reversibly reduced by methionine enkephalin (ME) with an IC(50) value of 1.1 +/- 0.3 microM. The action of ME was mimicked by the mu-selective agonist [D-Ala(2), N-Me-Phe(4), Gly(5)-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO), and was partially blocked by the mu-selective antagonists naloxonazine and D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH(2) (CTAP). Evoked GABA(A) IPSCs were also inhibited by the delta-selective agonist [D-Pen(2,5)]-enkephalin (DPDPE), but not by the kappa-selective agonist (+)-(5 alpha,7 alpha,8 beta)-N-methyl-N-[7-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-oxaspiro[4.5]dec-8-yl]-benzeneacetamide (U-69593) and the orphan receptor agonist orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ). DPDPE-induced inhibition was completely blocked by the delta-selective antagonist N,N-diallyl-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH (ICI 174,864). ME, DAMGO and DPDPE increased the paired-pulse ratio of IPSCs. Evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were reversibly reduced by ME with an IC(50) value of 0.35 +/- 0.14 microM. Inhibition by ME was associated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio of EPSCs. The action of ME was mimicked by DAMGO, and blocked by naloxonazine. DPDPE had little effect on evoked EPSCs. Neither U-69593 nor OFQ had any effect. ME significantly decreased the frequency of spontaneous miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs) without change in their amplitude. The action of ME was mimicked by DAMGO. DPDPE had no effect. The presynaptic voltage-dependent potassium conductance blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 100 microM) abolished the inhibitory effects of ME on evoked IPSCs and EPSCs. In contrast, 4-AP only partially blocked the actions of baclofen. These results suggest that opioids inhibit inhibitory synaptic transmission in the STN through the activation of presynaptic mu- and delta- receptors. In contrast, inhibition of excitatory synaptic inputs to the STN occurs through the activation of only mu-receptors. Both inhibitions may be mediated by blockade of voltage-dependent potassium conductance.
Remote sensing of soybean stress as an indicator of chemical concentration of biosolid amended surface soils

The accumulation of heavy metals in the biosolid amended soils and the risk of their uptake into different plant parts is a topic of great concern. This study examines the accumulation of several heavy metals and nutrients in soybeans grown on biosolid applied soils and the use of remote sensing to monitor the metal uptake and plant stress. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted with soybeans grown on soils applied with biosolids at varying rates. The plant growth was monitored using Landsat TM imagery and handheld spectroradiometer in field and greenhouse studies, respectively. Soil and plant samples were collected and then analyzed for several elemental concentrations. The chemical concentrations in soils and roots increased significantly with increase in applied biosolid concentrations. Copper (Cu) and Molybdenum (Mo) accumulated significantly in the shoots of the metal-treated plants. Our spectral and Landsat TM image analysis revealed that the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) can be used to distinguish the metal stressed plants. The NDVI showed significant negative correlation with increase in soil Cu concentrations followed by other elements. This study suggests the use of remote sensing to monitor soybean stress patterns and thus indirectly assess soil chemical characteristics.
Isolation of separate apical, lateral and basal plasma membrane from cells of an insect epithelium. A procedure based on tissue organization and ultrastructure

The tissue used in this study was the midgut of the tobacco hornworm larva, Manduca sexta. The midgut epithelium is a single layer of cells resting on a thin basal lamina and underlying discontinuous muscle layer. The epithelial cells are of two main types, goblet and columnar cells, joined together by the septate junctions characteristic of insect epithelia. From this tissue we were able to isolate four distinct plasma membrane fractions; the lateral membranes, the columnar cell apical membrane, the goblet cell apical membrane and a preparation of basal membranes from both cell types. The lateral membranes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation following gentle homogenization of the midgut hypotonic medium, which caused the cells to rupture at their apical and basal surfaces, releasing long segments of lateral membranes still joined by their septate junctions. For isolation of apical and basal membranes the tissue was disrupted by ultrasound, based on the light microscopic observation that carefully controlled ultrasound can be used to disrupt each cell in layers starting at the apical surface. The top layer contained the columnar cell apical membrane, which consists of microvilli forming a brush border covering the lumenal surface of the epithelium. The second layer contained the goblet cell apical membrane, which is invaginated to form a cavity occupying the apical half of the cell, and the third layer contained the basal membranes. As each layer was stripped off the epithelium it was collected and the plasma membrane purified by differential or density gradient centrifugation. For all four membrane fractions, the isolation procedure was designed to preserve the original structure of the membrane as far as possible. This allowed electron microscopy to be used to follow each step in the isolation procedure, and to identify the constituents of each subcellular preparation. Although developed specifically for M. sexta midgut, these techniques could readily be modified for use on other epithelia.
Noise Exposure Associated With Hearing Aid Use in Industry

Although noise may be innocuous in many vocational environments, there is a growing concern in industry that it can reach hazardous levels when amplified by hearing aids. This study examined the da...
Satellite tracking by H.F. direction finder

Abstract A method of satellite tracking using an H.F. direction finder is outlined and commented on. The results of tracking Sputniks I and II are given, along with an approximation of the size of error to be expected.
A preliminary simulation model for fine grinding in high speed hammer mills

Abstract High speed hammer mills break particles suspended in gas by high velocity impact against a hammer surface. Assuming that the action is comparable to a stream stagnating against a surface, it is shown that the net mill power can be calculated and it is predicted that the power varies approximately proportional to the hammer speed cubed. Literature data on the distribution of particle strength of tested particle sizes were generalized to enable the distribution to be measured for any size. Considering the mill section containing the hammers to be fully mixed, the algorithms are developed to predict the product size distribution under known hammer velocity and exit classification conditions. Particles that are too strong to break under the impact forces, as indexed by specific impact energy, will leave the mill unbroken as “hard” (strong) particles. However, applying the concepts of damage mechanics, the algorithms are modified to allow for weakening of hard material by repeated impacts. Examples show that the predicted change in product size distribution is very significant for a damage accumulation constant appropriate for limestone, and it is concluded that a correct prediction cannot be obtained without allowing for damage.
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry : deconvolution by an entropy-based algorithm

Summary The more demanding complication of the entropy processing of ES1 spectra is the presence of large, unresolved backgrounds on which many individual peaks are superimposed. In working with these spec- tra, we generally employ a combination of Fourier deconvolution and baseline subtraction. Such steps can be managed as a preftlter to the entropy deconvo- lution since the optimization (Fourier cutoff, exponen- tial factor) does not require knowledge of the entropy fit parameters. Figure 4 illustrates the application of these strategies to an ES1 mass spectrum of a gly- copeptide with two glycosolation sites. ties of the data. rates which are modeled as multiply charged Gauss- ian ion profiles. The other noise is shot noise corre- The computer spectra were generated by a numeri- cal simulation of a Poisson process in which a param- sponding to the finite ion counts. Of course, back- eter representing the expected number of counts for each mass value mi is defined. Independent scans are ground peaks or chemical “noise” are, from the obtained by sampling the Poisson distribution corre- sponding to this parameter [7]. In these simulations standpoint of the simulation, just additional real noise can arise in two ways. The ftrst is the relative fraction of counts that are real ions to counts that are peaks. representing background. From the standpoint of the simulation program they are distinguished only be- cause the background has a mass-independent arrival rate while the signal corresponds to mass-dependent This report has discussed a novel algorithm for ex- tracting parent masses from spectra containing multi- ply charged ions, a common feature of ESI. The algo- rithm works with raw data and does not require the
Comparative effects of various serotonin releasing agents in mice.

Abstract Five serotonin (5-HT) releasers, p -chlorophenylethylamine ( p -Cl-PEA), p -methoxyphenyl-ethylamine ( p -CH 3 O-PEA), 4-methyl-alpha-ethyl-meta-tyramine (H75/12), fenfluramine and p -chloro-amphetamine ( p -CA) were compared as to their effects on mouse brain 5-HT metabolism. All 5-HT releasers had similar ed 50 values (0.34–0.70 μM) for tritiated 5-HT ([ 3 H]5-HT) release from brain synaptosomes. With the exception of H75/12, they had similar potencies for the production of the ‘serotonin syndrome,’ which probably reflect their in vivo 5-HT releasing actions. H75/12 was also the only 5-HT releaser that did not elevate brain tryptophan concentration. p -CH 3 -PEA and H75/12 did not have any long-term effects on brain 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-H1AA), or tryptophan hydroxylase activity, in contrast to the reported neurotoxic effects of p -CA and fenfluramine. p -Cl-PEA and p -CH 3 O-PEA were the only 5-HT releasers that increased brain 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels. Despite the structural similarities of these five 5-HT releasers, we have found considerable differences in their actions on brain 5-HT metabolism.
Radar Contributions to Asteroid Astrometry and Dynamics

Almost every radar observation of asteroids has measured some characteristics of the distribution of echo power in time delay (range) and Doppler frequency (radial velocity). Such measurements, which are orthogonal to optical plane-of-sky angular astrometry, are also done in the well-known, “absolute” reference frame of the planetary ephemerides, often with fractional precision that is much finer than can be achieved with other kinds of groundbased observations; they therefore can dramatically refine orbits and ephemerides. This statement is most true for near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), which constitute the most prolifically observed radar targets and are likely to be observed in increasing abundance as instrumental capabilities improve and CCD-based, NEA search programs expand. Moreover, studies of closely approaching NEAs benefit tremendously from the inverse fourth-power dependence of echo strength on target distance. For these reasons, I devote the bulk of this paper to NEAs.
Polynomials with small Mahler measure

We describe several searches for polynomials with integer coefficients and small Mahler measure. We describe the algorithm used to test Mahler measures. We determine all polynomials with degree at most 24 and Mahler measure less than 1.3, test all reciprocal and antireciprocal polynomials with height 1 and degree at most 40, and check certain sparse polynomials with height 1 and degree as large as 181. We find a new limit point of Mahler measures near 1.309, four new Salem numbers less than 1.3, and many new polynomials with small Mahler measure. None has measure smaller than that of Lehmer's degree 10 polynomial.
A Beam-splitting Device for Use with Fiber-coupled Laser Light Sources for Photodynamic Therapy¶

A device that divides light into eight, four or two beams of equivalent power with only minor total power loss was designed, built and tested. The apparatus accepts light from a 200 microm diameter, 0.16 numerical aperture, silica-silica multimode optical fiber connected to one of several laser light sources for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. The incorporation of a variable iris diaphragm into the optical couplers allows the power of the beams to be independently set. Each of the beams can be coupled to a 400 or 600 microm diameter optical fiber to deliver the therapeutic light to the patient. This device is used in our institute for PDT of patients with either numerous small malignant tumors or single tumors with large surface area.
Adaptation and extinction of stimulus control in children from two socioeconomic levels

Sixty 4-year-old children from two socioeconomic levels were run in a three-phase experiment designed to investigate the effect of Phase 1 training upon the acquisition of stimulus control by two stimulus dimensions. Phase 1 consisted of three different training conditions; one stimulus dimension was correlated with reinforcement, and the second stimulus dimension was: (a) also correlated with reinforcement, (b) uncorrelated with reinforcement, or (c) held constant. In Phase 2, all subjects received reinforcement correlated with both dimensions. In Phase 3, the two dimensions were tested conjunctively, disjunctively, and separately. The results showed that stimulus control was more dependent upon Phase 1 training in children from the higher socioeconomic level and was more dependent upon a priori preferences in children from the lower socioeconomic level.
Profile: Agricultural Postsecondary Occupational Programs.

Agricultural postsecondary occupational programs have been a part of higher education for more than a century. The programs have gradually shifted from four‐year institutions to junior, community, and technical colleges. The extant literature related to curriculum, faculty, and students associated with these programs is scant. Consequently, a descriptive and nationally oriented survey was conducted to identify profile characteristics. Analysis revealed commonality among the various types of agricultural occupational programs. Further, several characteristics were identified that appeared to be consistent with other postsecondary occupational programs. Likewise, characteristics were identified that set the programs apart and made them unique. Perhaps the most startling finding was that these programs were begun and have operated without the benefit of an organized professional development system.
Initial experience with a nuclear medicine viewing workstation

Graphical User Interfaced (GUI) workstations are now available from commercial vendors. We recently installed a GUI workstation in our nuclear medicine reading room for exclusive use of staff and resident physicians. The system is built upon a Macintosh platform and has been available as a DELTAmanager from MedImage and more recently as an ICON V from Siemens Medical Systems. The workstation provides only display functions and connects to our existing nuclear medicine imaging system via ethernet. The system has some processing capabilities to create oblique, sagittal and coronal views from transverse tomographic views. Hard copy output is via a screen save device and a thermal color printer. The DELTAmanager replaced a MicroDELTA workstation which had both process and view functions. The mouse activated GUI has made remarkable changes to physicians'' use of the nuclear medicine viewing system. Training time to view and review studies has been reduced from hours to about 30-minutes. Generation of oblique views and display of brain and heart tomographic studies has been reduced from about 30-minutes of technician''s time to about 5-minutes of physician''s time. Overall operator functionality has been increased so that resident physicians with little prior computer experience can access all images on the image server and display pertinent patient images when consulting with other staff.
Origins and targets of commissural connections between the cochlear nuclei in guinea pigs

Our objective was to identify the origins and targets of axons that project from one cochlear nucleus to the other. First, retrograde tracers were injected into one cochlear nucleus to label commissural cells in the opposite nucleus. In the dorsal cochlear nucleus, a few cells in the deep layers were labeled; they were not further classified according to type. In the ventral cochlear nucleus, all commissural cells that could be classified were multipolar cells. Second, an anterograde tracer was injected into one cochlear nucleus, and the distribution of boutons in the opposite cochlear nucleus was examined. Labeled boutons were present throughout the ventral cochlear nucleus, where they appeared to contact multipolar cells, spherical and globular bushy cells, and octopus cells. In the dorsal cochlear nucleus, labeled boutons were present in the fusiform cell and deep layers and appeared to contact fusiform cells and cells of unknown type. Many labeled terminals were also present in the granule cell regions. Injections into regions associated with high or low frequencies labeled boutons in corresponding regions in the contralateral ventral cochlear nucleus. Third, multiple tracers were used to determine whether cells that project to the inferior colliculus are contacted by commissural axons. Boutons labeled by anterograde transport of one tracer placed in the cochlear nucleus were frequently observed to be apposed to cells that were labeled by retrograde transport of a different tracer placed in the contralateral inferior colliculus. We conclude that commissural projections originate from multipolar cells throughout the ventral cochlear nucleus (and from a small number of cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus) and make contact with all major cell types of the cochlear nuclei, including at least some of those that project to the inferior colliculus.
Genetic Ablation of PLA2G6 in Mice Leads to Cerebellar Atrophy Characterized by Purkinje Cell Loss and Glial Cell Activation

Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) is a progressive, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease characterized by axonal dystrophy, abnormal iron deposition and cerebellar atrophy. This disease was recently mapped to PLA2G6, which encodes group VI Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2 or iPLA2β). Here we show that genetic ablation of PLA2G6 in mice (iPLA2β-/-) leads to the development of cerebellar atrophy by the age of 13 months. Atrophied cerebella exhibited significant loss of Purkinje cells, as well as reactive astrogliosis, the activation of microglial cells, and the pronounced up-regulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Moreover, glial cell activation and the elevation in TNF-α and IL-1β expression occurred before apparent cerebellar atrophy. Our findings indicate that the absence of PLA2G6 causes neuroinflammation and Purkinje cell loss and ultimately leads to cerebellar atrophy. Our study suggests that iPLA2β-/- mice are a valuable model for cerebellar atrophy in INAD and that early anti-inflammatory therapy may help slow the progression of cerebellar atrophy in this deadly neurodegenerative disease.
Vanadium phosphorus oxide as an efficient catalyst for hydrocarbon oxidations using hydrogen peroxide

Calcined vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) prepared by an organic route is found to be an active and effective catalyst for the oxidation of various alkanes such as cyclopentane, cyclohexane, n-hexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, cyclodecane and adamantane in acetonitrile solvent using the environmentally benign oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, where the oxidation mechanism is believed to involve a reversible V4+/V5+ redox cycle.
Current views in HTLV-I-associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the relative percentage of malignant lymphoid proliferations varies widely according to geographical location and ethnic populations. HTLV-I is the etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and is also associated with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). However, a definite role of HTLV-I in mycosis fungoides (MF) and/or Sezary syndrome (SS) remains controversial. While most HTLV-I-infected individuals remain asymptomatic carriers, 1–5% will develop ATLL, an invariably fatal expansion of virus-infected CD4+ T cells. This low incidence and the long latency period preceding occurrence of the disease suggest that additional factors are involved in development of ATLL. In this review, diagnosis, clinical features, and molecular pathogenesis of HTLV-I are discussed. Am. J. Hematol. 78:232–239, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The effects of biological wound dressings on the healing process.

Abstract Three major biological dressings are available for the temporary closure of wounds: partial-thickness cadaveric human allograft skin, several forms of partial-thickness antibiotic-treated porcine xenograft skin, and human amnion. Generally, biological dressings reduce pain, close the wound to contamination and fluid loss, and prepare the wound bed for permanent closure, usually with autografts. The three types of biological dressings differ in their performance, with allograft skin being clearly superior in its wound maintenance and preparation characteristics, while porcine xenograft presents serious difficulties in incorporation into the wound bed and antigenic challenge to the recipient, and amnion is excessively fragile and tends to allow wound desiccation. The most serious potential liability of biological wound dressings is transmission of infection; however, the actual incidence of such transmission is extremely low. The advantages of physiological coverage provided by biological wound dressings greatly outweighs the chance for harm in the case of human allograft.
Islam and Qur'anic figures in Africa: Prophets, Sages and Disciples

This is but a humble attempt to frame a discussion on Islam, prophetic voices and geographical spaces in Africa as territorial canvasses for sketching out Islam's sacred history. This way of thinking or conceptualizing about Africa is not as fashionable among Muslim Qur'anic scholars as it is among black Biblical theologians. Yet, this is not to suggest that the approach of this study is grounded in the Afro-centered methodology. Such an approach has its own place and serves certain ideological and cultural functions especially within a given African American diasporic scholarship. Rather, the aim of this research is two-fold: first, to critique Afro-centric thought and, second, to probe and re-center or re-state Africa's position within Islam's civilizational and spiritual narrative.
Differential gene expression using mRNA isolated on plastic microfluidic chips

Here we demonstrate the ability to perform differential gene expression experiments using messenger RNA (mRNA) isolated from crude cell lysates using a plastic microfluidic solid phase extraction column. The microfluidic columns (100µm by 100µm by 1.5 cm) were fabricated in a cyclic polyolefin by hot-embossing with an electroformed master-mold. The solid-phase consisted of a photopolymerized microporous monolith embedded with functional microparticles and covalently attached to the channel walls via photoinitiated grafting. For mRNA isolation from total RNA and direct mRNA isolation from cell lysates, oligo(dT) beads were embedded in the monolith. The extraction efficiency of the system is approximately 80% and the nucleic acid binding capacity of the silica solid-phase in this configuration is approximately 3.5 ng. The micro solid-phase was applied for the extraction and purification of mRNA from human liver total RNA and the isolation of mRNA from neonatal human dermal fibroblast cells (NHDF) and MCF7 breast cancer cell lysates. Differential gene expression between the two cell lines is demonstrated.
A study of the N=2 Kazakov-Migdal model

Abstract We present a numerical study of the SU(2) Kazakov-Migdal model (‘induced QCD’). We show that the model has a line of first order phase transitions terminating in a critical point. The adjoint plaquette has a clear discontinuity across the phase transition, whereas the plaquette in the fundamental representation is always zero in accordance with Elitzur's theorem. The density of small Z 2 monopoles shows very little variation and is always large. We also find that the model has extra local U(1) symmetries which do not exist in the case of the standard adjoint theory. The relevance of these and other findings for the possibility of ‘inducing’ QCD is discussed.
Rotational - vibrational transition moments in excited states of spherical-top molecules.

Selection rules and electric-dipole transition moments between rotational substates in excited vibrational states of spherical-top molecules have been derived. The explicit dependence of these moments on rotational and vibrational quantum numbers has been calculated. These results, which are generally applicable, have been used to analyze the concept of a multiple-photon pathway in the nν3 “ladder” of SF6. It will be shown that some ladder schemes must have “rung gaps” in their sequence of proposed strongly allowed electric-dipole transitions.
An elongated position sensitive block detector design using the PMT quadrant sharing configuration and asymmetric light partition

Although the photomultiplier tube (PMT) quadrant-sharing design introduced by our group for position-sensitive detector blocks is very effective for reducing the cost of a high-resolution PET camera, a section of the PMT's sensitive windows at the edge of the block array remains unused. An elongated, asymmetrically offset position-sensitive detector block has been developed to utilize this unused area of the PMT's window. The block design employed asymmetric light partitions to achieve an evenly distributed 2D position-decoding map. The block was divided into 7/spl times/8 elements. For this study, the dimensions of each detector element were 2.66/spl times/3.05 mm, with a depth of 18 mm. This detector design is applicable to any camera using the PMT quadrant-sharing detector design, such as the variable-field prototype PET camera developed at the authors' institution and the Siemens/CTI LSO cameras. A second improvement incorporated into the detector design was the replacement of the saw-cut grooves in the detector blocks by painted masks. The application of the present block design to a clinical high-resolution camera expands the axial field-of-view, which, when combined with the gapless block design used in this study, increases the coincidence detection efficiency of the camera by factor of about 2.9 in 3D data acquisition.
Identifying Postpartum Depression: Are 3 Questions as Good as 10?

BACKGROUND. Postpartum depression is the most common medical problem that new mothers face. Anxiety is a more prominent feature of postpartum depression than of depression that occurs at other times in life. Routine, universal screening significantly improves detection in primary health care settings. Thus, an ultrabrief scale that could be incorporated into a general health survey or interview would be useful. OBJECTIVE. We tested the hypothesis that, during the first 6 postpartum months, the 3-item anxiety subscale of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale is a better ultrabrief depression screener than 2 Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale questions that are almost identical to the widely used Patient Health Questionnaire. METHODS. A cohort of 199 14- to 26-year-old participants in an adolescent-oriented maternity program completed the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale at well-child visits during the first 6 postpartum months. Three subscales of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale were examined as ultrabrief alternatives: the anxiety subscale (3 items; Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-3), the depressive symptoms subscale (7 items; Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-7), and 2 questions that resemble the Patient Health Questionnaire (Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-2). The reliability, stability, and construct validity of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and 3 subscales were compared. Criterion validity was assessed by comparison with a score of ≥10 on the full, 10-item Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. RESULTS. A total of 41 mothers (20.6%) met study criteria for referral for evaluation of depression (Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-10 score ≥ 10). The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-3 exhibited the best screening performance characteristics, with sensitivity at 95% and negative predictive value at 98%. It identified 16% more mothers as depressed than the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale did. The performance of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-2 was markedly inferior, with sensitivity at 48% to 80%. Moreover, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-2 was unreliable for mothers who had not been depressed in the past. CONCLUSION. The brevity, reliability, and operating characteristics of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale-3 make it an attractive postpartum depression screening tool for primary health care settings in which the goal is to detect depression, not to assess its severity. Validation by diagnostic psychiatric interview is needed.
Radiation Pneumonitis: Pulmonary Metabolic Response to Radiation in Lung Cancer Patients

days (range, 34-71 days). The removal of the tumor volume from analysis was possible using a threshold planning dose. The median of the mean standard uptake value in the lung that received 0-5 Gy was 0.51 (range, 0.35-1.15), 5-10 Gy was 0.77 (range, 0.40-1.36), 10-20 Gy was 0.80 (range, 0.40-1.69), and >20 Gy was 1.08 (range, 0.55-2.70). A hierarchical linear regression model of the radiation dose and normalized FDG uptake per case found an adequate fit with the linear model, and the addition of quadratic and logarithmic functions did not improve the fit. The 18 cases had a posterior mean of slopes range of 0.0011-0.064. The slope of this relationship varied over an order of magnitude, reflecting the range of the underlying pulmonary biological response to radiation among the study population. Matthew McCurdy1,2, Josue Martinez3, Rick Castillo4, Nicolas Zouain2, and Thomas Guerrero4 1Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Fargo and Grand Forks, ND 3Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 4The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Visualization of a developing vasculature

The events involved in vasculogenesis still remain obscure. One difficulty has been the techniques employed to visualize angioblasts, i.e., vascular precursors, during the genesis of blood vessels. The retina provides a unique model for studying these events since it is not completely vascularized in some mammals at birth. Using a previously published magnesium-dependent ATPase technique to visualize the developing retinal vasculature and its precursors, and embedding this tissue in JB-4 methacrylate for serial sectioning, has permitted examination of the retinal vasculogenic processes in dual perspective. The technique has permitted observation of the stages in angioblast differentiation and the apparent importance of glycosaminoglycan-rich cell-free spaces in this process. Perhaps the most important observation is that initial vessel formation occurs by coalescence of angioblasts after differentiation in situ.
CollabSeer: a search engine for collaboration discovery

Collaborative research has been increasingly popular and important in academic circles. However, there is no open platform available for scholars or scientists to effectively discover potential collaborators. This paper discusses CollabSeer, an open system to recommend potential research collaborators for scholars and scientists. CollabSeer discovers collaborators based on the structure of the coauthor network and a user's research interests. Currently, three different network structure analysis methods that use vertex similarity are supported in CollabSeer: Jaccard similarity, cosine similarity, and our relation strength similarity measure. Users can also request a recommendation by selecting a topic of interest. The topic of interest list is determined by CollabSeer's lexical analysis module, which analyzes the key phrases of previous publications. The CollabSeer system is highly modularized making it easy to add or replace the network analysis module or users' topic of interest analysis module. CollabSeer integrates the results of the two modules to recommend collaborators to users. Initial experimental results over a subset of the CiteSeerX database show that CollabSeer can efficiently discover prospective collaborators.
How Widowhood Shapes Adult Children’s Responses to Mothers’ Preferences for Care

Objectives. We examine whether recently widowed mothers who needed assistance for a chronic condition, serious illness, or injury were more likely to receive care from the children they preferred as caregivers than were mothers who were divorced or had been widowed for a longer period of time. Method. Data were analyzed from 130 widowed or divorced mothers aged 72–83 in the second wave of the WithinFamily Differences Study, all of whom reported needing assistance for a chronic condition or a serious illness or injury within 2 years prior to T2. Results. The findings provided evidence that recent widowhood shapes patterns of caregiving. Analyses revealed that mothers who had been widowed within 4 years were substantially more likely to receive care from adult children whom they had identified several years earlier as preferred caregivers than were mothers who were divorced or had been widowed 4 or more years. Discussion. Research has shown that mothers are at an increased risk for declining psychological well-being when caregiving preferences are not met. Findings from this study suggest that mothers who are divorced or have been widowed for several years may be at greater risk for violation of their caregiving preferences, increasing their vulnerability to declines in psychological well-being.
When True Scores Equal Zero: A Reply to Allen

When observed scores are randomly generated, they consist entirely of error. To define true scores as the expected value of observed scores in this instance, as Allen (this issue) did, is erroneous. Furthermore, it is possible to calculate a correlation coefficient without dividing by 0.
Explanatory style and college students with ADHD and LD.

Objective: This study uses the Attribution Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to measure the causal thinking of 42 college students with diagnosed language-based learning disabilities (LD), ADHD, or co-occurring ADHD and LD. Attribution style, or explanatory style, is a term used to describe the tendencies of individuals to think that the causes of meaningful events are internal or external, global or specific, and stable or unstable.Method: No significant differences in explanatory styles are found among the three subgroups. The study also investigates whether there is a relationship between explanatory style and grades.Results: Significant positive correlations are found between ASQ scores and grade point averages for the subgroup with co-occurring ADHD and LD and for the three subgroups combined.Conclusion: These findings are significant because they continue to clarify factors related to the postsecondary success of students with LD and attention deficit disorders.
The importance of product definitions in US e-cigarette laws and regulations

Background How electronic cigarettes and similar products (e-cigarettes) are defined affects how they are regulated, particularly whether existing laws for cigarettes apply, including sales and marketing, youth access, smoke-free and taxation laws. Methods We examined the text of 46 bills that define e-cigarettes enacted in 40 states and characterised how e-cigarettes and similar products were defined. Results States enact laws creating new product categories for e-cigarettes separate from the ‘tobacco product’ category (eg, ‘alternative nicotine product,’ ‘vapour product,’ ‘electronic nicotine device’), with four states explicitly excluding e-cigarettes from ‘tobacco products.’ Twenty-eight states do not include e-cigarettes in their definitions of ‘tobacco products’ or ‘smoking,’ eight include e-cigarettes as ‘tobacco products,’ three include e-cigarettes in ‘smoking.’ Sixteen states’ definitions of e-cigarettes require nicotine, and five states pre-empt more stringent local laws. Tobacco and e-cigarette industry representatives tried to shape laws that benefit their interests. Conclusions Definitions separating e-cigarettes from other tobacco products are common. Similar to past ‘Trojan horse’ policies, e-cigarette policies that initially appear to restrict sales (eg, limit youth access) may actually undermine regulation if they establish local pre-emption or create definitions that divide e-cigarettes from other tobacco products. Comparable issues are raised by the European Union Tobacco Products Directive and e-cigarette regulations in other countries. Policymakers should carefully draft legislation with definitions of e-cigarettes that broadly define the products, do not require nicotine or tobacco, do not pre-empt stronger regulations and explicitly include e-cigarettes in smoke-free and taxation laws.
Applying Cultural Competence to Perianesthesia Nursing

The paper stresses the importance of cultural competence in perianesthesia nursing, both in terms of caring for the patient and in dealing with the patient's family. Cultural variations in gender, decision-making, family, communication, and time orientation are presented. A distinction is made between generalizations (potentially useful) and stereotypes (potentially harmful). Several suggestions for specific ways to provide more culturally appropriate care are presented, and resources for further study are provided.
SURFACE CAMERA (SCAM) LIGHT FIELD RENDERING

In this article we present a new variant of the light field representation that supports improved image reconstruction by accommodating sparse correspondence information. This places our representation somewhere between a pure, two-plane parameterized, light field and a lumigraph representation, with its continuous geometric proxy. Our approach factors the rays of a light field into one of two separate classes. All rays consistent with a given correspondence are implicitly represented using a new auxiliary data structure, which we call a surface camera, or scam. The remaining rays of the light field are represented using a standard two-plane parameterized light field. We present an efficient rendering algorithm that combines ray samples from scams with those from the light field. The resulting image reconstructions are noticeably improved over that of a pure light field.
Hematology Issues in Critical Illness

1. Sepsis and Coagulation (Aaird) 2. Transfusion, TRALI, GF and Procrit (Boshkov) 3. rFVIIa: Emerging (off label) Indications (Thorborg) 4. TFPI and AT Trial Results (Opal) 5. Heparin, LMWH and HIT (Warkentin) 6. DVT Prophylaxis: Newer Anticoagulants (DeLoughery) 7. Hematological Crisis in ICU (Haire) 8. Coag Issues in ESLD (Kujovich) 9. Does DIC Lead to MSOF? (Vincent) 10. The Endothelium in Intensive Care (Cate and Amsterdam) 11. DIC: What's New (Levi and Amsterdam) 12. Anticoagulation in CV Crisis (Bleeding Postop Hearts, VAD) (Crowther) 13. Heparin, LMWH, and HIT (Warkentin)
Carbonyl sulfide-mediated prebiotic formation of peptides.

Almost all discussions of prebiotic chemistry assume that amino acids, nucleotides, and possibly other monomers were first formed on the Earth or brought to it in comets and meteorites, and then condensed nonenzymatically to form oligomeric products. However, attempts to demonstrate plausibly prebiotic polymerization reactions have met with limited success. We show that carbonyl sulfide (COS), a simple volcanic gas, brings about the formation of peptides from amino acids under mild conditions in aqueous solution. Depending on the reaction conditions and additives used, exposure of α-amino acids to COS generates peptides in yields of up to 80% in minutes to hours at room temperature.
Malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias associated with the use of encainide.

Abstract In patients treated with the antiarrhythmic drug, encainide, the agent appeared to cause or exacerbate malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias in 11 cases. The most common type of arrhythmia associated with encainide toxicity was polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) resulting in cardiac arrest. In contrast to drug-induced arrhythmias commonly encountered with quinidine and other type I antiarrhythmic drugs, encainide-induced rhythm was not associated with marked QT prolongation, was not necessarlly initiated by R-on-T premature ventricular beats, and usually did not self-terminate. Two patients could not be resuscitated from the rhythm, and several others required prolonged or multiple resuscitations. The risk of encainide-induced ventricular tachyarrhythmias was 11% in 90 patients receiving the drug for recurrent sustained VT and/or fibrillation (VF), 2.2% in 47 patients receiving the drug for chronic complex ventricular ectopic activity. Encainide-induced arrhythmias occurred 29.8 ± 11.3 hours (range 17 to 48 hours) after starting chronic oral maintenance doses or after dose increases, or 1 to 2 hours after single large doses. Patients experiencing this adverse effect could not be distinguished from those who did not on the basis of encainide dose, degree of QRS widening, or clinical status. We recommend that patients with history of sustained VT or VF have encainide therapy started only in a hospital setting with continuous ECG monitoring and capabilities for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Dose changes should not be made more frequently than every 48 hours, and patients should not be discharged from the hospital until they have been on a stable dose of encainide for a minimum of 48 hours.
High-level abstractions in wireless sensor networks: Status, taxonomy, challenges, and future directions

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have gained a lot of considerations in recent years and have significant impacts on different application areas. Wireless sensors have been successfully deployed in different computing environments to measure, gather and process the raw information in the sensing area to the observers. Sensor networks provide infinite opportunities, but at the same time pose rough challenges due to the sensors' characteristics and the operating conditions of these sensors. This paper provides an extensive study of the current state-of-art in programming wireless sensor network, presenting a classification of programming levels in the field and highlighting some likely programming challenges and research future directions.
The Complement System in Lupus Nephritis

The complement system is composed of a family of soluble and membrane-bound proteins that historically has been viewed as a key component of the innate immune system, with a primary role of providing a first-line defense against microorganisms. Although this role indeed is important, complement has many other physiological roles, including the following: (1) influencing appropriate immune responses, (2) disposing of waste in the circulation (immune complexes, cellular debris), and (3) contributing to damage of self-tissue through inflammatory pathways. These three roles are believed to be significant factors in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, particularly its renal manifestation (lupus nephritis), contributing both protective and damaging effects. In this review, we provide an overview of the human complement system and its functions, and discuss its intricate and seemingly contradictory roles in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis.
Evaluation of Numerical Predictions of Boundary Layer Structure during the Lake Michigan Ozone Study

Abstract The performance of two types of turbulence closures is compared in a 3D numerical investigation of an episode with poor air quality. The first is the Blackadar boundary layer scheme, which has a nonlocal closure for unstable conditions. The second is a 1.5-order scheme, known as Gayno–Seaman (GS), that predicts turbulent kinetic energy and is suitable for simulating foggy as well as dry conditions. In 3D mesoscale simulations of a 5-day air pollution episode over the Midwest, the GS turbulence scheme is found to be effective for reducing model errors in boundary layer depth and surface wind speeds, relative to the Blackadar nonlocal closure. In this case, wind direction and surface temperature simulations have comparable skill with both closures. The 1.5-order GS scheme also is shown to interact well with a four-dimensional data assimilation system that avoids assimilation of smooth analyses below 1500 m. Experiments that combined the 1.5-order boundary layer scheme and a multiscale data assimila...
An unobtrusive interaction interface for multiple co-located mobile devices

In this paper, we propose a practical interaction interface for a local set of devices to connect to each other without requiring a lot of effort from their users. We find that highly time-correlated Wi-Fi signal measures experience less variation in their received signal strength (RSS), which alleviates the impediment of the RSS-based solution. We also notice that each room observes significantly discrete signal signature even when they are adjacent to each other. We leverage these observations and rely on the RSS measure to detect and unobtrusively pair devices in the same space. To achieve our goal, we devise a new similarity metric for RSS comparison and propose a means of selecting the cluster threshold. We implement a prototype named Flock for Android devices. By relying on our client-server system architecture, mobile users can interface with others in a few seconds without having to search-and-select nearby devices.