cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are violent video game-aggression researchers biased?

Abstract Several recent commentaries have suggested possible researcher bias on the part of scientists conducting studies that find evidence of a causal link between violent video game play and aggression. The present article argues that patterns of authorship, publication, and research findings within the experimental violent video game-aggression literature are inconsistent with the researcher bias hypothesis. It is concluded that the claim of a causal link between violent video game play and aggression is a defensible interpretation of the current experimental and meta-analytic literatures.
High-field magnetic resonance imaging of the human temporal lobe

Background Emerging high-field diffusion weighted MR imaging protocols, along with tractography, can elucidate microstructural changes associated with brain disease at the sub-millimeter image resolution. Epilepsy and other neurological disorders are accompanied by structural changes in the hippocampal formation and associated regions; however, these changes can be subtle and on a much smaller scale than the spatial resolution commonly obtained by current clinical magnetic resonance (MR) protocols in vivo.
Immunological and molecular characterization of Go alpha-like proteins in the Drosophila central nervous system.

The α subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins are responsible for the coupling of receptors for a wide variety of stimuli to a number of intracellular effector systems. In the nervous system of vertebrates, high levels of a specific class of G protein (Goα) are expressed. The α subunit of Go serves as a substrate for modification by pertussis toxin (PTX). In this report, we demonstrate that the Drosophila heads contain high levels of a 40-kDa PTX substrate. Modification of this protein by PTX is modulated in a manner similar to that observed for vertebrate G proteins. The PTX substrate in Drosophila is also recognized specifically by antibodies raised against peptide sequences found specifically in vertebrate Goα. Vertebrate Goα probes were used to identify a Drosophila cDNA coding for a potential PTX substrate with high sequence identity (82%) to vertebrate Goα. An additional cDNA coding for a related Goα has also been isolated. The two cDNAs differ only in the 5′-untranslated and amino-terminal regions of the protein. This observation, in addition to Northern analysis, suggests that alternate splicing may generate a variety of Goα-like proteins in Drosophila. In situ hybridization of specific probes to tissue sections indicates that the mRNAs coding for Goα-like proteins in Drosophila are expressed primarily in neuronal cell bodies and, at lower levels, in the eyes.
Frequency of urinary catheter change and clinical urinary tract infection: Study in hospital-based, skilled nursing home

Abstract In a hospital-based Veterans Administration Nursing Home, patients with indwelling urinary catheters were divided randomly into two groups to evaluate the effect of frequency of catheter change on the development of clinical urinary tract infection. During the six-month study clinical urinary tract infections developed in 6 of 7 men in whom catheters were changed only for infection and/or obstruction and in 3 of 10 men in whom catheters were changed monthly as well as for infection and/or obstruction.
Loratadine Blockade of K+ Channels in Human Heart: Comparison with Terfenadine under Physiological Conditions

Recently, there has been considerable attention focused on drugs that prolong the QT interval of the electrocardiogram, with the H(1)-receptor antagonist class of drugs figuring prominently. Albeit rare, incidences of QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias, in particular torsade de pointes, have been reported with the antihistamines astemizole and terfenadine and more recently with loratadine. The most likely mechanism for these drug-related arrhythmias is blockage of one or more ion channels involved in cardiac repolarization. Several studies have demonstrated block of multiple cardiac K(+) channels by terfenadine, including I(to), I(sus), I(K1), and I(Kr) or human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG). In contrast to terfenadine, previous studies have shown the antihistamine loratadine to be virtually free of cardiac ion channel-blocking effects. This disparity in the lack of any significant cardiac ion channel-blocking effect and the existence of numerous adverse cardiac event reports for loratadine prompted the comparison of the human cardiac K(+) channel-blocking profile for loratadine and terfenadine under physiological conditions [37 degrees C, holding potential (V(hold)) = -75 mV] with the whole-cell patch-clamp method. Isolated human atrial myocytes were used to examine drug effects on I(to), I(sus), and I(K1), whereas HERG was studied in stably transfected HEK cells. In contrast to previous studies in nonhuman systems and/or under nonphysiological conditions, terfenadine (1 microM) had no effect on I(to), I(sus), or I(K1) at pacing rates up to 3 Hz. Similar results were found for 1 microM loratadine. However, both drugs potently blocked HERG current amplitude, with a mean IC(50) of 173 nM for loratadine and 204 nM for terfenadine (pacing rate, 0.1 Hz). Neither drug exhibited any significant use-dependent blockage of HERG (pacing rates = 0.1-3 Hz). These results point to a similarity in the human cardiac K(+) channel-blocking effects of loratadine and terfenadine and provide a possible mechanism for the arrhythmias associated with the use of either drug.
Macroscale lattice‐Boltzmann methods for low Peclet number solute and heat transport in heterogeneous porous media

[1] This paper introduces new methods for simulating subsurface solute and heat transport in heterogeneous media using large-scale lattice-Boltzmann models capable of representing both macroscopically averaged porous media and open channel flows. Previous examples of macroscopically averaged lattice-Boltzmann models for solute and heat transport are only applicable to homogeneous media. Here, we extend these models to properly account for heterogeneous pore-space distributions. For simplicity, in the majority of this paper we assume low Peclet number flows with an isotropic dispersion tensor. Nevertheless, this approach may also be extended to include anisotropic-dispersion by using multiple relaxation time lattice-Boltzmann methods. We describe two methods for introducing heterogeneity into macroscopically averaged lattice-Boltzmann models. The first model delivers the desired behavior by introducing an additional time-derivative term to the collision rule; the second model by separately weighting symmetric and anti-symmetric components of the fluid packet densities. Chapman-Enskog expansions are conducted on the governing equations of the two models, demonstrating that the correct constitutive behavior is obtained in both cases. In addition, methods for improving model stability at low porosities are also discussed: (1) an implicit formulation of the model; and (2) a local transformation that normalizes the lattice-Boltzmann model by the local porosity. The model performances are evaluated through comparisons of simulated results with analytical solutions for one- and two-dimensional flows, and by comparing model predictions to finite element simulations of advection isotropic-dispersion in heterogeneous porous media. We conclude by presenting an example application, demonstrating the ability of the new models to couple with simulations of reactive flow and changing flow geometry: a simulation of groundwater flow through a carbonate system.
Material dependence of bulk leakage current in CdZnTe detectors

The bulk leakage current in a semiconductor detector is an important parameter that affects the noise level and energy resolution of the detector. For detectors operating with ohmic contacts, the bulk leakage current is determined by the bulk resistivity of the semiconductor material. However, CdZnTe detectors typically utilize Schottky barrier type contacts, in which case the bulk leakage current is expected to depend on the contact behavior and not on the bulk resistivity of the material. We have studied the bulk leakage current and noise of CdZnTe detectors made from materials supplied by different manufacturers of CdZnTe crystals. The results indicate that there is a marked difference in bulk leakage currents among materials from different manufacturers and among different samples from the same manufacturer. In some cases, the bulk leakage current shows no correlation with the bulk resistivity of the materials. In other cases, the bulk leakage currents tend to be lower for lower resistivity materials, which is opposite from the commonly held expectation based upon ohmic contact device behavior. In this paper we present a summary of our electrical measurements on CdZnTe devices and present results indicating a possible relationship between leakage and bulk material properties, but the specific material properties and the mechanism responsible for the leakage current variation have yet to be determined.
Interventions to promote the evidence-based care of children with ADHD in primary-care settings

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly occurring behavioral disorder among children. Community-based physicians are often the primary providers of services for children with ADHD. A set of consensus guidelines has been published by the American Academy of Pediatrics that provides best-practice diagnostic procedures for primary-care physicians. These recommendations emphasize the importance of using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria as the basis for making an ADHD diagnosis and conducting systematic follow-up, including the collection of parent and teacher ratings scales to quantitatively assess response to treatment. Although these recommendations have been widely disseminated and their adoption actively promoted, guideline adherence, in general, is known to be poor. Two types of intervention models, ancillary service and office systems modification, have been proposed to promote adoption of evidence-based ADHD practice in primary-care settings. The present article reviews the efficacy of these intervention models, and discusses the cost and sustainability of each model as related to feasibility of intervention dissemination.
From users to customers

This article uses the language of marketing to provide a framework for thinking about users as customers. First we explore the nature of customers, and in particular identify the various stakeholder groups in a public sector context. Next we look at ways of segmenting customers into groups and targeting services to meet the needs of those groups. We explore the concept of relationship marketing and the associated ideas of loyalty, and reflect on aspects of customer relationship management. Finally, customer compatibility management offers a new perspective on the role of customers in contributing to the experience of other customers.
A middleware infrastructure for active spaces

The paper discusses the Gaia metaoperating system which extends the reach of traditional operating systems to manage ubiquitous computing habitats and living spaces as integrated programmable environments. Gaia exports services to query, access, and use existing resources and context, and provides a framework to develop user-centric, resource-aware, multidevice, context-sensitive, and mobile applications.
Numerical ranges of cube roots of the identity

Abstract The numerical range of a bounded linear operator T on a Hilbert space H is defined to be the subset W ( T ) = { 〈 Tv , v 〉 : v ∈ H , ∥ v ∥ = 1 } of the complex plane. For operators on a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, it is known that if W ( T ) is a circular disk then the center of the disk must be a multiple eigenvalue of T . In particular, if T has minimal polynomial z 3 - 1 , then W ( T ) cannot be a circular disk. In this paper we show that this is no longer the case when H is infinite dimensional. The collection of 3 × 3 matrices with three-fold symmetry about the origin are also classified.
Production of Stopped Pions and Muons from a Multi-Bev Proton Synchrotron

The use of a multi-BeV synchrotron as a high intensity source of stopped pions and muons is discussed. To produce stopped pions extraction of pions at a relatively low energy between 100 and 200 MeV is necessary due to pion absorption in the attenuator used to stop the pions. Although no experimental data appear to be available on the cross section for production of such low energy pions by multi-BeV protons, we can use experimental data on the production of higher energy pions together with an empirical formula for the pion energy spectrum to estimate that the production cross section for 200 MeV positive or negative pions by 30 BeV protons is about 50 ?b/sr/MeV/Be9 nucleus at a laboratory angle of 5°. Using such a cross section and considering other relevant factors we conclude that the proton linac accelerator meson factory operating at 500 MeV with 6×1015 protons/sec will produce about 100 times as many stopped pions or muons as could be obtained in practice from the Brookhaven National Laboratory Alternating Gradient Synchrotron operating with an increased intensity of 2×1013 protons/sec.
Effect of Calcium Treatment Temperature on Fresh-cut Cantaloupe Melon during Storage

The effect of calcium treatment temperature on cut cantaloupe fruit during storage was determined. Fruit dipped in calcium solution at 4 °C had lower respiration and moisture loss rates than treated fruit at ambient temperature. Calcium treatment lowered lipase activity at both temperatures, but the effect was more notable in fruit treated at the lower temperature where lipase activity was undetectable in the freshly processed fruit and after storage for 24 h. The ability of calcium to confer rigidity to the tissue components at low temperatures, possibly through improved covalent crosslinking, was indicated by viscosity measurements indicating higher values for pulverized cantaloupe melon with added calcium at 4 °C than fruit blended under similar conditions at ambient temperature.
Impacts of Dam Removal on Riverine Ice Regime

The impact of dam removal on the ice regime of northern rivers has largely been ignored in the recent push for removal of dams to restore or improve aquatic habitat. However, dam removal may have s...
Expression and phosphorylation of a MARCKS-like protein in gastric chief cells: Further evidence for modulation of pepsinogen secretion by interaction of Ca2+/calmodulin with protein kinase C

In gastric chief cells, agents that activate protein kinase C (PKC) stimulate pepsinogen secretion and phosphorylation of an acidic 72-kDa protein. The isoelectric point and molecular mass of this protein are similar to those for a common PKC substrate; the MARCKS (for Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate) protein. We examined expression and phosphorylation of the MARCKS-like protein in a nearly homogeneous suspension of chief cells from guinea pig stomach. Western blotting of fractions from chief cell lysates with a specific MARCKS antibody resulted in staining of a myristoylated 72-kDa protein (pp72), associated predominantly with the membrane fraction. Using permeabilized chief cells. we examined the effect of PKC activation (with the phorbol ester PMA), in the presence of basal (100 nM) or elevated cellular calcium (1 μM), on pepsinogen secretion and phosphorylation of the 72-kDa MARCKS-like protein. Secretion was increased 2.3-, 2.6-, and 4.5-fold by incubation with 100 nM PMA, 1 μM calcium, and PMA plus calcium, respectively. A PKC inhibitor (1 μM CGP 41 251) abolished PMA-induced secretion, but did not alter calcium-induced secretion. This indicates that calcium-induced secretion is independent of PKC activation. Chief cell proteins were labeled with 32P-orthophosphate and phosphorylation of pp72 was detected by autoradiography of 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gels. In the presence of basal calcium PMA (100 nM) caused a > two-fold increase in phosphorylation of pp72. Without PMA, calcium did not alter phosphorylation of pp72. However, 1 μM calcium caused an approx. 50% attenuation of PMA-induced phosphorylation of pp72. Experiments with a MARCKS “phosphorylation/calmodulin binding domain peptide” indicated that calcium/calmodulin inhibits phosphorylation of pp72 by binding to the phosphorylation/calmodulin binding domain and not by inhibiting PKC activity. These observations support the hypothesis that, in gastric chief cells, interplay between calcium/calmodulin binding and phosphorylation of a common domain on the 72-kDa MARCKS-like protein plays a role in modulating pepsinogen secretion. J. Cell. Biochem. 64:514–523. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Yuqui Connection: Another Look at Sirionó Deculturation

Allan Holmberg's ethnography of the Siriono Indians of eastern Bolivia depicts this group as one of the least complex human societies known. In recent years, anthropologists have argued that Siriono cultural poverty may be due to deculturation rather than to their failure to develop a more complex culture as the result of environmental stresses. Previous efforts to explore this hypothesis have been limited by the lack of additional data on the Siriono since Holmberg's early work. This study draws on new information derived from ethnohistorical sources and fieldwork among a recently pacified group known as the Yuqui. I demonstrate that the Yuqui and Siriono share the same cultural heritage and that, while the Siriono are now acculturated, the Yuqui only recently are undergoing this process. For this reason, the Yuqui case offers a parallel and current example from which new inferences can be made concerning the theory of Siriono deculturation. ALLYN MACLEAN STEARMAN is Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816.
Sarajevo Under Siege: Anthropology in Wartime

Sarajevo Under Siege: Anthropology in Wartime Ivana Macek UPenn Press, 2009, 272 pp., ISBN 9780812241266 (cloth), £36.00 Sarajevo Under Siege is an ethnography of everyday life in Sarajevo during a...
Digital Videoconferencing Applications Across the Disciplines

The purpose of this article is to describe the technologies and applications of digital videoconferencing (DVC) within the realm of communication sciences and disorders. The discussion includes (a)...
Antimatter: Out of the darkness

The ALPHA collaboration has provided the clearest evidence yet that antihydrogen is charge neutral. Attention now turns to research that could replace a universe dominated by dark matter and dark energy with one containing both matter and antimatter.
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM): a breakthrough in remote sensing of topography

Abstract The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), flown on the Space Shuttle Endeavour on Flight STS-99 and launched on 11 February 2000, will produce digital elevation data of the Earth's land mass between 60 degrees north latitude and 54 degrees south latitude. This data will be at least one order of magnitude more precise in the elevation resolution, and will have postings of 30 m, representing an order of magnitude increase in the density of the postings over currently available data.
Mean geocarposphere temperatures that induce preharvest aflatoxin contamination of peanuts under drought stress.

Apparently undamaged peanuts grown under environmental stress in the form of drought and heat become contaminated with Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin in the soil prior to harvest. The upper mean temperature limit for aflatoxin contamination in undamaged peanut kernels grown under drought stress the latter 4–6 weeks of the growing season was between 29.6–31.3°C. The lower limit was between 25.7–26.3°C. That is, peanuts grown under drought stress with a mean geocarposphere temperature of 29.6°C were highly contaminated while those at 31.3°C were not contaminated. Likewise, those grown under drought stress with a mean geocarposphere temperature of 25.7°C were not contaminated while those subjected to a mean geocarposphere temperature of 26.0°C resulted in some categories becoming contaminated. Increasing the mean temperature up to 29.6°C caused increasing amounts of contamination.
DISCRETE‐EVENT SIMULATION OF TROUSER MANUFACTURING

A discrete‐event simulation of a utility trouser manufacturing plant is described. The simulation model, written in the GPSS/PC language, was validated with operating data from a large plant with a nominal production capacity of 40,000 pairs of men's denim trousers per week. Specifically, the simulation results closely agreed with key plant operating figures, such as production rate, number of work stations, work‐in‐process inventory and residence time in production.
The C-shaped mandibular second molar: Incidence and other considerations

Although its most common configuration is two roots and three canals, the mandibular second molar may have many different combinations. Cooke and Cox were the first to describe a single-rooted mandibular second molar with a continuous slit connecting some or all of the canals. If sectioned horizontally through the main portion of the root, this slit had the shape of the letter "C." Other papers were written and lectures were presented on this and similar entities, but its frequency and significance have remained the object of speculation because large numbers of these teeth have not been categorized. By combining the efforts of an endodontic study club, 811 endodontically treated mandibular second molars were evaluated. Sixty-two of these (7.6%) were identified as C-shapes. Other aspects of this configuration were also investigated.
Lack of recovery from disturbance in high-arctic boulder communities

High-arctic boulder communities that are impacted by anthropogenic and natural influences can result in the removal or scouring of sessile organisms leaving either open space or damaged organisms. This project asks how sessile communities recover after disturbances by determining (1) timing of recolonization, (2) grazer effects on recolonization, and (3) vegetative regrowth rates for encrusting sponges and corallines. Cleared boulders were monitored over 7 years to determine recolonization timing and grazer impacts. Vegetative regrowth rates were determined by monitoring partial clearings for 4 years. This study found that recolonization was slow with less than 10 % of the boulder surfaces being colonized after 7 years. Recolonization was so slow that it was difficult to ascertain grazer impacts, although it appeared there were no impacts. Lastly, this study showed that vegetative regrowth of sponges and encrusting coralline algae was fast. Sponges averaged 100 % regrowth after 2 years and corallines averaged 40 % after 4 years. Coralline regrowth was slower when exposed to higher sedimentation. This study showed that community recovery from disturbances is very slow in the Beaufort Sea, especially if entire organisms are removed. However, if removal is partial, recovery can be quicker, particularly in low sediment areas. Complete community recovery in this system after a disturbance may take a decade or more.
Moist Dynamical Linkage between the Equatorial Indian Ocean and the South Asian Monsoon Trough

Abstract During boreal summer, both the monsoon trough and the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) receive intense climatological precipitation. At various time scales, EIO sea surface temperature (SST) and/or precipitation variations interact with rainfall along the trough. For instance, during July–August in strong Indian Ocean dipole/zonal mode (IODZM) years, EIO experiences below-normal rainfall while regions along the monsoon trough receive above-normal rainfall. A lack of spatial coherency between SST and precipitation variations is noted in both regions. This paper posits the hypothesis that interaction between equatorial waves and moist physics is important in determining precipitation anomalies over these regions and in setting up the teleconnection. The hypothesis is tested using a linear baroclinic model (LBM). IODZM-related SST anomalies derived from multicentury integrations of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory coupled model (GFDL CM2.1) are used to force the LBM. Consistent with observatio...
Beyond the Spearman–Brown: A structural approach to maximal reliability.

The requirement of parallel parts has long been the cornerstone of classic reliability theory. By recasting reliability in a structural equation framework, items, raters, or judges no longer need to be treated as equivalent entities. Instead, unique reliability estimates can be determined for each and collectively used to assess the maximal reliability of a weighted composite, with the composite reliability submitted to inferential test. Procedures are shown to generalize from single to multifactor applications. Ramifications of a structural approach to reliability determination are probed, and the dilemma posed by possible falsification of the true score hypothesis presented for individual researcher consideration.
Explosive Propositions: Artists React to the Atomic Age

Argument“How should a modern artist react to the atomic age?” Time magazine posed this question in 1952 to open a review of an exhibition of paintings inspired by the “explosion of the atomic bomb” and by the “discovery of nuclear energy.” The energetic paintings of the Italian Spatial Movement were, according to Time, “almost as explosive as the bomb itself.” “Explosiveness” was a defining feature of much 1950s art, whose main impulse, gestural abstraction, has previously been understood as the urgent expression of the artist's subjectivity. This paper argues that explosiveness in art can also be seen as an “expression” of the realities of the nuclear era. Postwar artists were ambivalent about the explosive forces, both liberating and devastating, that lay within the atom. Toward the end of the 1950s, no longer content merely to represent atomic disintegration, some artists went so far as to propose the outright self-destruction of the work of art as the only fitting means of expression in the atomic age.One must – and this is not an exaggeration – keep in mind that we are living in the atomic age, where everything material and physical could disappear from one day to another, to be replaced by nothing but the ultimate abstraction imaginable.– Yves Klein 1958 (Klein 1973, 10)
Morphometric Age and Surgical Risk

Background A cornerstone of a surgeon's clinical assessment of suitability for major surgery is best described as the "eyeball test." Preoperative imaging may provide objective measures of this subjective assessment by calculating a patient's morphometric age. Our hypothesis is that morphometric age is a surgical risk factor distinct from chronologic age and comorbidity and correlates with surgical mortality and length of stay. Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study within a large academic medical center. Using novel analytic morphomic techniques on preoperative CT scans, a morphometric age was assigned to a random sample of patients having inpatient general and vascular abdominal surgery from 2006 to 2011. The primary outcomes for this study were postoperative mortality (1-year) and length of stay (LOS). Results The study cohort (n = 1,370) was stratified into tertiles based on morphometric age. The postoperative risk of mortality was significantly higher in the morphometric old age group when compared with the morphometric middle age group (odds ratio 2.42, 95% CI 1.52 to 3.84, p Conclusions Preoperative imaging can be used to assign a morphometric age to patients, which accurately predicts mortality and length of stay.
Does cauliflower mosaic virus replicate by reverse transcription

Abstract Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) has an encapsidated genome of double-stranded DNA which exhibits several unusual features. These and other observations have led us to propose a model for CaMV replication which includes a reverse transcription step.
Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to predict IgG tissue kinetics in wild-type and FcRn-knockout mice.

Although it is known that FcRn, the neonatal Fc-receptor, functions to protect immune gamma globulin (IgG) from elimination, the influence of FcRn on the tissue distribution of IgG has not been quantified. In the present work, a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model has been developed to characterize and predict IgG disposition in plasma and in tissues. The model includes nine major compartments, connected in an anatomical manner, to represent tissues known to play a significant role in IgG disposition. Each tissue compartment was subdivided into vascular, endosomal and interstitial spaces. IgG transport between the blood and interstitial compartments may proceed by convection through paracellular pores in the vascular endothelium, or via FcRn-mediated transcytosis across vascular endosomal cells. The model was utilized to characterize plasma concentration-time data for 7E3, a monoclonal antiplatelet IgG1 antibody, in control and FcRn-knockout (KO) mice. These data showed that high dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), 1g/kg, increased 7E3 clearance in control mice from 5.2 ± 0.3 to 14.4 ± 1.4 ml/d/kg; however, IVIG failed to increase the clearance of 7E3 in KO mice (72.5 ± 4.0 vs. 61.0 ± 3.6 ml/d/kg). Based on model fitting to the 7E3 plasma concentration data, simulations were conducted to predict tissue concentrations of IgG in control and in KO mice, and the predictions were then tested by assessing 7E3 tissue distribution in KO mice and control mice. 7E3 was radiolabeled with Iodine-125 using chloramine T method, and 125I-7E3 IgG was administered at a dose of 8 mg/kg to control and KO mice. At various time points, sub-groups of 3 mice were sacrificed, blood and tissue samples were collected, and radioactivity assessed by gamma counting. PBPK model performance was assessed by comparing model predictions with the observed data. The model accurately predicted 7E3 tissue concentrations, with mean predicted vs. observed AUC ratios of 1.04 ± 0.2 and 0.86 ± 0.3 in control and FcRn-KO mice. The PBPK model, which incorporates the influence of FcRn on IgG clearance and disposition, was found to provide accurate predictions of IgG tissue kinetics in control and FcRn-knockout mice.
Individual Differences, Situational Constraints, and Police Shooting Incidents

Differences in the personal nature of police officers as well as differences among the situational constraints due to assignments are considered in an examination of the occurrences of police involvement in shooting incidents. The Poisson and negative binomial models used in accident research are considered for representing the occurrence of shooting incidents. Data were gathered from incidents in a large metropolitan police department over a 34-month period and used to test the two models. Various analyses indicate a good Poisson fit. Implications of the data are discussed.
Probing the mechanism of CRP activation by site-directed mutagenesis: the role of serine 128 in the allosteric pathway of cAMP receptor protein activation.

Abstract Upon activation by cAMP, Escherichia coli cAMP receptor protein (CRP) controls the expression of a network of catabolite sensitive genes. The activation of CRP by cAMP involves conformational changes such as realignments between subunits and domains within the protein. To understand the molecular events that lead to the activation of CRP, point mutations at position 128 were introduced via site-directed mutagenesis in an attempt to specifically affect the subunit interfacial interactions, as well as the ligand-binding reaction. The biochemical and biophysical properties of these mutants were rigorously tested with the goal of identifying the partial reactions in the activation pathway that are perturbed by this specific mutation. Results from this study suggest that mutation of Ser 128 to Ala or Pro does not significantly disturb the overall secondary structure as monitored by circular dichroism. The energetics of subunit-subunit interaction and protein stability were monitored by sedimentation and spectroscopic techniques. Although these mutants were designed to interrupt intersubunit interactions, the energetics of subunit association and protein stability remain quantitatively the same as those of the wild-type CRP. Nevertheless, the ability of the subunit to be realigned to the DNA-binding form is significantly affected as reflected by the pronounced decrease in the susceptibility of mutant CRP to proteolytic digestion in the presence of cAMP. In addition, the binding affinity of cAMP to the first ligand site in mutants S128A and S128P is the same as that of the wild type, but the affinity to the second ligand site is reduced. This observation indicates that mutation at position 128 affects ligand binding by amplifying the magnitude of negative cooperativity. Mutation at residue 128 does not impair the ability of interdomain interactions as indicated by the quantitative response of a spectroscopic probe in the DNA-binding domain to the binding of cAMP to the ligand-binding domain. The S128A mutant binds to a specific DNA sequence about 50-fold weaker than the wild-type CRP, while the mutant S128P has no measurable DNA affinity under the same conditions. This observation is consistent with the in vivo result that both mutants display an inactive CRP phenotype (CRP-). In summary, these results suggest that communication between domains induced by cAMP binding can be dissociated from the proper subunit realignment of the CRP dimer that is crucial for the activation of CRP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Color is not a metric space implications for pattern recognition, machine learning, and computer vision

Using a metric feature space for pattern recognition, data mining, and machine learning greatly simplifies the mathematics because distances are preserved under rotation and translation in feature space. A metric space also provides a “ruler”, or absolute measure of how different two feature vectors are. In the computer vision community color can easily be miss-treated as a metric distance. This paper serves as an introduction to why using a non-metric space is a challenge, and provides details of why color is not a valid Euclidean distance metric.
A mathematical model of biocontrol of invasive aquatic weeds

In this paper we modify the classical Lotka‐Volterra differential equations to analyze competition between two aquatic plant species, a submersed plant and a free-floating plant. We formulate and analyze a system of three differential equations that control the dynamics of the free-floating plant biomass and both aboveground and belowground biomass for the submersed plant. We investigate our model to understand how plant competition is affected by grass carp herbivory on the submersed plant’s aboveground biomass. We analyze both a reduced model, for which the submersed plant is assumed to have constant belowground biomass, and the full model. In each case, we compute stability of equilibria and derive a minimal grass carp stocking rate such that the free-floating plant may dominate the submersed plant. For the reduced model we show that the rate at which grass carp are stocked may exhibit a hysteresis effect.
Design of optimal collimation for dedicated molecular breast imaging systems

Molecular breast imaging (MBI) is a functional imaging technique that uses specialized small field-of-view gamma cameras to detect the preferential uptake of a radiotracer in breast lesions. MBI has potential to be a useful adjunct method to screening mammography for the detection of occult breast cancer. However, a current limitation of MBI is the high radiation dose (a factor of 7-10 times that of screening mammography) associated with current technology. The purpose of this study was to optimize the gamma camera collimation with the aim of improving sensitivity while retaining adequate resolution for the detection of sub-10-mm lesions. Square-hole collimators with holes matched to the pixilated cadmium zinc telluride detector elements of the MBI system were designed. Data from MBI patient studies and parameters of existing dual-head MBI systems were used to guide the range of desired collimator resolutions, source-to-collimator distances, pixel sizes, and collimator materials that were examined. General equations describing collimator performance for a conventional gamma camera were used in the design process along with several important adjustments to account for the specialized imaging geometry of the MBI system. Both theoretical calculations and a Monte Carlo model were used to measure the geometric efficiency (or sensitivity) and resolution of each designed collimator. Results showed that through optimal collimation, collimator sensitivity could be improved by factors of 1.5-3.2, while maintaining a collimator resolution of either < or =5 or < or = 7.5 mm at a distance of 3 cm from the collimator face. These gains in collimator sensitivity permit an inversely proportional drop in the required dose to perform
Prognostic significance of arrhythmia inducibility or noninducibility at initial electrophysiologic study in survivors of cardiac arrest

Abstract The value of arrhythmia inducibility or noninducibility at initial electrophysiologic study to predict the likelihood of arrhythmia recurrence was assessed in 150 consecutive survivors of cardiac arrest. Ventricular tachycardia (≥ 6 beats) or ventricular fibrillation was induced in 113 patients (75%); ventricular arrhythmia could not be induced in 37 patients (25%). During follow-up of a mean of 16 months (range 1 to 72), there were 65 arrhythmia recurrences, 34 of them fatal, in 58 patients. Multivariate regression analysis showed that inducibility at initial study of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation was an independent predictor of total arrhythmia recurrence (p
Crystalline structure and physical properties of ship superstructure spray ice

In February and March 1990 the US Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) made measurements of superstructure ice on a US Coast Guard cutter in the Bering Sea. Twenty–three ice samples were removed from bulkheads, decks and icicles during two icing events. Ice crystal measurements included crystal size, shape, orientation, brine–pocket location, size and shape, internal layering, and air–bubble sizes. Ice property measurements included salinity, density and temperature, with computed estimates of air and brine volume. This paper describes crystal and physical properties of the accreted ice and their relationship to ice sample position on the ship. Texturally, accreted ice resembled frazil ice that forms from the consolidation of freely nucleated ice crystals in sea water. This resemblance is also reflected in bulk salinities, ranging from 24‰ to 7‰, compared with frazil formed during the initial stages of freezing of sea water, where bulk salinities can exceed 10‰. Crystalline structures of accreted ice ranged from rounded to polygonal. Generally, rounded crystals would be expected for ice formed from sea–spray droplets, polygonal crystals may be attributed to thermally driven modification. No trend towards reorientation of crystallographic c–axes in either freshly accreted or thermally modified ice was observed. Mean crystal sizes ranged from 0.56 mm to 1.15 mm, with even larger crystals in icicles. Ice salinity averaged ca .12‰ on bulkheads and ca .21‰ on decks. Ice densities ranged from 0.69 to 0.92 Mg m −3 and were generally higher on decks. Bulkhead ice had larger computed total porosity and air volume and lower brine volume than deck ice. Samples taken from decks and bulkheads generally compared well with Russian and Japanese measurements.
What can mitochondrial heterogeneity tell us about mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy

A growing body of evidence shows that mitochondria are heterogeneous in terms of structure and function. Increased heterogeneity has been demonstrated in a number of disease models including ischemia-reperfusion and nutrient-induced beta cell dysfunction and diabetes. Subcellular location and proximity to other organelles, as well as uneven distribution of respiratory components have been considered as the main contributors to the basal level of heterogeneity. Recent studies point to mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy as major regulators of mitochondrial heterogeneity. While mitochondrial fusion mixes the content of the mitochondrial network, fission dissects the mitochondrial network and generates depolarized segments. These depolarized mitochondria are segregated from the networking population, forming a pre-autophagic pool contributing to heterogeneity. The capacity of a network to yield a depolarized daughter mitochondrion by a fission event is fundamental to the generation of heterogeneity. Several studies and data presented here provide a potential explanation, suggesting that protein and membranous structures are unevenly distributed within the individual mitochondrion and that inner membrane components do not mix during a fusion event to the same extent as the matrix components do. In conclusion, mitochondrial subcellular heterogeneity is a reflection of the mitochondrial lifecycle that involves frequent fusion events in which components may be unevenly mixed and followed by fission events generating disparate daughter mitochondria, some of which may fuse again, others will remain solitary and join a pre-autophagic pool.
The effect of gonadal and thyroidal hormones on the regulation of food intake and adiposity, and on various endocrine glands, in the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Abstract The effects of testosterone propionate (TP), clomiphene citrate (CC), thyroxine (T4, and propilthiouracil (PTU) on food and water intake, adiposity, and various endocrine glands of male red-winged blackbird were studied. TP induced hyperphagia with obesity, increased prolactin cell population in the pituitary, and supressed the gonadotropic activity. CC had the opposite effects to TP. T4 induced hyperphagia without obesity, increased somatotrops population in the adenohypophysis, but suppressed thyrotropic and gonadotropic activities. PTU reduced food intake without affecting adiposity and enhanced throtropic activity while supressed the gonadotropic one. All treatments induced enlargement of the adrenal cortex. The relationships among the various effects are discussed.
Gender and Scholarly Productivity: 1970–2000

Research on scholarly productivity in science has generally found that female scientists publish less than male scientists. The present study is based on a study of productivity in sociology. It is assumed that unlike many sciences with a small proportion of women, women sociologists have developed more extensive research networks. This may result in little, if any, difference in the productivity between the genders. Data refer to a random sample of 110 sociology Ph.D.s who graduated in 1976. Publications refer to articles and chapters produced between 1970 through 2000. Controls variables include location of employment, prestige of the doctoral granting institution of the Ph.D., pre-Ph.D. publications, and ethnicity. The results of a multiple regression analysis determined that gender was not predictive of the number of articles and chapters produced. The results suggest that in disciplines like sociology with a high proportion of women the traditional gendered barriers to scholarly productivity may weaken or even be absent
Respiratory responses to chemical pulses in the cerebrospinal fluid of cats

Abstract 1. In cats anaesthetized with pentobarbitone, the fluid spaces in and around the brain stem were perfused from the third ventricle to the foramen magnum with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (c.s.f.) flowing usually at the rate of 5 ml/minute. Test solutions were substituted for the artificial c.s.f. without switching artifact for periods varying from 5 to 60 seconds. Observations were made on respiratory excursions, end-expiratory% CO2 and arterial blood pressure. 2. Perfusion with sucrose solution equiosmolar with the c.s.f. produced no respiratory or cardiovascular response. Replacement of sodium with potassium (60 to 133 mM) resulted in a prompt but mild respiratory stimulation and a delayed fall in blood pressure associated with a slowing of the heart beat. Replacement of sodium with magnesium (40 to 131 mM) resulted in a late prolonged apneustic depression of breathing and in an early but slight reduction in blood pressure. 3. Procaine (1 to 50 mg/ml) elicited a respiratory response similar to that of excess magnesium; however, an initial rise in blood pressure to as high as 200 mmHg was evoked with procaine. Nicotine (0·05 to 0·5 mg/ml) produced an immediate brief bradypnea followed by a vigorous and slowly reversing hyperpnea accompanied most often by a fall in blood pressure. Tachyphylaxis was observed in the response to nicotine. Noradrenaline (0·001 and 0·1 mg/ml) did not produce any effect, and it did not alter the responses elicited by procaine and nicotine given by perfusion either simultaneous with or subsequent to the noradrenaline. Acetylcholine (0·5 mg/ml) produced weak transient respiratory stimulation and a small fluctuation in blood pressure which disappeared in repeated tests. Methacholine (1 mg/ml) caused a brief hyperpnea and a fall in blood pressure both of which were abolished after atropine (0·2 mg) was injected into the third ventricle. Pilocarpine (10 mg/ml) elicited no change in respiration or blood pressure. Respiratory and cardiovascular effects produced by strychnine (1 mg/ml) were attributable non-specifically to convulsive movements of the animal. Ethamivan (1 mg/ml) produced a single deep breath and a slowly reversing rise in blood pressure. Cyanide (0·5 mg/ml) barely stimulated the respiration but it produced a long lasting rise in blood pressure. Ethyl alcohol (0·1 ml/ml) elicited brisk though brief respiratory stimulation and a short lasting fall in blood pressure. 4. It was shown that the effects of procaine and nicotine were not qualitatively altered when the perfusion effluent was collected through a ventral craniotomy instead of the cisterna magna.
Escalating doses of interferon alpha-2A with cisplatin and concomitant radiotherapy: a phase I study.

In this phase I study, we added escalating doses of interferon-alpha2A (IFN) to cisplatin and twice-daily radiotherapy based on the following rationale. Radiation enhancement has been shown for both interferon and cisplatin; in addition, potentiation of the cytotoxic activity of cisplatin by interferon has been demonstrated. A total of 48 patients with advanced solid tumors were treated with radiotherapy in 2 daily fractions of 125 cGy plus cisplatin at 8–10 mg/m2 per day delivered on 3 different schedules (continuous infusion, daily short-term infusion, and single short-term infusion of 50 mg/m2). IFN was injected s.c. 2h preceding the first daily fraction of radiation. IFN doses ranged from 0 to 5.0×106 U/m2 per day. All therapy was given over 5 days of every other week until completion of the radiotherapy. Treatment at all dose levels was well tolerated during cycles 1 and 2, with no instance of acute grade 3 or 4 toxicity being noted. However, cumulative myelosuppression in patients receiving more than two treatment cycles was seen at all dose levels and was attributed to the repeated administration of cisplatin. Alteration of the cisplatin schedule did not allow for further dose escalation of cisplatin. Our recommended doses are cisplatin given at 8 mg/m2 per day as a continuous infusion with IFN at 5.0×106 U/m2 per day. Among 24 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, 2 had a complete response, 9 had a partial response, and 7 had stable disease. We conclude that this concomitant cisplatin-IFN-radiotherapy regimen is feasible. Activity was seen in non-small-cell lung cancer, and further studies of this regimen in that disease appear indicated.