cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of anticonvulsant compounds on 4-aminopyridine-induced de novo synthesis of neurotransmitter amino acids in rat hippocampus in vitro

Abstract 4-Aminopyridine, a voltage-dependent potassium channel blocker, causes tonic-clonic and electrographic seizures in vivo and evokes epileptiform activity and release of glutamate, aspartate and GABA in vitro. This study examined the effects of 4-aminopyridine (4AP) on de novo synthesis of neuroactive amino acids and a subsequent response to various anticonvulsant compounds (phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, valproate, ethosuximide, diazepam, lamotrigine, felbamate, losigamone, U54494A, CPP, MK801 and CNQX[ using a hippocampal slice preparation. 4-Aminopyridine had a minimal effect on total tissue concentrations of glutamate, aspartate, and GABA, but caused a significant increase in their de novo synthesis. Phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, losigamone and U54494A were the only compounds which were effective in blocking the 4AP-induced increase in all newly synthesized amino acids. It appears that these compounds inhibit 4AP effects in this paradigm by blocking depolarization, probably at use-dependent voltage-sensitive sodium channels. Therefore, this paradigm may be useful in selectively identifying anticonvulsants which act by blocking depolarization.
Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections in adolescents--what's new?

Abstract Background Significant changes are taking place in the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in adolescents and young adults. Findings In this review article, we provide an update of STIs in adolescents and young adults including: (1) Adolescent risk; (2) Screening guidelines; (3) Clinical manifestations; (4) Diagnostic testing; (5) Treatment; and (6) Prevention; with an emphasis on “what’s new” in the field. Conclusions/Significance While the impacts of STI epidemiology and health care access are leading to new recommendations for screening and prevention, changes in technology and drug resistance are promoting new methods of STI testing and ongoing revisions of STI treatment recommendations.
Hard X-Ray Flare Source Sizes Measured with the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager

Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) observations of 18 double hard X-ray sources seen at energies above 25 keV are analyzed to determine the spatial extent of the most compact structures evident in each case. The following four image reconstruction algorithms were used: Clean, Pixon, and two routines using visibilities maximum entropy and forward fit (VFF). All have been adapted for this study to optimize their ability to provide reliable estimates of the sizes of the more compact sources. The source fluxes, sizes, and morphologies obtained with each method are cross-correlated and the similarities and disagreements are discussed. The full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the major axes of the sources with assumed elliptical Gaussian shapes are generally well correlated between the four image reconstruction routines and vary between the RHESSI resolution limit of approximately 2" up to approximately 20" with most below 10". The FWHM of the minor axes are generally at or just above the RHESSI limit and hence should be considered as unresolved in most cases. The orientation angles of the elliptical sources are also well correlated. These results suggest that the elongated sources are generally aligned along a flare ribbon with the minor axis perpendicular to the ribbon. This is verified for the one flare in our list with coincident Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) images. There is evidence for significant extra flux in many of the flares in addition to the two identified compact sources, thus rendering the VFF assumption of just two Gaussians inadequate. A more realistic approximation in many cases would be of two line sources with unresolved widths. Recommendations are given for optimizing the RHESSI imaging reconstruction process to ensure that the finest possible details of the source morphology become evident and that reliable estimates can be made of the source dimensions.
Burden sharing in the NATO alliance: An empirical test of alternative views*

This paper undertakes an empirical test of two opposing views of interdependencies among members of military alliances. The first view, associated with Olson and Zeckhauser, argues that the public good aspect of defense induces free riding behavior by smaller alliance members, which imposes a disproportionate burden of supporting the alliance on the larger members. A second view argues that NATO defense activities produce a mix of outputs, some of which are not purely public, and some of which may be complementary across nations. Furthermore, the nature of the weapons systems and their relative use by alliance members may induce substantial cooperation by allies. The test proposed here analyzes the relationship between defense spending shares of NATO members and their population and relative wealth shares. A simple model is specified and tested using pooled time series cross sectional data. The empirical results indicate more support for the cooperative view of ally relationships than the Olson-Zeckhauser non-cooperative model.
Oscillations of the glycolytic pathway and the purine nucleotide cycle

In a treatment modeled after the oscillatory behavior of the glycolytic pathway and the purine nucleotide cycle observed in skeletal muscle extracts, it is shown that the basis of the oscillations is the AMP-dependent activation of phosphofructokinase by fructose diphosphate. Control of phosphofructokinase by the adenine nucleotides alone leads to the establishment of a steady state. Whether steady state or oscillatory behavior occurs depends in part on the activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, which controls the rate of removal of fructose diphosphate. Under appropriate conditions oscillatory behavior can maintain a higher [ATP]/[ADP] ratio than steady state behavior. Viewed in the context of conditions that may be encountered in skeletal muscle in vivo, oscillatory behavior of glycolysis is shown to have additional advantages for maintaining a high [ATP]/[ADP] ratio.
Evaluation of possibility of increasing the downlink E.I.R.P. density limits in the Ku band

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of increasing the downlink E.I.R.P. density limits for operation of Fixed Satellite Service (F.S.S.) links in the Ku band. The Ku band is extensively used for voice, video, data, remote sensing applications and for transmission to VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) networks. However, the limit on downlink E.I.R.P. density is considered to be conservative and it's assumed that much higher E.I.R.P. densities should be possible without causing significant interference to adjacent users. If this is proved, it would be possible to achieve lower Bit Error Rates and thereby increase reliability of satellite links. The increased power transmission capability would also allow transmission of more signals with the available bandwidth or lead to reduction in size of receiving antennas. With the help of existing F.C.C. limits on antenna gain patterns and the I.T.U. interference criterion, an increase in downlink E.I.R.P. density per carrier by more than 66% is shown to be possible. This increase in power would dramatically affect Fixed Satellite Services.
Construction of a versatile and functional nanoparticle platform derived from a helical diblock copolypeptide-based biomimetic polymer

Sequential polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides accelerated by nitrogen flow is utilized to generate a novel well-defined diblock copolypeptide (PDI = 1.08), with incorporation of alkyne-functionalized side-chain groups allowing for rapid and efficient thiol–yne click-type modifications, followed by self-assembly into nanopure water to construct a helical polypeptide-based versatile and functional nanoparticle platform.
Carotid artery vasoreactivity in response to sympathetic stress correlates with coronary disease risk and is independent of wall thickness.

OBJECTIVES We designed a study to determine the carotid artery (CA) response to sympathetic activity and to determine whether the response correlates with coronary risk and is independent of wall thickness (IMT). BACKGROUND Brachial artery reactivity in response to wall stress correlates with coronary risk and coronary disease (CAD). The reactivity of the CA, which is susceptible to atherosclerosis, has not been evaluated. METHODS The change in diameter of the CA (ΔCAdiam) during a cold pressor test and after nitroglycerin and IMT were measured with ultrasound in 93 men and women at average risk, high risk and with CAD. RESULTS At 90 s during a cold pressor test average-risk subjects increased CAdiam by 7.9 ± 3.3%, which was significantly less in the high-risk group (1.5 ± 1.8%), and vasoconstriction occurred in the group of subjects with CAD (−6.9 ± 2.7%) (p < 0.01 for comparisons). There were no differences in response to nitroglycerin. Coronary risk was an independent predictor of the %ΔCAdiam (p < 0.0001). Wall thickness, age, systolic pressure and triglycerides each correlated negatively, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol correlated positively with %ΔCAdiam. The major variable associated with the %ΔCAdiam was group (p = 0.0001). After adjusting for smoking, age and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, there was no association between the %ΔCAdiam, and IMT and %ΔCAdiam, but not IMT, was predictive of groups. CONCLUSIONS The CA response to a sympathetic stimulus is altered in the presence of coronary risk factors and CAD and appears to reflect endothelial function independent of IMT. Carotid artery reactivity may be a valuable adjunctive noninvasive method to assess coronary risk.
Antibiotics from the marine pulmonate siphonaria diemenensis

Abstract The marine pulmonate Siphonaria diemenensis collected intertidally in southeastern Australia, contained two polypropionate antibiotics diemenensin-A ( 1 ) and diemenensin-B ( 2 ). The structures were elucidated through interpretation of spectral data and by degradation.
Insulin in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) during the parr to smolt transformation

Abstract Plasma levels of insulin in juvenile coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) during the parr to smolt transformation were measured using a fully homologous radioimmunoassay system. Plasma insulin levels increased in parr from basal levels of 1.5–3.0 ng/ml to peak values of 7–8 ng/ml at the earliest stages of smoltification. The increase in plasma insulin levels occurred at approximately the same time as increases in plasma thyroxine concentration. Insulin levels in plasma declined within several weeks to 0.7–1.0 ng/ml and remained low during subsequent smoltification of fish in fresh water. Insulin levels rose again in June–August to 2.0–3.0 ng/ml in smolts retained in fresh water. One week after fish were transferred from fresh water to seawater, higher levels of plasma insulin were observed in the largest fish in the transferred group. After 1 month in the seawater, lower plasma insulin levels were observed in parr-revertants compared to actively growing smolts. Injection of parr with insulin caused hypoglycemia, whereas insulin insufficiency induced by administration of anti-salmon insulin serum caused hyperglycemia and liver glycogen depletion. These results suggest that insulin could play a role in modification of metabolic activity at the beginning of smoltification.
Gauge invariant treatment of the energy carried by a gravitational wave

Even though the energy carried by a gravitational wave is not itself gauge invariant, the interaction with a gravitational antenna of the gravitational wave which carries that energy is. It therefore has to be possible to make some statements which involve the energy which are in fact gauge invariant, and it is the objective of this paper to provide them. In order to develop a gauge invariant treatment of the issues involved, we construct a specific action for gravitational fluctuations which is gauge invariant to second perturbative order. Then, via variation of this action, we obtain an energy-momentum tensor for perturbative gravitational fluctuations around a general curved background whose covariant conservation condition is also fully gauge invariant to second order. Contraction of this energy-momentum tensor with a Killing vector of the background conveniently allows us to convert this covariant conservation condition into an ordinary conservation condition which is also gauge invariant through second order. Then, via spatial integration we are able to obtain a relation involving the time derivative of the total energy of the fluctuation and its asymptotic spatial momentum flux which is also completely gauge invariant through second order. It is only in making the simplification of setting the asymptotic momentum flux to zero that one would actually lose manifest gauge invariance, with only invariance under those particular gauge transformations which leave the asymptotic momentum flux zero then remaining. However, if one works in an arbitrary gauge where the asymptotic momentum flux is non-zero, the gravitational wave will then deliver both energy and momentum to a gravitational antenna in a completely gauge invariant manner, no matter how badly behaved at infinity the gauge function might be.
Correlation of HER2 gene amplification with expression of the apoptosis-suppressing genes bcl-2 and bcl-x-L in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

Abstract:The protein product of the HER2 oncogene is overexpressed in an estimated 25 to 30% of breast carcinomas and is considered an indicator of poor clinical outcome. The bcl-2 and the bcl-x-L genes are the 2 main genes of the bcl-2 gene family that suppress tumor cell death/apoptosis. HER2 gene
Transcriptional activation of the mouse obese (ob) gene by CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha

Abstract Like other adipocyte genes that are transcriptionally activated by CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha) during preadipocyte differentiation, expression of the mouse obese (ob) gene is immediately preceded by the expression of C/EBP alpha. While the 5' flanking region of the mouse ob gene contains several consensus C/EBP binding sites, only one of these sites appears to be functional. DNase I cleavage inhibition patterns (footprinting) of the ob gene promoter revealed that recombinant C/EBP alpha, as well as a nuclear factor present in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, but present at a much lower level in preadipocytes, protects the same region between nucleotides -58 and -42 relative to the transcriptional start site. Electrophoretic mobility-shift analysis using nuclear extracts from adipose tissue or 3T3-L1 adipocytes and an oligonucleotide probe corresponding to a consensus C/EBP binding site at nucleotides -55 to -47 generated a specific protein-oligonucleotide complex that was supershifted by antibody against C/EBP alpha. Probes corresponding to two upstream consensus C/EBP binding sites failed to generate protein-oligonucleotide complexes. Cotransfection of a C/EBP alpha expression vector into 3T3-L1 cells with a series of 5' truncated ob gene promoter constructs activated reporter gene expression with all constructs containing the proximal C/EBP binding site (nucleotides -55 to -47). Mutation of this site blocked transactivation by C/EBP alpha. Taken together, these findings implicate C/EBP alpha as a transcriptional activator of the ob gene promoter and identify the functional C/EBP binding site in the promoter.
ENGINEERING THE BARRIER OF QUANTUM DOTS-IN-A-WELL (DWELL) INFRARED PHOTODETECTORS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE OPERATION

Reduction in the dark current and improvement in signal to noise ratio in the quantum dots in a well infrared photodetectors using resonant tunneling barriers have been demonstrated. Ultra-low dark current levels and high detectivity of 3×1010 cm.Hz1/2/W at 77K for f/2 optics has been obtained for longwave infrared detection. In another experiment, the ability to control the excited state in the DWELL has been demonstrated by systematically varying the quantum well thickness. These detectors demonstrate high operating temperature with high detectivity values, even for high operating temperatures.
A morphometric analysis of cellular differentiation in root caps ofCucurbita peop.

In order to quantify the ultrastructural changes that occur during cellular differentiation in an “open” type of root cap, we have performed a morphometric analysis of the ultrastructures of calyptrogen, columella, and peripheral cells of the root cap ofCucurbita pepo. The relative volumes of nuclei, nucleoli, and mitochondria decrease as cells move (i.e., differentiate) through the root cap. Before cells are sloughed from the cap, the relative volume of the vacuole increases by 250%. The relative volumes of plastids and plastid starch increase as calyptrogen cells differentiate into columella cells, but decrease as columella cells differentiate into peripheral cells. Dictyosomal volumes increase only as columella cells differentiate into peripheral cells. These results indicate that the five cell types comprising the root cap ofC.pepo are each characterized by a unique structure, and that the ultrastructural changes associated with cellular differentiation in root caps are organelle specific. These results are discussed relative to the functions of the various cell types of the root cap.
Robust MEMS Gyroscope for Oil and Gas Exploration

To satisfy the performance and reliability requirement of a MEMS based harsh environment sensor, the sensor development needs to depart from the classic method of single-discipline technology improvement. In this paper, the authors will describe a Microsystem-based design methodology which considers simultaneous multiple technology domain interaction and achieves performance optimization at the system level to address the harsh environment sensing challenge. This is demonstrated through specific examples of investigating a robust MEMS gyroscope suitable for high temperature and high vibration environments such as down-hole drilling for Oil and Gas applications. In particular, the different mechanisms of temperature-induced errors in MEMS gyroscope are discussed. The error sources include both the direct impact of the gyroscope dynamics by temperature and the indirect perturbation by temperature-induced package stress. For vibration and shock induced failure, the error contributions from the low frequency and high frequency contents are discussed. Different transducer designs with equivalent rate sensitivity can vary with several orders of magnitude in terms of the susceptibility to mechanical vibration. Also shown are the complex interactions among the gyroscopic transducer, packaging and the control electronics, resulting from these temperature and vibration error sources. The microsystem-based design methodology is able to capture such complex interactions and improve the gyroscope temperature and vibration performance. In contrast to other efforts in harsh environment sensing which focus on specific technology domains, the authors strive to demonstrate the need and advantage of addressing MEMS performance and reliability in harsh environment from a microsystem perspective.
Semiconductive and semimetallic components in superconducting oxides: effect of oxidation

Abstract Some of the diverse variations of conductivities vs temperature for the superconducting oxides are described quantitatively by a single equation containing two components: a semiconductor and a semimetal coexisting as a microcomposite. Least squares resolutions of the conductivities for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7− δ , YBa 2 [Fe x Cu 1− x ] 3 O 7− δ , La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CaO 4− δ , and BaPb 0.8 Bi 0.2 O 3 into these components give the parameters: (1) scattering exponent (0.8—3): (2) the Fermi energy (4−11 × 10 −4 eV); and (3) the gap energy (0.1–2.8 · 10 −2 eV). In general, the superconducting temperature increases with increasing gap energy and scattering exponent. The resolution into the semiconductive and semimetallic components and the structures of the oxides resemble the model of composites treated by Allender, Bray and Bardeen ( Phys. Rev. B7 , 1020, 1975) and suggests a role for the excitation mechanism in the superconductive state and a correlation between the superconducting temperature and the ABB depth of penetration of electrons with energies in the semiconductive gap.
“The microball” Design, instrumentation and response characteristics of a 4π-multidetector exit channel-selection device for spectroscopic and reaction mechanism studies with Gammasphere

Abstract A 4π multidetector light-charged particle and light fragment detection spectrometer is described. It consists of 95 CsI(T1) scintillators closely packed to cover the angular range 4.0°–172°, arranged in 9 rings with increasing forward segmentation. The device is optimally designed to be used in conjunction with Gammasphere. The scintillator light is collected by silicon photodiodes that provide high quantum efficiency and minimal mass. The signals are processed through a charge sensitive preamplifier followed by a slow shaper. Particle identification for 1,2,3 H, 3,4 He ions and Li, Be and B ions is accomplished by pulse shape discrimination. The geometry, construction, energy calibration, gain stability, associated integrated electronics and the data acquisition system are discussed. The capabilities of this spectrometer as a channel selecting device in conjunction with Gammasphere are discussed. A second version of the device with thicker scintillators, that can stop more energetic charged particles and is useful for reaction mechanism studies, is also described.
Prospective study of gut hormone and metabolic changes after adjustable gastric banding and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

The objective of this study was to quantify hormones that regulate energy and glucose homeostasis to establish possible mechanisms for the greater efficacy of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) compared with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) in achieving weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity. Longitudinal study of patients undergoing LAGB (n=15) and RYGB (n=28) who were studied before surgery and at 2, 12, 26 and 52 weeks afterwards. Fasting blood samples were drawn at each visit. Postprandial blood samples were also obtained before surgery and at 26 and 52 weeks. Samples were assayed for peptide YY (PYY), ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose, insulin, leptin, thyrotropic hormone, free T4 and free T3. At 1 year there was greater weight loss in RYGB compared with LAGB patients (30 vs 15%), but final body mass index was similar (34 vs 33 kg m−2). At week 52, area under the curve (AUC) for PYY in RYGB subjects was greater than LAGB (P<0.01). GLP-1 levels at 30 min after meal were threefold greater after RYGB compared with LAGB (P<0.001). Conversely, ghrelin AUC increased after LAGB at week 52 (P<0.05) but tended to decrease after RYGB. Fasting glucose, insulin, and leptin and homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA-IR) decreased in both groups over time but were significantly lower at week 52 after RYGB compared with LAGB. The change in leptin correlated significantly with weight loss in LAGB (r=0.86) and RYGB (r=0.77), however, HOMA-IR correlated significantly with weight loss only in LAGB (r=0.78), and not RYGB (r=0.15). There was a significant decrease in free T3 (P<0.01) after RYGB. Differences in levels of gut hormones may play a role in promoting greater weight loss and insulin sensitivity after RYGB compared with LAGB, however, weight loss may be limited by decreases in free T3 and leptin.
Civil Society and Civic Engagement: Towards a Multi-Level Theory of Policy Feedbacks

Scholars are increasingly recognizing that design of a public policy influences the scope and nature of political engagement around that policy. Such ‘policy feedback’ models typically focus on organizational engagement (such as interest group lobbying) or on individual engagement (such as joining associations), with each form of participation treated as a discrete phenomenon. Here, drawing on US laws and regulations surrounding civil society and civil rights, I develop a multi-level model of policy feedbacks that integrates organizational and individual participation. Specifically, I suggest that laws and administrative rules operate on voluntary organizations to structure the resources, capacities, strategies, and ideals of individuals. To develop the model, I draw on policy feedback mechanisms identified by Suzanne Mettler and Joe Soss to derive empirically grounded hypotheses about feedback effects. I suggest that public policy (1) structures the political orientation of civil society by stimulating t...
A field study of computer efficacy beliefs as an outcome of training: the role of computer playfulness, computer knowledge, and performance during training

Prior research has established the importance of enhanced task-specific self-efficacy (SSE) as an outcome of training, including computer-related training. This field study of 56 newly hired computer programmers explored potential antecedents of post-training computer self-efficacy beliefs regarding trainees' programming capabilities. Specifically, the relationship between computer playfulness, computer knowledge and experience, performance during training, and post-training efficacy was explored. Self-rated knowledge of computers and performance during training were positively correlated with post-training programming efficacy. After controlling for general pre-training computer efficacy, there were no main effects for the independent variables studied. However, the three antecedent variables included in a regression model explained a significantly greater portion of the variance in post-training efficacy beyond the control measure of pre-training computer efficacy, suggesting that post-training SSE may depend on a composite of relevant individual characteristics and training experiences. Interestingly, results suggested a significant interaction effect between computer playfulness and performance during training, such that more playful individuals who performed well on hands-on exercises during training made the highest post-training programming efficacy judgments. Suggestions for future research on computer efficacy are discussed.
Managing for Results in State Government: Evaluating a Decade of Reform

State governments in the United States have enthusiastically embraced the idea of managing for results. This appears to represent a victory for New Public Management policy ideas transferred from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The managing for results doctrine that emerged from these countries called for an increased focus on results but also increased managerial authority to achieve results. In return, it was claimed, governments would enjoy dramatic performance improvement and results-based accountability. This article assesses the implementation of public management reform in the United States and argues that the managing for results doctrine has been only partially adopted. State governments selected some of the New Public Management ideas but largely ignored others. In short, state governments emphasized strategic planning and performance measurement but were less successful in implementing reforms that would enhance managerial authority, undermining the logic that promised high performance improvements.
Antiarrhythmic Drug Target Choices and Screening

Most antiarrhythmic drugs are ion channel blockers, and to date, those tested in large randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials have shown no decrease in mortality outcome. This apparent lack of survival benefit may result from the significant liabilities associated with these agents that offset any long-term benefit. Despite the current success of implantable defibrillators and the future promise of gene therapy, there is still a pressing need for new antiarrhythmic drugs. An improved understanding of cardiac ion channels and novel approaches to target selection and compound screening will provide new opportunities for drug discovery in the near future. Here, we briefly review the multiple mechanisms of arrhythmia, the history of drug failures, and the possibilities that evolving technologies may provide in the search for more efficacious and safer antiarrhythmic drugs.
Conditional Memory Ordering

Conventional relaxed memory ordering techniques follow a proactive model: at a synchronization point, a processor makes its own updates to memory available to other processors by executing a memory barrier instruction, ensuring that recent writes have been ordered with respect to other processors in the system. We show that this model leads to superfluous memory barriers in programs with acquire-release style synchronization, and present a combined hardware/software synchronization mechanism called conditional memory ordering (CMO) that reduces memory ordering overhead. CMO is demonstrated on a lock algorithm that identifies those dynamic lock/unlock operations for which memory ordering is unnecessary, and speculatively omits the associated memory ordering instructions. When ordering is required, this algorithm relies on a hardware mechanism for initiating a memory ordering operation on another processor. Based on evaluation using a software-only CMO prototype, we show that CMO avoids memory ordering operations for the vast majority of dynamic acquire and release operations across a set of multithreaded Java workloads, leading to significant speedups for many. However, performance improvements in the software prototype are hindered by the high cost of remote memory ordering. Using empirical data, we construct an analytical model demonstrating the benefits of a combined hardware-software implementation.
Cumulative Change in Scientific Production: Research Technologies and the Structuring of New Knowledge

This paper seeks to contribute to the development of a sociological understanding of scientific change. It first presents a conceptual framework for defining and understanding the conditions that give rise to episodes of cumulative change (both as the selective reconstruction of events and as the patterned structuring of innovations over time and across different settings). It argues that one of the most powerful structuring mechanisms is the existence of standardized research technologies. Then, the development of electroence phalography (EEG) is presented as an illustrative case study. The EEG supported a dramatic episode of development in brain science, and did so primarily through technological standardization and reliability. The case shows how standard and manipulable technologies provide a framework for orderly change both in retrospective accounts and in specific historical periods of scientific practice.
Alterations in Rat Condylar Cartilage Following Discectomy

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of unilateral extirpation of the articular disc of the temporomandibular joint on selected metabolic and compositional characteristics of the condylar cartilage. Unilateral discectomy was performed in one group of growing (28-day-old) rats, while another group received only unilateral arthrotomy. The effect of the discectomy procedure was assessed by comparison of ratios of the operated to unoperated sides in the discectomy and arthrotomy groups. Total uronic acid content (μg/mg dry tissue wt) of the condylar cartilage and [35S]-sulfate incorporation (dpm/μg uronic acid) into the condylar cartilage were decreased in discectomy-group animals at nine, 16, and 28 days following surgery, while hydration of the cartilage was increased in discectomy animals at both 16 and 28 days post-surgery. Wet and dry tissue weights of the cartilage were dramatically increased in discectomy-group animals at all post-operative intervals. These metabolic and compositional ch...
Overexpression of the MtrC-MtrD-MtrE Efflux Pump Due to an mtrR Mutation Is Required for Chromosomally Mediated Penicillin Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The importance of the mtrCDE-encoded efflux pump in conferring chromosomally mediated penicillin resistance on certain strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was determined by using genetic derivatives of penicillin-sensitive strain FA19 bearing defined mutations (mtrR, penA, and penB) donated by a clinical isolate (FA6140) expressing high-level resistance to penicillin and antimicrobial hydrophobic agents (HAs). When introduced into strain FA19 by transformation, a single base pair deletion in the mtrR promoter sequence from strain FA6140 was sufficient to provide high-level resistance to HAs (e.g., erythromycin and Triton X-100) but only a twofold increase in resistance to penicillin. When subsequent mutations in penA and porIB were introduced from strain FA6140 into strain WV30 (FA19 mtrR) by transformation, resistance to penicillin increased incrementally up to a MIC of 1.0 μg/ml. Insertional inactivation of the gene (mtrD) encoding the membrane transporter component of the Mtr efflux pump in these transformant strains and in strain FA6140 decreased the MIC of penicillin by 16-fold. Genetic analyses revealed that mtrR mutations, such as the single base pair deletion in its promoter, are needed for phenotypic expression of penicillin and tetracycline resistance afforded by the penB mutation. As penB represents amino acid substitutions within the third loop of the outer membrane PorIB protein that modulate entry of penicillin and tetracycline, the results presented herein suggest that PorIB and the MtrC-MtrD-MtrE efflux pump act synergistically to confer resistance to these antibiotics.
Irritable bowel syndrome and bloating

Gaseous symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) including eructation, flatulence, and bloating occur as a consequence of excess gas production, altered gas transit, abnormal perception of normal amounts of gas within the gastrointestinal tract, or dysfunctional somatic muscle activity in the abdominal wall. Because of the prominence of gaseous complaints in IBS, recent investigations have focussed on new insights into pathogenesis and novel therapies of bloating. The evaluation of the IBS patient with unexplained gas and bloating relies on careful exclusion of organic disease with further characterisation of the underlying condition with directed functional testing. Treatment of gaseous symptomatology in IBS should be targeted to pathophysiologic defects whenever possible. Available therapies include lifestyle alterations, dietary modifications, enzyme preparations, adsorbents and agents which reduce surface tension, treatments that alter gut flora, and drugs that modulate gut transit.
Goal-oriented programming, or composition using events, or threads considered harmful

Many applications, and particularly distributed applications, are about dealing with events. The code is of the form: when this message arrives do this; when this timer expires do that; when that server fails do something else; etc. Perhaps the most natural way to program this is by using interrupt handlers. Programmers have found this hard to program, and prefer loops of the form: for ever { e = await event(); handle event(e); }. But there are several problems with this approach. The handle event routine may take a long time to execute, slowing down the handling of subsequent events. Worse, handle event may invoke await event to wait, for example, for the reply of a Remote Procedure Call. To deal with this, the thread abstraction was introduced. While threads are handling events, or awaiting specific events, unrelated events can be handled by other threads. Unfortunately, anybody who has ever used threads extensively will agree that threads are error prone, hard to debug, and often non-portable. Composing packages that use different thread abstractions is usually not possible or extremely hard. The only widely popular language that supports threads well, Java, is still rarely used for serious distributed systems applications. Even there, simple applets that use threads often have bugs in them, in that they do not stop when they are off the screen, do not start up correctly when they reappear, or have race or deadlock conditions when they access shared object instances. I believe that thread fork is the goto equivalent of parallel programming. Both request a transfer to a particular entry in your program, with no indication of scope. Once you use a bunch of these in your program, any underlying logical structure is now lost, and the program becomes hard to understand and debug. Another basic problem is that available thread synchronization paradigms are either too low-level, or too coarse-grained. Low-level mechanisms like semaphores are very error-prone. Coarse-grained mechanisms like monitors do not allow for much parallelism by overspecifying the amount of synchronization required. An alternative idea is to go back to programming directly with events. Although many event management and notification systems are under development that generate, filter, and deliver events (among many examples, Corba [5] and Yeast [4]), they do not provide much help with writing a program that takes events as input. Below, I will propose a new programming technique that I call goal-oriented programming, which goes back to the roots of step-wise refinement of programs. I will show that this technique is not only easier than programming with threads, but it also provides better performance and portability. I will illustrate this by means of an example that I will work out first using threads, then using goal-oriented programming. I will conclude with a description of my experience with a transactional file system I have built this way.
The Impact of Advances in Developmental Biology on the Management of Neonatal Surgical Anomalies

While advances in the clinical management of various congenital anomalies in pediatric surgery have led to new and exciting therapeutic modalities, our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for these defects lags far behind. In a new era of developmental biology, the prospect of unlocking some of these mysteries has become a real possibility. Advances in gene sequencing has allowed us to create new phenotypes that closely mimic those seen in patients, and has created a setting where we are now better able to understand and develop new therapeutic interventions. Here we discuss the implications of some of the molecular mechanisms underlying various congenital anomalies encountered in pediatric surgery, and how continued research will impact the future of these disease processes.
Prediction of Reflection Cracking in Hot-Mix Asphalt Overlays

Reflection cracking is one of the main distresses in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlays. It has been a serious concern since the early 20th century. Until now, only limited research has been performed to predict reflection cracking. Mechanistic-based models were calibrated to field data to produce a design process for predicting reflection cracks. Three cracking mechanisms (bending, shearing traffic stresses, and thermal stress) were taken into account to evaluate the rate of growth of the three increasing levels of distress severity (low, medium, and high). The cumulative damage done by all three cracking mechanisms is used to predict the number of days for the reflection crack to reach the surface of the overlay. The result of this calculation is calibrated to the observed field data (severity and extent), which has been fitted with an S-shaped curve. In the mechanistic computations, material properties and fracture-related stress intensity factors are generated using efficient artificial neural network alg...
Automated techniques for energy efficient scheduling on homogeneous and heterogeneous chip multi-processor architectures

We address performance maximization of independent task sets under energy constraint on chip multi-processor (CMP) architectures that support multiple voltage/frequency operating states for each core. We prove that the problem is strongly NP-hard. We propose polynomial time 2-approximation algorithms for homogeneous and heterogeneous CMPs. To the best of our knowledge, our techniques offer the tightest bounds for energy constrained design on CMP architectures. Experimental results demonstrate that our techniques are effective and efficient under various workloads on several CMP architectures.
Whispering: the murmur of power in a lo-fi world

As the Industrial Revolution and the Electric Revolution turn our acoustic environment into a ‘lo-fi’ soundscape, modern communication tends to evolve into an escalating ‘volume war’ where one shou...
Coastal oceanographic processes influence the growth and size of a key estuarine species, the Olympia oyster

Here we empirically demonstrate that a tidal exchange gradient in a central California estuary leads to inversely related spatial gradients in upwelled nutrients and water residence times. As a result, seasonal phytoplankton blooms (summer–fall) occur in the middle of the bay, where nutrient levels and water residence times are intermediate, while seasonal temperature maximums occur in the inner bay, where water residence times are highest and nutrient levels are lowest. By experimentally out-planting juvenile Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) throughout the estuary, we found that the growth and size of juvenile oysters are better explained by the spatial pattern of phytoplankton concentrations than by that of water temperature. Furthermore, this benthic–pelagic link helps explain the distribution of adult oyster sizes throughout the estuary. Because a phytoplankton maximum can be maintained by a physical interaction between intensive upwelling and a seasonal low-inflow estuary, benthic invertebrates within protected embayments of upwelling regions may not conform to the regional generalization that their growth and size are negatively correlated with upwelling intensity. Understanding how nearshore oceanography affects benthic population and community dynamics remains one of the outstanding challenges for marine ecology, despite a growing number of studies that link the two (Menge 1992; Leslie et al. 2005; Blanchette et al. 2007). For example, when
Time and Norm Optimality of Weakly Singular Controls

Let \( \bar{u}(t) \)be a control that satisfies the infinite-dimensional version of Pontryagin’s maximum principle for a linear control system, and let \( {z}(t) \)be the costate associated with \( \bar{u}(t) \). It is known that integrability of \( {z}(t) \)in the control interval [0, T] guarantees that \( \bar{u}(t) \)is time and norm optimal. However, there are examples where optimality holds (or does not hold) when \( {z}(t) \)is not integrable. This paper presents examples of both cases for a particular semigroup (the right translation semigroup in \( {L^2}(0,\infty )\)).
Thermoelectric systems: Ion beam enhanced thermoelectric properties

Abstract A thermoelectric system based on the interaction of composites of two metal nanocrystals in silica substrate prepared by a multilayer structure having alternate layers of metal/material mixture is discussed in detail in this paper. The alternate layers component of this work has two metal content, gold and silver. The layered structure irradiated with ionizing radiation to produce nanoclusters in these layers one on the top of each metal nanocrystal containing nanolayer with no silica buffer layer. The differing metal content serves to quench the nanoclusters to isolate nanoclusters along the 5.0 MeV Si beam irradiation track, as described in our past 16 years publications [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] . The result is a thermoelectric material with high electrical conductivity, low thermal conductivity, high Seebeck coefficient thus a high figure of merit as high as 3.1, as described in this work.
Responsibility and the power motive in women and men

Previous research on the correlates of power motivation in women and men had shown no gender differences, when the presence of younger siblings (reflecting responsibility training) was used as a moderator variable This study reports development of an empirically derived direct TAT measure of responsibility as a moderator variable for the power motive The new measure includes mention of legal or moral standards, obligation concern about others, concern about consequences, and self-judgment It is related to perceived parental expectations concerning responsibility Among women and men high in responsibility, power motivation predicts responsible social power actions, but among women and men low in responsibility, power motivation predicts a variety of profligate, impulsive actions Responsibility then, rather than gender, appears to determine the ways in which the power motive is expressed
A stochastic model for scheduling programs to maximize outcome [of hospital profits]

This paper investigates the relationship of hospital profits from CT scanning and its schedule administration for scheduled patients. A stochastic model is constructed to describe the dynamics of patient arrival and the scanner's service. Hospital profits are calculated from the service charges, subtracting the possible loss due to withdrawal of discouraged patients. Hospital expenses for hardware and personnel are fixed, and hence are not taken into consideration.
Wide bandgap composite EBG substrates

High-K ceramics are embedded into a polymer host to create an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) substrate that possess superior properties to previous bandgap implementations in terms of stopband width, attenuation per layer, and practicality. Ceramics are periodically spaced in a commercially-available, Teflon-based host to create a bandgap that spans from 12.1 to 24.1 GHz. Miniature dielectric rods were created in a separate extrusion process, and then placed in a square lattice in a substrate to create the periodic composite. As an application of the material, a defect resonator was created at 20.41 GHz and a Q of 760 was measured.
Topology of the Escherichia coli uhpT sugar-phosphate transporter analyzed by using TnphoA fusions.

The Escherichia coli uhpT protein catalyzes the active transport of sugar-phosphates by an obligatory exchange mechanism. To examine its transmembrane topology, we isolated a collection of uhpT-phoA fusions encoding hybrid proteins of different lengths from the N terminus of UhpT fused to alkaline phosphatase by using transposon TnphoA. These fusions displayed different levels of alkaline phosphatase activity, although comparable levels of full-length UhpT-PhoA proteins were produced in maxicells of both high- and low-activity fusions. The full-length protein species were unstable and were degraded to the size of the alkaline phosphatase moiety in the case of a high-activity fusion or to small fragments in the case of a low-activity fusion. The enzyme activity present in low-activity fusions appeared to result from export of a small proportion of the fusion proteins to the periplasmic space. Although fusions were not obtained in all predicted extramembranous loops, the deduced topology of UhpT was consistent with a model of 12 membrane-spanning regions oriented with the amino and carboxyl termini in the cytoplasm. Images
Cellular Properties of Lateral Spinal Nucleus Neurons in the Rat L6–S1 Spinal Cord

Cellular properties of lateral spinal nucleus neurons in the rat L6–S1 spinal cord. Conventional intracellular recordings were made from 26 lateral spinal nucleus (LSN) neurons in slices of L6–S1 s...