cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Repeated intravenous cocaine administration: Locomotor activity and dopamine D2/D3 receptors

The dopamine D3 receptor has been implicated as a possible mediator in the reinforcement or abuse of psychostimulants such as cocaine. The present studies examined the effects of repeated (14 day) intravenous cocaine administration (saline vehicle, 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg) on locomotor activity and dopamine D2 and D3 receptor density in the rat striatum and nucleus accumbens. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 40) were implanted with an intravenous access port and allowed to recover for 2 days. An additional group of naive rats was included to control for surgical/injection stress (n = 10). Following 2 days of habituation trials, total, peripheral and central activity (photocell interruptions) data were collected during alternate daily 60-minute test sessions. Repeated cocaine treatment resulted in a significant dose-dependent increase in striatal D3 receptors which was predicted by daily 60-minute central locomotor activity. Conversely, D3 receptors in the nucleus accumbens exhibited a significant dose-dependent reduction which was predicted by the initial 5 minutes of central locomotor activity observed on peak sensitization days (days 6, 8 and 10). Sensitization to the locomotor stimulatory effects of cocaine was dose-dependent, with the time to peak sensitization day following the rank order of 0.5 > 1.0 > 3.0 mg/kg. The density of D2 receptors in the striatum and nucleus accumbens was unchanged by cocaine administration. These data suggest striatal and nucleus accumbens D3 receptor involvement in the expression of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization. Thus, the D3 receptors in the striatum and nucleus accumbens may be differentially involved in the locomotor stimulation (striatal D3) and reinforcing aspects (nucleus accumbens D3) of repeated cocaine administration.
Supercooling vs overheating in the III-V semiconductor compound InSb: an abrupt-discontinuous relationship

The dependence of supercooling level ((Delta) T-) of InSb melt preceding on its melt overheating ((Delta) T+) above the equilibrium melting temperature, is investigated for the first time on a III-V semiconductor compound. The dependence of (Delta) T- on (Delta) T+ in the InSb melt is shown to be abrupt-and-discontinuous. The observation can be linked to the semiconductor-metal transition upon melting, and is probably general, occurring also for other III-V and group IV semiconductors.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A prosthetic stented aortic homograft for mitral valve replacement

Summary A technique is described for the construction of a combined aortic homograft and prosthetic support for replacement of the mitral valve. This stented homograft is easy to insert in the mitral position and should climinate contraction scarring with resulting stenosis through the precise removal of all rapidly rejecting tissues at the base of the homografts. Other advantages of this supported homograft are described, as is the technique of procurement, construction, and insertion. A follow-up report of the fate of these grafts in surviving animals is planned.
Comparison of isoleucine epimerization and leaching potential in the molluskan genera Astarte, Macoma, and Mya

Abstract Amino acid racemization geochronology is widely applied to provide relative age control for carbonate fossils, however, there are significant chemical differences between genera which affect diagenetic reactions in proteins such as hydrolysis and racemization. In order to evaluate intergeneric influences on isoleucine epimerization, laboratory heating experiments were undertaken to compare the rate of epimerization of L-isoleucine to D-alloisoleucine and the potential for leaching of amino acids in three molluskan genera: Astarte, Macoma , and Mya . Shell fragments from these genera were heated for up to 816 h at 100°C to simulate aging. After 96 h of heating, the three genera experienced similar degrees of epimerization in the total acid hydrolysate, but with additional heating, Astarte and Macoma epimerized more extensively than Mya . In the free amino acid fraction, the relative rates of epimerization were reversed: Mya shows the fastest apparent rate and Astarte the slowest. All three genera lost amino acids from both the free and bound fractions by leaching, but more significantly, alloisoleucine leached proportionately much faster than isoleucine. If leaching of amino acids under natural conditions continues after significant alloisoleucine is produced, then the preferential loss of alloisoleucine over isoleucine will result in lowering of the alloisoleucine/isoleucine ratio and, therefore, lead to significant underestimation of ages. An important implication for all studies utilizing amino acid racemization geochronology is that even coeval shells of the same genus may give different alle/Ile values if different individual shells experienced different burial conditions and degrees of leaching.
Fatigue Reliability of Hammerhead Bridge Piers

This paper aimed to determine safety levels involved in bridge pier design when the fatigue nature of traffic load is included. Reliability analysis was used to estimate values of reliability index for the ultimate limit state (pier’s capacity). The analysis was performed in two steps. In the first step, reliability indexes were calculated using statistical information on traffic load and resistance of piers, as it was used during the AASHTO, Load and Resistance Factor Design (AASHTO LRFD) code calibration. The purpose was to estimate design safety according to code provisions. The second step also involved estimating reliability indexes, but with different statistical parameters for live load and resistance. A new, recent live load model with new statistics was used. Statistical parameters of pier resistance were established, including different statistics for concrete strength when fatigue of material is considered. The study was performed for a range of design cases, including different span lengths, sizes of a pier’s cross section, three typical strengths of concrete, and three reinforcement ratios. In the resistance analysis, piers were considered as short columns under biaxial bending. The results did not show a drastic drop in piers’ capacity when the fatigue nature of the traffic load is considered. The resulting reliability indexes when fatigue was included were, on average, 12% smaller compared with the values of the index associated with the current code design.
Correlational and factor analytic support for Rushton's differential K life history theory

Abstract The present study examines predictions from Rushton’s differential K theory that diverse traits covary with intelligence, reproductive strategies, speed of maturation, parental care, and longevity. The predictions are tested by inter-correlating 129 cross-national differences in IQ, birth rate, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, and life expectancy. A K super-factor accounted for 75% of the variance. Moreover, the correlations were significantly higher with skin color, a biological variable, than they were with gross domestic product (GDP), a culturally influenced variable. The median of the 21 inter-correlations among the seven variables was 0.68.
Religious self and secular self: Clinical transitions

Clerical people, returning to secular life, may undergo shifts in self-experience, including alterations in internal object relations. Self-psychology, positing the importance to health of cohesion of all aspects of self, provides a theoretical model for exploring such shifts and their facilitation through psychoanalytic psychotherapy. A case of a released Roman Catholic priest is discussed to illustrate dynamic processes. Emphasis is on a clinical approach that does not require conversion of religious and spiritual self-experience into drive derivative formulations.
Molecular Methods for Detecting and Discriminating Shigella Associated with Foods and Human Clinical Infections — A Review

There are four species of the genus Shigella: S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. sonneii, and S. boydii. It is extremely difficult if not impossible to utilize the PCR for distinguishing between shigellae and the five diarrheagenic pathotypes of Escherichia coli—enterohemolytic (EHEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), engteroinvasive (EIEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), and enteroaggresive (EAEC)—due to the extremely close genetic relationship between Shigella spp. and E. coli. This problem is magnified by the presence of common virulence plasmids in these two microbial groups with virulence genes of extremely high homology. Although gastrointestinal infections by shigellae and EICC occur most frequently in developing nations, the responsible E. coli strains are indistinguishable from shigellae by PCR. In addition, with the exception of S. boydii, the other three species of Shigella are completely indistinguishable from one another by the PCR. The most fruitful approach to date in attempting to use the PCR for distinguis...
Surface and airborne evidence for plumes and winds on triton

Aeolian features on Triton that were imaged during the Voyager Mission have been grouped. The term "aeolian feature" is broadly defined as features produced by or blown by the wind, including surface and airborne materials. Observations of the latitudinal distributions of the features probably associated with current activity (known plumes, crescent streaks, fixed terminator clouds, and limb haze with overshoot) all occur from latitude -37° to latitude -62°. Likely indicators of previous activity (dark surface streaks) occur from latitude -5° to -70°, but are most abundant from -15° to -45°, generally north of currently active features. Those indicators which give information on wind direction and speed have been measured. Wind direction is a function of altitude. The predominant direction of the surface wind streaks is found to be between 40° and 80° measured clockwise from north. The average orientation of streaks in the northeast quadrant is 59°. Winds at 1- to 3- kilometer altitude are eastward, while those at >8 kilometers blow west.
High concentration granular shear flow

Nous presentons une equation de l'ecoulement granulaire hyperconcentre. Des coefficients de viscosite et d'impact figurent dans cette equation: nous les avons determines. Le coefficient de viscosite est constant. Le coefficient d'impact est relie aux proprietes du materiau solide et du fluide. L'equation represente de facon raisonnablement satisfaisante differents jeux de donnees experimentales obtenues par divers chercheurs et couvrant une large gamme d'ecoulements granulaires.
Drift-mobility measurements and mobility edges in disordered silicons

Published electron and hole drift-mobility measurements in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), amorphous silicon alloys (a-SiGe:H and a-SiC:H), and microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) are analysed in terms of the exponential bandtail trapping model. A three-parameter model was employed using an exponential bandtail width ΔE, the band mobility μ 0 , and the attempt-to-escape frequency ν. Low-temperature measurements indicate a value around μ 0 = 1 cm 2 V -1 s -1 for both the conduction and valence bands over the entire range of materials. High temperature-measurements for electrons in a-Si:H suggest a larger value of 7 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . These properties and those of the frequency v are discussed as possible attributes of a mobility edge.
Atoms versus Nuclei: Response to Logic Lessons Lost

This letter to the editor asserts that the proposed term of atomes from Roy Clark in “Logic Lessons Lost” is incorrect. The reader should use the term atoms for free atoms and nuclei for bound atoms.
Self-detection in robots: A method based on detecting temporal contingencies???

This paper addresses the problem of self-detection by a robot. The paper describes a methodology for autonomous learning of the characteristic delay between motor commands (efferent signals) and observed movements of visual stimuli (afferent signals). The robot estimates its own efferent-afferent delay from self-observation data gathered while performing motor babbling, i.e., random rhythmic movements similar to the primary circular reactions described by Piaget. After the efferent-afferent delay is estimated, the robot imprints on that delay and can later use it to successfully classify visual stimuli as either ???self??? or ???other.??? Results from robot experiments performed in environments with increasing degrees of difficulty are reported.
Spatial organization of nonlinear interactions in form perception.

Abstract We examined the perception of structure in a family of visual textures whose second-order correlation structure is flat. These textures were generated by two-dimensional recursion rules, in a manner which extends the construction of Julesz, Gilbert and Victor (1978; Biological Cybernetics, 31, 137–140). Textures generated by some recursion rules elicited a visually salient percept of structure, while textures generated by other recursion rules did not. Textures whose statistical structure was visually salient produced evoked responses which differed from the response evoked by completely random textures. The size of this VEP difference correlated well with psychophysical measures. Since the textures were constructed to have identical global spatial frequency spectra, models for the extraction of visual structure must be essentially nonlinear. Models based on symmetry, information content, or simple spatial extent (but not pattern) of correlation fail to explain the observed results. Models based on the cooperative interaction of pairs of nonlinear subunits provide a reasonable qualitative account of the findings. The critical model features are (i) the presence of multiple nonlinear subunits, and (ii) a second nonlinearity, such as a threshold, at the stage of combination of subunit signals.
Autonomous Information Unit: Why Making Data Smart Can Also Make Data Secured?

In this paper, we introduce a new fine-grain distributed information protection mechanism which can self-protect, self-discover, self-organize, and self-manage. In our approach, we decompose data into smaller pieces and provide individualized protection. We also provide a policy control mechanism to allow "smart" access control and context based re-assembly of the decomposed data. By combining smart policy with individually protected data, we are able to provide better protection of sensitive information and achieve more flexible access during emergency conditions. As a result, this new fine-grain protection mechanism can enable us to achieve better solutions for problems such as distributed information protection and identity theft.
Alterations in Auxin Homeostasis Suppress Defects in Cell Wall Function

The plant cell wall is a highly dynamic structure that changes in response to both environmental and developmental cues. It plays important roles throughout plant growth and development in determining the orientation and extent of cell expansion, providing structural support and acting as a barrier to pathogens. Despite the importance of the cell wall, the signaling pathways regulating its function are not well understood. Two partially redundant leucine-rich-repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs), FEI1 and FEI2, regulate cell wall function in Arabidopsis thaliana roots; disruption of the FEIs results in short, swollen roots as a result of decreased cellulose synthesis. We screened for suppressors of this swollen root phenotype and identified two mutations in the putative mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α homolog, IAA-Alanine Resistant 4 (IAR4). Mutations in IAR4 were shown previously to disrupt auxin homeostasis and lead to reduced auxin function. We show that mutations in IAR4 suppress a subset of the fei1 fei2 phenotypes. Consistent with the hypothesis that the suppression of fei1 fei2 by iar4 is the result of reduced auxin function, disruption of the WEI8 and TAR2 genes, which decreases auxin biosynthesis, also suppresses fei1 fei2. In addition, iar4 suppresses the root swelling and accumulation of ectopic lignin phenotypes of other cell wall mutants, including procuste and cobra. Further, iar4 mutants display decreased sensitivity to the cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor isoxaben. These results establish a role for IAR4 in the regulation of cell wall function and provide evidence of crosstalk between the cell wall and auxin during cell expansion in the root.
A Micromechanical Parylene Spiral-Tube Sensor and Its Applications of Unpowered Environmental Pressure/Temperature Sensing

A multi-function micromechanical pressure/ temperature sensor incorporating a microfabricated parylene spiral tube is presented. Its visible responses in expression of in situ rotational tube deformation enable unpowered sensing directly from optical device observation without electrical or any powered signal transduction. Sensor characterizations show promising pressure (14.46deg/kPa sensitivity, 0.11 kPa resolution) and temperature (6.28deg/degC sensitivity, 0.24degC resolution) responses. Depending on different application requests, this sensor can be individually utilized to measure pressure/temperature of systems having one property varying while the other stabilized, such as intraocular or other in vivo pressure sensing of certain apparatus inside human bodies or other biological targets. A straightforward sensor-pair configuration has also been implemented to retrieve the decoupled pressure and temperature readouts, hence ultimately realizes a convenient environmental pressure and temperature sensing in various systems.
An efficient reliable multicast protocol for 802.11-based wireless LANs

Many applications are inherently multicast in nature. Such applications can benefit tremendously from reliable multicast support at the MAC layer because addressing reliability at the MAC level is much less expensive than handling errors at the upper layers. However, the IEEE 802.11 MAC layer does not support reliable multicast. This void in the MAC layer is a limiting factor in the efficacy of multicast applications. In this paper, we propose a Slot Reservation based Reliable Multicast protocol that adds a novel reliability component to the existing multicast protocol in the 802.11 MAC. Our protocol builds on the existing DCF support in the IEEE 802.11 MAC to seamlessly incorporate an efficient reliable multicast mechanism. Intelligent assignment of transmission slots, minimal control packet overhead and an efficient retransmission strategy form the basis of our protocol. We evaluate the performance of our protocol through extensive simulations. Our simulation results show that our protocol outperforms another reliable multicast protocol, Batch Mode Multicast MAC in terms of delivered throughput in various scenarios.
Age-dependent sensitivity of Big Blue transgenic mice to the mutagenicity of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) in liver.

The incidence of childhood cancer is increasing and recent evidence suggests an association between childhood cancer and environmental exposure to genotoxins. In the present study, the Big Blue transgenic mouse model was used to determine whether specific periods in early life represent windows of vulnerability to mutation induction by genotoxins in mouse liver. Groups of mice were treated with single doses of 120 mg N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)/kg body weight or the vehicle either transplacentally to the 18-day-old fetus or at postnatal days (PNDs) 1, 8, 15, 42 or 126; the animals were sacrificed 6 weeks after their treatment. The cII mutation assay was performed to determine the mutant frequencies (MFs) in the livers of the mice. Liver cII MFs for both sexes were dependent on the age at which the animals were treated. Perinatal treatment with ENU (either transplacental treatment to the 18-day-old fetus or i.p. injection at PND 1) induced relatively high MFs. However, ENU treatment at PNDs 8 and 15 resulted in the highest mutation induction. The lowest mutation induction occurred in those animals treated as adults (PND 126). For instance, the cII MF for the PND 8 female group was 646× 10 −6 while the MF for female adults was only 145 × 10 −6 , a more than 4-fold difference. Molecular analysis of the mutants found that A:T → T:A transversions and A:T → G:C transitions characterized the pattern of mutations induced by ENU in both the neonate and adult mice, while the predominate type of mutation in the controls was G:C → A:T. The results indicate that mouse liver is most sensitive to ENU-induced mutation during infancy. This period correlates well with the age-dependent sensitivity to carcinogenicity in mouse liver, suggesting that mutation is an important rate-limiting factor for age-related carcinogenesis. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Proposed cardiovascular risk assessment algorithm using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and lipid screening.

Several prospective epidemiologic studies from the United States and Europe have demonstrated that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a predictor of future coronary events among apparently healthy men and women. For example, findings from the Multiple Risk Factors Intervention Trial demonstrated a correlation between hs-CRP and coronary heart disease mortality among male smokers followed over a 17-year period \[relative risk (RR) = 2.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4–5.4\] (1). A similar positive association between hs-CRP and future coronary events was noted in the Cardiovascular Health Study and Rural Health Promotion Project, which included elderly men and women with subclinical cardiovascular disease (2). A direct positive association between hs-CRP and future coronary events was also reported in apparently healthy men from the Physician’s Health Study (PHS); those in the highest quartile of hs-CRP had twice the risk of future stroke (RR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1–3.3), three times the risk of future myocardial infarction (RR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.8–4.6), and four times the risk of future peripheral vascular disease (RR = 4.1; 95% CI, 1.2–6.0) (3)(4). Furthermore, both the MONICA-Augsburg cohort (5) and the Helsinki Heart Study (6) showed that compared with those with low hs-CRP, individuals with the highest hs-CRP concentrations were at approximately three times the risk of developing future coronary events. Finally, two reports from the Women’s Health Study (WHS) showed that hs-CRP is also a strong predictor of future cardiovascular events in women (RR = 4.4; 95% CI, 2.2–8.9) (7)(8). In fact, in that study, which directly compared several novel risk factors to standard lipid screening, hs-CRP was the single strongest predictor of future vascular risk …
Molecular Mechanisms of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin Cardiovascular Embryotoxicity

2,3,7,8 Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons are widespread environmental contaminants and potent developmental toxicants. Hallmarks of embryonic exposure include edema, hemorrhage, and mortality. Recent studies in zebrafish and chicken have revealed direct impairment of cardiac muscle growth that may underlie these overt symptoms. TCDD toxicity is mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, but downstream targets remain unclear. Oxidative stress and growth factor modulation have been implicated in TCDD cardiovascular toxicity. Gene expression profiling is elucidating additional pathways by which TCDD might act. We review our understanding of the mechanism of TCDD embryotoxicity at morphological and molecular levels.
Effect of Irradiation Temperature on the Radiosensitizing Activity of Vitamin K5

SUMMARY Salmonella typhimurium was irradiated in phosphate buffer, pH 7.6, containing various levels of vitamin Ks over a temperature range of 32 to 120°F either in air or under vacuum. Vitamin K5 exerted a radiosensitizing effect under vacuum and a radioprotective effect in air. The radiosensitizing effect decreased with increasing temperature. Vitamin KS had no radiosensitizing activity, or possibly a slight protective effect, in whole egg irradiated either in air or under vacuum.
Bayesian Confidence Limits for the Reliability of Mixed Cascade and Parallel Independent Exponential Subsystems

This paper deals with the theoretical problem of derving Bayesian confidence intervals for the reliability of a system consisting of both cascade and parallel subsystems where each subsystem is independent and has an exponential failure probability density function (pdf). This approach is applicable when test data are available for each individual subsystem and not for the enfire system. The Mellin integral transform is used to analyze the system in a step-by-step procedure until the posterior pdf of the system reliability is obtained. The posterior cumulative distribution function is then obtained in the usual manner by integrating the pdf, which serves the dual purpose of yielding system reliability confidence limits while at the same time providing a check on the accuracy of the derived pdf. A computer program has been written in FORTRAN IV to evaluate the confidence limits. An example is presented which uses the computer program.
The Effects of Thermal Stress Upon Gonads of Culex Tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae)

A culture of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes was maintained in a regulated laboratory environment. Eggs were stressed at temperatures ranging from 35 to 50 °C during the time when the gonadal precursors, the pole cells, were outside the blastoderm. Of the temperatures tested, the adult survival and the number of gonads/adult was greatest at 38 °C. Stress of 39 or 40 °C decreased the survival rate and average number of gonads. Stress above 40 °C killed all eggs prior to hatching.
Response of Avian Intrapulmonary Smooth Muscle to Changes in Carbon Dioxide Concentration

Abstract How smooth muscle, at the openings of paleopulmonic parabronchi into the mediodorsal secondary bronchi, responds to changes in intrapulmonary CO2 concentrations was studied in spontaneously breathing and in paralyzed, unidirectionally ventilated ducks and geese. In the study, photographs of the parabronchi (taken through a small hole in the intercostal muscles and mediodorsal secondary bronchial wall) were analyzed. Also measured were changes in resistance to airflow through part of the lung in response to various CO2 concentrations in the ventilatory gas. There were no consistent changes in the cross-sectional area of these parabronchi to changes in concentrations of CO2 entering the lung; however, the parabronchial smooth muscle frequently contracted spontaneously. Contractions could also be readily induced by stimulating the smooth muscle mechanically or the vagus nerve electrically. None of the various bronchodilator drugs tested successfully inhibited spontaneous or mechanically induced contractions, but atropine sulfate blocked the contraction caused by vagal stimulation. Although the smooth muscle in this part of the lung can contract rapidly, it probably does not do so in response to changes in intrapulmonary CO2 concentration during eupneic breathing.
A Theoretical Justification for Using Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) to Augment Accounting-Related Interviews

ABSTRACT: In today's increasingly complex business environment, accounting firms face additional pressures regarding cost reduction, engagement scope, and attention to quality. This paper proposes that embodied conversational agents (ECAs) are particularly well suited to automate and augment accounting interviews to save costs, streamline the interviewing process, and maintain quality. An ECA is an autonomous computer interface capable of human-like interactions such as interviews. This paper describes how an ECA can be used to augment accounting-related interviews and the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. This paper also presents the ECA Self-Disclosure Model with propositions of how self-disclosure can be influenced by an ECA through reciprocal behavior and rapport building. The model and propositions are supported by the computers-as-social-actors (CASA) paradigm (Reeves and Nass 1996). This paper concludes by discussing limitations of ECA use in the real world and by recommending how the model...
Indoctrinating the Youth of Post-War Spain: A Discourse Analysis of a Fascist Civics Textbook:

During the period following the Spanish Civil War, the regime of Francisco Franco utilized an authoritative discourse rooted in Fascist ideology as a means for justifying absolute power and indoctr...
Proposed AJO-DO Resource Center on cone-beam computed tomography imaging.

As more of us get used to going online to find new information, it becomes almost routine to look for “Cochrane.org” as one of our best sources of available evidence in both medicine and dentistry. Archie Cochrane (1909-1988) was an amazing man, and I encourage you to read of his impact on the development of epidemiology as described in an editorial by Vincent G. Kokich (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2013;144:1). Cochrane's influence on the importance of credible research methods lived on after his death and led to the opening of the first Cochrane Center at Oxford in 1992 and the founding of the Cochrane Collaboration a year later. It's one thing for you as an orthodontist to know where to find the latest Cochrane systematic reviews, but I have yet to hear any patients of mine mention anything about finding that site to answer their questions. Oh yes, they are quick to mention Wikipedia and Google, but how well screened are those levels of evidence when it concerns the details of today's orthodontic care? Fortunately, our publisher, Elsevier, is very aware of the need to make it easier for our patients as well as our ownmembers to find the best information regarding the progress being made by our specialty. To help make this happen, Elsevier is working with us to establish an AJO-DO Resource Center. The first topic to be addressed will be cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Once established, other topics of interest could be added, as they have in other health care organizations. Why start with CBCT? It is a revolutionary imaging technique that has added significant value to dentistry. Patients with specific orthodontic needs—eg, impacted teeth or narrowed pharyngeal airway—benefit from 3dimensional imaging. Unlike traditional 2-dimensional
Variations in Streamflow Response to Large Hurricane-Season Storms in a Southeastern U.S. Watershed

AbstractFloods caused by hurricane storms are responsible for tremendous economic and property losses in the United States. To minimize flood damages associated with large hurricane-season storms, it is important to be able to predict streamflow amount in response to storms for a range of hydroclimatological conditions. However, this is challenging considering that streamflow response exhibits appreciable variability even for hurricane-season storms that deliver similar precipitation amounts. As such, better estimates of event responses require refined understanding of the causes of flood response variability. Here, a physically based, distributed hydrologic model and supporting hydrologic datasets are used to identify and evaluate dominant hydrologic controls on streamflow amount variability. The analysis indicates that variability in flood response in the Lake Michie watershed is primarily driven by antecedent soil moisture conditions near the land surface and evapotranspiration during postevent streamf...
Localized heating and fracture criterion for bulk metallic glasses

In this study, we demonstrated that the failure of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) results from a sudden temperature rise within a shear band. Using a shear transformation zone model, we successfully calculated the temperature within a shear band and found it consistent with the observation from an in situ infrared thermographic system. The instantaneous temperature within a shear band at fracture agrees remarkably well with the glass transition temperature (Tg providing a new criterion to determine the strength of BMGs from their Tg. This agreement also discloses the fact that catastrophic failure of BMG is caused by the sudden drop in viscosity inside the shear band when the instantaneous temperature within a shear band approaches Tg.
PHLPP-Mediated Dephosphorylation of S6K1 Inhibits Protein Translation and Cell Growth

PHLPP is a family of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases that contains PHLPP1 and PHLPP2 isoforms. We have shown previously that PHLPP functions as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating Akt signaling in cancer cells. Here we report the identification of ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) as a novel substrate of PHLPP. Overexpression of both PHLPP isoforms resulted in a decrease in S6K1 phosphorylation in cells, and this PHLPP-mediated dephosphorylation of S6K1 was independent of its ability to dephosphorylate Akt. Conversely, S6K1 phosphorylation was increased in cells depleted of PHLPP expression. Furthermore, we showed that the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) expression and insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation were significantly decreased as the result of activation of the S6K-dependent negative feedback loop in PHLPP knockdown cells. Functionally, the phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) and the amount of phosphorylated rpS6 bound to the translation initiation complex were increased in PHLPP-knockdown cells. This correlated with increased cell size, protein content, and rate of cap-dependent translation. Taken together, our results demonstrate that loss of PHLPP expression activates the S6K-dependent negative feedback loop and that PHLPP is a novel player involved in regulating protein translation initiation and cell size via direct dephosphorylation of S6K1.
System Theoretic Formalization of Social Group Processes and Optimal Evidence-Indicator Discovery

Modelers using varying levels of human driven event domain expertise and computational techniques have worked to expand computational sciences into human driven event analysis. While computational modeling efforts continue to draw new insight from statistical decision theory, control systems and machine learning, a large gap remains between what we have seen to be mostly academic endeavors and practical end-user systems. Here we describe a formal framework for treating a class of computational social scientific problems and describe an end-user driven system developed based on a two part segmentation of the social scientific evidence acquisition and modeling stages. The system is conducive to validation of results against real world data with intuitive handles for decision makers from non-academic world to respond to emerging issues in their own processes. Furthermore, the formal framework gives access to analytical handles needed for system enhancement via integration of advanced statistical inference and reasoning concepts.
Intramitochondrial transformations during oocyte maturation in the mouse.

An electron microscope study of oocyte maturation in the mouse revealed that some mitochondria undergo gradual transformation in their ultrastructural appearance. In very young oocytes these mitochondria were already found to contain vacuoles, one in each such organelle. In somewhat older oocytes more mitochondria displayed vacuoles which generally appeared to be getting larger. These intramitochondrial vacuoles were found to be essentially optically empty structures surrounded by a single membrane. In favorable sections someof the developing vacuoles had a bottle-shaped appearance, the constricted end of which was attached to the inner limiting membrane of the mitochondrion. With further maturation of the oocytes vacuoles having a pear-shaped appearance became evident. An hypothesis was presented outlining the mode of formation of these vacuoles by expansion of the individual cristae. Intramitochondrial transformations occuring during both oogenesis and spermatogenesis in mammals were reviewed.
Atomic force microscopy captures quantized plastic deformation in gold nanowires

Scanning probe microscopy has become a powerful tool to detect structural changes in small clusters of atoms. Herein, we use an atomic force microscope to measure the length of gold nanowire structures during extension and compression cycles. We have found that nanowires elongate under force in quantized steps of up to three integer multiples of 1.76 A and that they shorten spontaneously in steps of 1.52 A. Our results can be explained by the sliding of crystal planes within the gold nanowires creating stacking faults that change the local structure from face-centered cubic to hexagonal close packed. Our data also show that there can be up to three simultaneous slip events, in good agreement with the tetrahedral arrangement of slip planes in a gold crystal. These experiments provide direct evidence for the mechanism underlying the plastic deformation of a nanowire. A similar approach can be used to examine the atomic events underlying the plastic failure of other metals and their alloys.
Nodal order reduction via bilinear conformal transformation

A model order reduction process for second order systems is presented. The nodal form of electrical network governing equations is modified through a bilinear conformal transformation in the Laplace domain. Model order reduction of the transformed second order system is carried out through congruent transformation, thus preserving passivity and reciprocity of the system. Proof of concept is shown through examples of power-ground structures.
The effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on unilateral neglect of acute stroke patients: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background Rehabilitation of the unilateral neglect of acute stroke patients represents a major challenge. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the functional recovery of stroke patients with unilateral neglect. Methods Twenty patients with stroke were randomly assigned to two groups: a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation group (experimental) and a control group. The stroke patients in the experimental group underwent repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy and comprehensive rehabilitation therapy. The stroke patients in the control group underwent sham magnetic stimulation therapy and comprehensive rehabilitation therapy. The patients in both groups received therapy 5 days per week for 4 weeks. The Motor Free Visual Perception Test (MVPT), Line Bisection Test (LBT), Albert Test (AT), and Star Cancellation Test (SCT) were assessed before and after the 4-week therapy period. Results The experimental group showed a significant increase in the MVPT, LBT, AT, and SCT values compared with the preintervention values ( p p p Conclusion The current study findings indicated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may be beneficial in decreasing the unilateral neglect of stroke patients.
Inventory Turnover Of Fortune 500 Manufacturing Companies After 2001 And Its Relationship To Net Earning

In order to determine whether the largest United States manufacturers had changed their inventory policies after the terrorist attacks in 2001, averages of inventory turnover ratios of 157 manufacturing companies in the 2002 Fortune 500 list (2001 ranking) calculated for the 3-year pre-2001 (1998 to 2000) period were compared with that of the 3-year post-2001 (2002 to 2004) period in aggregate, by the 2001 Fortune 500 ranking and by industry using paired-samples t-tests. Overall results indicate that there is no significant change in inventory turnover before and after 2001. This is in contrast to the significant inventory reduction found in the two decades before 2001 as reported in previous literature. However, the finding in this study that inventory turnover is not related to net earning is consistent with other studies. Possible explanations and areas for future research are also discussed.
Consensus of Conspecific Agents via Collaborative and Antagonistic Interactions

The vast majority of the existing agent-based models of consensus consider the interactions among the agents to be collaborative. In the present work, we define superimposed stochastically-switching network topologies which capture collaborative and antagonistic interactions among the agents. We consider a general class of agents, so-called conspecifics, which encompasses a wide range of protocols explored in the literature, ranging from Erdos-Renyi random networks to numerosity-constrained networks. We find closed form expressions for necessary and sufficient conditions for consensus. We validate the main results using Monte Carlo simulations and study the consensus conditions for Erdos-Renyi networks. We find that, for certain selections of system parameters, the presence of antagonistic interactions permits consensus in systems that would not reach accordance otherwise.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Islam and Foreign Policy: The Case of Qatar

Qatar’s foreign policy dynamism has been impressive. The literature has overwhelmingly attributed this activism to Qatar’s desire for security through military alliances and soft-power. I argue that these claims remain incomplete and shortsighted because they exclude the role of Islam. I argue that the exclusion of religious factors is produced by these scholars’ unreflective view about the conceptualization of religion. This paper looks to develop a different theoretical perspective from which to look at the impact of religion on foreign policy. To this end, I use Jeremy Gunn’s conceptualization of three facets of religion—religion as belief, identity, and a way of life—to conceptualize the role of religion on foreign policy. I use Qatar’s foreign policy as an example to illustrate the problem of exclusion of religion in foreign policy analysis and how Gunn’s typology offers a richer understanding of religious factors on Qatar’s foreign policy.
Lesbian, gay, & bisexual older adults: linking internal minority stressors, chronic health conditions, and depression.

ABSTRACTObjectives: This study aims to: (1) test whether the minority stressors disclosure of sexual orientation; and (2) internalized heterosexism are predictive of chronic physical health conditions; and (3) depression; (4) to test direct and indirect relationships between these variables; and (5) whether chronic physical health conditions are further predictive of depression, net of disclosure of sexual orientation and internalized heterosexism.Methods: Secondary analysis of national, community-based surveys of 2349 lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults aged 50 and older residing in the US utilizing structural equation modeling.Results: Congruent with minority stress theory, disclosure of sexual orientation is indirectly associated with chronic physical health conditions and depression, mediated by internalized heterosexism with a suppressor effect. Internalized heterosexism is directly associated with chronic physical health conditions and depression, and further indirectly associated with depression medi...
Construct Mixology: Forming New Management Constructs by Combining Old Ones

AbstractWe review the practice of building new psychological constructs by combining older constructs (a process we refer to as construct mixology), with a focus on the impact, methodology, and substantive knowledge implications of this practice. Our review suggests that some of the most influential micro-level constructs in the field of management are either new compound constructs or old constituent constructs that have been used in some form of mixology. Furthermore, we review a range of methodological approaches that researchers have employed when conducting construct mixology over the last 30 years. These strategies range from disavowing the role of the constituent constructs to explicitly acknowledging and modeling the relationships between constituent constructs and their corresponding (superordinate) compound constructs. The scientific consequences of these approaches include both unrecognized redundancy (reinventing the wheel, or confirming classic findings without realizing it) and heightened ex...
Physiology of the Cell Surface of Neurospora Ascospores. III. Distinction Between the Adsorptive and Entrance Phases of Cation Uptake

The germination of ascospores of Neurospora tetrasperma has been shown to be inhibited by continual incubation in very small amounts of metal cations. Of these, Ag+, and p-chloromercuribenzoic acid...
Heart Rate Reduction With Ivabradine Protects Against Left Ventricular Remodeling by Attenuating Infarct Expansion and Preserving Remote‐Zone Contractile Function and Synchrony in a Mouse Model of Reperfused Myocardial Infarction

Background Ivabradine selectively inhibits the pacemaker current of the sinoatrial node, slowing heart rate. Few studies have examined the effects of ivabradine on the mechanical properties of the heart after reperfused myocardial infarction (MI). Advances in ultrasound speckle‐tracking allow strain analyses to be performed in small‐animal models, enabling the assessment of regional mechanical function. Methods and Results After 1 hour of coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion, mice received 10 mg/kg per day of ivabradine dissolved in drinking water (n=10), or were treated as infarcted controls (n=9). Three‐dimensional high‐frequency echocardiography was performed at baseline and at days 2, 7, 14, and 28 post‐MI. Speckle‐tracking software was used to calculate intramural longitudinal myocardial strain (Ell) and strain rate. Standard deviation time to peak radial strain (SD Tpeak Err) and temporal uniformity of strain were calculated from short‐axis cines acquired in the left ventricular remote zone. Ivabradine reduced heart rate by 8% to 16% over the course of 28 days compared to controls ( P <0.001). On day 28 post–MI, the ivabradine group was found to have significantly smaller end‐systolic volumes, greater ejection fraction, reduced wall thinning, and greater peak Ell and Ell rate in the remote zone, as well as globally. Temporal uniformity of strain and SD Tpeak Err were significantly smaller in the ivabradine‐treated group by day 28 ( P <0.05). Conclusions High‐frequency ultrasound speckle‐tracking demonstrated decreased left ventricular remodeling and dyssynchrony, as well as improved mechanical performance in remote myocardium after heart rate reduction with ivabradine.
Analysis of epidemiological characteristics of measles after measles vaccine supplement in the large scale in Jiading District

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of measles after measles vaccine supplement in Jiading District of Shanghai to explore the control measures for it. Methods: The measles epidemiology and control measures were analyzed with descriptive epidemiology. Results: After measles vaccine supplement in large scale in Sept 2010, the reported measles incidence declined to 0.34/100 000. But its epidemic rebounded in 2012 and increased to 3.42/100 000 again. The proportion of hospital exposure history prior to illness onset was 38.89% from 2011-2012. The reported coverage of MVS was more than 95% for the children at the age from 8 months to 14 years old, and 68 995 doses were vaccinated for adults during 2009-2012. Conclusion: Beside immunization, to eliminate measles, the sensitiveness of surveillance should be enhanced, the sources of infection be strengthened to manage, the immunization for the children younger than 8 months old and adult be improved, and at the same time, the children who were untimely vaccinated and immunity failure were protected from measles infection.
Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation

Pediatric living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has progressed remarkably, owing to developments in surgical techniques, immunosuppression, and perioperative management. This chapter focuses on the operative aspects pertaining to LDLT in the pediatric age group.