cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The processing of edge information in visual areas of the cortex as evidenced by evoked potentials.

Abstract Using averaged visually evoked potentials (VEPs), recorded from bipolar cortical electrodes, as indicators of sensory information processing, the sensitivity to stimulus differences of parafoveal and foveal striate, foveal prestriate, and inferotemporal cortex was measured in 3 rhesus monkeys. The stimuli used were a blank field and a series of 5 checkerboard patterns in which check size was varied from 2°24′ to 9′ of retinal arc subtended per check. All stimuli had equal luminance (5.0 ft.-Lamberts) and duration (9 μsec). The results of this study indicate that: (1) VEPs obtained in all of the cortical regions were sensitive to stimulus differences simultaneously at several points along the temporal continuum following the stimulus; (2) the earliest signs of sensitivity to stimulus differences in the VEPs generally appeared initially in the parafoveal striate cortex at about 70 msec post stimulus and tended to be followed in succession by foveal striate, foveal prestriate, and inferotemporal cortex; (3) sensitivity was found for at least 190 msec and as long as 400 msec after stimulus presentation for all of the cortical regions examined and was generally maintained in foveal and parafoveal striate cortex for longer periods than in foveal prestriate and inferotemporal cortex; (4) the most significant signs of sensitivity were found in the parafoveal striate cortex and a simple transformation of edge information into VEP amplitude was shown to occur there; and (5) none of the cortical regions demonstrated long-term habituation of sensitivity to stimulus differences. These data give evidence for both serial and parallel processing of edge information between and within the different regions of the primary visual and visual association cortex with an apparent focus of edge information processing in parafoveal striate cortex.
The role of the microbial stringent response in excess intracellular accumulation of phosphorous in mixed consortia fed synthetic wastewater.

Abstract Four bench-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) seeded with activated sludge were operated under either fully oxic or anoxic/oxic conditions and fed synthetic wastewater containing either peptone or acetate. The function of each reactor was assessed through the measure of (i) soluble chemical oxygen demand, orthophosphate, ammonia, and nitrate; and (ii) biomass concentrations of phosphorus, polyhydroxyalkanoate, guanosine tetraphosphate, adenosine monophosphate, adenosine diphosphate, and adenosine triphosphate. In all four reactors, the biomass concentration of phosphorous was correlated statistically with the biomass concentration of ppGpp. The microbial consortia in all four reactors removed an appreciable quantity of phosphorous from solution (67–99%), and the net quantity of phosphorous removed from solution corresponded to the net increase in the biomass concentration of phosphorous. Hence, the microbial stringent response (MSR) was associated with excess intracellular accumulation of phosphorous in mixed microbial consortia fed synthetic wastewater. With recognition of the potential role of the MSR in the removal of soluble phosphorous from wastewater, additional research may lead to further optimization of treatment technologies and the development of new treatment systems for the biological removal of phosphorus from wastewater.
Branding and Certification

Shifts in consumption practices in industrialized countries are closely linked to the rise of quality standards and their importance in the shape of what we refer to as the global food web. Increas...
Control of Pain Motivation by Cognitive Dissonance

Responses by humans to painful electric shocks are significantly modified at subjective, behavioral, and physiological levels by verbal manipulations of degree of choice and justification for further exposure to the aversive stimuli. Pain perception, learning, and galvanic skin resistance are altered under these conditions of "cognitive dissonance," as they are by reductions in voltage intensity.
Why Teach Spoken Chinese

IT IS a commonplace in modern linguistics that the spoken language i s primary and that the written language, any written language, is derived. While no linguist seriously challenges this axiom there a re a good many conscientious language teachers who fail to see its relevance; they cannot conscientiously teach the spoken language, which they consider to be of questionable utility, in place of the written language, which i s of incontestable value. If the modern linguist i s to induce any change, he must f i rs t show the relevance of a knowledge of the spoken language to the mastery of reading. A text of written Chinese consists of a continuum of Chinese characters. In modern texts this line i s broken by occasional commas o r semicolons and by periods. Unpunctuated texts a re generally limited to the classics, and for that reason extremely difficult to read. This rudimentary and unsatisfactory punctuation (commas, semi-colons and periods) is an attempt to suggest to the reader the places where the text must be broken into subsidiary grammatical structures. The spoken language is much more careful in i ts indication of grammatical juncture by the use of pause. As Professor Y. R. Chao points out, the first fracture in a simple Chinese sentence is between the subject and the predicate. In the spoken language, with very few exceptions, there is a pause between the subject and predicate; sometimes there is even a "particle of pause." An older system of purely Chinese punctuation indicated this in the writing too, but modern writing systems make no provision for this important item of grammatical information. There are other breaks almost as important: sometimes the break between a verb and an object, often the break between multiple modifiers and a noun nucleus. The correct isolation of these grammatical complexes is essential to an understanding of a continuum of the language; and in every instance the spoken language provides indications that the written language lacks. Frequently a person will be reading alone in a text and will meet a rather complex or involved grammatical structure. For
I. Found(ing) Discourses of Desire: Unfettering Female Adolescent Sexuality

This special feature takes stock of the current landscape of theory, practice and research on female adolescent sexuality in the wake of Michelle Fine’s seminal 1988 Harvard Educational Review article, ‘Sexuality, Schooling, and Adolescent Females: The Missing Discourse of Desire’. Using a bevy of feminist analyses of how the oppression of female sexuality functions as a primary force in the overall oppression of women, Fine’s paper opened many new doors for feminist scholars of sexuality. This paper interjected feminist analyses into mainstream psychology’s perspectives on sexuality as a key feature of female adolescent development and education. Relying on multiple methods that rested heavily on the voices of actual girls, in a richly contextualized ethnography Fine avoided the simplistic blaming tactics – blaming the ‘victims’, blaming the teachers – so often lurking below the surface of such research. The denial of female adolescent sexuality through the sanctioned discourses of victimization, vulnerability and morality was laid bare, and the missing discourse of girls’ sexual desire is now a significant discourse of research, theory and practice focused on girls’ sexuality. The inclusion of, indeed the reliance on, the perspectives of young women marginalized by race (African-American and Latina) and class (poor) as positive informants rather than subjects of surveillance or suspected ‘bad girls’ marked another notable turn. Fine, in offering a model for weaving together primary empirical research with policy analysis in a new and significant way, also made not-so-subtle demands on feminist scholars to find more multidimensional approaches for putting pressure on existing systems through radical scholarship. In acknowledgement of the recent 15-year anniversary of its publication, this special feature explores and illustrates the new avenues of research and theory, as well as the inclusion of new forms of practice, that have sprung from Fine’s
3-Keto-Δ4 steroid: Requirement for ovulation in Rana pipiens

Abstract Evidence is presented supporting the hypothesis that frog pituitary gonadotropins effect ovulation by stimulating synthesis of an ovulatory steroid. Lymph sac injection of 200 μg/50 g body weight of cyanoketone (2α-cyano,4,4,17α-trimethyl-17β-hydroxyandrost-5-en-3-one), a specific inhibitor of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 12–16 hours prior to excising the ovary, results in total inhibition of pituitary gonadotropin-induced ovulation in vitro, but does not affect ovulation induced by progesterone or by combinations of progesterone and pituitary extract. Pregnenolone, the normal substrate for 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, induced ovulation in vitro in normal frog ovary, but not in ovaries from cyanoketonetreated animals. Simultaneous administration of pituitary gonadotropins and cyanoketone in vitro, using normal ovarian tissue, results in much reduced ovulatory response, but not complete inhibition. It is apparent, then, that inhibition of the capacity to form 3-keto-Δ4-steroid, presumably from a 3-hydroxy-Δ5 precursor, prevents the event of ovulation.
Isolation of a factor that protects against lead inhibition of hepatic and erythrocytic uroporphyrinogen I synthetase activity

Abstract Hemolysate uroporphyrinogen (uro) I synthetase activity was found to be inhibited by lead chloride; whereas enzymatic activity in hepatic cytosol was unaffected. Dialysis of hepatic cytosol or purification of the enzyme rendered uro I synthetase activity sensitive to lead. Inhibition of uro I synthetase activity by lead was non-competitive and reversible for both hemolysate and hepatic cytosol. Using gel chromatography, a factor was separated from uro I synthetase activity in both hemolysate and hepatic cytosol that protected against lead inhibition of enzymatic activity. A higher concentration of factor was found in hepatic cytosol than in hemolysate, which provides an explanation for the differential inhibition of uro I synthetase activity by lead for these two tissues. This factor is heat stable, but is destroyed by acid, base, ashing or by preincubation with protease. No free sulfhydryl content was detected in purified factor preparations. Metallothionein, isolated from rat liver, was incapable of protecting against lead inhibition of uro I synthetase activity. These findings indicate that the factor is probably protein in nature, but that it is distinctly different from metallothionein.
Treatment of endometrial polyps

Abstract Objective: To determine the effectiveness of different treatments for abnormal uterine bleeding in women with known endometrial polyps. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the effectiveness of polypectomy and other treatments of women with abnormal uterine bleeding who had benign polyps detected by sonohysterography. Women with endometrial polyps diagnosed by sonohysterography between January 1997 and July 1998 were sent questionnaires on pretreatment and posttreatment uterine bleeding and satisfaction with their treatments. Charts were reviewed to validate questionnaire responses and determine treatments administered. Results: Seventy-eight women had endometrial polyps by sonohysterography, and 60 of them (77%) responded to the questionnaire. Two with endometrial adenocarcinoma were excluded. The average age of the remaining 58 was 49 years; 37 (64%) were premenopausal and 21 (36%) postmenopausal. The average time from treatment to follow-up was 13 months (range 5–24 months). Participants were grouped according to the following treatments: polypectomy, polypectomy plus endometrial ablation, polypectomy plus hysteroscopic myomectomy, hysterectomy, D&C, and nonsurgical treatment. The most frequent treatment was polypectomy (n = 26). Polypectomy, polypectomy plus endometrial ablation, polypectomy plus myomectomy, and hysterectomy each resulted in at least a twofold decrease in the number of bleeding days per month and led to high satisfaction rates. Conclusion: Our results showed that simple polypectomy and more invasive surgical procedures led to subjective improvement in symptoms of menorrhagia and metrorrhagia and a high satisfaction rate in women with endometrial polyps.
The 17q23 amplicon and breast cancer.

A novel region of amplification in breast tumors was recently identified on chromosome 17q23. Extensive mapping of the amplicon by Southern blotting and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in breast cancer cell lines determined that the amplicon can be up to 4 Mbp in size and may contain 50 genes. Copy number analysis at 50–75 kb resolution in breast cancer cell lines and breast tumors identified several independently amplified regions within the amplicon, suggesting that a number of genes are selected for amplification because they independently contribute to tumor formation and progression. Support for this hypothesis comes from studies demonstrating that many of the amplified genes are over-expressed in breast cancer cell lines and tumors, and that the RPS6KB1, TBX2, and PPM1D genes from the region, that are amplified and over-expressed in breast tumors and cell lines, contribute to tumor formation and/or tumor progression. In this review we summarize the structural studies of the amplicon that have been carried out, we outline the evidence implicating the RPS6KB1, TBX2, and PPM1D genes as oncogenes, and we describe some of the other candidate oncogenes from the region.
The political economy of investment: The case of pollution control technology

Abstract This paper seeks to explain the implications of corruption and political instability for firm investment in abatement technology. In our theoretical set-up, a firm has an incentive to under-invest in abatement technology in order to gain a political advantage. The prediction that emerges is that greater corruptibility increases the level of abatement technology investment. This occurs because the strategic incentive to under-invest in pollution control technology declines when policymakers become more corruptible. Moreover, the model predicts that political instability raises abatement technology investment. Using steel-sector panel data from 41 countries for the years 1992–1998, we find empirical support for these predictions.
Human paraoxonase double mutants hydrolyze V and G class organophosphorus nerve agents

Variants of human paraoxonase 1 (PON1) are being developed as catalytic bioscavengers for the organophosphorus chemical warfare agents (OP). It is preferable that the new PON1 variants have broad spectrum hydrolase activities to hydrolyze both G- and V-class OPs. H115W PON1 has shown improvements over wild type PON1 in its capacity to hydrolyze some OP compounds. We improved upon these activities either by substituting a tryptophan (F347W) near the putative active site residues for enhanced substrate binding or by reducing a bulky group (Y71A) at the periphery of the putative enzyme active site. When compared to H115W alone, we found that H115W/Y71A and H115W/F347W maintained VX catalytic efficiency but showed mixed results for the capacity to hydrolyze paraoxon. Testing our double mutants against racemic sarin, we observed reduced values of K(M) for H115W/F347W that modestly improved catalytic efficiency over wild type and H115W. Contrary to previous reports, we show that H115W can hydrolyze soman, and the double mutant H115W/Y71A is nearly 4-fold more efficient than H115W for paraoxon hydrolysis. We also observed modest stereoselectivity for hydrolysis of the P(-) stereoisomer of tabun by H115W/F347W. These data demonstrate enhancements made in PON1 for the purpose of developing an improved catalytic bioscavenger to protect cholinesterase against chemical warfare agents.
β-Amyloid 42/40 ratio and kalirin expression in Alzheimer disease with psychosis

Psychosis in Alzheimer disease differentiates a subgroup with more rapid decline, is heritable, and aggregates within families, suggesting a distinct neurobiology. Evidence indicates that greater impairments of cerebral cortical synapses, particularly in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, may contribute to the pathogenesis of psychosis in Alzheimer disease (AD) phenotype. Soluble β-amyloid induces loss of dendritic spine synapses through impairment of long-term potentiation. In contrast, the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) kalirin is an essential mediator of spine maintenance and growth in cerebral cortex. We therefore hypothesized that psychosis in AD would be associated with increased soluble β-amyloid and reduced expression of kalirin in the cortex. We tested this hypothesis in postmortem cortical gray matter extracts from 52 AD subjects with and without psychosis. In subjects with psychosis, the β-amyloid(1-42)/β-amyloid(1-40) ratio was increased, due primarily to reduced soluble β-amyloid(1-40), and kalirin-7, -9, and -12 were reduced. These findings suggest that increased cortical β-amyloid(1-42)/β-amyloid(1-40) ratio and decreased kalirin expression may both contribute to the pathogenesis of psychosis in AD.
Selective destructive demagnetization of breccias from DSDP Leg 83: a microconglomerate test

The magnetization of four breccia samples from the Leg 83 section of DSDP Hole 504B was analyzed by selective destructive demagnetization in order to study the origin and stability of hydrothermally altered basalts. The NRM directions of the clasts for three of the four samples are randomly oriented and much more strongly magnetized than the bulk sample. Clasts which were individually demagnetized show two or more components of magnetization, but neither are coincident with those of the bulk sample, indicating that NRM was probably acquired prior to the consolidation of the breccia and suggesting that any overprint (VRM or otherwise) can be removed by AF demagnetization to at most 50 Oe. Reflected light microscopy and electron microprobe analysis of two samples show that the unexpectedly high NRM of the matrix regions is apparently the result of secondary magnetic phases precipitated from hydrothermal solutions.
Sorghum, wheat and soybean production as affected by long-term tillage, crop sequence and N fertilization

Yield decline of cereals grown in monoculture may be alleviated with alternative crop management strategies. Crop rotation and optimized tillage and fertilizer management can contribute to more sustainable food and fiber production in the long-term by increasing diversity, maintaining soil organic matter (SOM), and reducing adverse effects of excessive N application on water quality. We investigated the effects of crop sequence, tillage, and N fertilization on long-term grain production on an alluvial, silty clay loam soil in southcentral Texas. Crop sequences consisted of monoculture sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench,) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr), wheat/soybean double-crop, and rotation of sorghum with wheat/soybean. Grain yields tended to be lower with no tillage (NT) than with conventional tillage (CT) early in the study and became more similar after 11 years. Nitrogen fertilizer required to produce 95% to maximum sorghum yield was similar for monoculture and rotation upon initiation of the experiment and averaged 16 and 11 mg N g-1 grain with NT and CT, respectively. After 11 years, however, the N fertilizer requirement became similar for both tillage regimes, but was greater in monoculture (17 mg N g-1 grain) than in rotation (12 mg N g-1 grain). Crop sequences with double-cropping resulted in greater land use efficiency because similar or lower amounts of N fertilizer were required to produce equivalent grain than with less intensive monoculture systems. These more intensive crop sequences produced more stover with higher N quality primarily due to the inclusion of soybean in the rotation. Large quantities of stover that remained on the soil surface with NT led to greater SOM content, which increased the internal cycling of nutrients in this soil. In southcentral Texas, where rainfall averages nearly 1000 mm yr-1, more intensive cropping of sorghum, wheat, and soybean with moderate N fertilization using reduced tillage can increase grain production and potentially decrease N losses to the environment by cycling more N into the crop-SOM system.
Outcomes of patients after aborted radical cystectomy for intraoperative findings of metastatic disease

OBJECTIVES To assess the clinical outcome of patients with bladder cancer who underwent attempted radical cystectomy (RC) with curative intent, but whose procedures were aborted due to intraoperative findings of metastatic disease, as the presence of metastatic disease at RC is associated with a poor prognosis and there are no data on the optimum management strategy in this situation. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 248 consecutive patients with bladder cancer had attempted RC at one academic institution between 1994 and 2003. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 35 patients who had an aborted RC due to intraoperative findings of metastatic disease. The pathological characteristics, time to recurrence, overall survival, disease-specific survival, and suitability for adjuvant or salvage therapies were examined. RESULTS Of the 35 patients who had an aborted RC for metastatic disease, 21 (60%) died from the disease within the study period (median time to cancer-specific death 26.4 months), 11 (31%) are alive with evidence of persistent disease or progression, and three (9%) are alive with no evidence of recurrence or progression. Seven patients had a salvage RC after successful adjuvant treatment, of whom three died from recurrent disease (at a mean of 46.5 months after initial exploration, 31.9 months after salvage RC), one is alive with bladder cancer recurrence to the rectum 10 months after salvage cystectomy, and three have no evidence of disease progression at a mean of 10 months after salvage RC. CONCLUSIONS The prognosis of patients who undergo an aborted attempt at curative RC due to intraoperative findings of metastatic disease is poor. Although a few patients might subsequently have salvage RC, many of these patients still have poor outcomes even if adjuvant treatments are used. When metastatic disease is discovered at RC, completing the cystectomy should be considered, although further studies are needed to show a clinical benefit.
Comparative Effectiveness of Audit-Feedback Versus Additional Physician Communication Training to Improve Cancer Screening for Patients with Limited Health Literacy

We designed a continuing medical education (CME) program to teach primary care physicians (PCP) how to engage in cancer risk communication and shared decision making with patients who have limited health literacy (HL). We evaluated whether training PCPs, in addition to audit-feedback, improves their communication behaviors and increases cancer screening among patients with limited HL to a greater extent than only providing clinical performance feedback. Four-year cluster randomized controlled trial. Eighteen PCPs and 168 patients with limited HL who were overdue for colorectal/breast/cervical cancer screening. Communication intervention PCPs received skills training that included standardized patient (SP) feedback on counseling behaviors. All PCPs underwent chart audits of patients’ screening status semiannually up to 24 months and received two annual performance feedback reports. PCPs experienced three unannounced SP encounters during which SPs rated PCP communication behaviors. We examined between-group differences in changes in SP ratings and patient knowledge of cancer screening guidelines over 12 months; and changes in patient cancer screening rates over 24 months. There were no group differences in SP ratings of physician communication at baseline. At follow-up, communication intervention PCPs were rated higher in general communication about cancer risks and shared decision making related to colorectal cancer screening compared to PCPs who only received performance feedback. Screening rates increased among patients of PCPs in both groups; however, there were no between-group differences in screening rates except for mammography. The communication intervention did not improve patient cancer screening knowledge. Compared to audit and feedback alone, including PCP communication training increases PCP patient-centered counseling behaviors, but not cancer screening among patients with limited HL. Larger studies must be conducted to determine whether lack of changes in cancer screening were due to clinic/patient sample size versus ineffectiveness of communication training to change outcomes.
Aerobic digestion reduces the quantity of antibiotic resistance genes in residual municipal wastewater solids

Numerous initiatives have been undertaken to circumvent the problem of antibiotic resistance, including the development of new antibiotics, the use of narrow spectrum antibiotics, and the reduction of inappropriate antibiotic use. We propose an alternative but complimentary approach to reduce antibiotic resistant bacteria by implementing more stringent technologies for treating municipal wastewater, which is known to contain large quantities of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, we investigated the ability of conventional aerobic digestion to reduce the quantity of ARGs in untreated wastewater solids. A bench-scale aerobic digester was fed untreated wastewater solids collected from a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment facility. The reactor was operated under semi-continuous flow conditions for more than 200 days at a residence time of approximately 40 days. During this time, the quantities of tet(A), tet(W), and erm(B) decreased by more than 90%. In contrast, intI1 did not decrease, and tet(X) increased in quantity by 5-fold. Following operation in semi-continuous flow mode, the aerobic digester was converted to batch mode to determine the first-order decay coefficients, with half-lives ranging from as short as 2.8 days for tet(W) to as long as 6.3 days for intI1. These results demonstrated that aerobic digestion can be used to reduce the quantity of antibiotic resistance genes in untreated wastewater solids, but that rates can vary substantially depending on the reactor design (i.e., batch versus continuous-flow) and the specific ARG.
Lattice gas theory of ionic conductivity

The ionic conductivity is calculated for a solid in which the ions are undergoing an order-disorder phase transition. The interacting ion system is described by a lattice gas with a weak hopping term. Exact results are obtained in one and two dimensions by using the exact results known for the Ising model. The calculated theoretical conductivity agrees very well with the temperature dependence found experimentally.
Adenovirus Fiber Disrupts CAR-Mediated Intercellular Adhesion Allowing Virus Escape

Adenovirus binds its receptor (CAR), enters cells, and replicates. It must then escape to the environment to infect a new host. We found that following infection, human airway epithelia first released adenovirus to the basolateral surface. Virus then traveled between epithelial cells to emerge on the apical surface. Adenovirus fiber protein, which is produced during viral replication, facilitated apical escape. Fiber binds CAR, which sits on the basolateral membrane where it maintains tight junction integrity. When fiber bound CAR, it disrupted junctional integrity, allowing virus to filter between the cells and emerge apically. Thus, adenovirus exploits its receptor for two important but distinct steps in its life cycle: entry into host cells and escape across epithelial barriers to the environment.
System Design for Cognitive Radio Conmunications

The rising number and capacity requirements of radio systems bring about an increasing demand for frequency spectrum. Cognitive radio offers a tempting solution to this problem by proposing opportunistic usage of frequency bands that are not occupied by their licensed users. Since it is a rather new concept, there is no consensus on the practical implementation of cognitive radio communications. In this paper, a comprehensive system design for cognitive radio is presented. The details of spectrum sensing and dynamic spectrum shaping, which constitute the basics of opportunistic spectrum usage, are given. It is proposed to transmit the spectrum sensing related information via on-off keying (OOK) modulated ultrawideband (UWB). The limits on the range of one-to-one cognitive communications are discussed. A processing gain based approach that leads to an increased range for cognitive networks is proposed. Different signaling options for the real data communications are given, and among these options an impulse radio that employs raised cosine filters is investigated in detail.
Eradication of polio in the Americas.

THERE IS good reason to believe that we are on the threshold of eradicating poliomyelitis from the Americas. There has not been a case of paralysis due to wild poliovirus identified in the Western Hemisphere for well over a year, the last identified case being in Peru in September 1991. However, many countries have been free of poliovirus for much longer. Since 1979 the United States has had no cases, except for the rare ones due to the live vaccine and an occasional imported case. The southern cone countries (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay) have had no cases for 4 years or more, and the Caribbean islands and Costa Rica have equally good records. For editorial comment see p 1859. This most gratifying situation is the result of the decision in 1985 of the Pan American Health Organization to mount a campaign to eradicate polio. The success of the campaign
Autonomic correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder in preschool children

Numerous studies have revealed autonomic underarousal in conduct-disordered adolescents and antisocial adults. It is unknown, however, whether similar autonomic markers are present in at-risk preschoolers. In this study, the authors compared autonomic profiles of 4- to 6-year-old children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD; n = 18) with those of age-matched controls (n = 20). Children with ADHD and ODD exhibited fewer electrodermal responses and lengthened cardiac preejection periods at baseline and during reward. Although group differences were not found in baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia, heart rate changes among ADHD and ODD participants were mediated exclusively by parasympathetic withdrawal, with no independent sympathetic contribution. Heart rate changes among controls were mediated by both autonomic branches. These results suggest that at-risk preschoolers are autonomically similar to older externalizing children.
PATTERNS OF X-RAY, CHROMOSPHERIC, AND RADIO EMISSION IN LOW-MASS STARS: FAST AND SLOW MAGNETIC RECONNECTION

Magnetic reconnection events in the atmospheres of low-mass dwarf stars can be classified as either slow or fast, depending on whether ohmic diffusion or Hall currents dominate in the reconnection process. We suggest that the separation of reconnection into slow and fast categories can help to explain some systematics of low-mass dwarfs as regards their emissions in X-rays, Hα, and radio. On the one hand, in the warmer dwarfs ( M7) are inefficient emitters in Hα and X-rays but strong emitters in radio, may be understood in the context that only slow reconnection is permitted to occur in those stars, as a result of high electrical resistivity. However, even though only slow reconnection is permitted in the latter stars, the speed of the outflow jets from reconnection sites can serve as efficient sources of radio emission as a result of the electron cyclotron maser instability.
On the convergence of an estimation of distribution algorithm based on linkage discovery and factorization

Estimation of distribution algorithms construct an explicit model of the problem to be solved, and then use this model to guide the search for good solutions. For an important class of fitness functions, namely those with k-bounded epistasis, it is possible to construct a complete explicit representation of the fitness function by sampling the fitness function. A very natural model of the problem to be solved is the Boltzmann distribution of the fitness function, which is an exponential of the fitness normalized to a probability distribution. As the exponentiation factor (inverse temperature) of the Boltzmann distribution is increased, probability is increasingly concentrated on the set of optimal points. We show that for fitness functions of k-bounded epistasis that satisfy an additional property called the running intersection property, an explicit computable exact factorization of the Boltzmann distribution with an arbitrary exponentiation factor can be constructed. This factorization allows the Boltzmann distribution to be efficiently sampled, which leads to an algorithm which finds the optimum with high probability.
The Role of Executive Time Horizons in State Response to AIDS in Africa

In this article the author argues that politicians’ time horizons affect the differing levels of state intervention against AIDS. Using data measuring government spending, AIDS policy, and political constraints, the author tests the presumption that the leader of a country can determine a country’s level of AIDS intervention. She looks at countries in eastern and southern Africa to explore the relationship between political institutions that constrain an executive’s time horizon (i.e., competitive elections) and the level of the state’s efforts in the fight against AIDS. Her primary hypothesis is that an executive with a shorter time horizon is less likely to create policy or devote resources to intervene against AIDS. The author finds that lengthening an executive’s time horizon increases the level of government spending on health but that executives with shorter time horizons tended to have more comprehensive AIDS policy than their counterparts with longer time horizons.
Effect of Potent γ-Secretase Modulator in Human Neurons Derived From Multiple Presenilin 1–Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Mutant Carriers

Importance Although considerable effort has been expended developing drug candidates for Alzheimer disease, none have yet succeeded owing to the lack of efficacy or to safety concerns. One potential shortcoming of current approaches to Alzheimer disease drug discovery and development is that they rely primarily on transformed cell lines and animal models that substantially overexpress wild-type or mutant proteins. It is possible that drug development failures thus far are caused in part by the limits of these approaches, which do not accurately reveal how drug candidates will behave in naive human neuronal cells. Objective To analyze purified neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells from patients carrying 3 different presenilin 1 ( PS1 ) mutations and nondemented control individuals in the absence of any overexpression. We tested the efficacy of γ-secretase inhibitor and γ-secretase modulator (GSM) in neurons derived from both normal control and 3 PS1 mutations (A246E, H163R, and M146L). Design, Setting, and Participants Adult human skin biopsies were obtained from volunteers at the Alzheimer Disease Research Center, University of California, San Diego. Cell cultures were treated with γ-secretase inhibitor or GSM. Comparisons of total β-amyloid (Aβ) and Aβ peptides 38, 40, and 42 in the media were made between vehicle- vs drug-treated cultures. Main Outcomes and Measures Soluble Aβ levels in the media were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results As predicted, mutant PS1 neurons exhibited an elevated Aβ42:Aβ40 ratio ( P Conclusions and Relevance This biomarker discrepancy is likely due to overexpression of amyloid precursor protein in the transformed cellular models. Our results suggest that biomarker signatures obtained with such models are misleading and that human neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells provide a unique signature that will more accurately reflect drug response in human patients and in cerebrospinal fluid biomarker changes observed during GSM treatment.
A semi‐empirical model of methane emission from flooded rice paddy soils

Reliable regional or global estimates of methane emissions from flooded rice paddy soils depend on an examination of methodologies by which the current high variability in the estimates might be reduced. One potential way to do this is the development of predictive models. With an understanding of the processes of methane production, oxidation and emission, a semi-empirical model, focused on the contributions of rice plants to the processes and also the influence of environmental factors, was developed to predict methane emission from flooded rice fields. A simplified version of the model was also derived to predict methane emission in a more practical manner. In this study, it was hypothesized that methanogenic substrates are primarily derived from rice plants and added organic matter. Rates of methane production in flooded rice soils are determined by the availability of methanogenic substrates and the influence of environmental factors. Rice growth and development control the fraction of methane emitted. The amount of methane transported from the soil to the atmosphere is determined by the rates of production and the emitted fraction. Model validation against observations from single rice growing seasons in Texas, USA demonstrated that the seasonal variation of methane emission is regulated by rice growth and development. A further validation of the model against measurements from irrigated rice paddy soils in various regions of the world, including Italy, China, Indonesia, Philippines and the United States, suggests that methane emission can be predicted from rice net productivity, cultivar character, soil texture and temperature, and organic matter amendments.
Liver transplantation for cryptogenic cirrhosis

End-stage liver disease secondary to cryptogenic cirrhosis is the indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in 7% to 14% of recipients. However, there are no reports documenting the outcome of OLT for this indication. The aim of this study was to determine (1) survival and (2) the incidence of histological recurrence of cryptogenic cirrhosis after OLT. Between March 1985 and December 1994, 560 OLTs were performed at our institution. Of these, 39 transplants for cryptogenic cirrhosis were in patients who met the following criteria: antinuclear antibody < 1:40; negative anti-smooth muscle antibody, antimitochondrial antibody, polymerase chain reaction for hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B surface antigen results; normal ceruloplasmin and alpha-1 antitrypsin phenotype; transferrin saturation < 65%; and liver biopsy specimen not suggestive of hemochromatosis or other known disorders. Histological recurrence was assessed with protocol liver biopsies in all patients who survived longer than 6 months. The mean age of cryptogenic recipients at the time of transplantation was significantly lower (40.6 years; range, 3 to 63 years) than that of noncryptogenic recipients (48.5 years; range, 1-70; P < .03). Median modified Child's-Pugh score was slightly higher for cryptogenic recipients at the time of transplantation (10.0 + 0.08 standard error of mean [SEM]), than for the noncryptogenic recipients (9.0 + 0.03 SEM; P < .02). Actuarial survival was 72% (+ 0.07 SEM) at 1 and 58% (+ 0.08 SEM) at 5 years for cryptogenic recipients compared with 89% at 1 and 80% at 5 years for noncryptogenic recipients. The difference in survival was significant (P < .001) at both 1 and 5 years. Among the 27 cryptogenic recipients surviving more than 6 months (mean follow-up, 5.5 years), 6 have persistent hepatitis histologically without apparent infectious, vascular, biliary, or drug origins. Four patients (15%) had chronic active hepatitis, and 2 (7%) had steatohepatitis. No cases of recurrent cryptogenic cirrhosis were seen. OLT for cryptogenic cirrhosis is associated with a poor outcome compared with other indications, hepatitis of uncertain origin occurred in 22% of cryptogenic recipients surviving longer than 6 months, and no evidence of recurrence of cryptogenic cirrhosis was seen thus far in follow-up.
CULTURE IN NONHUMAN PRIMATES

▪ Abstract Cultural primatology is hypothesized on the basis of social learning of group-specific behavior by nonhuman primates, especially in nature. Scholars ask different questions in testing this idea: what? (anthropologists), how? (psychologists), and why? (zoologists). Most evidence comes from five genera: Cebus (capuchin monkeys), Macaca (macaque monkeys), Gorilla (gorilla), Pongo (orangutan), and Pan (chimpanzees). Two species especially, Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), show innovation, dissemination, standardization, durability, diffusion, and tradition in both subsistence and nonsubsistence activities, as revealed by decades of longitudinal study.
Endurance training-induced changes in insulin sensitivity and gene expression

The beneficial effects of regular physical activity on insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose tolerance are well documented, with considerable heterogeneity in responsiveness to exercise training (ET...
From Helicopter Parent to Valued Partner: Shaping the Parental Relationship for Student Success.

Parents of college students influence the transition experiences of their sons and daughters, and they also experience significant transitions of their own.
Fibrillar Collagen Regulation of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Is Involved in Altered Smooth Muscle Cell Migration

Objective— Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) cultured on polymerized type I collagen fibrils are arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and their phenotypic markers and pattern of expressed genes are markedly altered. In this study, we examined polymerized collagen regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 and its involvement in SMC migration. Methods and Results— We demonstrate that secretion and cell surface accumulation of PAI-1 are suppressed in SMCs cultured on polymerized collagen compared with SMCs cultured on monomer collagen. SMCs replated on vitronectin after culture on monomer collagen result in PAI-1 accumulation at focal adhesions and colocalization with αvβ3 integrins. In contrast, polymerized collagen inhibits PAI-1 accumulation at focal adhesions when the SMCs are replated on vitronectin. Furthermore, for SMCs cultured on polymerized collagen, platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated migration on vitronectin is enhanced by PAI-1, with its function counteracted by urinar...
Foreign Policy Analysis in the Twenty-First Century: Back to Comparison, Forward to Identity and Ideas

Current research in foreign policy analysis (FPA) is vibrant and multidimensional; it bridges gaps with adjacent disciplines, the policymaking community, and the larger field of international relations. Consistent with the purpose of this symposium, this essay will identify two general directions in which contemporary research on foreign policy is likely to proceed: (1) returning to being more comparative in nature, and (2) developing a connection between constructivist research on identity and ideas and previous work in FPA. These directions are intended to be partly corrective in purpose as well as partly projective. A key goal is to project some emerging trends, although an attempt will be made to draw the distinction between what is already being done and the direction research will likely move in the future. This effort is unabashedly normative as well, given that it presents the author's preferences for the particular research topics that the field should pursue. One of the most disappointing features of contemporary FPA is the relative dearth of comparative studies. If a researcher wants to investigate many of the traditional factors that explain foreign policy—factors such as a state's position in the international system, the role of public opinion, political culture, state-society relations, and the impact of governmental organization—it is necessary to compare foreign policies across time, space, and issues to understand the general explanatory power of these various influences on governments' behavior. Policy questions demand this type of comparative knowledge. In the international debate over policy toward Iraq in late 2002 and early 2003, for example, one underlying question was: “What explains the French position as compared to the British position as compared to the German position as compared to the Turkish position?” The answers to this question were central to an understanding of the origin and outcome of the transatlantic division …
MPTP Parkinsonism in the Cat: Pattern of Neuronal Loss May Partially be Explained by the Distribution of MAO-B in the Brain

Recently, it has been shown that administration of l-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to cats produces a parkinsonian syndrome consisting of akinesia, rigidity, postural tremor, and decreased responsiveness to sensory stimulation (Schneider et al., 1986). While animals eventually recover from this behavioral syndrome (Schneider et al., 1986), the majority of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) cells are irreversibly damaged. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry and cresyl violet Nissl substance staining demonstrate an extensive loss of SNc cells even five months after initial MPTP treatment at a time when the animal appears to have recovered much of its behavioral functions (Schneider and Markham, 1986). While the damage to the SNc is the most prominent feature of the MPTP-induced disorder, other mesencephalic dopamine cell groups also sustain damage. The retrorubral (A-8) dopamine cell group located dorsal to the SNc experiences a much more moderate loss of neurons while the ventral tegmental area (VTA) appears to receive only reversible damage (as evidenced by an acute decrease in TH immunoreactivity within the first few weeks following MPTP administration and an eventual return of staining) (Fig. 1).
Flow metering characterization within an electrical cell counting microfluidic device

Microfluidic devices based on the Coulter principle require a small aperture for cell counting. For applications using such cell counting devices, the volume of the sample also needs to be metered to determine the absolute cell count in a specific volume. Hence, integrated methods to characterize and meter the volume of a fluid are required in these microfluidic devices. Here, we present fluid flow characterization and electrically-based sample metering results of blood through a measurement channel with a cross-section of 15 μm × 15 μm (i.e. the Coulter aperture). Red blood cells in whole blood are lysed and the remaining fluid, consisting of leukocytes, erythrocyte cell lysate and various reagents, is flown at different flow rates through the measurement aperture. The change in impedance across the electrodes embedded in the counting channel shows a linear relationship with the increase in the fluid flow rate. We also show that the fluid volume can be determined by measuring the decrease in pulse width, and increase in number of cells as they pass through the counting channel per unit time.