cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GABA(C) receptors modulate the rod-driven ERG b-wave of the skate retina.

Studies characterizing the types of GABA receptors present on cells isolated from the skate retina have allowed us to develop a working model of possible GABA interactions at the level of the outer plexiform layer (OPL). Earlier studies have shown an electrogenic GABA transport mechanism in horizontal cells presents a source of GABA in the OPL which could modulate feedback onto photoreceptors. GABA(A) receptors on Muller cells, or GABA(A) and/or GABA(C) receptors on bipolar cells. This model has been used for the interpretation of results of experiments in this study designed to test the role these interactions may exert on the electroretinogram (ERG). Simultaneous intracellular recording of the horizontal cell response (the S-potential) was used to monitor effects on photoreceptor transmitter release which would be altered if GABAergic photoreceptor feedback mechanisms were involved. Picorotoxin (50 microM), a chloride channel blocker which suppresses the responses of both GABA(A)Rs and GABA(C)Rs, reduced the ON (b-wave) component of the ERG substantially. Simultaneous intracellular horizontal cell recordings, however, showed no effect on their light-evoked response, suggesting that photoreceptor feedback is not involved in the picrotoxin effect on the ERG. On the other hand, even 100 microM bicuculline, a GABA(A)R antagonist produced no change in either the ERG or the horizontal cell response. This observation leads to the conclusion that the GABAARs on Miller cells and bipolar cells are not involved. Thus, there remains a distinct possibility that the ERG changes produced by picrotoxin are due to its ability to block the GABA(C)Rs on retinal bipolar cells.
Occurrence and partitioning behavior of perfluoroalkyl acids in wastewater effluent discharging into the Long Island Sound.

Abstract Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) were measured in aqueous and suspended particulate matter (SPM) fractions in the final effluents from 12 wastewater treatment facilities located around the Connecticut shoreline. Aqueous phase concentrations ranged from 53 to 198 ng/L for ∑PFAAs with ≤7 perfluorinated carbons (CF2) and 2–73 ng/L for >7 CF2 PFAAs. Predominant PFAAs associated with effluent derived SPM were perfluorodecanoic acid and perflurorooctane sulfonic acid, detected in 48% and 52% of samples in concentrations ranging from 7 CF2 PFAAs. Partitioning coefficients (log KOC) derived for effluent water and SPM phases (4.2 ± 0.3, 4.4 ± 0.4, 5.1 ± 0.2 and 5.3 ± 0.2 for PFOA, PFNA PFDA and PFUnA; 4.5 ± 0.2 and 5.2 ± 0.2 for PFOS and PFHsX respectively) were found to be of similar magnitude to aeration tank particles, though 0.5 to 2 log units greater than sludge solids and to natural system particulates including riverine SPM, estuarine SPM and sediments. Results from this study suggest that effluent derived suspended particulate matter could be an effective vector in the transport of long-chained PFAAs through wastewater treatment into receiving waters, and a potential vector to the local food chain.
Water intake and hydration state in children.

Although low water intake has been associated with adverse health outcomes, available literature indicated that the majority of children do not meet the water intake guidelines and they are underhydrated based on elevated hydration biomarkers. This review examined the water intake habits and hydration status in children from 32 observational studies (n = 36813). PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL were used to identify relevant articles. Total water/fluid intake from 25 countries was compared with water intake recommendations and underhydration (urine osmolality greater than 800 mmol kg−1) was assessed. Risk of bias was assessed using customized categories following the review guideline for observational studies. From 32 studies, only 11 studies reported both water intake and hydration status. 12 out of 24 studies reported mean/median water/fluid intake below the guidelines, while 4 out of 13 studies that assessed hydration status indicated underhydration based on urine osmolality (greater than 800 mmol kg−1). Among the 19 countries that reported comparison of water/fluid intake with guidelines, 60 ± 24% of children (range 10–98%) failed to meet them. These findings suggest that children are not consuming enough water to be adequately hydrated.
STENT MIGRATION DURING ENDOVASCULAR STENTING IN SUPERIOR VENA CAVA SYNDROME IN A PATIENT WITH RECENT HEART TRANSPLANTATION

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is a group of symptoms that result from mechanical obstruction in the superior vena cava. It can result from multiple catheterizations of the venous system or a complication of heart transplant surgery. A 59-year-old male with a history of non-ischemic
Downwind chlorine hazard estimates for the 2015-2016 Jack Rabbit II campaign

We present estimates of the downwind inhalation health hazard to humans arising from large-scale releases of pressurised liquefied chlorine based on data from the Jack Rabbit II chlorine dispersion field campaign. For chlorine releases in the range of 7 to 9 metric tons, lethal, severe, and mild health effects are expected up to 1 km, between 2 and 5 km, and more than 11 km downwind from the release, respectively. The AEGL-3, AEGL-2, and AEGL-1 acute inhalation hazard thresholds are expected to be exceeded between 2 and 5 km, up to 11 km, and beyond 11 km downwind from the release, respectively. Since these hazard distance estimates are based on chlorine concentrations that were directly measured (i.e., not modelled), their accuracy depends only on the quality of the health effects models, and not on the quality of any atmospheric transport and dispersion model or container release (chemical source term) model.
Physiological and genetic differences between low and high index dairy cows

Selection of dairy cattle for increased milk production has decreased some indices of reproductive efficiency. For example, days open are increased by one day for every 100 kg of increased milk yield per lactation. Some of the change in days open can be explained by delayed onset of oestrous cyclicity and lower conception rate to artificial insemination in cows with greater milk production. Despite these negative associations between milk production and reproduction, reproduction in herds of high producing dairy cattle is not necessarily compromised relative to reproduction in herds of low producing dairy cattle. This is because there is a large environmental effect on dairy reproduction. High producing herds generally have better management and better oestrous detection. Therefore, high producing dairy herds may partially overcome the antagonistic relationship between milk production and reproduction. Physiological mechanisms that lead to poorer reproduction in high producing cows are partially defined. Negative energy balance that occurs in high producing dairy cows can be associated with a delay in the initiation of ovarian cycles and the interval to first breeding. Many of the effects of negative energy balance on postpartum reproduction can be explained by decreased serum luteinizing hormone (LH) that is associated with negative energy balance. Serum LH increases as cows move toward positive energy balance and greater LH stimulates growth and ovulation of ovarian follicles. We have initiated studies to address physiological differences in high and low index dairy cows. The reproductive endocrinology of cows from a control line (5,900 kg milk/lactation) and a select line (10,900 kg milk/lactation) of dairy cows at the University of Minnesota was studied over a two-year period. Cows in Year 1 were similar for serum concentrations of LH, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and oestradiol (preovulatory period). In both years, serum concentrations of progesterone during luteal phases, however, were decreased in select cows. The Year 2 cows also had a delay in the return to oestrous cyclicity that was associated with reduced LH. The possibility that decreased progesterone causes infertility in dairy cows will require further study. Collectively, these data suggest that changes in blood progesterone concentrations may explain, partially, lower fertility in high index dairy cows.
COMET: Distributed Metadata Service for Multi-cloud Experiments

A majority of today’s cloud services are independently operated by individual cloud service providers. In this approach, the locations of cloud resources are strictly constrained by the distribution of cloud service providers’ sites. As the popularity and scale of cloud services increase, we believe this traditional paradigm is about to change toward further federated services, a.k.a., multi-cloud, due to the improved performance, reduced cost of compute, storage and network resources, as well as increased user demands. In this paper, we present COMET, a lightweight, distributed storage system for managing metadata on large scale, federated cloud infrastructure providers, end users, and their applications (e.g. HTCondor Cluster or Hadoop Cluster). We showcase use case from NSF’s, Chameleon, ExoGENI and JetStream research cloud testbeds to show the effectiveness of COMET design and deployment.
Deep flow-net for EPI distortion estimation

Abstract Introduction Geometric distortions along the phase encoding direction caused by off-resonant spins are a major issue in EPI based functional and diffusion imaging. The widely used blip up/down approach estimates the underlying distortion field from a pair of images with inverted phase encoding direction. Typically, iterative methods are used to find a solution to the ill-posed problem of finding the displacement field that maps up/down acquisitions onto each other. Here, we explore the use of a deep convolutional network to estimate the displacement map from a pair of input images. Methods We trained a deep convolutional U-net architecture that was previously used to estimate optic flow between moving images to learn to predict the distortion map from an input pair of distorted EPI acquisitions. During the training step, the network minimizes a loss function (similarity metric) that is calculated from corrected input image pairs. This approach does not require the explicit knowledge of the ground truth distortion map, which is difficult to get for real life data. Results We used data from a total of Ntrain ​= ​22 healthy subjects to train our network. A separate dataset of Ntest ​= ​12 patients including some with abnormal findings and unseen acquisition modes, e.g. LR-encoding, coronal orientation) was reserved for testing and evaluation purposes. We compared our results to FSL’s topup function with default parameters that served as the gold standard. We found that our approach results in a correction accuracy that is virtually identical to the optimum found by an iterative search, but with reduced computational time. Conclusion By using a deep convolutional network, we can reduce the processing time to a few seconds per volume, which is significantly faster than iterative approaches like FSL’s topup which takes around 10min on the same machine (but using only 1 CPU). This facilitates the use of a blip up/down scheme for all diffusion-weighted acquisitions and potential real-time EPI distortion correction without sacrificing accuracy.
Transformation of CMML to AML presenting with acute kidney injury

Characterized by bone marrow dysplasia and peripheral blood monocytosis, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is one of the most aggressive chronic leukemias and has a propensity for progression ...
A Distributed Model-Free Ride-Sharing Algorithm with Pricing using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Modern-day ride-sharing platforms leave out drivers and customers in the decision-making process of the rides in terms of vehicle-customer matching as well as pricing. We propose a model-free Distributed Pricing-based Ride-sharing with pooling (DPRS) framework with reinforcement utility functions for both customers and drivers. The framework allows (1) drivers to choose their convenient ride based on the expected reward for this ride as well as the destination locations for future rides influenced by the supply-demand computed by the Deep Q-network, (2) customers to accept or reject rides based on their preferred pricing window, timing preferences, type of the vehicle, and convenient number of people to car pool with, (3) customer to be added to the ride queue if she/he rejects the price initiated by the driver, and (4) Influencing vehicle-passenger matching and dispatching based on prices through reinforcement learning (RL). Through our simulation of multi-agent ride-sharing with pooling platform, we show that performance of the platform significantly improved in terms of accept rate, profits of both the customers and drivers, and reduction of travel distance as well as idle time in between rides for drivers with similar profits, when compared to the state of the art ride-sharing settings that don’t consider pricing strategies or potential hotspot locations.
Rule Based Model for Power Peaks of Overlapped PV Arrays

Photovoltaic arrays with overlapped bypass diodes have dissimilar characteristics in comparison to normal-bypass diodes arrays. Investigation of partially shaded PV arrays with overlapped bypass diodes is more intricate because of the presence of shared PV cells linked antiparallel to bypass diodes. Calculating the power-peaks of partially shaded PV arrays is time consuming due to the need for simulating the entire power curve which could take hours as demonstrated in recent studies. While there are deterministic power peaks estimators for PV arrays with normal diodes, there is still no available tool to calculate the power peaks of overlapped PV arrays. In this paper, a deterministic modelling approach for the power peaks of overlapped bypass diodes photovoltaic arrays is developed. By using three developed rules, a set of mathematical equations, based on LAMBERT W function, are derived to estimate the power peaks of overlapped bypass diodes PV arrays. The developed method is fast and capable of locating the power peaks accurately with no need to model the entire Power-Voltage curve. The efficiency of the proposed modeling approach is validated utilizing Simulink and experimentally.
School Counselors’ Knowledge, Actions, and Recommendations for Addressing Social Determinants of Health With Students, Families, and in Communities:

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are living conditions that influence mental and physical health. The American School Counselor Association provides school counselors with guidance for addressi...
More than Words: Securitization and Policymaking in the Canadian Arctic under Stephen Harper

This analysis examines the actions taken by the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper between 2006 and 2015 in drawing attention to Canada’s Arctic territory through the lens of securitizatio...
Accurate layout area and delay modeling for system level design

The problem of estimating design quality measures to accurately reflect design tradeoffs and efficiently explore the design space is discussed. Specifically, interest is centered on predicting the layout area and delay of a given structural RT level design. Clearly, current RT level cost measures are highly simplified and do not reflect the real physical design. In order to establish a more realistic assessment of layout effects, a layout model which accurately and efficiently accounts for the effects of wiring and floorplanning on the area and performance layout of RT level designs is proposed. Benchmarking has shown that this model is quite accurate. >
Post-Marketing Analysis of Peripheral Neuropathy Burden with Newer Generation Proteasome Inhibitors Using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Mina et al. Peripheral Neuropathy and Proteasome Inhibitors

Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) are an integral component of multiple myeloma therapies. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a well-known consequence of PIs, most frequently reported with earlier generations such as Bortezomib (BTZ). There is a paucity of data highlighting the risk of developing PN in the newer generation PIs Carfilzomib (CFZ) and Ixazomib (IZB). This study queried reports of PN reported with all three PIs using the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event (AE) Reporting System (FAERS). Signal disproportionality analysis was reported using a reporting odds ratio (ROR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). PN was reported in a total of 2.1%, 5.0%, and 10.9% of AE with CFZ, IZB, and BTZ, respectively. The ROR (95% CI) for peripheral neuropathy secondary to BTZ, CFZ, and IZB was 34.10 (32.76-35.49), 6.37 (5.50-7.37), and 14.97 (13.63-16.44) respectively. Compared to BTZ, CFZ and IZB have a lower rate of reported PN, with RORs of 0.19 (0.16-0.22) and 0.48 (0.43-0.54), respectively.
Preparation, Structure Elucidation, Spectral Characterization Biological Evaluation and Anticancer Activity of Novel Binary Transition Metal Complexes Derived From Ortho Amino Benzo Hydroxamic Acid

Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Zinc acetate salts are reacted with Ortho-amino benzo hydroxamic acid (OABH) in ethanol generate tetra co-ordinate complexes with formula [M (II) (OABH) (H2O)] called as binary metal complex. Characterisation of binary metal complexes are further calculated by IR, UV-VIS, ESR, microanalysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility, mass spectra and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA).M (II) being co-ordinate by tri- dentate OABH ligand and complexes are found to be mononuclear where it is checked by experimental data through enolic oxygen, amino and the azomethine nitrogen atoms. Spectral data of UV-Vis and magnetic susceptibility have recommended the novel metal complexes shows square planar and tetrahedral geometry .Complexes are tested for their abilities in biological activity. Antimicrobial tests of the ligand and novel binary complexes have been carried out. The outcome was evaluate with some well-known antibiotics. Synthesized metal complexes are appraise for the anticancer activity in cancer cells that posses A549 (lung cancer, CCL-185), SKNSH (Human neuro blastoma cancer, CCL-131) and Hela (cervical cancer, CCL-2) gives much more promising candidate to aim further structure activity based studies.
Flight experiments using the front-side control technique during piloted approach and landing in a powered lift STOL aircraft

The essential features of using pitch attitude for glidepath control in conjunction with longitudinal thrust modulation for speed control are described, using a simple linearized model for a powered-lift STOL aircraft operating on the backside of the drag curve and at a fixed setting of propulsive lift. It is shown that an automatic speed-hold system incorporating heave-damping augmentation can allow use of the front-side control technique with satisfactory handling qualities, and the results of previous flight investigations are reviewed. Manual control considerations, as they might be involved following failure of the automatic system, are emphasized. The influence of alternative cockpit controller configurations and flight-director display features were assessed for their effect on the control task, which consisted of a straight-in steep approach flown at constant speed in simulated instrument conditions.
Neoliberalism and the Global Restructuring of Knowledge and Education

Introduction: The Contemporary Politics of Knowing and Learning 1. Changing the Soul: The Contours, Currents and Contradictions of the Neoliberal Revolution 2. The Machinations of the Managerialism: New Public Management and the Diminishing Power of Knowledge Professionals 3. The Neoliberalization of Knowledge: Privatization and the New Epistemic Economy 4. The New Marketplace of Ideas: The New Knowledge Makers and their New Knowledge 5. Creating the Clever Country: Neoliberalism, Knowledge Society Policies and the Restructuring of Higher Education 6. "An Island of Socialism in a Free Market Sea:" Building the Market-Oriented School 7. Aligning Markets and Minds: The Responsiblized Self in the New Entrepreneurial Culture
Redefining literacy and basics

The development of functional communication competence in children must center on more than reading and writing; children must develop competencies related to a broad array of communication situations involving speaking and listening as well. Five functions of communication—controlling, sharing feelings, informing, ritualizing, and imagining—are offered as the communication focus of a language arts program. An effective instrumental program should enable children to expand their repertoire of communication acts, to sharpen their criteria for selection from among communication acts, to perfect their skills in implementing strategic choices, and to increase their accuracy in assessing the effects of their communication attempts.
Scene Memory on Competitively Growing Neural Network Using Temporal Coding: Self-organized Learning and Glance Recognizability

We have been building the competitively growing neural network using temporal coding for quick one-shot object learning and glance object recognition, which is the core of our saliency-based scene memory model. This neural network represents objects using latency-based temporal coding and grows size and recognizability through learning and self-organization. This paper shows that self-organized learning is quickly performed and glance recognition is successfully performed by our model through simulation experiments of a robot equipped with a camera.
Treatment of major depression in later life: a life cycle perspective.

The goal of this article is to provide a life-cycle perspective on the treatment of major depressive episodes in later life. Our studies have suggested that older patients appear to benefit as much, though perhaps more slowly, than mid-life patients from acute combined treatment (nortriptyline + interpersonal psychotherapy) of major depression. Given also the apparently higher relapse rate among the elderly, however, continuation treatment needs to be vigorous and closely monitored. The occurrence of severe life events prior to the index episode and the co-existence of an anxiety disorder both appear to prolong treatment response times, while chronic medical burden per seneither compromises response rates nor prolongs time to response. Self-rated perception of health improves with remission of depression in the elderly. As in mid-life patients, both antidepressant medication (nortriptyline) and interpersonal psychotherapy appear to possess chronic efficacy with respect to the prevention of recurrent episodes and prolongation of wellness. Finally, treatment of depression in the elderly results in improved quality of life, especially in domains of well being and coping. Particular challenges in the treatment of elderly patients are noncompliance and the prevention of suicide. The latter is closely linked to feelings of hopelessness, and these may be persistent in some patients.
Boosting Protein Threading Accuracy

Protein threading is one of the most successful protein structure prediction methods. Most protein threading methods use a scoring function linearly combining sequence and structure features to measure the quality of a sequence-template alignment so that a dynamic programming algorithm can be used to optimize the scoring function. However, a linear scoring function cannot fully exploit interdependency among features and thus, limits alignment accuracy. This paper presents a nonlinear scoring function for protein threading, which not only can model interactions among different protein features, but also can be efficiently optimized using a dynamic programming algorithm. We achieve this by modeling the threading problem using a probabilistic graphical model Conditional Random Fields (CRF) and training the model using the gradient tree boosting algorithm. The resultant model is a nonlinear scoring function consisting of a collection of regression trees. Each regression tree models a type of nonlinear relationship among sequence and structure features. Experimental results indicate that this new threading model can effectively leverage weak biological signals and improve both alignment accuracy and fold recognition rate greatly.
Glacial-age deep sea carbonate ion concentrations

[1] A second stab is taken at the reconstruction of the distribution of carbonate ion concentration in the deep tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It takes into account glacial to Holocene changes in size-normalized initial shell weights; it adopts a more rigorous relationship between measured core-top shell weights and pressure-normalized CO3= concentrations; and it employs an expanded glacial data set. While the conclusion that the effective glacial CO3= ion concentration decreased with water depth, when greater initial shell weights for glacial-age shells are adopted, the conclusion is that dissolution during glacial time exceeded that during the late Holocene. This conclusion is seemingly at odds with previous studies of deep Pacific sediments, all of which suggest that more extensive dissolution occurred during periods of interglaciation than during periods of glaciation.
5-hydroxytryptamine1B receptors block the GABAB synaptic potential in rat dopamine neurons

Intracellular recordings were made from presumed dopamine-containing neurons in slices cut from the midbrain of the rat. Focal electrical stimulation produced a hyperpolarizing synaptic potential that was reduced by 75-95% by the GABAB-receptor antagonist 2-hydroxysaclofen (300 microM). 5-HT (3-100 microM) reduced the amplitude of the GABAB synaptic potential by 20-74%, with a 50% reduction at 10 microM, but did not reduce the amplitude of synaptic potentials mediated by GABAA receptors. 5-HT acted presynaptically because hyperpolarizations produced by exogenously administered GABA (1 mM) in picrotoxin (100 microM) were not affected by 5-HT (30 microM). (+/-)-Cyanopindolol (100 nM), a 5-HT1B antagonist, blocked the effect of 5-HT (10 microM); spiperone (1 microM), which is an antagonist at 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors, had no effect. The amplitude of the GABAB synaptic potential was reduced by the 5-HT1B receptor agonists 1-[3-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl]-piperazine (300 nM) and 7-trifluoromethyl-4-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline (1 microM), but not by the 5-HT1A agonist N,N-dipropyl-5-carboxamidotryptamine (1 microM) or the 5-HT2 agonist (+/-)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-amino-propane (10 microM). We conclude that 5-HT activates presynaptic 5-HT1B receptors that inhibit the release of GABA onto GABAB but not GABAA receptors.
Integration of chemosensory and hormonal cues is essential for mating in the male Syrian hamster

Mating behavior in the male hamster is dependent upon both chemosensory and hormonal cues, and copulation is abolished if either signal is interrupted. Through reciprocal interactions of these signals, chemosensory stimuli increase circulating testosterone in the male, and the male's hormonal status influences his attraction to female pheromones. Furthermore, anatomical data suggest that these signals are transmitted through parallel pathways in separate subdivisions of the medial amygdaloid nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and medial preoptic area (MPOA). The aim of this study was to determine if the integration of chemosensory and hormonal cues is essential for mating. We combined an intracerebral implant of testosterone in BNST/MPOA with removal of a single olfactory bulb (UBx), ipsilateral or contralateral to the steroid implant. Previous studies have demonstrated that testosterone implants which stimulate androgen receptor-containing neurons in posteromedial BNST and MPOA can increase mounting in males castrated for 12 weeks. Moreover, unilateral bulbectomy alone does not prevent mating. In the present study, ipsilateral UBx prevents communication between hormonal and chemosensory circuits. Sexually experienced males were used. Twelve weeks after castration, a single olfactory bulb was removed, and each male received a testosterone-filled cannula (23 ga) directed at the MPOA. Two weeks later, sexual activity increased in six males with implants in BNST/MPOA and contralateral UBx, but copulation was not restored in eight males with ipsilateral UBx despite equivalent implant placement. This study demonstrates that communication between neurons receiving hormonal signals and chemosensory cues is required for mating behavior.
Political Society, Civil Society, and the State in India: An Ethnographic Narrative of the 2009 Assembly Election in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract This article is an ethnography portraying the processual and performative dimensions of the 2009 state assembly election in Andhra Pradesh. It shows how upper castes have persisted in power in a multicaste and increasingly democratic society through the distribution of welfare and patronage benefits to more marginalized segments of society. Conceptually, it argues for the importance of “political society” over “civil society,” when examining state-society relations in neoliberal, democratic India.
Peripheral corticotropin-releasing factor and stress-stimulated colonic motor activity involve type 1 receptor in rats.

Abstract Background & Aims: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) exerts its action through CRF receptors 1 and 2 (CRF-R1 and CRF-R2). CRF has preferential affinity for CRF-R1, whereas urocortin displays high affinity for both. We investigated changes in colonic motor function after intraperitoneal (IP) injection of CRF-related peptides. Methods: Colonic motility was recorded in vivo in conscious rats equipped with electrodes chronically implanted in the cecum and proximal colon or in vitro in distal colon; fecal output was monitored in naive rats. Results: Rat CRF, rat urocortin, and amphibian sauvagine (10 μg/kg, IP) induced a new pattern of cecocolonic myoelectric activity characterized by clustered spike bursts of long duration; the percentage of occurrence was highest after CRF. The rank order of potency to increase fecal pellet output after IP peptide injection (0.3–10 μg/kg, IP) was CRF > urocortin=sauvagine. The CRF-R1/R2 antagonist astressin (33 μg/kg, IP) and the CRF-R1 antagonist CP-154,526 (20 mg/kg, subcutaneously) inhibited IP CRF-induced changes in cecocolonic myoelectric activity and IP CRF- and water avoidance stress–induced fecal output. In vitro, CRF injected into the inferior mesenteric artery increased distal colonic myoelectric activity compared with saline injection. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that CRF acts peripherally to stimulate colonic motility and that CRF-R1 is primarily involved in mediating IP CRF/urocortin– and water avoidance stress–induced colonic motor response. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2000;119:1569-1579
Male and female mice overexpressing the β2-adrenergic receptor exhibit differences in ischemia/reperfusion injury: Role of nitric oxide

Objective: Cardiac overexpression of β2-adrenergic receptors (β2ARs) in male mice (MTG4) results in increased contractility and increased ischemic injury. Considering recent clinical data indicating that premenopausal women are protected from cardiovascular injury, we assessed the consequences of β2AR overexpression in females (FTG4). Since protection in females is mediated via estrogen, which activates endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases (eNOS and iNOS) we also examined the role of NOS in ischemia/reperfusion injury in male and female TG4 and wild-type (WT) mice. Methods: Hearts from MTG4, FTG4, MWT and FWT mice were isolated and perfused in the Langendorff mode. Hearts were pretreated with either 1 μmol/l of the nonspecific NOS inhibitor, l-NAME, or 100 nmol/l of the specific iNOS inhibitor, 1400W. Control hearts received no treatment. All hearts were subjected to 20 min ischemia and 40 min reperfusion while 31P-NMR spectra were acquired. Results: During ischemia, ATP and pH fell lower in MTG4 hearts than in FTG4 or WT hearts. Hearts from MTG4 mice exhibited increased ischemia/reperfusion injury as indicated by lower recoveries of postischemic contractile function, ATP and PCr than WT. Despite contractility being elevated in FTG4 hearts to the same level as MTG4 hearts, ischemia/reperfusion injury was not increased, as indicated by similar postischemic recoveries of contractile function, ATP and PCr in FTG4 hearts compared to WT. ATP and pH fell lower during ischemia in l-NAME-treated FTG4 hearts than in untreated FTG4 hearts, falling as low as untreated MTG4s. Recoveries of contractile function, ATP and PCr were as low in l-NAME-treated FTG4 hearts as in untreated MTG4 hearts and lower than untreated FTG4 hearts. In contrast, 1400W had no effect on FTG4 hearts. MTG4 hearts were unaffected by l-NAME or 1400W. Conclusions: β2AR overexpression increased ischemia/reperfusion injury in males but not females, thus females were protected from the detrimental effects of β2AR overexpression. Protection was abolished by treatment with l-NAME, but not 1400W, implying that protection was mediated by eNOS not iNOS.
The cause of the acoustically impenetrable, or turbid, character of Chesapeake Bay sediments

Many shallow water, fine-grained sediments are almost acoustically impenetrable to the energy from high resolution, low energy continuous seismic profilers. It has been alleged that this anomalous acoustic behavior is the result of interstitial gas bubbles that produce reverberation within the sediment, but no analyses were made until recently to test this hypothesis. Determinations of the compressibility of sediments from acoustically impenetrable, or turbid, zones and from contiguous zones of good penetration in Chesapeake Bay showed that the acoustically turbid sediments are several orders of magnitude more compressible than acoustically clear sediments of very similar grain size. The increased compressibility is a result of the presence of interstitial gas bubbles. Other acoustically turbid zones are produced by buried shell beds, and do not show an increase in compressibility.
THE EFFECT OF ADDED HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSTS ON LOW-SEVERITY COAL LIQUEFACTION

ABSTRACT Liquefaction data in the presence and absence of added catalysts were obtained for two coals from the Argonne premium Sample Bank (Beulah-Zap lignite and Utah Blind Canyon high volatile bituminous). Experiments were carried out in tubing bomb microautoclave batch reactors over a broad temperature range (310 to 425 °C), and THF and hexane conversion profiles were measured at residence times of 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes in order to elucidate the effect of both time and temperature at reaction conditions ranging from low to high severity. All runs were carried out in a non-donor vehicle (l-methylnaphthalene) using powdered presulfided Shell 324 as the catalyst. The results generally reflect the expected trends for catalyst on coal conversion, in that the primary influence of catalyst was found to be in terms of promoting conversion of coal to hexane solubles. A hexane selectivity parameter was developed and utilized to provide insight into the role and effect of catalyst.
Induction of P450 monooxygenases in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica L.

The cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are an important metabolic system whose level of activity can be influenced by several dietary constituents. We examined the effects of six known P450 inducers on the levels of total cytochromes P450, cytochrome b5, and six monooxygenase activities in adult German cockroaches. In addition, the levels of CYP6L1 and CYP9E2 mRNA were also investigated. Phenobarbital treatment resulted in increases in total cytochromes P450 and metabolism of three resorufin analogues, but not CYP6L1 nor CYP9E2 mRNA. There was no significant effect of the other five inducers on any of the monooxygenase parameters we measured. In comparison with other insects, the German cockroach seems unusually refractory to most inducing agents. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 53:119–124, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Diurnal variation of tight junction integrity associates inversely with matrix metalloproteinase expression in Xenopus laevis corneal epithelium: implications for circadian regulation of homeostatic surface cell desquamation.

Background and Objectives The corneal epithelium provides a protective barrier against pathogen entrance and abrasive forces, largely due to the intercellular junctional complexes between neighboring cells. After a prescribed duration at the corneal surface, tight junctions between squamous surface cells must be disrupted to enable them to desquamate as a component of the tissue homeostatic renewal. We hypothesize that matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) are secreted by corneal epithelial cells and cleave intercellular junctional proteins extracellularly at the epithelial surface. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of specific MMPs and tight junction proteins during both the light and dark phases of the circadian cycle, and to assess their temporal and spatial relationships in the Xenopus laevis corneal epithelium.
A modified DRASTIC model for Siting Confined Animal Feeding Operations in Williams County, Ohio, USA

Three of DRASTIC’s parameters (Depth to Water, Soil Media, and Topography) were modified and another parameter was added (land use/land cover) to the model to determine the potential impact on groundwater from Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) manure lagoon settings and manure application as fertilizer. Williams County is a mostly agricultural county located in northwest Ohio, USA. It currently has three CAFOs, all dairy, with the possibility of the construction of a multi-million chicken egg CAFO in the near future. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized to modify the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) DRASTIC map for the county to fully assess the county-wide pollution potential of CAFOs. The CAFO DRASTIC map indicates that almost half of Williams County has elevated groundwater pollution potential. The rest of the county, primarily the southeast corner, has lower CAFO groundwater pollution potential. Future CAFO development within the county should focus on the southeastern portion of the county where the groundwater table is deeper, and the aquifer is composed of shale substrate with low hydraulic conductivity. The CAFO DRASTIC results are intended to be used as a screening tool and are not to replace site-specific hydrogeologic investigations.
Preservation of intercostal arteries during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm surgery: A retrospective study

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this article was to examine the influence of reimplantation of patent intercostal and lumbar arteries on the incidence of postoperative paraplegia/paraparesis in patients undergoing clamp-and-sew surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Methods: Data from January 1987 through December 1997 were retrospectively collected on 132 patients. Ninety-one patients in group I underwent aneurysm repairs before January 1995 and did not undergo intercostal artery reimplantation. Group II included the more recent 41 patients who had vessels between the eighth thoracic intercostal and the second lumbar arteries reimplanted to the graft or preserved at the aortic anastomoses. Results: The operative mortality rate was 13.2% (12/91) in group I and 4.9% (2/41) in group II ( P = .22). The incidence of postoperative paraplegia was significantly lower in the more recent cohort of patients (8.8% [8/91] in group I vs 0% [0/41] in group II, P = .05). The overall rate of spinal cord dysfunction was lowered from 9.9% (9/91) in group I to 2.4% (1/41) in group II ( P = .17). However, a multivariable logistic regression analysis identified only aneurysm extent (Crawford type I and type II) as a predictor of less postoperative spinal cord injury ( P = .08). The average aortic crossclamp time in group I was 30.3 ± 11.5 (SD) minutes, and the time of aortic occlusion in group II was not significantly prolonged, with an average crossclamp time of 31.0 ± 21.0 (SD) minutes ( P = .88). Conclusions: An aggressive approach to maintain intercostal artery patency during clamp-and-sew repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms may effectively lower the incidence of spinal cord injury without prolonging aortic crossclamp time. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;118:17-25)
Choosing to Intervene: Outside Interventions in Internal Conflicts

Recent scholarly and policy attention has been devoted to understanding outside interventions in civil conflicts. Using a decision theoretic model to develop the constraints faced by decision makers, I derive hypotheses about the conditions under which we would expect to observe outside military or economic interventions in civil conflicts. These hypotheses are then tested against data on intrastate conflicts and associated interventions during the post-World War II period. The evidence suggests that both domestic and international considerations influence the decision to intervene, with highly intense conflicts being unlikely to attract outside actors and those with humanitarian crises quite likely to do so. A confounding result suggests that the greater the number of shared borders, the less likely will be an outside intervention.
Functional responses from guinea pigs with cochlear implants II. Changes in electrophysiological and psychophysical measures over time

This study, the second of a two-part investigation, assessed changes over time in functional measures of the electrically stimulated auditory system following ototoxic deafening. Guinea pigs were trained to respond behaviorally to threshold level acoustic stimuli and then unilaterally deafened and implanted with a bipolar pair of electrodes within the cochlea and a single extracochlear electrode. Using pulsatile stimuli, thresholds for the electrically evoked auditory brainstem response (EABR) and psychophysical detection were repeatedly collected from the same animals over 3-month post-implantation periods. Thresholds were obtained as a function of stimulus phase duration primarily using bipolar intracochlear stimulation. As in earlier studies, the threshold measures exhibited both intra- and intersubject variability. Analysis of group data failed to show any statistically significant changes over time in either EABR or psychophysical threshold at any fixed pulse duration. However, significant changes over time were found in the slopes of the strength-duration functions for both measures. Slopes became shallower with time, suggesting a reduction in the efficiency of stimulus current integration, a trend presumed to occur with neural degeneration. This result suggests that strength-duration functions could be useful as a clinical diagnostic measure.
Giemsa technique for the detection of sister chromatid exchanges

Sister chromatid exchanges are sharply demarcated in Giemsa stained metaphase preparations of Chinese hamster ovary cells and human peripheral leukocytes. Chromatids singly and doubly substituted with BrdU acquire differential Giemsa stain affinities after treatment at 88° C for 10 minutes in 1.0 M Na phosphate buffer (pH 8.0).
A Nonradioactive Approach to Investigate the Metabolism of Therapeutic Peptides by Tagging with 127I and Using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Analysis

The metabolic fate of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) fragment 4-10 (4-10) was evaluated following incorporation of a nonradioactive (127)I-tag and with selective detection of I(+) at m/z 127 by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). (127)I has all the advantages of radioactive (125)I as a metabolite tracer and, together with its detection in the femtogram range, has led to a successful metabolite profiling of (127)I-ACTH (4-10) in vitro. The observed metabolic stability of this peptide in tissue preparations from human was plasma > kidney S9 > liver microsomes > liver cytosol, liver S9. Metabolic turnover of (127)I-ACTH (4-10) was not NADPH-dependent and, together with inhibition by protease inhibitor cocktail and EDTA, is consistent with metabolism exclusively by proteases. Our preliminary studies using chemical inhibitors suggested the involvement of metalloprotease, serine peptidase, and aminopeptidase in (127)I-ACTH (4-10) metabolism. The liver is the primary site of metabolic clearance of (127)I-ACTH (4-10), with kidney S9 taking four times longer to produce a metabolite profile comparable to that produced by liver S9. A total of six metabolites retaining the (127)I-tag was detected by ICP-MS, and their structures were elucidated using a LTQ/Orbitrap. (127)I-ACTH (4-10) underwent both N- and C-terminal proteolysis to produce (127)I-Phe as the major metabolite. The (127)I-tag had minimal effect on the metabolic turnover and site of proteolysis of ACTH (4-10), which, together with ICP-MS providing essentially equimolar responses, suggests that the use of a (127)I-tag may have general utility as an alternative to radioiodination to investigate the metabolism of peptide therapeutics.
Methodology and Framework for Predicting Helicopter Rolling Element Bearing Failure

The enhanced ability to predict the remaining useful life of helicopter drive train components offers potential improvement in the safety, maintainability, and reliability of a helicopter fleet. Current existing helicopter health and usage monitoring systems provide diagnostic information that indicates when the condition of a drive train component is degraded; however, prediction techniques are not currently used. Although various algorithms exist for providing remaining life predictions, prognostic techniques have not fully matured. This particular study addresses remaining useful life predictions for the helicopter oil-cooler bearings. The paper proposes a general methodology of how to perform rolling element bearing prognostics, and presents the results using a robust regression curve fitting approach. The proposed methodology includes a series of processing steps prior to the prediction routine, including feature extraction, feature selection, and health assessment. This approach provides a framework for including prediction algorithms into existing health and usage monitoring systems. A case study with the data collected by Impact Technology, LLC. is analysed using the proposed methodology. Future work would consider using the same methodology, but comparing the accuracy of this prediction method with Bayesian filtering techniques, usage based methods, and other time series prediction methods.
Zur Abhängigkeitsfortpflanzung in einlinigen Verlustsystemen

For the multiple filtering by one server loss systems /GI/1/O deriving explicit formulae it is shown that inter-departure distribution only depends on the one-dimension inter-arrival distribution in the case GI =M respectively on the Palm distribution (with respect to served costumers) of the inter-arrival interval.
Acoustic interrogation and optical visualization of ultrasound contrast agents within microcapsules

The effectiveness of localized drug delivery as a treatment for breast cancer requires sufficiently high therapeutic dose, as well as an ability to image the drug for proper spatial targeting. To balance treatment potential and imaging capabilities, we have begun to design a novel drug reservoir using microcapsules that are large in size (> 30 µm) but functionalized with microbubbles or ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs). We term these carriers as ‘Acoustically Sensitive Microcapsules’ (ASMs). In previous work, we have demonstrated preparation of ASM carriers and their structural changes under therapeutic ultrasound by imaging static changes. In this paper, we describe a combined optical-acoustic setup coupled with a microfluidic device to trap these carriers for imaging and sonication. Using the setup, continuous wave ultrasound (180 kPa, 2.25 MHz, 3 s) produced an average displacement of 3.5 µm in UCAs near the ASM boundary, and exhibited displacement as high as 90 µm near the center of the microcapsule. Longer exposure time and higher acoustic pressure increased UCA displacement within an ASM. These two parameters can be carefully optimized in the future to cause these UCAs to travel to the membrane boundary to help in the drug elution process.