cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crossed Fingers and Praying Hands: Remarks on Religious Belief and Superstition

Picture the following scene. A minister takes communion to one of her elderly home-bound members. When she arrives she is met by her parishioner and two visiting friends. She invites both visitors to partake of communion with her and the parishioner. One woman happily agrees to do so. The other woman declines by giving a mini-sermon explaining that because she feels unworthy to partake of the Lord's Supper she would be guilty of sin if she did so. Furthermore, if she took communion in this unworthy state God would cause her to be sick. After communion, the minister inquires if she might wash the communion cups. The woman who participated in the sacrament with the pastor and church member asks if she might perform this function. But then she hesitates and asks with a sense of temerity, “Is it alright if I do so?” “I mean,” she continues, “may be I'm not supposed to wash them. They are holy cups and my hands are so tainted with sin. It might be wrong for me to handle them.” Finally, the shut-in who was the original object of the visit in the first place tells her young, and by now bewildered, pastor, “You know. Last month when you brought me communion my hip was killing me. After you served me the elements the pain just went away. I know the sacrament healed me.” The pastor offers a final prayer not knowing if her words will be heard as a prayer to God or as an incantation or spiritual good-luck charm.
The Last Nuclear Summit

Visions of post-cold war security structures, from President George Bush’s “new world order” to National Security Adviser Anthony Lake’s “democratic enlargement,” place front and center the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons (as well as other weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery). Central to past success in the nuclear sphere has been the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the associated safeguards system applied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Multiplying political instabilities and the dissemination of advanced technologies make this global regime even more important in the post-cold war world.
OBSERVER WEIGHTING OF INTERAURAL DELAYS IN FILTERED IMPULSES

Onset dominance in sound localization was examined by estimating observer weighting of interaural delays for each click of a train of high-frequency filtered clicks. The interaural delay of each click was a normal deviate that was sampled independently on each trial of a single-interval design. In Experiment 1, observer weights were derived for trains ofn=2, 4, 8, or 16 clicks as a function of interclick interval (ICI=1.8, 3.0, or 12.0 msec). For smalln and short ICI (1.8 msec), the ratio of onset weight to remaining weights was as large as 10. As ICI increased, the relative onset weight was reduced. For largen and all ICIs, the ongoing train was weighted more heavily than the onset. This diminishing relative onset weight with increasing ICI andn is consistent with optimum distribution of weights among components. Efficiency of weight distribution is near ideal when ICI=12 msec andn=2 and very poor for shorter ICIs and larger ns. Further experiments showed that: (1) onset dominance involves both within- and between-frequency-channel mechanisms, and (2) the stimulus configuration (ICI,n, frequency content, and temporal gaps) affects weighting functions in a complex way not explained by cross-correlation analysis or contralateral inhibition (Lindemann, 1986a, 1986b).
“L'Homme Moyen”: Estimating the quality of life for British adults, 1815–1914, an index

The potential value of a numerical, summating index to estimate the quality of Victorian people's lives is described. Variables in three domains, Health, Economic and Social, are drawn on to describe the circumstances of life for Britons in the era 1815–1914. A range of variables is indexed to their 1914 value for each of the years between 1815 and 1914. The potential value of the index for the assessment of events, trends and policy initiatives is described.
Cloning and heterologous expression of the genes encoding nonspecific electron transport components for a cytochrome P450 system of Saccharopolyspora erythraea involved in erythromycin production.

Abstract The forA gene encoding a protein that can function as a NADH: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (For) has been cloned from Saccharopolyspora erythraea , the erythromycin A (ErA) producer. In a previous study For protein, together with the FdxA ferredoxin from the same organism, was shown to be able to reconstitute the cytochrome P450 system responsible for the hydroxylation of 6-deoxyerythronolide B, an intermediate of ErA biosynthesis. Nucleotide sequence data suggest that the cloned forA gene codes for For, the putative pyruvate dehydrogenase component, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, or its close homolog. Overexpression of forA appeared to be toxic to Escherichia coli .
HPV triage of patients with ASCUS cervical pap smears

Reliable, affordable human papilloma virus (HPV) testing makes this an excellent screening tool for triage management of ASCUS Pap smears and detection of cervical dysplasia. Major randomized trials show that reflex HPV testing with hybrid capture is at least as effective and cheaper than repeat cytology for evaluation of an ASCUS Pap. It avoids about 50% of colposcopies that would normally be performed if immediate colposcopy were done for all ASCUS Paps, while retaining excellent negative predictive value. High-risk HPV testing is the desirable strategy for women over 30, as long as there is reasonable follow-up.
Narrative Discontinuity versus Continuity in Yagua.

It appears that in all languages, speakers are motivated to give specific instructions to their hearers about how to integrate incoming information into the mental representation the hearer is currently building. In narrative, speakers’ instructions include whether to integrate eventive information as part of the main event line, or whether to integrate it as background to the main event line. Such instructions are necessary because, depending on the speaker's goals, semantic events are not always to be integrated as part of the main event line; thus, the speaker cannot rely on sheer communication of eventive versus noneventive information to be a sufficient clue of how to integrate incoming information. In part, Yagua speakers use the second position morpheme jiita to indicate that information should be integrated as part of the main event line. However, a complete analysis of this morpheme leads to the conclusion that its overall meaning is that the information it is attached to is mildly or strongly di...
Dose dependency of 99mTc disofenin (DISIDA) in biliary tract imaging.

Abstract Data presented on pharmacological effects of gadolinium labeled disofenin (DISIDA) (1) upon administration of large mass amounts suitable to produce MR contrast prompted us to investigate these effects with technetium labeled DISIDA. A variable mass of [ 99m Tc]Tc-DISIDA, 0.05–100 mg, was administered to rabbits. The effective half life in the liver did not vary significantly for doses between 0.05 and 5 mg, with an average of about 17 min. However, the effective half life increased to about 300 min for a 100 mg dose of DISIDA.
Thirty years after Brambell: whither animal welfare science?

It has been just over 30 years since the Brambell Committee issued its clarion call for research on the welfare of animals used in agriculture. What progress has farm animal welfare science made in those 30 years, and what challenges will it face in the next 30? In this article, I discuss the ways in which the Brambell report, with its emphasis on behavioral needs and suffering, both propelled and constrained the development of animal welfare science. The role that economic factors play and the ways in which they have imposed other kinds of constraints on scientists working with farm animals are also mentioned. Despite these constraints, animal welfare science has contributed to a number of significant improvements in the welfare of farm animals. There is, however, a growing sense that animal welfare science has reached an impasse and that ethical and scientific questions about animal welfare have become hopelessly entangled. In this context, I address what I view to be the principal challenge facing farm...
Cloning and characterization of the bovine class 1 and class 2 insulin-like growth factor-I mRNAs.

Abstract Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is an important regulator of growth, development, and metabolism, and is the primary mediator of the growth-promoting activity of growth hormone (GH) in animals. In several species, the IGF-I polypeptide is generated from IGF-I mRNA containing either exon 1 (class 1 IGF-I mRNA) or exon 2 (class 2 IGF-I mRNA) as the leader exon. The objectives of this study were to identify class 1 and class 2 IGF-I mRNAs in cattle and to compare their expression in different tissues, their response to GH, and their translational efficiency. Three class 1 IGF-I cDNAs corresponding to three different transcription start sites in exon 1 and one class 2 IGF-I cDNA were identified from adult cattle liver using 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5′-RACE). Both classes of IGF-I mRNAs were expressed in a variety of tissues, with the highest level in liver; class 1 IGF-I mRNA was more abundant than class 2 IGF-I mRNA in all tissues. Six hours after a single intramuscular injection of 500mg of recombinant bovine GH, class 1 and class 2 IGF-I mRNAs in steer liver were increased by 29% ( P =0.07) and 62% ( P P
PCR cloning of the cDNA of rabbit skeletal muscle protein phosphatase inhibitor-2

The coding region of the cDNA of protein phosphatase inhibitor-2 was determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification. The cDNA clone consisted of 621 nucleotides, and encoded 204 amino acids. The deduced amino-acid sequence was identical with that of the sequence reported by chemical sequencing methods.
Hypercalcemic hypocalciuria: a critical differential diagnosis for hyperparathyroidism

A differential diagnosis for hyperparathyroidism includes all causes of hypercalcemia; the primary causes of which are primary hyperparathyroidism and humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Benign familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia is a rare condition of primary importance because failure to recognize this entity leads to unnecessary surgery. There are a plethora of other rare causes of hypercalcemia that can be distinguished from primary hyperparathyroidism by history and laboratory profiles. This article discusses the main and less common causes of hypercalcemia and provides guidance for distinguishing among them.
Buffering boys and boosting girls: The protective and promotive effects of Early Head Start for children's expressive language in the context of parenting stress.

Abstract Children's characteristics, including gender, influence their development by eliciting differential responses from their environments, and by influencing differential responses to their environments. Parenting-related stress, associated with poverty environments, negatively influences children's language, likely through its impact on parent–child interactions, but may impact boys’ and girls’ development differently. Early intervention represents one tool for supporting development in at-risk toddlers, but gender-differences in effects of intervention are rarely described. The current studies assessed the effects of Early Head Start (EHS) on children's productive vocabulary in the context of parenting stress and examined gender differences in program effects on vocbulary. Data were from the national EHS Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) study (Study 1, N = 3001), and from a dataset associated with one EHSRE site (Study 2, N = 146) where additional data on productive vocabulary were collected. Study 1 found that at 24 months of age, the EHS program protected girls’ productive vocabulary from the negative effects of parenting stress, but had little impact on boys’ vocabulary. In Study 2, the local EHS site promoted girls’ vocabulary development over time from 14 to 36 months despite the negative effects of parenting stress, and protected boys’ vocabulary from the negative parenting stress effects. These results suggest differential ways in which at-risk toddlers are affected by early intervention.
THE INSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS OF INTER-BRANCH CONFLICT IN THE ERA OF DIVIDED GOVERNMENT

Divided government has been a defining characteristic of American politics over the last forty years. Despite the prominence of divided government as an institutional regime, little research has sought to determine the consequences of divided government for inter-branch conflict. I summarize the debate over the consequences of divided government, and posit four models of inter-branch policy agreement that emerge from these arguments. The seat aggregation hypothesis holds that increased policy agreement is a function of the president's party amassing seats in Congress. Three additional models are grounded in the expectations of critics of divided government. I demonstrate, using data that measure inter-branch policy agreement, that united government increases policy agreement between the branches. Divided government as an institutional arrangement has an effect on policy agreement that is independent of seats.
The many faces of Ras: recognition of small GTP-binding proteins

The structures of over 30 complexes of Ras superfamily small GTP-binding proteins bound to diverse protein partners have been reported. Comparison of these complexes using the sequences of the small GTP-binding proteins to align the contact sites shows that virtually all surface positions make contacts with at least one partner protein. Rather than highlighting a single consensus binding site, these comparisons illustrate the remarkable diversity of contacts of Ras superfamily members. Here, a new analysis technique, the interface array, is introduced to quantify patterns of surface contacts. The interface array shows that small GTP-binding proteins are recognized in at least nine distinct ways. Remarkably, binding partners with similar functions, including those with distinct folds, recognize small GTP-binding proteins in similar ways. These classes of shared surface contacts support the occurrence of both divergent and convergent evolutionary processes and suggest that specific effector functions require particular protein-protein contacts.
Optimization over finite frame varieties and structured dictionary design

Abstract A finite ( μ , S ) -frame variety consists of real or complex matrices F = [ f 1 ⋯ f N ] satisfying F F ⁎ = S and ‖ f n ‖ = μ n for all n = 1 , … , N . This paper introduces an approximate geometric gradient descent procedure over these varieties, which is powered by minimization algorithms for the frame operator distance and recent characterizations of these varietiesʼ tangent spaces. For almost all compatible pairings ( μ , S ) , we demonstrate that minimization of the frame operator distance converges linearly under a threshold, we derive a process for constructing the orthogonal projection onto these varietiesʼ tangent spaces, and finally demonstrate that the approximate gradient descent procedure converges. Finally, we apply this procedure to numerically construct Grassmannian frames and Welch bound equality sequences with low mutual coherence.
Cephalic anatomy of the rare Indonesian snake Anomochilus weberi

Abstract The head of Anomochilus weberi combines features seen in living uropeltines and scolceophidians, two clades of fossorial snakes that appear to have the most specialized and, at the same time, the most divergent modifications of the head. However, the weakly supported premaxilla of Anomochilus departs from both scolecophidian and uropeltine modes of reinforcing the anterior tip of the snout, suggesting that Anomochilus is a less specialized burrower. Its skull also has a number of features unusual among snakes, including a unique buttress on the anterior ends of the septomaxillae, an ectopterygoid reduced to a splint that touches neither maxilla nor pterygoid, a short maxillary tooth row oriented at 45° to the long axis of the skull, and a braincase and snout complex that are uniformly wide. The features of the upper jaw are predicted to confer behavioural and mechanical attributes intermediate between those of typhlopid scolecophidians and uropeltines.
Turbulence modeling in aerodynamic shear flows - Status and problems

This paper briefly summarizes the status and problems of turbulence modeling for aerodynamical applications. For complex flows the 'approach of choice' is (increasingly) full second-order (Reynolds stress equation) closure. These closures have not yet developed to anywhere near their full potential, significant further research is required especially regarding length-scale equations, representation of pressure-strain correlations, and wall region treatments. Recent developments in computer capability, algorithms, numerical simulations, theory and quantitative flow visualization should assist in and hasten this research. Several problem areas such as shock interaction and discrete dynamic instabilities of turbulent flows may require mega-to-large eddy simulation or theoretical adjuncts.
LiBOB-based gel electrolyte Li-ion battery for high temperature operation

Abstract In this work, we evaluated the chemical compatibility of 1.0m (molality) lithium bis(oxalate)borate (LiBOB) 1:1 (w/w) propylene carbonate (PC)/ethylene carbonate (EC) liquid electrolyte with lithium metal and spinel LiMn2O4 cathode using storage and cycling tests at high temperatures. Impedance analyses show that LiBOB and lithium are very compatible due to the formation of a stable passivation layer on the surface of lithium. Cycling tests of Li/Cu and Li/LiMn2O4 cells, respectively, show that lithium can be plated and stripped in LiBOB-based electrolyte with more than 80% cycling efficiency, and that this electrolyte can support LiMn2O4 cycling reversibly up to 60 °C without visible capacity loss. Using LiBOB-based liquid electrolyte and porous Kynar® membrane, microporous gel electrolyte (MGE) Li-ion cells were assembled and evaluated. Results show that the MGE cell presents an improved cycling performance compared with a liquid cell, especially at elevated temperatures. It is confirmed that the LiBOB-based gel electrolyte Li-ion batteries can be operated at 60 °C with good capacity retention.
On the trail of potassium in heat injury

In both classical and exertional heatstroke and in various animal models of human heat injury, clinical manifestations have included observations of normokalemia, hyperkalemia, and hypokalemia. This review attempts to address these observations as well as the role of potassium and potassium depletion in heat injury with an emphasis on the integration of information from the level of transmembrane potassium transport mechanisms to systems physiology. Under moderate conditions of passive heat exposure or exercise in the heat, the adaptive capacity of the Na-K pump (Na+-K+ ATPase activity) and cotransport mechanisms can ordinarily accommodate the attendant increased efflux of intracellular K+ and influx of extracellular Na+ to maintain ionic equilibrium. Several factors affecting transmembrane K+ kinetics include protracted K+ deficiency, extreme hyperthermia, dehydration, and excessive exertion. These could elicit reduced membrane potentials and conductance, futile cycling of the Na-K pump with concomitant energy depletion and greatly increased metabolic heat production, reduced arteriolar vasodilation, altered neurotransmitter release, or cell swelling, each of which could contribute to the pathophysiology of heat injury. This review represents a preliminary attempt to link transmembrane K+ pathophysiology with clinical heat injury.
A COMPUTER MODEL STUDY OF ZOOPLANKTON PATCHINESS AND ITS EFFECTS ON SAMPLING ERROR1

A computer model using estimates of patch structure parameters determined from an ocean study was developed to study the effects of spatial structure on the error of replicate net tows. The precision of nine replicate tows increases with increasing patch size, regardless of the position of the patch centers, and the largest net provides the most precise estimates. Lengthening the tow also results in significant increases in precision (up to a factor of 2 ), not related directly to increases in the volume of water filtered, but apparently to the increase in the probability of sampling the “right” number of patches. When, spatial structure is homogeneous, increasing tow length results in a larger reduction of sampling error than dots a comrresponding increase in net diameter. In general, better estimates of species proportions are obtained when the numbers of individuals per species are inequitably distributed and the degree of patch overlap is the greatest. INTRODUCIXON In this paper I shall examine the interactions of the patch structure variables, size, distribution, and density (i.e., numbers of individuals per volume) with net size and tow length, and their relation to the precision of net tows. The results of these experiments can be used to qualify only one of the assumptions basic to survey samples ( Taft 1960; Wiebe 1970) ; that is, that plankton samples taken with nets represent quantitatively population and community parameters in the parcel of water sampled. The term parcel refers to the water body that would be sampled if a series of replicate tows were taken at a geographic location. None of the work reported here relates to the other basic assumption: that the parcel itself contains numbers and kinds of organisms representative of the general arca of the station. My approach to the study of sampling error associated with the patchiness of zoo
Assessing Teaching Effectiveness in a Basic Food Laboratory Setting: Pilot Testing the Instrument

This is the fourth phase of a research project to develop a student evaluation tool (SET) to evaluate teaching effectiveness in a basic food laboratory. This phase tested the instrument among students enrolled in basic food laboratories at 4-year universities. Students were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their instructor using the SET that had been developed in the three previous phases of this research project. The goal was to ensure the SET was valid and reliable. A factor analysis was completed to determine the major areas of the SET. The factor analysis yielded three factors comparable to those identified by the Delphi Panel (from Phase 1). Results also indicate the SET was preferred by the students over the one currently used by their universities.
Two channels for one job

The study by Rieg et al. is the first to examine potassium handling in BK –/– mice, thereby addressing many unanswered questions regarding the separate roles of BK and ROMK channels in renal potassium secretion. This Commentary is an interpretation and opinion of their results, by two researchers who have been studying BK and ROMK, respectively, as potassium secretory channels in the distal nephron.
Protection against experimental allergic neuritis with silica quartz dust

Lewis rats sensitized against peripheral nervous system antigens can be protected against experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) by the intraperitoneal injection of silica quartz dust. Two doses of 200 mg silica given 8 and 11 days post-inoculation (dpi) protected against the development of both clinical and pathological disease. A single dose of 200 mg silica 8 dpi gave significant protection against clinical disease but all animals developed pathological signs. A single injection of 200 mg silica 11 dpi, after the onset of early signs, protected against further progression of disease. The protection was long lasting. Given the known toxic effects of silica for macrophages, these results would support the conclusion that macrophages function during the effector stage in the clinical and pathological expression of EAN in the Lewis rat.
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator in the Kidney: Clues to Its Role?

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cyclic adenosine monophosphate dependent, low-conductance chloride channel found on the apical plasma membrane of secretory epithelia. Surprisingly, since cystic fibrosis patients have no kidney phenotype, CFTR is highly expressed in the kidney, present from 12 weeks of gestation in the human metanephric kidney. As well as the mature, full-length, 165-kD wild-type protein (WT-CFTR) associated with renal tubule plasma membranes, intracellular, partially glycosylated forms are also seen in normal kidneys. In addition, a kidney-specific splice variant of CFTR translates a cytoplasmic truncated protein (TNR-CFTR), apparently associated with a specific small endosomal population, and is predominantly expressed in the renal medulla. WT-CFTR and TNR-CFTR show different patterns of developmental regulation, WT-CFTR being the major form expressed early in metanephric development when it is localized at the apical plasma membrane of developing collecting tubules. By contrast, TNR-CFTR expression increases with gestational age, reaching adult levels at 23 weeks. Evidence suggests that WT-CFTR plays a role in chloride secretion into the apical lumen of normal distal tubules. In autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, normally targeted CFTR at the apical plasma membrane in association with mislocalized Na-K-ATPase may result in abnormal fluid secretion into cysts. Similar colocalization of WT-CFTR and Na-K-ATPase at the apical plasma membranes is found in collecting tubules during development when it is speculated to play a role in the initiation of opening of the tubule lumen.
Rapid access magnetic audio recording systems

Magnetic recording is so simple and convenient that it naturally comes to mind as a means of providing audio output for computer-aided learning and other interactive computer systems. However, when rapid, random access to the messages is required, configurations other than the conventional reel-to-reel and cassette recorders must be used. Two such systems are described: a disc recorder employing 10-inch discs, with 30 minutes of playing time per disc, and a belt recorder with a belt width of 4.5 inches, and up to 67 minutes of playing time. In both cases the frequency response is 50 to 3500 Hz (3 dB down), with an average access time of less than one second.
Predicting user satisfaction from subject satisfaction

In this paper, we describe work-in-progress in comparing user satisfaction ratings after user tests with ratings obtained following actual use of a digital music library software. We identify some of the variables that hamper prediction, and we reflect on the utility of surveys for predicting user/subject gaps in satisfaction.
Possible Important Pair of Acidic Residues in Vesicular Acetylcholine Transporter

Invariant E309 is in contact with critical and invariant D398 in a three-dimensional homology model of vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT, TC 2.A.1.2.13) [Vardy, E., et al. (2004) Protein Sci. 13, 1832-1840]. In the work reported here, E309 and D398 in human VAChT were mutated singly and together to test their functions, assign pK values to them, and determine whether the residues are close to each other in three-dimensional space. Mutants were stably expressed in the PC12(A123.7) cell line, and transport and binding properties were characterized at different pH values using radiolabeled ligands and filtration assays. Contrary to a prior conclusion, the results demonstrate that most D398 mutants do not bind the allosteric inhibitor vesamicol even weakly. Earlier work showed that most D398 mutants do not transport ACh. D398 therefore probably is the residue that must deprotonate with a pK of 6.5 for binding of vesamicol and with a pK of approximately 5.9 for transport of ACh. Because E309Q has no effect on VAChT functions at physiological pH, E309 has no apparent critical role. However, radical mutations in E309 cause decreases in ACh and vesamicol affinities and total loss of ACh transport. Unlike wild-type VAChT, which exhibits a peak of [(3)H]vesamicol binding centered at pH 7.4, mutants E309Q, E309D, E309A, and E309K all exhibit peaks of binding centered at pH >or=9. The combination of high pH and mutated E309 apparently produces a relaxed (in contrast to tense) conformation of VAChT that binds vesamicol exceptionally tightly. No compensatory interactions between E309 and D398 in double mutants were discovered. Proof of a close spatial relationship between E309 and D398 was not found. Nevertheless, the data are more consistent with the homology model than an alternative hydropathy model of VAChT that likely locates E309 far from D398 and the ACh binding site in three-dimensional space. Also, a probable network of interactions involving E309 and an unknown residue having a pK of 10 has been revealed.
Time does not heal all wounds: trauma, stress, and resilience among older adults.

P stress disorder (PTSD) has been formally recognized in psychiatry since 1980,1 yet in the past four decades, relatively little attention has been paid to older adults who have experienced traumatic events in early life or as older adults.2 In fact, 69%–86% of older adults in community samples report experiencing a traumatic event at some point,3 but an examination of nearly 10,000 PTSD studies in PsycLit from1980 to 2008 found that less than 2%were focused on older adults with PTSD (compared with >16% focused on children).4 Traumatic events experienced early or later in life can result in substantial and enduring stress or PTSD. There is a growing understanding of the resilience individuals may display in the aftermath of such adversities. We are just beginning to understand how aging, psychological traumas, and resilience may interact. This issue of American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry includes five articles addressing trauma, stress, and resilience in older adults. Together, the articles examine prevalence of stress, PTSD, and psychiatric comorbidity both in community samples of older adults and samples of older adults assessed after recent traumas. Importantly, genetic and other correlates of resilience are also examined. These articles highlight the complex interactions among age, trauma, stress, and resilience. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed. In the first article in this issue, Pietrzak et al.5 present data on lifetime prevalence and psychiatric comorbidity of full and partial PTSD among a nationally representative civilian sample of 9,463 older adults in the United States. This is the largest and most comprehensive study of older adults with PTSD and partial PTSD in the United States using DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) criteria, and it provides rich results to inform research and clinical practice. Respondents were asked to identify the most stressful event they had experienced (if they had experienced one) among 27 potentially traumatic events alignedwith theDSMIV definition. Among all respondents age 60 years and older, 10% had never experienced such an event. Moreover, an additional 80% of the total sample had experienced such an event but did not develop either full or partial PTSD (the “no PTSD” comparison group). Five percent of the older sample met lifetime criteria for full PTSD. The authors note that this rate is lower than that present in some studies of the general population, and even within this older sample the researchers found that individuals were less likely to develop PTSD if they were older (compared with the youngest cohort in the sample, age 60–69 years).However, the authorsnote that this could reflect differences in appraisals of (and recall for) traumatic events and PTSD symptoms among older adults. Comparedwith the entire (all ages) sample, the older respondents with full PTSD reported a mean age of onset of 43.8, nearly 15 years later than the younger respondents,
Vancomycin-Resistant Gram-Positive Cocci Isolated from the Saliva of Wild Songbirds

We analyzed highly vancomycin-resistant Gram-positive bacteria isolated from the saliva of migratory songbirds captured, sampled, and released from a bird-banding station in western Kansas. Individual bacterial isolates were identified by partial 16S rRNA sequencing. Most of the bacteria in this study were shown to be Staphylococcus succinus with the majority being isolated from the American Robin. Some of these bacteria were shown to carry vanA, vanB, and vanC vancomycin-resistance genes and have the ability to form biofilms. One of the van gene-carrying isolates is also coagulase positive, which is normally considered a virulence factor. Other organisms isolated included Staphylococcus saprophyticus as well as Enterococcus gallinarum. Given the wide range of the American Robin and ease of horizontal gene transfer between Gram-positive cocci, we postulate that these organisms could serve as a reservoir of vancomycin-resistance genes capable of transferring to human pathogens.
The cost of forfeiting causal inheritance

Jaegwon Kim’s causal inheritance principle says that the causal powers of a mental property instance are identical with the causal powers of its particular physical realizer. Sydney Shoemaker’s subset account of realization is at odds with Kim’s principle: it says that a mental property instance has fewer causal powers than Kim’s principle entails. In this paper, I argue that the subset account should be rejected because it has intolerable consequences for mental causation, consequences that are avoided by accepting causal inheritance. I develop my argument in part by drawing on one of the central debates that has arisen regarding the extended mind hypothesis defended by Andy Clark and David Chalmers.
Association of meningioma and intracranial aneurysm: Report of five cases and review of literature

Meningiomas associated with intracranial aneurysms are very rare. The co-existence of both lesions is not only a diagnostic challenge but also has important therapeutic implications. We analyzed our experience of five such patients, the second largest group in the literature. All the lesions were successfully managed surgically. All the patients were female. The location of the meningioma was clinoidal (2), planum sphenoidale (1), petroclival (1) and pterional (1). Three patients had posterior communicating (PCOM) artery aneurysm associated with meningioma. The other aneurysms were internal carotid artery (ICA) and anterior communicating artery (ACOM). One patient with pterional meningioma had an anomalous meningeal artery arising from the right ophthalmic artery. In three patients both lesions underwent treatment at the same sitting. In two patients meningioma underwent excision first followed by aneurysm clipping. From our experience the incidence of meningiomas associated with aneurysms was 1.1%, which is not higher than the incidence of aneurysms in the general population.
Mice Lacking Dystrophin or α Sarcoglycan Spontaneously Develop Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma with Cancer-Associated p53 Mutations and Alternatively Spliced or Mutant Mdm2 Transcripts

Altered expression of proteins in the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex results in muscular dystrophy and has more recently been implicated in a number of forms of cancer. Here we show that loss of either of two members of this complex, dystrophin in mdx mice or α sarcoglycan in Sgca−/− mice, results in the spontaneous development of muscle-derived embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) after 1 year of age. Many mdx and Sgca−/− tumors showed increased expression of insulin-like growth factor 2, retinoblastoma protein, and phosphorylated Akt and decreased expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog gene, much as is found in a human RMS. Further, all mdx and Sgca−/− RMS analyzed had increased expression of p53 and murine double minute (mdm)2 protein and contained missense p53 mutations previously identified in human cancers. The mdx RMS also contained missense mutations in Mdm2 or alternatively spliced Mdm2 transcripts that lacked an exon encoding a portion of the p53-binding domain. No Pax3:Fkhr or Pax7:Fkhr translocation mRNA products were evident in any tumor. Expression of natively glycosylated α dystroglycan and α sarcoglycan was reduced in mdx RMS, whereas dystrophin expression was absent in almost all human RMS, both for embryonal and alveolar RMS subtypes. These studies show that absence of members of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex constitutes a permissive environment for spontaneous development of embryonal RMS associated with mutation of p53 and mutation or altered splicing of Mdm2.
James Webb Space Telescope: the road to first science observations (Presentation Video)

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture, infrared telescope planned for launch in 2018. JWST is a facility observatory that will address a broad range of science goals covering four major themes: First light and Re- Ionization, the Assembly of Galaxies, the Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems, and Planetary Systems and the Origins of Life. JWST embodies several major technical challenges. With a 6.5 meter diameter mirror it will be the largest space telescope ever flown. It is the first cryogenic telescope to incorporate passive cooling, achieved by means of a large sunshade, to reach its ~40 K operating temperature. Due to the size of the Observatory, it must be stowed for launch, and then deployed to its operational configuration on its way to an orbit around the second Lagrange point. JWST is well on its way from drawing board to sky. Much of the flight hardware is already built and tested at the sub-system level. In this talk we will focus on the remaining tasks on the road to JWST’s first science observations on the sky. Prior to the launch, the remaining work to integrate the observatory elements centers around four major activities: • Cryo-optical testing of the instrument complement • Cryo-optical testing of the assembled telescope and instrument complement; • Integration of the observatory • Full-scale testing of the observatory deployments. We will discuss the design and philosophy underlying the cryo-optical test program for the Observatory. Cryo-optical testing begins with the instrument complement at the Goddard Space Flight Center, and finishes with an end-to-end test of the assembled telescope in the world’s largest cryogenic vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Flight Center. In the context of a detailed overview of JWST’s deployment steps after launch, we will describe the final stages of Observatory integration and the testing to verify these deployments, ready for launch. Finally, we will discuss the post-launch timeline to transition the stowed Observatory to the start of science operations.
African American Women And Their Quest For Congress

As many barriers to Black electoral success were removed during the latter half of the 20th century, Black representation in Congress increased dramatically from 2 in 1949 to 38 in 2000. Many of th...
Adolescent rat circadian activity is modulated by psychostimulants.

Abstract Circadian pattern of activity regulates many aspects of mammalian physiology and behavior to particular times of the day by entraining the circadian clocks to external environmental signals. Since circadian rhythms are sensitive to many pharmacological agents, it is important to understand if the repetitive use of psychostimulants such as amphetamine will alter the circadian rhythm behavioral activity pattern. The present study uses male Sprague–Dawley rats to study the long-term effects of amphetamine on the locomotor circadian rhythm activity pattern. Rats were randomly assigned to a testing cage that recorded their locomotor activity nonstop for eleven days using the open field assay, as follows: one day of baseline activity was recorded and then the experimental group was injected with amphetamine (0.6 mg/kg) for 6 days, no treatment for 3 days (i.e., washout days) and then re-challenged with amphetamine for one more day while the control group was treated similarly with saline. The Cosine Curve Statistical Analysis (CCSA) test was used to fit a 24-hour curve to activity pattern. Results indicate that repetitive daily amphetamine injections cause behavioral sensitization and a significant change of circadian rhythm of locomotor activity pattern, and elicit behavioral expectation to receive the drug or expression of withdrawal during the washout days. The results suggest that either changes in circadian rhythm caused sensitization and withdrawal or sensitization and withdrawal caused the change in circadian rhythm activity.
The Most Unique of all Unique Species

This article identifies the shortcomings of “orthodox neo-Darwinians” such as Richard Dawkins, George Williams and Daniel Dennett in their efforts to describe human nature and human pro-social behavior. As an alternative to the views of these thinkers, the efforts of Peter Richerson, Robert Boyd, and other “dual inheritance” theorists to describe the evolution of human nature are also characterized. It is argued that dual inheritance theorists have surpassed the orthodox neo-Darwinians in their explanations for very important and uniquely human features such as our extensive sociability, complex cumulative culture and morality.
An addition compound of oxidized tocopherol and linoleic acid

There is evidence that an addition compound of oxidizeddl-alpha-tocopherol and linoleic acid is formed when the components are absorbed in mixed monolayer on silica gel at a molecular ratio of 1∶20, and subjected to heating in air at 80C. A relatively nonpolar tocopheryl quinone is also formed in smaller amounts. These are the major tocopherol oxidation products isolated in this system and do not correspond to any known to the authors. The addition compound has about the same mobility as linoleic acid in most thin layer chromatography (TLC) and chromatographic systems, but can be isolated by successive chromatography on silica and gel filtration on Sephadex LH-20. It yields a single spot in TLC in several systems. The elemental analysis is reproducible and consistent with a simple addition compound of linoleic acid and bivalently oxidized tocopherol. The compound has a carboxyl group which can be esterified. The ester has about the same TLC mobility as methyl linoleate. The molecular weight of the ester is 722.6. The UV spectrum shows a single peak, 2 max ETOH =3000 A, E=4.74. The IR spectrum shows a very strong chroman ether band at 9.12 μ, a strong methyl band at 7.24 μ and carboxyl but no hydroxyl absorption. The NMR spectrum shows, in contrast to that of tocopherol, a reduction in aromatic methyl protons, a carboxyl proteon exchangeable with deuterium oxide, but no hydroxy proton. The compound does not reduce Emmerie-Engel reagent prior to treatment with concentrated hydriodic acid, nor do the ether-extractable products after such treatment. The present data are consistent with an addition product whose bridging group is a new chroman ring.
Studies of self-diffusion of poly(dimethylsiloxane) chains in PDMS model networks by pulsed field gradient NMR

We have measured the diffusion of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) chains in PDMS model networks by using a pulsed field gradient NMR technique. The model networks have been prepared by tetrafunctional endliking of linear PDMS chains having molecular weights Mn of 3,700 and 7,400 g mol−1. The diffusants have been incorporated in the networks by immersing pieces of them in PDMS linear chains with molecular weights Mn between 3,000 and 12,000 g mol−1 and molecular weight distributions Mw/Mn between 1.1 and 1.7. Although spin-echo attenuation results were fitted to a model which takes into account polydispersity of the diffusant, these results did not exhibit any dependency upon the molecular weight distribution. The self-diffusion coefficients of PDMS chains in the PDMS model networks were found to be smaller than in the melt, and the exponents for the diffusion coefficient dependence on Mn in the networks were found to be about-1.3. Free diffusion will give an exponent equal to-1, whereas free volume contributions or behavior intermediate between free and entangled diffusion will increase the magnitude of the exponent.
Virtual base station pool: towards a wireless network cloud for radio access networks

The mobile Internet has seen tremendous progress due to the standardization efforts around WiMAX, LTE and beyond. There are also early trends towards adoption of software radio and a growing presence of general purpose platforms in wireless networking. Such platforms are programmer-friendly and with recent advances on multi-core and hybrid architectures, allow signal processing, network processor class packet processing, wire-speed computation and server-class virtualization capabilities for software radio realizations of 3G and 4G wireless stacks. Software radio over IT platforms will enable the virtualization of base stations and consolidation of virtual base stations into central pools (a local "cloud site") with fiber connectivity to towers, which we call a Wireless Network Cloud (WNC). A Virtual base station (BS) pool supporting multiple BS software instances over a general OS and IT platform is an important step towards the realization of the larger WNC concept. This paper introduces the first TDD WiMAX SDR BS implemented on a commodity server, in conjunction with a novel design of a remote radio head (RRH). We also present the first working prototype of a virtual BS (VBS) pool, exploring the systems challenges in supporting a VBS pool on multi-core IT platforms. The results from our VBS pool prototype for WiMAX verify that these solutions can meet system requirements including synchronization, latency and jitter.
Use of Carrie Line Traps with no Tuning Packs

This paper describes a tuning scheme that uses a self-resonant line trap coil as one leg of a pi-section bandpass filter. The significance of this circuit as a step toward elimination of problems with line trap tuning packs is discussed. Comparisons are drawn with other approaches to these problems.
Intact functional domains of the retinoblastoma gene product (pRb) are required for downregulation of telomerase activity

The ends of human chromosomes (telomeres) consist of tandem repeats of the sequence TTAGGG. Telomeres lose up to 200 base pairs of DNA per cell division due to the inability of DNA polymerase to completely replicate the chromosomal ends. Chromosomal shortening ultimately leads to senescence and cell death in normal cells. However, some immortal cells do not lose telomeric sequence during DNA replication. Many human carcinoma lines are immortal in vitro, suggesting that these cells have a mechanism for maintaining the ends of their chromosomes. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that synthesizes telomeric DNA onto chromosomes using its RNA component as a template. To elucidate potential mechanisms for telomerase regulation, we tested human squamous cell carcinoma lines (SCCs) for telomerase activity. All SCC lines expressed high levels of telomerase activity. Synchronization in specific cell cycle phases caused marked reduction in telomerase activity in G0 and S, but not in G1 or M. Reduction in telomerase activity correlated with induction of Rb protein in these phases. Overexpression of full length Rb resulted in significant downregulation of telomerase activity. However, expression of an Rb N-terminal oligomerization domain deletion construct, a C-terminal DNA binding domain deletion construct, or a pocket domain mutant failed to downregulate telomerase activity. We concluded that functionally intact Rb was required for cell cycle-dependent downregulation of telomerase activity in SCC lines.