cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excitotoxic Brain Injury Suppresses Striatal High-Affinity Glutamate Uptake in Perinatal Rats

Abstract: In immature rodent brain, the glutamate receptor agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) is a potent neurotoxin. In postnatal day (PND)-7 rats, intrastriatal injection of 25 nmol of NMDA results in extensive ipsilateral forebrain injury. In this study, we examined alterations in high-affinity [3H]glutamate uptake (HAGU) in NMDA-lesioned striatum. HAGU was assayed in synaptosomes, prepared from lesioned striatum, the corresponding contralateral striatum, or unlesioned controls. Twenty-four hours after NMDA injection (25 nmol), HAGU declined 44 ± 8% in lesioned tissue, compared with the contralateral striatum (mean ± SEM, n = 6 assays, p < 0.006, paired t test). Doses of 5–25 nmol of NMDA resulted in increasing suppression of HAGU (5 nmol, n = 3; 12.5 nmol, n = 3; and 25 nmol, n = 5 assays; p < 0.01, regression analysis). The temporal evolution of HAGU suppression was biphasic. There was an early transient suppression of HAGU (−28 ± 4% at 1 h; p < 0.03, analysis of variance, comparing changes at 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 h after lesioning); 1 or 5 days postinjury there was sustained loss of HAGU (at 5 days, −56 ± 11%, n = 3, p < 0.03, paired t test, lesioned versus contralateral striata). Treatment with the noncompetitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 (1 mg/kg i.p.) attenuated both the early and subsequent irreversible suppression of HAGU (1 h postlesion −28 ± 4%, n = 6 assays versus −12.6 ± 5% with MK-801, n = 4, p= 0.005; 24 h postlesion, −44 ± 8%, n = 5, versus +2.4 ± 6%, n = 3 with MK-801, p= 0.01, Wilcoxon ranked sum tests). In immature brain excitotoxic lesions produce an acute reversible suppression of HAGU, and a delayed long-lasting reduction in HAGU secondary to brain injury. These data suggest that accumulation of endogenous glutamate, as a consequence of the acute disruption of HAGU, could contribute to the pathogenesis of excitotoxic neuronal injury.
Rapid isolation of single-chain antibodies for structural genomics

High throughput approaches to structural genomics requires expression, purification, and crystallization of proteins derived from predicted open reading frames cloned into a host organism, typically E. coli. Early results from this approach suggest that the success rate of obtaining well diffracting crystals from eukaryotic proteins is disappointingly low. A proven method of improving the odds of crystallization is formation of a complex with a conformation-stabilizing partner of known structure that is easily crystallized. Such complexes are also able to engage in different crystal contacts than the original protein by itself. Fab fragments derived from monoclonal antibodies have been successfully used for this purpose for a variety of proteins, however conventional methods for the isolation of monoclonal antibodies from hybridomas are time consuming and expensive. We are exploring the use of phage display to generate recombinant antibodies to target proteins that can be used to obtain co-complexes to facilitate crystallization and structural determination. We are using a large, human single-chain Fv (scFv) library to select for antibodies that bind to a panel of Leishmania major target proteins. Thirteen out of 16 target proteins yielded good binders after three rounds of enrichment. A total of 55 distinct scFvs were identified, with five targets each yielding at least five different scFvs. Individual clones were analyzed for binding specificity and soluble scFv can be readily produced and purified via the appended His6 epitope tag. Using immunoaffinity chromatography, eight scFv target protein pairs were identified that exhibit stable complex formation and are suitable for co-crystallization trials.
A vortex-lattice method for calculating lifting-surface interference

The interference effect of closely coupled lifting surfaces was investigated. A nonsteady vortex-lattice method was applied to calculate the steady-state and nonsteady lift characteristics of configurations having interference effects. The configurations consist of low-aspect-ratio delta wings, at low and high angles of attack. Leading-edge separation and wake roll-up are simulated by a time-dependent wake-shedding procedure. For steady-state flow conditions, this numerical procedure saves a considerable amount of computer time, compared with iterative methods, and yields the same results. A better understanding of the interference effect can be gained by using the method to study the transient behavior. The nonsteady approach also offers the capability of calculating various nonsteady motions, as is demonstrated in the calculation of the longitudinal damping.
Partially-adaptive robust estimators of location via exponential embedding

A general method is presented for constructing a location estimator which is asymptotically efficient at any two different location-scale families of symmetric distributions as well as at an appropriately defined class of distributions lying in between. The method works by embedding the two families in a comprehensive parametric model and identifying the estimator with the MLE. The case when the families are Normal and Double exponential is examined in detail.
Gender and friendship: Why are men's best same‐sex friendships less intimate and supportive?

Despite efforts to dismiss it, the finding that men's same-sex friendships are less intimate and supportive than women's is robust and widely documented. We tested six possible explanations for this finding: lack of parental models for friendship, emotional restraint, homophobia, masculine self-identity, competitive strivings, and role conflicts. Of these, emotional restraint and homophobia toward gay men provided the most explanatory power for gender effects on both intimacy and support in best friendships. Masculine self-identity mediated the relationship between gender and intimate–but not supportive–friendship; and having a same-sex parent with close friendships mediated the relationship between gender and supportive–but not intimate–friendship. Unexpected findings about the importance of a status orientation toward friendship suggest that researchers should abandon the male-deficit model of friendship in favor of studying the reasons why some men and women seek close same-sex friendships.
Calcyclin (S100A6) regulates pulmonary fibroblast proliferation, morphology, and cytoskeletal organization in vitro.

Calcyclin (S100A6) is a member of the S100A family of calcium binding proteins. While the precise function of calcyclin is unknown, calcyclin expression is associated with cell proliferation and calcyclin is expressed in several types of cancer phenotypes. In the present study, the functional role of calcyclin was further elucidated in pulmonary fibroblasts. Antisense S100A6 RNA expression inhibited serum and mechanical strain-induced fibroblast proliferation. This attenuated proliferative response was accompanied by a flattened, spread cell morphology, and disruption of tropomyosin labeled microfilaments. Changes in cytoskeletal organization did not correspond with a decrease in tropomyosin levels. These observations suggest a role for calcyclin in modulating calcium dependent signaling events that regulate progression through the cell cycle. J. Cell. Biochem. 88: 848-854, 2003.
Opioids for Chronic Pain: New Evidence, New Strategies, Safe Prescribing

In the United States, the prevalence and burden of chronic pain is large and still growing. Older adults (aged ≥65 years) make up a large portion of the population with chronic pain, and their presentation, diagnosis, and treatment tends to be more complicated because of age-related physiological changes and comorbidities. Guidelines on treating patients with severe back pain recommend opioids as an option for those who do not find adequate pain relief from acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). For older adult patients at higher risk for NSAID-related adverse effects, such as those who have gastrointestinal or cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, or who are taking low-dose aspirin, opioids are recommended instead. Opioids may also be an appropriate option for patients with neuropathic pain who have not achieved adequate analgesia from maximum doses of first- and second-line antineuropathic agents. Still, opioids are not appropriate for all patients; rather, a differential diagnosis, consideration of other comorbidities, and the potential for opioid-related adverse effects and substance abuse are required to confirm the value of opioid treatment for each individual. For nonresponders to opioid therapy, opioid rotation should be considered before discontinuation is pursued.
Liquid Crystalline Polymers Containing Heterocycloalkane Mesogens. 4. Biphasic Side-Chain Liquid Crystalline Polysiloxanes Containing Trans 5-(n-Undecanyl)-2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-1,3-Dioxane and Trans 2-(n-Decanyl)-5-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-1,3-Dioxane Mesogens.

The synthesis and characterization of side-chain liquid crystalline polysiloxanes and copolysiloxanes containing trans 5-(n-undecanyl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-dioxane and respectively trans 2-(n-decanyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-dioxane side groups is presented. In most cases the resulting polymers exhibit two glass transition temperatures, i.e., one due to the independent motion of the main chain, and the other due to the independent but cooperative motion of the side chains.
Random dot stereograms and the correspondence problem revisited

Summary form only given, as follows. The random-dot stereogram is an important technique in vision research for portraying stimuli that are visible to neither eye alone but are visible in the binocular view. This lack of information in the real-world sense suggests that stereovision in humans might really be a low-level vision task not requiring extensive prior learning or intervention of higher visual-cortical areas. Different configurations of random-dot stereograms are used to determine as precisely as possible the mode of functioning and the usable limits of the stereo technique employed by the human visual system. The most significant problem that any such system faces is the stereo-correspondence problem. The difficulty is further compounded if the images presented to the vision system do not have any information which can be analyzed by the higher processing centers in the brain, but are composed of a matrix of randomly attributed image points. Based on the insights gained from experiments with random-dot stereograms, a neurally inspired stereovision system design is proposed whose hardware implementation, with components as slow as the neural counterparts, is capable of creating depth maps of input images in real time. This study also describes some of the results obtained from the software simulation of the proposed system design. >
Selective inhibition of sheep kidney 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase isoform 2 activity by 5α-reduced (but not 5β) derivatives of adrenocorticosteroids

Abstract We have previously reported that 5α and 5β pathways of steroid metabolism are controlled in vivo by dietary Na + and glycyrrhetinic acid, see Gorsline et al. 1998; Latif et al. 1990. The present investigations provide evidence supporting the suggestion that endogenous substances may regulate the glucocorticoid inactivating isoenzymes, 11β-HSD (hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) 1 (liver) and 11β-HSD2 (kidney). The activity of 11β-HSD is impaired in essential hypertension, following licorice ingestion, and in patients with apparent mineralocorticoid excess where 11β-HSD2 is particularly affected. In all three conditions, excretion of the less common 5α metabolites is elevated in urine. We now report on the differential abilities of a series of Ring A reduced (5α and 5β) adrenocorticosteroid and progesterone metabolites to inhibit these isoenzymes. Using liver microsomes with NADP + as co-factor (11β-HSD1), and sheep kidney microsomes with NAD + as co-factor (11β-HSD2), we have systematically investigated the abilities of a number of adrenocorticosteroids and their derivatives to inhibit the individual isoforms of 11β-HSD. A striking feature is the differential sensitivity of the two isoenzymes to inhibition by 5α and 5β derivatives. 11β-HSD1 is inhibited by both 5α and certain 5β derivatives. 11β-HSD-2 was selectively inhibited only by 5α derivatives; 5β derivatives were without inhibitory activity toward this isoform of 11β-HSD. These results indicate the importance of the structural conformation of the A and B Rings in conferring specific inhibitory properties on these compounds. In addition, we discuss the effects of additions or substitutions of other functional groups on the inhibitory potency of these steroid molecules against 11β-HSD1 and 11β-HSD2.
Value of endoscopic ultrasound staging in conjunction with the evaluation of lymphovascular invasion in identifying low‐risk esophageal carcinoma

BACKGROUND. With increasing emphasis on endoscopic therapy (ET) for T1 esophageal carcinoma, the identification of low-risk patients is critical. It was hypothesized that endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in concert with detailed histopathologic evaluation would identify low-risk cancers for an appropriate but organ-preserving strategy. METHODS. All patients who had pretreatment EUS and underwent esophagectomy as primary therapy for esophageal cancer between 1999 and 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. The accuracy of EUS in predicting the correct pathologic stage was assessed along with a histopathologic reevaluation including lymphovascular invasion (LVI). Pathologic stage and various features were incorporated into a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS. A total of consecutive 87 esophageal cancer patients (81 with adenocarcinoma) were evaluable for this analysis. EUS correctly diagnosed 59 T1 cancers and 20 T2-4 cancers but understaged cancers in 2 patients and overstaged cancers in 6 patients. EUS correctly identified 8 patients with lymph node metastases but not 13 other patients. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of EUS for T1 cancers were 91%, 91%, and 91%, respectively; for T1a (intramucosal) cancers, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were: 82%, 67%, and 93%, respectively, and for lymph node involvement these same values were 81%, 38%, and 94%, respectively. LVI was found to be an independent predictor of lymph node metastases on the multivariate analysis (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS. Data from the current study demonstrate that EUS has excellent accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity (91% each) for identifying T1 esophageal cancers and LVI is an independent predictor of lymph node metastases. A strategy for preservation of the esophagus may be possible in patients who have EUS-designated T1 cancer without LVI after successful ET. Cancer 2008. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Stages in faith consciousness.

Faith as a universal, dynamic quality of human meaning making can be defined in terms of each individual's center of values, images of power, and master stories. Faith develops in stages toward a point of maximal individuation of the self and corresponding minimization of the personal ego as the standpoint from which evaluations are made.
Vicarious Stress: Patterns of Disturbance and Use of Mental Health Services by Those Indirectly Affected by the Oklahoma City Bombing:

This study explored the intermediate psychological effects of terrorism on adults not directly affected by the Oklahoma City bombing by examining the course of PTSD and subthreshold PTSD symptoms over time and whether treatment affected this course. The respondents were interviewed at 3-mo. intervals for 18 mo. following an initial 6-mo. survey. Analysis suggested avoidance, re-experiencing, and increased arousal symptoms in this population were limited over time, declining with or without treatment between 6 and 9 mo. Conversely, victimization symptoms remained high without mental health intervention for the first year after the disaster. The study also examined the nature and occurrence of comorbidity in groups seeking and not seeking treatment.
From Peasants to the PLO

Book reviewed in this article: Palestinian Peasants and Ottoman Officials: Rural Administration Around Sixteenth-Cent ury Jerusalem, Amy Singer Politics in Palestine: Arab Factionalism and Social Disintegration, 1939–1948, Issa Khalaf U.S.-PLO Dialogue: Secret Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, Mohamed Rabie
Improvement Happens: An Interview with David Judge, MD

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) and the Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation at MGH in Boston are focused on the revitalization and redesign of primary care through research, teaching and innovative practice models. Multiple activities are underway across primary care at MGH and the MGPO to support the development of more ideal care models that will improve the quality of care and experience of care for both patients and clinicians. In the summer of 2010, MGH opened a new clinical practice that represents its most ambitious project yet, the Ambulatory Practice of the Future (APF)
On the reported optical activity of amino acids in the Murchison meteorite

It is shown that the explanation of terrestrial contamination of the Murchison meteorite is consistent with the analysis of extracts from the meteorite reported by Engel and Nagy (EN) (1982) and is much more probable than their suggestion that the excess of L-enantiomers for several protein amino acids is due to asymmetric synthesis or decomposition. The low abundance of serine and threonine reported by EN may be due to their decomposition during the derivatization procedure, and the absence of methionine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine can be attributed to various causes. The amount of contamination in EN's extracts are estimated from a mass balance of the amino acid enantiomers, and it is found that the amino acids in the HCl could be due entirely to contamination while in the water extract the amount of contamination ranges from about 40 to 97 percent, depending on the amino acid. The argument that contaminants were preferentially extracted by EN's procedure cannot account for the failure to detect methionine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine.
POLAROGRAPHIC STUDY OF LEAD-TROPOLONE COMPLEXATION

Abstract A.C., D. C. and derivative pulse polarography of lead-tropolone complexes has been studied. It has been shown that the application of usual treatments for complexation in d. c. polarography are invalid in this system, where the irreversible wave in presence of the ligand is a composite step. It seems generally advisable to apply derivative pulse or a.c. polarography before using non-reversible d.c. steps for evaluation of K and p.
The mechanism of the type III antifreeze protein action: a computational study

The random network model of water quantitatively describes the different hydration heat capacities of polar and apolar solutes in terms of differential distortions of the water-water hydrogen bonding angle in the first hydration shell. This method of hydration analysis is applied here to study the hydration of the wild type III thermal hysteresis protein from eel pout and three mutations at residue 16. Wild type and one mutant have full activity, the other two mutants have little or no anti-freeze (thermal hysteresis) activity. The analysis reveals significant differences in the hydration structure of the ice-binding site (centered on residue 16) among four proteins. For the A16T and A16Y mutants with reduced activity, polar groups have a typical polar-like hydration. For the wild type and mutant A16C with 100% of the wild type activity, polar groups have unusual, very apolar-like hydration. In the latter case, hydrating water molecules form a more ice-like pattern of hydrogen bonding on the ice-binding face, while in the former case water-water H-bonds are more distorted and more heterogenous. Overall, the binding surface of active protein strongly enhances the water tetrahedral structure, i.e. promotes ice-like hydration. It is concluded that the specific shape, residue size and clustering of both polar/apolar groups are essential for the binding surface to recognize, and preferentially interact with nascent ice crystals forming in liquid water.
Radiometric ages of basaltic achondrites and their relation to the early history of the solar system

PbPb mineral isochrons were determined for three cumulate eucrites (Moama, Moore County, and Serra de Mage) and three noncumulate eucrites (Nuevo Laredo, Bouvante, and Stannern). Two noncumulate eucrites (Bereba and Cachari) show disturbed Pb isotope patterns. The mineral isochron ages of cumulate eucrites range from 4.40 Ga to 4.48 Ga. The latter is the age of Moore County (4.484 ± 0.019 Ga), which was also dated by the SmNd method at 4.456 ± 0.025 Ga. Nuevo Laredo and Bouvante give the same Pb-Pb age: 4.514 ± 0.015 Ga and 4.510 ± 0.004 Ga, respectively. The Pb isochron of Stannern corresponds to 4.128 ± 0.016 Ga, which is a reequilibration age. Both Cachari and Bereba show evidence of isotope resetting at about 4 Ga. A Pb-Pb multicotrelation approach is introduced and applied to the data. The younger ages of the cumulate eucrites preclude their formation by fractional crystallization from the melts that produced the noncumulate eucrites. The μ1 of the source of the cumulate eucrites is ∼ 14, whereas that of the source of the noncumulate eucrites is -150. This large difference in μ1 values suggests that eucrites were derived from separate planetesimals or from a single heterogeneous (layered?) parent body.
Social-cognitive aspects of children's play: The effects of age, gender, and activity centers

Abstract The intent of the study was to examine a model suggesting that personal (age and gender) and environmental (activity centers) variables affect social-cognitive aspects of children's play. Same-age and same-gender dyads from each of two age groups (4- and 5-year-olds) were observed playing in an experimental playroom. On two occasions children played in a dramatic center and on two occasions in a blocks center. Results were compatible with the model. More specifically, play was affected by the center in which children played to the extent that their play generally followed the themes suggested by the props in those centers. Predicted age effects were supported to the extent that play became more complex with age. Gender interacted with age and activity center to affect play. Main effects due to gender, however, were not significant. These results are significant in that they document the main and interactive effects of personal and controlled environmental variables on preschooler's play behaviors.
Relación entre la hiperglicemia al ingreso a la unidad de emergencia y el pronóstico en pacientes no diabéticos con infarto agudo al miocardio, no sometidos a terapia de reperfusión

Se realizo un estudio de cohortes retros-pectivo que incluyo a 230 pacientes ingresados a la uni-dad de emergencia del Hospital Carlos Van Buren por un IAM SDST durante los anos 2008 y 2009 y a quienes se les efectuo una glicemia al ingreso. Los pacientes fueron divididos en dos grupos segun presentaran o no hiper-glicemia. Se utilizo un outcome compuesto que incluyo muerte, re-infarto, rehospitalizacion de causa coronaria, necesidad de coronariografia y revascularizacion.
Is quality of life predictive of the survival of patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND Several studies have recently reported on the importance of quality of life (QOL) in predicting the survival of patients with lung carcinoma. To confirm these reports, the relationship between survival and QOL, as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire and Duke-UNC Social Support Scale, was examined within a group of 206 patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma treated in a randomized clinical trial conducted by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB 8931). METHODS Patients completed the EORTC instrument and the Duke-UNC Social Support Scale at baseline in the clinic. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the incremental contribution QOL provided in predicting survival beyond the effect of known clinical prognostic variables. RESULTS Clinical factors that were jointly predictive of poorer survival included low performance status, nonadenocarcinoma histology, presence of dyspnea, weight loss greater than 5%, albumin level less than 3.5 mg/dL, and adrenal metastases. Univariate analyses showed that patient-reported EORTC subscales describing increased pain, appetite loss, fatigue, lung carcinoma symptoms, poorer overall QOL, and poorer physical functioning predicted significantly poorer survival. Multivariate analyses showed that, after adjustment for clinical factors, overall QOL was not a significant predictor of survival. Rather, the only EORTC subscale of prognostic importance was the pain subscale, in which a 40-point increase was associated with a 27% increase in the hazard rate. CONCLUSIONS This study did not confirm the prognostic importance of overall QOL. Rather, after adjustment for significant clinical factors, a patient-provided pain report had the greatest prognostic importance. Cancer 1999;85:333–40. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
Experimental evaluation of software estimates of task specific measurement uncertainty for CMMs

Estimation of the uncertainty of Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) measurements for real, imperfect parts is a very complex undertaking. Not only are there many contributors to the uncertainty that may interact in a non-linear fashion, making it difficult to mathematically determine an uncertainty estimate, but it is also difficult to predict the long-term variation of these parameters. Our work seeks to provide experimental validation of the uncertainties predicted by two different commercial software packages that purport to predict the task-specific measuring uncertainty of CMM measurement results. The validation procedure uses repeated measurements of calibrated artifacts to experimentally determine measurement uncertainties. These measurements can then be simulated in the commercial software packages. The comparison will allow the software to be tested to see if it appropriately accounts for the influences of the operator, environment, and part placement. This paper reports the results of actual part measurements and the predicted uncertainty provided by commercial simulation packages. Differences between experimental and simulated uncertainties are highlighted, and their causes examined.
What U.S. Researchers Think Of Regulations and Regulators

If regulators contain their political excesses and become more effective, DNA researchers will give them guarded approval
A Feedback Light-Amplifier Panel for Picture Storage

With a new type of light-amplifier panel, incorporating optical feedback, a transient input image can be stored for an indefinite time as a black-and-white or on-off picture. Using 420-cycle operation, an exposure of about 1 foot-candle-second is required for triggering an image on, with the excited elements having a brightness of 0.5 foot-lamberts. When desired, the stored image can be rapidly erased by electrical means without the delay normally required by the decay of the photoconductor. A panel construction of 40 elements per linear inch is used, with each element optically and electrically isolated from its neighbors. By means of separate phosphor layers for viewing and feedback, ambient light on the viewing side is prevented from exciting the panel. Calculated and measured curves are shown, indicating the effects of varying the feedback factor in general light amplifier operation. A relation is also derived, taking into account the build-up and decay properties of the amplifier, which specifies the conditions for bistable operation.
Transmission-line characteristics of on-chip interconnects on multilayer silicon structures with thin-metallic ground substrate

This paper studies the transmission-line characteristics of interconnects in a typical metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure with a thin metallic ground substrate. The characteristic impedance, extracted resistance, inductance, capacitance, and conductance (RLCG) are simulated. The results demonstrated that the frequency-dependent characteristics of interconnects have changed remarkably with the existence of this ground substrate. Furthermore, this substrate significantly increases the series resistance and decreases the inductance, while almost unaffects the shunt inductance and conductance.
DNA analysis with multiplex microarray-enhanced PCR

We have developed a highly sensitive method for DNA analysis on 3D gel element microarrays, a technique we call multiplex microarray-enhanced PCR (MME-PCR). Two amplification strategies are carried out simultaneously in the reaction chamber: on or within gel elements, and in bulk solution over the gel element array. MME-PCR is initiated by multiple complex primers containing gene-specific, forward and reverse, sequences appended to the 3′ end of a universal amplification primer. The complex primer pair is covalently tethered through its 5′ end to the polyacryl- amide backbone. In the bulk solution above the gel element array, a single pair of unattached universal primers simultaneously directs pseudo-monoplex PCR of all targets according to normal solution-phase PCR. The presence of a single universal PCR primer pair in solution accelerates amplification within gel elements and eliminates the problem of primer interference that is common to conventional multiplex PCR. We show 106-fold amplification of targeted DNA after 50 cycles with average amplification efficiency 1.34 per cycle, and demonstrate specific on-chip amplification of six genes in Bacillus subtilis. All six genes were detected at 4.5 pg of bacterial genomic DNA (equivalent to 103 genomes) in 60 independent amplification reactions performed simultaneously in single reaction chamber.
MRI-based finite element modeling of head trauma: spherically focusing shear waves

A powerful tool for investigating the physical process producing head trauma is finite element (FE) modeling. In this paper, we present a 3D FE model of the human head that accounts for important geometric characteristics of the various components within the human head through an efficient magnetic resonance imaging voxel-based mesh generation method. To validate the FE model, a previous cadaver experiment of frontal impact is simulated, and this is where heretofore unknown wave patterns are discovered. The model is run under either of two extreme assumptions concerning the head-neck junction—free or fixed—and the experimental measurements are well bounded by the computed pressures from the two boundary conditions. In both cases the impact gives rise to not only a fast pressure wave but also a slow and spherically convergent shear stress wave which is potentially more damaging to the brain tissue.
Qualitatively modeling heterojunction bipolar transistors for optimization: a neural network approach

A neural network approach is developed to qualitatively model the relationship between fabrication process parameters and the characteristics of a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). An equivalent circuit model is used as an intermediate representation format for this objective. The goal of this research project is to develop a method that can predict and explain changes in the behavior of a device without the need for precise problem formulations and computationally intensive methods. The primary use of such a neural network model is in a reverse modeling process which performs device optimization. >
Similarity, familiarity and access to elite work in Hollywood: Employer and employee characteristics in breakthrough employment

This study develops and tests hypotheses concerning factors that influence employers' decisions to create breakthrough opportunities for workers on elite Hollywood projects. A breakthrough is defined as employment in a new career area in which the employee has no experience. Similarity and familiarity are proposed as constructs that describe relationships between employees and employers. Similarity and familiarity play a major role in breakthroughs because, by definition, the employee's experience is insufficient to gauge his or her ability for the new area. The hypotheses are tested using archival data on employment in Hollywood motion picture production, with the breakthrough to directing an elite motion picture as the focal opportunity. The results show that while similarity and familiarity make breakthroughs more likely, the prospect's experience matters little. Breakthrough opportunities are created by employers with less experience in elite work and lower status.
Complexity in Automation of SOS Proofs: An Illustrative Example

We present a case study in proving invariance for a chaotic dynamical system, the logistic map, based on Positivstellensatz refutations, with the aim of studying the problems associated with developing a completely automated proof system. We derive the refutation using two different forms of the Positivstellensatz and compare the results to illustrate the challenges in defining and classifying the `complexity' of such a proof. The results show the flexibility of the SOS framework in converting a dynamics problem into a semialgebraic one as well as in choosing the form of the proof. Yet it is this very flexibility that complicates the process of automating the proof system and classifying proof `complexity'.
Evaluation of Network Preloads on a Medium-Sized Urban Travel Forecast Model:

Transportation engineers and planners attempt to understand urban travel characteristics to develop, formulate, and analyze problems and opportunities better. Transportation professionals use urban transportation models and typically implemented the four-step urban transportation planning process. This study examined a modified planning process that preassigned external trips to the transportation network before distributing and assigning internal trips. The preassignment, or preloading, of external trips helped to ensure that trips passing through the network were assigned to only the major through routes and that internal trips were modeled with the knowledge that external trips were present on the roadways before selecting destination or route. The study concluded that the preload methodology did not affect the validity of a travel model in a medium-sized urban travel forecast model and reduced assignment error on minor arterial roadways, which would not be the typical routes used by external travelers, to a level below the maximum deviation where an incorrect decision would be made regarding improvements to the roadway infrastructure.
MicroRNA-17∼92 regulates effector and memory CD8 T-cell fates by modulating proliferation in response to infections

The precise microRNAs and their target cellular processes involved in generation of durable T-cell immunity remain undefined. Here we show a dynamic regulation of microRNAs as CD8 T cells differentiate from naive to effector and memory states, with short-lived effectors transiently expressing higher levels of oncogenic miR-17-92 compared with the relatively less proliferating memory-fated effectors. Conditional CD8 T-cell-intrinsic gain or loss of expression of miR-17-92 in mature cells after activation resulted in striking reciprocal effects compared with wild-type counterparts in the same infection milieu-miR-17-92 deletion resulted in lesser proliferation of antigen-specific cells during primary expansion while favoring enhanced IL-7Rα and Bcl-2 expression and multicytokine polyfunctionality; in contrast, constitutive expression of miR-17-92 promoted terminal effector differentiation, with decreased formation of polyfunctional lymphoid memory cells. Increased proliferation upon miR-17-92 overexpression correlated with decreased expression of tumor suppressor PTEN and increased PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling. Thus, these studies identify miR17-92 as a critical regulator of CD8 T-cell expansion and effector and memory lineages in the physiological context of acute infection, and present miR-17-92 as a potential target for modulating immunologic outcome after vaccination or immunotherapeutic treatments of cancer, chronic infections, or autoimmune disorders.
O3-induced formation of bioactive lipids: estimated surface concentrations and lining layer effects.

Recent evidence suggests that inhaled ozone (O3) does not induce toxicity via direct epithelial interactions. Reactions with epithelial lining fluid (ELF) constituents limit cellular contact and ge...
Cultural Care: The Missing Link in Severe Sensory Alteration

The phenomenon of severe sensory alteration has been studied for some twenty-five years. Sensory overload, sensory deprivation, and sleep deprivation have been identified as contributing factors in its cause. Yet, the incidence of severe sensory alteration remains high. In this paper the author suggests that Leininger's theory of cultural care advocating the use of culturally assistive, supportive, or facilitative acts in nursing care, may provide important new insights into this phenomenon.
Acellular hemoglobin-mediated oxidative stress toward endothelium: a role for ferryl iron

We tested the hypothesis that chemical modifications used to produce stable, oxygen-carrying, Hb-based blood substitutes can induce cytotoxicity in endothelial cells in culture because of altered r...
Chapter 2 Third Sound

Publisher Summary Third sound is a surface wave on a superfluid helium film. It involves a longitudinal oscillatory motion of the superfluid component parallel to the substrate, with the normal component stationary. It is accompanied by a temperature oscillation, and by evaporation and condensation of vapor at the free surface of the film. In thick “saturated” films its behavior is consistent with the known properties of these films. It can be used to make a direct measurement of the velocity of flow of the film. For very thin “unsaturated” films it provides information about the average superfluid density in the film. The information is obtained about the characteristic “healing length” of this theory. At a fixed temperature there is a critical film thickness below which third sound is not observed. Over a range of thicknesses just below this critical thickness, the evidence indicates that the superfluid density remains finite but superflow is prohibited. This may be explained by a new kind of gapless surface excitation, or it may be analogous to the electrical resistance produced in thin superconducting films by fluctuations of the order parameter.
Fluorescent antibody studies with agents of varicella and herpes zoster propagated in vitro.

SummaryTissue culture preparations infected with agents originally derived from the eruptive lesions of cases of varicella and herpes zoster, as well as control preparations infected with the virus of herpes simplex, were studied by a modification of the fluorescent antibody technic. Employing the infected preparations as antigen, fixation of antibody from human sera derived from cases of varicella, herpes zoster or herpes simplex was detected by the use of a fluorescent antihuman gamma globulin conjugate. Antibody reacting with the varicella and herpes zoster antigens to an almost identical degree appeared during convalescence in serum specimens derived either from cases of varicella or from cases of herpes zoster. Antibody reacting with herpes simplex virus was demonstrated uniformly only in a group of sera derived from cases of recurrent herpes simplex. Immunologic evidence was thus obtained to support the thesis that the etiologic agents of varicella and herpes zoster have been isolated and propagated...
Abstract PD08-06: Duloxetine for Treatment of Aromatase Inhibitor (AI)-Associated Musculoskeletal Syndrome (AIMSS)

Background: Approximately 50% of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive early stage breast cancer treated with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) develop arthralgias. Standard analgesics are relatively ineffective. Duloxetine is a serotonin and norepinephrine receptor inhibitor with proven efficacy for treatment of multiple chronic pain states. We investigated the hypothesis that duloxetine would be efficacious for treatment of AIMSS. Methods: We performed a single-arm, open-label phase II study of duloxetine in 35 postmenopausal women who had been treated with AI therapy for at least 2 weeks and who developed new or worsening pain after starting AI therapy that was rated at least 4 on a 10 point Visual Analog Scale. Enrollment was completed in June 2010. Subjects were treated with duloxetine 30 mg daily for one week, and then 60 mg daily for 3 weeks. Depending on patient-perceived response to therapy, patients had the option of continuing duloxetine 60 mg daily or increasing the dose to 60 mg twice daily for the subsequent 4 weeks. Change in patient-reported pain was assessed. Outcome measures included the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Benefit from therapy was defined as a 30% decrease in average pain score from baseline to 8 weeks. Paired t tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 35 enrolled subjects, 20 subjects completed the 8-week study period, 6 subjects discontinued therapy early because of duloxetine-associated toxicity, and 9 subjects had been enrolled less than 8 weeks at the time of this analysis and were therefore not evaluable. In an intent-to-treat analysis, 16 of 26 evaluable subjects (61.5%) experienced at least a 30% decrease in average pain, and 14 of 20 subjects (70%) who completed all 8 weeks of protocol-directed treatment chose to continue duloxetine therapy. There were statistically significant reductions in average pain severity (p Conclusions: Duloxetine appears to be effective and well-tolerated for treatment of AIMSS. Final results from the entire cohort will be presented. Future randomized, placebo-controlled studies are warranted. Clinicaltrials. gov NCT01028352. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD08-06.
A Question on the Locations of the Tardy Feathering and Henny Feathering Loci in the Chicken

The locus for tardy feathering (t), previously mapped to the long (q) arm of chromosome 1 of the chicken, was tested for genetic linkage with both the NM 7659 t(Z;1) rearrangement break point (RB) and the henny feathering (Hf) locus. The RB is proximal to the centromere on 1q, and Hf has been reported to be on the proximal one-third of the same arm. Independent segregation of all three markers was found in two separate backcrosses.
Children’s Natural Ways of Educating Themselves Still Work: Even for the Three Rs

Most educational research has been conducted in standard school settings. In this chapter, the author describes how children become educated in hunter-gatherer cultures, at a radically alternative school, and in families that have chosen to “unschool” their children—all of which are settings where children and adolescents are in charge of their own education. The author concludes that, given an optimal self-educational environment, the instinctive ways of learning that evolved to serve hunter-gatherers’ needs still function well in our culture today, such that coercive, top-down education is not necessary. The optimal environment for self-education includes (a) the expectation that education is children’s responsibility; (b) unlimited freedom to play, explore, and pursue one’s own interests; (c) opportunity to play with the tools of the culture; (d) access to a variety of caring adults, who are helpers, not judges; (e) free age mixing; and (f) immersion in a stable, moral, democratic community.
Measurement of Clustering Tendency

Abstract Determining the structure of multi-dimensional data is an important problem in exploratory data analysis and pattern recognition. Clustering methods have been used extensively for this purpose. However, clustering algorithms will locate and specify clusters in data even if none are present. It is therefore appropriate to measure the clustering tendency or randomness of a data set before subjecting it to a clustering algorithm. Hopkins' method of testing for randomness is extended to high dimensions and is tested against data from clustered and hardcore processes along with the Fisher Iris data. As in two dimensions, it appears to be a powerful test for clustering tendency.
Gender Differences in Sex-Role Attitudes: A Topic Without a Future?

Will gender still be a significant variable for analyzing attitudes, opinions, and values in Western industrialized countries in the year 2000? Or will structural and individual changes towards the equality of men and women in these societies make such analyses superfluous? This chapter analyses the present state of gender differences in sex-role attitudes using Eurobar-ometer data, data from the World Value Study conducted in 1981, and Argentinian data from 1988. These analyses demonstrate that there are sizeable gender differences in the attitudes towards the role of men and women in the families, in the workplace, in politics, and in the sexual domain. But they also show that the gender differences found in these surveys are a function of (a) the year in which the survey was conducted, and (b) the nation that was studied. These differences show dramatic changes over time, and when we move from economically less developed to more developed societies. These finding suggest that the size of gender differences are declining over time, and that future research on gender differences in political and social attitudes may have a different focus from the one it has today.
Ultrasonic NDE of Adhesive Metal to Metal Bond Integrity Based on a Combined Numerical and Expert System Approach

Bonded structures have become increasingly prevalent in the safe and reliable operation of many advanced material components. Concomitant with the wide-spread use of adhesively bonded materials comes the need of nondestructive inspection of the bond line. Since conventional NDE methods offer only partial success in detecting the various possible bondline conditions [1], additional research in the actual energy/bondline interaction is required.
RAPID DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT OF EXPERTISE: A COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE AND MENTAL EFFICIENCY MEASURES IN ACCORDANCE WITH COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2007. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Simon R. Hooper. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 183 pages, appendices A-C. Ill. (some col.)