cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calcium-dependent fluorescence transients during ventricular fibrillation☆

Using surface fluorometry, calcium-dependent fluorescence transients were recorded during ventricular fibrillation in perfused rat and hamster hearts loaded with INDO 1-AM (fluorimetric reagent for calcium ion). Among a series of 203 consecutive isolated heart studies, 13 instances of ventricular fibrillation occurred. These arrhythmias developed during pretreatment with isoproterenol, dobutamine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine, digoxin, and 4 mmol/L calcium in the perfusate. Alternans behavior of calcium transients occurred in three cases; premature beats preceded ventricular fibrillation in six cases. Premature beats led to a further increase in the free intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) concentration, resulting in a stronger contraction with the subsequent beat and/or the initiation of ventricular fibrillation. Two distinct patterns of calcium transients were seen: ventricular fibrillation type 1 showed fast disorganized transients with small amplitude and an irregular, nonuniform tracing; type 2 revealed fast activity and multiform, polymorphous transients with marked changes in amplitude. Independent of the morphologic type of fibrillation, [Ca2+]i remained constant or even increased during an observation time up to 9 minutes. No intracellular hypocalcemia was observed. Isoproterenol pretreatment resulted in [Ca2+]i levels in the range of the end-diastolic calcium level of the last regular contraction. Fibrillating calcium transients after norepinephrine, dobutamine, phenylephrine, digoxin, high calcium, and fast pacing were in the previous end-systolic range. It is suggested that inotropic agents acting without a major elevation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate result in higher [Ca2+]i.
Heat Shock Protein 70 Expression Kinetics

HSP70 is well known for its major role in cardiac ischemia protection. The purpose of this study was to determine the HSP70 expression kinetics for new protocol design in cardiac surgery, based on HSP70 protection function in clinical applications. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were used in experiments. Cells were heated at 42°C at different time intervals up to 5 hours and subsequently incubated at 37°C for up to 48 hours. Western blot and quantitative protein analysis were performed to measure HSP70 expression. The expression kinetics is a function of thermal stress time as well as poststress time. At least three stages were identified for the kinetics curve: increasing, maximum plateau and decreasing regions. The peak HSP70 concentration is 10 times the basal level for western blot analysis in BAECs. Two hours incubator heating followed by twelve hours post-heating falls in the plateau region. This research result provides information applicable to evaluation of energy sources and heating methods to induce optimal HSP70 expression in a target tissue.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Gas production from thermal decomposition of explosives: Assessing the thermal stabilities of energetic materials from gas production data

Abstract The gas formation associated with the thermal decompositions of nineteen energetic materials was determined at three temperatures (120°C, 220°C and 320°C). Although there was considerable variability within classes, among the largest producers of gas were the nitrate esters. PETN (pentaerythritol nitrate) generated about 6.3mole gas per mole, while nitrocellulose, produced almost no gas. Second in gas production were the nitramines, followed by nitroarenes and lastly, energetic salts. NTO (5-nitro-2, 4-dihydro-3H-1, 2, 4-triazol-3-one), which does not fit into the four main classes of energetic materials, exhibited gas production (2.13 mole gas per mole NTO) comparable with some nitroarenes and the energetic salt, ammonium dinitramide (ADN). For selected compounds gas evolution data was used to construct first-order plots, from which Arrhenius parameters were determined and compared with previously reported values.
A novel mechanism of action for hypertension control : moxonidine as a selective I1-imidazoline agonist

Sympathoadrenal inhibition by a direct action within the central nervous system is an advantageous route to blood pressure control. Stimulation of brain alpha 2-adrenergic receptors is one mechanism for sympathoadrenal suppression, but comes at the cost of nonspecific depression of CNS function, including sedation and decreased salivary flow. Evidence is accumulating for a second pathway for pharmacological control of sympathoadrenal outflow, mediated by a novel receptor specific for imidazolines. First-generation central antihypertensive agents, which are imidazolines such as clonidine, act primarily to stimulate these I1-imidazoline receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla oblongata (RVLM) to lower blood pressure, but have sufficient agonism at alpha 2-adrenergic receptors to produce side effects. Second-generation centrally acting antihypertensive agents, such as moxonidine and rilmenidine, are selective for I1 relative to alpha 2 receptors. The reduced alpha 2 potency of these agents correlates with reduced severity of side effects. In this study we further established the selectivity of moxonidine for I1-imidazoline sites by characterizing the direct interaction of [3H]moxonidine with these receptors in the RVLM and in adrenomedullary chromaffin cells. [3H]Moxonidine preferentially labeled I1-imidazoline sites relative to alpha 2-adrenergic sites, only a small portion of which were labeled in the RVLM. [3H]Moxonidine binding to I1-imidazoline sites was modulated by guanine nucleotides, implying that I1-imidazoline sites may be membrane receptors coupled to guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins (G proteins). Receptor autoradiography with [125I]p-iodoclonidine confirmed the presence of I1-imidazoline sites in the RVLM and other areas of the brainstem reticular formation. In contrast, alpha 2-adrenergic sites were mainly localized to the nucleus of the solitary tract. Moxonidine selectively displaced [125I]p-iodoclonidine binding from reticular areas, including the RVLM. In vivo studies in SHR rats confirmed the ability of moxonidine to normalize hypertension by an action within the RVLM and confirmed the correspondence of I1 binding affinity and antihypertensive efficacy. We also discuss prior literature on the cardiovascular pharmacology of imidazolines, reinterpreting previous studies that only considered alpha-adrenergic mechanisms.
Vibrational spectra of several potassium para-substituted tetraarylborates

Abstract Vibrational spectra for several potassium para-substituted tetraarylborate compounds: KB(C 6 H 4 p -X) 4 , where X is H, OCH 3 , CH 3 , Br, Cl, F, CF 3 , have been obtained in the solid state from 4000 to 200 cm −1 . Emphasis is placed on the X-sensitive modes located between 650 and 200 cm −1 because they are found to react to electronic substituent effects. The parent molecule, potassium tetraphenylborate, is discussed in detail within this region. Tentative assignments are made for absorptions arising from the low frequency phenyl ring modes, vibrations of the tetrahedral skeleton, ionic lattice vibrations, and vibrations that are either internal vibrations of the para -substituent group or vibrations involving the ring-substituent bond. However, these spectra do not yield any information on the electron densities in the vicinity of the central boron atom within these tetraarylborate anions.
Carbon Dioxide Elimination and Oxygen Consumption in Mechanically Ventilated Children

BACKGROUND: Accurate measurement of carbon dioxide elimination (VCO2) and oxygen consumption (VO2) at the bedside may help titrate nutritional and respiratory support in mechanically ventilated patients. Continuous VCO2 monitoring is now available with many ventilators. However, because normative data are sparsely available in the literature, we aimed to describe the range of VCO2 and VO2 values observed in mechanically ventilated children. We also aimed to examine the characteristics of VCO2 values that are associated with standard steady state (5-min period when VCO2 and VO2 variability are < 10%). METHODS: Mechanically ventilated patients who underwent indirect calorimetry testing were eligible for inclusion, and subjects who achieved standard steady state were included. Normalized VCO2 and VO2 values (mL/kg/min) were modeled against subject height, and correlation coefficients were computed to quantify the goodness of fit. A steady-state definition using only VCO2 was developed (VCO2 variability of < 5% for a 5-min period) and tested against standard steady state using sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Steady-state data from 87 indirect calorimetry tests (in 70 subjects) were included. For age groups 8 y, the mean VCO2 values were 7.6, 5.8, and 3.5 mL/kg/min. Normalized VCO2 and VO2 values were inversely related to subject height and age. The relationships between normalized gas exchange values and height were demonstrated by the models: VCO2 = 115 × (height in cm)−0.71 (R = 0.61, P < .001) and VO2 = 130 × (height in cm)−0.72 (R = 0.61, P < .001). Steady-state VCO2 predicted standard steady state (sensitivity of 0.84, specificity of 1.0, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: VCO2 and VO2 measurements correlated with subject height and age. Smaller and younger subjects produced larger amounts of CO2 and consumed more O2 per unit of body weight. The use of a 5-min period when VCO2 varied by < 5% predicted standard steady state. Our observations may facilitate greater utility of VCO2 at the bedside in the pediatric ICU and thereby extend the benefits of metabolic monitoring to a larger group of patients.
Prospective moral licensing: Does anticipating doing good later allow you to be bad now?

Abstract Moral licensing, whereby behaving morally allows a person to subsequently behave immorally, has been demonstrated in numerous experiments. The current research examined the effects of prospective moral licensing: how planning to perform a future moral behavior affects the morality of current behavior. Across four studies we explored whether anticipating engaging in a moral behavior in the future (e.g., taking part in a fundraiser or donating blood) leads people to make a racially biased decision (Studies 1 and 2) or espouse racially biased attitudes (Studies 3 and 4) in the present. Participants who anticipated performing a moral action in the future displayed more racial bias than control participants. Additionally, prospective moral licensing occurred for both ambiguously and overtly prejudiced acts suggesting that prospective licensing is due to moral credits accumulating rather than moral credentials being established. These results demonstrate that anticipating a future moral act licenses people to behave immorally now and indicate that perceptions of morality encompass a wide variety of concepts, including past as well as anticipated future behavior.
Beenome-mania: how will the honey bee genome project help beekeepers?

Thanks in large part to their agricultural importance and potential to inform human medicine, honey bees recently joined an elite group of animals. They are among the first insects whose entire genomes have been unveiled before the prying eyes of scientists. The results from this ongoing project promise to aid bee management and breeding.
A comparison of the efficacy and tolerance of pancrelipase and placebo in the treatment of steatorrhea in cystic fibrosis patients with clinical exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

A comparison of the efficacy and tolerance of pancrelipase and placebo in the treatment of steatorrhea in cystic fibrosis patients with clinical exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
SIR VICTOR HORSLEY'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY AND TREATMENT OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS OF THE HEAD

Sir Victor Horsley'S many contributions to neurological surgery include experimental and clinical studies of gunshot wounds (GSW) of the head. Horsley's publications from 1894 to 1897 and 1914 to 1915 on GSWs were reviewed. Horsley described GSWs in animal and clay models, illustrating characteristics of the primary missile tract and secondary cavitation. A transcranial GSW model in 67 dogs related intracranial damage to the projectile's velocity and sectional area, producing a marked sudden increase in intracranial pressure that presumably "tunneled" to the medullary respiratory and cardiac centers. If the resultant sudden apnea was treated with artificial respiration and prompt surgical decompression, the animal often survived. In these animal experiments, Horsley clearly described increased intracranial pressure, hypertension, and bradycardia-later recognized as the Cushing response or triad. With the onset of World War I, Horsley again reviewed the ballistics of military weaponry, emphasizing projectile spin and velocity as the main wounding mechanisms. He was outspoken against the "wicked tradition" of neglecting cranial GSWs and personally treated cases with aggressive respiratory support and prompt decompression of devitalized tissue. Horsley's contributions to the experimental and clinical aspects of GSWs to the head are consistent with his other important contributions to neurosurgery and have largely stood the test of time.
The Role for Surgical Management of HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma has become the predominate cause of oropharyngeal carcinoma in the United States and Europe. Management of this disease is controversial. Traditional open surgical techniques gave way to concurrent chemoradiotherapy following several American and European organ-preservation trials suggesting that both modalities were equally efficacious. More recently, minimally invasive surgical techniques have gained popularity. These techniques provide an opportunity to achieve a complete surgical resection without the treatment-related morbidity associated with open surgery. Proponents of this technique contend that transoral surgical techniques provide a means to analyze the tumor tissue, prognosticate, and personally direct therapy. Skeptics suggest that HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma responds well to chemoradiotherapy and that surgery may not provide a treatment advantage. Both approaches provide a unique perspective and both are currently being studied under trial.
The interaction approach to early intervention

A brief summary of research, supportive of the idea that quality of parent-infant interaction has a powerful effect on infant development, introduces an early intervention model based on that proposition. Also, central to the interaction model is the knowledge that (1) parent and infant both contribute to what happens between them and that (2) a multitude of factors, environmental and internal to parent and infant, affect the parent, the infant, and their interaction. Ten sets of principles and strategies that convey the essence of the interaction model constitute the core of this article. The principles and strategies address the importance of identifying sources of support and stress in the family, of developing relationships with both parents, and of supporting positive interactions between parents and the infant's siblings. The limitations of this model are also addressed, especially in cases where the parent is the primary risk factor. The infant's exposure to nurturing adults in quality day care programs and a more clinical approach with the parent and infant, such as Selma Fraiberg's model, may be more effective with such families.
The use of element ratios to eliminate analytical bias in cold neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis

Analytical bias due to neutron scattering and absorption in cold neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (CNPGAA) is largely eliminated for homogeneous samples when element ratios are measured. Application of sensitivity ratios (measured relative to titanium) to the multielement analysis of the Allende meteorite increases both the speed and accuracy of the measurement. Greater measurement accuracy is achieved for some samples when ratios of element concentrations are reported. Problems are encountered when applying the ratio method to measurement of elements which deviate from 1/v behavior, and when gamma-ray attenuation or sample heterogeneity are significant.
Metabolic regulation of apoproteins of high-density lipoproteins by estrogen and progesterone in the baboon (Papio sp).

Abstract To determine the metabolic regulation of the apoproteins of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) by estrogen and progesterone, 12 overiectomized and hysterectomized baboons were fed a high cholesterol, high fat diet and were divided into four groups. One of these groups was the untreated control and the remaining three groups were treated with estrogen, progesterone, or a combination of both. After 10 months of treatment, there were significant differences in HDL apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and apo A-II levels in these groups. The apo A-I level was highest in baboons treated with the combination therapy, followed by those treated with estrogen. Baboons treated with progesterone and those in the control group had similar levels of apo A-I. Baboons treated with both estrogen and progesterone and estrogen alone had significantly higher levels of apo A-I than those in the control or progesterone group. Baboons treated with hormones had higher apo A-II levels than controls, and those treated with the combination therapy had the highest level. Metabolic studies suggested that both estrogen and progesterone increased apo A-I and apo A-II production. Progesterone also increased the fractional catabolic rate of apo A-I, but not of apo A-II. On the other hand, estrogen did not affect the fractional catabolic rate of either apo A-I or apo A-II. Thus, increased apo A-I content of HDL in baboons treated with both estrogen and progesterone or estrogen alone appears to be due to increased apo A-I synthesis. Since baboons treated with both estrogen plus progesterone had higher content of apo A-I in HDL than that in animals treated with estrogen alone, some effects of progesterone on the catabolic rate of HDL apo A-I were counteracted by the estrogen.
Aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide solutions: Inter- and intra-molecular dynamics

The inter- and intra-molecular dynamics of aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions have been measured using optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. Solutions were studied over the entire range of composition at 294 K. The Kerr transients characterize both the underdamped inter- and intra-molecular vibrational motions, as well as the overdamped, diffusive orientational motions. The longer diffusive relaxation time constant τ2 is assigned to DMSO reorientation, and varies strongly with mole fraction of DMSO. The shorter time constant τ1 is assigned to water reorientation, and the value of 1.0 ps is nearly invariant across the range of solution composition. The solutions deviate substantially from hydrodynamic scaling behavior, since the ratio of DMSO reorientation time constant normalized by shear viscosity τ2/η is not a linear function of mole fraction. The peak frequencies for three of five low frequency intramolecular vibrations decrease with increasing water content. Both anisotropic and isotropic Kerr transients are recorded. The isotropic Kerr transient is dominated by the partially depolarized ν10 symmetric C–S–C stretching vibration at 670 cm−1. Electronic structure calculations for isolated DMSO, perdeuterated DMSO (d6-DMSO), and water are carried out using semi-empirical (PM3), density functional (B3LYP), and MP2 methods. Basis sets up to 6-311++G(d,p) are used and vibrational frequencies are calculated within the harmonic approximation. An unusual hemispherical shape is obtained for the electrostatic potential (ESP) about the DMSO oxygen. This hemispherical ESP was consistently observed for all levels of electronic structure theory and all basis sets that were used. Calculated polarizabilities permit us to estimate the anisotropic Kerr signal for an isolated DMSO molecule to be 79 times greater than for an isolated water molecule.
Role as a cultural concept

The observation that the concept of roles is a relatively modern concept may seem utterly trivial. Sociology itself is a fairly modern discipline and therefore any sociological concept is necessarily of modern origin. Such an observation at first appears useless. But I would like to argue that it is not, and that a careful analysis of that apparent banality may help to clarify some important questions concerning the practices of theory choice in sociology. A brief history of the concept shows its relevance.
Re-Visioning Reviews [From the Editor's Desk]

A cornerstone of the IEEE publication process is the anonymous peer review that every manuscript receives. All technical manuscripts submitted to any of the three Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) publications—IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, and IEEE Microwave Magazine—receive at least two reviews (the minimum required by the IEEE). With one or two exceptions, we have found at least three reviewers for every technical feature and Application Note published in the magazine since I have been the editor.
New directions for macrolide antibiotics: pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy

Erythromycin and related macrolide antibiotics have recently enjoyed a resurgence of clinical interest. This is a result of activity against organisms which are becoming more prevalent, particularly in immunocompromised hosts and, in addition, better understanding of the unique tissue penetration properties and potential immunomodulating properties of macrolides. Other features of clinical interest possessed by certain of the newer macrolides include the potential for once-daily dosing, resistance to acid degradation in the stomach without enteric coating, and possibly reduced gastrointestinal side effects. The new macrolides are expected to retain the clinical indications of erythromycin, which include upper and lower respiratory tract infections, skin and skin structure infections, and genital tract infections caused by erythromycin-susceptible organisms. In addition, enhanced activity has been demonstrated in animal models and in vitro against toxoplasma, Legionella, Haemophilus, and Campylobacter spp. New macrolide derivatives also show promise to expand the antimicrobial spectrum of erythromycin to include Mycobacterium and Borrelia spp.
Constraining C for fluid properties inversion.

Summary Analysis of laboratory measurements of 301 core samples found in the literature for different lithologies, clay content, porosities and pressures was employed to constrain the C constant that accounts for the frame properties of the rock in the AVO inversion method proposed by Batzle et al. (2001). The results showed that C varies for sandstones between 2 and 2.9 and for carbonates between 2.5 and 3.5. If clay content increases C decreases, and if cementation (carbonates) and porosity increases C increases. We applied this method to a small 3D seismic volume corresponding to the King Kong field in Gulf of Mexico in order to estimate the fluid properties of the reservoir (gas sandstones) and the water bearing sandstones. Specifically we used this method to estimate the fluid term, which is composed by density of the rock and the fluid bulk modulus (ρKf). The results successfully discriminate two pay sands intervals from the background; however absolute values of fluid bulk modulus are not comparable to the results yield by well-log data available of the prospect. Probable causes are tuning effect and calibration of seismic amplitudes with well-log data.
A Note on a Two-Stage Least Squares Estimator for Higher-Order Factor Analyses

This article extends Bollen's two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimator to estimate confirmatory higher-order factor analysis models. This includes estimation of the higher-order and lower-order factor loadings and their intercepts. This 2SLS estimator does not require that the observed variables come from normal distributions, and it is less sensitive to specification errors than are the full information estimators. As such, this makes the 2SLS estimator a useful complementary estimator to the other full information estimators.
Predicting fish passage design flows at ungaged streams in eastern Washington

Abstract The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently established statewide guidelines for incorporating adult fish migration into culvert design. One of the design options requires an estimate of fish passage design flow for ungaged culvert sites. A new model is presented for estimating fish passage design flows at ungaged sites in Eastern Washington. The model is founded on a unique definition of fish passage design flow and an area-based approach for estimating this flow at ungaged sites. The fish passage design flow was developed by combining the concepts of allowable fish delay, established by fisheries experts to be three days, with a consecutive day analysis. This design flow ensures that fish are not delayed for more than three consecutive days during a water year. A fish passage design flow per unit area is assigned to previously delineated subwatersheds in Eastern Washington using similarity relationships derived from basin parameters and US Geological Survey gaging stations. The percent standard error for this model is 36%, a significant improvement from the 75% standard error calculated for the model previously developed for fish passage design flows in Eastern Washington.
Primitive agriculture in a social amoeba

The success of our species has been in part because of our use of agriculture, but it is not a uniquely human occupation. Some social insects — such as fungus-growing ants and ambrosia beetles — have developed quite sophisticated cultivation and harvesting routines. A more modest form of fungal husbandry has been adopted by marine snails, but it comes as something as a surprise to discover a primitive form of agriculture in the soil-dwelling social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, familiarly known as slime mould. About one-third of D. discoideum clones isolated from the wild refrain from consuming all the available bacteria at a site, instead incorporating them into their reproductive assemblages. This 'harvest' is carried by the spores during dispersal and serves to seed a new bacterial crop at their next location. The connection between farming and sociality — in humans, insects and these symbiotic microbes — may be more than a coincidence since the multigenerational benefits generated are enjoyed by already established kin groups. Agriculture has been central to the success of humans and some social insects. This paper shows that social amoebae can do it too. Some isolates of Dictyostelium discoideum refrain from consuming all the available bacteria at a site and instead they incorporate them into their reproductive assemblages to seed a new bacterial crop at another location. Agriculture has been a large part of the ecological success of humans1. A handful of animals, notably the fungus-growing ants, termites and ambrosia beetles2,3,4, have advanced agriculture that involves dispersal and seeding of food propagules, cultivation of the crop and sustainable harvesting5. More primitive examples, which could be called husbandry because they involve fewer adaptations, include marine snails farming intertidal fungi6 and damselfish farming algae7. Recent work has shown that microorganisms are surprisingly like animals in having sophisticated behaviours such as cooperation, communication8,9 and recognition10,11, as well as many kinds of symbiosis12,13,14,15. Here we show that the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has a primitive farming symbiosis that includes dispersal and prudent harvesting of the crop. About one-third of wild-collected clones engage in husbandry of bacteria. Instead of consuming all bacteria in their patch, they stop feeding early and incorporate bacteria into their fruiting bodies. They then carry bacteria during spore dispersal and can seed a new food crop, which is a major advantage if edible bacteria are lacking at the new site. However, if they arrive at sites already containing appropriate bacteria, the costs of early feeding cessation are not compensated for, which may account for the dichotomous nature of this farming symbiosis. The striking convergent evolution between bacterial husbandry in social amoebas and fungus farming in social insects makes sense because multigenerational benefits of farming go to already established kin groups.
Correlation between lymphocyte responses and immediate hypersensitivity to purified allergens

Seventy-nine unrelated subjects were selected for high allergic sensitivity to ragweed and/or grass pollens. Sensitivities to ragweed antigens E and Ra5 and rye grass group 1 were measured by intradermal skin testing and by histamine release in vitro. Lymphocyte responses were determined by incorporation of 3H-thymidine in vitro in the presence of antigen. Skin-test and histamine-release sensitivities were significantly correlated with lymphocyte response in the case of antigen E, but not for group 1 and Ra5. In addition, lymphocyte response to antigen E was significantly correlated with total serum IgE level. Six antigen E-sensitive individuals had marked delayed, but no immediate, reactions to Ra5 and almost all showed lymphocyte responses to Ra5. We conclude that immediate sensitivity and lymphocyte responses of allergic individuals to antigen E are significantly correlated, and that lymphocyte responses and delayed reaction to an antigen without immediate sensitivity or IgG antibody are possible even in allergic subjects.
Prevention of drug access to bacterial targets: permeability barriers and active efflux

Some species of bacteria have low-permeability membrane barriers and are thereby "intrinsically" resistant to many antibiotics; they are selected out in the multitude of antibiotics present in the hospital environment and thus cause many hospital-acquired infections. Some strains of originally antibiotic-susceptible species may also acquire resistance through decreases in the permeability of membrane barriers. Another mechanism for preventing access of drugs to targets is the membrane-associated energy-driven efflux, which plays a major role in drug resistance, especially in combination with the permeation barrier. Recent results indicate the existence of bacterial efflux systems of extremely broad substrate specificity, in many ways reminiscent of the multidrug resistance pump of mammalian cells. One such system seems to play a major role in the intrinsic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common opportunistic pathogen. As the pharmaceutical industry succeeds in producing agents that can overcome specific mechanisms of bacterial resistance, less specific resistance mechanisms such as permeability barriers and multidrug active efflux may become increasingly significant in the clinical setting.
Measuring ligand-dependent and ligand-independent interactions between nuclear receptors and associated proteins using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET).

Bioluminescent resonance energy transfer (BRET2) is a recently developed technology for the measurement of protein-protein interactions in a live, cell-based system. BRET2 is characterized by the efficient transfer of excited energy between a bioluminescent donor molecule (Renilla luciferase) and a fluorescent acceptor molecule (a mutant of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP2)). The BRET2 assay offers advantages over fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) because it does not require an external light source thereby eliminating problems of photobleaching and autoflourescence. The absence of contamination by light results in low background that permits detection of very small changes in the BRET2 signal. BRET2 is dependent on the orientation and distance between two fusion proteins and therefore requires extensive preliminary standardization experiments to conclude a positive BRET2 signal independent of variations in protein titrations and arrangement in tertiary structures. Estrogen receptor (ER) signaling is modulated by steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1). To establish BRET2 in a ligand inducible system we used SRC-1 as the donor moiety and ER as the acceptor moiety. Expression and functionality of the fusion proteins were assessed by transient transfection in HEK-293 cells followed by Western blot analysis and measurement of ER-dependent reporter gene activity. These preliminary determinations are required prior to measuring nuclear receptor protein-protein interactions by BRET2. This article describes in detail the BRET2 methodology for measuring interaction between full-length ER and coregulator proteins in real-time, in an in vivo environment.
The familial aggregation of psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder pedigrees.

OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic overlap between affective disorders and schizophrenia has long been noted. More recently, family and linkage studies have provided some evidence for overlapping genetic susceptibility between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. If shared genes are responsible for the psychotic manifestations of both disorders, these genes may result in clustering of psychotic symptoms in some bipolar disorder pedigrees. The authors tested this hypothesis in families ascertained for a genetic study of bipolar disorder. METHOD: Rates of psychotic symptoms—defined as hallucinations or delusions—during affective episodes were compared in families of 47 psychotic and 18 nonpsychotic probands with bipolar I disorder. The analysis included 202 first-degree relatives with major affective disorder. RESULTS: Significantly more families of psychotic probands than families of nonpsychotic probands (64% versus 28%) contained at least one relative who had affective disorder with psychotic symptoms. Significantly ...
Neuronal Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Complex Autoimmunity in Children

Autoimmunity targeting voltage-gated potassium channel complexes have not been systematically documented in children. Identified in the Neuroimmunology Laboratory records of Mayo Clinic were 12 seropositive children, 7 among 252 Mayo Clinic pediatric patients tested on a service basis for serologic evidence of neurologic autoimmunity (June 2008-April 2010), 4 during the assay's preimplementation validation (before June 2008) and 1 non-Mayo patient with available clinical information. Neurologic manifestations were subacute and multifocal. Three had global developmental regression, 6 movement disorders, 4 dysarthria, 3 seizures, 1 Satoyoshi syndrome, 1 painful red feet, 2 insomnia, 2 gastrointestinal dysmotility, and 2 small fiber neuropathy. Neoplasia was found in 1 child. Treating physicians recorded improvement in all 7 children who received immunotherapy. Neurologic symptom relapse occurred in 3 of 6 children after ceasing immunotherapy. These findings highlight a diverse clinical spectrum of neuronal potassium channel complex autoimmunity in children, and they illustrate benefit from early initiated immunotherapy, with a tendency to relapse when therapy ceases. Diagnosis is generally delayed in the process of eliminating neurodegenerative causes. Currently 2.7% of pediatric sera evaluated for neurologic autoimmunity are positive for neuronal potassium channel complex-reactive immunoglobulin G. The frequency and full spectrum of neurologic accompaniments remains to be determined.
Arabidopsis NPH3: A NPH1 Photoreceptor-Interacting Protein Essential for Phototropism

Phototropism of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in response to a blue light source is initiated by nonphototropic hypocotyl 1 (NPH1), a light-activated serine-threonine protein kinase. Mutations in three loci [NPH2, root phototropism 2 (RPT2), and NPH3] disrupt early signaling occurring downstream of the NPH1 photoreceptor. The NPH3 gene, now cloned, encodes a NPH1-interacting protein. NPH3 is a member of a large protein family, apparently specific to higher plants, and may function as an adapter or scaffold protein to bring together the enzymatic components of a NPH1-activated phosphorelay.
An intervention to improve transitions from NICU to ambulatory care: quasi-experimental study

Background Infants born prematurely or with complex medical problems are surviving to discharge in growing numbers and often require significant monitoring and coordination of care in the ambulatory setting. Using Healthcare Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (HFMEA), we identified a large number of potentially serious error points in this transition of care. Purpose To test whether a multifaceted intervention that included a health coach to assist families and an enhanced personal health record to improve the quality of information available to parents and community professionals would decrease adverse events and improve family assessment of the transition. Methods Using a concurrent cohort design, infants in one geographic area (pod) of the intensive care nursery received the intervention; infants in two other pods received routine discharge care. Primary outcomes included deaths, sick visits, unplanned readmissions and missed appointments within 1 month of discharge. The family assessed the transition using a modified version of the Care Transitions Measure. Results 125 intervention infants (54% boys) and 104 control infants (48% boys) were enrolled over 18 months. The groups were similar in maternal education, insurance status, language spoken and number of adults in the home, birth weight and length of stay. At least one adverse outcome occurred in 63 (50.4%) intervention infants and 56 (53.8%) control infants (p=0.55). At 24–48 h post discharge, caregivers in the intervention group had significantly higher scores on the adapted care transitions measure (3.51 vs 3.27, p<0.0001); however, at 30 days, the difference was no longer significant (3.45 vs 3.40, p=0.27). Conclusions A multicomponent discharge intervention designed to address specific problems identified using HFMEA did not reduce certain adverse outcomes in the post-discharge period. Trial Registration NCT01088945.
ACCULTURATIVE STRESS IN SUICIDAL YOUTH

Increased risk of suicidal ideation may be attributed to acculturative stress, which could be attributed to a youth struggling to adapt. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of acculturative stress in a group of adolescents seeking treatment for suicidal ideation, and to explore differences in acculturative stress by race and levels of ethnic identity. Participants in this study included 106 high school students identified to be at risk for suicidal ideation. Both race and level of ethnic identification significantly predicted acculturative stress. Stressors related to culture should be examined in treatment settings, particularly with Hispanic youth.
ANXIETY AROUSING MESSAGES AND EGO‐INVOLVEMENT AS DETERMINANTS OF COMMUNICATIVE PREDISPOSITIONS

A theoretically integrated rationale was generated combining affiliation, ego-involvement, and balance-restoring responses and research was conducted testing hypotheses: (1) slightly involved subjects will demonstrate a greater desire to communicate upon receipt of an anxiety-arousing discrepant message than highly involved subjects; and (2) slightly involved subjects will demonstrate a greater desire to communicate upon receipt of a nonanxiety-arousing discrepant message than highly involved subjects. Results confirmed both hypotheses and the findings were discussed in terms of a proposed theoretic framework identifying the effects of message impact on communicative predispositions.
Expert system controller for backing-up a truck-trailer system in a constrained space

An expert system based controller that is capable of backing-up a radio controlled toy truck-trailer to a desired loading dock in a constrained space is presented. The truck-trailer system is allowed to manoeuvre forward and backwards in the constrained space (parking lot) as necessary to accomplish its goal. This is an actual implementation in contrast to several other computer simulations reported in the literature. The experimental setup consists of a radio controlled toy truck-trailer, a personal computer (IBM PC 486), a digital to radio frequency (RF) command interface, and a vision system. Experimental results of the system are also included.
Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for depression: Comparison among older and younger veterans

Objectives: Limited data exist on outcomes of older adults receiving psychotherapy for depression in real-world settings. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression (ACT-D) offers potential utility for older individuals who may experience issues of loss, reduced control, and other life changes. The present article examines and compares outcomes of older and younger Veterans receiving ACT-D nationally in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. Method: Patient outcomes were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Therapeutic alliance was assessed using the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised. Results: Six hundred fifty-five Veterans aged 18-64 and 76 Veterans aged 65+ received ACT-D. Seventy-eight percent of older and 67% of younger patients completed all sessions or finished early. Mean depression scores declined from 28.4 (SD = 11.4) to 17.5 (SD = 12.0) in the older group and 30.3 (SD = 10.6) to 19.1...
The Structure of the Vote in the 2004 Presidential Election

This article examines the structure underlying the vote in the 2004 presidential election. Specifically the study uses correlation and factor analysis to discern the extent to which the structure of the vote in 2004 was similar to that of prior elections. The analysis reveals that the structure of the state-by-state vote in 2004 demonstrated a remarkably high level of continuity with recent presidential elections. Indeed at the aggregate level, the stability exhibited in the presidential vote now rivals that found during the zenith of the New Deal party system. This suggests that those who continue to talk about dealignment and ongoing electoral volatility have missed an important development in the contemporary American party system: the stability underlying the presidential vote not only in 2004 but over the past three decades of party competition.
Muslim Spain Reconsidered: From 711 to 1502

Histories of medieval Spain, and particularly historical overviews of Muslims in Spain, abound. Much has been made of events in this period that exhibit varying degrees of interreligious or inter-c...
If You Record It, Some Won’t Come: Using Lecture Capture in Introductory Psychology

In this study, I examined the effects of offering supplemental video lecture recordings to students in a face-to-face introductory psychology course. I employed a quasi-experimental design, in whic...
5-Fluorouracil Toxicosis in the Dog

Twenty-six cases of accidental 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) ingestions by dogs were reviewed from phone calls to the Illinois Animal Poison Information Center. Cases were collected from January 1, 1987 to December 31, 1988. Of the 26 calls involving 5-FU exposures, 12 were classified as "toxicosis," 13 as "suspected toxicosis," and one as "exposure." Dogs were the only species involved in 5-FU cases received during this time. Accurate estimates of the amount of 5-FU ingested by dogs could be made in 17 cases. Ingestion of more than 20 mg/kg of 5-FU was associated with the development of toxicosis. None of the 12 dogs that ingested oral doses in excess of 43 mg/kg (estimated) survived. Clinical signs associated with 5-FU poisoning in the dog were death, seizures, vomiting (with and without blood), tremors, diarrhea (with and without blood), ataxia, and depression. Clinical signs generally developed within 45 to 60 minutes after exposure, and deaths occurred 6 to 16 hours after ingestion.
Stepping Aside: Correlates of Displacement in Pedestrians.

Complex patterns of both power and gallantry may determine who yields to and defers to whom.
Dynamic remodelling of disordered protein aggregates is an alternative pathway to achieve robust self-assembly of nanostructures

Clathrin is a naturally evolved protein that robustly assembles and disassembles into nanoscale spherical cages. This ability to reorganize in a highly dynamic fashion makes clathrin an attractive model system to study the kinetic and thermodynamic principles of biomolecular self-assembly. Through a combination of experimental and computational approaches, we demonstrate that competition between weak non-specific and specific reversible interactions can dictate the initial pathway of the assembly process, yet the final assembled structures are not sensitive to this competition. We conclude that the relative strengths of non-specific and specific interactions control clathrin assembly at short time scales resulting in either disordered protein aggregates or regularly structured assemblies. However with sufficient time for remodeling, the final assembled structure is robustly formed due to geometric constraints arising from specific molecular recognition events. These data provide insight into naturally evolved biological assembly processes and guidance for the design of engineered systems to achieve robust assembly.
HYPHAL UPTAKE AND TRANSPORT OF NITROGEN FROM TWO 15N‐LABELLED SOURCES BY GLOMUS MOSSEAE, A VESICULAR‐ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGUS *

SUMMARY Celery (Apium graveolens L.) plants were grown in pots in which the root system was separated from the soil in a side chamber by a fine mesh screen. The side chamber was treated with either an organic (ground plant tissue) or inorganic [(NH4)2SO4] source of 15N. Mycorrhizal (Glomus mosseae) and control (non-mycorrhizal) plants were exposed to 15N over a period of 30 days (inorganic-15N) or 88 days (organic-16N). Mycorrhizal and control plants did not differ in shoot dry weight or shoot P content. Dry weight of root was reduced in the mycorrhiza treatments. Mycorrhizal plants derived significantly (P= 0.01) more 16N, from both N sources, than did control plants. In the inorganic-N treatment, 15N in mycorrhizal plants was significantly (P= 0.001) and positively correlated with percent mycorrhizal fungal colonization (r= 0.58), number of hyphal crossings (±10 μ diameter) through the mesh into the area of 15N placement (r= 0.76), total length of hyphae per gram of soil (r= 0.74), and length of hyphae of 5 μ diameter in the soil (r= 0.77). No correlations were found between the 16N content of mycorrhizal plants and any parameter in the organic-N treatment. The 16N content of control plants was not correlated with hyphal length in the outer chamber and there were no hyphal crossings of the size ( 10 μ diameter) which was counted for the mycorrhiza treatments. The presence of the organic matter (ground plant tissue) increased the total length of saprophytic hyphae per gram of soil but decreased the number of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae crossing into the area of 16N placement. The mean flux of N through the hyphae of G. mosseae was 7.42 × 10−8 mol N cm−2 s−1 for the inorganic-N treatment over a 30-day period, and 1.74 × 10−8 mol N cm−2 s−1 for the organic-N treatment over an 88-day period.
Change Detection in Climate Time Series Based on Bounded-Variation Clustering

Climate time series are generally nonstationary which means that their statistical properties change with time. Analysis of nonstationary time series requires detecting of change points between a set of clusters, where model of time series in each cluster has different statistical parameters. Common change detection methods are based on assumptions that may not be valid generally. Bounded-variation clustering can solve the change detection problem with minimum restrictive assumptions. In this paper, this method is employed to detect the pattern of changes in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the piecewise linear trend of US temperature. An optimal number of the change points are found with the Bayesian information criterion.