cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
White Matter Integrity, Substance Use, and Risk Taking in Adolescence

White matter (WM) development is important for efficient communication between brain regions and higher order neurocognitive functioning. Adolescents have a higher propensity for engaging in risky behaviors such as substance misuse and delinquent acts, yet few studies have explored associations between WM integrity, neurocognitive functioning, and risk taking during adolescent development. This study evaluated baseline indices from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine the influence of WM microstructural integrity and executive functioning on subsequent real-world risk taking. Altered WM integrity in fiber tracts at baseline was suspected to be related to risk taking behaviors measured at 18-month follow-up, and neurocognitive functioning was proposed to mediate this relationship. Adolescent substance users (e.g., predominately marijuana and alcohol misuse; n=47) and controls (n=49) received DTI and comprehensive neuropsychological testing at baseline (ages 16-19), and risk taking measures at both baseline and an 18-month follow-up (i.e., ages 17-20). Brain regions of interest were: fronto-occipital fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, fornix, superior corona radiata, and genu of the corpus callosum. Regression analyses evaluating direct and indirect relationships were carried out in Mplus. In the user group (n=47), decreased WM integrity at baseline in the fornix and superior corona radiata predicted 12% of the variability in follow-up substance use, and fornix integrity predicted 7% of the variability in follow-up delinquent behaviors, above and beyond personality, emotional functioning, family history of an alcohol use disorder, and baseline risk taking behaviors, which were included as covariates (ps < .05). WM integrity was not significantly linked to executive functioning in users or controls above and beyond covariates, and executive functioning did not mediate the relationship between WM integrity and risk taking. Overall, findings suggest that poorer integrity or maturation in distinct WM pathways is linked to a greater propensity for increased risk taking behaviors into late adolescence, among those youth with heavy levels of substance use by mid-adolescence. Most notable were relationships between limbic system fibers and future substance use frequency. It is possible that an imbalance between the maturation levels in cognitive control and reward systems may disadvantage the resistance to engage in risk taking behaviors during adolescence
Prophylactic nesiritide does not prevent dialysis or all-cause mortality in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery.

Objectives Natriuretic peptides have been shown to improve renal blood flow and stimulate natriuresis. In a recent retrospective trial, we documented that prophylactic use of nesiritide was associated with a 66% reduction in the odds for dialysis or in-hospital mortality at 21 days in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery; therefore, we designed a prospective trial. Methods This prospective, randomized, clinical trial included 94 patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery comparing a 5-day course of continuous nesiritide (at a dose of 0.01 μg · kg −1 · min −1 started before surgery) versus placebo. The primary end point was dialysis and/or all-cause mortality within 21 days; secondary end points were incidence of acute kidney injury, renal function, and length of stay. Results Nesiritide did not reduce the primary end point of incidence of dialysis and/or all-cause mortality through day 21 (6.6% vs 6.1%; P = .914). Fewer patients receiving nesiritide had acute kidney injury (defined as an absolute increase in serum creatinine ≥ 0.3 mg/dL from baseline or a percentage increase in serum creatinine ≥ 50% from baseline within 48 hours) compared with controls (2.2% vs 22.4%; P = .004), and mean serum creatinine was lower in the immediate postoperative period in the nesiritide group (1.18 ± 0.41 mg/dL vs 1.45 ± 0.74 mg/dL; P = .028). However, no difference in length of stay was noted (nesiritide 20.73 ± 3.05 days vs control 21.26 ± 4.03 days; P = .917). Conclusions These results do not demonstrate a benefit for prophylactic use of nesiritide on the incidence of dialysis and/or death in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery. Although nesiritide may provide some renal protection in the immediate postoperative period, no effect on length of stay was observed.
Selectionism and Stage Change: The Dynamics of Evolution, I

Selectionism addresses the process of transition or change. In its evolution, Homo Sapiens has demonstrated such transitions to more hierarchically complex stages of performance at the individual, organizational, cultural, and biological levels. Traditionally, changes in biological, cultural, organizational, and individual behavior have been studied separately, with very little overlap. The current theory integrates selectionism across these realms, while noting that in each, selectionism operates through somewhat different mechanisms. Selectionism is comprised of complex processes in which tasks of greater hierarchical complexity may be selected. Increased stages of performance underlie evolution's dynamics of increased complexity.
The Logic of International Relations and Organization.

The patterns of international relations and organization prevailing at any given times are set by the interplay of the policies and activities of so-called national states and governments. And only to a slight degree are those policies and activities guided by considerations, on the part of those immediately in control of them, respecting the more fundamental and general rationale or logic of international relations and organization. The gentlemen in questionthe President of the United States, the Secretary of State, Senators, other executive officials, lower administrative agents, and their counterparts in other countries-are animated by personal feelings and judgments and by deference to -the ascertained or supposed desires of. their constituents. This is a generally accepted situation in which little change need be expected. Nevertheless it may be useful, particularly in a period when feelings are running high and judgments are somewhat uncertain on the part of officials and constituents alike, to pause and try to recall the rational or logical bases of international relations and organization. If the constituents mentioned above-voters, newspaper readers, students, and their informants and leaders (the journalists and educators)-could be induced to remember these elements of reason and practical common sense underlying the international picture some salutary influence might in consequence be exercised upon the officials in question. In any event the effort is a natural and justifiable one for technical students and teachers of political science. On the other hand such an analysis must not be based upon any mystical or ideological conceptions of international affairs. This would be misleading mainly because of the illusion that such conceptions consist of pure reason and revealed. truth, whereas in fact they are, like the reactions of the administrators, also distillates of observation and experience which refuse to admit their humble origins.' Ourianalysis must be based upon the precipitate of actual international life, although subject to as large a perspective and as vigorous a logical analysis as it is possible to summon to the task. What then are the logical bases of international relations and organization, their nature and their forms, their functions, their effects, and their values? The basic fact in the situation is found in the coexistence on the surface of this earth of some four or five score of those entities which may in simplest terms be called "countries." It now seems impossible to restrict attention entirely to what the international jurist would call a "state," or the sociologist a "nation," although it is still verbally convenient to refer to "national states" from time to time. At least eighty units, and perhaps more than a hundred,
Percentages and perchance: archaic forms in the twenty-first century

As sequel to an earlier paper on ordinal ranking, this paper focuses on another old, but increasingly widespread, numerical expression, in both technical and public domains: namely, the percentage. It argues that the long and expanding genealogy of use, from descriptive to governmental to probabilistic, gives it persuasive as well as instrumental power, as people come to grips with novel terms of life by drawing on old concepts. The ‘one hundred’ offers a sense of understanding, while in public expressions, there appears to be an increasing vagueness of the specific nature of the one hundred as denominator and a new potential for one hundred to gesture towards an aspirational future rather than any simple description of the present. The second section engages with Helen Verran's approach to number, where she shows how numerical expressions can move from one mode to another through the possibility of expressing both one/many and part/whole relationships. The next section illustrates the applications of per...
Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events that regulate viral mRNA translation

As they are completely dependent upon the protein synthesis machinery resident in the cells of their host to translate their mRNAs, it is imperative that viruses are able to effectively manipulate the elaborate cellular regulatory network that controls translation. Indeed, this exquisite dependence on host functions has made viral models attractive systems to explore translational regulatory mechanisms operative in eukaryotic cells. Central among these are an intricate array of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events that have far reaching consequences on the activity of cellular translation factors. Not only do these modulate the activity of a given factor, but they can also determine if the translation of host proteins persists in infected cells, the efficiency with which viral mRNAs are translated and the outcome of a systemic host anti-viral response. In this review, we discuss how various viruses manipulate the phosphorylation state of key cellular translation factors, illustrating the critical nature these interactions play in virus replication, pathogenesis and innate host defense.
The barrel concept: a study in language system development

We describe a variation in theme on abstract machine implementation through general purpose macro processing. Using data flow diagrams we show how the central focus of concern can be shifted from the output focus of conventional macro processing to an user-oriented focus, on a system developed upon an optimized and extended version of the Stage2 processor of W. Waite and co-workers.The approach has potential theoretical interest in its: being a modern expression of widely accepted older ideas and implementations, applications which incorporate synergisms in language concepts (string and list processing, tables), possible opening to logic programming.Data flow descriptions are used to illustrate top-level and selected lower level computation activities, e.g., combination evaluation. Usage of the array of capabilities presented by Barrel are outlined: portability, prototyping in a multiple-machine context, "permanent" (compiled) codes for network operations.
Increasing Mexican American attendance of support groups for parents of the mentally ill: Organizational and psychological factors

Research was carried out to identify organizational and psychological factors associated with the attendance by Mexican Americans at family support groups. Qualitative and action-oriented pilot research identified parents' preferences for organizational arrangements, and two support groups were created that were Spanish speaking, facilitated by bilingual mental health professionals, and closely linked to ethnic mental health agencies. A prospective study was then carried out that involved 32 Mexican families with a son/daughter being treated for schizophrenia at one of the two agencies. The parent who was the primary caregiver in each family was interviewed and then referred to one of the two groups; parents' attendance was followed for 1 year. Parent attendance was related to the level of burden experienced and assumptions about the causes of their son/daughter's problems.
Freezing-altered palatability of Bradford pear to Japanese beetle: evidence for decompartmentalization and enzymatic degradation of feeding deterrents

The basis for resistance of Bradford callery pear, Pyrus calleryana Decaisne ‘Bradford,’ [Rosaceae] to the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, was investigated. Chloroform-dipping rendered leaves palatable, initially suggesting that deterrent waxes had been removed. However, extracts containing surface waxes were not deterrent. Subsequent experiments showed that increased palatability of solvent-dipped leaves is associated with enzymatic tissue browning, characteristic of polyphenol oxidases, rather than simply release of phagostimulants from surface disruption of damaged leaves. Frozen and thawed leaves showed similar browning, becoming increasingly palatable for several hours after thawing. Palatability changes were temperature- and aerobic-sensitive, further evidence that oxidizing enzymes are involved. Juice from leaves that had been frozen and thawed stimulated feeding on glass fiber disks, whereas fresh leaf juice did not. Survival and fecundity were much higher for beetles fed frozen and thawed or chloroform-dipped Bradford pear leaves than for beetles fed normal leaves. We hypothesize that decompartmentalization of deterrent compounds, possibly phenolics, followed by enzymatic oxidation and altered leaf chemistry may explain the increased palatability of chloroform-dipped or frozen and thawed Bradford pear tissue to P. japonica. This approach may be helpful in identifying specific compounds responsible for resistance of woody plants to generalist insects.
Faint in the Supine Position: Selective Review of the Literature and a Case Report

A case of faint occurred in a patient undergoing periodontal surgery with intravenous conscious-sedation in the horizontal position. The faint occurred 3 hours and 40 minutes into the procedure, immediately following the extraction of a maxillary molar that could not be salvaged due to excessive bone loss. Since the patient was judged to be adequately sedated by both the operator and the anesthetist, the faint could not be attributed to anxiety. Recent evidence suggests that somatosensory stimulation of the trigeminal nerve may produce a reflex parasympathetic discharge that could account for some syncopal episodes observed during dental procedures.
[Operation for a tumor of the craniopharyngeal duct by a transphenoidal route in a 3 1/2-year-old child with spongy sphenoid-bone substance].

Es wird uber ein 3-jahriges Madchen berichtet, bei welchem eine Hypo-physenganggeschwulst nach der transsphenoidalen Methode des Verfassers erfolgreich operiert wurde. Der Erfolg halt bis heute, das ist uber 10 Jahre, an. Die Technik der Operation wird in Details beschrieben. Die Resultate nach der transphenoidalen Operation bei Hypophysentumoren, worin die H. Gg. inbegriffen sind, werden angefuhrt. Die einzelnen Symptome bei dem operierten Kind werden bewertet.
Rebuilding the brain: resurgence of fetal grafting

A study in this issue reports that, in mice, embryonic cortical neurons transplanted into injured adult motor cortex can rapidly and accurately reinnervate distant projections. These remarkable results urgently need to be replicated.
Regeneratively-constrained LQG control of passive networks

Abstract In this paper we consider the synthesis of optimal feedback controllers for a stochastically-excited passive electromechanical network, subject to the constraint that in stationarity, the feedback law must be realizable with a regenerative actuation system. Regenerative systems are similar to passive systems but their dynamic constraints are more relaxed, in the sense that they only need to conserve energy in the stationary average sense, rather than at every time instant. In this paper, we examine the design of optimal LQG controllers for passive networks controlled with regenerative actuation. We show that this problem may be posed as a multi-objective LMI problem. We also characterize how close a regeneratively-constrained optimal LQG feedback law is to a passive transfer function. The concepts are demonstrated on a simple example related to vibration suppression.
Minor-Groove Recognition of Double-Stranded RNA by the Double-Stranded RNA-Binding Domain from the RNA-Activated Protein Kinase PKR†

The human double-stranded RNA- (dsRNA) activated protein kinase (PKR) has a dsRNA-binding domain (dsRBD) that contains two tandem copies of the dsRNA-binding motif (dsRBM). The minimal-length polypeptide required to bind dsRNA contains both dsRBMs, as determined by mobility-shift and filter-binding assays. Mobility-shift experiments indicate binding requires a minimum of 16 base pairs of dsRNA, while a minimal-length site for saturation of longer RNAs is 11 base pairs. Bulge defects in the helix disfavor binding, and single-stranded tails do not strongly influence the dsRNA length requirement. These polypeptides do not bind an RNA−DNA hybrid duplex or dsDNA as judged by either mobility-shift or competition experiments, suggesting 2‘-OH contacts on both strands of the duplex stabilize binding. Related experiments on chimeric duplexes in which specific sets of 2‘-OHs are substituted with 2‘-H or 2‘-OCH3 reveal that the 2‘-OHs required for binding are located along the entire 11 base-pair site. These results...
Using Illustrations from American Novels to Teach about Labor Markets

This article illustrates how literature can bring models to life in undergraduate courses on labor market economics. The authors argue that economics instructors and students can benefit from even small doses of literature. The authors examine excerpts from five American novels: Sister Carrie by Theodore Drieser (1900/2005); The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939/1967); McTeague: A Story of San Francisco by Frank Norris (1899/2006); Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1852/2003); and Seraph on the Suwanee by Zora Neale Hurston (1948). Examples from these works cover five labor market themes: (1) reservation wages and the supply of labor, (2) surplus labor and low wages, (3) demand for labor and marginal productivity, (4) the economic model of discrimination, and (5) search versus random matching in labor markets (a critique of neoclassical labor theory).
In vitro production of experimental caries

The external portions of the erupted tooth are in relatively slow equilibrium with the general metabolic processes of the animal. As shown by the studies with radioactive tracers, this condition is par­ ticularly true for the enamel, the con­ stituents of which exchange readily with the saliva and only very indirectly with the blood. W ith the rather general con­ cept of the carious process as an external attack by microorganisms, the process seems almost ideal for in vitro studies. The great advantages of in vitro experi­ mentation were realized by the early den­ tal research workers, particularly E. Magitot and W . D. Miller, and their pro­ cedures were followed by many later investigators, generally with similar re­ sults.
Clinical counterpoint: vitamin D: new actions, new analogs, new therapeutic potential.

Introduction AN EXCITING new era has developed in the vitamin D field with the discovery of new target tissues, mechanisms of action, and selective analogs. As a clinical counterpoint article, this review will emphasize the potential clinical applications of these new discoveries. Many of the applications to be discussed remain untested, whereas others remain in their infancy. A major reason for optimism in predicting an expanding list of therapeutic applications for the vitamin D metabolites and analogs stems from the development of analogs of calcitriol that differ in their biological effects. In particular, analogs are now available that appear to separate the effects of calcitriol on growth and differentiation from effects on intestinal calcium absorption or bone mobilization. This apparent selectivity may reflect altered pharmacokinetic properties or may involve mechanistic differences at the cellular level as well. Regardless, the development of these drugs is likely to lead to clinical applications...
The endocytosis gene END3 is essential for the glucose-induced rapid decline of small vesicles in the extracellular fraction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Background : Protein secretion is a fundamental process in all living cells. Gluconeogenic enzymes are secreted when Saccharomyces cerevisiae are grown in media containing low glucose. However, when cells are transferred to media containing high glucose, they are internalized. We investigated whether or not gluconeogenic enzymes were associated with extracellular vesicles in glucose-starved cells. We also examined the role that the endocytosis gene END3 plays in the internalization of extracellular proteins/vesicles in response to glucose addition. Methods : Transmission electron microscopy was performed to determine the presence of extracellular vesicles in glucose-starved wild-type cells and the dynamics of vesicle transport in cells lacking the END3 gene. Proteomics was used to identify extracellular proteins that associated with these vesicles. Results : Total extracts prepared from glucose-starved cells consisted of about 95% small vesicles (30–50 nm) and 5% large structures (100–300 nm). The addition of glucose caused a rapid decline in small extracellular vesicles in wild-type cells. However, most of the extracellular vesicles were still observed in cells lacking the END3 gene following glucose replenishment. Proteomics was used to identify 72 extracellular proteins that may be associated with these vesicles. Gluconeogenic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate lyase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, as well as non-gluconeogenic enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and cyclophilin A, were distributed in the vesicle-enriched fraction in total extracts prepared from cells grown in low glucose. Distribution of these proteins in the vesicle-enriched fraction required the integrity of the membranes. When glucose was added to glucose-starved wild-type cells, levels of extracellular fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate lyase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and cyclophilin A were reduced. In contrast, in cells lacking the END3 gene, levels of these proteins in the extracellular fraction remained high. Conclusions : The END3 gene is required for the rapid decline of extracellular proteins and vesicles in response to glucose addition. Keywords: extracellular vesicles; vacuole import and degradation; catabolite Inactivation; fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase; malate dehydrogenase; isocitrate lyase; phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase; glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; cyclophilin A (Published: 21 March 2014) Citation: Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 2014, 3 : 23497 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jev.v3.23497 To access the supplementary material to this article, please see Supplementary files under Article Tools online
Dissociation of eukaryotic ribosomes by purified initiation factor EIF-3.

Purified eukaryotic initiation factor, EIF-3, prepared from ascites cells dissociated rat liver 80S ribosomes into subunits. Ribosomes bearing endogenous mRNA and nascent peptide were not dissociated by EIF-3. When 80S ribosomes reconstituted from subunits were used as substrate the reaction had the following characteristics: Dissociation was rapid--the reaction being completed within 2 min at 30°. The extent of dissociation was directly proportional to the amount of EIF-3; with 21 μg of EIF-3 about 70% (or 10.5 μg) of the 80S monomers were dissociated. The dissociation of 80S monomers by EIF-3 decreased with increasing concentrations of magnesium. The reaction was not catalytic: 28 moles of EIF-3 were required to dissociate 1 mole of 80S ribosomes. The characteristic of the dissociation reaction promoted by EIF-3 and by E. coli initiation factor IF-3 are remarkably similar. The dissociation reaction provides a practical assay for EIF-3 independent of complimentation of other initiating factors.
Theta Oscillations in the Hippocampus

Theta oscillations represent the "on-line" state of the hippocampus. The extracellular currents underlying theta waves are generated mainly by the entorhinal input, CA3 (Schaffer) collaterals, and voltage-dependent Ca(2+) currents in pyramidal cell dendrites. The rhythm is believed to be critical for temporal coding/decoding of active neuronal ensembles and the modification of synaptic weights. Nevertheless, numerous critical issues regarding both the generation of theta oscillations and their functional significance remain challenges for future research.
Brain-driven micro-biomanipulation with sensing feedback

This paper presents our development of an integrated brain-driven micro-biomanipulation system that can perform mind-controlled biomanipulation at micro scale. The system incorporates a non-invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) device with a high-precision automated micromanipulator through high speed network. The human manipulation mind measured by the EEG device can effectively drive the micro-manipulator to perform the 2-D manipulation on bio-samples. During the manipulation, the trace of human manipulation mind is monitored by a custom-built high-precision position sensing detector (PSD) interface unit. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the high performance of the developed network-enabled and brain-driven micro-biomanipulation system. The research work can be further used to investigate manipulation behavior and neurobiofeedback mechanism of human brain for facilitating development of high-efficiency micro-biomanipulation strategy of engineering approaches in micro/nano level.
Confusion in the Classroom: Does Logos Mean Logic?:

The redefinition of logos as an appeal to logic is a mistaken association found all too often in the technical communication classroom. Logic inheres in all three proofs of persuasion; moreover, Ar...
Iraqi community members' knowledge, attitude and practice of emergency medical care: assessing civilian emergency medicine in an area of conflict.

The objective of this article is to assess community member knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency medical care in Baghdad, Iraq. We performed a randomized, cluster-based, household Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) survey regarding pre-hospital and hospital-based emergency medical care among Baghdad community members. A total of 1172 individuals participated in the survey. While most (93.5%) understood that for a serious injury, one should go to the hospital within three hours, only half (50.6%) felt that ambulances were beneficial and only 5% knew that there was a number to call in case of medical emergency. Regarding attitudes, only half (50.2%) of those interviewed felt an ambulance would arrive within an hour, while higher proportions of people believed that paramedics (59.1%) and medical staff working in emergency departments were adequately trained (71.5%). In terms of practice, most Iraqis responded that they would seek care in a hospital (84.8–90.0%) by means other than an ambulance...
A novel approach to identifying hedonic demand parameters

Abstract This note presents a new solution to the classic problem with using hedonic price functions to recover demand curves. Unexpected changes in the composition of a differentiated product can generate instruments that support a simple reduced-form approach to demand estimation.
Antiangiogenic VEGF-A in peripheral artery disease

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is a potent proangiogenic cytokine elevated in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). A new study links impaired vascular regrowth in PAD to increased expression of an antiangiogenic splice variant of VEGF-A.
Dialectic in the eleventh and twelfth centuries: garlandus compotista

Dialectic is a standard and important part of the logica vetus (or old logic) in medieval philosophy. It has its ultimate origins in Aristotle's Topics,its fundamental source in Boethius's De topicis differentiis,and its flowering in its absorption into fourteenth-century theories of consequences or conditional inferences. The chapter on Topics in Garlandus Compotista's logic book is the oldest scholastic work on dialectic still extant. In this paper I show the differences between Boethius's Theory of Topics and Garlandus's in order to illustrate the role of Topics in early scholastic logic. I argue that for Garlandus Topics are warrants for the inference from the antecedent to the consequent in a conditional proposition and that he is interested in Topics because of his overriding interest in hypothetical syllogisms. I conclude by discussing briefly the relationship between Garlandus's use of Topics and twelfth-century accounts.
Formation and destruction of hexavalent chromium in a laboratory swirl flame incinerator

The partitioning of chromium (Cr) in combustion systems was investigated theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical predictions were based on chemical equilibrium, and suggested that hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] was favored by the presence of chlorine (Cl), and diminished by the presence of sulfur (S). Experimental studies employed a 59 kW laboratory-scale combustor with a swirling natural gas diffusion flame through which aqueous Cr solutions were sprayed. Three types of experimental data were obtained. First, and most important, the overall Cr(VI) fraction of the total Cr in the exhaust was measured as a function of initial Cr valence [trivalent (III) or hexavalent], and CI and S concentrations. Second, the size segregated distribution of Cr(VI) in the exhaust was explored for the Cr(III) waste feed with and without CI and S. Third, the influence of waste feed Cr valence on the exhaust aerosol particle size distribution was determined. Analytical determinations of Cr(VI) and total Cr are described. R...
Leptin Indirectly Affects Estrous Cycles by Increasing Metabolic Fuel Oxidation

Abstract In previous experiments, lean Syrian hamsters fasted on days 1 and 2 of the estrous cycle failed to show sex behavior and ovulation normally expected to occur on the evening of day 4. The first goal of the present experiment was to determine whether systemic treatment with the ob (obese) protein leptin could reverse the effects of fasting on estrous cyclicity, social behaviors, and ovulation rate. Fasting-induced anestrus was reversed and normal sex and social behavior and ovulation rate were restored in hamsters injected intraperitoneally with 5 mg/kg leptin every 12 h during fasting on days 1 and 2 of the estrous cycle. A second goal was to test whether the effects of leptin could be prevented by treatment with pharmacological agents that block the oxidation of metabolic fuels. Glucose oxidation was blocked by treatment with 2-deoxy- d -glucose (2DG) and fatty acid oxidation was blocked by treatment with methyl palmoxirate (MP). 2DG (1000 mg/kg) or MP (20 mg/kg) was administered at doses that did not induce anestrus in hamsters fed ad libitum. As in the first experiment, fasting-induced anestrus was reversed by leptin treatment. However, when each injection of leptin was preceded by an injection of 2DG or MP, leptin treatment did not reverse fasting-induced anestrus. In summary, estrous cyclicity was not restored when oxidation of metabolic fuels was blocked, despite high endogenous levels of leptin. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that leptin acts indirectly on the reproductive system by increasing fuel oxidation.
Non-linear Estimation of Vertical Delays

A local dip (or step out) between two adjacent traces embeds the necessary information to go from one reflection on one trace to the same reflection on the next. In more dimensions, i.e., 3-D, the same result is obtained between far-apart traces by integrating the local dips in all directions, thus obtaining relative delay maps useful for (1) automatic full-volume picking and (2) automatic flattening of horizons. The estimation of these maps from local dips is a nonlinear process. In this paper, this problem is solved with a quasiNewton technique for 2-D slices and 3-D cubes. Furthermore, the estimation of the relative delays is done globally in a least-squares sense for all reflectors at once.
Comparison of objective criteria for set-up planning in complementary flexible manufacturing systems

A variety of objective criteria are used in optimizing the flexible manufacturing system set-up problem in the academic literature. The literature also provides evidence that the objective criteria used in academic studies are often the least important in practice and that inventory related costs are rarely considered as an objective criterion. This study compares the flexible manufacturing system set-up problem across a set of strategically selected objective criteria including an inventory cost criterion. The comparison is done over varying set-up costs to inventory carrying cost ratios and machine workloads. The study provides guidelines on the merits of using each objective criterion under different conditions. The models used in the study included large mixed integer programming problems and quadratic programming problems with continuous and binary variables present. The binary variables in the quadratic program give the problem a combinatorial nature. In order to circumvent the combinatorial nature of the problem, we have used a combination of generate-and-test and constraint propagation strategies to generate the feasible values of the binary variables at the constraint level and to propagate the feasible binary values into the models. Generate-and-test and constraint propagation strategies used in conjunction with mathematical programming are shown to greatly simplify generating solutions to a family of problems that are otherwise considered intractable.
Mefloquine inhibits cholinesterases at the mouse neuromuscular junction.

Abstract Mefloquine is effective against drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. This property, along with its unique pharmacokinetic profile, makes mefloquine a widely prescribed antimalarial drug. However, mefloquine has neurologic effects which offset its therapeutic advantages. Cellular actions underlying mefloquine's neurologic effects are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that mefloquine inhibits human recombinant acetylcholinesterase. To explore the consequences of this action, we investigated mefloquine's actions at a model cholinergic synapse, the mouse neuromuscular junction. Sharp electrode recording was used to record miniature endplate potentials (mepps) in the Triangularis sterni muscle. Within 30 min of exposure to 10 μM mefloquine, mepps were altered in three ways: 10–90% rise time, 90–10% decay time and amplitude significantly increased. Mepp decay time increased linearly with mefloquine concentration. Pretreatment of muscles with the cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (3 μM) precluded the mefloquine-induced prolongation of mepp decay. Mefloquine also prolonged mepps at endplates of acetylcholinesterase knock-out mice. Since the selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor iso-OMPA (100 μM) also prolonged mepp decay at the neuromuscular junction of acetylcholinesterase knock-out mice, mefloquine inhibition of this enzyme is physiologically relevant. The non-selective anti-cholinesterase action can contribute to the neurologic effects of mefloquine.
Effects of elevated CO2 and nitrogen on nutrient uptake in ponderosa pine seedlings

This paper reports on the results of a controlled-environment study on the effects of CO2 (370, 525, and 700 μmol mol-1) and N [0, 200, and 400 μg N g soil-1 as (NH4)SO4] on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) seedlings. Based upon a review of the literature, we hypothesized that N limitations would not prevent a growth response to elevated CO2. The hypothesis was not supported under conditions of extreme N deficiency (no fertilizer added to a very poor soil), but was supported when N limitations were less severe but still suboptimal (lower rate of fertilization). The growth increases in N-fertilized seedlings occurred mainly between 36 and 58 weeks without any additional N uptake. Thus, it appeared that elevated CO2 allowed more efficient use of internal N reserves in the previously-fertilized seedlings, whereas internal N reserves in the unfertilized seedlings were insufficient to allow this response. Uptake rates of other nutrients were generally proportional to growth. Nitrogen treatment caused reductions in soil exchangeable K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ (presumably because of nitrification and NO3 - leaching) but increases in extractable P (presumably due to stimulation of phosphatase activity).
Keeping up-to-date with information technology: Testing a model of technological knowledge renewal effectiveness for IT professionals

In a rapidly changing IT environment, IT professionals need to keep abreast of technological knowledge. We examined how well this is achieved by developing a motivational model of ''technological knowledge renewal effectiveness.'' We hypothesized that (1) renewal effectiveness was influenced by the IT professional's career orientation, perceived IT dynamism, tolerance of ambiguity, delegation; and (2) that this positively affected both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Survey data from 126 IT professionals was used to test the hypotheses. The results generally supported the research model. We discussed the implications of these results in both research and practice.
Charged solitons in pernigraniline

Abstract The results of electron spin resonance measurements of the magnetic susceptibility are presented for polyaniline in the fully oxidized pernigraniline form; a conjugated polymer with a two-fold degenerate ground state. The magnetic susceptibility of pristine pernigraniline is extremely small, consistent with the proposed bond-alternated structure. After p-type doping to maximum levels (3–5 mol%), a very small increase in the spin concentration is observed. These susceptibility data are contrasted with the observed increase in conductivity (indicative of a relatively high density of charge carriers) and the appearance of a sub-gap absorption band. The results suggest that the dominant carriers and the charge storage species in acceptor-doped pernigraniline are charged solitons. In contrast, we found that p-type doping of the emeraldine base (where the ground state is non-degenerate) resulted in a major increase in the magnetic susceptibility, consistent with polarons becoming the dominant species.
Loss of expression of transforming growth factor beta in skin and skin tumors is associated with hyperproliferation and a high risk for malignant conversion

Abstract Mouse skin carcinomas arise from a small subpopulation of benign papillomas with an increased risk of malignant conversion. These papillomas arise with limited stimulation by tumor promoters, appear rapidly, and do not regress, suggesting that they differ in growth properties from the majority of benign tumors. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) proteins are expressed in the epidermis and are growth inhibitors for mouse keratinocytes in vitro; altered TGF-beta expression could influence the growth properties of high-risk papillomas. Normal epidermis, tumor promoter-treated epidermis, and skin papillomas at low risk for malignant conversion express TGF-beta 1 in the basal cell compartment and TGF-beta 2 in the suprabasal strata. In low-risk tumors, 90% of the proliferating cells are confined to the basal compartment. In contrast, the majority of high-risk papillomas are devoid of both TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2 as soon as they arise; these tumors have up to 40% of the proliferating cells in the suprabasal layers. Squamous cell carcinomas are also devoid of TGF-beta, suggesting that they arise from the TGF-beta-deficient high-risk papillomas. In some high-risk papillomas, TGF-beta 1 loss can occur first and correlates with basal cell hyperproliferation, while TGF-beta 2 loss correlates with suprabasal hyperproliferation. Similarly, TGF-beta 1-null transgenic mice, which express wild-type levels of TGF-beta 2 in epidermis but no TGF-beta 1 in the basal layer, have a hyperproliferative basal cell layer without suprabasal proliferation. In tumors, loss of TGF-beta is controlled at the posttranscriptional level and is associated with expression of keratin 13, a documented marker of malignant progression. These results show that TGF-beta expression and function are compartmentalized in epidermis and epidermal tumors and that loss of TGF-beta is an early, biologically relevant risk factor for malignant progression.
Equations describing percentiles for birth weight, head circumference, and length of preterm infants.

To describe growth of prematurely born infants and create a growth chart adequate to assess growth of infants with less than 29 completed weeks of gestation. Birth weight, head circumference and length measurements of 7425 liveborn preterm infants from 1985 to 1997 were retrieved from a longitudinal database maintained by the neonatology division. The 3rd, 5th, 10th, 15th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 85th, 90th, 95th and 97th percentiles of each measurement were determined and used for mathematical modeling. Birth weight was described with an exponential function while head circumference and length were described with linear functions. A preterm growth chart for the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles for birth weight, weight growth, head circumference and length was generated. The mathematical models of growth provide smooth representations of the percentiles across gestational ages.
CMS Hadronic Endcap Calorimeter Upgrade R&D Studies

Due to an expected increase in radiation damage in LHC, we propose to transform CMS Hadronic EndCap calorimeters to radiation hard quartz plate calorimeters. Quartz is proved to be radiation hard by the radiation damage tests with electron, proton, neutron and gamma beams. However, the light produced in quartz comes from Cerenkov process, which yields drastically fewer photons than scintillation. To increase the light collection efficiency we pursue two separate methods: First method; is to use wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers, which have been shown to collect efficiently the Cerenkov light generated in quartz plates. A quartz plate calorimeter prototype with WLS fibers has been constructed and tested at CERN to show that this method is feasible. Second proposed solution is to treat the quartz plates with radiation hard wavelength shifters, p-terphenyl, or doped zinc oxide. Another calorimeter prototype has been constructed with p-terphenyl deposited quartz plates, and showed superior calorimeter capabilities. Here, the test beam, bench test and simulation efforts on these methods are reported. We also outline the future directions on these possible upgrade scenarios for the CMS HE calorimeter.
Excision of the neurovascular bundle at radical prostatectomy in cases with perineural invasion on needle biopsy

Abstract Objectives. To assess, in a group of patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy and who were likely to have extraprostatic extension of their tumors based on the previous finding of perineural invasion on needle biopsy, how effective excision of the neurovascular bundle was in reducing the number of positive margins and increasing the potential cure rate. Methods. Eighty radical prostatectomy cases from our institution that had perineural invasion on prostate needle biopsy were retrospectively studied to determine the presence and location of extraprostatic extension, positive margins, and seminal vesicle or lymph node involvement, whether the neurovascular bundle had been excised, and whether tumor was present in the bundle region. Results. In 14 (17.5%) of 80 cases, excising the neurovascular bundle led to a situation in which there was tumor in the neurovascular bundle, all the surgical margins of resection were negative for tumor, and there was no seminal vesicle or lymph node involvement. The remaining cases were equally divided between (a) less aggressive tumors that were organ-confined or had only focal extraprostatic extension with no tumor in the neurovascular bundle and (b) more aggressive tumors that had positive margins or involvement of the seminal vesicles or lymph nodes. Within the latter group, however, there were 9 patients (11.3% of all 80 cases) with negative seminal vesicles and lymph nodes in whom excision of the neurovascular bundle at least reduced the extent of positive margins. Most of the positive margins in patients with tumor in the neurovascular bundle occurred outside the bundle region, and in this study, none of the cases with positive surgical margins were the sole result of failure to excise the neurovascular bundle. Conclusions. When perineural invasion is seen on needle biopsy, the morbidity of resecting one or both neurovascular bundles, which in some cases could turn out to be unnecessary, must be weighed against the benefit of reducing the incidence of positive margins (17.5% of our cases) or decreasing the extent of positive margins (11.3% of our cases).
A linear assignment approach for the least-squares protein morphing problem

This work addresses the computation of free-energy differences between protein conformations by using morphing (i.e., transformation) of a source conformation into a target conformation. To enhance the morphing procedure, we employ permutations of atoms: we seek to find the permutation σ that minimizes the mean-square distance traveled by the atoms. Instead of performing this combinatorial search in the space of permutations, we show that the best permutation can be found by solving a linear assignment problem. We demonstrate that the use of such optimal permutations significantly improves the efficiency of the free-energy computation.
Making sense of medical paternalism

Why do we regulate the substances we can ingest, the advisors we can hear, and the products we can buy far more than similarly-important non-health choices? I review many possible arguments for such paternalistic policies, as well many possible holes in such arguments. I argue we should either be clearer about what justifies our paternalism, or we should back off and be less paternalistic.
The complex mind/brain—the psynet model of mental structure and dynamics

The psynet model, a complexity theory of mind, is summarized and discussed. The mind is viewed as an autopoletic system of pattern/processes, which gives rise to a hierarchy of attractor structures, culminating in a “dual network” attractor consisting of superposed hierarchical and associative networks. Learning is accomplished by genetic programming on process trees; persistent beliefs and symbolic information are achieved by stable systems of intercreating processes.